Alec Baldwin and wife Hilaria say Ted Cruz and Mitch McConnell could use some yoga.

It was yoga, not politics, that primarily brought actor and MSNBC host Alec Baldwin and his yoga-instructing wife Hilaria into the District Thursday night. The couple had been tapped by the Smithsonian to host "Some Enlightened Evening," a gala to celebrate the new Sackler Gallery exhibition, Yoga: The Art of Transformation.

[READ: Is Alec Baldwin Heading to MSNBC]

Whispers asked the Baldwins who amongst the leaders on Capitol Hill might benefit from a little yoga posing. "Let's get Mitch [McConnell] down on the floor and get him stretched out," Alec Baldwin said, referring to the Republican Senate Minority Leader. Baldwin pointed to the $3 billion Kentucky dam project that got tacked on to this week's debt deal. (The Kentucky lawmaker says he's not the one responsible for the "Kentucky Kickback," as some conservatives are calling it.) "I think Mitch should take some of that money...and get himself a mat and some blocks," Alec Baldwin suggested.

Hilaria Baldwin mentioned Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. "Can I give a class to Ted Cruz? No?" she said. "I think Ted Cruz is beyond hope," her husband interjected. "I think if Ted Cruz went to prison and studied yoga in the mountains for 10 years it wouldn't help him."

But then the couple reconsidered. "What about that bed of nails we just saw?" Hilaria Baldwin asked, noting a part of the Smithsonian exhibit. "I could see Ted Cruz on a bed of nails, yeah, that I could see," Alec Baldwin replied.

[ALSO: Alec Baldwin Throws Twitter Tantrum Over Daily Mail Report]

"It's not as torture, it's to be able to deal with your issues," his wife interjected.

With his new MSNBC show, the "30 Rock" alum seems to be moving closer to politics, so does that mean he'll be more of a fixture in Washington?

"If my wife runs for office," Alec Baldwin answered, saying that she or their baby daughter Carmen would be the better Baldwin future politician.

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The Baldwins Suggest McConnell and Cruz Might Benefit From Yoga

Oct. 18, 2013, 4 a.m.

WARRNAMBOOL aerobics pair Jordan Rooke and Jess Brunt last night chased a breakthrough medal at world championships.

The athletic teenagers had qualified for the final of the junior sport aerobics mixed pairs section in Belgrade, Serbia.

They entered the finals ranked second after impressing judges with their routine in the preliminary and semi-final rounds.

Jordan and Jess, both 15, contested the final the biggest two minutes in their aerobics careers about midnight last night.

Their rise to the world stage comes after months of training with the EKB Fitness and Aerobics crew, under coach Emma Bellman.

Bellman also contested the semi-final and potentially final of the senior sport aerobics female trios section last night, after The Standard went to print.

She teamed with Sheppartons Emma OKeeffe and Geelongs Kayla Bamford, with the three ranked fifth after the preliminary round.

Naringal gun Brenton Andreoli was likewise on track for a podium finish in the senior sport aerobics male solo section.

Andreoli was ranked first after the preliminary round.

Read the original here:
Final spot for aerobics teens

Posted with video and images: http://www.washington.edu/news/2013/10/17/yoga-accessible-for-the-blind-with-new-microsoft-kinect-based-program/

Newswise In a typical yoga class, students watch an instructor to learn how to properly hold a position. But for people who are blind or can't see well, it can be frustrating to participate in these types of exercises.

Now, a team of University of Washington computer scientists has created a software program that watches a user's movements and gives spoken feedback on what to change to accurately complete a yoga pose.

"My hope for this technology is for people who are blind or low-vision to be able to try it out, and help give a basic understanding of yoga in a more comfortable setting," said project lead Kyle Rector, a UW doctoral student in computer science and engineering.

The program, called Eyes-Free Yoga, uses Microsoft Kinect software to track body movements and offer auditory feedback in real time for six yoga poses, including Warrior I and II, Tree and Chair poses. Rector and her collaborators published their methodology in the conference proceedings of the Association for Computing Machinery's SIGACCESS International Conference on Computers and Accessibility in Bellevue, Wash., Oct. 21-23.

Rector wrote programming code that instructs the Kinect to read a user's body angles, then gives verbal feedback on how to adjust his or her arms, legs, neck or back to complete the pose. For example, the program might say: "Rotate your shoulders left," or "Lean sideways toward your left."

The result is an accessible yoga "exergame" a video game used for exercise that allows people without sight to interact verbally with a simulated yoga instructor. Rector and collaborators Julie Kientz, a UW assistant professor in Computer Science & Engineering and in Human Centered Design & Engineering, and Cynthia Bennett, a research assistant in computer science and engineering, believe this can transform a typically visual activity into something that blind people can also enjoy.

"I see this as a good way of helping people who may not know much about yoga to try something on their own and feel comfortable and confident doing it," Kientz said. "We hope this acts as a gateway to encouraging people with visual impairments to try exercise on a broader scale."

Each of the six poses has about 30 different commands for improvement based on a dozen rules deemed essential for each yoga position. Rector worked with a number of yoga instructors to put together the criteria for reaching the correct alignment in each pose. The Kinect first checks a person's core and suggests alignment changes, then moves to the head and neck area, and finally the arms and legs. It also gives positive feedback when a person is holding a pose correctly.

Rector practiced a lot of yoga as she developed this technology. She tested and tweaked each aspect by deliberately making mistakes while performing the exercises. The result is a program that she believes is robust and useful for people who are blind.

See the rest here:
Yoga Accessible for the Blind with New Microsoft Kinect-Based Program

22 hours ago by Michelle Ma An incorrect Warrior II yoga pose is outlined showing angles and measurements. Using geometry, the Kinect reads the angles and responds with a verbal command to raise the arms to the proper height. Credit: Kyle Rector, UW

In a typical yoga class, students watch an instructor to learn how to properly hold a position. But for people who are blind or can't see well, it can be frustrating to participate in these types of exercises.

Now, a team of University of Washington computer scientists has created a software program that watches a user's movements and gives spoken feedback on what to change to accurately complete a yoga pose.

"My hope for this technology is for people who are blind or low-vision to be able to try it out, and help give a basic understanding of yoga in a more comfortable setting," said project lead Kyle Rector, a UW doctoral student in computer science and engineering.

The program, called Eyes-Free Yoga, uses Microsoft Kinect software to track body movements and offer auditory feedback in real time for six yoga poses, including Warrior I and II, Tree and Chair poses. Rector and her collaborators published their methodology in the conference proceedings of the Association for Computing Machinery's SIGACCESS International Conference on Computers and Accessibility in Bellevue, Wash., Oct. 21-23.

Rector wrote programming code that instructs the Kinect to read a user's body angles, then gives verbal feedback on how to adjust his or her arms, legs, neck or back to complete the pose. For example, the program might say: "Rotate your shoulders left," or "Lean sideways toward your left."

The result is an accessible yoga "exergame" a video game used for exercise that allows people without sight to interact verbally with a simulated yoga instructor. Rector and collaborators Julie Kientz, a UW assistant professor in Computer Science & Engineering and in Human Centered Design & Engineering, and Cynthia Bennett, a research assistant in computer science and engineering, believe this can transform a typically visual activity into something that blind people can also enjoy.

"I see this as a good way of helping people who may not know much about yoga to try something on their own and feel comfortable and confident doing it," Kientz said. "We hope this acts as a gateway to encouraging people with visual impairments to try exercise on a broader scale."

Each of the six poses has about 30 different commands for improvement based on a dozen rules deemed essential for each yoga position. Rector worked with a number of yoga instructors to put together the criteria for reaching the correct alignment in each pose. The Kinect first checks a person's core and suggests alignment changes, then moves to the head and neck area, and finally the arms and legs. It also gives positive feedback when a person is holding a pose correctly.

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Originally posted here:
Yoga accessible for the blind with new Microsoft Kinect-based program (w/ Video)