Kseniya Simonova - Sand Animation Ukraine's Got Talent

You will not believe this video when you see it and please do click on the video and watch, it will be the best 8 minutes you will spend that day.

I am not sure quite what to say other than this person has talent beyond most people I know - what she did in 8 minutes was special, it was moving, absorbing and perhaps unique. I feel quite ordinary when I see this but at the same time I feel joy at seeing this video.

The Portal of Healing

Stop and Hear the Music - Pearls before Breakfast

From the article 'Pearls before Breakfast' by Gene Weingarten of the Washington Post, this remarkable video is in a way sad and a reminder that more needs to be done to help music especially classical music become more accessible and less elitist.

If I have any criticism of this event, stunt call it what you will it is that it tells me nothing I did knot know already i.e. most people don't care if you are playing some of the best music ever written, played by one of the best violinists out there on a instrument worth $3.5 million dollars.

Most people do not know and have never known who J.S. Bach was that's because they are never shown and will most likely not be shown either. I was lucky when I was a child to be given lessons in the violin when 8 years old, This I did until I was about 30 when I sadly had to give up. Most people will never get that chance to do something so wonderful as play a musical instrument.

So, it is not surprising that most people who are ignorant of what it is and who it is will continue to walk by in their humdrum, busy lives completely oblivious to what they are hearing - they are just not educated and caring enough to stop and listen much less care enough to part with some loose change.

If it had been Britney Spears and with all due respect to Joshua Bell, most people know who she is, there would have been a riot at the station and that says it all. We must get music back into our schools and have it on the main agenda for teaching, not an option but something that all students are exposed to from an early age.

It is no surprise that the children all wanted to stop and listen and were hurried along by their busy and embarrassed parents. The US, along with other countries needs to follow he example of El Sistema in Venezuela and start to educate young people in the beauty and discipline that music offers.

If Joshua Bell had played at a station in Venezuela, I suspect that there would have been a crowd quite quickly and although they may not have given as much money, what they would have given would have been their love, respect and admiration.

Here is a link to the complete performance Joshua Bell gave at the DC Metro Station: Joshua Bell at DC Metro Station

The Portal of Healing.

Urban Vegetable Garden in Havana, Cuba

This is a must see video for all of those concerned about what they are eating and where it comes from. These wonderful gardens in Cuba are exactly the sort of initiative that is needed in the UK and other countries, small self contained organic gardens producing cheap, healthy food that uses no nasty chemicals. I hope this video encourages some people to go out and plant a few veggies in their backyard!

News: Tornadoes Across Southern Ontario - The Weather Network

News: Tornadoes Across Southern Ontario - The Weather Network

I still can't get my head around what happened that day but all I know is that we were lucky. The damage from about seven tornadoes was intense. i really do believe that our weather patterns are changing and for the worst.

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The Princes Rainforests Project Awareness Campaign Video

Of all the issues that we face now climate change and deforestation is one that we cannot ignore. To keep cutting down the trees is total madness and has already done damage to our planet and must be stopped. All those people that have gardens plant a tree. All those that can't get a friend to plant a tree.

The Portal of Healing

Vaughan Tornado - August 20, 2009

Scary stuff - we are completely helpless when this happens.

Major Emergency Tornado in Ontario Town, Durham

We were driving down the highway when the tornado hit - what we saw as we drove through the sister town of Markdale was crazy, trees, big old trees just cut down like they were a matchstick! Further into our journey, we were caught in the other tornado that hit Vaughan - the roads were almost completely flooded and it was a major relief when we finally reached our destination. Coming back, it was like nothing had happened, everything was calm and sunny - amazing stuff!

The Accidental Veggie Burger

So, there we were, in the kitchen with the new juicer. Juicer? What's that got to do with a veggie burger? All will be revealed.

First off, I never intended to make a veggie burger, so many other people have already done that but this was truly an accident. All of the ingredients can be bought quite cheaply and the preparation time is good too.

So, back to the juicer. We originally intended to make vegetable juice from the over ripe reduced vegetables you can get from the local supermarket. That we did. But the by product was all this vegetable pulp and then suddenly eureka! I thought what if we could take that pulp and use it to make a burger?

So, here is how we did it:

Juice up some carrots, celery, tomatoes and one whole onion. Take the pulp and place in a large frying pan or wok which is what I used. Now the amount of burgers you get depends on how much pulp you make but we found and 6 carrots, tomatoes and celery worked quite well. We also added some mushrooms as well.

In the pan add some olive oil or butter, garlic, salt, pepper, one teaspoon of chilli powder, medium curry spice and fennygreek. Now I say one teaspoon of the spices but that is up to you and your taste - some like it stronger, some not at all but the spices really do work well with this recipe.

Heat for about 10 minutes and mix the ingredients well. This is your basic veg mix. From here we made burgers with it but you can also do vegetarian lasagne as well.

Take the mix and add one egg and about half a cup of flour. Mix well. Please note, I used a food processor which makes some of this easier. Once you have mixed in the egg and flour, get some breadcrumbs which you can either buy or take a piece of toast and crumble that up, works just as well.

Take a piece of the mix and roll it in the breadcrumbs. Fry the burgers in olive oil or butter until golden brown on a medium to high heat. That's it! Results - everyone was ecstatic about the flavour and how well they went with just about anything. We served them with some simple green salad and a home made coleslaw.

The mix we made gave us about 25 burgers which only used half of the mix. The other half was used in a lasagne.

The Portal of Healing.

Justin Timberlake - Cry Me a River

There have been many versions of this old blues classic, most recently made famous again by Britain's Got Talent and Susan Boyle. This version by Justin Timberlake is different and it is inspired by the Queen of Pop Britney Spears.

The Portal of Healing.

Sedentary Lives Can Be Deadly: Physical Inactivity Poses Greatest Health Risk To Americans, Expert Says

Sedentary Lives Can Be Deadly: Physical Inactivity Poses Greatest Health Risk To Americans, Expert Says

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From the Portal:

A quote from the article:

"Doing something is better than doing nothing, and doing more is better than doing less, at least up to a point. "We need numerous changes to promote more physical activity for all, including public policies, changes in the health care system, promoting activity in educational settings and work sites, and social and physical environmental changes. We need more communities where people feel comfortable walking. I believe psychologists can help develop better lifestyle change interventions to help people be more active via the Internet and other technological methods."

That says it all right there, do some activity but doing nothing is not an option. I realise that people will say they do not have the time but one must make some time for walking.

I say if you can walk for at least 15 minutes per day every day then you will be much better and if you can do 30 minutes it will really make a difference.

Of course diet will play a big part in how you feel but physical activity is very important for the body. It keeps things moving and working a bit like a car which is designed to be used and not left in the driveway.

However, try and leave the car in the driveway and do some walking!

The Portal of Healing

4 healthy choices to change your life - Los Angeles Times

4 healthy choices to change your life - Los Angeles Times




From the Portal:

This is one of a number of studies now saying the same thing - if you live a good healthy life, then your chances of staying healthy are good. If you don't, then there will be consequences later on in life.

So, recently, I started on a plan of diet and exercise. I do not smoke and my Body Mass Index is way too high. I have now lost about four pounds in weight but more importantly I feel much better. I try to do 10000 steps a day and or engage in some kind of physical activity. I do not eat meat at all and my intake of fruit and vegetables is very good.

Most importantly, I watch my sugar intake closely. It is the sugar in your diet that is the one thing which will put on those extra pounds. So, sweets, cakes and fizzy drinks are out. To be honest, I do not need them and I do not miss them. But there are so many other food products especially processed foods that are loaded with artificial sugar such as Fructose and in particular High Fructose Corn Syrup, which has been added to many food products since the 1960's.

It is this practice alone that has lead to a massive rise in obesity, heart attacks, stroke and most importantly Diabetes, the silent killer.

The silent killer - the reason I call it that is because most people don't even know they have some form of diabetes until it is too late. Diabetes is one of the major factors in all of the major chronic diseases that afflict our society. So, please take some time to think about your lifestyle and see how you can improve it.

The Portal of Healing.

In Harmony

In Harmony is a community development programme aimed at using music to bring positive change to the lives of very young children in some of the most deprived areas of England, delivering benefits across the wider community.



The programme encourages participation in music – in the form of the Symphony Orchestra – which can have huge personal benefits for the children involved, providing opportunities to grow and develop, both socially and musically. In Harmony is inspired by the hugely successful Venezuelan project El Sistema and is chaired by world renowned cellist, Julian Lloyd-Webber.

(Photo Courtesy of Paul Lewis Daily Mail)

From the Portal:

In Harmony is a project that we should all encourage as much as we can. The power of music on people and the benefits it brings are clear for all to see. I personally have used music as a means of therapy when working with people with special needs and the effects are quite wonderful to see, especially with the power and subtlety that a symphony orchestra can create.

I am sure most of you can remember going to see a concert or gig somewhere for the first time and felt your body, spirit and emotions moved by the sound. This is exactly what people need in their lives, that exposure to music and the vibrational, spiritual and emotional benefit it brings.

The Portal of Healing.

Pavarotti E lucevan le stelle

There are many examples of this great singer I could choose but something brings me back to this clip of E Lucevan le stelle and the stars were shining.

The singing is great, the acting great, the lyrics are brilliant and the passion is spine tingling. It does not get better than this.

Translation:

And the stars were shining
and the earth smelled sweet
the orchard gate would creak
a footstep lightly brushed the sand
She came in fragrant as a flower
and she fell into my arms

Ah sweet kisses ah languid caresses!
Trembling, I slowly uncovered her dazzling beauty
Now my dream of love has vanished forever
My last hour has flown and I die hopeless!
I have never loved life so much!

Nissan rolls out new electric car

Japanese carmaker Nissan has unveiled its first electric car, taking it closer to its aim to become the first car firm to mass produce the vehicles.

The zero-emission hatchback vehicle, called Leaf, is set to go on sale in Japan, the US and Europe next year.

Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn did not announce the prices but said it would be "very competitive".

"The monthly cost of the battery, plus the electric charge, will be less than the cost of gasoline," Mr Ghosn said.

From the Portal:

This is hugely encouraging news. There have been many doubters as to if or when an electric car would ever be produced and with the cost of oil going up again this week, the timing of this announcement could not be better. I read in the paper that the price of the new Leaf will be roughly the same as their current Versa model, a car which I test drove recently and liked very much, so this new electric car could be a winner.

Roll on 2010!

The Portal of Healing

Stop And Smell The Flowers -- The Scent Really Can Soothe Stress

Stop And Smell The Flowers -- The Scent Really Can Soothe Stress

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Eating High Levels Of Fructose Impairs Memory In Rats

Eating High Levels Of Fructose Impairs Memory In Rats

"Fructose, unlike another sugar, glucose, is processed almost solely by the liver, and produces an excessive amount of triglycerides — fat which get into the bloodstream. Triglycerides can interfere with insulin signaling in the brain, which plays a major role in brain cell survival and plasticity, or the ability for the brain to change based on new experiences."




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