T minus 22: Malaysia First Astronaut Blasts Off!

From left: Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor (Malaysia), Yuri Malanchenko (Russia) and Peggy Whitson (U.S.)

T minus 22 hours (2120 UT8, 10 Oct), Malaysia first astronaut will blast off to the International Space Station (ISS) on Soyuz TMA-11. Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor (35) is the final candidate since the open selection process for “Angkasawan” (Malaysian language for astronaut) started from October 2003 to September 2006. Dr.Faiz (another angkasawan) is in the backup crew. There are 3 members in the main crew, including Dr.Sheikh, Yuri Malanchenko and Peggy Whitson.

The 50-metre (160-foot) rocket adorned with the US, Malaysian and Russian flags was earlier raised into position at Baikonur, an arid stretch of the Kazakh steppe dotted with camels and the paraphernalia of 50 years of space flight.

When do we have the technology to send astronauts to space? Russia offered a deal to send an angkasawan to the ISS as we bought Sukhoi-30MKM fighter jets from them. So, what will Dr.Sheikh do in the ISS?

He will do scientific experiments of cancer cells, bacterias, protein crystallization and a few more collaborating with the European Space Agency. They will install 4 modules to the ISS, which are Node 2, Columbus, ATV and the Japanese Laboratory Module. Since it is now “puasa” (fasting), he will fast in the space and pray to Allah. I hope he will have enough energy. He will also use his Nikon D2X (hmm.. expensive camera) to image the Petronas Twin Tower (landmark of Malaysia) from the ISS. His other “mission” is to share the Malaysian’s food and spread the Malaysia culture to the other cosmonauts on board. Dr Sheikh will play "batu seremban,'' or "five stones'' and spin traditional Malay tops in space, Agriculture Ministry parliamentary secretary Rohani Abdul Karim told parliament on Wednesday. Rohani, who was replying on behalf of the Science, Technology and Innovations Ministry, said the astronaut would also do batik painting and making teh tarik. He also will bring Biryani Chicken, Satay Ayam, Rendang Tok, Sliced dried Mango, Banana rolls, Tempe, Ginger Jelly, Roselle Granola Bar and Kuih Raya Bangkit. Hopefully they will enjoy!

I do not care what NASA says about our effort to the space, we are only a "participant" in this space program to them but NASA will NEVER bring us to the space!

More info about Dr. Sheikh: Wikipedia

Fish Oil Benefits

In the quest to achieve better health and wellness, fish oil supplements have become an increasingly popular way to take advantage of many different medical benefits. Fish oil originates from the tissues of oily fish, such as carp, herring, salmon, and fresh tuna. Today, fish oil is recommended as part of a healthy diet because of the amount of omega-3 fatty acids contained, which is known to reduce inflammation throughout the body and lessen the threat of coronary heart disease (among other things).

There are two main ways to include fish oil as part of a healthy diet. The first involves the consumption of oily fish, including sardines and cod, which contain oils throughout their body and about their gut, unlike other species of fish. Depending on the species, oily fish fillets may offer up to 30% oil. Besides omega-3 fatty acids, oily fish also provides a good source of vitamins A and D.

The second approach towards increasing the amount of fish oils in a diet is to purchase fish oil capsules or supplements. Many people are said to prefer the consumption of fish oil capsules because they are easy to follow and do not require laborious measurements in making sure recommended daily values are satisfied. To explore some of the many benefits associated with fish oil supplements and consumption, a few examples can be found below:

Decreased Pain Levels and Inflammation
Omega-3 fatty acids may posses the power to lessen inflammation in the body, as well as ease the pain associated with arthritis and cystitis. Rheumatoid arthritis patients often report an improvement in joint pains and inflammation when taking fish oil supplements.

Treats Depression and Stress
Some individuals have been able to ease their symptoms of depression by implementing omega-3 fish oil supplements into their diet. Fish oils have also been linked to showing promise in treating bipolar and psychotic patients. Supplements may also help to promote the overall mood of patients, and may even reduce premenstrual stress.

Cardiovascular Improvements
The heart, arteries, and veins may benefit from fish oil because it has been known to help lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure, while at the same time improving good cholesterol levels.

Fights Strokes and Heart Attack
The threat of stroke and heart attack may be decreased with the introduction of fish oils into a diet because they may help to prevent blood clots and other damage to the heart. A decreased risk of sudden death and heart attacks has also been seen.

Enhances Brain Activity
Fish oil is known to boost intelligence and overall happiness in users, as well as improve the memory and ability to stay focused. In the elderly, the risk of dementia and memory loss sometimes decreases with the use of fish oil supplements. Additionally, mothers who consume or take a high amount of omega-3/fish oils during pregnancy often give birth to children with a higher IQ.

Combats Childhood Disorders
Children, who suffer from disorders, such as ADD and ADHD, have experienced a better quality of life when incorporating fish oil fatty acids into their diet. Additional conditions that respond to fish oils include dyslexia and compulsive disorders.


by: Lori Matthews

About The Author Lori Matthews studies health, nutrition and wellness. She enjoys writing articles on health for both people and pets. Please visit http://www.pure-fish-oil.com/omega-fatty-acids.htm
for more information.

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Finding The Right Piano Study Technique

Learning to play the piano can be trying at times. It doesn't matter if you are just starting out, or if you have played for years, sometimes it feels like you just aren't getting anywhere at all. And, no matter how long you sit and study and play the piano, you are bombarded with the old adage "Practice makes perfect". But, how can you study the piano if you aren't really sure what you're supposed to be doing? Well, every good piano player should know that studying the piano is more than just practicing. Studying the piano involves playing all different works to help your fingers continually train and stretch, reading through music and understanding every work before you master it, how long you can practice, and how well you can use your study time.

Every piano player needs to find the study technique(s) that will help them to learn better and faster, and usually it's trial and error that will point this out to you. Some piano instructors will help you find the right study technique by giving you several tips and ideas that helped them, while others will simply tell you to "go home and practice". But, if you are not playing correctly while you are practicing, you are simply defeating the whole purpose of practice. So, how do you know what to do when studying the piano?

Study Techniques To Help You Improve
While there are millions of ways to study the piano, there are some techniques that will always provide help to any player, new or old:

Make sure that your practice area is free of all distractions, such as the television, phone, loud music, and even other people if needed. Having a quiet place to read, study, and practice can help you more than anything while you are learning.

Read through your music or assignment. Every piano instructor will either assign you or show you some great practice suggestions for your study at home. There is a reason for these, and you should always do any practice pieces at home when you can.

Study and practice the piano every day. No matter if you can only set aside thirty minutes per day to study, you need to be sure that you are practicing each day. Once you have your study time down, you should continue to study at that same time, every day.

When you sit down to practice, make sure that the sheet music is easy for you to read and that you have enough light to see it. There is no need to strain your eyes or try to play something that you can't read.

When you are working on learning a long piece, don't try to cram it all in at one study session. You should break it up into smaller pieces and learn each of them in order so you will be prepared and ready to play the whole thing through.

As you break down each section in the piece, you should play through them slowly at first, making sure that each note, pitch, melody, tune, and rhythm is right and in the right spot. There is no need to study that piece if you play the same mistakes over and over. By practicing each work correctly, and slowly, for a few times, you're fingers will know where to go and what to do when they get there.

When you have a good study session, you should reward yourself by playing something that you already know and love after something new and hard. By playing something that you are already good at, you will bolster your self esteem and let you know that you are a good piano player, and practice will have you playing this new, hard piece in no time too.

You should take your teacher's suggestions and tips home with you. By using their advice, you will find all sorts of new avenues of study and play that you didn't know before. After all, it took them years of practice and study to get where they are, so they have done something right!

Find a musical dictionary. This will help you study your pieces the right way by telling you what each Italian term on your music means, such as Allegro vivace, so you don't get confused while practicing or playing. Knowing what the original composer meant and wanted that particular line to sound like will help you become a better player.

Experiment. Use different study techniques until you find some that work for you. Everyone has different ways of learning, whether it's by reading all about the piano and the work that you are trying to learn, or whether it's sitting down and playing it over and over until you get it right and can play it in your sleep, each different piano player will have to experiment to find that perfect study technique for them.

Listen, Learn, and Play
While you are in class, you should always listen to your piano instructor. This means that you should soak in everything you possibly can, from new techniques that you need to master to where the next good piano concert will be and when. By knowing new techniques that you can use, you will find that you'll be able to get these new techniques into your routine and help you on the road to becoming a better piano player. By attending some of the better piano concerts around your area, you will have time to study each different piano player and see how they play, read, study, and much more. When you are able to watch the better piano players, you will become better as well, as you should learn something from each different performance.

Once you have found a few new techniques for studying the piano, you can take them all home and try them out on your instrument. Make sure that you either memorize the techniques or that you write them down before you stop your practice for the day. By memorizing or writing down the new technique that you have learned that day, you are less likely to forget it the next morning.

by: Mandi Weems

About The Author
Mandi Weems is an expert author for the new resource for piano players, Free Piano Sheet Music To view other great articles she has written, visit the Tutorials section at Free Piano Sheet Music.