Today's DailyOM Offerings...
July 5, 2011
The Good, the Bad, & the Queen
The Good, the Bad, & the Queen
2007
Even British super groups can be filled with urban sociopolitical despair and post-millennial anxiety, and here's one from England so cool and awash in minimalist ambivalence that it doesn't even have an official band name. A title that's a mash-up between Sergio Leone's quintessential spaghetti western and a Sex Pistols record, The Good, the Bad and the Queen features lead vocalist Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz) on keyboards, Simon Tong (Verve) on guitar, Paul Simonon (the Clash) on bass, and legendary afro-beat drummer Tony Allen. With all that muscle you'd be forgiven for thinking this would be overheated and grandiose, but the opposite is true. Produced by legendary iconoclast Danger Mouse and aided by a string quartet, there's a deceptively tossed-off feeling to Albarn's megaphone vocals and the thudding narcoleptic beats that ingeniously capture the existential bleakness of London life at the end of days, the brink of too many wars to count, and enough medication for ev! eryone to forget how to protest.
"Herculean," the first single on the album, emits low, wordless backing vocals, deep dub-style bass, and whistling steam pipe sounds in an irresistible slow crawl, with Albarn's narrator "standing on the dark canal / By the gasworks." You can feel the doomsday angst rolling into your soul as he drawls out "the medicine man is here 24/7 / You can get it fast in Armageddon." Elsewhere ’60s British psych rock gets conjured, as in "Behind the Sun," a catchy but doom-ridden ode to romance blossoming on the eve of apocalypse, and Albarn's stream-of-pollution lyrics: "When the flood comes down I'll carry you / And let the past pass your way / Into the dawn of another way / Of looking at the people we've become."
"The Good, the Bad and the Queen" culminates in a blistering noise-rock finale in which these lads finally pull out all the stops: "We all got our energy back / And started talking again." Of course, "Don't kick the crackheads off the green / They're a political party" may not be a call to return to life-as-normal in London. In giving voice to pre/postapocalyptic anxiety though, "The Good, the Bad and the Queen" shows the way forward is the way back, and as long as we're not frozen in fear, we can't help but move forward "into that cool breeze behind the sun." That’s as long as we don't act like we want to get there too badly, and we remember to bring Albarn along, kicking a can and mumbling toward iconhood to be born.
July 5, 2011
Working Healthy
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
The projects you have on your plate might keep you busy, which could make you feel productive today. Perhaps the rush you get from completing the tasks you need to finish may be a motivating factor when it comes to getting everything done. Organizing your projects and integrating some downtime could make things go much more smoothly today. If you take a few minutes before you dig into your projects and create a list of the things you have to get done-remembering to limit your list to no more than three items-and the things that you would like to do, then you may be more able to prioritize your tasks. As part of your list, you could also set aside time for short relaxation, meditation, or reflection breaks so you can recharge and reenergize yourself. You might find that your busy day becomes much more enjoyable and productive as a result.
Creating priorities is an important way to make our lives more efficient, abundant, and healthy. When we have numerous projects at work or home, it is easy for us to begin to feel overwhelmed; our desire to get everything done tends to overtake our rational minds and we then push ourselves too hard. Defining what we need to do beforehand means that part of our goal is not only to be productive but also to work in a way that ensures our overall well-being. By structuring your day so that you work healthily today, your creativity and success will be unlimited.
July 5, 2011
Panchakarma
Five Actions
Cleansing and eliminating toxins from our bodies can help slow the aging process and allows for clearer thoughts.
“Panchakarma,” a sanskrit word meaning “five actions,” describes a series of gentle, natural therapies that boost the body’s ability to detoxify and rejuvenate. As an essential part of Ayurveda, India’s ancient holistic system of medicine, it is used to maintain the body’s balance to prevent illness or as the first step in holistic treatment. Panchakarma’s incredible purification improves healing throughout the body, mind, and spirit, clearing the way for the body’s healing intelligence to flow freely.
Today, an oil massage, steam baths, and a special diet prepare your body for several days of relaxing, healing therapies at a spa-like medical clinic. A precise sequence of soothing treatments is then applied in such a way that brainwaves are stimulated and synchronized, creating deep relaxation and an expanded state of consciousness. At the same time, herbal therapies help flush toxins from the body’s systems and tissues while massage soothes the body and balances its energy. Profoundly rejuvenating, Panchakarma can increase energy and mental clarity. It has even been known to slow the aging process and heal diseases previously thought to be incurable according to Western medicine.
Depending on the needs of the particular individual, a series of five basic therapies are used: Vaman purges toxins from the sinuses, lungs, and stomach; Virechan flushes toxins from the small intestine; Vasti removes toxins from the colon; Nasyam is herbal therapy applied through the nose for head and sinus conditions. The fifth therapy can be one of three methods: Rakta Moksham removes the excess toxins in the bloodstream, while Shiro Dhara uses a hot-oil head massage. A second form of Vasti can also be applied. Along with a relief of symptoms and improvements in physical disorders, many people, after experiencing Panchakarma, feel lighter, more energized, and look younger. The body’s ability to heal itself is deeply enhanced with the techniques of Panchakarma. By embracing its methods, we eliminate obstacles to complete balance in our bodies and allow the powerful flow of our healing energy to restore our health, our natural glow, and our zest for life.
The Good, the Bad, & the Queen
The Good, the Bad, & the Queen
2007
Even British super groups can be filled with urban sociopolitical despair and post-millennial anxiety, and here's one from England so cool and awash in minimalist ambivalence that it doesn't even have an official band name. A title that's a mash-up between Sergio Leone's quintessential spaghetti western and a Sex Pistols record, The Good, the Bad and the Queen features lead vocalist Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz) on keyboards, Simon Tong (Verve) on guitar, Paul Simonon (the Clash) on bass, and legendary afro-beat drummer Tony Allen. With all that muscle you'd be forgiven for thinking this would be overheated and grandiose, but the opposite is true. Produced by legendary iconoclast Danger Mouse and aided by a string quartet, there's a deceptively tossed-off feeling to Albarn's megaphone vocals and the thudding narcoleptic beats that ingeniously capture the existential bleakness of London life at the end of days, the brink of too many wars to count, and enough medication for ev! eryone to forget how to protest.
"Herculean," the first single on the album, emits low, wordless backing vocals, deep dub-style bass, and whistling steam pipe sounds in an irresistible slow crawl, with Albarn's narrator "standing on the dark canal / By the gasworks." You can feel the doomsday angst rolling into your soul as he drawls out "the medicine man is here 24/7 / You can get it fast in Armageddon." Elsewhere ’60s British psych rock gets conjured, as in "Behind the Sun," a catchy but doom-ridden ode to romance blossoming on the eve of apocalypse, and Albarn's stream-of-pollution lyrics: "When the flood comes down I'll carry you / And let the past pass your way / Into the dawn of another way / Of looking at the people we've become."
"The Good, the Bad and the Queen" culminates in a blistering noise-rock finale in which these lads finally pull out all the stops: "We all got our energy back / And started talking again." Of course, "Don't kick the crackheads off the green / They're a political party" may not be a call to return to life-as-normal in London. In giving voice to pre/postapocalyptic anxiety though, "The Good, the Bad and the Queen" shows the way forward is the way back, and as long as we're not frozen in fear, we can't help but move forward "into that cool breeze behind the sun." That’s as long as we don't act like we want to get there too badly, and we remember to bring Albarn along, kicking a can and mumbling toward iconhood to be born.
July 5, 2011
Working Healthy
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
The projects you have on your plate might keep you busy, which could make you feel productive today. Perhaps the rush you get from completing the tasks you need to finish may be a motivating factor when it comes to getting everything done. Organizing your projects and integrating some downtime could make things go much more smoothly today. If you take a few minutes before you dig into your projects and create a list of the things you have to get done-remembering to limit your list to no more than three items-and the things that you would like to do, then you may be more able to prioritize your tasks. As part of your list, you could also set aside time for short relaxation, meditation, or reflection breaks so you can recharge and reenergize yourself. You might find that your busy day becomes much more enjoyable and productive as a result.
Creating priorities is an important way to make our lives more efficient, abundant, and healthy. When we have numerous projects at work or home, it is easy for us to begin to feel overwhelmed; our desire to get everything done tends to overtake our rational minds and we then push ourselves too hard. Defining what we need to do beforehand means that part of our goal is not only to be productive but also to work in a way that ensures our overall well-being. By structuring your day so that you work healthily today, your creativity and success will be unlimited.
July 5, 2011
Panchakarma
Five Actions
Cleansing and eliminating toxins from our bodies can help slow the aging process and allows for clearer thoughts.
“Panchakarma,” a sanskrit word meaning “five actions,” describes a series of gentle, natural therapies that boost the body’s ability to detoxify and rejuvenate. As an essential part of Ayurveda, India’s ancient holistic system of medicine, it is used to maintain the body’s balance to prevent illness or as the first step in holistic treatment. Panchakarma’s incredible purification improves healing throughout the body, mind, and spirit, clearing the way for the body’s healing intelligence to flow freely.
Today, an oil massage, steam baths, and a special diet prepare your body for several days of relaxing, healing therapies at a spa-like medical clinic. A precise sequence of soothing treatments is then applied in such a way that brainwaves are stimulated and synchronized, creating deep relaxation and an expanded state of consciousness. At the same time, herbal therapies help flush toxins from the body’s systems and tissues while massage soothes the body and balances its energy. Profoundly rejuvenating, Panchakarma can increase energy and mental clarity. It has even been known to slow the aging process and heal diseases previously thought to be incurable according to Western medicine.
Depending on the needs of the particular individual, a series of five basic therapies are used: Vaman purges toxins from the sinuses, lungs, and stomach; Virechan flushes toxins from the small intestine; Vasti removes toxins from the colon; Nasyam is herbal therapy applied through the nose for head and sinus conditions. The fifth therapy can be one of three methods: Rakta Moksham removes the excess toxins in the bloodstream, while Shiro Dhara uses a hot-oil head massage. A second form of Vasti can also be applied. Along with a relief of symptoms and improvements in physical disorders, many people, after experiencing Panchakarma, feel lighter, more energized, and look younger. The body’s ability to heal itself is deeply enhanced with the techniques of Panchakarma. By embracing its methods, we eliminate obstacles to complete balance in our bodies and allow the powerful flow of our healing energy to restore our health, our natural glow, and our zest for life.