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FOALS - Neptune [Official Music Video]

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Thom Yorke - Last I Heard (…He Was Circling The Drain)

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Uas plsssssss

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Lucid Dream Guide for Tumblr

Hello everyone, I thought I’d repost this here just so everyone can see it without having to click to my writing blog.  I’d be pumped if y’all reblogged :) If you need help in any way or would like to discuss dreams, please let me know. For the full version or any questions, feel free to send me a message

Step One: Learn to run before you fly

The most important part of lucid dreaming is the ability to recall and understand your dreams.  This is the most strenuous part of lucid dreaming because you cannot begin to lucid dream until you have learned how to make your dreams important.  Think about your dreams often, do reality checks (ask yourself if you are dreaming), and when you wake up try to remember your dreams.  Many people would suggest keeping a dream journal, but that is quite a bit of responsibility.  When I was first beginning to interpret my dreams, I would write down a sentence or two that would remind me of what my dreams were about and that seemed to work just fine.  Keep in mind that this is essential for lucid dreaming and can take anywhere from a day to a couple weeks to fully grasp.

Step Two: Understand that your dreams are biological

Both the conscious and subconscious minds are components of the biological nervous system, which is regulated by hormones, nutrition, and electricity.  This means that what you put into your body impacts the strength at which your brain functions during REM sleep (the stage of sleep in which you dream).  Caffeine, alcohol, and high levels of stress are the worst enemies of a dreamer.  To avoid stress, don’t tell yourself you are going to lucid dream.  Just let it happen, and I can assure you it will eventually.  A tragic mistake I see quite often is when people try to plan out their lucid dream experiences.  It will greatly increase your chances if you allow your chance to lucid dream to come naturally, but when your chance does come, cease it.  On the other hand there are a variety of nutritional products that can be very beneficial to sleep and dream recollection (please ask me directly for a list).

Step Three: Establish peace of mind

Meditate into sleep and release your reflections of the day.  Focus on the serenity of your thoughts, the dismissal of your consciousness, and the nullification of your body.  Think in color, not in language.  Avoid thinking about people or your day.  Just take deep, calm breaths and feel the transition to sleep.  If you feel that journey from being awake to being asleep, you will almost certainly have the chance to lucid dream.

Step Four: The Lucid Dream

The lucid dream will happen as a sudden moment of realization.  You will face an eerie feeling when you are awoken into a state of lucid dreaming.  The physical sensations and mental stimulations will be beyond anything you have ever experienced.  The surreal visuals of an environment constructed solely by your subconscious will surround you.  Do not panic, do not get overly excited or afraid.  Steps one through three are preparation, and this step is merely ceasing the opportunity.

 Step Five: The choice is yours

Suddenly, you will feel at peace with yourself, and in that serenity you will realize you have a choice to make.  With enough practice you will be able to stay within a dream for extended periods of time, perhaps even for what feels like hours.  You will learn your ability and your limitations (or lack there of).  From here on, the choice is yours.

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Follow I Love Lucid Dreaming if you’re a lucid dreamer :)

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For a dreamer, night’s the only time of day.

Newsies (via astral-club)

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The Death of National Geographic (and some payback)

National Geographic Magazine has been bought out by 21st Century Fox, a division of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation (and the infamous Fox News). About 9% of National Geographic’s award-winning staff was immediately laid off on the day of the takeover, the largest amount of layoffs in their history. 

The sale marks a shift of the previous non-profit organization to a for-profit one, and most likely means that the long-term investigative reporting stories National Geographic is famous for will no longer be funded, in favor of shorter, shallower, more clickbaity stories. 

Rupert Murdoch is a known climate change denier, and has a long history of disrespecting, misunderstanding, or flat-out ignoring science. The people working for National Geographic knew that the sale would likely mean the end of truly science-based writing.

So what did they write for their last non-Fox-affiliated issue?

An entire issue where every single article is about the indisputable scientific truth of global warming, and what it’s doing to our planet.

National Geographic as we know it may be dead, but at least it died doing what it did best - upholding science and spreading knowledge.

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The Missing Tudors: black people in 16th-century England

[From BBC’s HistoryExtra.com] They were baptised and buried in parishes across the country, and even attended queens at court. So why, asks Onyeka, do we continue to airbrush black Africans out of Tudor England?

When we think of Tudor England, we don’t immediately imagine black Africans being part of that society. Yet there were Africans here at that time, and they were considered numerous enough in Tudor towns and cities to inspire the phrases “to manie” and “great numbers” in two letters signed by Elizabeth I in July 1596.

Both letters sought to have groups of these Africans treated as slaves and exchanged for white English prisoners held captive in Spain and Portugal. Yet it appears that the letters’ authors – an English merchant Thomas Sherley, Sherley’s son of the same name, and a Dutch slave-trader from Lubeck in Germany called Casper Van Senden – were to meet with disappointment. They failed, in their own words “to get any” of the Africans – perhaps because Robert Cecil, the most influential man in Elizabeth’s court, did not like a “commission of that nature”.

Cecil’s view was probably shaped by the likelihood that most Africans were integrated members of the parish communities they lived in, and it would have been  difficult to extract them from their homes and families. 

Africans are described in Tudor parish records from 1558 (when most official records began) until well into the 17th century by terms such as “Blackamoores”, “Neygers”, “Aethiopians” and “Negroes”. Meanwhile, in True Discourse (1578), the English traveller and writer George Best refers to them as being as “black as cole”, “so blacke” that when a “faire [white] English woman” engages in a relationship with them they “begat a sonne in all respects as blacke as the father was”.

These Africans were baptised, buried and recorded in parish records in London, Plymouth, Southampton, Barnstaple, Bristol, Leicester, Northampton and other places across the country. They include men, women and children such as “Christopher Cappervert, a blackemoore”, who was 28 years old when he died. He was buried in the St Botolph without Aldgate area of London on 22 October 1586.

We also have the baptismal record of Mary Fillis, dated 3 June 1597, who was “a black more… dwelling with Millicent Porter, a semester”. Mary had been in England since she was six years old and had originally come with her father from “Morisco” (Andalusia) in Spain.

Piracy and adventure

In Plymouth, there are records for “Bastien, a Blackmoore of Mr Willm Hawkins” who was buried on 10 December 1583. William Hawkins was the son of William Hawkins the elder and the brother of John Hawkins, all of whom practised piracy and adventuring along the Barbary coast, west Africa and beyond. Bastien may have arrived in England as a result of these voyages.

Other Africans buried in England include “Anthony John, a Neyger” on 18 March 1587. There are also baptism records for Africans such as “Helene, daughter of Cristian the negro svant to Richard Sheere, the supposed father being Cuthbert Holman, illeg.” on 2 May 1593. The recorder has chosen to identify Cristian, Helene’s mother, by a racial epithet, and Cuthbert Holman, her “supposed father”, without one. This probably means that Helene was of mixed parentage.  

Yet Africans weren’t just found in England’s provinces. In fact, some rubbed shoulders with the country’s most powerful figures – in the Tudor court. One such was the Iberian Moor Catalina de Cardones, who arrived in England in 1501 with her employer Catherine of Aragon, later Henry VIII’s wife and queen. Catalina served her mistress for 26 years as the lady of the bedchamber and was married to a “Hace ballestas”, a crossbowman also of Moorish origin.

(Click read more for the rest!)

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The adoption of Christianity in Ethiopia dates to the fourth-century reign of the Aksumite emperor Ezana. Aksum’s geographic location, at the southernmost edge of the Hellenized Near East, was critical to its conversion and development. The kingdom was located along major international trade routes through the Red Sea between India and the Roman empire. The story of Ezana’s conversion has been reconstructed from several existing documents, the ecclesiastical histories of Rufinus and Socrates Scholasticus. Both recount how Frumentius, a youth from Tyre, was shipwrecked and sent to the court of Aksum. Frumentius sought out Christian Roman merchants, was converted, and later became the first bishop of Aksum. At the very least, this story suggests that Christianity was brought to Aksum via merchants. Ezana’s decision to adopt Christianity was most likely influenced by his desire to solidify his trading relationship with the Roman Empire. The kingdom was located along major international trade routes through the Red Sea between India and the Roman Empire. Christianity afforded the possibility of unifying the many diverse ethnic and linguistic peoples of the Aksumite kingdom, a goal of Ezana’s leadership. Aksum was one of the earliest states to develop a coin system in order to service its sophisticated and prosperous economy. Emperor Ezana was the first world leader to put the cross on coins that are the earliest examples of Christian material culture from Ethiopia.

Emma George Ross Department of Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (via medievalpoc)

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPjNuYJ2VhQ)

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May 18th 1868: Tsar Nicholas II born

On this day in 1868, the future Tsar of Russia, Nicholas Romanov, was born in Alexander Palace. He became Tsar in 1894 upon the death of his father Tsar Alexander III. Nicholas’s reign was mired by Russia’s poor performance in the Russo-Japanese and First World War, and the wars’ devastating impact on the Russian people. Opposition to the Tsar also rose due to his repression of dissenters and that he left the government in the hands of his wife Tsarina Alexandra and their adviser Rasputin. The unrest culminated in the February Revolution (it was February by the old Russian calendar, but March in the modern Gregorian Calendar), which forced the Tsar out of power. Nicholas, facing pressure from his people and his ministers, decided to abdicate the throne in favour of his brother, Grand Duke Michael. However, Michael refused to take the crown and therefore Nicholas became the last Tsar of Russia, and the reign of the Romanov family came to an end after over 300 years on the throne. A Provisional Government replaced the Tsar, however this too was overthrown in October 1917 and replaced with a Bolshevik dictatorship under Vladimir Lenin, thus beginning Communist rule in Russia which would last until 1991. Nicholas and his wife and children were brutally murdered by the Bolshevik secret police - the Cheka - in July 1918.

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Healthy Detox Vegetable Soup…RECIPE

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The Worst Pirate in History — The Forgotten Legend of Bartholomew Sharp

Perhaps one of the worst pirates to sail the high seas, Bartholomew Sharp certainly is not a legendary figure like Blackbeard, Bartholomew Roberts, or Captain Kidd.  The fictional pirate Jack Sparrow, when accused of being the worst pirate ever heard of remarked, “But you have heard of me.”  Unfortunately Bartholomew Sharp was so bad that his name is almost forgotten to history.  In 1639 Sharp set off with a crew of pirates to Panama in search of Spanish treasure.  Unlike most pirates who stalked the Caribbean, Sharp had the idea to raid the Pacific side of the Spanish Main.  It is a wonder why he had this idea, most treasure fleets bound for Europe crossed through the Caribbean, only a few ships, mostly supply ships bound for the Philippines with some treasure ships bound for the Straits of Magellan.  Regardless, Sharp and his men sailed to Panama, abandoned ship at the coast, then seized Spanish ships on the Pacific side of Panama.  

Bartholomew Sharp and his crew raided several Spanish ships, but none had anything of value.  After two years of slim pickings, his crew mutinied and replaced him as captain.  Fortunately for him, his replacement only lasted three weeks before unexpectedly dying.  Amazingly, the crew voted to restore Sharp as captain once again.  However Sharps luck failed to pick up, that was until him and his crew came across a Spanish treasure galleon,  which they captured after a short fight.  However, rather than finding a rich haul of treasure, the ship was loaded with 700 bars of a dull grey metal which they thought was tin.  Dejected and depressed, Sharp and his pirates decided to cut their losses and head home.  They threw the bars overboard, saving a small portion to be cast into musket balls.

Sharp and his men rounded South American and returned to the Caribbean.  When they arrived they learned of two pieces of very bad news.  First, Sharp had assumed that because England was enemies with Spain, he would be recognized as a privateer by English authorities.  However the English were not at war with Spain at the time, and arrest warrants had been issued in Sharp’s name for piracy.  Secondly, the men had run out of lead to cast musket balls, and had dug into the stock of “tin bars” captured from the Spanish galleon earlier.  It was then discovered that the tin bars were not tin at all, but in fact were silver.  The unfortunate pirates had dumped a fortune worth 150,000 English Pounds (millions today) into the deep blue sea.  Bummer.

When Sharp tried to make harbor at Barbados, he found a Royal Navy frigate waiting for him.  He then made for Antigua, but authorities there barred him from entry.  Eventually Sharp and his men were captured and arrested, then hauled into court in chains.  In a rare stroke of luck for Sharp, him and his men were acquitted due to lack of evidence, either that or the jury felt bad for him.  After avoid the hangman’s noose and gibbet, Sharp settled down on the Danish Island of St. Thomas.  A man who could not lead a successful life as a pirate, Sharp was also a man who could not lead a successful life as a regular citizen.  He died in a debtors prison in 1702.

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Whole30 Day 10: Big-O Bacon Burgers (+ Whole Foods Market Fresno Signing!)

Warning: this recipe is dangerous. Not only is it one heck of a crowd-pleaser, but your family and friends will be kicking down your front door for a seat at your dinner table. Heed my words.

But before you get all distracted by my recipe for Big-O Bacon Burgers, I have to tell you about an upcoming Q&A and book signing—my very first in California’s Central Valley! On Saturday, January 24, 2015, I’ll be making an appearance at the Whole Foods Market in Fresno from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Come get your questions answered and bring your books (or buy them at the store)—I’ll gladly deface them with my signature!

The Fresno store’s part of the ongoing Nom Nom Paleo invasion of Whole Foods Markets that began in Northern California and spreading across Southern California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, and very soon, New York and New Jersey. So if you come see me on the 24th, you’ll also find Nom Nom Paleo Picks galore, a Paleo food bar, in-store Paleo food demos, and a coupon for free grass fed ground beef with a purchase of $50 or more!

Best of all, I’ll be bringing some Nom Nom Paleo swag to give away while supplies last. The signing’s totally free, but can you help a sister out by RSVPing? That way I know how many dolls and socks to bring. Click here to sign up for the event!

Okay—now back to our regularly-scheduled programming: Whole30-friendly, dangerously delicious Big-O Bacon Burgers!

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Whole30 Day 17: Paleo Sausage Egg McMuffin

You can stop gazing longingly at the McDonald’s Drive-Thru now. I present to you: The Paleo Sausage Egg “McMuffin.”

But before we get to the eats, I’ve got yet another book event to announce! Besides my upcoming Q&A and signing at the Whole Foods Market Fresno, I’ll also be at Whole Foods Market El Segundo on January 31st, 2015 from 11 am to 1 pm! 

Come say hello and I’ll happily scrawl all over your cookbooks (which you can bring in or purchase at the store). I’ll even hand out Nom Nom Paleo action figures and exclusive knee-high socks to attendees while supplies last. Plus, the store will be completely blinged out with Nom Nom Paleo picks, and the prepared food section will be serving Paleo noms, too. Just RSVP here so I know how much Nom Nom Paleo swag to bring! 

Now, back to one of my favorite brunch items of all time: my Paleo Sausage Egg McMuffin!

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Breast Or Thigh?

Ever feel like NOT cooking? Yeah. Me, too.

I just got home a few hours ago from a whirlwind trip to DC (where I attended the IACP Conference) and New York (where I was a panelist—along with my Paleo pal Danielle Walker—at the Cherry Bombe Jubilee), and just wanted to crawl into bed and zonk out with a pile of unread books.

Last week, I bought Caroline Randall Williams’s Soul Food Love and Andi Mitchell’s It Was Me All Along. At the Cherry Bombe Jubilee, I picked up an armload of new reads: Mimi Sheraton’s 1000 Foods to Eat Before You Die (I got her to sign my copy), Tanya Holland’s Brown Sugar Kitchen, April Bloomfield’s A Girl and Her Pig, and Aki Kamozawa’s Gluten-Free Flour Power. All were fellow presenters at this super girl-power food confab.

But I hadn’t seen my boys since the middle of last week, and as soon as they got home from school, we fell right back into our regular routine. I started prepping dinner while they did homework and chatted me up about all the stuff I’d missed: an Easter egg hunt at their kung fu studio, Big-O’s science fair project, Sunday swimming with their dad, the steak dinner that grandma made, and Lil-O’s decision to fill his diary with drawings of his beloved stuffed cat, Cat. (That’s her name.)

No recipe needed tonight—instead, I just pulled an old trick out of the hat. I cut up all the vegetables that Henry had neglected to cook while I was gone, and tossed them with salt, pepper, and ghee. The veggies went into a roasting pan, along with a chicken I spatchcocked with my trusty kitchen shears. (Here are tutorials on how to do it with a Big Bird (watch the video!) and with a regular chicken.)

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Pressure Cooker Mocha-Rubbed Pot Roast

I’m going to let you in on my secret tip for always having healthy, ready-to-reheat entrees in my fridge: I make it a habit to toss a bunch of ingredients for stew into my Instant Pot right before I sit down to dinner with my family. The stew pressure-cooks while I bond over fart jokes with my boys, and it’s ready by the time we’re done eating. It then gets packed into an air-tight container and popped into the refrigerator—it’s a scientific fact that stews taste better the next day—which means I can clean all the dinner and prep dishes at once.

You know me: meal planning ain’t mything, but my semi-weekly dinner date with my Instant Pot frees me from having to face the paralyzing question of “What the bleep am I serving for dinner tonight?”

With this in mind, I’m constantly on the hunt for new recipes I can modify for my pressure cooker. So when I received a copy of Stephanie Gaudreau’s Performance Paleo, her recipe for Mocha-Rubbed Slow Cooker Pot Roast leaped off the page as a dish that I could adapt for my favorite countertop appliance. Steph gets all the credit for the actual recipe—I just modified the cooking instructions to work in my Instant Pot. (If you don’t have a pressure cooker, make Steph’s original version with a slow cooker!)

I’ve been a big fan of Steph’s blog, Stupid Easy Paleo, for years. Her no-nonsense nutrition advice, fantastic recipes, and eye-popping photos just keep getting better and better, and her cookbook is the perfect embodiment of her many talents. I’ve given copies to a number of my active pals who want to use Paleo to fuel their weekend warrior/fire-breathing endeavors—and they love it.

Recipe note: If you’re watching your caffeine intake or you don’t want your kids to be bouncing off the walls at bedtime, use decaf coffee in the rub and/or in place of the brewed coffee. You can also leave the coffee out altogether—it’ll still taste incredible. For me, I make the recipe as-is so I can enjoy a fantastic protein-packed breakfast that also gives me an extra kick in my step!

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