MUSIC N DEMAND!: March 2008

Sunday, March 30, 2008

The 20-Minute Home Workout!

1. DECLINE PUSH UPS -- Place your feet hip width apart on a bench or chair. Place your hands shoulder width apart, with elbows bent at 90 degrees and the upper arm parallel with the floor. Your thumbs should be lined up with your chest, and your upper arm should be parallel to the floor.
Be sure to maintain proper alignment throughout the entire range of motion. Avoid sagging in the midsection of your body. Contracting the chest muscles, raise your body until your elbows are slightly bent. Slowly return to the starting position. Exhale while pushing up and inhale while returning to the starting position.

2. LUNGE -- Stand straight with your feet together and hands on your hips. Step forward with the right leg and lower the left leg until the knee almost touches the floor. Contracting the quadriceps muscles, push off your right foot, slowly returning to the starting position. Alternate the motion with the left leg to complete the set. Inhale while stepping forward. Exhale while returning to the starting position. The step should be big enough that your left leg is nearly straight.
Don't let your knee touch the floor. Make sure your head is up and your back is straight. Your chest should be lifted, and your front leg should form a 90-degree angle at the bottom of the movement. Your right knee should not pass your right foot, and you should be able to see your toes at all times. If you have one leg that is more dominant than the other, start out with the less dominant leg first. Discontinue this exercise if you feel any discomfort in your knees.

3. ABDOMINAL BICYCLE MANEUVER -- Lie on a mat with your lower back in a comfortable position. Put your hands on either side of your head by your ears. Bring your knees up to about a 45-degree angle. Slowly go through a bicycle pedaling motion, alternating your left elbow to your right knee -- then your right elbow to your left knee. This is a more advanced exercise so don’t worry if you can’t perform a lot of them.
Don't perform this activity if it puts any strain on your lower back. Also, don’t pull on your head and neck. The lower to the ground your legs bicycle, the harder your abs must work.

4. BENCH DIPS -- Using two benches or chairs, sit on one. Place both palms on the bench with your fingers wrapped around the edge. Place both feet on the other bench. Slide your upper body off the bench with your elbows nearly, but not completely, locked.
Lower your upper body slowly toward the floor until your elbows are bent slightly more than 90 degrees. Contracting your triceps, extend your elbows, returning to the starting position and stopping just short of the elbows fully extending. Inhale while lowering your body and exhale while returning to the starting position. Beginners may want to start with their feet on the floor and knees at a 90-degree angle. As you progress, move your feet out farther until your legs are straight with a slight bend in the knees.

5. ABDOMINAL DOUBLE CRUNCH -- Lie on the floor face up. Bend your knees until your legs are at a 45-degree angle with both feet on the floor. Your back should be comfortably relaxed on the floor. Place both hands crossed on your chest.
Contracting your abdominals, raise your head and legs off the floor toward one another. Slowly return to the starting position, stopping just short of your shoulders and feet touching the floor. Exhale while rising up and inhale while returning to the starting position. Keep your eyes on the ceiling to avoid pulling with your neck. Your hands should not be used to lift the head or assist in the movement.

There you have it! Five exercises performed for two cycles in just 20 minutes! You'll begin to notice a tighter feel in your muscles in a few weeks, and you will naturally perform more reps as time progresses. All in 20 minutes!

Saturday, March 1, 2008

DO IT YOURSELF

Do-It-Yourself Home Gym
You don't need a home gym to exercise at home. Here are four inexpensive, easy-to-store alternatives that, together, enhance all the elements of fitness: muscle strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular endurance. All are sold in sporting-goods stores.
Getting on the bandwagon
Elastic exercise bands are a perfect option for beginning strength training. They've been used by physical therapists for years. Cheap (usually about $3 a band), portable, and versatile, these long, wide bands provide the resistance you need to work your muscles. They often come with illustrated booklets. The bands' colors reflect the level of resistance. You can strengthen and tone virtually all your major muscles—and work them from a variety of angles, depending on what you use as an anchor for the elastic band.
Rowing. Sitting on the floor with your legs extended, loop band under arches of feet and hold one end in each hand. Start with arms extended forward. Keeping your back straight and shoulders down, pull your elbows back slowly, contracting shoulder blades. Hold for 2 seconds; release slowly. Repeat.
Tips: Start with easy resistance and gradually increase the difficulty. If you're stretching the band too much, switch to a harder resistance. Keep the band at its normal width so that it doesn't cut into your hands, feet, or ankles. After stretching the band, release it slowly, but do not let it go slack. Wrap the band securely around your hand or foot so it won't slip. When an exercise calls for anchoring one end of the band, choose an object that won't move, such as a pole or heavy piece of furniture.
Having a BIG ball
The big vinyl therapy ball—also called a physio-, Swiss, or gym ball—has been used for 30 years in Switzerland. Now these balls are turning up in gyms and physical-therapy offices across the U.S. Filled with air and relatively soft, unlike medicine balls, they cushion you as you stretch. They come in different sizes, for people of different heights. For instance, a 65-centimeter (about 24-inch) ball is recommended for those between 5'8" and 6'. Inflated with a simple pump, they start at about $20.
You can do calisthenics (strengtheners) and stretches on the ball, as well as warm-up and cool-down routines. Ball workouts require the use of multiple muscle groups. For instance, by simply sitting and bouncing on the ball, you work your hamstrings, quadriceps, abdominals, and back muscles. Add arm movements, and you also get an upper-body workout. The main benefits are improved coordination, balance, and posture.
Stretch for hip flexor muscles. Kneeling, put your stomach on the ball. Keeping one knee forward and bent at a 90° angle, put forearms on the ball. Extend the other leg backward, with the knee on the floor. Hold and feel the stretch in the front of your hip. Your front knee should be over the foot. Then lift the back knee, straighten the back leg, and stretch again. Switch legs.
Tips: When you sit on the ball, as you would a chair, your thighs should be parallel to the ground. Don't wear pins or anything that might puncture the ball. Make sure you have enough room so that if you lose your balance you won't fall onto a piece of furniture. If you are older and/or have poor balance, start off with a "spotter"—someone who will stand alongside you and make sure you don't fall off the ball.
Taking your medicine ball
For a different kind of ball workout, try medicine balls. Leather versions used to be popular among trainers and athletes in the 1930s. Today these weighted balls, dubbed "plyoballs" or "body balls," are usually made of polyurethane and/or vinyl.
What you do with a medicine ball is called plyometric exercise. This involves stretching a muscle (as when you squat before you jump to shoot a basket) and then contracting it suddenly or "explosively" as you jump. You can hold the ball above your chest to make your sit-up routine more strenuous. Or substitute it for hand weights while doing aerobic dance. Or play toss or keep-away with one or two partners. Plyometrics can build muscle strength, thus increasing power for specific sports.
Twist. Sitting with your back at a 45° angle to the floor, move the ball from side to side, twisting your upper body.
Tips: Start with a small, lightweight ball—about 18 inches in diameter and weighing 5 to 9 pounds. Balls over 16 pounds should be used only in professional training. Vary your workout to avoid overuse injuries or soreness. For advanced or intense plyometric exercises, consult a trainer.
Learning the ropes
Jumping rope is great exercise for adults as well as kids. All you need is a rope and good shoes—plus a little instruction at first and then some practice.
As aerobic exercise became a byword in the 1980s, rope jumping gained new popularity—for good reason. As a way to build cardiovascular endurance, jumping rope can be as strenuous as jogging, but is lower in impact, since you should jump only a little off the ground. It helps improve coordination, speed, and agility. If you engage in a sport (such as tennis, basketball, or skiing) that requires bursts of speed and power, jumping rope can be particularly beneficial. It works muscles in the legs, shoulders, chest, and forearms. And it burns lots of calories.
Check the rope length. Stand on the center and pull the handles up your sides: the ends of the handles should come just up to your armpits.
Tips: Wear shoes with good support; aerobics shoes or cross-trainers (not running shoes) are best. Make sure the rope handles fit comfortably in your hands. It's best to jump on the kind of springy wood floor found at a gym or health club, but a lawn or a mat works well, too. Carpets are fine, but a thick one may throw off your timing. Concrete is too hard and increases the risk of injury, but if your shoes are good enough you should be able to jump anywhere.
If you are just beginning to jump, start at about 70 turns a minute, which allows you to double-hop each jump. Keeping your elbows near the sides of your hips, turn the rope with your wrists and forearms—don't turn from the shoulders. To minimize stress on your legs, jump just high enough for the rope to pass under your feet—only an inch or two off the ground. Land softly on the balls of your feet and let your heels help absorb the impact. Land with your knees slightly bent. Keep your posture erect, shoulders back, and abdomen tucked in. Slow down if you get winded or too tired. Jumping rope can elevate your heart rate very quickly.

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A COUNTRY COTTAGE by Anton Chekhov

Two young people who had not long been married were walking up and down the platform of a little country station. His arm was round her waist, her head was almost on his shoulder, and both were happy.
The moon peeped up from the drifting cloudlets and frowned, as it seemed, envying their happiness and regretting her tedious and utterly superfluous virginity. The still air was heavy with the fragrance of lilac and wild cherry. Somewhere in the distance beyond the line a corncrake was calling.
"How beautiful it is, Sasha, how beautiful!" murmured the young wife. "It all seems like a dream. See, how sweet and inviting that little copse looks! How nice those solid, silent telegraph posts are! They add a special note to the landscape, suggesting humanity, civilization in the distance. . . . Don't you think it's lovely when the wind brings the rushing sound of a train?"
"Yes. . . . But what hot little hands you've got. . . That's because you're excited, Varya. . . . What have you got for our supper to-night?"
"Chicken and salad. . . . It's a chicken just big enough for two. . . . Then there is the salmon and sardines that were sent from town."
The moon as though she had taken a pinch of snuff hid her face behind a cloud. Human happiness reminded her of her own loneliness, of her solitary couch beyond the hills and dales.
"The train is coming!" said Varya, "how jolly!"
Three eyes of fire could be seen in the distance. The stationmaster came out on the platform. Signal lights flashed here and there on the line.
"Let's see the train in and go home," said Sasha, yawning. "What a splendid time we are having together, Varya, it's so splendid, one can hardly believe it's true!"
The dark monster crept noiselessly alongside the platform and came to a standstill. They caught glimpses of sleepy faces, of hats and shoulders at the dimly lighted windows.
"Look! look!" they heard from one of the carriages. "Varya and Sasha have come to meet us! There they are! . . . Varya! . . . Varya. . . . Look!"
Two little girls skipped out of the train and hung on Varya's neck. They were followed by a stout, middle-aged lady, and a tall, lanky gentleman with grey whiskers; behind them came two schoolboys, laden with bags, and after the schoolboys, the governess, after the governess the grandmother.
"Here we are, here we are, dear boy!" began the whiskered gentleman, squeezing Sasha's hand. "Sick of waiting for us, I expect! You have been pitching into your old uncle for not coming down all this time, I daresay! Kolya, Kostya, Nina, Fifa . . . children! Kiss your cousin Sasha! We're all here, the whole troop of us, just for three or four days. . . . I hope we shan't be too many for you? You mustn't let us put you out!"
At the sight of their uncle and his family, the young couple were horror-stricken. While his uncle talked and kissed them, Sasha had a vision of their little cottage: he and Varya giving up their three little rooms, all the pillows and bedding to their guests; the salmon, the sardines, the chicken all devoured in a single instant; the cousins plucking the flowers in their little garden, spilling the ink, filled the cottage with noise and confusion; his aunt talking continually about her ailments and her papa's having been Baron von Fintich. . . .
And Sasha looked almost with hatred at his young wife, and whispered:
"It's you they've come to see! . . . Damn them!"
"No, it's you," answered Varya, pale with anger. "They're your relations! they're not mine!"
And turning to her visitors, she said with a smile of welcome: "Welcome to the cottage!"
The moon came out again. She seemed to smile, as though she were glad she had no relations. Sasha, turning his head away to hide his angry despairing face, struggled to give a note of cordial welcome to his voice as he said:
"It is jolly of you! Welcome to the cottage!"

RAP

In 1979 the first two rap records appeared: “King Tim III (Personality Jock),” recorded by the Fatback Band, and “Rapper’s Delight,” by the Sugarhill Gang. A series of verses recited by the three members of the Sugarhill Gang, “Rapper’s Delight” became a national hit, reaching number 36 on the Billboard magazine popular music charts. The spoken content, mostly braggadocio spiced with fantasy, was derived largely from a pool of material used by most of the earlier rappers. The backing track for “Rapper’s Delight” was supplied by hired studio musicians, who replicated the basic groove of the hit song “Good Times” (1979) by the American disco group Chic.
Perceived as novel by many white Americans, “Rapper’s Delight” quickly inspired “Rapture” (1980) by the new-wave band Blondie, as well as a number of other popular records. In 1982 Afrika Bambaataa’s “Planet Rock” became the first rap record to use synthesizers and an electronic drum machine. With this recording, rap artists began to create their own backing tracks rather than simply offering the work of others in a new context. A year later Bambaataa introduced the sampling capabilities of the emulator synthesizer on “Looking for the Perfect Beat” (1983).
Sampling brought into question the ownership of sound. Some artists claimed that by sampling recordings of a prominent black artist, such as funk musician James Brown, they were challenging white corporate America and the recording industry’s right to own black cultural expression. More problematic was the fact that rap artists were also challenging Brown’s and other musicians’ right to own, control, and be compensated for the use of their intellectual creations. By the early 1990s a system had come about whereby most artists requested permission and negotiated some form of compensation for the use of samples. Some commonly sampled performers, such as funk musician George Clinton, released compact discs (CDs) containing dozens of sound bites specifically to facilitate sampling. One effect of sampling was a newfound sense of musical history among black youth. Earlier artists such as Brown and Clinton were celebrated as cultural heroes and their older recordings were reissued and repopularized. By the late 1990s, however, licensing samples had become so costly that many rappers began to create backing tracks and sounds from scratch instead.

SCIENTISTS TO TURN CARBONDIOXIDE INTO GASOLINE

If two scientists at Los Alamos National Labotratory are correct, people will still be driving gasoline powered cars 50 years from now, churning out heat trapping carbondioxide into the atmosphere-and yet that carbon will not contribute into global warming. The scientists, Jefferey Martin and Willian Cubic, are proposing a concept, patiotically named green freedom. for removing carbon from the air and turning it back into gasoline. The idea is simple. air would be thrown over a solution of pottasium carbonate, which would absorb the carbon-di- oxide. the gas gas then be extracted and subjected into fuel like metanol,gasolineor jet fuel.