there is an age-old tradition called qigong which originated over 3,000 years ago in china. qigong (also spelled chi-kung) is a relaxed meditative form of exercise which puts a lot of focus on breath-control, and visualization. there are hundreds of forms of qigong, each one an expression of the master who created it. they all share similarities. tai chi and kung fu are branches of qigong. although those two examples are much faster-paced and aggresive- qigong is more mental and spiritual. daoist qigong aims to transcend reality in search of the dao. medical qigong is used nationwide in china as an alternative to health care, and is incorporated into traditional chines medicine (tcm).

the basic idea of qigong is utilizing the air around and transforming it within your body as your visualize and guide the breath along certain pathways called meridians, which are related to accupuncture. to elaborate on the types of visualizations, there are some exercises which focus on organ cleansing. for the lung move, you create two U-shapes by slowly swinging your arms out to your sides and then dipping them inwards towards your chest. the motion is repeated calmly and you time your breaths accordingly: when your arms are swinging outwards or down, breathe out (exhale)-- when your arms are swinging inwards or up, breathe in (inhale). the breathing is essential to qigong. you put emphasis on your outward breaths, pulling your stomach diaphragm upwards to help assist in exhaling all the air out. when inhaling, relax yourself and fill up your lower lungs, not your upper lungs (which is what most people breath with erroneously).

last year at staple (the independent media expo) here in austin, there were many interesting comics and artworks, but one especially caught my eye - it was a new series called 'dracula vs. king arthur', story by adam and christian beranek, art by chris moreno, with colors by jay fotos and lettering by n. beranek and heather addley. (gotta give credit where it belongs, yo!). the premise of the series is that vlad tepes cuts a deal with lucifer, turning him into dracula, granting him immortality for the exchange of traveling back in time to destroy king arthur and his glorious empire. it is a four-part series that is crammed with awesome battles, great comic art, and a very compelling storyline. some of arthur's own men convert to the dark side, and when his wife (who he had somewhat forgotten in his quest for the holy grail) turns, all hell breaks lose! the comic design is very unique and the quality of the books are great, especially considering this is an independent publisher, called silent devil, created by the beranek brothers and david fairley in 1996. click here to view and/or buy the comics!

mexic-arte is texas' official museum for mexican and mexican-american art. they are celebreating their 23rd year of success this april 27th in their 'Taste of Mexico 2007' event. mark your calendars and get your tickets soon, this will be a delightful feast with drinks. you can view their myspace page here or visit the mexic-arte website here. they are also going to open up their new gallery on april 28th- Mexic-Arte and the general consulate of Mexico present from revolution to renaissance: mexican art from the aaron collection. the museum is located at 419 Congress, 78701. they are also having a special award brunch hosted by Patricia Quintana, a renowned chef, on april 29th. Lots of excellent events to give you a taste of hispanic culture.