Truth and Hammer

Author: Truth & Hammer

These Lovely Dogs ‘Pack Walk’ And Pose For Pictures Together Every Day
If you’re a pet owner, you definitely understand that owning an animal is not an easy task. Most of them are adorable creatures who are always there for us, therefore, we need to take good care of them dedicating our time and energy. But not everyone is able to give their four-legged friends enough time every day.

Saratoga Dog Walkers in upstate New York offers a wonderful opportunity for those who love their dogs but don’t always have enough time to take them for a walk.

Dogs walk as a pack together on a daily basis and receive socialization, exercise, interactivity, structure, and contentment. Also, they develop a strong sense of community. It is extremely important for dogs to develop these skills.

You may think that it is difficult to handle a pack of dogs as some of them may fight with each other or behave badly, but Saratoga Dog Walkers knows what they’re doing so the situation is quite the opposite.

The pack usually consists of 10-15 dogs all walking together nicely.

These dogs are very cooperative and every once in a while they sit side by side, look into the camera and pose for pictures. And we must admit that they look like one big happy family!

source

Dogipack is an all-in-one functional, multipurpose, fashionable dog walking belt. You’ll stay organized each time you walk your dog with a collapsible bowl, dog bags, a cell phone holder, a water bottle holder, a carabiner, and a pocket you can use for cash, treats, or ID. Collapsible bowl and Bags on Board poop bags included.

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- Collapsible Bowl
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March 4, 2019
Gaga’s University Peers Had A FB Group Dedicated To Shaming Her For Trying To Be Famous

One of the things that A Star is Born has taught me is that no one becomes great without going through some sort of adversity. And this story from Lady Gaga’s personal life only proves it. When she was only starting out her career, her haters created a Facebook group called “Stefani Germanotta, you will never be famous.” Recently, people found out about this secret little (and I mean little) community and immediately fell in love with the irony of it.

It’s name: “Stefani Germanotta, you will never be famous.” The page housed pictures of a pretty Norah Jones-esque young 18-year-old NYU student who sang and played piano at local bars. The group was peppered with comments, sharp as porcupine needles, vilifying the aspiring musician for being an “attention-whore.” Scores asked: “Who does she think she is?” I also remember one dude posting a flyer for one of her upcoming gigs at a local village bar. He had clearly stomped on the flyer, an outline of his muddy sole [soul] struggling to eclipse her name.

but I pretty much — and quickly — forgot about that group and that girl with the intense raven eyes. Until about five years later. I was on an Amtrak train from NYC to Philly, reading a Vanessa Grigoriadis New York Magazine profile on Lady Gaga. I floated somewhat mindlessly through the piece until I got to the first sentence of the second graf:

“Before the meeting, I assumed that someone with a stage name like “Lady” (her given name is Stefani Joanne Germanotta) was going to be a bit standoffish…” HOLY S**T, I screamed to an empty car (Those who hang with me will know that I actually shrieked). LADY GAGA IS STEFANI GERMANOTTA? STEFANI IS LADY GAGA? I was overcome with a dizzying emotional cocktail of stage-mom-at-a-beauty-pageant and nerd-revenge triumph. But also shame. Shame that I never wrote on that group

Shame that I never defended the girl with the intense raven eyes

— the girl whose brave flyers were stomped on, probably somewhere near my dorm. But again, I soon forgot about that revelation and that feeling. Feelings. They’re so fleeting. Even more so, revelations. We need to constantly re-discover them every damn day. Like last week, when I woke up to this meme. I saw the muddy sole eclipsing her name. The eye-rolls. The cowardly virtual-giggles. The “Who does she think she is?”

I’ve got a lot of feelings, but the easiest one to articulate: gratitude

Stefani, thank you. Thank you for always thinking you’re a superstar, for using your cracks to let the light come out more brightly. Humans, let’s follow suit.”

Lady Gaga’s college experience wasn’t the first time she experienced severe bullying. Her parents enrolled her at Convent of Sacred Heart, an Upper East Side Catholic private school, where she got her first taste of how cruel kids could be. From then on it didn’t stop.

“I used to do these really big Evita brows,” Gaga told Rolling Stone in 2011. “I used to self-tan, and I had this really intense tan in school, and people would say, ‘Why the fuck are you so orange, why do you do your hair that way, are you a dike? Why do you have to look like that for school?’ I used to be called a slut, be called this, be called that. I didn’t even want to go to school sometimes.”

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and in spite of her naysayers, she has always had insurmountable drive. At the age of 11, she began voice lessons with Don Lawrence, Christina Aguilera’s singing coach, who she continued with even as her career took off. In addition to singing, she learned how to play classical piano and took acting classes – both skills that would lead to her pivotal Oscar moment.

Focused on her music career, she enrolled at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, but always the risk-taker Gaga dropped out not long eager to start her real-world musician experience. “I left my entire family, got the cheapest apartment I could find and ate shit until somebody would listen,” she told New York Magazine.

Known for her more audacious looks in her early career, with giant sunglasses and meat dresses, her music foundation carried through into her pop music. “I was classically trained as a pianist and that innately teaches you how to write a pop song,” Gaga told the Telegraph. “Because when you learn Bach inversions, it has the same sort of modulations between the chords. It’s all about tension and release.”

At 19-years-old the star thought maybe she had found her big break when Def Jam records signed her, but it wasn’t to be. Three months into the deal the label informed her that she just wasn’t for them. As usual, she remained determined. In 2008 Gaga’s boyfriend at the time Rob Fusari brought Gaga to Interscope records not as a singer but as a songwriter and from there – a star was born. She wrote hits for major artists such as Fergie, the Pussycat Dolls and even Britney Spears. While at the label Gaga recorded a reference vocal for one of her songs the stars aligned and Akon heard the demo and signed her.

Through let-downs, bullies, and rejections Gaga has become a renowned singer and actress. She has been nominated for 24 Grammys and won nine of them. In 2018 she made her grand acting debut in A Star Is Born and won an Oscar for her billboard topping hit and soundtrack song ‘Shallow.’

In her Oscars acceptance speech she had some inspirational words for all the struggling artists out there that identify with her: “If you are at home, and you’re sitting on your couch and you’re watching this right now, all I have to say is that this is hard work. I’ve worked hard for a long time, and it’s not about, you know…it’s not about winning. But what it’s about is not giving up. If you have a dream, fight for it. There’s a discipline for passion. And it’s not about how many times you get rejected or you fall down or you’re beaten up. It’s about how many times you stand up and are brave and you keep on going.”

source

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her unconventionality, provocative work, and visual experimentation. She began performing as a teenager, singing at open mic nights and acting in school plays.

March 4, 2019
Grandma Peacefully Drifts Off Out To Sea On An Iceberg After Deciding To Take Pics On It

We have all gone to great lengths to get that perfect travel photo, but one grandma may have taken it too far. Twenty-four-year-old English teacher, Catherine Streng recently shared with Twitter that her sweet grandmother had almost got washed out to sea in the unforgiving Icelandic waters after the iceberg she was posted on got pulled away by a large wave. To the delight of the internet, Streng the entire dramatic tale in a thread, complete with pictures, making us all realize that maybe you don’t always need to flex so hard for the gram – you might just drown.

Steng works in South Korea but has her family based in Texas. She was alerted of her grandma’s daring ice-Capades by her dad, who sent a series of texts and photos from the trip. Frequent travelers, Streng told Buzzfeed the reason they were in Iceland was that her dad’s mother wanted to experience “the nature and beautiful scenery” of the Nordic area – and experience it she did.

The titanic event all went down at the Jökulsárlón Lagoon, located in the southeastern part of Iceland. Streng’s grandmother spotted a large iceberg shaped like a throne and decided this was the perfect photo opportunity. She sat on the ice and had her son take a photo, but things didn’t go according to plan.

In one icy swoop, grandma was off to sea, managing to stay atop the icy chair without falling into the cold Icelandic depths off the sea. “My father described [what happened] in the following way,” Streng told the outlet, and read one of the descriptive texts he had sent her:

“She ascended the throne after a wave had pulled back and left it briefly exposed on the beach. Then a wave washed in and dislodged the ice throne, rocking it from side to side. When the wave retreated, it lifted the dislodged throne and carried her out with the tide.”

Streng said her grandmother floated so far out to see that she required a formal rescue, and fortunately, there was someone around who could assist. The licensed boat captain and water rescuer Randy Lacount, from Florida, had witnessed the entire thing and jumped to her rescue. “He just happened to be onshore when the whole thing occurred, so he waded out into the roiling water and pulled her off the iceberg as it drifted out to sea, supporting her until they reached the shore,” said Streng’s dad.

Not to be deterred by a little ice mishap, Streng’s father and grandmother are still on vacation in Iceland. The teacher noted that several other people had successfully posed for iceberg photos without incident, but that grandma was just the “lucky one,” adding, “That’s just so something that would happen to my family.”

source:

March 4, 2019
Proven Health Benefits of Banana and Banana Peel Based on Science
Bananas are a delicious fruit that contains vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and plenty of dietary fiber. Eating one or 2 bananas a day can help improve your digestion, lower blood glucose levels, and give you plenty of energy. Bananas also contain dietary fiber and certain starches that can help you lose weight.

One medium-sized banana is relatively low in calories and carbs and contains about 17% of your recommended daily intake (RDI) of vitamin C. Consuming 1 banana a day can also help you get potassium, vitamin B6, and 10% of your RDI of fiber.

It’s not just the tasty flesh of the banana that has health benefits. Banana peels are also edible and contain antioxidants and antibacterial properties. In fact, banana peel from Cavendish bananas contains high levels of dopamine.

In this article, you will find out why bananas are so good for you. I will examine what scientific research has revealed as to the many health benefits of regularly eating bananas. At the end of the article, you will find out how to get the health benefits of banana peel in your diet, as well as delicious banana smoothies to boost your health.
- P𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗖𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗣𝗜𝗘𝗖𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗔𝗚𝗘 – This fruit bowl is perfect for having fresh fruits and vegetables ready to snack on and easy to access when cooking. Showcases your freshest fruits with a decorative banana hanger that attracts attention in your modern kitchen.
What Are Bananas?

Bananas are an edible fruit that has a thick skin and grow in tropical warm climates. Bananas belong to the Musa genus of plants.

One of the most popular types of banana is the Cavendish banana (Musa acuminate). These are very sweet bananas that usually have yellow skin. (1) Other types of bananas on sale in supermarkets are Big Michael and Martinique bananas.

You can also buy red bananas which have a skin that is reddish-purple and is usually sweeter than Cavendish bananas. Another type of banana it the Lady Finger variety which is smaller than regular bananas.

Plantains are also a type of banana but have a higher starch content and less sweetness. These are sometimes referred to as “cooking bananas” and can be eaten unripe or ripe. Plantains are usually green even when they have ripened.

Bananas are also a very convenient and tasty snack because they come in their own “packaging.”

Banana Nutrition Facts

Bananas are extremely nutritious because they are low in sugar, have a low glycemic index (GI) and contain a number of vitamins and minerals (2) which can help you get your daily recommended intake of essential nutrients.

For example, even a small banana contains just 90 calories and 23 g of carbs. The fiber content in a small banana is about 2.6 g which is an impressive 11% of your RDI.

What are the reasons to eat one or 2 bananas a day? According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), one medium-sized banana (about 7” long, 118 g) has the following nutritional benefit: (3)

So, consuming 2 bananas a day could help you get almost half of your vitamin B6 requirements, over 30% of your vitamin C requirements, and 25% of your needed potassium.

Bananas also contain protein. The amount of protein in a medium-sized banana (118 g) is 1.3 g which is 3% of your RDI.

According to Dietitian and Nutritionist Christine Mikstas, eating a banana every day can help to keep your bowels working well, lower cholesterol, reduce inflammation, and boost your cardiovascular health. (4)

Bananas nutritional value is also boosted by being a good source of antioxidants. Apart from having a lot of vitamin C (which is an antioxidant) scientists have found that a compound in bananas, gallocatechin, has antioxidant effects. In fact, there are more antioxidants in banana peel than in the pulp of the fruit! (5)

At the end of the article, you will find out ways of using banana peel in your diet for its health benefits.

Benefits of Bananas

Let’s look in more detail at the many ways of eating a banana a day can help give your health a boost.

Bananas Promote Good Digestive Health

Bananas are a good source of dietary fiber and so can help keep your digestion working properly.

Many studies point to the fact that a high-fiber diet is essential to prevent many chronic diseases. Also getting the right amount of fiber daily helps to have regular bowel movements. (6)

Having a large banana in the morning can help you start your day by getting 14% of your fiber intake and 20% of your required vitamin C intake.

Researchers from Harvard School of Public Health say that another way bananas promote digestive health is because they contain resistant starch. This type of starch found mainly in unripe bananas is absorbed slowly in the small intestine. This helps beneficial microbes to grow in the gut that is essential for digestion. (7)

Studies have found that banana consumption has a prebiotic effect in the intestines. Prebiotics are necessary to help friendly bacteria (probiotics) to grow. In one study, women who consumed 2 bananas a day had increased levels of bifidobacterial compounds which are friendly bacteria in the human gut. The women also reported less abdominal bloating. (8)

Find out about other ways to improve your digestive health naturally.

Bananas Are a Good Source of Energy

If you enjoy exercising regularly, then bananas can give you a great healthy energy boost.

One medium banana contains 27 g carbs but has a low glycemic index which classes them as a healthy carb. Studies have shown that bananas provide good nutritional value during intensive exercise. Scientists described bananas as a “cost-effective energy source” for athletes. (9)

Enjoying a banana before exercising will also help reduce the effects of oxidative stress on the body and exercise-induced inflammation. (9)

Apart from enjoying the health benefits of bananas, find out what other great foods can give you energy.

Bananas Can Help Prevent Muscle Cramps After Exercising

Another reason to consume a medium-sized banana before working out is that compounds in bananas can help reduce post-exercise muscle pain.

Research into the nutritional content of bananas has found that the nutritional content in bananas can help reduce exercise-associated muscle cramps and pain. One clinical trial found that athletes who consumed 2 bananas before intensive cycling had less muscle cramping than those who only consumed water. (10)

The scientists found that sugar and phytochemicals in bananas help reduce inflammation after exercise and speed up metabolic recovery. (10)

Bananas Can Help Lower Blood Pressure

Bananas contain a high amount of potassium and can prove beneficial in helping to lower blood pressure.

A large banana contains about 490 mg potassium which is 14% of your recommended daily intake. Research into the effect of potassium on hypertension (high blood pressure) found that getting enough dietary potassium can help reduce diastolic and systolic blood pressure. This can also have a significant impact on cardiovascular health and also reduce your risk of stroke and heart attack. (11)

One random cross-over study found that a meal containing the equivalent of 2½ bananas can lower blood pressure after the meal. Consuming bananas can have an overall effect of improving artery health. (12)

Other studies have found that regularly including more bananas in your diet can help to lower diastolic blood pressure. (13)

Some studies also say that minerals in bananas like potassium and magnesium have a general cardio-protective effect. (14, 15)

Learn about other ways to lower blood pressure naturally and the importance of addressing magnesium and potassium deficiencies.

Bananas Can Help Regulate Blood Glucose Levels

If you have diabetes, you can still eat moderate portions of bananas because they can help improve blood glucose levels.

One small banana (6” or 15 cm) contains 23 g of carbs and has a low GI count of 8. One study found that eating a banana for breakfast significantly lowered fasting blood glucose levels after 4 weeks in people with high cholesterol. The trial concluded that consuming a banana daily shouldn’t harm people with diabetes or high cholesterol. (16)

If you have type 2 diabetes, learn about other foods that can help manage diabetes symptoms.

Bananas Contain Compounds That Can Protect Against Gastric Ulcers

Unripe plantain bananas contain compounds that can help protect your gastrointestinal lining from damage.

Gastric ulcers can be caused by the long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). One study found that unripe bananas have anti-ulcerogenic properties that can protect the stomach lining. Preparations using plantain banana powder can help to stimulate the growth of gastric mucosa. This helps to prevent gastrointestinal damage that results in ulcers. (17)

Other research has suggested that using plantain banana extracts can help to kill off free radicals in the intestines and reduce excess stomach acid. This can help to heal the peptic ulcer. (18)

Unripe Bananas Can Help You Lose Weight

Bananas are a very healthy fruit that can also help you lose weight as part of a weight-loss program.

Two large bananas can provide you with about 30% of your recommended daily fiber intake. Researchers say that dietary fiber can help reduce feelings of hunger and keep your digestion working properly. Increasing dietary fiber can help to lose weight and reduce obesity. (19)

Unripe bananas that are still green contain resistant starch that can also help you lose weight. The British Journal of Nutrition reported that foods containing resistant starch can help to manage appetite better. (20)

What about claims that bananas cause you to put on weight? According to researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, increasing your regular banana intake doesn’t cause weight gain. (7)

Bananas May Help Lower Your Risk of Kidney Cancer

One study in Sweden found that bananas are one of the best fruits to eat to lower your risk of renal cell carcinoma (a type of kidney cancer). The researchers found that eating 3 portions of fruits and vegetables per day can reduce the risk of renal cancer. From fruits, bananas had the best protective effect on the kidneys against cancer. (21)

Banana Peels: Are They Edible?

Banana peels are edible and contain many antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. So, you shouldn’t dispose of your banana peels but you can try to incorporate them into your diet. In fact, banana peels have more antioxidants than banana pulp.

Scientists have found that banana peel contains polyphenols and carotenoids – strong plant-based antioxidants. In fact, unripe banana peel has the strongest antioxidant activity. (22)

How can you eat banana peel? You can roast bananas along with the peel to make them more palatable. Or, you can fry them or boil them. However, if you want to get the health benefits of raw banana peel, you can chop the ends off, thoroughly wash the peel, and add the peel to your favorite smoothie.

What are the benefits of using bananas peels? Here a few great reasons to use banana peel in your diet.

Consuming banana peel may have an anti-depressant effect

Adding raw banana peel to your smoothies can help lift your mood and have an anti-depressant effect.

Scientists have found that the peel of Cavendish bananas contains high levels of dopamine. In fact, banana peel has up to 560 mg dopamine levels per 100 g as compared to just 10 mg dopamine in the pulp. As well as containing dopamine, the banana peel is a rich source of antioxidants. (23)

Researchers have found that extracts from banana peel have antibacterial activity against certain strains of bacteria that are found in the mouth. Oral bacteria are associated with a periodontal disease like bleeding gums, bad breath, loose teeth, or gum abscesses. (24)

You can also try using the skin of a banana to whiten your teeth. Some people claim that potassium, manganese, and magnesium in banana peel have teeth-whitening properties. There are no scientific studies backing up these claims. However, the only way to see if bananas can whiten your teeth is to try yourself.

How to use bananas to whiten teeth:

Apply banana peels to insect bites or to soothe skin rashes

You could also try applying banana peels to skin rashes and insect bites.

Interestingly, the journal Medicines in 2017 reported that banana peel can help to reduce skin swelling and irritation from mosquito bites. Also, you can make your own poultice for wounds to reduce inflammation and pain. (25)

All you need to do is apply the banana peel flesh side down to your irritated skin to help reduce discomfort and speed up healing.

Use banana peels in your compost

Another way to get the benefits from banana peels is to put them into your compost. Nutrient-rich banana peels in compost breakdown into their base elements and creates a wonderful fertilizer for your plants.

Can You Eat Too Many Bananas? How Many Bananas Should You Eat a Day

Bananas are a popular fruit that makes a great snack because they are already pre-packaged in their own protective skin. How many bananas should you eat in a day to get its health benefits?

You can safely eat bananas without worrying too much about overdosing. For example, one medium-sized banana contains 422 mg of potassium. According to medical sources, you need around 4,700 mg of potassium per day as part of a healthy diet. (26) That would mean that you would have to eat around 11 bananas before reaching your RDI of potassium.

If you have an underlying health problem like kidney disease or diabetes, you should limit your banana intake.

Most people can eat safely 4 or 5 bananas a day.

How to Store Bananas

You can try to buy organically-grown bananas, although bananas have low to moderate pesticide residue score according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) annual guide to pesticides in produce. Bananas continue to ripen in the store and when you take them home. Bananas should be stored at room temperature to ripen properly.

If your bananas are about to become overripe, you can freeze them and keep them for several months. To do this remove the peel first, cut the bananas into chunks and arrange them in one layer on a parchment lined a baking tray and freeze for about two hours. Once frozen, transfer to plastic freezer bag.

Health Boosting Breakfast Banana Smoothies

While you cannot juice bananas, it doesn’t mean that you can’t blend them with your juice. Bananas make excellent smoothies – they add thickness and fiber to smoothies and make them taste smooth, creamy and delicious.

Here I would like to share with you some great banana smoothie recipes that are great for breakfast and will provide you lots of energy to face the day ahead.

Heart Smart Oatmeal Banana Smoothie

Oatmeal provides high levels of fiber, has low levels of fat and is a good source of protein. It is a recommended food to control diabetes as a large amount of fiber causes a slower absorption of glucose.

Almonds are rich in minerals (zinc, magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium), vitamins (E, folic acid, B1, B2, B3), polyunsaturated fatty acids, protein, and fiber. They also help lower cholesterol and maintain a healthy heart and blood vessels, help lower blood pressure and strengthen bones because they are rich in calcium. This yogurt smoothie recipe combines all these nutritional benefits and is delicious too!

Ingredients:
2 whole bananas (best with brown flecks on peel)
2 cups Ice
1/3 cup yogurt – preferably Greek yogurt flavored with honey
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup almonds

Pour all ingredients in a blender, pouring the ice in last. Blend on high for 30 seconds or until the smoothie thickens.

Breakfast Banana Green Smoothie

Another great recipe is for a green smoothie that combines the goodness of leafy greens and banana. You can also read my article on how to upgrade your health with green smoothie recipes.

Green smoothies enable us to consume various combinations of greens and vegetables that can improve our health. The health benefits of green smoothie vary depending on the green leaves or vegetables you choose, but generally speaking, they help clear toxins, add many nutrients, cleanse the digestive system, nurture the skin, improve vision, and more.

Ingredients:
5-6 lettuce leaves or a big handful of spinach
1 cucumber (or celery if you like)
Handful of sprouts
1 banana
Dried pitted date
Optional: flaxseeds or chia seeds (for the addition of omega- 3 fatty acids)
Cool water as needed, depending on the desired consistency.

Put all the ingredients in a blender without the water and blend. Add the water gradually until you have reached to the desired consistency.

Banana Cocoa Smoothie

And last – a recipe for a cocoa banana smoothie. I’ve already written about the amazing health benefits of raw cacao, and a smoothie is a great and easy way to incorporate raw cocoa into your daily nutrition.

4 oranges, juiced (you can change the taste by replacing orange juice with coconut water or milk substitutes)
2 tsp raw cocoa powder
2 bananas, peeled
1 mango, peeled and pitted

Pour the orange juice and all the other ingredients into the blender and blend. If you want you can add more juice or water to thin the smoothie.
Proven Health Benefits of Banana and Banana Peel Based on Science
March 1, 2019
Will Smith Is Not Expected To Return As Deadshot For Suicide Squad 2

Fresh Prince actor Will Smith won’t be returning as DC Comics’ popular marksman for James Gunn’s Suicide Squad 2.

This news comes after the recent exit of Ben Affleck as Batman and possibly Henry Cavill as Superman(although Warner Bros. and DC Films have not made an official announcement as yet).

While it doesn’t necessarily mean that Will Smith will be dropping the character for good, it seems unlikely that he’ll return anytime soon.

Smith played Deadshot, the bald-and-bearded assassin who served as semi-leader to the motley crew of baddies-turned-sorta-goodies, in the first film. There were rumors that he would eventually get his own film or that he would reprise his role in as a villain in a Batman solo film.

The first Suicide Squad proved to be a production nightmare that was plagued with re-shoots and re-edits that eventually transformed the final cut into a mess which divided fans.

Suicide Squad 2 already has a release date and will hit theatres on August 6, 2021. James Gunn, who previously lead The Guardians of The Galaxy for Marvel, is set to give the franchise a new spin.

source: https://www.fortressofsolitude.co.za

March 1, 2019
Pakistan ‘ready to come to the table’ after Russia offers mediation over Kashmir crisis

Islamabad is ready to hold talks with New Delhi after Russia offers mediation help, the Pakistani foreign minister said as cited by local media. It comes as tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations are running high.

Russia expressed its willingness to help ease hostilities between the two arch-rivals on Thursday. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow will provide a place for Indo-Pakistani talks “if they wish to.” Tipping his hat to the Kremlin, Shah Mahmood Qureshi announced his country is ready to talk.

India and Pakistan have been engaged in several air and ground skirmishes over the disputed region of Kashmir this week, raising fears over further escalation in the long-standing conflict.

Several nations, including the US, China, and Russia, called for restraint from both New Delhi and Islamabad. Apart from Russia, Turkey and Iran have also volunteered to mediate.

source: https://www.rt.com/news/452728-pakistan-russia-mediation-kashmir/

March 1, 2019
How to Tidy Your Pantry
Here’s Marie Kondo’s Advice in a Nutshell

The basic principles of the Marie Kondo tidying method (most relevant to the pantry) are:
- You organize by category, rather than location. That means instead of going cupboard by cupboard, you pull all your pots and pans out at once to inspect.
- Take everything out. Nothing should be left on the shelf.
- Put back only the things that spark joy.
  
  Tip 1: Just Toss What You Won’t Use
  
  I tossed anything that was expired or stale and all the spices that smelled dull. I also started a “for the food pantry” box for anything that was good but I knew I would never use.
  
  Tip 2: Use the Space Wisely
  
  When arranging things on the shelves, I didn’t put anything in stacks. I also tried to minimize how often I put things behind other things. But if I had two cans of condensed milk, I did put one behind the other. I positioned tall containers (like flour, for instance) behind shorter ones (powdered sugar).
Yes, There IS Joy in a Tidy Pantry

In the end, while the ramen noodles and olive oil did not really spark joy, my organized shelves definitely did. I find myself smiling when I look in the pantry. Like mess encourages mess, neatness is also contagious. No backsliding yet—and I’m still down to one can of Pam!

Party Patina has many more ideas for organizing your kitchen and whole house. Be sure to visit this site at, www.partypatina.com.

source: https://www.tasteofhome.com
March 1, 2019
Scientists Just Took a Major Step Towards Injecting Eyes With Night Vision

Incredible new nanotechnology could one day enable us to see in the dark. It works on mice, and there’s little to say it wouldn’t be equally effective on other mammals. The only drawback – how are you with needles to the eyeball?

Research led by the University of Science and Technology of China produced particles that adhere to light-detecting cells in the retina and help them respond to near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths.

The back of our eye, which is where the retina is, acts as a television screen in reverse. As the full spectrum of light falls on its cells, some wavelengths trigger chemical reactions we perceive as either color or intensity.

Rod-shaped cells tell our brain how bright it is. They react strongly to light waves around 500 nanometres in size but struggle to respond to anything above 640 nanometres, well into the red part of the spectrum.

We also have three types of tapering ‘cone’ shaped photoreceptor cells, each sensitive to their own parts of the spectrum. Combined, they provide our brains with the detail needed to tell colors apart.

But those cones also fail to detect light longer than around 700 nanometres, which means anything beyond the red part of the spectrum is completely invisible to us.

That’s a shame. What looks like darkness to us is often washed in low-energy, low wavelength parts of the spectrum. A number of animals, such as snakes and frogs, have evolved ways to tap into these wavelengths to track prey or see better at night.

Unfortunately, mammals never managed to evolve what it takes to see even the edge of this infra-red spectrum. We, humans, have it relatively lucky. Mice only have rods and two types of cone cells, which all top out at wavelengths a little under ours.

There are quirks of chemistry that can help us glimpse a flash of NIR light, but generally speaking, an infra-red landscape is strictly off limits to us humans.

Bulky night vision goggles can capture this radiation and amplify it in wavelengths we can see, but wearing such tech is cumbersome and it can’t be used under daylight conditions.

The nanoparticles developed by the researchers in this latest innovation act like miniature night vision devices – only these ones sit directly on the actual light-sensitive cells.

Called retinal photoreceptor-binding upconversion nanoparticles, they’re a protein built to adhere to both rod and cone photoreceptors and transduce long wavelengths into shorter ones.

The result is a nanoscale device that acts like a tiny antenna, soaking up invisible NIR radiation and turning it into a color that is more likely to trigger rods and cones into action, painting the world in hues of green.

Injected into mice, the whole process seems to work brilliantly. The nanoantennae were shown to not only stick to photoreceptors, but an LED shining weakly at 980 nanometres elicited retinal responses that were demonstrated to affect the brain’s visual cortex.

In a more practical experiment, the treated mice were able to differentiate simple shapes such as triangles and circles illuminated by the LED under various conditions. Best of all, they were still able to see just fine under normal daylight conditions.

The vision change didn’t come with awful side effects either. The only issue the team found was cloudiness in the eyes of the mice.

The mouse visual system is similar enough to humans that we might expect a version of this method could potentially work for us, too. In fact, there’s even a weird sort-of precedent.

A few years ago, biohackers rigged a similar process using a light-sensitive substance called Chlorin e6 to make the retina generally more sensitive to light. Applied as eye drops, subjects could allegedly see longer distances under low light conditions.

Whether this promises genuine technology or was simply an overhyped experiment is up for debate. Eye drops would certainly be better than an injection into the eyeball, but this new nanotechnology has far more rigorous science to back it up.

It’s not hard to come up with cool uses for such tech. Military applications aside, who wouldn’t want to see better at night? Astronomers, for one.

“We may have the capability to view all the hidden information from NIR and IR radiation in the Universe which is invisible to our naked eyes,” says biochemist Gang Han from the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

But there are also serious research benefits in the form of experimental tools that can investigate visual processes on new levels.

“With this research, we’ve broadly expanded the applications of our nanoparticle technology both in the lab and translationally,” says Han.

“These nanoantennae will allow scientists to explore a number of intriguing questions, from how the brain interprets visual signals to helping treat color blindness.”

This research was published in Cell.

Incredible new nanotechnology could one day enable us to see in the dark. It works on mice, and there’s little to say it wouldn’t be equally effective on other mammals. The only drawback – how are you with needles to the eyeball?

source: https://www.sciencealert.com

March 1, 2019
There’s a huge oil boom happening in Texas right now — where a single oilfield is set to overtake Iran in production.

If you’ve got a driver’s license and a pulse, you could be making $100,000 a year in the West Texas oil boom

The U.S. is on track to become the world’s biggest oil producer by next year, and in West Texas, home to the most active oilfield in the world, the oil boom has resulted in a modern-day gold rush.

The Permian Basin is set to overtake Iran in output in just a few months as oil prices pick up from 2015’s rock bottom. To keep up with production, thousands of workers from every part of the country are heading to the scorching Texas desert, where entry-level oilfield jobs regularly pay over $100,000 a year.

They all want a piece of what people in Midland, the Permian Basin’s major town, are hailing as a new gold rush.

“All the major oil companies and exploration companies are moving out here. They’re selling their assets everywhere else,” said Josh Garcia, an operations manager at a company that supplies chemicals for drilling. “At this point, it’s just a matter of numbers: Companies need to fill those spots, and they’ll train you. You can rewrite your story out here if you want to.”

That’s exactly what 22-year-old Mike “Snowflake” Smith is counting on. In Austin, he was a high-school dropout. But in the oilfield, he’s a welder-in-training working 14 hours a day in 110-degree heat — for a hefty paycheck. And he has the goods to prove it: new truck, Apple watch, almost-new RV, ostrich-leather work boots, and some very expensive tattoos.

Snowflake’s so in demand that he can pick and choose between jobs. The day we met, he’d just quit over a late overtime request.

“I hire in with another company in the morning. In my phone right now there are 30 or 40 people I can call and get a job in ten minutes,” said Snowflake.

He’s not alone. By some estimates, Midland currently has 20,000 unfilled positions, and the town is in need of as many as 40,000 additional homes to accommodate the influx of people.

In the meantime, thousands of oilfield workers sleep and eat in “man camps” — rows of converted containers or trailers that extend over as much as 40 acres of rocky land that’s useless for drilling or grazing.

The geologists, engineers, and executives, on the other hand, have found themselves locked in bidding wars that have caused escalating prices on Midland’s housing market, which was just named the hottest in the country.

Oil is a rollercoaster economy, notorious for its ups and downs, but even so, = things haven’t been this good for a very long time.

In the early 2000s, following a long, slow decline in oil production that began after the last record-breaking years of the late 1960s, analysts started writing obituaries for American oil. In the Permian, where wells had been gushing crude for almost 100 years, the flow was looking more like a trickle. Big companies sold leases and moved on.

Then fracking changed everything.

The technology, which was already over 50 years old when it became commercially viable in the last decade, suddenly meant vast deposits of oil trapped between layers and pores of underground rock were open for business. In April of this year, 22 percent of all the drilling rigs in the world could be found punching holes in the Permian.

Texans, who’ve seen a century of booms and their fair share of busts hope the good times are here to stay.

Josh Garcia, who remembers the last bust, is cautiously excited. “You would see these guys with $80,000 trucks and sports cars, being sold for half price before they got repossessed. But I’m not worried about the bust. It’s just too good right now,” he said.

March 1, 2019
Lola June, the 2-yr Old Picasso Style Artist, Is Taking the Art World by Storm

She’s a pint-sized Picasso!

Two-year-old Lola June may still be in diapers, but the tot is already taking the New York art world by storm, as she has created paintings that have sold to wealthy collectors for hundreds of dollars each.

She even has her own gallery show, as a solo exhibition dubbed “Hope,” featuring 37 canvas pieces by the youngster, opened at the Chashama gallery in Union Square Sunday.

More than 12 of Lola’s acrylic paintings priced between $300 and $1,600 have been snapped up, according to the exhibition’s curator.

“It’s an honor to be her parent,” said Lola’s mother, Lucille Javier, a hair colorist who is originally from California. “She teaches me to be a better human.”

The precocious painter has garnered the respect of discerning art collectors with her paintings, which, instead of winding up on her family fridge, are ending up on the walls in high-end New York homes.

Celebrity dermatologist Dr. David Colbert recently purchased two after spotting them in the Chashama gallery window.

“I was walking down the street and I looked in the window and thought ‘These pieces are really great’, ” he told The Post.

“I remember asking ‘Who is the artist?’ and there was a little girl sitting on someone’s lap and they pointed to her and I thought ‘Oh, it’s the mother’. ”

Colbert, the co-founder of NYDG Wellness Clinic, described himself as “somewhat” of an art collector and spent time researching Lola’s techniques before purchasing two pieces for $600 and $250.

“I thought her work was from the heart. I watched her smile when she was painting. I thought ‘This has got a little dash of Jackson Pollock and a dash of Cy Twombly’, ” Colbert said.

“I already know I’m going to be putting her next to some interesting artists.”

The talented toddler’s artistic flair was first spotted one evening by Pajtim Osmanaj, an artist friend of Lola’s mother’s, as the toddler scribbled with crayons as the pair had dinner.

Osmanaj was so taken by the youngster’s “awe-inspiring abstract composition” that he eventually wrote to the nonprofit arts organization Chashama, petitioning for Lola to have her own exhibition.

“Her lines were so good. They reminded me of [American painter] Cy Twombly,” Osmanaj, a Kosovo-born artist, told The Post.

“I’m not treating the work like a kid’s work. I’m treating it like anything else.”

After spotting one of Lola’s paintings in Osmanaj’s studio several months ago, art consultant and Metropolitan Museum of Art patron Sana Rezwan also dropped $700 to add a piece to her collection, according to The Cut.

Chashama founder Anita Durst said people had been “astounded” by the toddler’s work.

“When we saw Lola’s application we thought it was a beautiful and brilliant idea to show a child’s art,” she said. “People see the work and they are astounded by the brilliance.”

“We never forced her,” her mother, Lucille, added. “If she’s down to do it, then she’ll do it.”

So does Lola understand her critical success? Not exactly.

Lucille said Lola treats the paintings like her friends, kissing them when she wakes up in the morning, and became distressed when Osmanaj took them away to be framed for the exhibition.

But after opening night the young maestro woke up and told her mother she wanted to see the “painting house,” and the duo went back to the gallery.

“In a very short time she created a large amount of artwork, which had then grabbed the attention of others who compared her work to other modern abstract artists,” Osmanaj said.

“I believe it is not always necessary to have years of experience to create,” he added. “With Lola’s art, I want to create a show which makes people question their selves and the difference between a master painter and a young child.”

Added Colbert,

“Once I saw the smile on her face while she was painting, I was thinking, ‘Wow this is a little child art prodigy’.”

What do you think, is her art worth of a $200 to $20,000 price tag?

Do you think you could tell her art apart from other famous artists that have a similar style?

Let us know in the comments below.

Source: NY Post

February 28, 2019