#but the unfortunate reality is that for a lot of people under 35 its simply not possible to live in a major city without renting | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

hellenhighwater · 2 years ago

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i'm sure you've probably been asked this before but i'm new here and very curious: how did you come into ownership of your house and how are you paying for it? i recently moved in with my boyfriend and the housing situation is... dismal. and we're eventually moving into another house with a friend but we barely make enough money combined to support ourselves. i'm just curious as to what it takes to be content because you are living in such a dream house to me and i would love to achieve that one day. ty and have a great day!

I'm not going to pretend that my homeownership is some kind of one-man bootstraps success story; it's not. I got lucky in a lot of ways. It's a combination of stuff.

I haven't owned my house for long--it'll be two years this August. When I started saving for a house, I was lucky enough to be able to live with family and basically eliminate the majority of my living expenses, which allowed me to save a much higher percentage of my salary than I would otherwise have been able to save. I was driving an hour and a half for my daily commute, but it was worth it to not be paying rent. Having a bunch of roommates prior to that also helped. I have almost no debt--I did law school on 100% scholarship, and picked a cheap undergrad university. (This actually backfired--my credit score simply did not exist until waaaay later in my life than is recommended if you want a mortgage. I struggled to find a lender that would work with me even though I was stably employed and had a cash down payment ready.)

I also bought a home in a non-urban area; I live in a fairly small town. My house is also not very expensive; it was between $150-$200K when I bought it. That's due, in part, to the location (small town), the tiny lot (less than a quarter acre), the age (120+ years), and the need for a lot of superficial updates and repairs. It's structurally sound for the most part, but it's dated.

I'm a lawyer. It's easy to miss, since I post like an idiot, but I am regularly reminded that sometimes even morons pass the Bar. I don't make the kind of crazy money most people assume lawyers make, but for a single-person household I'm okay. I was able to make a fairly sizeable down payment--more than was strictly necessary, actually--so my monthly mortgage is actually less than $1k, which is still mindboggling to me. It's good, because this house DOES need work.

But with all that said, it still wasn't easy. I got my first job when I was a freshman in high school and I have been continuously employed since then. Between the ages of 18-28 there was never a time that I held less than two jobs; most of the time I had three, and it...sucked. It was fun, a lot of the time, but mostly that kind of unpredictable schedule is just exhausting at a subconscious level. I remember the week before the Bar, still working two jobs, being in the library at 3 am, my brain melting out my ears, and cruising Zillow listings for bombed-out houses in Detroit being sold for pennies on the dollar, thinking that if nothing else, I could buy one of those and make it work one repair at a time. I went to law school because I wanted to be able to buy my own house. I moved out of the city so I could buy my own house. I shaped a lot of my life around the need and want to have my own space. I have spent years sitting up late at night and looking at real estate listings I couldn't dream of affording.

I don't know if that helps. I guess the only advice I could give is that if homeownership is a big priority for you, maybe look for areas where real estate is affordable(ish; I know what it's like these days) and see what it would take for you to be able to live there. A lot of the time, if there's good bones to work with, the rest is just what you make of it.

#i often tell people i'm live in ______#and it is not unusual for them to bring up various concerns about crime rates in areas like mine #and my fine friends: believe me i am aware of the crimes #its fine #what are they gonna do murder me??? only if i dont get em first #but the unfortunate reality is that for a lot of people under 35 its simply not possible to live in a major city without renting #which is insane #the system is broken but we still have to live in it.

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artistsxcreatives · 4 years ago

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"Love, Life, and Your 20's" by Phil

Whether you're finishing up undergrad or preparing for a long stint in med school, your 20's define the rest of your life. Freedom, fresh knowledge, and ambition have recently fallen into your young hands. Now you just need a job and someone that you can stand for longer than three months. We know that your 20's can be perilous, but we think that we have a few tips to make sure that your 30's and 40's are enjoyable ones.

Time to Explore

All of your life, you have been told what to do, where to go, and how to do it. Now is the first time in your life when you are the official captain of the ship. Don't give up the captain's chair or set sail before you are ready to go. It's a big beautiful world out there, and just because others may have some experience in familiar waters doesn't mean that they can guide you to your personal destination. Unfortunately, now that you're out of college, your life is basically back a ground zero. No matter how many accolades you had, you aren't the big shot anymore, and there are now vast amounts of people smarter, stronger, and more experienced. You may be getting someone's coffee, you may be scraping every dime you have for your start-up business, but one thing is for sure. You're the new guy you're and a long way away from your partner. Additionally, you are in that weird phase of dating where you finally might have an idea of what you want, but now the girls around you always seem to be on the barely legal side or the cougar side (and it doesn't help that you're not used to either). These are all areas that may take some time to navigate, so our best advice is to pack a hefty lunch and start getting to know the place. Here's how.

Career

Suppose you didn't already know about 25% of recent grads are unemployed. In that case, 25% are underemployed, 80% of life's most defining moments take place by about age 35. If that wasn't enough, 2/3 of your lifetime's wage growth happens during your career first ten years. So what does that mean for you? Stop looking around at others and focus on your plan for success. You will drive yourself insane comparing your life to your engineer friend who's making 90k fresh out of college. It's cliche', but life's not a sprint, and for this marathon, you need stamina. This also means that the money will come, but you have to think long and hard about what you want to do before it does. Don't settle for a miserable job or major that you know it is going to be the scourge of your existence. So you wasted four years on a major you didn't like, so what. If you found out what you really wanted to do as a result of that, then it was worth every bit of it. Now, if you waste 20 additional years in a state of delusion, then that is the real tragedy. Make mistakes, bet the house, go all in, and have no regrets. You will be surprised by what you are capable of, and this is the one time of your life when this is totally acceptable. Actually, it's encouraged.

Love

With more than half of Americans are married or are dating or living with their future partner by age 30, this might be where the romantic crap hit's the fan. You may find yourself scrolling (stalking) Facebook just to see your high school sweetheart pregnant with her second child and long-time college fling getting engaged. You're desperately trying not to be that old guy still at all the college parties, but you do want some female company, and mom's ain't cutting it. Relax.

Before you have an emotional meltdown and a mid-midlife crisis, take a breather. We feel your pain, but this is, in reality, your perfect opportunity to mingle. You probably have more money, time, freedom, and dating experience under your belt than you have ever had before. Use it! Don't squander things and force unhealthy relationships; set yourself free and find your soul mate or a few drifters (whatever floats your boat). Sometimes it's a good thing that you don't have any personal ties holding back you from exploring any new face or regions of the world. With that being said, if you are in a healthy relationship, don't be an idiot and blow it. There is something to be said about puppy love, but relationships in your 20's are far more meaningful and lasting (for the most part). You are beginning to understand why Tom Hanks needed Wilson in Cast Away because companionship is something that all people desire at any level.

These are the glory years of dating where you (hopefully) learned from all your boneheaded mistakes in college and have started looking for girls who have a lot more staying power. Let's face it; the stakes are higher. No one should be forcing you down the aisle, but if you are with someone that you know for sure isn't the one. Do each other a favor and end it before pointless years go by and someone gets really hurt. Regardless of where you are at this time of your life, you should fully embrace it. Love is a beautiful thing, and you will certainly know it when it happens (so will your wallet). Just remember that you have a long life to live and that who you decide to be with is exactly that; who YOU decide to be with, whenever that may be.

Personal Development

This may be a shocker, but your personality can change more during your 20s than at any other decade in life. The brain caps off its last major growth spurt, and you are either refining good habits or re-enforcing bad ones. The good news is that this heightened self-awareness usually leads to a desire to improve one's self inside and out. Below are a few areas that need to be on the list if you aren't already looking to improve. We know you got everything under control, and we are going to let you finish, but these are kind of the essentials of your existence now. Pay attention.

Style

Okay, guys, it's time for you to lose those ridiculous tri-colored embroidered pants and get some real clothes that reflect your age. Yes, you will see terrible dressers at every age for the rest of your life, but now you no longer have a pass. It's no longer a phase; it's no longer a statement. It's childish, and we will laugh at you. Wearing sweats your college hoodie to the bar doesn't sound particularly bad (actually, it's pretty comfortable), but in reality, it's a sign of immaturity. As a man, your style should have evolved from frat house chic to young professional. Not having one good fitting suit and blazer is simply unacceptable at this age. It doesn't matter if your job calls for it or not, there are some places flip-flops just can't take you, and that's a good thing. If you can walk into an Urban Outfitters and fit in with every tinnie bopper, that doesn't mean you're a hipster. It means that you need to donate most of your clothes to Goodwill. Take it from us you don't want to be embarrassingly underdressed to work or dating functions. You might be able to skate by with a lackluster wardrobe, but is that really how you want to paint your 20's? Ditch the Nike's and grab a pair of desert boots; you will thank me later.

Gym & Diet

No, someone didn't pull a hilariously cruel joke on you and switch all your mirrors with the ones at the carnival. You're getting fat, and sadly your not getting any slimmer. Now that you can actually afford to eat whatever you want, your metabolism is throwing you a reality check, and you can bank on the fact that there will be plenty more deposits. If you don't want to lose that amazing physique that you have had all your life, you need to fight for it. Here is where gym memberships are at an all-time high and carbs at an all-time low. Now you don't have to go all vegan on us, but if you don't start investing in yourself now, there won't be much later for your twilight years (not a movie reference). Cutting down on the sweets and poor eating habits is just something that comes along with adulthood. The faster you realize this, the easier the transition will be. We all know the women will love your sculpted abs and the confidence they bring, but this is for your own self-preservation. But if you need some extra incentive, women will love your sculpted abs and the confidence they bring (just saying).

Personal Grooming

Alright, this last one isn't something that should have started in your 20's, but it is something that becomes blatantly obvious when not taken care of during them. Guys, it's time to start caring about your hair, your beard, and yes, your pores. What's the point of having a perfect body with an unsightly beard and body odor. This may be a shock, but 80-99% of people will not see your pecs during the course of the day, but they will see your filmy teeth and Eddie Monster widow's peak. Shaving, regular showers, and timely haircuts are beyond expected now. There was a time where you could get away with not being up on all three; that time is over, fellas. Good hygiene separates us from animals (that and iPhones), so don't feel feminine for wanting to make sure your skin isn't filled with toxins or that you smell pleasantly every time someone comes near you. One last thing, clip your nails. Just do it.

Now that you are in top shape, these are milestones that you need to go on. When you 21, 25, and 30 are causes for celebration and significant birthdays in your life. They each mean higher access in life and mark your growth as a man. Other important days to step out are on New Year's and reunions; they all trigger much-needed self-reflection and evaluation of life thus far. Don't focus on what you have done wrong, but more so on the experience, you have had and the people you shared them with. Grab a drink, get to work, and enjoy your roaring 20's.

#lifestyle #wellness #phil

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stopbullyingatschools · 4 years ago

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Op-Ed: Only adults can stop bullying in schools

Most probably, you are familiar with the following situation: a group of children stands and tosses a hat to each other, and a boy runs from one to another and tries to grab it. Adults, including teachers, often think children have so much fun and their games are just like that. But it's one thing when they threw my hat today, tomorrow - yours, and the day after tomorrow – someone else’s. Yes, in that case, you might think that this is a game. But if this is done every day in relation to only one child, it is already bullying.

Often, parents and teachers think that bullying is just childish naughtiness. They close their eyes to this problem and try to stay away from arguments. But this position held by adults is wrong.

Nowadays, there is a lot of information about this phenomenon in mass media. Children persecute each other, parents argue with offenders and teachers, and some of the students even bring cold steel to their school. Why does it happen?

There has always been the problem of bullying in schools. The fact is that not all cases became public. According to the UNESCO Institute of Statistics, one third of the globe’s youth is bullied; this ranges from as low as 7% in Tajikistan to 74% in Samoa and is pervasive across all regions and countries of different income levels. For example, 44% of adolescents in Afghanistan experience bullying, as do 35% of adolescents in Canada, 26% in Tanzania and 24% in Argentina.

Often, adults - both teachers and parents - do not know what to do when a child is being bullied. They are lost. And some mums and dads do not even know what is happening to their son or daughter at school. If you are a parent and begin to notice that your son or daughter suddenly starts to be rude to you, stops doing homework, and generally announces that he or she no longer wants to go to school, keep in mind that bullying may be the reason for this behavior. It is possible that your child is being bullied by a classmate and, from this, the child is under constant stress. In this case, your child's behavior is understandable. When children abruptly lose educational motivation, they do not want to develop and they stop being interested in what they liked before - all of these are the consequences of bullying. And it should alert parents in the first place.

Bullying is the repetitive aggressive behavior of one person or group of people and is a very cruel form of treatment. By inflicting physical harm or causing moral suffering to someone, the offenders enjoy it in a way.

There are three main forms of bullying: physical abuse, verbal abuse, and social isolation. Physical abuse is when a child is beaten, kicked, locked up in a room, or when his things are damaged. Verbal abuse is verbal humiliation, insults, or giving offensive nicknames. Social isolation is when children do not want to sit at the same desk with you, stand next to you at a physical education class, or even talk to you.

Some parents believe that, when their child is being teased, he should deal with this problem on his own. From parents, you can often hear, “Why are you sneaking? You must decide everything yourself! I do not want to raise a sissy out of you and every time interfere on every occasion.” Or, “Try to earn the sympathy of the offender, win his favor, negotiate with him.” Also, parents can give this piece of advice: “Well, ignore him, do not pay attention, then he will let you alone.” And fathers generally like to advise the following: “Give a rebuff to him. Be stronger, be braver.” Parents simply do not understand that their child, who is the object of bullying, no longer has the strength to resist this pressure. Indeed, as a rule, not one type of bullying is used against him but several at once.

The fact is that bullying affects not only the child being bullied but also the children watching the situation, or bystanders. They think, “if no one stops the bullying, then this is normal and it should be so.” This does not pass without a trace for the bully, too; reality is distorted in his mind, which makes it more difficult for him later to build relationships in a team or family. Having once felt the power over others, he gets pleasure from it.

Adults must be able to distinguish bullying from conflict. So, in a conflict, both parties bear the same responsibility for what happens in their relationship and can evenly influence the situation - this is a one-time action. Bullying, on the other hand, is a purposeful, repetitive action committed for the purpose of causing pain and receiving a pleasure in return. Conflict has a reason, bullying doesn't.

Sometimes, we hear from the parents, “So what, children shouldn't be in conflict at all?” But if conflict is the normal dynamic of the group's development, then bullying is a pathology of its development. If the conflict can be resolved, then bullying can only be stopped. And adults must definitely interfere; the children themselves will not improve the situation. It is important to get the bullied child a chance to talk. Yes, it's not easy. They may be afraid of bringing up the topic or seeing the indifference of adults. It is also difficult for teachers in this regard. Sometimes, even very good teachers shrug their shoulders: “We do not know what to do with this ...”;

A child who has found himself in a bullying situation should, first of all, be told, “You must not be silent!” At this moment, it is important for him to trust someone, to speak out, because bullying is not a shame, not a disgrace, and in general the child is not guilty of anything, which means that he no longer needs to endure. When working with a child who has suffered from bullying, you should try to help him raise his self-esteem, such as by saying that he is good and clever. It is important for him to hear these words from his parents. Surely, it is necessary to explain that the situation in which he finds himself does not make him better and stronger, it only hinders his development.

Sometimes, parents transfer their child to another school. But first you need to try to resolve the issue with the teachers. If necessary, involve the school administration. You can deal with bullying. But it's a long journey and sometimes a difficult one. And here it is important to consider that, at a younger age, this process is easier. However, if adults do not intervene in the situation and remain indifferent, the consequences can be quite serious.

Most often, children with some peculiarities become the object of bullying. For example, they have colored hair, protruding ears, or some kind of physical disabilities. A child with mental disabilities from a dysfunctional family can also become a victim. In turn, a bully can be a child who really wants to achieve leadership positions in a team and to be in the top roles. And, unfortunately, they do not know how to achieve this in socially acceptable ways - for example, by means of success in sports, studies, or social activities. Very often, children who are abused by their parents become aggressors. Thus, the child relieves his stress by acting out on his peers.

It is important to remember that bullying is not a two-person problem between a bully and victim. This is a problem for the entire team, for the entire system. If we are talking about a school class, then this situation needs to be addressed at the level of adults, not children. By standing together and preventing tossing someone’s hat, the number of depressed and suicidal children can drop along with those who fear for their life while attending school.

#socialchange #stopbullying #anti-bullying

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jeromebrooke1991 · 4 years ago

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#Early Ejaculation Cure In Homeopathy Eye-Opening Useful Tips #Best Herbal Drug For Premature Ejaculat

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junker-town · 5 years ago

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Why were we all so wrong about the Browns?

Baker Mayfield and the Browns have had a rough 2019 season.

Most of us had high expectations for Cleveland in 2019. Most of us were fools.

One look at the Cleveland Browns, and it’s easy to see why they’re not winning. The offense isn’t working at all as they try and move away from being a power running team to one that feeds Odell Beckham Jr. and forces Baker Mayfield to win games with his arm.

There are some real problems on defense, too. The Browns are allowing 25.6 points per game, 141.3 rushing yards per game, and have only managed to force nine turnovers — all of which rank in the bottom third of the league.

And while they’re a mess on the field, there are concerns off the field as well. Mayfield has been getting into it with reporters. Beckham keeps getting fined, and safety Jermaine Whitehead was released after some controversial tweets. Individually, these incidents may not create a narrative. Together, it suggests first-time head coach Freddie Kitchens is in over his head managing all of this.

This type of dysfunction is nothing new from the Browns. They’ve been an NFL punching bag for most of their existence, especially since the franchise returned in 1999. In the two decades since, they’ve made it to the playoffs just once: in 2002, which ended in a wild card exit.

Yet many of us thought this year would be different. They opened the season tied for the eighth-best odds to win the Super Bowl (alongside the Packers and Cowboys!) and NFL fans were clearly buying into the hype.

Why did we fool ourselves into believing in another reality for the 2019 Browns? Why were we so hasty to ignore the warning signs? Let’s dive into it.

It was easy to overlook Kitchens’ inexperience

Cleveland has had so much instability over the years — the team is currently on its seventh head coach this decade. That made it easier to believe it was a good idea to retain Kitchens, an interim offensive coordinator without a full season of coordinating or any head coaching experience under his belt. The players liked him, which counted for a lot, especially in the wake of the Hue Jackson era.

Before the season, SB Nation’s Geoff Schwartz warned us about the unrealistic expectations being placed on Kitchens, and he was right on the money.

Kitchens might be well equipped to handle every situation, or just some of them. He’s going to be learning on the fly. But, unlike other first-year head coaches, if Kitchens makes a mistake that leads to a loss, or if there’s too much drama, or if the Browns don’t make the playoffs, this season will be a failure. That’s a big weight for a first-time head coach!

Unfortunately, things haven’t been good under Kitchens. The Browns might mostly be defined by their lack of discipline. They have had 17 giveaways, third-worst in the league, and have a turnover differential of minus-8. They have been called for 75 penalties in 2019, the most in the league.

If that wasn’t enough, Kitchens has drawn the fans’ ire for several mistakes in game management and playcalling. You can point to most Browns games this season and find a pretty glaring error he’s made, and most of the time, Cleveland was still in the game when it happened.

In a Week 3 loss to the Rams, the Browns saw multiple red zone opportunities evaporate as they tried to force passes to Beckham and Jarvis Landry, despite strong play from the offensive line and Nick Chubb. They scored once in four red zone trips, a crucial failure in a game they only lost by a score of 20-13. Kitchens admitted after that game that he was still learning how to call plays, even though he had done it (successfully) in the second part of 2018.

Three weeks later, a near-touchdown to Landry in the fourth quarter against the Seahawks showed Kitchens’ inexperience. Kitchens eventually challenged the call, but first, the ball was snapped and Chubb ran it on fourth-and-goal. The play didn’t count, and Kitchens lost his challenge. So what did Kitchens do? He called the exact same run to Chubb that he had just shown the Seahawks. It didn’t work, and the Browns lost 32-28.

Then in a surprisingly competitive Week 8 game against the Patriots (at least initially), Kitchens made his most egregious mistake yet:

So false start in 4th & 11, with punt unit, Freddie pulls them puts offense out for 4th & 16. Baker sacked. Nathan Zegura just reported, #Browns deliberately false started so the offense could return to the field because Kitchens didn't want to burn final timeout. Clown show.

— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) October 27, 2019

So the Browns went for it from their own 19-yard line, on a fourth-and-16 attempt, which apparently was his plan all along. They failed, as expected.

In hindsight, it was unreasonable to expect Kitchens to be able to turn things around so quickly, though I think at this point, he’s doing worse than even the doubters expected. The Browns, at 2-6 on the season, are no better off in the standings than when they fired Jackson at 2-5-1 last year.

While Kitchens has emphasized that the Browns simply need to execute better, it falls on the coach to put his team in position to do that. So far, he hasn’t.

The talent was — and is — there on paper

When the Browns made the move to acquire Beckham, it was clear they wanted to win now. That’s an aggressiveness we hadn’t seen from them in a long time. Looking at their roster heading into the season, there was a lot of talent to get excited about.

Let’s start with the quarterback. Mayfield threw eight touchdowns before Jackson and OC Todd Haley were fired last season. But in the final eight games of 2018, he threw for another 19 for a total of 27 touchdowns, setting and NFL rookie record and surpassing the likes of Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson.

He threw fewer interceptions than he did in the first half of the season and seemed to flourish with Kitchens running the offense. Once Jackson was gone, Mayfield began to thrive in a way that had the No. 1 pick looking like a franchise quarterback.

And he had the offensive pieces to excel in his second year.

Landry made the Pro Bowl with Mayfield throwing passes, but what he really needed was another receiver to take some of the load off him. Beckham, aside from making circus catches that dominate the highlight reel, is a production machine whose addition was expected to boost for Landry.

Then there’s the running game, led by an emerging Chubb. As a rookie alongside Mayfield, Chubb rushed for 996 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s been even better this season, too.

Instead of all of those offensive pieces coming together, though, Mayfield has regressed. That’s not all on Kitchens. Mayfield is clearly forcing passes and he’s been extremely predictable outside the pocket, always rolling out to his right and focusing in on a single receiver — notably, on a fourth-and-4 play against the Broncos with the game on the line:

Baker went across the middle to Landry with two defenders instead. Ouch. pic.twitter.com/bB0zlW3tgV

— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) November 4, 2019

He’s thrown just seven touchdowns against 12 interceptions, and his passer rating has dropped from 93.7 as a rookie to 71.3 this season. He’s also become a meme.

Combining his sophomore slump with Kitchens’ playcalling errors, the coach-quarterback combination has floundered.

Defensively, the Browns have a deep, young core that should be far better than it is. Pass rusher Myles Garrett, another first overall draft pick, is the star of the unit. Garrett is one of the more complete defensive ends in the league, and has 30.5 sacks in 35 career games.

This offseason, the Browns added veterans Sheldon Richardson and Olivier Vernon to the defensive line. Vernon had seven sacks in 11 games with the Giants in 2018, and pairing him with Garrett was expected to result in fireworks. That hasn’t gone as planned, either.

While Garrett has amassed 10 sacks, he is one of the most-penalized players in the league. Vernon has only registered three sacks so far. Richardson has also struggled against the run, and the defensive line hasn’t made big plays when it needs to. Instead, Cleveland has allowed the five-most explosive running plays in the league, per Sharp Football.

Two highly drafted cornerbacks, Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams, lead the secondary. Despite being banged up there, it’s one area where the Browns haven’t disappointed too much, allowing just 216.3 passing yards per game, sixth-best in the league. However, they’re merely average when it comes to explosive pass plays allowed.

This team is loaded with playmakers. The fact that they aren’t executing — and in the case of Mayfield, regressing — is another black mark on Kitchens’ record.

We like rooting for the underdogs

Let’s get this out of the way: schadenfreude is a favorite pastime of sports fans, to a fault.

I don’t like people getting fired or hurt, but when the team owner tries to overhaul the way NFL front offices work while dealing with multiple criminal investigations, well ... maybe it’s OK to laugh when the on-field product resembles a dumpster fire made out of turds?

Pretty much everybody interested in the NFL, including Browns fans, has enjoyed a joke at the team’s expense over the years. I’ve certainly had my share. But I, like many, was fully on board with the concept of the Browns being good again. The humor can only last so long before the situation just becomes sad.

It’s also our natural tendency to root for the underdogs. The Browns being good again would have been endearing, in the exact same way that the Patriots missing the Super Bowl would be cathartic. Things have been soul-crushingly bad for the Browns for so long, that seeing them succeed would do a lot for my cynical and frosted-over heart.

The Browns having a reason to cheer for the first time in literal decades would be a strike against the status quo. The shittiness of the Browns represents the shittiness of the world, and it’s nice to be able to forget about the latter by rooting for something positive happening to Cleveland.

But when the Browns suck and the Patriots are still stupidly good, it feels like nothing ever changes.

Sadly, the Browns are getting in their own way the same they have for a long time. I still feel for Browns fans, but at this point, there are no easy fixes. The team will either have to stick with Kitchens, who doesn’t inspire confidence, or move on and face more uncertainty in another offseason filled with change.

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morganbelarus · 7 years ago

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Love Island: What’s the big deal? – BBC News

Image copyright ITV

Image caption Love Island contestants (l-r) Jessica, Marcel, Olivia, Dominic and Amber are hoping to find romance this year

Falling in love isn't easy - let alone falling in love on national television.

But that's what 13 "sexy singletons" are hoping to do on Love Island, which has just begun its third series on ITV2.

If you've never seen it before, the premise is to couple up and convince the public to keep you on the island in order to win 50,000 - all while trying to find your perfect match.

Think Big Brother but with board shorts, bikinis and more under-the-sheets shenanigans than you can shake a stick at, as the couples chop and change throughout the series.

If you have seen it before, it's likely to be one of your guilty pleasure programmes you've agreed to dedicate the next seven weeks of your life to. Or you may throw it in your trash TV basket.

Image copyright ITV

Image caption Caroline Flack presents the rebooted version of the reality show

You may remember Love Island in its previous life as Celebrity Love Island, which ran from 2005-06 and featured the likes of Jayne Middlemiss, Callum Best and Strictly Come Dancing's Brendan Cole trying to find love.

It was revived two years ago with average Joes taking part and was met with relatively modest success, watched by an average of 595,000 people - but still a hit for ITV2.

Last year it exploded, with an average of 1.4 million fans tuning in daily to watch. The show became must-see viewing amongst mainly female (67.4%) viewers and under 35s (63.6%).

Scheduled against Channel 5's Big Brother, about 1.2 million people are currently tuning into the sunny island escapes in Mallorca - 200,000 more than those watching the action in rainy Borehamwood.

So what's all the fuss about?

Who are the contestants?

Predominantly aged 20-23 - with the oldest a positively ancient 31 - this year's contestants have clearly been cast for today's social media and millennial audience.

They all have very active Instagram pages (which was likely a pre-requisite to appear), but here are a few that stand out.

Image copyright ITV

Executive assistant Chloe, 22, says she's come on the programme "looking for the love of my life".

Image copyright ITV

If you're a fan of Noughties pop you might recognise Marcel, who used to be in Blazin' Squad - but more on him later.

Image copyright ITV

Oil rig worker Sam, 21, introduced himself by saying: "I pull birds for a living."

Image copyright ITV

But don't think it's all glamour models and wannabe celebrities - 27-year-old Camilla works in explosive ordnance disposal, going into countries after conflicts and getting rid of landmines so they don't injure civilians. Oh, and she apparently dated Prince Harry.

The memes

The Twitter commentary that accompanies each episode is of epic proportions, which gives viewers all the more reason to watch it live to be part of the conversation.

#LoveIsland trended every night in its first week, with viewers keen to share their views on the villa's antics.

The first episode was full of memes on how Marcel was trying to keep his Blazin' Squad past a secret, but then told a bunch of his housemates. Unfortunately as the group's first hit was in 2002 and most of the contestants are in their early 20s, Marcel's claim to fame was met with mostly tumbleweed.

Image copyright Twitter

After the third episode there was a lot of debate over whether Camilla was too "boring" because she failed to kiss or fall in love with anyone in the first 48 hours.

Image copyright Twitter

Controversies

Viewers this year will be hoping for a similar sort of scandal that last year's series produced.

Miss Great Britain Zara Holland lost her crown after scenes showing her performing a sex act with a fellow contestant were screened.

Image copyright ITV

Miss GB organisers said they couldn't promote her "as a positive role model moving forward", adding she "simply did not uphold the responsibility expected of the title".

But it all happened without the model knowing as she was in the villa without access to the outside world. A week later she quit the show after her mother fell ill.

The show attracted further controversy after it broadcast islanders Emma-Jane Woodham and Terry Walsh having sex 10 minutes after the watershed.

Seven people complained to Ofcom, but the watchdog cleared ITV2, saying the broadcaster had given viewers enough warning.

Life after Love Island

Like most reality TV shows these days, contestants hope their appearance will be a launch pad for other things.

For some, it's led to... more reality TV.

Image copyright Getty Images

Series one's Jon Clark and series 2 winners Cara De La Hoyde and Nathan Massey (pictured above) have appeared in The Only Way Is Essex, and fellow series contestant Rykard Jenkins moved on to Ibiza Weekender. First series hopefuls Josh Ritchie went on to star in Ex On the Beach.

But there have been other more lucrative successes - last year's runner-up Olivia Buckland launched her own clothing range earlier this year.

She also secured a number of endorsement deals with her Love Island partner, Alex Bowen, including Christmas pudding flavoured condoms.

And they do find love

Yes they do apparently, although most haven't.

Despite promising to stay together forever on the show, Cara and Nathan managed to last a year before splitting up in April. Last month Cara announced she was pregnant with Nathan's baby, but they would not be reuniting.

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption Alex Bowen popped the question to Olivia Buckland in New York on New Year's Eve

More happily, Olivia and Alex announced their engagement after a New Year's Eve proposal and are set to get married next summer.

Fellow series two couple Scott (brother of Emmerdale star Adam) Thomas and Kady McDermott are still going strong, living together in Manchester.

And there has also been the first Love Island baby this year - after 2016 contestants Cally Jane Beech and Luis Morrison welcomed baby Vienna in May.

Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].

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endenogatai · 6 years ago

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VOI Technology, the e-scooter startup from Sweden, raises $50M led by Balderton Capital

VOI Technology, an e-scooter startup headquartered in Sweden but with pan-European ambitions, has raised $50 million in Series A funding, confirming our earlier scoop. As I previously reported, London-based venture capital firm Balderton Capital has led the round, alongside LocalGlobe, Raine Ventures, and previous VOI backer Vostok New Ventures.

A number of angel investors also participated. They include Cristina Stenbeck, Jeff Wilkes (Amazon), Justin Mateen (co-founder of Tinder), Nicolas Brusson (CEO and co-founder of BlaBlaCar), Sebastian Knutsson (co-founder of King), Spencer Rascoff (CEO of Zillow), and Keith Richman.

A source with knowledge of VOI’s early fundraising tells me this is in actual fact two rounds effectively being announced at the same time, although both VOI and Balderton say this is not the case. The e-scooter startup had previously raised around $3 million earlier this year.

What I do know, however, is the size of this new round got increased significantly very late on as VOI continues to gain early traction and the round became more competitive with a lot of VC interest. According to my sources, the initial target was $15 million at a pre-money valuation of between $35-40 million. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to confirm the new valuation based on this much larger fundraise. Both VOI and Balderton declined to comment.

Launched in Sweden’s Stockholm in August 2018 by founders Fredrik Hjelm, Douglas Stark, Adam Jafer and Filip Lindvall, VOI has since expanded to Madrid, Zaragoza and Malaga in Spain. The plan is to use the new funding to continue to expand into new European markets. Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, and Portugal are said to be launching “in the coming months”. The VOI jobs page reveals that VOI is recruiting country managers for Denmark, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey, and Finland, too.

Like other e-scooter startups, VOI pitches itself as a way to ease traffic-clogged city centres and reduce pollution, with VOI’s scooters offering a “clean, efficient, cost-effective and zero emission” first-and-last-mile alternative to cars and taxis. After downloading the VOI app, you simply locate a nearby scooter on the street or via the app’s map, press the ‘ride’ button, scan the VOI QR code, and ride anywhere in the city. The company charges a €1 unlocking fee and a ride costs €0.15 per minute.

In just 12 weeks, VOI claims to have garnered 120,000 users, who have taken 200,000 rides, travelling 350,000 kilometres. It says this makes VOI Europe’s leading e-scooter sharing company.

“We see that we’ve changed user behaviour drastically in a very short time period,” VOI CEO Fredrik Hjelm tells me. “We changed how people commute, people move themselves. We changed how people transport within cities almost instantly after they try the scooters for the first time”.

He says this has resulted in “very strong retention rates, recurring use, and also friend referrals”.

“I’m from up in the North in Sweden, and for me it’s very difficult to understand, and it’s absurd, why we have so many cars and why our cities are built for cars, taxes and trucks, and not for people, animals, scooters, bikes, and light electric vehicles,” explains Hjelm. “That’s more from an ideological perspective. For me, scooters power freedom”.

VOI is also talking up its “distinctive” European approach in the way the company works collaboratively with city authorities. This is very different to the ‘ask for forgiveness not permission’ mentality of Silicon Valley.

“When you are reading the news, you get the feeling that city politicians are against scooters. The reality is the other way around,” Hjelm says. “The only thing is that they want a say in this and how it should be operated, so we don’t end up in a scooter graveyard situation that we see in some U.S. cities… Pretty much every European city has some kind of ambition or vision to become less dependent on fossil fuel driven cars and other vehicles”.

Balderton’s entrance into the e-scooter market comes after three of the other “big four” London VC firms have already made U.S. investments in the space. Index and Accel have backed Bird, and Atomico has backed Lime.

Last month also saw Berlin’s Tier raise €25 million in Series A funding led by Northzone, in another attempt to create the “Bird or Lime of Europe,” even if it is far from clear that Bird or Lime won’t take that title for themselves (which is obviously the bet being made by Index, Accel and Atomico). And two month’s ago Taxify also announced its intention to do e-scooter rentals under the brand Bolt, first launched in Paris but also planning to be pan-European.

This has led some VCs to describe the e-scooter space in Europe as a venture capital “blood bath” waiting to happen. The thinking is that the market has become so competitive so early, a lot of VC dollars are going to be spent (and potentially wasted) before it is far from clear who will be the eventual winner. That feels quite unusual for Europe, where it is more common for competing VCs to back off or co-invest once one or two of the big firms (or Rocket Internet) have made their move or when there is a better-funded U.S. competitor on the horizon — a point I put to Balderton Partner Lars Fjeldsoe-Nielsen.

“Yeah, and I think if we kept doing that as a VC community, we would never see any billion dollar companies coming out of Europe,” he replies. “This is why we’re backing VOI. [But] I get your point: it’s up against large amounts of capital”.

Describing e-scooters as a massive opportunity to change that, Fjeldsoe-Nielsen says that in the last four weeks VOI has doubled it revenues and that Balderton is seeing the same kind of traction and market reaction as Bird and Lime in the U.S.

“We believe an equally big company can come out of Europe,” he adds.

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themakersmovement · 6 years ago

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VOI Technology, the e-scooter startup from Sweden, raises $50M led by Balderton Capital VOI Technology, an e-scooter startup headquartered in Sweden but with pan-European ambitions, has raised $50 million in Series A funding, confirming our earlier scoop. As I previously reported, London-based venture capital firm Balderton Capital has led the round, alongside LocalGlobe, Raine Ventures, and previous VOI backer Vostok New Ventures. A number of angel investors also participated. They include Cristina Stenbeck, Jeff Wilkes (Amazon), Justin Mateen (co-founder of Tinder), Nicolas Brusson (CEO and co-founder of BlaBlaCar), Sebastian Knutsson (co-founder of King), Spencer Rascoff (CEO of Zillow), and Keith Richman. A source with knowledge of VOI’s early fundraising tells me this is in actual fact two rounds effectively being announced at the same time, although both VOI and Balderton say this is not the case. The e-scooter startup had previously raised around $3 million earlier this year. What I do know, however, is the size of this new round got increased significantly very late on as VOI continues to gain early traction and the round became more competitive with a lot of VC interest. According to my sources, the initial target was $15 million at a pre-money valuation of between $35-40 million. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to confirm the new valuation based on this much larger fundraise. Both VOI and Balderton declined to comment. Launched in Sweden’s Stockholm in August 2018 by founders Fredrik Hjelm, Douglas Stark, Adam Jafer and Filip Lindvall, VOI has since expanded to Madrid, Zaragoza and Malaga in Spain. The plan is to use the new funding to continue to expand into new European markets. Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, and Portugal are said to be launching “in the coming months”. The VOI jobs page reveals that VOI is recruiting country managers for Denmark, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey, and Finland, too. Like other e-scooter startups, VOI pitches itself as a way to ease traffic-clogged city centres and reduce pollution, with VOI’s scooters offering a “clean, efficient, cost-effective and zero emission” first-and-last-mile alternative to cars and taxis. After downloading the VOI app, you simply locate a nearby scooter on the street or via the app’s map, press the ‘ride’ button, scan the VOI QR code, and ride anywhere in the city. The company charges a €1 unlocking fee and a ride costs €0.15 per minute. In just 12 weeks, VOI claims to have garnered 120,000 users, who have taken 200,000 rides, travelling 350,000 kilometres. It says this makes VOI Europe’s leading e-scooter sharing company. “We see that we’ve changed user behaviour drastically in a very short time period,” VOI CEO Fredrik Hjelm tells me. “We changed how people commute, people move themselves. We changed how people transport within cities almost instantly after they try the scooters for the first time”. He says this has resulted in “very strong retention rates, recurring use, and also friend referrals”. “I’m from up in the North in Sweden, and for me it’s very difficult to understand, and it’s absurd, why we have so many cars and why our cities are built for cars, taxes and trucks, and not for people, animals, scooters, bikes, and light electric vehicles,” explains Hjelm. “That’s more from an ideological perspective. For me, scooters power freedom”. VOI is also talking up its “distinctive” European approach in the way the company works collaboratively with city authorities. This is very different to the ‘ask for forgiveness not permission’ mentality of Silicon Valley. “When you are reading the news, you get the feeling that city politicians are against scooters. The reality is the other way around,” Hjelm says. “The only thing is that they want a say in this and how it should be operated, so we don’t end up in a scooter graveyard situation that we see in some U.S. cities… Pretty much every European city has some kind of ambition or vision to become less dependent on fossil fuel driven cars and other vehicles”. Balderton’s entrance into the e-scooter market comes after three of the other “big four” London VC firms have already made U.S. investments in the space. Index and Accel have backed Bird, and Atomico has backed Lime. Last month also saw Berlin’s Tier raise €25 million in Series A funding led by Northzone, in another attempt to create the “Bird or Lime of Europe,” even if it is far from clear that Bird or Lime won’t take that title for themselves (which is obviously the bet being made by Index, Accel and Atomico). And two month’s ago Taxify also announced its intention to do e-scooter rentals under the brand Bolt, first launched in Paris but also planning to be pan-European. This has led some VCs to describe the e-scooter space in Europe as a venture capital “blood bath” waiting to happen. The thinking is that the market has become so competitive so early, a l…

VOI Technology, the e-scooter startup from Sweden, raises $50M led by Balderton Capital – TechCrunch

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theinvinciblenoob · 6 years ago

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In just 12 weeks, VOI claims to have garnered 120,000 users, who have taken 200,000 rides, travelling 350,000 kilometres. It says this makes VOI Europe’s leading e-scooter sharing company.

He says this has resulted in “very strong retention rates, recurring use, and also friend referrals”.

“We believe an equally big company can come out of Europe,” he adds.

via TechCrunch

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eskildsenmoreno6-blog · 7 years ago

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45 Free No WiFi Games 2018 For Android And IOS.

Check out our choice of our favourite new Android video games readily available in 2018, along with what we think are the very best Android video games of all time. Unfortunately, most Solitaire ports on both iOS and Android are filled with ads, often loading an advertisement every single Toy Blast hack time you refresh the video game. However Fortnite's recent free-to-play mobile release is a surprisingly proficient adjustment of the game you love and understand. If you've played other fight royale games like PUBG, h1z1 or fortnite, then you're currently halfway there! The web website programs which video games people are playing and which ones keep them engaged, and after that the company reimagines the video games for mobile. Their list of titles includes heavy players like the Shadowgun series (including their newest toy blast cheats release, Shadowgun Legends), the Dead Trigger series (two games), and UNKILLED. Super Hexagon has actually gathered a credibility as one of the most fiendishly challenging mobile video games ever made. https://mobileg4mer.com/toy-blast-cheats-and-overview/ is one of the most popular newest Android video games that provide a peaceful action experience with the story of Alto and his pals. Pktball, nevertheless, increases the pace and the required skill level, which naturally makes for an engaging same-handset multiplayer game Toy blast cheats. All these items-- things like rope arrows, climbing up gloves, and black jacks-- are bought with products and currency you make through playing the video game, not through purchasing things like "power gems" or "orbs," both which discover their way into other games we have actually consisted of on this list. You'll discover a few of the very best games to play in 2018 in the top of half of the post and a few of our long-lasting favourites nearer the bottom. The freemium mobile version of Skullgirls is a prequel to the main Toy Blast Hack combating game with a familiar mobile-oriented twist-- RPG aspects to level up your character, and day-to-day objectives and story components to keep you returning and kicking ass. Peter Ditko, Playing games for 15 years. It's time to pack up your mobile phone or tablet and get ready for some much better video gaming. Fortunately is, a lot of the virtual reality games on the list provide a simple technique to immersion. Mobile video gaming Toy Blast Hack as a whole has actually fought given that the beginning against the depiction that it was for losing time only, not making true art," which was reserved for consoles or committed video gaming platforms. The game plays as a side-scrolling platformer, and you'll fight your method through increasingly difficult opponents. Reigns was one of the very best games of 2016 and in fact Toy Blast Hack won the very first Google Play Indie Games contest So needless to state we were pumped to have a look at the follow up. Did you understand that 34% of the leading 1000 complimentary mobile video games were made with Unity? Appears like wizarding world fans will finally get to satisfy their imagine attending Hogwarts in the brand-new Harry Potter mobile game. The N-Gage brand was retained for a few years as a video games service included on Nokia's general-purpose phones. While previous Toy blast cheats in the series required you to use among numerous pre-programmed characters for your avatar, Pocket Camp finally adds the ability to customize your characters with complexion, gender alternatives, and so far more. Often you do not wish to play action video games, or games that need your brain to concentrate on things. If you discover yourself asking, All these games are well and good." But exactly what if I just wish to have fun with the main characters from the franchise." Then Star Wars Heroes is your game Toy Blast hack of choice. ABCya's acclaimed Kindergarten video game and apps are conceived and recognized under the direction of a certified innovation education instructor, and have been relied on by parents and instructors for ten years. There's a ton of great games available already and mobile VR might simply be the most interesting space for innovation. An advantage about the video game is that you do not toy blast cheats require any in-app purchases as there is free provision of various levels, transformations, and power ups. Its among the most addicting android video games 2018 have you ever played Atari's frog?. Thus, we have actually put together a list of 35 of the most excellent, best, low mb and free Android games you can play offline for tablets or mobiles. All live video games streamed on any item and offered Toy Blast Cheats through At Bat undergo local, local or nationwide blackouts. GRAND $ GAME: If any of your GROCERY PRODUCTS have a lower cost than the TARGET COST, win REWARD revealed for that item.

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agentreaperhere-blog · 7 years ago

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Usa vs russia

USA Takes on For Yellow metal After Troy Terry's Shootout Heroics Vs. Russia (Video)

President Obama and his little merry men (and women) diplomatic group guaranteed us modify, but precisely what kind of modification? Both Chinese President Xi Jingping and Russian President Putin are strong leaders with aspirations to recapture past glories. Xi's new foreign policy features solid positions over the East China Ocean disputes with Asia and the Southerly China Ocean disputes with Southeast Asia. As the globe offers observed, Putin offers been intense over Crimea and far eastern Ukraine. Both Xi and Putin think that their areas had been unfairly treated in the history and are unpleasant with the current worldwide usa vs russia.

The United Claims no longer offers the two war doctrine, which was often misinterpreted. In its place, they possess a template that offers them the means of fighting two wars at the same time. This was designed to quit North Korea from heading to battle when the US was fighting Iraq and Iran. The US provides supported down from the doctrine credited to changes happening in the international system. This also included the power of China that is definitely rising along with terrorist networks that are highly effective.

Russia's Protection Ministry replied to the assault by calling in the U.S. military attache in Moscow to say that at midnight Moscow time (5 p.m. EDT) it would close down a communications line used to avoid accidental clashes between Russian and U.S. forces in Syria, Interfax new agency stated. U.S i9000. warplanes regularly assault Islamic Condition militants in Syria and arrive near to Russian pushes.

The average warhead size in the USA arsenal is 330 KT. The Russian normal can be higher, but not really plenty of to modify this result. To trigger a nuclear winter season the particles clouds and smoke possess to become elevated above the troposphere into the high stratosphere. Any debris or smoke that can be released into the troposphere (below 70,000 feet) quickly down pours out in the climate within a few times to a week or therefore max.

Of course, all of the conventional military comparisons mean nothing if a conflict between the two powers fought a total war that led to a nuclear exchange. Although both countries have reduced the levels of their nuclear arsenals over the previous two years, both still have thousands of nuclear warheads. Use of nuclear weapons would negate any real or perceived strengths in other military areas, although some military strategists argue that with is population spread out over a greater distance and its population centers smaller and more dispersed, fewer Russian people would be affected by a nuclear battle. They would nevertheless stay in a globe significantly changed.

Although the Russian government provides nearly no open public information regarding its nuclear weapons storage space plan, it provides sometimes produced declarations. For example, at the 2010 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Meeting, Russia announced that the total amount of nuclear weapons storage space services provides been reduced fourfold” since 1991. At the same event, the Russian delegation distributed a publication saying that Russian non-strategic nuclear weapons are concentrated in centralized storage bases exclusively the national territory” (Russian Federation, 2010b:). Moreover, twice a year under the terms of New START, the Kremlin hands over a detailed list of its strategic force deployments to the US government. Unfortunately, the list is secret.

India also provides a significant cache of aircraft, including Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30MKIs and Mikoyan MiG-29s, simply because well as the respectable French-built multi-role fighter, the Dassault Mirage 2000. China is definitely maybe playing catch-up, but it's performing a good job. Its fleet includes Russia's Su-35s and Su-27s but the country is definitely also looking to match America's N-35 with its personal Chengdu M-20 stealth fighter. Brazil's many contemporary aircraft, the Saab JAS 39 Gripen multirole fighter, is normally another best ten aerial fighting machine. Presently the Southern African-american surroundings drive provides nothing at all that compares to its BRICS companions.

Stress between the United Claims and Russia are undeniably heating up, especially in the wake of the U.S. election which many in the government now state was inspired by Vladimir Putin. Therefore, it's most likely a great idea to maintain an attention on what kind of armed forces technology they're packaging, best? Thanks a lot to a fresh reveal by a Russian airplane producer, we can perform simply that This can be the Capital t-50, Russia's fresh stealth fighter aircraft.

I grew up and for some period worked well in closeness of slums and poverty in towns such as Boston, New York, Newark, or Dallas as a youthful guy in the United Areas during the 1960's i9000 and 1970s and after. The variations with Russia's financial loss are tremendous. The growing poverty in America since the beginning of the 1970's was as a deliberate economic policy consequence of Wall Street policies and notably so after the decision to abandon the Bretton Woods Gold Exchange Standard in 1971.

In the 1970's i9000 and 1980's i9000 the world's nuclear arsenals grew to an unfathomable size both in amounts and in harmful power. There was no question that the globe was facing Armageddon. It was an end that would end all of mankind and a post apocalyptic eyesight of hell on Globe for individuals who were unlucky enough to survive. We had boxed ourselves into a corner where global war was unthinkable.

Hands > Exports > Regular 1990 US$ > Per capita : Hands exchanges cover the source of military weapons through product sales, aid, gifts, and those made through manufacturing licenses. Data cover major standard weapons such as aircraft, armored vehicles, artillery, radar systems, missiles, and ships created for military use. Excluded are transfers of additional military products such as small arms and light weapons, trucks, small artillery, ammunition, support products, technology transfers, and additional providers. Per capita statistics portrayed per 1,000 people.

As we consider to the oceans, again the United State governments uses simply because very much on its navy blue - about 170 billion dollars - as various other countries could just wish to spend on all armed service twigs. Much of this money goes on infrastructure, procedures and maintenance, workers, analysis and advancement, simply because well as obtaining brand-new boats. The USA presently network marketing leads the globe with regards to aircraft carriers, buying 11 of them. It's presently developing the Gerald Ur. Ford course super-carrier, which should help bolster the navy's position as a global innovator. These ships are of great importance as they are in effect suspended militaries. The U.T. also offers 22 cruisers, 67 destroyers, 8 frigates, 75 submarines, 0 corvettes, 9 amphibious attack ships, 11 mine warfare ships and 55 patrol ships.

The destructive force of all the world's nuclear weapons is usually a fraction of what it once was. Surprisingly quietly, the USA and Russia have dismantled over 50,000 nuclear weapons over the past 30 years. The nuclear materials from these bombs and other stockpiles of weapons quality components, was recycled and utilized in nuclear power era over the previous 20 years. 1 A reality that few may end up being conscious of, the circumstance in fact crashed the uranium marketplace in the early 2000's i9000. The glut of obtainable fuel brought the open up marketplace trading worth down from $20 dollars a pound to close to $2 per pound at that period. Therefore a great deal provides transformed from the period when many of us can keep in mind the extremely true risk of mutually guaranteed devastation.

Every season the proper battle programs are up to date with the adjustments of genuine globe threats simply because well as adjustments in technology and plan. The One Integrated Operational Program (SIOP) is certainly the central U.S i9000. proper nuclear battle program. First attracted up in 1960, it provides eliminated through many adjustments over four years and provides advanced into a complicated and incredibly advanced record. Nevertheless, it still keeps echoes of its origins in the Cool Battle.

Huiyun Feng is senior researcher at the Danish Institute for Essential Research and Correlate Professor of Political Technology at Utah Condition College or university. She can be the author of Chinese Strategic Culture and Foreign Policy Decision-Making: Confucianism, Leadership and War (Routledge, 2007) and the co-author of Prospect Theory and Foreign Policy Analysis in the Asia Pacific: Rational Leaders and Risky Behavior (Routledge, 2013).

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iamnotanartist1 · 7 years ago

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A Festival That’s No Longer On Fire

Diversity defines our planet. From the various fauna and flora that abounds us, there are also countless breathing and living species inhabiting the earth. Humans have long since claimed superiority above everything else and made sure to put their mark all over the world – be it up in the skies, under the sea, or smack right in the middle on land. We may argue and disagree on a lot of things because of cultural diversity, language barriers, religious differences and much more but there are other ways on how we rectify our differences.

Festivals are a great way for people to come together and celebrate whatever needs celebrating. Whether it is a local festival celebrated in your hometown, a generic holiday celebrated by almost everyone all over the world like Christmas and New Year, an exotic celebration somewhere in the Pacific, or an event for a specific cause, going to festivals is a great way to learn more about the world and other cultures of people living in faraway places. You may also have the time of your life while you are at it.

Fyre Festival founders Ja Rule and Billy McFarland have reportedly been "barred" from holding another festival in the Bahamas next year.

According to Complex, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism will not allow Fyre Festival to return in 2018, and plans to enforce a "stricter vetting system" for future music festivals.

McFarland, a tech entrepreneur, had previously revealed that he plans on hosting another edition of Fyre Festival next year.

Speaking to Rolling Stone, he said: "We were a little naive in thinking for the first time we could do this ourselves. Next year, we will definitely start earlier. The reality is, we weren't experienced enough to keep up."

Fyre Festival's first ever event was launched last weekend, and was billed as a "cultural moment created from an alchemic blend of music, art and food", promoted by a wealth of "social influencers" including Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and Hailey Baldwin.

(Via: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/fyre-festival-bahamas-barred-organisers-ja-rule-billy-mcfarland-lawyers-tickets-latest-a7714816.html)

This is one example, though, of a festival that went all wrong. It had the formula of a sure hit. The festival was endorsed by the biggest names in Hollywood and social media and the perfect island to accommodate them with an outrageous theme alongside an equally outrageous price tag. Unfortunately, the organizers failed to deliver what they promised and everyone is beyond upset about the whole thing.

The ticketing vendor Tablelist has filed the latest lawsuit against the organizers of Fyre Festival, Billboard reports. The Boston-based start-up is seeking $3.5 million to refund its customers, claiming the promoters of the disastrous event in the Bahamas have yet to repay "a penny" to clients.

The suit was filed in Suffolk County Superior Court in Boston and names Fyre organizers Billy McFarland and Jeffrey "Ja Rule" Atkins, marketing director Grant Margolin and financial backer Carola Jain as defendants. They are accused of breach of contract and fraudulently deceiving Tablelist and ticket purchasers.

"We filed suit only after it became apparent to us that those behind Fyre Festival weren’t being square with us or our customers," Tableist CEO Julian Jung tells Rolling Stone in a statement. "I understand the anger that so many ticket purchasers feel. In fact, we share their anger and outrage. We are convinced that McFarland and the Fyre team weren't simply incompetent in hosting the event. We believe that they went into this project with intent to defraud us, the ticket purchasers and countless other vendors.

(Via: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ticket-vendor-tablelist-sues-fyre-fest-for-35-million-w482615)

The extent of the damage caused by this massive festival mishap is becoming more apparent to everyone as the days go by. People want their money back – that is without a question. Even ticketing vendors are upset about the whole fiasco, sharing the sentiments of everyone who paid for the festival regardless if they got to the island or not. They now believe that the organizers of the said event, namely Ja Rule and Billy MacFarland, intended on duping everyone right from the beginning.

This is just a perfect example of a festival gone badly before it even ignited. However, let’s all hope this won’t dampen the spirit of festival-goers all over the world, so we can all still be merry and have fun while immersing in different cultures and traditions while wiggling to the beat.

The article A Festival That’s No Longer On Fire was originally published on https://www.iamnotanartist.org

from I Am Not An Artist - Feed https://www.iamnotanartist.org/a-festival-thats-no-longer-on-fire/

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trenttrendspotter · 7 years ago

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Wellness Was the Total Store Experience

Wellness was top of mind and the hot topic at the recent NACDS (National Association of Chain Drug Stores) Total Store Experience in San Diego, August 20 – 22.

The industry as a whole is really “cleaning up” its act. Nielsen reports indicate clean label foods and beverages account for 30% share of food and beverage sales and saw growth of 5.6% in dollar sales over the last five years. In fact, 51% of American households view natural as important. Personal care products with a natural label claim grew 9.1% from the previous year.

These are stats we can celebrate. The stats for wellness seekers are on the rise as well but there is more that retailers can do. According to WSL Shopper Trends, 70% of wellness shoppers rate energy — being rested and physically fit to lead their daily lives — as a top priority to wellness. Yet only 40% feel it. “Sixty-five percent want a positive mental outlook, but only 40% achieve it. Fifty-one percent say clear glowing skin is a sign of Wellness, but only 36% feel they have it.”

There were a lot of items in the exhibit hall designed to close the gap on what people want and what they feel they have.

Changing the conversation about ears

Wally’s Natural is a leader in the Natural Products industry and Ear Care market and the innovative company debuted its newest product — Kids Ear Scrub. Wally’s Natural Kids Ear Scrub ensures the safest way to keep ears clean and the mild formula of the shampoo and soft sponge provide a gentle scrubbing action that can be done in the shower for extra convenience. Good-bye Q-Tips and hello Wally’s!

iHEAR combines superior sound quality with innovative online tools and is dedicated to developing affordable and accessible hearing solutions. Their line of devices consist of virtually invisible behind-the-ear hearing devices for mild to severe hearing loss in adults with common as well as complex hearing loss profiles. With so many devices to choose from the company makes it easy for the customer by providing them with an online diagnostic test to determine what iHear device will work best for them. Do you hear what iHEAR?

Comfoor��s Pluggerz make it easy for musicians and music enthusiasts to enjoy what they are listening to and protect their hearing at the same time. These custom-fit hearing protectors filter out excessive noise to a safe level while keeping sound quality high. They also allow you to communicate with others without having to remove the earplugs.

A more natural smile

Oralgen Nupearl introduced DIY whitening for the toughest stains. The Oralgen NuPearl system featuring nubright LED technology delivers dentist-quality results safely, from the convenience of home.

hello is a line of vegan toothpaste that covers oral care for the whole family. Available in flavors from apple to mint and with specially designed kids’ versions, this toothpaste definitely isn’t packaged or tastes like what we would expect from a vegan brand.

A healthy head of hair

BIOTA Botanicals merges science and nature to create herbal hair care products for men and women who suffer from thinning and damaged hair. This line of clinically tested, drug free products is gentle yet delivers superior results that have made it the go-to product in 35 countries. Now, men and women in the United States will be able to experience BIOTA’s herbal hair care collections that use naturally occurring minerals to nourish, strengthen, and stimulate hair growth!

Keep probiotics interesting

GoLive is on a mission to improve human health by addressing the foundation of the body’s digestive, metabolic and immune systems through their line of probiotics. Their line of ready to drink juices, teas and powder packets are made with the highest-quality ingredients and live probiotics! Whether you’re grabbing juice, tea or adding a powder to your favorite beverage you’ll be improving your overall health with some of the most effective blends of probiotics, prebiotics, amino acids and vitamins!

New super ingredients

Sashapure is giving women with multi-textural hair a new way to heal and nourish it. Sacha Inchi oil is the main ingredient in this innovative haircare line and it has a 48% higher healing power than argan oil, contains 17 times more omegas 3 & 6 than wild salmon and the highest amount of unsaturated fatty acids on the market. Along with delivering soft, healthy and shiny hair a portion of the company’s sales are donated to Amazon reforestation efforts in Peru — where Sacha Inchi oil is harvested.

Innovations in supplementation

Ddrops® is making it easier for everyone, from infants to adults, to improve bone health, build strong teeth and improve muscle strength and function through daily servings of vitamin D3 and vitamin D2. All Ddrops® vitamin D drops are tasteless, odorless and contain no preservatives, no artificial flavors and no added colors. Simply take one drop a day and you just might keep the doctor away!

A fresher scent for the throne

Just a Drop is a revolutionary and eco-friendly way to eliminate bathroom odor. Simply spray it into the toilet bowl before you go and its blend of natural essential oils creates a film on the surface of the water that traps odor under the surface, before it ever begins! Made from a highly concentrated plant extract you literally use “just a drop” and it effectively traps and eliminates 98% of odors before they escape into the air. Just a Drop is environmentally friendly, biodegradable and safe for all toilets and septic systems and leaves bathrooms smelling fresh!

Looking good, is feeling good

Nature’s best beauty secrets are kept in the South of France, but there is no need to call your travel agent thanks to Mademoiselle Provence. Driven by her entrepreneurial spirit coupled with years of French beauty knowledge Former Miss France, Chloe Mortaud, set out to share her best kept secrets with American women and Mademoiselle Provence was created. The line of beauty products, from shower gels to body sorbets, is vegan, uses natural indigents, is cruelty free and guaranteed to revitalize the skin and bring out your inner ‘je ne sais quoi’!

Convenience for parents

Referred to as “powerful lil’ nature potions,” Oilogic essential oils are 100% pure, contain no parabens are diluted properly provide a safe, yet effective solution for your baby or toddler. The Oilogic line of roll-on oils, calming creams and vapor baths are giving moms new, and natural, ways to comfort their little ones.

Handcraftmfg, makes great “change kits” so parents are always prepared to change from infant to toilet training to underwear.

Snuggle up to warm up

Warmie’s full range of personal line warming products and plush toys is an innovative way for the entire family to stay warm as temperatures begin to drop, whether you choose to snuggle up with a Warmie stuffed animal or hotpack. All Warmie products are safe to heat up in your microwave. Lavender scented, they provide a soothing way to warm up fast. Put down the water bottle and pick up something that’s snugglable, huggable and loveable-a Warmie! Their therapeutic use includes relief from backaches, tension, separate anxiety, stress, insomnia, arthritis, cramps, neck and shoulder pain, colic, muscle aches, sinus pressure, poor circulation, chills, flu, tendonitis, sinusitis. Even without being heated, the feel of the fabrics and weight of each Warmie is so friendly and engaging. Warmies are poised to be one of the hottest items at retail.

Keeping dangerous meds out

Unfortunately, drug abuse can begin at the family medicine cabinet or sometimes an inquisitive toddler, a experimenting teenager or someone else can get a hold of a pill bottle. Luckily SafeRx can keep our prescriptions out of the hands of those who they aren’t prescribed to. This potentially life saving Locking Prescription Vial can only be opened with a combination. SafeRx ensures that prescription drugs stay in the right hands!

The future of health care

The Vision 2028 pavilion revealed a glimpse into the future of retailing healthcare. It provided a snapshot of emerging technologies positioned to disrupt current approaches to doing business. Such technologies include augmented reality, virtual reality, 3D printing, machine learning, robotics and computer vision/facial recognition. Retailers and exhibitors had the unique opportunity to strategize about how their business will operate in the future — a decade from now — in addition to focusing on the product they need to sell today.

“Technology, omnichannel and rapid innovation continue to play an increasingly important role in the evolution of retail,” said Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE, president and CEO of NACDS.

According to Ron Otto, CEO of National Sales Solutions (NSS), leading provider of outsourced sales, marketing, and supply chain management for consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, “We consider Total Store Experience to be the pre-eminent trade show for any CPG firm wanting to expand distribution in the Drug/Mass/Food class of trade. It is also an excellent way to test new product concepts with the category managers, before launching nationally. This is as close to being a ‘focus group’ of retailers as you can get without spending a lot of time and money on research. The NSS sales management team attended over 250 appointments with our clients and retailers during the 4 day event. We are now following up on all the ‘leads’ to ensure our clients see a good return on their investment in TSE.”

The 2018 Total Store Expo will be held August 25 – 28, 2018 in Denver, CO.

– By The Trent Trend Spotter, Nancy Trent

As seen in Whole Foods Magazine.

#healthy living #whole foods magazine #NACDS #wellness

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sherristockman · 7 years ago

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How the Obesity Epidemic Got Started, and How We Can End It Dr. Mercola By Dr. Mercola "Fed Up," narrated by Katie Couric, investigates the misinformation touted by the processed food industry, and how these fallacies have created (and continue to drive) the global obesity epidemic. This includes the lies you've been told about calories and diet versus exercise, government subsidies that support the junk food industry, and government policies that prop up the processed food industry even though they're harming public health. As noted by Couric, obesity has been a topic of discussion for the last 30 years. Entire industries have grown around it. All sorts of diets and exercise programs have promised lasting results. Yet the problem has continued to balloon, seemingly out of control. In 2014, the obesity rate among American adults hit 38 percent — a 3 percent increase from 2012.1 Researchers looking at obesity rates around the world note that for the first time in history, obese people now outnumber those who are underweight.2,3,4,5 One in 5 American deaths is now associated with obesity,6 and the younger you are, the greater obesity's influence on your mortality. Considering one-third of American children between the ages of 2 and 19 are now overweight or obese, chronic disease and mortality rates will likely climb dramatically in coming decades. The Energy Balance Myth While the struggles of obesity were initially featured mostly in magazines and on talk shows, today, obesity has become a genre of entertainment, with reality TV programs detailing the lives and weight loss struggles of the obese. "We get new solutions every day," Couric says. "Everything in the grocery store is made with less fat and fewer calories, yet our kids keep getting bigger and sicker." Could there be a link between the ever-growing obesity problem and the governments dietary guidelines? the film asks. "That got me thinking. What if the solutions weren't really solutions at all?"Couric says. "What if they were actually making things worse? What if our approach toward this epidemic has been dead wrong?" One of the most widely held beliefs is that all you have to do to normalize your weight is to eat less and exercise more. This energy balance, "calories in, calories out" theory, originated with a simple observation involving mice, in 1953. Up until that point, exercise was strongly discouraged. Doctors warned it would cause heart attacks and lower sex drive. In his laboratory, the late nutritionist Jean Mayer noticed that fat mice ate the same amount of food as skinny mice. The difference was their activity level. The fat mice were not nearly as active as the thin ones. The logical conclusion Mayer drew from this observation was that lack of physical activity must be the cause of weight gain. "His finding sparked a fitness revolution," Couric notes. Ironically, just as the fitness craze exploded across the U.S., so did our waistlines! Between 1980 and 2000, memberships to fitness clubs doubled. In that same span of time, the national obesity rate also doubled. One decade later, 2 in 3 Americans were either overweight or obese. The same parallel trend is seen in other parts of the world. So, how is it that the more people exercise, the worse the obesity rates get? In recent years, we've also seen a trend of obese toddlers. Seeing how a 6-month-old child cannot exercise (or diet, for that matter), how does one explain this phenomenon? Clearly, something doesn't add up. Why Calorie Counting Doesn't Work As noted by several obesity experts in this film, calorie counting does not work. The entire premise that losing weight is a matter of expending more calories than you put in is flawed in more than one way. First of all, the average person simply cannot exercise long and hard enough to burn up the calories they eat in a given day. To offset a single 20-ounce soda, a child would have to bike ride for an hour and 15 minutes. To burn off a single chocolate chip cookie, you're looking at a 20-minute jog; a medium french fry would require just over an hour and 10 minutes of swimming. There's simply not enough time in the day to burn off the calories consumed, let alone burn more than you're putting in. Modern research has also shown that all calories are not made equal. Some calories are burned far easier than others, and some will stubbornly lodge themselves on your frame in the form of fat. A crucial point that must be understood is that the metabolic effects of nutrients (fats, carbs and proteins) differ. As an example, when you eat 160 calories' worth of almonds, the fiber in the nuts slows down absorption, resulting in a slower blood sugar rise and lower insulin release. Contrast that to a glass of soda. Because it has no fiber and contains processed fructose, your liver gets a large, sudden hit of sugar, causing a dramatic rise in blood sugar and insulin, which is a very potent fat regulator. Moreover, because fructose is metabolized entirely by your liver, nearly all of those calories are turned directly into body fat, opposed to being used up as fuel for energy. After fructose, other sugars and grains are among the most excessively consumed foods that promote weight gain and chronic disease. Yet the food industry, and especially the soda industry, keeps telling us that "all calories count, no matter where they come from." This simply isn't true, and the science is quite clear on this. Yet another part of the problem is a fundamental error in the understanding of the law of thermodynamics. Energy is actually used up in making nutrients available in your body. In addition to that, your body also self-regulates the amount of activity you engage in, based on the available energy. Zoe Harcombe's book, "The Obesity Epidemic," explains this beautifully. Food Industry Lies Obesity is rooted in inappropriate food choices, not lack of exercise. Unfortunately, the food industry has been permitted to confuse the issue by shifting the focus and discussion to exercise, completely omitting the importance of your specific food choices. As you can clearly see in this film, every single family struggling with obesity is eating precisely what they shouldn't — lots of cereal, for example, and low-fat or "diet" foods — thinking they're doing the right thing. Despite following conventional advice, they just keep getting fatter and, no wonder, because conventional advice is in fact dead wrong. Whole grains are supposed to help you lose weight. They don't. Whole grains are just as fattening as other grains. Grains and starches are rapidly converted into glucose (sugar) in your digestive tract, and are among the foods you should eat as little of as possible if you're struggling with excess weight. Low-fat foods are also supposed to help you lose weight. They don't. Low-fat foods are typically very high in sugar, and sugar is what makes you pack on excess weight, and prevents your body from burning body fat. Additionally, nearly all grains, especially whole grains, are high in lectins, which can have very serious adverse metabolic consequences by increasing inflammation and autoimmune conditions. The ramifications of this high-sugar, low-fat trend are dire. We are now seeing heart attacks and strokes in children as young as 8. We're seeing 30-year-olds on kidney dialysis after suffering kidney failure. According to the film, the number of cases of type 2 diabetes among American adolescents in 1980 was zero. Indeed, type 2 diabetes was referred to as adult-onset diabetes and was historically unheard of in children and young adults. In 2010, nearly 57,640 American adolescents were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Why Low-Fat 'Diet' Foods Make You Gain Weight What happened in the 1980s, food-wise to precipitate this rapid increase in type 2 diabetes and obesity? As detailed in the film, the 1977 McGovern Report,7 which warned the U.S. was facing an avalanche of obesity and ill health thanks to excessive consumption of animal fats, cholesterol and sugar, was firmly rejected by food industry lobbyists. And, while the first-ever dietary goals for the U.S. were published, the recommendation to reduce consumption of specific foods were omitted. Instead, Americans were encouraged to buy leaner meats and foods lower in saturated fats and cholesterol. This spawned a whole new industry of low-fat, "diet" foods. Alas, as fat was removed, sugar was added in. Between 1977 and 2000, Americans doubled their daily sugar intake, and sugar — not saturated fat and cholesterol — is the primary culprit causing weight gain. Eating fat does not make you fat. Eating sugar does. According to Dr. Robert Lustig, who is featured in the film, sugar is a chronic, dose-dependent liver toxin. Today, of the 600,000 food items sold in grocery stores, 80 percent of them contain added sugar. So, far from being relegated to sweet desserts, most everything you eat is loaded with sugar if you're eating processed foods. A jar of spaghetti sauce, for example, contains 5.5 teaspoons more sugar than a snack-sized pack of M&Ms. Most all commercial yogurts are also notoriously high in sugar, with some containing upward of 35 grams of sugar in a single-serving — 10 grams over the daily recommended limit for good health. Sugar also hides under several dozen different names. Some food manufacturers will hide their sugar content even more by listing several different kinds of sugar separately on the list of ingredients. Since ingredients are listed in order of its ratio to the total amount of a serving, this little trick makes it look as though there's far less sugar in it. Were they to lump all the different sugars together, it might have had to be listed as the No. 1 ingredient. Many also make the mistake of switching to artificially sweetened "diet" foods and drinks to avoid unnecessary calories. Alas, research has conclusively shown artificial sweeteners add to the obesity problem, and perhaps more so than regular sugar. Food Addiction Is Real The film also addresses the very real issue of food addiction, and sugar addiction in particular. Studies have demonstrated that sugar is eight times more addictive than cocaine. The biological mechanisms behind food addiction were clearly spelled out in a previous interview with Dr. Pamela Peeke, author of "The Hunger Fix." When babies are fed high-sugar foods from day one, they rapidly grow addicted to sugar. Few parents would consider doing this on purpose. They simply fail to realize that many infant formulas are absolutely loaded with sugar. They're basically feeding their infant the equivalent of soda, several times a day. Many also give their children fruit juice rather than water, thinking it's a healthy drink loaded with vitamins, again failing to realize a glass of fruit juice has as much sugar as a glass of soda. And, as noted in the film, the notion that all you need is the willpower to resist simply doesn't work when you're addicted. The other variable that is rarely if ever addressed in these discussions is the timing of your food. You can eat the same amount of calories but if you eat them in a time-restricted window, as one does in intermittent fasting, then you can help your body to burn fat for fuel and not suffer the metabolic consequences. I have recently increased my daily fast up to 18 to 20 hours and exercise fasting, as I believe that provides me with superior metabolic results. I've found intermittent fasting to be a highly effective tool that helps your body to shift from burning sugar to burning fat as its primary fuel, and with that change, food cravings tend to simply vanish. While intermittent fasting has not been tested specifically for people meeting the criteria of food addiction, if you're struggling with sugar cravings, I believe it would be worthwhile to give it a try. Interestingly, I just interviewed Dr. Dale Bredesen for his new book "The End of Alzheimer's," coming out August 22, and he shared that the dreaded ApoE 4 allele that is highly predictive of Alzheimer's is actually designed to give us metabolic flexibility to use fat for fuel and be able to go for long periods without food. So, if you have this gene, it means you MUST intermittently fast unless you want to lose your brain function as you age. Sugar Industry Recommendations Are a Recipe for Heart Disease and Early Death In 2002, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a technical report on diet and nutrition for the prevention of chronic disease, in which they specifically recommend limiting daily sugar consumption to a maximum of 10 percent of calories to prevent obesity and metabolic dysfunction. Not surprisingly, the report was strongly rejected by the sugar industry, which recommends getting 25 percent of your daily calories from sugar. Two U.S. Senators, Larry Craig (R-Idaho) and John Breaux (D-La.), asked then Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson, to stop the publication of the report as it would devastate the sugar industry. Thompson complied. He flew to Geneva and told WHO that if this report was published, the U.S. would withhold $406 million of funding. The extortion had the desired effect. Moving forward, the sugar recommendation was not included in WHO dietary reports. What happens when you follow the sugar industry's recommendation to get 25 percent of your daily calories from sugar? A 2014 study8 gave us the answer. It found that 10 percent of Americans consume 25 percent or more of their daily calories in the form of added sugars, as recommended by the sugar industry. Those who got 21 percent or more of their daily calories from sugar were TWICE as likely to die from heart disease compared to those who got 7 percent or less of their daily calories from added sugar. The risk was nearly TRIPLED among those who consumed 25 percent or more of their calories from sugar. How First Lady's Organic Garden Became a Junk Food Campaign When Barrack Obama became president, first lady Michelle Obama took a strong stance against the food industry, urging them to reformulate foods to reduce sugar and rethink their advertising toward children. The food industry quickly took control of the situation by offering to partner with her, thereby steering her entire wellness program away from concrete change toward a focus on physical exercise and teaching kids about the phony theory known as energy balance. Her "Let's Move" campaign was a failure, in terms of making a dent in childhood obesity and related disease. In fact, research shows childhood obesity continued to worsen after the launch of this nationwide program in 2010,9 with severe obesity rising the most. This was entirely predictable, since the campaign didn't focus on the source of the problem (toxic, high-sugar, processed foods) and recommended solutions that don't work (just exercise more). As noted in the film, the food industry has become expert at switching the conversation from talk about real food and cooking, to talk about reengineered processed foods that are lower in calories, and the need for more exercise — both of which obscure the real solution and perpetuate the problem. Even the name of the campaign, "Let's Move," was co-opted and twisted to serve the processed food industry. Originally, the first lady said the name represented a call to action — we need to get moving on this issue of children's diets — but by the end, it became all about physical activity, and the issue of getting back to real food was lost altogether. How to Reverse the Obesity Epidemic The conventional low-fat, high-carb recommendation has without a doubt contributed to the obesity epidemic. If you or your child is struggling with excess weight, some key facts you need to realize are: Calorie counting does not work because the source of the calories is far more important than the amount, as they are not all metabolized equally. Calories from carbohydrates (think sugars and grains) raise your insulin level and turn to body fat, whereas dietary fats and protein have very little impact on your insulin, and dietary fats are a far more efficient fuel for your body than sugar You cannot exercise your way out of a poor diet A poor diet is one that is high in processed foods, added sugars (especially processed fructose), harmful fats (vegetable oils and trans fats, not saturated fats or cholesterol found in whole foods) and artificial ingredients I am firmly convinced we can turn the obesity epidemic around, but it requires a new base of knowledge. First, we need to return to a diet of real, minimally processed foods. Second, we need to educate people about the importance of eating healthy fats and avoid consistently eating large amounts of net carbs (carbohydrates minus the fiber). Once we are burning fat for fuel we need to cycle healthy carbs back in to feed our gut microbes. As a general rule, if the fat is found in a whole food, it's going to be good for you. This includes the fat found in meat, eggs, raw dairy, avocados, nuts, coconuts and more. It's the fats found in processed foods you need to be leery of, along with vegetable oils for cooking, margarines and vegetable oil spreads. Last but not least, it would be wise to limit your consumption of protein to just what your body needs, as excess protein also has health implications. Not so much in terms of obesity per se, but certainly in terms of heart disease and cancer. Most people eat far more protein than their body requires, and most of it is low-quality CAFO beef, the nutritional composition of which is compromised by the unnatural way these animals are raised and fed. In my view, the single most important driver of obesity is consuming over 50 grams of net carbs a day and excessive protein. Once you get net carbs below 50 grams, moderate your protein intake to 0.5 gram per pound of lean body weight, along with higher amounts of high quality fat, your body will start to regain its ability to burn fat as its primary fuel. Once you become an efficient fat burner, it will become virtually impossible to be overweight. Regaining Your Health, One Meal at a Time Many end up throwing their hands up in disgust when trying to clean up their diet, complaining that once they start to read labels, they realize there's "nothing safe to eat." If this sounds like you, you're probably still looking at processed foods, trying to figure out which ones are "good" for you, and that's the problem. If you're serious about losing weight, you really need to avoid all processed foods and cook from scratch using whole ingredients. The list of ingredients to avoid is just about endless, starting with all sorts of added sugars, and keeping track of it can be really discouraging. The answer is to create a list of healthy options instead, which is far shorter and easier to remember. The following short list of super-simple, easy-to-remember guidelines will not only improve your nutrition, it will also help you avoid countless chemical exposures that can affect your weight: • Eat REAL FOOD. Buy whole, ideally organic, foods and cook from scratch. First of all, this will automatically reduce your added sugar consumption, which is the root cause of insulin resistance and weight gain. If you buy organic produce, you'll also cut your exposure to pesticides and genetically engineered ingredients, and in ditching processed foods, you'll automatically avoid artificial sweeteners and harmful processed fats. For more detailed dietary advice, please see my free Optimized Nutrition Plan and/or my new book, "Fat for Fuel" • Opt for AGA certified grass fed meats to avoid genetically engineered ingredients, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics and other growth promoting drugs • Opt for glass packaging and storage containers to avoid endocrine disrupting chemicals • Reduce net carbs to under 50 grams a day and restrict protein to 0.5 gram/pound of lean body mass. The remaining calories come from high-quality fat sources like avocados, butter, coconut oil, macadamia and pecans Once you've cleaned up your diet, if you're still struggling you may want to seriously reconsider the timing of your meals. Intermittently fasting can be very effective for helping your body shift from sugar- to fat-burning mode. Also consider increasing your daily physical activity. Ideally, aim for 7,000 to 10,000 steps a day or even double that if you have the time. Later you can add on a more regimented workout routine, which will really help maximize all the other healthy lifestyle changes you've implemented. But for general health and longevity, staying active throughout each day and avoiding sitting takes precedence.

#VitalityPath

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Love Island: What’s the big deal? – BBC News

Image copyright ITV

Image caption Love Island contestants (l-r) Jessica, Marcel, Olivia, Dominic and Amber are hoping to find romance this year

Falling in love isn’t easy – let alone falling in love on national television.

But that’s what 13 “sexy singletons” are hoping to do on Love Island, which has just begun its third series on ITV2.

If you’ve never seen it before, the premise is to couple up and convince the public to keep you on the island in order to win 50,000 – all while trying to find your perfect match.

Think Big Brother but with board shorts, bikinis and more under-the-sheets shenanigans than you can shake a stick at, as the couples chop and change throughout the series.

If you have seen it before, it’s likely to be one of your guilty pleasure programmes you’ve agreed to dedicate the next seven weeks of your life to. Or you may throw it in your trash TV basket.

Image copyright ITV

Image caption Caroline Flack presents the rebooted version of the reality show

It was revived two years ago with average Joes taking part and was met with relatively modest success, watched by an average of 595,000 people – but still a hit for ITV2.

Last year it exploded, with an average of 1.4 million fans tuning in daily to watch. The show became must-see viewing amongst mainly female (67.4%) viewers and under 35s (63.6%).

Scheduled against Channel 5’s Big Brother, about 1.2 million people are currently tuning into the sunny island escapes in Mallorca – 200,000 more than those watching the action in rainy Borehamwood.

So what’s all the fuss about?

Who are the contestants?

Predominantly aged 20-23 – with the oldest a positively ancient 31 – this year’s contestants have clearly been cast for today’s social media and millennial audience.

They all have very active Instagram pages (which was likely a pre-requisite to appear), but here are a few that stand out.

Image copyright ITV

Executive assistant Chloe, 22, says she’s come on the programme “looking for the love of my life”.

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If you’re a fan of Noughties pop you might recognise Marcel, who used to be in Blazin’ Squad – but more on him later.

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Oil rig worker Sam, 21, introduced himself by saying: “I pull birds for a living.”

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But don’t think it’s all glamour models and wannabe celebrities – 27-year-old Camilla works in explosive ordnance disposal, going into countries after conflicts and getting rid of landmines so they don’t injure civilians. Oh, and she apparently dated Prince Harry.

The memes

The Twitter commentary that accompanies each episode is of epic proportions, which gives viewers all the more reason to watch it live to be part of the conversation.

#LoveIsland trended every night in its first week, with viewers keen to share their views on the villa’s antics.

The first episode was full of memes on how Marcel was trying to keep his Blazin’ Squad past a secret, but then told a bunch of his housemates. Unfortunately as the group’s first hit was in 2002 and most of the contestants are in their early 20s, Marcel’s claim to fame was met with mostly tumbleweed.

Image copyright Twitter

After the third episode there was a lot of debate over whether Camilla was too “boring” because she failed to kiss or fall in love with anyone in the first 48 hours.

Image copyright Twitter

Controversies

Viewers this year will be hoping for a similar sort of scandal that last year’s series produced.

Miss Great Britain Zara Holland lost her crown after scenes showing her performing a sex act with a fellow contestant were screened.

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Miss GB organisers said they couldn’t promote her “as a positive role model moving forward”, adding she “simply did not uphold the responsibility expected of the title”.

But it all happened without the model knowing as she was in the villa without access to the outside world. A week later she quit the show after her mother fell ill.

The show attracted further controversy after it broadcast islanders Emma-Jane Woodham and Terry Walsh having sex 10 minutes after the watershed.

Seven people complained to Ofcom, but the watchdog cleared ITV2, saying the broadcaster had given viewers enough warning.

Life after Love Island

Like most reality TV shows these days, contestants hope their appearance will be a launch pad for other things.

For some, it’s led to… more reality TV.

Image copyright Getty Images

Series one’s Jon Clark and series 2 winners Cara De La Hoyde and Nathan Massey (pictured above) have appeared in The Only Way Is Essex, and fellow series contestant Rykard Jenkins moved on to Ibiza Weekender. First series hopefuls Josh Ritchie went on to star in Ex On the Beach.

But there have been other more lucrative successes – last year’s runner-up Olivia Buckland launched her own clothing range earlier this year.

She also secured a number of endorsement deals with her Love Island partner, Alex Bowen, including Christmas pudding flavoured condoms.

And they do find love

Yes they do apparently, although most haven’t.

Despite promising to stay together forever on the show, Cara and Nathan managed to last a year before splitting up in April. Last month Cara announced she was pregnant with Nathan’s baby, but they would not be reuniting.

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption Alex Bowen popped the question to Olivia Buckland in New York on New Year’s Eve

More happily, Olivia and Alex announced their engagement after a New Year’s Eve proposal and are set to get married next summer.

Fellow series two couple Scott (brother of Emmerdale star Adam) Thomas and Kady McDermott are still going strong, living together in Manchester.

And there has also been the first Love Island baby this year – after 2016 contestants Cally Jane Beech and Luis Morrison welcomed baby Vienna in May.

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