Two intense days of meetings and performance that introduced the magnificent homecoming to the local post-pants of the Blue Devils, Monday 29 June, where we could watch some movies on the neo-traditions around Nice a good vegetable dish, see and review Suomen Papagaio sambistas and Finnish, and finally hear excellent musicians late into the night. Debates, Questions, answers interim, new tastes and sounds, the awareness of local action and global thinking ... It is also the TAD.
Viva!
Dear specimens future social,
The Friends of Noah COLLECTIVE invites you stretch your flag to a new appeal. On the agenda: new celebrations, good humor and a bit frustrated for Carnival this year. To follow, attend, transmit or create their collective local, regional or outsourced altogether: http://uneautremanifestpossible.wordpress.com paraitrons where new info in the coming days ...
Friends of Noah and the collective of collectives.
Updated Friday, February 6, 2009 at 14 h 30
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| Photo: The UdM researcher Joshua Grant |
Disciples of Zen meditation being less sensitive to pain than those who do not practice?
It seems so, show the work of PhD student Joshua Grant and Professor Pierre Rainville, University of Montreal.
This effect is also noticeable pain when the individual is not in a meditative state.
Zen meditation is a practice recognized by his followers to bring balance mentally, physically and emotionally.
Student Grant wanted to determine if the meditators had a different perception of pain compared to people who have never practiced meditation.
Previous studies have shown that patients with chronic pain could benefit from the practice of meditation, but few researchers have studied the resistance to pain in healthy subjects well trained in this practice.
- Joshua Grant
The researchers believe their work is a first step that determines how and why meditation affects the perception of pain.
study
Thirteen insiders meditation with a minimum of 1000 hours of practice have been tested for pain tolerance. Their responses were compared with those of thirteen other individuals who have never practiced meditation. The groups consisted of 10 women and 16 men aged 22 to 56 years.
tolerance test the pain was simple: a plate, at different temperatures, was pressed intermittently on the calves of the participants.
Initially at 43 degrees Celsius, the temperature was gradually raised to as high as 53 degrees Celsius, depending on the sensitivity of the subjects.
The results are clear: Many meditators have tolerated the maximum temperature, whereas no control subjects could not do.
This difference in reaction was even noticed when the meditators are not in state meditative.
Thus, the fact of practicing Zen meditation may be associated with a 18% reduction in pain.
Breathing in question
According to researchers, those who practice meditation reduce the sensation of pain through slower breathing. In comparison, they do 12 breaths per minute compared to 15 breaths per minute on average for other participants.
Slowing down breathing certainly seems to be a reduction of pain and may affect control of pain by relaxing the body.
- Joshua Grant
The results may also reflect an individual's ability to better control his thoughts and attention in relation to the concept of mindfulness (mindfulness ).
The details of this work is published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine .
http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/science/2009/02/06/001-douleur-meditation.shtml
They were then acquired an old school downtown Quebec, with plans to expand the building to bring together some thirty organizations in the region under one roof.
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| Photo: Environment Centre Construction of the wall of straw bales: Mathieu Caron at work. |
energy efficient renovation of the boiler, roof greening, a system of rainwater collection, furniture manufactured healthy materials, nothing was left to chance. We even tried a first in Quebec in the commercial sector, construction of insulated walls of straw bale.
The goal? Showcase green building technology. "We're not zealots of straw. The idea was to demonstrate the validity of green building, "said Mathieu Caron, contractor, director of Eco-buildings, and site manager. Making its credentials in green building and prove that in the 21st century, its artisans are no longer motivated by nostalgia for the hippie era, but by the need to reduce the ecological footprint of a highly energy intensive and polluting industries.
Building the Future
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| Photo: Environment Centre Wall insulated straw bale on four floors. |
According to the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, the built environment represents about 30% of energy consumed by Canada alone, it contributes 35% to the greenhouse gas effect emissions in the country, and that besides the construction industry "traditional "Generates huge amounts of waste.
"The buildings, it should be like the prepackaged foods on which is affixed a nutrition label. We should be able to buy a house and be informed about its content of volatile organic compounds in urea-formaldehyde and other toxins in the adhesives, glues, paints and finishes, "defends Mathieu Caron. So many products, which in high concentrations can be harmful to health and we are exposed daily. After all, the man spends between 75 and 90% of their lives in the building.
Now, according to the specialist, to reverse this trend we must first people and the construction industry understand that green building is not a constraint but an opportunity.
A change of mentality is difficult to operate in an often accused of being too conservative. "The problem in construction is the sharing of risk. Operating costs are extremely high, so the learning costs as well, "notes the director of Eco-buildings.
The cost of risk
The error is expensive. Why is the industry she ventured a few bizarre green technologies, while techniques that already has proven over time?
Who can forget the story of three little pigs? The houses of straw are blown like houses of cards and the construction industry fears of being swallowed by the wolf.
But despite all that is likely to occur if its representatives are in their positions. First, because people are increasingly concerned about drinking responsibly. Then, because traders were not too long to know a good thing.
How to make the leap without burning your wings? "The problem with the green building is that tries to keep the old ways and to incorporate ecological techniques, "says Mathieu Caron. "We must, he says, a process of consultation, design, which is extremely painful for many people in the construction industry. "Painful or not, if they want to go green, the various players in the construction industry and environmentalists can no longer evolve in a vacuum.
Seat everyone around the table to allow a further tie, the group Eco-buildings made the challenge of doing so and he won his bet. Since last December, the agency offers a course on the application of sustainable development by building contractors and workers in the middle.
The role of politics
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| Photo: Environment Centre Rooftop ... green! |
industry therefore cautiously ventured on field greens, but not alone bear the responsibility for making things happen. According to the director, an alignment policy is needed: a regulatory and financial incentives.
"We have seen elsewhere, it is sufficient for governments to make a gesture ambitious sustainable development and the business community seize the rebound to make it work, "he said.
However, such actions is often the result of functional and economic imperatives. Central Europe and Scandinavia, for example, have a good head start on Quebec in sustainable building. However, it is clear that these are regions where not only electricity is expensive, but also lack of space. These countries are virtually forced to green innovation, while in the beautiful province rich in resources and electricity costs are ridiculously low.
For now, no force Quebec to make the choice of sustainable building. The change is more driven by environmental beliefs and hopes business but who knows where this might lead? "Everything is exponential in the field of green building. There are 6 or 7 years, business people saw it as something of hippies ... anymore. I hope in 10 years, we no longer speak of green buildings, but of those who are not, "concluded Matthew Caron.
The principles of sustainable building by Mathieu Caron:
Remember the following equation: = + people + services + = proximity to transit, bicycle and walking = - travel by car = - CO2 emissions. A winning formula!
"If you live in a straw bale house and you'll get your pint of milk in the car, it does not work. "
- Mathieu Caron
http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/societe/2009/01/29/001-ecologis-ecoconstruction.shtml
