ENVIRONMENT - CLIMATE CHANGE

The US Global Change Research Programme, a grouping of a dozen US government agencies and the White House, has recently released its report, titled “Global Change Impacts in the United States”. Mr. Jerry Melillo of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts said that “Climate change is happening now, it is not something that will happen decades or centuries in the future”. Mr. Jerry Melillo is one of the lead authors of the report. According to the report, the climate change is caused mainly by human-induced emissions of heat-trapping gases. The report outlines in plain, non-scientific terms hoe global warming has led to an increase of extreme weather like the powerful heat-wave that swept Europe in 2003. Global warming has impact on everything from water supplies to farming, to energy, to health. On Friday, 26th June 2009, The House of Representatives in the United States has narrowly passed the legislation that establishes the United States’ first limits on pollution that is linked to global warming. Democratic Representative, Ed Murkey described the legislation as “the most important energy and environmental legislation in the history of our country”.

On Thursday, 18th of June 2009, the Star reported that the haze that covered the Kuala Lumpur skyline on 17th June 2009. According to that report, the Air Pollutant Index showed that some 26 areas in Malaysia, the air quality reading were between 51 to 100 while in Tanjung Malim area was declared as unhealthy with the reading between 101 and 200 as recorded.


On 27th June 2009, Malaysia Environment NGO (MENGO) in association with the Purple Ants had organised a Treasure Hunt to create awareness of the environmental impact on human life among the people. The Treasurer Hunt took some 500 participants, the majority of whom were below the age of 30 years age, from Petaling Jaya to Jalan Ampang to Jalan Sultan Ismail to Jalan Imbi to Jalan Hang Tuah to Jalan Sambantan areas in Kuala Lumpur. The rules of the Treasure Hunt prohibited the use of cars, buses or any petrol or diesel driven vehicles as a means of transport. It was all fun and challenges that had put the thought of winning in the second place.

The Team, “The Green Hunter”[picture above]is the only team, which has 3 of its 4 members who are above 60 years of age. Among them, the oldest is 70 years old..



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Maestro D’Taijiquan conducts Taijiquan and Qigong in Petaling Jaya. Please contact Master W. Y. Ho at 012-3319234

TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE

My name is Ho Wah Ying [better known as W. Y. Ho]. I was a practising TCM Chinese Physician for more than 40 years. For a number of years, I was the Advisor to the Kuala Lumpur Traditional Chinese Physician Association.

Very often I have overheard people at the coffee-shop talks, discussing about usage of herbs to cure certain illness, particularly single-herb prescriptions. Let me share my experience and knowledge, as a Chinese Physician, with you about Chinese Medicine. However, I have to share my knowledge by instalments as it would be too long to describe it in one single article.

Discussion 1 - The Characters and Functions of Traditional Chinese Herbs
Every herb has its own specific characters. Such different characters of the herbs are used to treat diseases, rectify the hyperactivity and hypoactivity of Yin and Yang. It helps the body to restore its normal physiological functions and hence eliminate the diseases and restore the body to good health. The characters and functions of these herbs include: -
[1] herbs’ properties, which refers to the cold, hot, warm, or cool nature of the herbs
[2] Its flavours, which refers to the taste of the herbs – pungent, sweet, sour, bitter, salty, tasteless and
astringent (harsh biting quality)
[3] actions of lifting,
[4] actions of lowering
[5] actions to float
[6] actions to cause Channel Tropism
[7] action to clear or neutralise toxicity, etc.

This theory is based on the theories of Yin and Yang, the viscera, the channels and collaterais, and the treatment principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

W Y Ho
24th June 2009
Next week – Properties and flavours

BLOGGERS CARNIVAL - PJ challenge 2009

The Day on 20th June 2009 is the 3rd Anniversary of Petaling Jaya City Day. As part of the City Day Celebration, the Association of Backpackers Malaysia (ABM) in association with Kaspersky Lab and MBPJ held a one-day Bloggers “K”arnival at Jaya 33 in Petaling Jaya.

More than 500 people came to participate in the Carnival. About 300 of the participants took part in the Blogging Competition while the rest of them took part in the Treasure Hunt, Find Your Match, Photography Contest (Capture Karnival Moments), Mystery Gift for Dad, and the Children’s Colouring Contest, All participants were given a goody-bag of freebies.


The Bloggers Competition was divided into two categories – [1] Basic (Blog 101) and [2] Advanced (Blog 411). The Prizes for the Basic (Blog 101) are Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 Antivirus system and the prizes for the Advanced (Blog 411) are Laptops.

1dragoncall.blogspot. com has won a prize in the Basic category.



There were also cultural activities to entertain the people who came to Jaya 33 to participate in the Carnival as well as to shop there.

BEAUTES OF BUKIT GASING, P. JAYA

The recent fire in May 2009 that burnt out part of the Bukit Gasing range, has destroyed some of the flora and fauna in the forest on those hills of the Bukit Gasing range. However, not all are lost. Below are some of the beauties that you can still find in the forest of Bukit Gasing.
















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Maestro D’Taijiquan conducts Taijiquan and Qigong in Petaling Jaya. Please contact Master W. Y. Ho at 012-3319234

Meditation - the seven basic steps

In learning to meditate, it is essential to begin with the seven basic steps. They are:
[1] Start out with focussing the mind by placing the Tian Mu [a point at midpoint between, but immediately above the eyebrows] at the mid-point that lies between the Solar Plexus and the navel of your own body. I refer to that point as the M-point
[2] Take 7 long, smooth, silent and deep in-out breathing [to breathe in and out is one breath]
[3] Concentrate on the M-point and observe and be aware of the movements of the M-point as you
breathe in and breathe out.
[4] Following the seven long breathing, learn to adjust the breathing in the following 4 ways:
[a] Long in and long out
[b] short in and long out
[c] long in and short out
[d] short in and short out
[5] Let the mind be at ease as you breathe, but without lose of concentration and focus
[6] Spread your awareness [your sense of conscious feeling] to every parts of your body
[7] Unite the breath sensations that are spread all over your body and let them flow together freely
and comfortably, but keep your awareness as broad as possible.

Once fully aware of the aspects of your breathing, you will come to know all other aspects of things as well. By its nature, the breathing has many facets, i.e., breathing sensations flowing in the nerves, those flowing around and about the nerves in the body to every pore. In summary, meditation:
[a] will improve the energy that is already existed in your body so that you can contend with such things as diseases and pain;
[b] can clarify the knowledge that is already within you so that it can become a basis for the skills that will lead to release and purity of heart.

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Maestro D’Taijiquan conducts Taijiquan and Qigong in Petaling Jaya. Please contact Master W. Y. Ho at 012-3319234