Saturday, December 30, 2017

King Lavana, a Magician and a Horse



Sham S. Misri
Once, a magician appears in King Lavana's court and manifests a magnificent horse. The king mounts the horse and disappears for a couple of hours. Upon his return, the king explains that he had passed a lifetime married to a tribal woman, raising children. When his tribal family died in a great famine, he was preparing to immolate himself. When he woke up, the king found himself back in his court, and realized the magician had put a spell on him (III. 104- 109).
Ref: Yoga Vashishta of Valmiki.

Thursday, December 28, 2017

Dogs are good for you!


 Dogs are good for you!

The dogs that we now keep as pets are descendants of wolves that entered villages in search of food about 12,000 years ago. Later, people began to use dogs to guard, herd and hunt. Recently Dr. Deborah wells, a senior lecturer at the canine behavior centre of queen’s university, Belfast, found that dog owners have lower cholesterol and blood pressure, fewer minor physical ailments, and are less likely to develop serious medical problems. she says that dogs can directly promote our well being by buffering us from stress, one of the major risk factors associated with ill health. the ownership of a dog can also lead to increase in physical activity and facilitate the development of social contact, which may enhance human health in a more indirect manner. She found that dogs could also act as ’early warning systems for more serious illnesses including epilepsy and cancer.

[the research, published in the health psychology journal];
DAILY telegraph, 22 January 2007.

Saturday, September 9, 2017

Where did the word mummy come from?




Sham S. Misri
King Tut’s mummy was discovered in Egypt nearly a century ago. The word mummy that we use in science comes from an old Turkish term that refers to a rock. It’s is the process of making somebody like a rock. Being mummified looks a lot like being turned into a stone. [The term] was picked up 800 years ago in Old English. When you look at a mummy in a museum case, it does still have flesh on it. But the flesh has been changed. It’s been dried out in a special way and treated by experts. So it doesn’t feel like flesh. It feels like beef jerky.
 In Ancient Egypt, there was an industry to create cat mummies that would be buried with people. There is an archeological site where a million cat mummies were created for sale. If you look closely at some of those that turn up in Egyptian tombs, [you’ll see] they’re fakes. Someone was trying to pass off a cat mummy when there were only sticks and stones inside. We know that because we have a technology to look inside the mummy.
[Source: Time for kids]

Friday, September 1, 2017

Born out of ant-hills (Valmiki)



Sham S.Misri

There is an interesting story about Valmiki. The Uttara Khanda tells the story of Valmiki's early life, a highway robber named Valya Koli who used to rob people after killing them. Once, the robber tried to rob the divine sage Narada for the benefit of his family. Narada asked him if his family would share the sin he was incurring due to the robbery. The robber replied positively, but Narada told him to confirm this with his family. The robber asked his family, but none agreed to bear the burden of sin. Dejected, the robber finally understood the truth of life and asked for Narad’s forgiveness. Narada taught the robber to worship God. The robber meditated for many years, so much so that ant-hills grew around his body. Finally, a divine voice declared his penance successful, bestowing him with the name Valmiki, "one born out of ant-hills."

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Hands tell a story



Sham S. Misri
1. Adolf Hitler had a habit of standing with his hands clasped in front of his genitals. This is a defensive posture and it’s commonly used by people who feel socially or sexually insecure. In Hitler’s case it prompted the joke at the time that he was ‘hiding the last unemployed member of the Third Reich.’
2. Whenever we think of Napoleon Bonaparte, it’s said that his trademark tell was his habit of walking with his hands clasped behind his back, a practice that made him instantly recognizable to his troops, even at a great distance.