Grandmaster Hsu's new Grandson!

WLS-Ch. 7 anchor Judy Hsu gives birth on the Ike

WLS-Ch. 7 morning news anchor Judy Hsu gave birth this morning to a baby boy as she and her husband rushed to the hospital on the inbound Eisenhower Expressway, the station reported.

"We were heading down the Eisenhower," Hsu said during the station's 11 a.m. news broadcast. "At a pretty fast speed."

"I said, 'Do you need to pull over?' Judy said, 'I don't know!' " Tracy, her husband, said.

"I didn't know. I think I was in denial the whole time. I did not want to pull over on the side of the expressway. But the time came, and I knew the baby couldn't wait. I said, 'OK, I think we better pull over and call 911,' " Hsu said.

The couple's baby came into the world at about 3 a.m. near the Cicero Avenue exit. They named him Alexander James but -- fittingly -- his nickname will be "Ike."

As of this afternoon mother and baby were doing fine, according to the station.

Tracy helped his wife give birth in the front seat of the car. He said he remembered a news story about a woman who gave birth on the side of the road and her husband used his shoelaces to tie off the umbilical cord. Tracy tried that too and it worked.

Paramedics soon arrived and took them to the hospital.

"Can you believe it?" Hsu told the station. "It's so wild. It's stuff we read about in the news, and I never, ever thought would happen to me. It just went so fast. It was pretty incredible."

-- Staff report

Taichi performance breaks Guinness World Record CCTV-International

Taichi performance breaks Guinness World Record CCTV-International

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The Ancient Daoist Guqin

Stephen C. Walker will perform Saturday 12:30-1:00pm on October 3rd., 2009 at the Tai Chi Center of Chicago as part of the Ravenswood ArtWalk. Don't miss your chance to see this ancient Guqin instrument played by an exceptionally gifted musician.

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Ravenswood ArtWalk @ Tai Chi Center of Chicago

2009 Special Events - 8th Annual Ravenswood ArtWalk
October 3rd & 4th

Demonstrating Master Instructors of the Tai Chi Center of Chicago:
Elizabeth Wenscott - Tai Chi Sword, Tai Chi Knife
Chris Zalek - Tong Bei Chuan, Xing Yi, San Shou.
Sas Stark - Tong Bei Chuan, Xing Yi, San Shou
Don Tomei & Sharon Fierro - Qigong
Tracy Von Kaenel - Yoga

Exhibiting artist:
Artist in Residence, Christine Wallers - Projected Video Stills and Installations
Steven Leavitt - Painting
Kipling Swehla - Photography
Stephen C. Walker - Guqin ( ancient stringed Chinese instrument !!! )
Sangeet Gupta - Ceramics


This years schedule of events.
Saturday
11:00am - 12:00pm - Tai Chi Introductory - (Participation Welcome)
12:30pm - 1:00pm - Stephen C. Walker - Guqin Musical Performance
1:15pm - 2:00pm - Qigong - Instructor Don Tomei - (Participation Welcome)
2:00pm - 3:00pm - Demonstrations lead by master instructors, along with members of the TC3
3:00pm - 6:00pm - Art Opening

Sunday
11:00am - 12:00pm - School Open House - Art Viewing
12:00 - 1:00 - Yoga with Tracy Von Kaenel (details forthcoming)
3:00pm - 6:00pm - School Open House - Art Viewing

Visit for more information and to SHARE event details with family and friends.

Neigong Longevity Exercises

Over the years I have received the same "Wow this is weird," or "Geeze I never knew I held so much tension there!" from practicing the Red Dragon Waves (Tongue) the Water exercise that we do after meditation. This exercise is extremely beneficial to ones health as the tongue is connected to the heart meridian according to Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Here is a list of some of the noted benefits:
reduces sleep apnea
cervical spondylosis
reduces risk of heart disease

Our own Dr. Rossi says, "Many people develop swallowing difficulties as they age, which does cause a myriad of problems that can eventually lead to death or severely impaired quality of life. I suspect that being able to consciously control and strengthen the tongue and some of the action of swallowing probably reduces or compensates for some of the degradation of the swallowing mechanism that some older people develop."

Next up, the importance of saliva!

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Attract bees to keep garden healthy

Attract bees to keep garden healthy
(http://searchchicago.suntimes.com/homes/news/1716703,bees_and_gardens-arbor16.article)
August 16, 2009

BY DORIS TAYLOR - Special to the Sun-Times
Even when the stock market is in the doldrums, there's a whole world of buying, selling and trading going on as close as your own yard. Here, flowering plants and pollinators trade pollen and nectar for reproduction services.

Many homeowners call the Plant Clinic at the Morton Arboretum with questions about removing pests -- like Japanese beetles or ground-nesting bees -- from their yards, but not many call asking how to attract beneficial pollinators to their yards. But we should all be thinking about that. Pollinating insects and other critters are essential to home gardeners, particularly for growing fruits and vegetables.

"If you want the best production from your plants, you need honey bees or other pollinators to visit your garden," says Charles Lorence, beekeeper at the Arboretum, who raises more than one million honey bees to make the Arboretum's honey.

A variety of insects and animals pollinate plants, including butterflies, wasps, hummingbirds and bats. But the most important pollinators are the bees, especially honey bees.

To attract honey bees, Lorence suggests including plants they love, such as purple coneflower, blazing star, milkweed and raspberry, as well as herbs such as mint, lavender, borage and comfrey. Shrubs include privet, sumac, barberry, honeysuckle and burning bush. Bees like trees, too, especially linden, crabapple, tuliptree, redbud and orchard fruit trees, such as apple, pear and cherry.

For free information about growing requirements, visit "Plant Advice" at www.mortonarb.org. You'll also want to provide a water source. "It can be a bird bath, a dripping faucet, or a pan full of fresh water," says Lorence.

The process works like this: Flowering plants, including many trees and shrubs, attract pollinators in any way they can, including pollen, nectar, oils, resins, and fragrances. In return, pollinators move pollen from flower to flower, so those plants can produce nuts, seeds, fruits or vegetables to ensure their reproduction.

Avoid using chemicals in your yard, including insecticides and lawn herbicides, advises Lorence. If you must use them, avoid spraying during the day when bees are foraging.

You might take it a step further and actually raise honey bees. Chicago resident Lisa Hish decided to try beekeeping this summer out of her interest in the environment. "I am a well-researched, but novice beekeeper," she says. "I have a traditional frame hive that is filled with gentle Italian honey bees. I haven't been stung yet."

Hish, director of the health program at the Tai Chi Center of Chicago, is using that hive and another "top bar" hive that doesn't produce honey to teach her students about bees' role in our environment. Hish says seven of her neighbors recently expressed interest in keeping a hive on their property that she would maintain as part of what she calls a "bee trail."

"In our neighborhood, there are lots of families with young kids who are concerned about the environment and the future we are handing down to them," says Hish.

Doris Taylor manages the Plant Clinic at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle.

Life Extension Daily News

Life Extension Daily News

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The Perfect Pair of Tai Chi Pants

Lincoln says "these are the best tai chi pants!" If you like to sew, and would like to make yourself a custom pair of tai chi pants, email me for a request for this pattern. ejw@taichicenter-chicago.com

Guest Instructor Dr. Aihan Kuhn

The Tai Chi Center of Chicago
4043 N. Ravenswood
Chicago, IL. 60613
Invites you attend three special events in celebration of:
Dr. Aihan Kuhn's new book
"Simple Chinese Medicine: A Beginner's Guide to Natural Healing and Well-Being."

Three ways to get a personalized copy:
Barnes & Noble in Old Orchard on Sept 12, 12:00pm
Borders at 2817 N. Clark, Chicago IL on Sept 12, 3:00pm
or order a copy online and have it signed at one of the below events!


**************************
EVENT #1
Lecture
"The Secret to Good Health & Longevity"
Presenter, Dr. Aihan Kuhn, Master
Director of Chinese Medicine for Health
Sunday, September 13, 2009 9:30 to 10:30am
Fee: Free

Dr. Kuhn will give you her lifetime experience of the secrets to good health and a stress free life. She will also explain how natural medicine works, the differences between eastern and western healing approaches, tips for cancer healing and prevention, the healing power of Chinese exercise, and a simple 5-minute daily Qi Gong routine.


EVENT #2
Participation
Qi Gong, the Perfect Exercise for Self-Healing
Presenter, Dr. Aihan Kuhn, Master
Director of Chinese Medicine for Health
Sunday, September 13, 2009 10:45 am to 12:15 pm
Advanced Payment Fee: $25.00
At Door Fee:$35.00

Qi Gong has been used for healing and disease prevention for thousands of years. Because it is effective, it is still practiced today all around the world. This total body energy workout is becoming more and more popular and is easy and fun to learn. You will experience an overall feeling of optimum health and wellness.

The gentle body movements are a perfect exercise for all ages and ability levels and provide powerful healing results. This exercise incorporates slow body movements, choreographed whole body stretching, and correct controlled breathing. As the energy channels open up, you can feel the energy or "Qi" as it moves through your body. This moving energy and release of stagnation is the key to healing and disease prevention. It can assist in the healing of health issues, such as: heart disease, hypertension, PMS, weight problems, headache, high stress, insomnia, arthritis, Fibromyalgia, digestive problems, muscular disease, cancer and more. Other benefits include: feeling younger, improved posture, better mental focus by clearing the mind, and improved vision and hearing. It enhances daily energy levels, improves metabolism and immune function, elevates the mood and emotions, prevents memory loss, and has a calming effect that helps to promote a better outlook on life. It is a lifetime tool for self-healing for all ages.

In this workshop, you will learn:
The Basics of Qi Gong
The relationship between Qi Gong and Chinese medicine
How Qi Gong works to assist in healing
What Qi is all about and the benefits of energy medicine
The movements of a special Qi Gong exercise routine (Qi Gong for Total Body Wellness)

Call 312-505-1276 or email sfierro1@comcast.net to reserve your spot!

Game Show at Kipling Swehla's Studio

Game show is a collection of photographs of board games and toys I played with as a child in the 60's and 70's which are part of an upcoming book title, Playbook. All of the classic games will all be available for people to play including Aggravation, Battleship, Battling Tops, Clue, Connect Four, Electic Football (the vibrating board as well as the mattel hand held), Gnip Gnop, Hungry Hippo, Kerplunk, Life, Merlin, Mousetrap, Spirograph, Stratego,Trouble and many many more.

Feel free to invite your friends, your family, and your inner child!

Kipling Swehla Studio
www.kiplingphoto.com
1336 W Ohio #1F (NW corner door at Ada and Ohio)
Chicago, IL 60642
312.226.8513

Sunday May 3, 2009 3pm-9pm

Which Way Does She Turn For You?

If you see this lady turning in clockwise you are using your right brain.
If you see it her tuning the other way, you are using left brain.
Some people do see both ways, but most people see it only one way.

See if you can make her go one way and then the other by shifting the brain's current.
BOTH DIRECTIONS CAN BE SEEN.

Experimentation has shown that the two different sides or hemispheres of the brain are responsible for different manners of thinking. The following table illustrates the differences between left-brain and right-brain thinking:

Most individuals have a distinct preference for one of these styles of thinking. Some, however, are more whole-brained and equally adept at both modes. In general, schools tend to favor left-brain modes of thinking, while downplaying the right-brain activities. Left-brain scholastic subjects focus on logical thinking, analysis, and accuracy. Right-brained subjects, on the other hand, focus on aesthetics, feeling, and creativity.

If you look away, she may switch from one direction to the other.

I found that if I just look at her feet or relax and look at the floor where the reflection shows, she will switch direction!

Left Brain
Logical
Sequential
Rational
Analytical
Objective
Looks at parts

Right Brain
Random
Intuitive
Holistic
Synthesizing
Subjective
Looks at wholes

The World Tai Chi & Qigong Day

The Tai Chi Center of Chicago invites you to
The World Tai Chi & Qigong Day
Northcenter Wellness Tour

Saturday April 25, 2009
9:30 am – 3:00 pm

Have you wondered about Tai Chi or Qigong and what they can do for you?

Do you want to know why so many health and aging experts recommend these practices to promote long, healthy life?

Find out for FREE!

Join us on World Tai Chi & Qigong Day for a celebration of the health and longevity that Tai Chi and Qigong practitioners have enjoyed for thousands of years. On this special day, our teaching staff and students will travel the Northcenter community lead-ing FREE guided practice sessions in both Tai Chi and Qigong.

All levels of experience are welcome in this once a year event.

Choose one or more of these FREE sessions to discover what balance, breath and focused movement will bring to you:

LIST OF EVENTS
9:30 - 10:30 am Qigong @ the Tai Chi Center of Chicago
11:00 - 12:00 pm Tai Chi @ the Tai Chi Center of Chicago
(4043 N. Ravenswood Ave. Suite 228)
12:30 - 1:00 Tai Chi & Qigong @ Northcenter Town Square
(corner of Damen Ave. and Bell Plaine Ave.)
1:30 - 2:00 Tai Chi & Qigong @ Wells Park
(between Montrose Ave. and Sunnyside Ave. on Lincoln Ave.)
2:30 - 3:00 Tai Chi & Qigong @ Giddings Plaza
(between Leland Ave. and Lawrence Ave. on Lincoln Ave.)

JOIN US and learn how to improve YOUR well-being!

Visit us at www.taichicenter-chicago.com/worldtaichiqigongday.html