Will great free courses drive down applications to places like Stanford? That's doubtful. It's more likely that these offerings will help build a stronger university brand.

Reuters

A well-run university is a machine. And as a saying used to go, attributed to a boss of my native Chicago, "Thank God we're a machine. If we lost, we'd be an organization." The old big-city machines served the interests of the powerful, but they stayed in power by delivering services to the 99 percent. And private universities could indeed share their fate if they're inflexible. But actually they're highly sophisticated and adaptable, or else so many high-school students and their parents wouldn't be going to such great lengths to get into them. It's actually the public universities that have been bureaucratically hidebound, passing up opportunities under their noses. As Bill Breen has written in Fast Company, it was Stanford's chief fundraiser who helped John Sperling launch a new style of education:

In 1972, he was chosen to run a series of workshops at San Jose State that would prepare police officers and teachers to work with juvenile delinquents. He built the program around some of the same pedagogical tools that he would later employ at the University of Phoenix: He brought in teachers who were experts in their fields, divided the class into small groups, and challenged each group to complete a project. He was surprised when the enthusiastic students lobbied him to create degree programs. Which is exactly what he did.

Sperling sketched out a curriculum for working adults and pitched it to the academic vice president at San Jose State, who promptly slapped it down. "My university said they didn't need no more stinkin' students, that they had all they could handle," Sperling acidly recalls. "They told me to go back and behave -- be a professor." Naturally, he ignored that advice. Even though he held business in contempt -- as would any right-thinking, left-leaning humanities professor -- the marketplace intrigued him. And he sensed an enormous market for degree-based programs targeted at working adults who were anxious to take the road to higher education.

Gambling that he could take the adult-education curriculum that San Jose State had rejected and make it succeed elsewhere, Sperling set about putting his ideas to work. He sought out the vice president of development at Stanford University, a man named Frank Newman, who threw a dash of reality onto his ambitions. Newman warned that educational bureaucracies innovate only out of fiscal desperation. In a letter, he advised Sperling to "find a school in financial trouble and convince the people running it that your program will generate a profit." Sperling found the University of San Francisco, a cash-strapped, Jesuit-run institution that became his first client.

And none of this is really new; it goes back to the university extension movement of over a century ago and to project like Harvard President Charles W. Eliot's Five-Foot Shelf of Books, read by Malcolm X in prison.

Will great free online courses like Thrun's drive down applications to places like Stanford? To the contrary, I think they will increase competition to get in, just as electronic music helped live concerts and online art museum galleries make most people more eager to visit and see the actual original, even when (as with the Mona Lisa) security measures mean that they could see it more clearly on line or in a printed book.

Instead of bashing higher education some Journal contributor should study it as an example of an institutional survivor that weathered the crises of 1893 (during which the University of Chicago was founded), 1929, the Vietnam era, 1970s stagflation, and the continuing recession. How many other great organizations have continued to grow? Online courses, far from the beginning of the end, are another validation of a flexible strategy.

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Will Online Education Replace College?

Transcrio

6000 Mexicans preparing to dance their way into the record books.

A crowd of mostly women flocked to the capital city's Zocalo Square for the world's largest aerobics class.

Having cemented their place in history, organisers hope the participants will continue an active lifestyle.

Local authorities are looking to get people out of their houses to enjoy the great outdoors in the sprawling metropolis.

Transcrio em portugus

6000 mexicanos se preparam para entrar danando no livro dos recordes.

Uma multido, na maioria mulheres, se dirigiu praa Zocalo no centro da capital, para participar na maior aula de aerbica do mundo.

Depois de garantir seu lugar na histria, os organizadores esperam que os participantes continuem a levar uma vida ativa.

Autoridades locais esto buscando formas de tirar as pessoas de casa para que possam aproveitar os grandes espaos externos da gigantesca metrpole.

See more here:
Milhares de mexicanos fazem aula coletiva de zumba para estabelecer novo recorde

Originally posted here:
2008 Olympics Alicia Sacramone (USA) Team Prelims Floor Excercise - Video

More here:
Excercise F 2 - Video

The rest is here:
Excercise F 3 - Video

Laota Saenli, a close associate to Chang Chi-fu or Khun Sa, a late Burmese drug lord, has taunted the Thai government and Police Chief Police General Priewpan Damapong that there is no way the Thai authority will ever rid the country of narcotics. His words should be heeded with some reservation because he himself is a former drug suspect. Saenli, who has turned himself into a coffee plantation owner, has also disclosed that currently, there are three major drug cartels operating out of the Indochina region, which is known to be one of the largest narcotics production regions in the world.

Prior to this, there was a unsettling report that some drug cartels have joined hands with insurgent groups from southern Thailand, arm dealers along the border areas and other criminal organizations. On the other hand, Saenli's remark gives the authority a valuable insight on how to beat the drug trade. This actually gives us hopes that perhaps the drug cartels and the insurgents who rely on their financial support could all be wiped out at the same time.

Even if Saenli's comment holds any truth, it would be useless if the officials responsible just stand idly or neglected to act on it. In the past, the government has failed to take action on many issues despite having sufficient intelligence information and funding. The officials have often performed without any clear set of direction or objectives. More importantly, many of the country's problems nowadays have been tied to politics. Without political incentives to address them, some issues would simply continued to be swept under the proverbial rug.

Recently, the police drug raids are becoming a common sight. A massive quantity of narcotics has been seized. To some, this may seem like just a showy anti-narcotics stunt by the government aimed to win the public's approval. As long as the authority is still basking itself in the limelight for trivial drug busts instead of introducing more integrated anti-drug policy, the government will never truly triumph over the narcotics epidemic.

Failing to act on Saenli's words, the officials will not only lose an opportunity to utilize a valuable piece of information and waste resources needlessly, the drug dealers will also be amused by the government's futile anti-drug efforts.

Taken from Editorial Section, Kom Chad Leuk Newspaper, Page 4, March 29, 2012 Translated and Rewritten by Kongkrai Maksrivorawan

Please note that the views expressed in our "Analysis" segment are translated from local newspaper articles and do not reflect the views of the Thai-ASEAN News Network.

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Thai-ASEAN News Network - Drug Cartels' Taunt

LOS ANGELES, March 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Drawing from over 20 years of combined fashion industry experience, acclaimed contemporary fashion designer, Michele Bohbot brings her yoga expertise to the forefront, in partnership with husband, Marc Bohbot to launch Electric Yoga by Michele Bohbot. The activewear collection is a line of specially engineered fitness apparel that blends optimal fit, function, and fashion. Electric Yoga by Michele Bohbot encourages women to harness their inner electricity and take charge of their own personal power.

Michele and Marc Bohbot are no strangers to style, having launched successful fashion brands including XOXO and Bisou Bisou by Michele Bohbot, exclusively sold at JCPenney. Continuing to build upon their previous fashion success, the Bohbot's, are tapping into something with deeper meaning: the yoga and wellness communities. As a master yogi, Michele saw the perfect opportunity to outfit, and empower the women of this new generation. The combination of Marc's business acumen and Michele's fashion-forward genius, are the foundation of a match made in heaven. Translating their journey through yoga and commitment to the community into a new brand is a passion project for the team above all else

"As a wife, mother of seven, yogi, fashion designer, and artist, I want Electric Yoga by Michele Bohbot to empower women to pursue balance between fitness and a spiritual life," says Michele Bohbot. "The fun and fresh collection is based around the lightning bolt logo, which is a symbol of love and power," adds Michele.

"I believe in Michele's passion and I know that presenting the principles of yoga to this generation is key," says Marc Bohbot. "Our creative and experienced team is developing a niche in the active wear market that will be a powerhouse among the best in the world."

Not only is the Electric Yoga by Michele Bohbot line incredibly stylish, it is crafted with optimal functionality. Electric Yoga's seamless and structured silhouettes are enhanced through ELOY fabric for comfort, support and the ability to keep wearers dry during and after a workout. The bright, bold colors are inspired by Chakra hues and overall well-being. Bright yellow and hot pink increases energy levels and release happy endorphins while turquoise and electric blue help relax muscles and relieve tension.

The eye-catching collection is complete for any fitness-buff; including seamless tanks, midi bras, leggings, shorts, and jackets, as well as yoga mats and totes which feature the brand's entire signature lightning bolt insignia.

Electric Yoga by Michele Bohbot is available at select Equinox boutiques, and other high-end specialty fitness retailers, as well as yoga studios, hotels and spas nationwide. The collection retails for $24-$198.

For further information please visit http://www.electric-yoga.com.

Link:
Fashion Industry Veterans Michele and Marc Bohbot Launch Fashion Forward Activewear Collection, Electric Yoga

What? An ashram? Wasn't it odd?

I confess ashrams conjured '60s images of The Beatles, sitars and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in my mind. But when my yoga teacher recommended I try a weekend retreat at Sivananda Ashram Yoga Camp, I invited my friend Lynne Lavery to accompany me.

We ashram first-timers enjoyed the tranquillity we experienced there amid like-minded yoga practitioners, teachers, and teachers-intraining.

Moreover, we fit seamlessly into the ashram's daily routine.

But an ashram? In Val Morin?

It seems unlikely to find an ashram in a Quebec village tucked into the forested Laurentian Mountains. In 1957, an Indian guru named Swami Vishnudevananda thought North America was ready for yoga, so he visited Montreal, discovered Val Morin, and founded this yoga camp in February 1962. Today there are more than 60 similar centres worldwide.

You said "daily routine?"

There is a daily routine at the camp. The schedule is posted on the website and both Lynne and I benefited from every activity.

What goes on?

A bell gently awakened everyone at 5:30 a.m. and from 6 to 7:30 a.m. we gathered at the temple for Satsang (chanting and meditation). I'd never experienced this and found the melodious sounds soothing - although I admit it was challenging to sit cross-legged that long.

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Yoga amid the Laurentian hills

Samantha Inman was going through a very difficult time in her life. She struggled with anxiety, depression and minor post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

For Inman, yoga was the answer and hopefully the answer for others.

Inman is co-vice president of CSU Yoga Club, founded in fall 2010 by CSU students Claire Heywood and Elena Reisterer.

When I started my practice I found a strength within myself again, Inman, a sophomore human development and family studies major, said. And I learned how to create peace with the war going on in my head.

As a yoga teacher, Inman said she has seen the impact of yoga on her students lives, including a girl suffering from chronic depression realizing that life isnt worth wasting and a cancer patient finding gratitude.

Heywood, president of the club and yoga instructor at the CSU Rec Center, said she and Reisterer realized there was a community of yoga-minded students on campus that lacked a forum to connect with each other.

It pretty much started just as a community of people who wanted to talk about yoga and do yoga together, Heywood, a junior English major, said.

But as time went on, we noticed some leaders in the worldwide yoga community who were gearing the already benevolent, good-hearted community of yogis towards social change, she said.

Heywood said because of this, CSU Yoga Club decided to take on activism and philanthropy work by donating proceeds from donation classes to Musana Childrens Home in Uganda.

The clubs goals include supporting local yoga studios and the CSU Rec Center, spreading awareness about the benefits of yoga and doing what they can to create change in the world.

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CSU students find healing, activism through yoga

The Science of Yoga: The Risks and The Rewards

In their quest for fitness and spiritual bliss, yoga devotees twist themselves into various poses like Downward Facing Dog, Warrior II and Crow. But what do the millions of modern practitioners of this ancient practice really know about what yoga can and cant do to heal the mind and body?

In "The Science of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards," award-winning New York Times science writer and longtime yogi William J. Broad delves into decades of research and history on the meditative practice, exploring the benefits and dismantling the myths. Broad interviewed a variety of experts including scientists, healers and yogis, and visited ashrams and medical centers throughout the United States, Canada and India, where yoga originated as part of an obscure, erotically focused cult. The path to yogic nirvana isnt without pitfalls.

According to Broad, yoga has been touted as a way to lose weight, but it actually lowers metabolism, prompting daily practitioners to burn fewer calories. Yoga has also produced massive injuries, including brain damage and lung rupturing. On the upside, Broad found that new studies show yoga releases natural substances in the brain that act as powerful antidepressants, and that certain poses can prompt arousal through the release of sex hormones.

Broad winds his way into the AirTalk studio to talk with Larry about yogas truths and myths. Hows your yoga practice? Are those sun salutations working for or against you? Namaste everyone.

The Science of Yoga

William J. Broad, Author of "The Science of Yoga: The Risks and The Rewards" (Simon & Schuster); science writer at The New York Times, who with colleagues has twice won the Pulitzer Prize, as well as an Emmy and a DuPont

Broad will talk about and sign copies of "The Science of Yoga, on March 30th at 7pm at Vromans Bookstore in Pasadena.

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A scientific look at the risks and rewards of yoga