Truth and Hammer

Author: Truth & Hammer

  • 17 DIY Fireplace Ideas to Inspire You | Kaleidoscope Living

    17 DIY Fireplace Ideas to Inspire You | Kaleidoscope Living

    A DIY fireplace is an amazing way to update a room. Altering the room’s focal point is the perfect way to make a big impact! These 17 tutorials will give you tons of inspiration for a fireplace makeover. People still cannot believe we attempted (and finished beautifully, in my opinion) a DIY fireplace. And it wasn’t the hardest renovation we have done! People imagine that doing a fireplace makeover is overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. So many other DIY’ers have done their own and also had AMAZING results and I have gathered my favorites for you. These 17 tutorials of awesome fireplace makeovers will blow your mind. And hopefully, they will give you lots of inspiration and get you thinking about giving your own hearth or mantel an overhaul! I am constantly amazed at how different a room can feel once the fireplace has been given a makeover (big or small!). I cannot emphasize enough that changing the fireplace is a big impact renovation and will totally change (or enhance) the look of your room! DIY Fireplace Makeover Ideas Planked Wall by Thrifty Decor Chick Aren’t these tutorials all amazing? Are you surprised at how many people tackle a DIY fireplace makeover? Let these inspire you, because giving your fireplace a face-lift, or adding one where it was just a big blank wall, will do WONDERS for your room overall. I am sure seeing all these is getting your brain churning on a fireplace update of your own, but before you go and start planning, make sure you get your password below for our design vault! It has all of our amazing freebies with more guides being added all the time!

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  • A Breast Milk Ingredient Is the Hot New Health Supplement for Adults

    A Breast Milk Ingredient Is the Hot New Health Supplement for Adults

    Mother’s milk isn’t just for babies anymore.  Global chemical giants DowDuPont Inc. and BASF SE are investing millions to ramp up production of an indigestible sugar found naturally in breast milk. Infant formula makers like Nestle SA can’t get enough of the synthetic ingredient. Now the companies are eyeing a potentially bigger customer: adults. DuPont estimates the annual market could reach $1 billion.  Human milk oligosaccharide is the third most common solid in breast milk, after lactose and fat. HMO escapes digestion, allowing it to reach the colon where it feeds beneficial bacteria. HMOs may explain why breast-fed babies tend to fare better than formula-fed, said Rachael Buck, who leads HMO research at Similac formula-maker Abbott Laboratories.  Abbott Laboratories in 2016 was the first to add HMO to infant formula in its Similac brand.  “It’s just been a fascinating treasure trove of benefits that we’ve uncovered,’’ Buck said.  In babies, HMOs strengthen the developing immune system, helping fight infection and inflammation while aiding brain development, according to early research. New studies show those benefits may extend to people of all ages, fitting neatly into consumers’ growing fascination with probiotics — the “good” bacteria that can help keep a human body healthy.

    Replicating Nature

    Synthetic HMOs come from the formula industry’s quest to manufacture a breast-milk substitute that’s as close to the real thing as possible. The purported benefits are still viewed with skepticism by some in the scientific community — especially when they come at a premium price.  “Never assume that the addition of a component of human milk actually makes the formula like human milk,’’ said Steven A. Abrams, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics committee on nutrition. “It’s not,” said Abrams, a Dell Medical School professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

    HMOs could lead to treatments for adult ailments such as irritable bowel syndrome, allergies and even the aging brain, Buck said. An animal study at Abbott’s labs showed that HMO stimulated the vagus nerve, “a superhighway communicating from gut to brain,” she said. “This has the potential to help both brain development early in life and, later in life, brain decline.”  Commercial production is typically accomplished through a fermentation process using giant vats filled with microbes genetically engineered to produce specific HMO varieties, such as 2’FL.  DuPont plans to spend $40 million building out its HMO production capacity this year, its second biggest capital investment after expanding a factory that makes Tyvek. Meanwhile, it’s partnering with Lonza Group AGto make enough product to meet current demand. DuPont will become a stand-alone company when it splits from DowDuPont on June 1.

    After two decades of research, Abbott was first to bring HMOs to the U.S. baby nutrition market in 2016. It’s now expanded to 15 countries. Nestle last year rolled out HMO formula in Gerber and other brands across 40 countries. HMOs nourish bacteria that “train’’ immune system cells, 80 percent of which reside in the gut, said Jose Saavedra, Nestle chief medical officer.  The health claims propelled about $600 million in sales of HMO formula last year for each of Abbott and Nestle SA.  Among Abbott’s customers was Heidi Haydock, a senior manager at Cardinal Health Inc., who two years ago wasn’t able to breast feed her newborn son because she was undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. Concerned about the development of his digestive system, she fed him Similac with HMO.

    Next Best

    “With a mom who can’t give breast milk, you kind of feel deficient,’’ Haydock said. “Being able to give the next best alternative made me feel better.’’  While some research indicates advantages to HMO-enhanced formula, it’s not clear that there’s a long-term health difference, Abrams said. In the U.S., babies fed generic formulas, which are as much as 50 percent cheaper, have outcomes “every bit as good’’ as those fed pricier formulas, Abrams said.  Even in nature, breast milk can vary depending on the different kinds of sugars produced by each mom. DuPont and BASF are focusing on making the most common version of HMO, which consists of the 2’FL sugar. That’s where the benefits can be seen most clearly, according to Nestle’s Saavedra: Babies getting 2’FL from their mothers have slightly lower rates of acute infection than babies whose moms are deficient in that HMO.

    Widening Market

    BASF began scaling up production of 2’FL earlier this year, and it’s studying how the different health effects of HMOs might be developed into a range of products beyond baby formula.  “Our aim is to expand on our scientific know-how on specific health functions of HMOs to adults as well,” said Stefan Ruedenauer, BASF director of human nutrition research and development. “BASF will have a pipeline of science-driven products with substantial health benefits of HMOs in the near future.”  Smaller rivals making the ingredient include closely held Jennewein Biotechnologie GmbH and FrieslandCampina of Germany.  Holigos IBS is one of the first HMO products for adults seeking better digestive health.  Danish biotechnology company Glycom S/A is targeting the adult digestive health market with HMO supplements it began selling in the U.S. and Europe late last year. The company touts its Holigos IBS product as managing symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, including abdominal pain, constipation diarrhea and bloating. It sells 28 doses on Amazon.com for $50.

    HMO is just one part of DuPont’s larger foray into digestive health, a loosely regulated market growing 20 percent a year. The company sees an estimated $5 billion annual opportunity developing gut-health products, though some experts question whether the supplements benefit everyone. DuPont is already a leader in probiotics, offering the widest variety of bacteria strains and operating the world’s largest probiotics fermentation plant, in Rochester, New York.

    HMOs are known as prebiotics, nourishing desirable microorganisms that occur naturally or from probiotics. DuPont is marketing its 2’FL HMO, branded as CARE4U, to consumer manufacturers who can use it in adult supplements for digestive and immune health, said Ratna Mukherjea, global research and development leader at DuPont.

    DuPont is researching how to produce more of the 130 or so HMO varieties found in breast milk as the company identifies those with the most potential health benefits, Mukherjea said. More HMO varieties are already in the commercial pipeline.

    “This is just the beginning for HMO,’’ she said.

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  • Rise of the ‘splinternet’: Experts warn the world wide web will break up and fragment as governments set their own rules to filter and restrict content

    Rise of the ‘splinternet’: Experts warn the world wide web will break up and fragment as governments set their own rules to filter and restrict content

    Dreams for a connected global internet are increasingly threatened by regulations being brought in by governments around the world, experts have warned.  Plans to restrict content are fragmenting the world wide web, a system created with the promise of connecting people by offering universal access to information.  China has walled off some western services for years and experts are now warning over plans elsewhere in the world to filter content, leading to nationalised internets.  That includes the UK’s plans to hold executives personally liable for posts on social media that are harmful or illegal, revealed in a government white paper on Monday.

    They say this would put the country at the ‘far end’ of internet censorship and further fuel the ‘splinternet’ – a term circulated for a decade or more that has gained popularity in recent months.  These moves come as Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg has called for a ‘common global framework’ of internet rules.  The web’s creator Tim Berners Lee has also launched a ‘Contract for the Web’ that establishes an ethical set of principles for the internet.  The New Zealand Christchurch mosques massacre live streamed online has heightened the sense of urgency in some countries, with debates in the US and EU on curbing incitement to violence.

    A new Australian law could jail social media executives for failing to take down violent extremist content quickly.  And a proposal unveiled in Britain could make executives personally liable for harmful content posted on social platforms.  Free-speech defenders warn it would be dangerous to let governments regulate online content, even if social media sites are struggling.  The UK proposal ‘is a very bad look for a rights-respecting democracy,’ said R David Edelman, a former White House technology adviser who now heads the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s project on technology, the economy and national security.  ‘It would place the UK toward the far end of the internet censorship spectrum.’  However, the UK’s Culture Secretary has said that the proposed laws will not limit press freedom.  In a letter to the Society of Editors yesterday, Jeremy Wright vowed that ‘journalistic or editorial content would not be affected’ by the proposals.  And he reassured free speech advocates by saying there would be safeguards to protect the role of the press.

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  • Disney jumps the most in nearly 10 years after unveiling streaming service cheaper than Netflix

    Disney jumps the most in nearly 10 years after unveiling streaming service cheaper than Netflix

    “I’m pretty optimistic about the ability for this thing to work. Particularly when you make it accessible because of the content we’re putting on, because of the user interface and because of the price,” CEO Bob Iger told CNBC’s David Faber in an interview Thursday.  Shares of Disney surged 11.5% on Friday, its best single day of trading since May 2009. Netflix shares traded lower by 4.5%.

    Disney+ will roll out in the U.S. on November 12, and within the next two years, the platform will be available “in nearly all major regions of the world.” The pricing on the ad-free service is surprisingly low — $6.99 per month and $69.99 annually (or $5.83 per month). That’s lower than Netflix, which raised prices on its standard plan from $10.99 to $12.99 per month. Netflix’s basic plan is $8.99 a month.

    “Disney surprised on the upside at its investor meeting yesterday, providing more financial disclosure and revealing a more content rich streaming service than previously expected,” J.P. Morgan analyst Alexia Quadrani said in a note to investors. “In addition, management provided a target for Disney+ of 60m-90m subscribers by F2024, on the higher end of our expectations, which we believe were already above consensus.”

    Disney+ will also have multiple movies and TV series that are exclusive to the service. Those include several series from Marvel and Star Wars. Disney said it expects it will spend about $1 billion in 2020 on original content for the platform and $2 billion by 2024.

    Disney’s stock closed at $116.60 a share on Thursday.

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  • NASA Twins Study Reveals Space Travel’s Effects on the Human Body

    NASA Twins Study Reveals Space Travel’s Effects on the Human Body

    A year on the space station has an undeniable impact across the human body, but many of the body’s systems recover after a return to Earth.

    Human bodies did not evolve to float in microgravity or to thrive under the radiation levels in space. When NASA astronaut Scott Kelly spent nearly a year on the International Space Station, in a mission launching in 2015, his body was put under incredible stress: Fluids swelled his upper body and head, his genes activated in different ways, and his immune system jumped into overdrive compared to that of his identical twin, Mark Kelly. Mark has also flown in space, but he remained on the ground during that long-duration mission. Over time, Scott experienced decreased body mass, instability in his genome, swelling in major blood vessels, changes in eye shape, metabolism shifts, inflammation and alterations in his microbiome — as well as a strange lengthening of his telomeres, the protective structures at the ends of chromosomes. (They shortened again after he landed.)

    Ten teams working on NASA’s Twins Study — encompassing 12 universities and 84 researchers — followed the duo before, during and after the flight, tracking the twins’ biology to see how the brothers changed over the course of the study. While the research was very limited in scope, scientists planning to send astronauts on long trips to the moon, Mars and beyond will find this data on long-duration spaceflight invaluable.

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  • Dutch Artists Paint Giant Bookcase On An Apartment Building Featuring Residents’ Favorite Books

    Dutch Artists Paint Giant Bookcase On An Apartment Building Featuring Residents’ Favorite Books

    While many street artists choose abandoned buildings and old train tracks as the canvases for their explosive masterpieces, Dutch street artist Jan Is De Man chooses to go another route – by realizing lively works for local communities who want to connect. His aim is to create projects ‘where everyone can identify themselves’ by asking for the involvement of the residents’ who commission him. Jan Is De Man’s most recent gift to a neighborhood – a whimsical tri-level trompe l’oeil mural bookcase on an apartment building in Utrecht, Netherlands. The artist was aided by fellow street artist Deef Feed who, he told Bored Panda, had worked on a few other murals with him and is the co-owner of their tattoo shop “Blackbook Tattoos” in the center of Utrecht.

    The location for the mural came before the concept said Jan Is De Man, “I know the people who live on the ground floor very well. They’ve wanted a mural by my hand for a while. They also wanted to let me feel free in my design as long as it would bring something positive to their neighborhood. The first idea was to paint a smiley. A very big smiley. Because I believe people become more happy when they see a smiley every day. But this idea didn’t feel complete, it felt too simple.”

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  • Public Universities to Provide ‘Free’ Chemical Abortions to Students

    Public Universities to Provide ‘Free’ Chemical Abortions to Students

    If your taxes are high enough the state keeps thinking of better ways to spend your money!  Where is our freedom of choice?  Our freedom to religion?  This does not reflect beliefs of many.  Why do they insist it does?   When will be responsible adults, we need to quit acting like animals, and step up to the amazing opportunities there are out there instead of creeping around sex issues all the time.

    The California Senate Health Committee recently voted 7-2 to force all taxpayer-funded universities in the Golden State to appropriate the funding needed to provide “free” chemical abortions to students on campus by 2023.  The legislation, SB 24, was introduced in December by state Senator Connie Leyva.  It would require student health centers on all University of California and California State University campuses to offer chemical abortions to students up to 10 weeks of pregnancy, beginning in January 2023.  To fund the mandate, the measure allocates $200,000 in grant money to each of California’s 33 public university student health centers, covering the costs of “medication abortion readiness” which includes the purchase of equipment, facility and security upgrades, and training staff members.

    The bill is a revised version of a similar bill that former Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed last September stating “it was not necessary.”  SB 24 now goes to the full state Senate for a vote and Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would support the SB 24 bill if it reaches his desk.  “California schools should be focused on educating students to make a positive difference in this nation, not handing out abortion drugs so it’s easy for them to end the lives of future generations,” Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel said in a press release. “California laws already are some of the most hostile to unborn babies and young women in America. This horrendous bill would only ensure that more precious lives are ended,” said Staver.

    According to research from the pro-abortion Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health, and the Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, at the University of California, San Francisco, chemical abortions are already widespread among students. The groups estimate that California public college students undergo approximately 300-500 chemical abortions each month, and with serious risks.  The drug Mifepristone/RU-486, which ends the life of the unborn child, and Misoprostol which causes severe cramping, contractions, and bleeding to expel the baby from the womb, are used together in chemical abortions.  Approximately 3.4 million women have used Mifepristone in the US for the medical termination of pregnancy through the end of December 2017, an increase of approximately 163,000 since June 2017. The FDA has documented at least 4,000 cases of serious adverse events, including more than 1,000 women who required hospitalization; in addition, at least 22 women died after using the drug.

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  • Abortions is ‘Abominable and Evil,’ ‘Bad for Morality,’ Implying Abortion Is Morally Superior

    Abortions is ‘Abominable and Evil,’ ‘Bad for Morality,’ Implying Abortion Is Morally Superior

    Planned Parenthood leaders are calling Georgia’s heartbeat bill “blatantly unconstitutional.” That’s to be expected. But what’s somewhat surprising was the way the Democratic Party’s former candidate for governor described it.  Stacey Abrams, the former speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives who nearly won the governor’s race in 2018, called the pro-life bill “abominable and evil.” Those two words are usually used by pro-lifers in describing the horrors of abortion, not the other way around.  In her MSNBC interview, Abrams went on to say the heartbeat bill is “bad for morality and our humanity.”  Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) pointed to Abrams’ remarks fly in the face of morality. “Human beings have heartbeats. Blobs of protoplasm do not,” he argued on “Fox & Friends” Monday morning.

    “I hope that somewhere among Democrats who even, perhaps believe in abortion, they recognize that the science on this, and they love to talk about science all the time. Then let’s talk about the science of biology and stop the madness of killing babies with a heartbeat. Surely we’re civilized enough to think that that’s just flat-out evil,” Huckabee said.  The Georgia measure would restrict abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat. The individual and distinct heartbeat of an unborn person can usually be detected by the sixth week of pregnancy.  The bill passed the state legislature in late March and should be signed soon by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. His office says they don’t have a timeframe for the signing.

    Kemp applauds the bill which is considered one of the most restrictive abortion bills in the nation, saying, “We stand up for the innocent and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.”  “Our efforts to protect life do not end here. We must work to ease the adoption process, find loving homes for those in our foster care system, and protect the aging and vulnerable,” he said.  Along with the expected attack from Planned Parenthood and the not-so-expected label from Stacey Abrams, Georgia’s heartbeat bill has also led to a boycott threat against this Bible-belt state.  Kemp is moving forward with plans to sign the bill despite the criticism and a Hollywood campaign to boycott filmmaking in Georgia if he does.  The boycott threat from the Writers Guild of America actually holds more clout than many people realize because Georgia is the third biggest state for film and TV production. Some have even called the state “the Hollywood of the South.”

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  • Taylor Hill Celebrates Spring Flowers In Iconic Pink Floyd Shirt On Instagram

    Taylor Hill Celebrates Spring Flowers In Iconic Pink Floyd Shirt On Instagram

    Victoria’s Secret model, Taylor Hill, shared several Instagram photos today where she posed in front of spring flowers. Unlike many celebrities that have flocked to the Palm Springs area for the Coachella Music Festival, Taylor is enjoying herself in New York City. She was photographed in front of what looked like cherry blossoms. The first series of photos showed her with her hair in a casual top bun, as she rocked an oversized, black Pink Floyd shirt. The shirt featured the iconic album cover art for “Dark Side of the Moon.” A second series of Instagram photos showed Hill in the same outfit, except this time, she wore her hair down. The photos of her closer up revealed that she was wearing minimal makeup along with hoop earrings. Her Instagram Stories revealed that she was enjoying the sights in Central Park. And four days ago, Hill posted an Instagram update saying goodbye to Paris, France. She looked chic in a white button-up shirt that she wore under an oversized, furry jacket. Taylor wore pink lipstick along with peach eyeshadow. The city skyline was visible in the background, and fans clearly showed their love for the model by liking the photos over 445,000 times. A post shared by Taylor Hill (@taylor_hill) on Apr 13, 2019 at 4:49pm PDT But traveling to different countries can have its downsides too, as Hill posted an Instagram video of herself dealing with the tortures of jet lag. She appeared to be makeup free, and pursed her lips as she pondered whether she was actually tired or not. But being a model means traveling is a must, and the more sought-after of a model you are, the more you end up traveling. She previously shared her traveling skincare tips with Harper’s Bazaar Arabia . Loading… “My favourite is Energie de Vie from Lancôme. It smells amazing and it is super lightweight. Creams that are too heavy cause breakouts for me. I really like it because it has a day cream, toning water, a night mask, everything. I just stick to that because it’s easy.” With that being said, Hill elaborated that “The way I take care of myself is a lifestyle. I try to exercise and make sure that I sleep, and drink a lot of water, and wash my face twice a day… all the little things you can do to ensure that you can maintain a crazy life.” And her self-care routine is obviously a great one, as the model looks fantastic in all of her social media posts, with or without makeup.

    This content was originally published here.

  • 7 Kids Were Asked To Draw Bedrooms Of Their Dreams, And Here’s What They’d Look Like In Real Life

    7 Kids Were Asked To Draw Bedrooms Of Their Dreams, And Here’s What They’d Look Like In Real Life

    Adulting is overrated; laundry, bills, figuring out how to cancel plans without offending anyone, the boring tasks are endless. But maybe the biggest disappointing aspect of being an adult is that our bedrooms are so boring compared to when we were children.  Most kids are unabashedly enthusiastic about what they love and their bedrooms can tell us so much about their personality. But what would happen if they were asked to design their own bedrooms, with no limits to what they can have in there?  Commissioned by Angie’s list, a London-based creative studio NeoMam Studios asked kids from around the world to draw their dream bedrooms and then they brought their ideas to life in realistic CGI renders.

    The goal of the project was to bring a new source of home design inspiration by looking through the eyes of a child. By the time we reach adulthood we have a fixed idea of what a bedroom should look like and exactly what is and isn’t available in our local IKEA. This project tears up the rulebook of bedroom design – and it’s clear that we can all learn a thing or two from the creativity and naivety of children.  To create this project, the research team briefed the above 7 children to doodle their “dream bedroom” and asked their parents to conduct a short Q&A with them to get an insight into their lives and interests. The project then moved onto design with the help of interior designer and CG artist Andrey Barinov who collaborated with managing editor Jonny Addy and art director Povilas Daknys to create the realistic digital designs you see today.

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