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If you plan to golf Maui you're in for the treat of your links career! More top-flite choices await you than almost any other island destination. Whether you are a scratch golfer or the only way you get near par is with an eraser, there is a Maui golf experience waiting just for you!

With near perfect year-round weather averaging 75-85 degrees, who wouldn't want to golf Maui? You've seen many of the courses on TV: The Kapalua plantation course, home of the Mercedes Championship; the Wailea Gold course, home of the Senior Skins game; and Kaanapali North, host to a Champions tour event. But the best part of all is that you can experience the exact same courses Tiger, Phil and Ernie challenge. All of Maui's golf courses are in great shape year round, and there is no bad time for a maui golf vacation. Try some of the lesser known but no less spectacular courses such as Makena South, Pukalani, and the Dunes at Maui Lani Golf Course. Almost every course offers stunning views of both the ocean and Mt. Haleakala, so keeping your eye on the ball is your foremost challenge here!

So if you're coming to Golf Maui, be advised you'll be subjected to gorgeous vistas, great weather, world-class accommodations, delicious Asian Rim cuisine, and quite possibly the best vacation you've ever had. We just thought you should know. As for myself, every year I look forward to the time I get to golf Maui!

Keith Thompson is the webmaster at Hawaii Vacation Directory and continues his love affair with the Kapalua Golf Club

# posted by 27164 : 8:41 PM  0 comments

What is Yoga? Many students of Yoga will easily answer, "Yoga means union." "Union of what?" you may say. Whether you believe Yoga is the union of mind, body, and spirit, or the union of your soul (jiva) with God, Yoga is a life changing method, which has improved peoples lives for thousands of years.

When seeking a Yoga teacher, people are confused about the qualifications. This is understandable, but some of the top qualifications a Yoga teacher should have are tolerance, integrity, and compassion. These are not physical qualities, but would you choose to spend your time learning Yoga from someone who is an unethical brute?

Many of us have heard, or read, the Parable of the Good Samaritan. If you are unfamiliar with it, you can refer to Luke 10:25-37 from the New Testament. When the man asks Jesus how to obtain eternal life, Jesus tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

Basically, Jesus explains that it is essential for us to help those in need who are around us. It reminds me of the saying, Cant see the forest for the trees. The path toward God is filled with challenges. Even though we may have our eyes on God, people around us need help, and helping others is the path to eternal life.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan is scripture worth reading because people often forget who their neighbors are. While we are on this earth, we are all neighbors. Tolerance, integrity, and compassion are your guides toward union.

John 15:12 quotes Jesus as saying: This is my commandment to you, to love one another as I have loved you.

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga Teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive a Free Yoga e-Book: "Yoga in Practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

Copyright 2007 Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

# posted by 27164 : 5:46 AM  0 comments

Are you bored with the conventional vacations to beaches or lakeside cottages? As relaxing as such trips can be, some travelers are choosing adventure-based vacations rather than these normal travel ideas. Breaking away from the usual travel destinations and opting for adventure travel can be a great way to escape from mundane and into exciting.

The good news is that adventure travel is surely not limited to the young, daring travelers as there is something for every travel personality. Many find adventure travel the better choice because regular travel has become so predictable, leading them to look for alternatives.

adventure travel has changed the thinking of travelers today. travel no longer has to be viewed as a combination of enjoyable yet predictable and sometimes boring. Seeing the same places or types of places over and over can take a toll, but adventure traveling can bring the excitement back. Many opportunities await adventurists or tourists seeking to spice up annual vacations by meeting new people, exploring new places, trying new activities and experiencing new cultures. As you can easily gather, you can toss out the "old" vacation and bring in the "new" with adventure travel vacations.

adventure travel is unlike any normal vacation. A normal vacation to the Caribbean will take the traveler to the usual beaches, nice hotels and same entertainment. As nice as this can be for the first-time visitor, imagine what adventure travel to the Caribbean would offer. Your vacation could now include such things as trekking through the rain forests, observing animals up close in their natural habitat, or camping with local residents for a unique cultural experience. You can experience the culture, food, costumes all on beautiful, unspoiled beaches offering you a unique experience and new perspective on life yet doing so still nearby civilization.

Australia is another popular location in Benidorm for adventure travel allowing the visitor to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy this beautiful land. You can balloon across the continent, or try some snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, among many more. An adventure travel company can provide some good recommendations on destinations that meet your desires and adventure preferences whether you choose Australia, the Caribbean or another fascinating destination.

One of the attractive features about adventure travel is that it is certainly not limited to teens, youth and young adventurists. Anyone with a fire in their belly can enjoy the adventure of outdoor adventure travel. Oftentimes, our imagination is the only thing limiting the possibilities. With so much to try, go ahead and get started on your first real adventure!

# posted by 27164 : 1:13 AM  0 comments

Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love has it. Many in San Francisco want it...

Wireless broadband Internet access (WiFi) seems too good to be true. At relatively low cost, anyone can get on the Internet anywhere in a city. All the city needs to do is install WiFi antennas.

An argument in favor of citywide WiFi is that it will reduce the digital divide: the poorer you are, the more limited your access to the Internet and its information resources. Cities like Philadelphia and San Francisco are actively trying to close the digital divide. One option is WiFi.

Yet in weighing the options, virtually nothing is heard about the potential health risks. Saturating an entire city with WiFi adds to the existing burden of nonionizing radiation. That burden, called electrosmog by some, consists of long-term exposure to low-level concentrations of nonionizing radiation from familiar sources like radio and TV signals, electronic and electrical devices, and the ubiquitous cell phone.

Wireless Internet Access

Local area networks (LANs) link computers, printers, modems, and other devices. Traditional LANs make the links physically using wire cable. Messages between computers and the other devices on the network are managed by a device called a router.

A wireless LAN does away with the wire cable by using a router that transmits and receives radio signals. To use a wired LAN, you have to plug the computer or other device into a wall socket. A wire leads from the socket to the router, which manages signal traffic between the devices on the network.

With a wireless LAN, each device on the network is built so that it can send a signal to the router and receive signals back. Wireless routers typically have a range of a hundred to several hundred feet. The range can be increased by adding a booster that increases the signal strength.

As with all radio signals, the closer you are to the transmitter (the router) the stronger the signal. Cell phones work on the same principle. The difference is that cell phones work at a different frequency and put out a stronger signal than wireless LANs.

Radio Frequencies

Cell phones operate at frequencies in the 3 to 30 GHz range, similar to microwave ovens. Wireless LANs operate at one tenth of that range0.3 to 3 GHz, the range of UHF television broadcasts. GHz stands for gigaHertz, a standard measure of radio frequency radiation (RFR)electromagnetic radiation created by sending an alternating electrical current through an antenna. The higher the GHz, the faster the current alternates.

Frequency by itself does not measure the potential effect of RFR. As you would guess, the strength of the signal also matters. The strength of a signal is measured in watts, a standard measure of electrical energy. For example, a 100 watt light bulb is brighter because it puts out more energy than a 60 watt bulb.

Think of the effect of waves at the beach: small waves far apart (low strength, low frequency) versus large wave close together (high strength, high frequency). The former is likely to have less of an effect than the latter.

The exposure to RFR is measured using SARspecific absorption rate. SAR is expressed either in milliwatts/kilogram (mW/kg) of body weight or milliwatts/cubic centimeter (mW/cm2) of exposed body area: the size of the wave and how much of your body it strikes.

Health Risks

WiFi enthusiasts dismiss health risk concerns because the power output and SAR exposure is significantly below the minimum standard set for cell phones. But cell phone standards are set for the short term exposure of a cell phone in use pressed to your head. In addition, the standards are set based on the thermal (heating) effect of the radiation.

Nonthermal effects of cell phones are documented at exposures below the current US standards, including

- memory loss,
- sleep disruption,
- slowed motor skills and reaction time,
- decreased immune function,
- spatial disorientation and dizziness,
- headaches,
- lowered sperm count,
- increased blood pressure and pulse,
- DNA breakage and reduced DNA repair capacity, and
- cell proliferation.

A second problem is that cell phone exposure is intermittent, whereas WiFi exposure is constant. A more accurate comparison is to the effect of cell phone broadcast antennas. These antennas send and receive radio frequency signals constantly.

The signal strength from an antenna is comparable to a cell phone only at very close range. The exposure is not a cell phones brief blast but a persistent bath of low- strength RFR. In addition to the health effects documented for cell phone use, exposure to cell phone antennas include

- increased blood pressure and pulse,
- sleep disruption,
- emotional effects such as increased depression and irritability,
- memory loss and mental fog,
- fatique and vertigo, and
- increased cancer risk.

Because of these effects, the International Association of Fire Fighters (AFL-CIO) decided in 2004 that they will not permit cell phone antennas on fire houses.

RFR Hypersensitivity

Much of the discussion of RFR health effects is framed as a concern with people who are hypersensitive. Hypersensitivity is the technical term for allergies and similar immune system overreactions. But instead of pollen, RFR hypersensitivity is a reaction to nonionizing radiation. It seems that an unlucky few are affected while the rest of us are off the hook.

Research by Olle Johansson and rjan Halberg of the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm suggests otherwise. They looked at the incidence of cancer in Europe and the US and found a striking association between the increase in certain cancers during the 20th Century and exposure RFR as measured by radio and TV broadcasts.

What the hypersensitive really represent is one extreme in a complex landscape of effects and risks. Just like any other environmental stressor, RFR will affect some people more than others. And as with other environmental stressors, the greater the overall burden, the greater the risk of becoming one of the the unlucky few.

Wireless LANs add to the existing burden of RFR. Just as burning more fossil fuels adds more smog, adding more RFR adds more electrosmog. You dont have to expose your home or your city to the increased burden created by WiFi. Theres a viable alternative: a wired LAN. The hype might make it seem less convenient and more expensive. But whats a good nights sleep worth? Or reducing your risk of cancer?

Resources

International Association of Fire Fighters. 2004. Position on the Health Effects from Radio Frequency/Microwave (RF/MW) Radiation in Fire Department Facilities from Base Stations for Antennas and Towers for the Conduction of Cell phone Transmissions. Access at http://www.iaff.org/safe/content/celltower/ celltowerfinal.htm.

Johansson, Olle and Doug Loranger. 2005. Electrosmog. Your Own Health And Fitness. Broadcast November 29, 2005. http://yourownhealthandfitness.org/ radiation.html.

Sage, Cindy. 2005. Comment on San Francisco TechConnect Community Wireless Broadband Initiative. Sage Associates: September 2005.

# posted by 27164 : 12:07 AM  0 comments