Troglofiles

Hashimoto's encephalopathy - Some Symptoms

2012-01-25T07:12:00.000-08:00

Hashimoto's encephalopathy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

The onset of symptoms tends to be fairly gradual and to occur over 1–7 days.

Some of the more common symptoms of Hashimoto's encephalopathy include:

personality changes
aggression
delusional behavior
concentration and memory problems
coma
disorientation
headaches
jerks in the muscles (myoclonus - 65% cases)
lack of coordination (ataxia - 65% cases)
partial paralysis on the right side
psychosis
seizures (60% cases)
sleep abnormalities (55% cases)
speech problems (transient aphasia - 80% cases)
status epilepticus (20% cases)
tremors (80% cases)"

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Hashimoto's Encephalopathy and me

2012-01-17T05:39:00.000-08:00

It has been almost a year since the diagnosis of Hashimoto's Encephalopathy (SREAT) was decided upon by the Neurologist. A rare disease, it often goes undiagnosed. Fortunately, not here. To begin with CJD and Alzheimers were considered to be the culprits. The initial craziness which lasted about three weeks involved extreme paranoia followed by 'me' disappearing altogether for a while before gradually re-entering into a mad world of hallucination which completely covered and occluded that world which most people accept as a place of normality. 'Me'... I regularly held court with a flock of budgies while oblivious to anyone or anything else.

It has been a weird year.

This new year brought a relapse which has necessitated the doubling of medication dose and the addition of an immunosuppressant.

Lack of concentration interferes with much of what used to be normal in my life. Although my ability to read has come back to a great extent, it has been hard work. However watching films [and TV] remains a bit iffy. In fact, I can take or leave them. I guess the biggest disappointment is my inability to do formal translations from Sanskrit. Sanskrit has been a passion for most of my life and I suppose continues to be so but now I merely read rather than make formal translations with commentary. This may return. My painting has also suffered. This is partly due to lack of focussed concentration but also to a loss of motor skills. My hands invariably shake as soon as any demands are put upon them. While the headaches have reduced they have by no means disappeared - unlike words. I sometimes have to scrabble for words, especially when tired, which tends to happen anytime after midday depending on sleep pattern. Yet another casualty of this insidious disease.

With hindsight it seems clear that the problems started sometime in 2010 - unsteadiness, falls, tiredness, headaches, weight loss, disorientation etc. But there was no way to know. as a Psoriatic Arthritis sufferer I merely put such things down to an inflammation flare up.

Who knows what this year will bring! I have started a painting blog - http://mwright-art.blogspot.com/ in an effort to encourage 'me' to get on and paint a bit (painting being one of the things which has dropped away from me). And also a Sanskrit blog - http://sabdadvaita.blogspot.com/ in the hope that it might encourage 'me' to continue with my Sanskrit/Linguistic interests. The latter is proving to be the hardest to get excited about. Strange it having been a life long obsession.

Headache is on the rise so I shall sign off for now.

Tower of Babel

2012-01-09T02:53:00.000-08:00

The Tower of Babel gets a bad press. A misunderstanding surely. ;)

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, Babel comes from Hebrew Bāel 'Babylon', which is from Akkadian bāb ili 'gate of God'.

cf. Bhartrhari's statement in the Vakyapadiya, "tad dvāramapavargasya" [Grammar] is the door to liberation.

Just coming at it from another angle.

The Gita on trial - Times Of India

2012-01-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

The Gita on trial - Times Of India: "Swami Bhakti Vigyan, head of the Russian chapter of the ISKCON spoke to Mona Mehta on the day a Russian court rejected the plea to ban the Gita.

What is your reaction to the Tomsk court's dismissal of the plea for a ban on the Gita? We're grateful for all support of the Indian people and government in this regard. As the Gita says, if you stand for truth, truth will protect you. "Dharmo rakshita rakshatah", meaning if you protect your religion or dharma, your dharma will protect you."

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Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T03:31:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas

Elephant's sixth 'toe' discovered

2011-12-23T08:19:00.000-08:00

BBC News - Elephant's sixth 'toe' discovered: "A mysterious bony growth found in elephants' feet is actually a sixth "toe", scientists report.

For more than 300 years, the structure has puzzled researchers, but this study suggests that it helps to support elephants' colossal weight.

Fossils reveal that this "pre-digit" evolved about 40 million years ago, at a point when early elephants became larger and more land-based."

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10 Rock and Metal Christmas Albums That Aren’t Horrible

2011-12-21T06:03:00.000-08:00

10 Rock and Metal Christmas Albums That Aren’t Horrible: "Christmas and heavy music make for strange bedfellows. That said, a handful of rock and metal personalities have managed to knock out holiday sets that are actually really good, both placing their muscular stamp on Christmas classics and crafting entirely new yuletide tunes. Read on for 10 hard rock and metal Christmas albums that might prove the perfect fit for background music at Christmas dinner."

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HMRC- Are the tax collectors doing their job?

2011-12-20T10:24:00.000-08:00

38 Degrees | Complain to HMRC: "The government’s tax collectors - HMRC - don't seem to have been doing their job properly. Instead of making sure everyone is paying their fair share of tax, they’ve agreed to “sweetheart deals” letting big companies off paying billions of pounds in tax.

A huge public outcry and a flood of complaints to HMRC will send a powerful message: we won’t stand for the government giving big business the green light to dodge billions in tax."

follow the link above to have your say

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Bhagvad Gita ban in Russia : Verdict on December 28 | TruthDive

2011-12-20T07:17:00.000-08:00

Bhagavad Gita ban in Russia : Verdict on December 28: "Moscow, Dec 20 (TruthDive): A Russian court in Siberia’s Tomsk city has reserved its verdict on a case seeking a ban on Bhag[a]vad Gita, one of the most sacred Hindu religious texts across Russia till December, 28. The verdict was due to be pronounced today. The prosecutor’s affidavit claims Lord Krishna “is evil and not conforming to Christian religious view”.

Indian Bharatiya Janata Party responds - Hindustan Times

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Beyond Magnetic - Metallica

2011-12-18T04:09:00.000-08:00

1. Hate Train
2. Just a Bullet Away
3. Hell and Back
4. Rebel of Babylon

Released 14 Dec. 2011

Four tracks which did not make it into the final cut of Death Magnetic. Worth a listen.

Michael Wood · Must we pay for Sanskrit?

2011-12-17T09:31:00.000-08:00

An interesting article - Michael Wood · Must we pay for Sanskrit? · LRB 15 December 2011

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The Element of One

2011-12-17T09:21:00.001-08:00

Breathe me in [x2]

I, I disbelieve in separation
I close my eyes to see you
This is for you, everything I am
This is for you, take it from me
I, I disbelieve separation
I close my eyes
there's no escaping me
This is for you, everything I am
This is for you, take it from me
In your heart in your soul
I perceive rejuvenation

Breathe me in
I am forever
Deep within I am eternal [x2]

I will return to you
I am with you always
I will never turn away from you

Breathe me in
I am forever
Deep within I am eternal [x2]
(Killswitch Engage)

New Paintings

2011-12-16T03:54:00.000-08:00

Quiet Corner (2011)
acrylic on card

Blocks (2011)
mixed media on card

Blocks 2 (2011)
mixed media on card

Poppies (2011)
mixed media on card

Tree and Stream (2011)
acrylic on card

Colourscape (2011)
acrylic on card

Artist: MWright

Randonesia: Blabbering mouths, the rotting corpse of human decency, and accountability in the internet age.

2011-12-14T07:44:00.000-08:00

An interesting blog post from D. Randall Blythe (Lamb of God) which explores the internet's contribution to the decline of personal accountability.

Randonesia | Blabbering mouths, the rotting corpse of human decency, and accountability in the internet age.: "Blabbering mouths, the rotting corpse of human decency, and accountability in the internet age.
Ah, the internet. That fabulous land of free information, free expression, and convenient online bill paying. It’s a tool that has radically changed the lifestyle of anyone residing in an area with a minimal telephone line system. It makes things possible that existed only in the realm of science fiction just twenty (or even less) years ago. With a click of a button I can almost instantaneously send a picture of myself picking my nose to friends on the other side of the world in Taiwan. I can plan and pay for a trip around the world in a matter of a few hours, a task that used to take years of painstaking preparation. I can search the web for detailed instructions on how best to treat a puncture wound, or how to make a nail bomb. And I can express my opinion on an endless variety of subject matter, post it on a blog hosting site such as this, and have it available immediately for anyone with a computer or cell phone bored enough to read my musings."

...read more at the link above.

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Isaac Newton's manuscripts

2011-12-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

"Cambridge University Library holds the largest and most important collection of the scientific works of Isaac Newton (1642-1727). We present here an initial selection of Newton's manuscripts, concentrating on his mathematical work in the 1660s. Over the next few months we will be adding further works until the majority of our Newton Papers are available on this site."

Link: Cambridge Digital Library

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Cern scientist expects 'first glimpse' of Higgs boson

2011-12-13T08:44:00.000-08:00

BBC News - "A respected scientist from the Cern particle physics laboratory has told the BBC he expects to see "the first glimpse" of the Higgs boson next week.

It comes as the search for the mysterious fundamental particle reaches its endgame.

If so, this will be a significant milestone for teams at the famous Large Hadron Collider (LHC)." BBC News - Cern scientist expects 'first glimpse' of Higgs boson

Link: ATLAS and CMS experiments present Higgs search status - "We have restricted the most likely mass region for the Higgs boson to 116-130 GeV, and over the last few weeks we have started to see an intriguing excess of events in the mass range around 125 GeV," explained ATLAS experiment spokesperson Fabiola Gianotti."This excess may be due to a fluctuation, but it could also be something more interesting. We cannot conclude anything at this stage. We need more study and more data. Given the outstanding performance of the LHC this year, we will not need to wait long for enough data and can look forward to resolving this puzzle in 2012."

"We cannot exclude the presence of the Standard Model Higgs between 115 and 127 GeV because of a modest excess of events in this mass region that appears, quite consistently, in five independent channels," explained CMS experiment Spokesperson, Guido Tonelli. "The excess is most compatible with a Standard Model Higgs in the vicinity of 124 GeV and below but the statistical significance is not large enough to say anything conclusive. As of today what we see is consistent either with a background fluctuation or with the presence of the boson. Refined analyses and additional data delivered in 2012 by this magnificent machine will definitely give an answer."

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The Portas review

2011-12-13T05:30:00.000-08:00

Mary Portas Official.

The Portas Review: "I want to put the heart back into the centre of our High Streets, re-imagined as destinations for socialising, culture, health, wellbeing, creativity and learning. Places that will develop and sustain new and existing markets and businesses. The new High Streets won’t just be about selling goods. The mix will include shops but could also include housing, offices, sport, schools or other social, commercial and cultural enterprises and meeting places. They should become places where we go to engage with other people in our communities, where shopping is just one small part of a rich mix of activities."

follow link above to read full report.

Will this review help? Who knows! Who listens!

The 'High Street' has been down at heels for an awful long time. I remember the rot really beginning to set in way back in the late 70s early 80s.

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As Kindle Fire Faces Critics, Remedies Are Promised - Yahoo! Finance

2011-12-13T04:36:00.000-08:00

"The Kindle Fire, Amazon’s heavily promoted tablet, is less than a blazing success with many of its early users. The most disgruntled are packing the device up and firing it back to the retailer.
A few of their many complaints: there is no external volume control. The off switch is easy to hit by accident. Web pages take a long time to load. There is no privacy on the device; a spouse or child who picks it up will instantly know everything you have been doing. The touch screen is frequently hesitant and sometimes downright balky.
All the individual grievances — recorded on Amazon’s own Web site...
read full article As Kindle Fire Faces Critics, Remedies Are Promised - Yahoo! Finance

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Amrtabindu Upanishad - in English and German

2011-12-11T05:12:00.001-08:00

Now available free on Feedbooks for Kindle or PDF

English version - http://de.feedbooks.com/userbook/24278/amrtabindu-upanishad

German version - http://de.feedbooks.com/userbook/24281/amrtabindu-upanishad

a succinct Upanishad with weighty content.

Ghost Walking - Lamb of God

2011-12-08T05:01:00.001-08:00

First single from new Lamb of God album "Resolution" (I look forward to the album). Some tour dates listed below.

Great vid!!
..and news of the first parts of Lamb of God's Resolution Tour dates for 2012 -

Jan 22: Richmond, VA - The National

Jan 24: New York, NY - Irving Plaza

Jan 25: Boston, MA - The Paradise

Jan 26: Philadelphia, PA - The Trocadero

Jan 27: Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Hall

Jan 28: Washington DC - 9:30 Club

Mar 09: Anchorage, AK - Egan Center

Feb 12: Seoul, South Korea

Feb 14: Shanghai, China

Feb 16: Taipei, Taiwan

Feb 18: Manila, Philippines

Feb 20: Singapore

Feb 22: Tokyo, Japan

Feb 23: Osaka, Japan

Feb 25 to Mar 05: Soundwave Festival, Australia

Mar 07: Auckland, New Zealand

Mar 09: Anchorage, Alaska

source - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqIHfuMn7EQ

Unity Indivisibility Eternity - Triptych

2011-12-06T02:53:00.001-08:00

acrylic/mixed media on reclaimed card
3x7"x5"
artist - MWright

Steven Pinker on Noam Chomsky's theory of Linguistics & Politics

2011-12-04T08:32:00.001-08:00

'Harry Potter and yoga are evil', says Catholic Church exorcist - Telegraph

2011-12-04T01:51:00.000-08:00

Another bizarre Yoga story ...

"Father Gabriele Amorth, who for years was the Vatican’s chief exorcist and claims to have cleansed hundreds of people of evil spirits, said yoga is Satanic because it leads to a worship of Hinduism and “all eastern religions are based on a false belief in reincarnation”.

Reading JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books is no less dangerous, said the 86-year-old priest, who is the honorary president for life of the International Association of Exorcists, which he founded in 1990, and whose favourite film is the 1973 horror classic, The Exorcist.

The Harry Potter books, which have sold millions of copies worldwide, “seem innocuous” but in fact encourage children to believe in black magic and wizardry, Father Amorth said."
read more @ 'Harry Potter and yoga are evil', says Catholic Church exorcist - Telegraph

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The Farcical State of Commercial Yoga

2011-12-04T01:42:00.000-08:00

Modern [hot] yoga hits the doldrums with belligerent bickering.

"Yoga king Bikram Choudhury is trying to make the founder of East Village-based Yoga to the People sweat with a federal lawsuit — but Greg Gumucio is stepping to the mat.

Gumucio vows he won’t back down after Choudhury sued him in September, claiming his eight-studio chain is ripping off the sweat-lodge-style yoga philosophy that underpins the uber -popular Bikram Yoga empire."

Traditional Hot Yoga instructor Greg Gumucio says he'll fight copyright lawsuit by yoga king Bikram Choudhury - NY Daily News

note: What is "Traditional Hot Yoga"? In over 40 years of study, I have not come across a traditional text which discusses "hot" yoga.

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Ajatavada - theory of non-origination

2011-12-03T09:18:00.001-08:00

“Nothing whatever is brought into existence, whether from itself or from something else: nothing at all! Not anything existent, non-existent, or both is ever originated. Further a cause is not born from something that is itself beginningless, nor can an effect arise simply by its own power. Whatever has no beginning is obviously also without a cause. Our naming of things depends on an objective stimulus [observer and observed must both exist or neither does]. For this reason, and because of the experience of bondage to ignorance, some base their philosophy on an acceptance of real objects. Empirical observation supports the idea that knowledge is stimulated by an objective cause, but a true perception of things sustains the view that there is no genuine cause.”Dispelling Illusion, Gaudapada's Alatasanti, Fox, 1993

"The ajatavada is represented by no loss, no creation, no one bound, no sadhaka, no one desirous of liberation, no liberation. This is the Supreme Truth. (Mandukya Karika, II - 32).
According to this, there is only One and it admits of no discussion. (Ramana Maharshi, Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, no. 383)"