Lifestyle

An 89 Years old Lady told Daily Practice of Piano a Secret of Her Long Lasting Youth

Published

6 years ago

January 6, 2020

A Richmond, South-West London based 89 years old lady has proved that music brings a lot of health benefits. Josephine Loewenstein is the lady who has maintained her youth through piano practice. Josephine has been playing piano for many years. She gives two hours every day to the piano practice. Her hands-on piano is very lovely and she can play many tough tracks easily. Josephine has shared piano practice as a secret of her long-lasting youth. Though she is now visually impaired, her craze for piano has not ended yet.

In an interview, Josephine said that piano gives her peace of mind and satisfaction from life. First time, she had performed in Convent Garden in 1946 during her school days at Sadler’s Wells Ballet School. Josephine is a widow, and she told that this played an important role for her inclination to play piano for many years.

She made piano her true life partner which gifted her a long-lasting youth. The Chopin Society has made her a member. It conducts piano performances on every Sunday in London. Josephine has a large list of friends. Some of her friends are of the age as her daughter.

She also gives credit to her friends who keep her engaged with the piano. Josephine often spends holidays with her friends in Ireland and other countries. Whether music is played for professional purposes or as a habit, it has many healing properties that people reveal from time to time. Josephine is one of those who has experienced many health benefits from music.

There is a campaign named, Music for Dementia 2020. This campaign uses music to reduce the symptoms of dementia. Many people have understood the health benefits of music and they consider it a lifeline against many diseases.

There are many studies that have suggested piano practice to improve mental health. It was found in the studies that people who give time to the piano have fewer problems of anxiety and depression. Piano practice for health concerns need only a few minutes. It starts showing the initial results such as feeling positive, low blood pressure and high confidence. Piano divides human attention into two parts. Both the parts increase the concentration skills through reading music, using both the hands and working on the pedals. And to train in that, there are many piano lessons in orange county that are becoming popular among the piano beginners. These lessons provide piano tutorials through videos and notes.

Piano is the most used musical instrument at home. It is not only popular for health benefits, but also for easiness of playing. In a study, it was found that people prefer piano more to keep at their homes as compared to the guitar. They say guitar to be a painful musical instrument due to the involvement of fingers on strings and the use of facial muscles and lips.

In another study from Georgia and Texas Universities, it was found that piano practice is also helpful to enhance the learning power of students. The students who participated in the study had shown better grades in a few subjects such as maths, science, and language. Daily practice of piano develops general and spatial cognitive qualities in students which further help them in the study.

Lifestyle

Confronting Propaganda: Street Smart Documents Honest Reactions to Gaza Indoctrination Footage

Published

5 days ago

November 6, 2025

Michelle Langton

Photo Courtesy of: Street Smart

Byline: Michelle Langton

In a recent project, the Street Smart team gathered 20 strangers and presented them with propaganda footage from Gaza that has circulated widely online but remains largely unfamiliar to many audiences. The aim wasn’t to provoke outrage or test media literacy in a classroom setting. It was to capture raw, unfiltered emotional reactions to material that reveals how narratives are formed at the source. The resulting video offers a candid look at how people process shocking content and how their perceptions shift when they see what is rarely shown on mainstream platforms.

The Structure of the Experiment

The format was simple. Participants were seated and shown a series of clips from Gaza, including children’s programming and broadcasts containing intense ideological messaging. No background information was provided, and viewers were not instructed on how to interpret what they were seeing. After watching, they were asked for immediate reactions.

The footage elicited a wide range of emotions. Some viewers were stunned by the content, admitting they had never seen anything like it before. Others expressed disbelief, questioning why this kind of material isn’t more widely discussed. A few were visibly shaken, saying the experience fundamentally altered their understanding of the situation.

By presenting the footage without narration or added commentary, Street Smart allowed participants’ genuine responses to emerge. The experiment revealed how propaganda can affect an entire generation. It can shock, unsettle, and force people to reconsider their assumptions.

Why This Project Matters

Sage Fox and Dorani aligned the purpose of this experiment with Street Smart’s broader mission of challenging prevailing narratives and encouraging critical thought among younger audiences. In an environment where footage spreads rapidly across digital platforms, propaganda can shape public opinion long before context catches up.

By showing the Gaza Indoctrination footage in a controlled setting and recording uncoached responses, the team aimed to expose the emotional and cognitive impact of this type of content.

“The first reaction is often the most revealing, because it shows how powerful images can be without context.”

The Range of Reactions

While each participant brought their own perspective, several themes emerged. Some expressed sympathy with the imagery itself, saying it was emotionally powerful.

One participant said, “It makes me question what I see online every day. How much of it is shaped this way?”

Their comments highlight how propaganda resonates differently depending on prior knowledge and exposure. Many viewers have simply never encountered such footage directly.

Street Smart’s Approach

This project continues a pattern established by Sage Fox & Dorani’s earlier videos. Rather than relying on experts or lengthy analysis, Street Smart focuses on real people and their honest reactions. The approach is simple but effective. Present potent material, listen to what people say, and share those moments with a wider audience.

The Gaza Indoctrination footage experiment fits this model. It doesn’t attempt to draw final conclusions or offer political commentary. Instead, it documents how people respond when they’re exposed to narratives that are usually filtered through intermediaries.

Implications for Media Literacy

Beyond its viral potential, the video raises broader questions about how people interact with powerful imagery online. Propaganda operates on emotional reflexes. As this experiment shows, those reflexes are often unexamined until they’re brought to the surface.

Sage Fox & Dorani hope that projects like this push audiences to think more critically about what they see and share.

“The purpose is not to tell people what to believe. It is to remind them that every image comes from somewhere, and that source matters,” they said.

Next Steps for Street Smart

As Street Smart’s platform grows, Sage Fox & Dorani plan to conduct similar experiments in different contexts. They intend to use their direct, street-level approach to highlight how people react when presented with challenging material.

The Gaza footage project is one piece of a larger mission. The team uses simple methods to shed light on complex issues. By focusing on authentic reactions, they continue to build a unique space in online media that blends cultural investigation with raw human response.

A Window into Unfiltered Thought

“We showed 20 strangers real propaganda footage from Gaza — and filmed their unfiltered reactions” is not a dramatic exposé or academic study. It is a clear, unmediated record of how individuals respond when confronted with material designed to persuade. In that restraint lies its strength.

By documenting these moments, Street Smart shows how awareness can begin with a pause. A brief space between seeing and believing.