• Sustainable housing gains ground
• Hints that lifestyle changes might guard against dementia
• Tips for taking better photos of your garden and wildlife

• World media on Transcendental Meditation
• On Veterans Day - Remembrance Day: Transcendental Meditation helps veterans overcome PTSD
• Principles of Vastu Planning in the Light of Group Theory: New book published

• Scientists build DNA from scratch to alter life's blueprint
• Stressful experiences 'can age the brain by four years'
• Inside Philip Morris' push to subvert the global anti-smoking treaty

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Positive Trends
Short Summaries of Top Stories

Sustainable housing gains ground
27 July 2017 - A huge variety of eco-friendly housing is available for the growing number of people in search of sustainable living, estate agents say. And eco-homes are not just for those in search of an organic, self-sufficient lifestyle -- luxury homebuyers are seeking them too, the agents say. More than 20 percent of emerging luxury consumers -- defined as those with $250,000 to $1 million in investable assets -- in the United States, Britain, the United Arab Emirates, India, and China have their sights set on sustainable or eco-friendly homes, according to research published by Sotheby's International Realty earlier this year. (more)

Hints that lifestyle changes might guard against dementia
20 July 2017 - Seek a good education. Control blood pressure and diabetes. Get off the couch. There are some hints, but no proof yet, that these and other lifestyle changes just might help stave off dementia. A report in the British journal Lancet Thursday [20 July] raised the prospect that a third of dementia cases around the world could be delayed or even prevented by avoiding key risks starting in childhood that can make the brain more vulnerable to memory loss in old age. (more)

Tips for taking better photos of your garden and wildlife
12 July 2017 - It's so easy these days to pull out a phone and take pictures of anything anytime, but a little time and thought can produce better garden and wildlife photos. 'There's a big difference between that for-the-record shot that preserves a memory and getting a really nice image,' says Brenda Tharp, author of the new book 'Expressive Nature Photography' (The Monacelli Press). [In this article The Associated Press gives] some tips from Tharp and other nature photographers: (more)

Large Hadron Collider double heavy particle to shine light on strong force
6 July 2017 - Scientists have detected a new particle at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, Switzerland. The discovery will help researchers learn more about the so-called 'strong force' which holds the centres of atoms together. The existence of the new particle was theoretically predicted but this is the first time it has been identified. (more)

LHCb announces a charming new particle
6 July 2017 - Today at the EPS Conference on High Energy Physics in Venice, the LHCb experiment at CERN's Large Hadron Collider has reported the observation of ... a new particle containing two charm quarks and one up quark. The existence of this particle from the baryon family was expected by current theories, but physicists have been looking for such baryons with two heavy quarks for many years. The mass of the newly identified particle is about 3621 MeV, which is almost four times heavier than the most familiar baryon, the proton, a property that arises from its doubly charmed quark content. It is the first time that such a particle has been unambiguously detected. (more)

Physicists find new particle with a double dose of charm
6 July 2017 - Scientists have found an extra charming new subatomic particle that they hope will help further explain a key force that binds matter together. Physicists at the Large Hadron Collider in Europe announced Thursday [6 July] the fleeting discovery of a long theorized but never-before-seen type of baryon. Baryons are subatomic particles made up of quarks. The particle has two heavy quarks -- both of a type that are called 'charm' -- and a light one. In the natural world, baryons have at most one heavy quark. (more)

Resistance exercise may help stave off heart, diabetes risks
6 July 2017 - Middle aged adults who do even a small amount of regular strength training exercise may be lowering their risk of so-called metabolic syndrome -- itself a risk factor for both heart disease and diabetes, a recent study suggests. But researchers found that when generally healthy people did strength-building exercise for less than an hour a week they had 29 percent lower odds of developing metabolic syndrome than their peers who did no resistance exercise. 'You already get health benefits with even a low amount of resistance exercise per week, which is good news for people with a very busy lifestyle,' said lead author Esmee Bakker of Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. (more)

Facebook's solar-powered drone could one day provide global internet access
2 July 2017 - A solar-powered drone backed by Facebook that could one day provide worldwide internet access has quietly completed a test flight in Arizona ... Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's long-term plan for the drone, called Aquila, is to have it and others provide internet access to 4 billion people around the world who are currently in the dark. (more)

International Yoga Day celebrated across the globe ‎
21 June 2017 - Hundreds of thousands of men, women and young people of almost every age took to the mat across the globe on Wednesday for a yoga session to mark the 3rd International Yoga Day. Rains failed to dampen the spirits of about 50,000 who joined an outdoor yoga [asana] session, June 21, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a park in Lucknow, capital of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. 'Yoga has connected the world with India,' Modi told a cheering crowd. 'Yoga is about health assurance. It is not even expensive to practice,' said Modi who was instrumental in getting the United Nations declare the International Yoga Day in December 2014. (more)

Mother's heart health tied to breastfeeding
21 June 2017 - A woman's risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke later in life may be influenced by how long she breastfed her children, according to a new study from China. Women who reported having breastfed for any amount of time were about 9 percent less likely than mothers who never breastfed to have signs of coronary heart disease, like a heart attack, in middle age and later and about 8 percent less likely to have a stroke. (more)

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Success of Maharishi's Programmes
Short Summaries of Top Stories

World media on Transcendental Meditation
20 February 2017 - A selection of recent news media reports about Transcendental Meditation includes the Danish magazine IN interviewing Dr Charlotte Bech, a medical doctor who has been teaching the technique in Denmark for over 20 years; Bridgewater Associates hedge fund founder Ray Dalio's comments to Business Insider about introducing TM to 735 employees; and New York Times articles about Saturday Night Live actress Vanessa Bayer, and George Stephanopoulos of ABC's Good Morning America, who starts his day with an early morning TM session. Forbes magazine reported, 'TM has been having a renaissance in recent years: Celebrities, businesspeople, and regular folk are practicing it in record numbers.' (more)

On Veterans Day - Remembrance Day: Transcendental Meditation helps veterans overcome PTSD
11 November 2016 - Operation Warrior Wellness (OWW), a division of the David Lynch Foundation, offers the Transcendental Meditation-based Resilient Warrior Program, a simple, easy-to-learn, evidence-based approach to relieving symptoms of PTSD and major depression and developing greater resilience to stress. Since its launch in 2010 in the USA, the OWW initiative has partnered with leading veterans service organizations and VA medical centers to deliver the Resilient Warrior Program to veterans, active-duty personnel and military families in need. The initiative also partners with military colleges to create a new generation of more resilient officers. (more)

Principles of Vastu Planning in the Light of Group Theory: New book published
17 January 2016 - A new book--Principles of Vastu Planning in the Light of Group Theory--describes the principles that underlie the measurement system used in Maharishi Vedic architecture in the language of Group theory. The Vastu measurement system is based on the square and its eight levels of symmetry. Using the concepts of modern Group theory from mathematics, the author shows the deep principles at the foundation of the measurement system of Maharishi Vastu design in a way that explains their logical significance. (more)

Creating world peace on the International Day of Peace and every day
21 September 2015 - Today, 21 September, is the day designated by the United Nations and observed around the world as the 'International Day of Peace' or 'World Peace Day'. For this annual observance, the UN 'invites all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities during the Day, and to otherwise commemorate the Day through education and public awareness on issues related to peace.' Organizations teaching Transcendental Meditation worldwide are upholding the ultimate value of this theme--simply by continuing what they've offered every day for many years: the TM programme. This natural, effective technology of consciousness has been scientifically proven to reduce stress, violence and conflict and create peace for the individual and society. Creating world peace is not the reason most people give for why they want to learn to meditate. Yet this was Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's goal when he first introduced Transcendental Meditation in 1958. (more)

Transcendental Meditation improves school performance
15 April 2015 - It seems common sense that happy, focused students learn more and feel better at school. Yet the idea that educational outcomes depend on the learner's state of mind, and not just on what is taught and how, usually gets far less attention than it deserves. Fortunately, there are schools in many countries where developing the 'knower' is considered an essential part of education--through incorporating Transcendental Meditation practice into the school day. Research has found that even in high-risk, low-performing districts, schools with curricular TM practice show high academic achievements. Outcomes include reduced stress, improved brain functioning, increased intelligence, and higher graduation rates. (more)

Today - Conference call for women: 'Women transforming the world'
1 February 2015 - Today the 10,000 Women Initiative continues in 2015, with the first in a series of six phone conferences to be held throughout the year. Women are invited to join in this bimonthly 'virtual assembly' and learn how women can become a powerfully nourishing agent for positive change in the world, by awakening the nourishing power of consciousness within. Today's conference call features a discussion on the topic of 'Women transforming the world'. (more)

New book features experiences of enlightenment throughout history, and how to culture them today
4 January 2015 - A new book, The Supreme Awakening: Experiences of Enlightenment Throughout Time--and How You Can Cultivate Them, by Craig Pearson, PhD, features a wide range of sublime, exalted, transcendent experiences reported by great saints, sages, poets, scientists, political leaders, athletes, and others representing the world's cultures through history. The Supreme Awakening shows that what they described are experiences of advanced stages of human development, higher states of consciousness--experiences of enlightenment. Drawing on the work of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the book explains the origins of these experiences and categorizes them according to Maharishi's model of seven states of consciousness. Dr Pearson explains that ordinary men and women today are enjoying these same kinds of sublime experiences--how they can be cultivated systematically, naturally, and effortlessly through the regular practice of Transcendental Meditation. (more)

21 new Maharishi Vastu architects complete training
25 September 2014 - Earlier this summer 21 architects from 13 countries graduated from an intensive, two-month training programme as fully certified Maharishi Vastu architects. Their country affiliations, contact information, and pictures are featured on the Maharishi Vastu page on Facebook, organized according to their region of the world. (more)

Twenty-one architects, newly trained in Maharishi Vastu architecture, practising in 13 countries
27 August 2014 - Maharishi Vastu Architecture News is featuring more information about the recent international professional training course on Maharishi Vastu architecture in the Netherlands. Twenty-one architects from 13 countries graduated from the recent comprehensive, two-month training course at Maharishi European Research University (MERU) in Holland. The news post includes photos of the 21 architects, grouped according to country and region of the world, and their contact information, for those wishing to pursue Maharishi Vastu building projects in their areas. (more)

Silence and dynamism - The basis of progress
21 August 2014 - Maharishi Mahesh Yogi explains that Transcendental Meditation is a process to 'bring the mind back to silence, and from there release the thought. Bring the mind back to silence, and then you have a lively basis for the projection of a thought, lively basis for the sprouting of a thought. Then the thought will be promoted by the infinite creative intelligence of Natural Law. That is the theme. Let the thought be promoted from a lively field at the basis of all evolutionary process, which is the field of silence.' (more)

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Flops
Short Summaries of Top Stories

Scientists build DNA from scratch to alter life's blueprint
27 July 2017 - Scientists have long been able to make specific changes in the DNA code. Now, they're taking the more radical step of starting over, and building redesigned life forms from scratch. Jef Boeke, a researcher at New York University, directs an international team of 11 labs on four continents working to 'rewrite' the yeast genome, following a detailed plan they published in March. Their work is part of a bold and controversial pursuit aimed at creating custom-made DNA codes to be inserted into living cells to change how they function . . . It could also someday help give scientists the profound and unsettling ability to create entirely new organisms. Also on the horizon is redesigning human DNA. (more)

Stressful experiences 'can age the brain by four years'
17 July 2017 - Stressful events in life, such as the death of a child, divorce, or being fired, can age the brain by at least four years, US researchers suggests. The findings were presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in London. Although the research could not establish any direct link between stress and an increased risk of dementia, stressful experiences are known to have an impact on brain function, which could then lead to dementia in the longer term. The theory is that stress increases inflammation, which could increase the chances of developing dementia . . . (more)

Inside Philip Morris' push to subvert the global anti-smoking treaty
13 July 2017 - The world's largest publicly traded tobacco company is deploying its vast resources against international efforts to reduce smoking. Internal documents uncovered by Reuters reveal details of the secret operation. A group of cigarette company executives stood in the lobby of a drab convention center near New Delhi last November. Treaty officials didn't want them there. ... There was a big name missing from the group: Philip Morris International Inc. A Philip Morris representative later told Reuters its employees didn't turn up because the company knew it wasn't welcome. In fact, executives from the largest publicly traded tobacco firm had flown in from around the world to New Delhi for the anti-tobacco meeting. Unknown to treaty organizers, they were staying at a hotel an hour from the convention center, working from an operations room there. Philip Morris International would soon be holding secret meetings with delegates from the government of Vietnam and other treaty members. The object of these clandestine activities: the WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, or FCTC, a treaty aimed at reducing smoking globally. Reuters has found that Philip Morris International is running a secretive campaign to block or weaken treaty provisions that save millions of lives by curbing tobacco use. ... 'Some people think that with tobacco, you've won the battle,' said former Finnish Health Minister Pekka Puska, who chaired an FCTC committee last year. 'No way,' he said. 'The tobacco industry is more powerful than ever.' (more)

How severe, ongoing stress can affect a child's brain
12 July 2017 - It's no secret that growing up in tough circumstances can be hard on kids and lead to behavior and learning problems. But researchers are discovering something different. Many believe that ongoing stress during early childhood -- from grinding poverty, neglect, parents' substance abuse, and other adversity -- can smolder beneath the skin, harming kids' brains and other body systems. And research suggests that can lead to some of the major causes of death and disease in adulthood, including heart attacks and diabetes. . . . Experiments in animals and humans also suggest persistent stress may alter brain structure in regions affecting emotions and regulating behavior. ... 'The science of how poverty actually gets under kids' skin and impacts a child has really been exploding,' said Dr. Benard Dreyer, a former president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. (more)

Ransomware attack 'not designed to make money', researchers claim
28 June 2017 - A ransomware attack that affected at least 2,000 individuals and organisations worldwide on Tuesday appears to have been deliberately engineered to damage IT systems rather than extort funds, according to security researchers. The attack began in Ukraine, and spread through a hacked Ukrainian accountancy software developer to companies in Russia, western Europe, and the US. ... The researcher said the software was 'definitely not designed to make money' but 'to spread fast and cause damage, [using the] plausibly deniable cover of 'ransomware'.' (more)

AP Explains: What is ransomware?
27 June 2017 - Computers around the world were locked up and users' files held for ransom in a cyberattack Tuesday that paralyzed some hospitals, government offices and major multinational corporations. Here's a look at how malware and ransomware work and what people can do if they fall victim to attacks. (more)

A third of the world now faces deadly heatwaves as result of climate change
19 June 2017 - Nearly a third of the world's population is now exposed to climatic conditions that produce deadly heatwaves, as the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere makes it 'almost inevitable' that vast areas of the planet will face rising fatalities from high temperatures, new research has found. Climate change has escalated the heatwave risk across the globe, the study states, with nearly half of the world's population set to suffer periods of deadly heat by the end of the century even if greenhouse gases are radically cut. (more)

Study shows Earth's killer heat worsens
19 June 2017 - Killer heat is getting worse, a new study shows. A team of researchers examined 1,949 deadly heat waves from around the world since 1980 to look for trends, define when heat is so severe it kills, and forecast the future. They found that nearly one in three people now experience 20 days a year when the heat reaches deadly levels. But the study predicts that up to three in four people worldwide will endure that kind of heat by the end of the century, if global warming continues unabated. (more)

Insulating skin on high-rises has fueled fires before London
18 June 2017 - For the last decade, engineers specializing in fire safety have worried about the hidden danger posed by the kind of insulated metallic skin that transported flames up a high-rise apartment building in London, killing dozens. Panels of the armor-like 'cladding' have become a popular facade on tall buildings worldwide, both for their sleek look and energy-saving virtues. They also have helped fuel spectacular infernos in the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and the United States. (more)

Even moderate drinking linked to changes in brain structure, study finds
6 June 2017 - Drinking even moderate amounts of alcohol is linked to changes in brain structure and an increased risk of worsening brain function, scientists said on Tuesday [6 June]. Researchers found people who drank more alcohol had a greater risk of hippocampal atrophy -- a form of brain damage that affects memory and spatial navigation. Drinking more was also linked to poorer 'white matter integrity' -- a factor they described as critical when it comes to cognitive functioning. (more)