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blockgeni · 1 year ago

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The majority of reports claim that AI will soon be everywhere kind of like sugar or Taylor Swift. Experts predict that in the near future, AI systems will become the cognitive foundation of everything we use or do, transforming entire industries and society. Imagine that you're in the friendly skies going somewhere when your aircraft's central nervous system, which is now controlled by AI, suddenly shuts down, rendering the aircraft powerless. Alternately, the New York Stock Exchange may decide to shut down suddenly and completely, which would cause the economy and your life savings to crash. Or your toaster won't deliver the one serving of food your body will accept before you start your daily slog to work. Believe it or not, the killer technology that was meant to destroy humanity has a small issue to fix before it can live up to its deadly potential, a belief shared by none other than Geoffrey Hinton, the guy who designed it. It just cannot remember previous stuff, which makes it a dreadful problem to have. And when it forgets, it immediately shuts down, engaging in a process known as "catastrophic forgetting" that may eerily mirror your entire high school curriculum. In remembrance of things past Any fundamental AI system that is worth its salt should be able to successfully learn a series of tasks through a method known as constant learning. Learning occurs in humans when our brain is able to recall memories of earlier instances of performing something. This is dependent on the REM cycle, which occurs during the sleep phase and pushes recent memories into the long-term memory bank to make room for new memories. Since AI neural networks fundamentally replicate how the human brain functions, there has long been an expectation that an algorithm can use its stored knowledge of carrying out all of its previous tasks to learn new ones in a manner similar to way we humans do. However, this just doesn't seem to be the case. Huge gaps in cognition are being caused by something that is going on, or not going on, depending on the situation, in the training of artificial neural networks. While learning new things, the neural networks will completely forget all of their prior knowledge, after which they will begin to freeze. Researchers came up with a creative solution to remedy this problem. They started feeding AI systems old data while processing new ones, a method known as interleaved training, which they believed matched how the brain functions while it is asleep. From a purely practical standpoint, there isn't nearly enough time for the brain -- or its machine imitator -- to digest all of this previous learning material while you are asleep, therefore it turns out that this process doesn't actually occur in the brain. The solution has to be somewhere. Researchers from the University of California, San Diego and the Institute of Computer Science of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague, Czech Republic, examined sleep as well, but from a different angle. They eschewed a traditional neural network – one that constantly adjusts its synapses (the connections between neurons) until it finds a solution – in favour of a'spiking' one that they thought most closely resembled the human brain. The researchers found that a "spiking" network consumes substantially less power and bandwidth since it only transmits an output after receiving a large number of signals over time. Thus, it is able to reactivate neurons that are involved in recalling previously learned tasks. It seems to function. After passing through sleep-like stages, the spiking neural network was capable of carrying out both tasks. According to one of the study's researchers from the University of California, San Diego, Jean Erik Delanois, their work highlights the value in developing biologically inspired solutions. In the image of thy creator More recently, while addressing the same issue of catastrophic forgetting in deep-learning neural nets, researchers at Ohio State University avoided sleep.

To tackle this issue, they adopted a completely unique and clever strategy. Ness Shroff, an Ohio State professor of computer science and engineering, said that his study delves into the difficulties of continuous learning in these artificial neural networks and uncovers ideas that start to close the gap between machine and human learning. Traditional machine learning algorithms are force-fed data in one huge push, Shroff and his colleagues found, but that's not always beneficial for the machine. In fact, how closely related activities are to one another, what characteristics they share, and even the order in which the tasks are presented all have an impact on how well the algorithm recalls them. In what could simply be one of the more amusing ironies of our day, Shroff and his colleagues discovered that algorithms, like humans, were significantly better able to remember when supplied with a succession of highly distinct tasks rather than a series of identical tasks. This is how human brains also work. If they repeatedly go to the same place or have the same experience, the same events—parties, vacations, even days of the week—blend into one another. However, the distinctive ones stand out. In order for the AI to learn new things as well as activities that are similar to previous ones, the Ohio State researchers found that dissimilar tasks need to be presented extremely early in the continuous learning process. Their work is especially crucial because, according to Shroff, a better understanding of AI may be possible if we can identify the parallels between computers and the human brain. Algorithms must be scalable, capable of handling many and unforeseen scenarios, and able to learn better for AI to be really successful and safe. This goal should be greatly aided by these two machine memory options. Source link

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frazzledontoast-blog · 6 years ago

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Fasting for brain health?

Giving up eating? No? Not even for a short while?

If you had clapped eyes on me a year ago you would have seen an emotionally frazzled, chronically exhausted, comfort eating, hormonal wreck masquerading as Wonder Woman. Cape on, I seamlessly juggled my career, home, husband, dogs, chickens, and kids (in no particular order) whilst finding time to prepare great meals and get to the gym. Just check out my social media, it must be true. Reality was, as soon as I came home and hung up my cape, I felt more like a car crash happening in slow motion.

To cut a long story short, I ended up committing to a 30 day nutritional re-boot programme, part of which involved starving myself a day a week, sorry, fasting. I’m sure like anyone else who has dabbled with intermittent fasting, I assumed it was a sneaky way to cut calories. And yes, there is some truth in that - over time people who intermittently fast reduce calorie intake by 20-30% and don’t tend to ‘over feed’ on non-fasting days (in addition to feeling unbearably smug the next day).

But as it turns out, after a few weeks on this new regime, I started to feel a certain clarity, the fog in my head lifted, I felt a little sparkly, I might even go as far as to say I was feeling like myself again. My perspective returned, I stopped being a domestic martyr and wrestled back some me time, the dogs weren’t walking on egg shells and my family started to breathe again.

So what do we really know about the effects of intermittent fasting on the mind and body? Can I attribute part of my rehab to IF? Actually, what is intermittent fasting exactly?

IF is defined as the rhythmic disruption to the flow of calories into your metabolism - we need to remember that a calorie is a measure of the energy, not the nutritional, content of our food. And its a really popular lifestyle choice in 2018, there are 35 IF Facebook groups alone! Some people practice alternate day fasting (eating less than 500 calories every other day), some people advocate periodic fasting (at least five consecutive days of consuming water or a fasting mimicking diet) but time restricted feeding (eating confined to an eight hour window or less every day) is gaining ground as an eminently less scary way to get all the health benefits and still be able to function in modern life.

Without doubt, our ancestors had a sporadic access to food throughout their lives that depended on their foraging skills and hunting prowess. As a result, over hundreds of thousands of years, our physiology evolved such that our mental and physical performance remained unaffected by fasting. It would seem that hunger is indeed just a feeling, not an emergency!

However, before we go any further, you may be in need of an old school, Biology lesson. When you eat a meal, the carbs, fats and proteins are broken down into simpler units by your digestive system and fibre is digested by the bacteria in your gut. These simpler units - the amino acids, glucose, fructose and fatty acids - pass in to your bloodstream and this nutrient rich blood heads off to your liver. Some of the glucose is stored as glycogen and some remains in the blood to be used by muscle and brain cells for energy. Fructose is converted to fat, packaged up and released back into the bloodstream.

Your pancreas senses a high blood sugar concentration (all that glucose) and releases insulin which activates your cells to use up the glucose. Insulin also activates fat cells (adipose tissue) to store the fat. Between meals, glucose and insulin levels drop and fat cells release fatty acids into your blood to be used as an energy source by your cells, in particular, muscle cells. However, these fatty acids cannot cross the blood-brain barrier and so are of no use to your brain cells or neurons. Your liver comes to the rescue, converting fatty acids to ketone bodies which can be used by neurons in the brain as an energy source.

Approximately 12 hours after eating glucose and glycogen stores are depleted and the body starts to rely on fatty acids and ketones for energy. Your body is now in a fasted state.

And this is when the magic starts to happen. There is reliable evidence from both rodent and human studies that IF practised over the medium to long term can prevent, and even reverse, all aspects of metabolic syndrome - that includes abdominal adioposity, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and stroke. That in itself would be good reason to take a serious look at IF, but it is the incredible benefits for brain health that are even more exciting - and this is why I am a convert.

In the fasted state, once the glucose and glycogen has been used up, your cells become stressed which has been proven to cause them to make changes that result in them becoming more resilient, DNA repair is enhanced and they focus on getting their housekeeping done (this is called autophagy). This is the important part because autophagy is the process by which the 30 trillion cells in our body round up toxins, pathogens, junk protein and damaged organelles - essentially they get round to doing their recycling, clearing out the junk and they end up becoming far more efficient.

Specifically though, your brain is benefitting most. Putting your neurons under stress by disrupting their nutrient supply also leads to significantly elevated levels of BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor) which is responsible for the growth and survival of adult neurons and the regeneration of damaged ones. And to cap it all, BDNF prevents age related alterations in serotonin and dopamine levels as well.

Giving up eating will literally improve your ability to focus on tasks, learn faster and remember more. You will be happier, sleep better and be in a great mood - that would be the unshakeable smugness you radiate when you break your fast.

IF is more effective at slowing down ageing and disease than the use of supplemental vitamins, minerals and antioxidants (such as vitamins C and E). In fact, the supplementation of vitamins C and E during fasting actually overrides all the benefits of IF - it would seem that cells don’t respond by increasing their natural defences if you help them out and they don’t improve their insulin sensitivity. They need to experience mild stresses to perform at optimal.

Now the reversing ageing bit makes everyone’s ears prick up!

One of the most important organelles in your cell are your mitochondria which are essentially your powerhouses. They provide you with energy but one of the byproducts are free radicals. These are highly reactive, destructive little molecules that attack anything and everything, including our DNA and the mitochondria themselves, and the accumulated damage is a primary factor in ageing. And, as you might have already surmised, our neurons have an awful lot of mitochondria because they need to generate a lot of energy which makes them particularly susceptible - we know for a fact that mitochondrial dysfunction is involved in both Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Our cells naturally produce antioxidants (and they are provided courtesy of a balanced diet) which mop up and neutralise excess free radicals, and the key here is excess. Life is never black and white, and this applies to free radicals. In low to moderate concentrations, free radicals are a useful weapon against invading microbes and play a vital role in cellular communications. However, a natural consequence of ageing is that the free radical damage builds due to producing fewer antioxidants and the decline of our housekeeping systems, amongst other reasons. Evidence suggests that ramping up autophagy through IF targets damaged mitochondria and their new replacements are more efficient, less prone to produce free radicals, and ageing is slowed.

Finally though, this post wouldn’t be complete without briefly visiting the news last year that IF has been shown to completely reverse diabetes in mice and similarly promising results have been seen in small scale human trials.

Diabetes is an insulin problem, not a glucose one. Insulin is a hormone that signals to cells to take up glucose from the blood stream by binding to receptors on the surface of the cells, essentially opening the gates. In type 1 diabetes, the immune system mistakenly targets and destroys insulin producing beta-cells in the pancreas. In type 2 diabetes, cells lose their sensitivity to insulin, their insulin receptors stop working, and the pancreas stops producing insulin. Either way, cells are unable to take up glucose and metabolise it to provide energy.

During fasting periods in the mice trials, the pancreas shrunk, autophagy kicked in and damaged beta-cells that were not producing insulin were removed. Remarkably though, after several cycles of fasting and feeding, the beta-cells regenerated, insulin sensitivity improved leading to a significant decrease in blood sugar and nearly normal insulin production resumed. IF had initiated healthy regrowth of the pancreas - it was back in working order. Simply astonishing that there might be a drug free solution for diabetics, given the huge problem it is becoming in the UK.

Clearly the science holds up, the question is, is IF for you?

Firstly, it is not just about meal skipping. The easiest way to start is probably time restricted feeding - eating from midday to 8pm and then fasting for 16 hours everyday. You need to consider how you are going to break your fast as planning a balanced nutritious meal is imperative. You won’t reap the benefits if you continue to fill yourself up on high calorie, nutritionally bankrupt, processed food. And make sure you drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated.

I fast for 24-36 hours once a week. Usually that involves having supper on Thursday evening and then fasting through Friday until I break my fast on a Saturday morning with a fully balanced, probiotic shake. During the fasting day I support my body with a botanical based tonic, herbal teas and lots of water. It’s not that scary, honest!

Secondly, be sensible. You shouldn’t be considering fasting if you are pregnant or if you think it might lead you down a path to disordered eating. And don’t set yourself up to fail! It is much harder to make any sort of lifestyle change if you don’t have the support of your family, so get them on board before you start. There is lots of good advice out there, you are sure to find something that works for you.

#nutrition #brain health #fasting #diet #antiaging

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witchimplumis · 7 years ago

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Knitting Witchcraft 101, a crash course by witchimplumis

To start this off, obviously there are TONS of ways to do a lot of this stuff. This is mostly the method I use. This also isn't a tutorial to knitting, there's lots of great videos out there explaining how to knit, if I tried to teach all of that in this post, it would be at least 3 times as long. Finally, most of this probably also works for crochet, but I don't know the first thing about crochet, so I'll let someone else weigh in on that. Knitting magic is great for anyone, from witches on a budget (yarn, especially acrylic, can be dirt cheap), broom closet witches (it's easy-peasy to pass off as a normal, non-witchy hobby), practical witches (you get a useful garment at the end!), and more. You can use it on its own, or as a part of a larger spell or ritual. Intent Much like all magic, a lot of knitting magic is intent and visualization. Before starting a project, come up with a purpose for the finished product. For this scenario, I'll use a real project I've done. I wanted to make a shawl to help me in the upcoming school year. When you're knitting, focus on the purpose that you want to imbue the finished product with. Imagine your hopes for it entering each stitch, and being locked in place with your needles. When you first start, it may feel mentally exhausting or draining, or it may be really hard to focus and you may find your thoughts drifting away, but as you practice you'll get better and be able to focus longer. I find that once I start to lose focus the best thing to do is leave for a while and pick the project up later, once I've had time to clear my head. Rs/ws If you've been a knitter for any length of time at all, you know that flat knitting has what's called a "right side" (the side that shows when you're wearing/using your created object) and a "wrong side" (the side that faces towards you, like the bottom of a blanket or inside of a cardigan), or rs and ws on patterns. When working out the beginning of my projects, I come up with two different intents, one for the outside world to see (right side) and one to affect only me (wrong side). So, in the example of my school shawl, I wanted other people to view me as capable in my field. So my rs intent was "I am a learned student of my trade." On the ws, I choose an intent that helps me to acheive my ultimate goal (doing well in school) so the intent I used was "I have the focus required in my studies." HOWEVER, when working in the round, there's no wrong side. So then how do you go about wrong side intents? Two options: one, have only one overarching purpose for all knitting (such as "I will succeed in my chosen field"), or alternate lines as you would if you weren't knitting in the round. Color/texture Yarn comes in pretty much every color and color combination imaginable. Color associations/color magic are not only possible to do with yarn but strongly encouraged. I use lots of sources for mine, googling "color associations" brings up bunches of pages, or you can use your own personal associations. If you're going to do this, read reviews for the yarn and check for or ask about color bleeding. Textures are an often-overlooked factor. Prickly yarn can be used in a defensive spell, or soft yarn in one for comfort and warmth. Always keep in mind what kind of thing you're making though, and try to work off of that. Some textures are not ideal for some uses. Materials Yarn materials are important to fit to your project. For example, you don't want to make a knit bralette out if dish scrubby yarn (ouch). You have tons of options, but I'll stick to the kinds you're most likely to run into cheap-ish. My standing recommendation for all of these is if there is any way at all you can see and feel yarn in person before buying it, do so. I don't recommend buying in bulk of you haven't dealt with a brand or line of yarn before. Acrylic- acrylic yarn is usually extremely cheap and comes in tons of colors and textures, some are shiny, others are really fuzzy, there's all kinds for all purposes. It's really great if you have allergies because it's synthetic fiber. Wool/superwash wool: usually somewhat coarse, wool is a natural fiber that comes from shearing specific breeds of wool-producing sheep. Some brands will even say specifically what breed(s) or country their wool comes from. In my experience, wool is much easier to work magic with than acrylic, however it will usually also be more expensive, and there are fewer textures and appearances available. Cotton: cotton is a nice in-between of acrylic and wool. It's a natural fiber, but I don't know of anybody being allergic to it. It can come in many different colors, but not really any texture variety, they all just feel like cotton. If you're not morally opposed for any of various reasons, Hobby Lobby's I Love This Cotton yarn is by far the best cotton yarn I've found, in terms of softness. If you ARE morally opposed however, Sugar n Cream makes cotton yarn on huge spools very cheap. Bamboo: it's considered eco-friendly yarn. I don't know how true that is, as I don't use it enough to actually look into the carbon footprint of bamboo yarn. That said it feels like actual clouds and looks like them too. Silk: we all know what silk is. Silk yarn exists. It's on the expensive end of cheap stuff, usually only comes in small amounts. Merino: wool that comes from the merino sheep breed specifically. This wool is really soft, I don't work with it much because it's usually really expensive compared to every other kind. Novelty yarns: I love incorportating these. Some are great for practical reasons (dish scrubby yarn) and others are great for using some of their elements as part of a spell (like feathery yarns or beady yarns etc.) Stitch types I don't think there's a widely agreed upon set of associations for stitch type/pattern, these are just some common ones I've come to associate. YO/lace- these large, open patterns I associate with "bigger" or more wide effects. Alternately, because they're basically big holes in the object, allowing your intents to come out into the environment. seed- just like its name, I associate seed stitch with potential and growth. Garter- I tend to associate garter stitch with mundane life, alternately with its common use as a border stitch I associate it as a holding stitch, keeping things in (like secrets) or protected. Stockinette- a super common stitch pattern for fronts of things, especially socks (as per the name). I tend to associate it with appearances, and spells like glamour aids. Blocking When/if you block, visualize the water charging your finished object. You can use scented wool wash in scents that are associated with the spell you're doing, you have tons of options. Beads, etc: You can get all kinds of things at craft stores! I found crystal charms last time I went that would look great on a heavier-weight shawl, there's beads of various different materials and colors, if I went over all of these things it'd take a whole extra post. Play around and see what you like. Finished products: Clothing- either for yourself or for others. Make ritual clothing or just a warmth-intent hat. Possibilities are totally endless. Poppet- maybe make a poppet out of yarn? Stuff it with things you want the poppet associated with? Disclaimer: don't burn knit poppets unless you are 100% certain ALL ingredients are safe to burn wherever you're burning them. I prefer to "destroy" my knit poppets by stabbing them with knitting needles, so that I can reuse them, even better, make the end drawstring-style, so you can reuse it with different ingredients. Eco friendly witchcraft! Spell swatch- I call it a spell swatch but it may have another name by now. It works pretty much exactly how it sounds, knit a swatch of fabric in varying colors, stitches, etc., based on what the spell is. Knit in beads or feathers or hair or whatever you feel like you should. Then pin it on your wall or carry it with you. It doesn't have to (and probably won't) look nice, it's just a little spell to carry with you, like a very personalized sigil. Other uses: knitting is great for meditation! Finding a simple pattern to knit for a while can leave your mind free to relax and do its own thing, I love leaving guided meditations, binaural tones, etc. on while I'm knitting things like socks or blankets.

#witchcraft #knitting #knot magic #cottage witch #magick #witchy #crafty witch #closet witch #witch tips #crash course #knitchcraft

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sorayahigashikata · 5 years ago

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Chapter 75: "If 'Douche and Turd' was a Western."

#Paula reads SBR #Chapter 75 #the sooner these lowlives kill each other the better #also HOW IS LUCY THE HEAD?!?#Part 7 spoilers #Steel Ball Run spoilers

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yumyummunchies-blog · 6 years ago

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How To Avoid Palm Oil - 5 Food Hacks That Will Modification Your Life - EcoHustler

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Multinational food corporations add palm oil to numerous extensively consumed food items with devastating repercussions throughout the food cycle. Discover out how to eliminate back.

There is no such thing as sustainable palm oil

Palm oil is grown on plantations where rainforest utilized to be. The rain forest is environmentally complicated-- house to millions of species. The plantation is barren of life containing little more than the cash crop. The rain forest has an enormously diverse, 3 dimensional structure, developed to catch and utilize the optimum possible light, CO2 and water out of the atmosphere. This engine of plant activity drives the vital cycles of nutrients and energy that keep our planet alive. Carbon is drawn out of the atmosphere, water is drawn up and drained-- into excellent airborne rivers pressed north and south to rain on the land. The swirling mass of clouds that make our planet so distinctive from space is created, in part, by natural forests, spontaneously fulfilling their crucial function in the biosphere.

50% of Borneo's 130,000,000 years-old rain forest has currently been lost, the rest is being systematically destroyed by corporations producing palm oil. This kills off all the valuable wildlife that resides in the forest and has knock on effects has gone. They also can not inform us how many other types require to be surviving on earth for humanity to survive. We are living through The Sixth Mass Termination. Each species we lose is like a rivet popping out of an aeroplane. If we lose too lots of-- the entire system is going to crash. We require to take definitive action now to take pressure off natural systems. More than this we require to become a restorer species andalter the orientation of our economies so that our daily work heals the world's abject communities ensuring area stays for all the other types of earth. Orang-utans are more vital then food corporations 5 Food hacks for avoiding palm oil 5. Do not shop in grocery stores Supermarkets epitomise all that is incorrect with capitalism. Supermarkets are actually churches to nonrenewable fuel sources and without nonrenewable fuel sources they don't work.

They are "hassle-free"by requiring you to drive there burning fossil fuel and buying food likewise covered in fossil fuel. The food in a grocery store has actually been transferred thousands of miles, burning yet more oil, from unsustainable farms that accomplish big yields only by profligate use of fossil inputs. The much better more "ethical"supermarkets-- like Marks and Spencer-- have well-branded sustainability plans such as" Strategy A (since there is no Plan B)". You might have thought Strategy A would consist of sourcing local active ingredients and not covering food in plastic but Marks and Spencer also puts palm oil into its products (e.g. chocolate, biscuits, cakes)since it isn't truly that severe about Plan A. 4. Avoid all multinational food brands Our food never ever utilized to have palm oil in it. We used to eat specifically fresh, regional, seasonal fruit and vegetables. Nevertheless, commercialism is perverse-- it makes individuals do unusual things and reside instrange ways. It ships apples from New Zealand andsells them in England. It evaporates seams of coal, changing our atmosphere, acidifying the oceans and it spreads out plastic everywhere. Food corporations

started putting low-cost unhealthy components like fructosecorn syrup and palm oil into our food since they make more loan. Consider an apparently quality British brand like Nairn's Oatcakes. This scrumptious Scottish staple was constantly made from oats, water and lard. The brand has actually altered the dish to now include"natural sustainable palm oil". Your when simple oatcake now comes embedded with thousands of fossil fuel miles as well as plundered

which is effectively valuableanyhow). The expense of delivering the ingredients is inexpensive due to the fact that the

filthy bunker fuel burned is not managed or taxed. The entire offer is a fraud that benefits corporations and makes it harder for regional genuine food organisations to contend. The corporations that are ravaging the world have ended up being enormous, vertically integrated and wield terrific impact over federal governments ensuring they are not managed or taxed. Taxes on sugar, plastic and carbon as well as other things we desire less of would radically change the world and benefit billions of people-- however government inaction shows they solution to corporations before people. Ultimately, the consumer is king. If more individuals get involved and avoid the companies triggering harm then they will become less powerful. We need to keep spreading out the word, informing our good friends and prevent the companies causing the damage. Stall Holder At Farmers Fresh Food Market2. Purchase your food from local/ sustainable providers Much of us do have healthy and sustainable alternatives. We can purchase our food from independent shops, farmers markets, food coops, delivery plans and the Food Assembly. When we do this cash stimulates an alternative economy which sustains life on earth. This alternative economy could end up being the main economy when sufficient people get involved and when political pressure causes changes in guideline that favour real, regional food. 1. Become more self enough Growing food is a fast lane to health and joy. More than this it is an advanced act. Every meal we provide our loved ones from our own lawn offers healthy nourishment, with absolutely no food miles without the

requirement to pass money to the corporations and nonrenewable fuel source companies that are killing the planet. Likewise, it develops resilience. When the

shit actually strikes the fan and centralized organizations collapse-- the supermarkets shelves will be empty. This is when our investments into food growing, community and self reliance will really pay dividends. Consuming food contaminated with imported palm oil brings the armageddon. Eating food from our own bioregion grown by individuals we understand sets us totally free.

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cartzypage · 6 years ago

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Exploring Iloilo: Wandering the Western Visayas in the Philippines

Iloilo Dinagyang Warrior statue along the Iloilo Esplanade

After taking the ferry from Manila to Iloilo, I was now ready to start exploring Iloilo. The province of Iloilo is located in the Western Visayas in the Philippines, approximately 409 miles southeast of Manila. Including Iloilo City, Iloilo had a population in 2015 of just over 2.3 million residents.

While smaller than Manila, I found it to be more contemporary in many ways with modern buildings and architecture, businesses, and just an overall more modern feel. Come with me and see what I discovered while exploring Iloilo.

Jaro Cathedral

Inside Jaro Cathedral

As a huge fan of cathedrals, churches, and other places of worship, I knew I had to stop in at Jaro Cathedral in Iloilo. Originally built in 1864, Jaro Cathedral is one of the largest churches in all of the Philippines.

Our Lady of the Candles at Jaro Cathedral

Located on the second level at the front of Jaro Cathedral is a shrine featuring a statue of Our Lady of the Candles. To get to this level, you need to climb a set of stairs to the top. Once here, you’ll see the only Marian statue in the Philippines that’s been crowned by the pope himself.

TSG Tip: I didn’t know about the Marian order, but now I know so of course I want to go anywhere I can see my name.

Belfry across the street from Jaro Cathedral

What makes Jaro Cathedral a little unusual is that the belfry is located across the street from the church. After an earthquake destroyed the church in January of 1948, the church was rebuilt in its current location across the street in 1956.

Jaro Cathedral is a definite must see site while visiting Iloilo. Go in, light a candle, say a prayer, or just admire the church for its architectural beauty.

Jaro Cathedral Jaro, Iloilo City, 5000 Iloilo

Bearland Paradise Resort

Sometimes I just want to get away from it all, relax, and unwind and I certainly did when I visited Bearland Paradise Resort in Iloilo. Whether you go for a few days, an overnight, or just the day like I did, you are bound to have a good time. I must admit, I simply don’t connect polar bears with the Philippines as this country is just so hot.

The beach at Bearland Paradise Resort

For a mere 250 PHP (about $4.66 USD) per person, you can enjoy a day pass here with access to the pools and resort. While the beach isn’t exactly a swimmable beachfront, it still makes for a great view and pics.

Bearland Paradise Resort

On the day I visited, the breeze was strong and it was actually a little chilly. I went in the water once and sat back and relaxed with a cold pineapple juice. Nothing beats relaxing to the sound of crashing waves. If it was only a little warmer, I would’ve spent the day at the pool’s swim up bar. That or I might’ve enjoyed watching more people singing videoke.

Bearland Paradise Resort Brgy. Tanpael, Tigbauan, Iloilo, Philippines

Iloilo Central Market

Food cooking at the wet market

There’s no way I could continue exploring Iloilo without visiting a wet market. What exactly is a wet market? Whereas a dry market sells dry goods like clothing and electronics, a wet market sells fresh meat and produce and is usually an important business center in any town or city.

Oysters at the wet market

At the Iloilo Central Market, not only can you buy food to take home and prepare, but there’s also food that can be prepared for you on the spot, like oysters.

Oysters

Oysters at the wet market

For example, each bowl of oysters here cost all of 30 PHP or about $0.56 USD. Pay the man and he will hand you the raw oysters or he will cook them for you for the same price. After payment, he places the oyster in a bag and dunks them in a hot pot of seasoned water and within minutes, you have a fresh, hot, steaming bag of oysters ready to eat.

Oysters at the wet market

While in Bohol a few days later, I walked along Alona Beach and the same size bowl of oysters cost 300 PHP or about $5.59 USD. While that definitely seems like a steal of a price to any Westerner, knowing the Iloilo price made me realize that Iloilo is the place to go if you love seafood.

Meat

Grilling at the wet market

Not into seafood? How about some pork or hot dogs? In the Philippines I can guarantee you that someone, somewhere is grilling up some meat for you so you won’t ever go hungry. Now if you’re a vegan like I am, it might be a little more difficult for you, but that’s an entirely different story.

TSG Tip: There are many butchers and fishmongers here like in any wet market. However, I saw a stall with live chickens stacked one on top of the other. Apparently, people will buy their chickens live to take home and butcher at home. I considered freeing the chickens and telling them to run for their lives, but didn’t think they’d get very far.

Vegetables

Veggies at the wet market

The veggies were plentiful here and I loved how they had some chopped, prepared, and all ready to go.

Wet market

Veggies at the wet market

TSG Tip: The Filipino diet is primarily meat and rice with a little vegetable, if any at all. Unfortunately, I’ve discovered that the price of vegetables can be cost prohibitive for most families. The news is always reporting on the price of vegetables skyrocketing, which makes a healthy and balanced diet here, I would think, far more difficult than I would’ve ever expected.

Fish

I wish I could insert 'smell-o-vision' into this post so you could experience the overwhelming and all engulfing smell that I experienced. Click To Tweet

Dried fish at the wet market

I wish I could insert “smell-o-vision” into this post so you could experience the overwhelming and all engulfing smell that I experienced. Yes, dried fish, fish paste, shrimp paste, and the like at a wet market is some seriously strong smelling stuff. (How’s that for alliteration?)

Dried fish at the wet market

It’s the kind of smell that goes so far deep into your lungs and nose that you can’t possibly escape it. The only thing that’s harder for me to manage is the smell of dried fish fried in oil early in the morning. That will wake you up out of a sound sleep and have you running for the hills.

Shrimp paste at the wet market

Speaking of shrimp paste, it comes in different colors and amounts, but it’s definitely a popular item in the Philippines.

TSG Tip: You’ll see street vendors selling green mango slices with shrimp paste, which is apparently a very tasty snack.

Iloilo Central Market Rizal St, Iloilo City Proper, Iloilo City, 5000 Iloilo

Iloilo Nightlife

Garaje Food District in Iloilo

What do most people want when they go out for a drink? They want something to nibble on so they can continue to enjoy the night. These pop up food courts that also serve drinks are a genius way to offer both and are an alternative to the overdone and overcrowded nightclubs of the past. Come as you are, bring your friends, and enjoy the night. That’s what a good night out is all about.

Inside Garaje Food District

I took these pictures while passing through Iloilo. It was a quiet moment without the crowds I would encounter later that evening. When I returned with my friends, we were fortunate enough to score a few seats at a table and continue drinking.

TSG Tip: On any given night in the Philippines, someone will most likely be drinking Red Horse Beer, Emperador, or a Smirnoff Mule. I highly recommend not mixing these as the outcome will not be good. One of my friends arrived late and tried to make up for his late arrival by trying to catch up. He did ok until he started drinking Smirnoff Mule and then it all went terribly wrong after that. Now I understand why there are signs all over bars showing “vomit fines.” Yeah — it’s no fun at all when one of you can’t keep it down.

Wash basin in Garaje Food District

If you have to use the toilet, check out the funky wash basin at the Garaje Food District.

Garaje Food District Tabuc Suba, Jaro Iloilo City, Philippines

Tambayan

'Tambayan' means hangout and anyone will tell you that a tambayan is always more fun than a club. Click To Tweet

Another cool concept I’ve seen while exploring Iloilo is along the lines of the food district, but is all bars. Think parking lot turned open air bar district. No frills, just drinks, and fun. One of my friends, Ryan, owns the bar Checkpoint located within El Amigo Estambayan Food Park & Car Wash in San Rafael Mandurriao. Inside the food park you’ll find several outside tambayan bars from which to choose. Not only can you drink, you can also get your car washed at the same time. Now that’s what I call multi-tasking.

Checkpoint at El Amigo Estambayan Food Park & Car Wash Brgy. San Rafael 5000 Iloilo City, Philippines

TSG Tip: “Tambayan” means hangout and anyone will tell you that a tambayan is always more fun than a club. It’s like hanging out at your home or a friend’s house. Completely unpretentious, uncomplicated, and affordable.

Passi City

Pineapple public toilet in Passi City

Located about 90 minutes north of Iloilo City is Passi City to the north in the province of Iloilo. Known for its pineapple, rice, and sugar production, Passi’s slogan is “The Sweet City at the Heart of Panay.” As the pineapple capital in the province, it only seems fitting to have a huge pineapple public restroom, don’t you think?

Bananas at a banana plantation

While in Passi, I visited a sprawling banana plantation where I was able to seek refuge under the banana leaves from the intense sun. There’s nothing better than fresh bananas. Well, maybe fresh pineapples or mangoes, but they’re all so good.

TSG Tip: Filipinos are superstitious by nature and I saw an example of this as I entered the plantation. There was a large mound of dirt that I was told to walk around not to disturb. This was not created by the plantation owner or workers and had crept up all on its own. As I passed it, I was told to say the following, “tabi-tabi po,” which means “excuse me.” The reason for this is that they believe that there are some “elements” living there and we don’t want to disturb them.

My Thoughts on Iloilo

Overall, I really enjoyed my time in Iloilo and would definitely return again for a longer visit. Don’t forget to hit up Biscocho Haus, home to fresh candies and cookies from the region. Next up, I’m headed to Bohol for a few days for some more fun in the Philippines.

Have you visited Iloilo? Can you suggest other destinations in the Philippines that you found equally exciting? Leave your comments below. Discover some other great destinations and travel ideas here on the Travel Shop Girl website .

On my new SPONTANEOUS TRAVEL SCALE of 1-5, with 1 being super easy and spontaneous and 5 being you better plan far in advance, Iloilo scores a 1 for spontaneous travel. With an abundance of buses, ferries, and air service to this area, getting here and having fun is easy to accomplish at a super affordable price.

The post Exploring Iloilo: Wandering the Western Visayas in the Philippines appeared first on Travel Shop Girl.

Exploring Iloilo: Wandering the Western Visayas in the Philippines published first on https://medium.com/@GoShopSingapore

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jifsy · 6 years ago

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Exploring Iloilo: Wandering the Western Visayas in the Philippines

Iloilo Dinagyang Warrior statue along the Iloilo Esplanade

Jaro Cathedral

Inside Jaro Cathedral

Our Lady of the Candles at Jaro Cathedral

TSG Tip: I didn’t know about the Marian order, but now I know so of course I want to go anywhere I can see my name.

Belfry across the street from Jaro Cathedral

Jaro Cathedral is a definite must see site while visiting Iloilo. Go in, light a candle, say a prayer, or just admire the church for its architectural beauty.

Jaro Cathedral Jaro, Iloilo City, 5000 Iloilo

Bearland Paradise Resort

The beach at Bearland Paradise Resort

Bearland Paradise Resort

Bearland Paradise Resort Brgy. Tanpael, Tigbauan, Iloilo, Philippines

Iloilo Central Market

Food cooking at the wet market

Oysters at the wet market

At the Iloilo Central Market, not only can you buy food to take home and prepare, but there’s also food that can be prepared for you on the spot, like oysters.

Oysters

Oysters at the wet market

Meat

Grilling at the wet market

Vegetables

Veggies at the wet market

The veggies were plentiful here and I loved how they had some chopped, prepared, and all ready to go.

Wet market

Veggies at the wet market

Fish

I wish I could insert 'smell-o-vision' into this post so you could experience the overwhelming and all engulfing smell that I experienced. Click To Tweet

Dried fish at the wet market

Shrimp paste at the wet market

Speaking of shrimp paste, it comes in different colors and amounts, but it’s definitely a popular item in the Philippines.

TSG Tip: You’ll see street vendors selling green mango slices with shrimp paste, which is apparently a very tasty snack.

Iloilo Central Market Rizal St, Iloilo City Proper, Iloilo City, 5000 Iloilo

Iloilo Nightlife

Garaje Food District in Iloilo

Inside Garaje Food District

Wash basin in Garaje Food District

If you have to use the toilet, check out the funky wash basin at the Garaje Food District.

Garaje Food District Tabuc Suba, Jaro Iloilo City, Philippines

Tambayan

'Tambayan' means hangout and anyone will tell you that a tambayan is always more fun than a club. Click To Tweet

Checkpoint at El Amigo Estambayan Food Park & Car Wash Brgy. San Rafael 5000 Iloilo City, Philippines

Passi City

Pineapple public toilet in Passi City

Bananas at a banana plantation

My Thoughts on Iloilo

The post Exploring Iloilo: Wandering the Western Visayas in the Philippines appeared first on Travel Shop Girl.

Exploring Iloilo: Wandering the Western Visayas in the Philippines published first on https://medium.com/@GoShopMalaysia

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yumyummunchies-blog · 6 years ago

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