The increasing obesity level and rising concern for health have occupied the minds of consumers. People have become conscious about their eating habits fueling the demand for healthy foods. Majority of the population across the globe opts for food products with fewer calories but rich in essential nutrients and vitamins. One such product is fruit and vegetable seeds which have procured the acceptance among the consumers due to their dense nutrient content.

The evolution in the market has shepherded the development of different types of seeds such as: apple seeds, cucumber seeds, melon seeds, pumpkin seeds, almond seeds among others. Among these melon seeds lay a pivot role due to the multi-benefit profile and easy availability contributing to the growth of global melon seeds market to an impressive extent. Currently, the demand for melon seeds have high demand in bakery, desserts, and others as it contains unsaturated fats and higher fiber content.

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Melon seeds have high demand in food processing especially for making traditional desserts. These seeds have numerous health benefits such as: boosting the immunity, normalizing blood-fat levels, weight loss and contribute to the wound healing process. The omega-3 fatty acids and rich protein content play a vital role in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Apart from the health benefits, melon seeds are highly recommended in the cosmetic products due to the ability to stimulate cell growth and maintaining suppleness of skin.

The phytochemical and anti-microbial activity of the melon seeds makes them a nexus ingredient for the elimination of bacterial infection. Over the past few years, the demand for melon seeds has increased widely in the APAC mainly in: India, Japan, China, Thailand, South Korea and Malaysia. The growing consumer awareness regarding the benefits from melon seeds has augmented its market value at a global level.

Some of the key players operating in theglobal melon seed marketare: Cronus Seeds, Yuksel Tohum A.S., Sakata Seed Corporation, Ahern Seeds, Limagrain, East-West Seed, Nunhems, HaZera seeds, United Genetics, Semilas Fito, Syngenta, Origene Seeds, among others.

Melon seeds offer profuse benefits be it in the healthcare, food or cosmetic sector. In the underway era of a healthy lifestyle, melon seeds have swept its way into the market. Therefore, the participants need to forge their way especially into North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific countries as it has wide applications in food, cosmetics and personal care industry.

This post was originally published on Market Research Sheets

Link:
Melon Seed Market Increasing Trends of Own Lawn and Gardens in Residential & Commercial Construction 2018 2026 - Market Research Sheets

This is the time of the year when predictions and trends in almost every sector are being made or revealed by businesses worldwide. Joining in is Travelport unveiling the 2020 Trends that will shape travel experiences at the start of the next decade.

The independent research carried out among global travellers, travel professionals and brands leaders revealed among the trends impacting online travel are the rise of the environment travellers, demand for more self-service options, superapps domination and changes in retailing travel.

Here is a brief summary of the trends (view the infographic here):

Travellers are becoming more and more conscious of the environment when on the road for pleasure or business. Travelports survey finds 42% of leisure travellers make travel choices based on environmental factors, while 55% of business travellers choose eco-friendly travel options.

Travellers are moving towards self-service options with 55% of those surveyed preferring to hear about travel disruption via digital communications rather than speak with a person on the phone. This trend is prevalent among Gen Z (born between 1996-2010), deemed the future business traveller in the report, who manage their high expectations through technology.

Superapps give users a one-stop shop to communicate, shop online, book travel, bank, find a date, order food and pay for anything within a single, unified smartphone app. They are well established in South-east Asia with tech giants WeChat, Grab and Gojek leading the way in providing their customers with the all-in-one app.

According to Travelport, superapps are spreading west from their established base in South-east Asia. Travel brands that want to deliver holistic mobile customer experiences have to think about how they engage travellers within these apps and in their own mobile channels, advised the technology company.

The research find that 2020 will see an accelerated rate of change in the way travel is retailed and purchased online. This includes wider and more complex multi-content reach, more enriched and comparable offerings, more focus on relevance than magnitude and increase in automation that enables customer self-service.

These insights into the forces which will shape travel experiences as we start a new decade show were seeing rapid change in content retailing particularly online and an evolution of mobile travel as we all increasingly depend on our devices to help us navigate the world, commented Fiona Shanley, chief customer and marketing officer at Travelport .

Its clear to see customers are driving change across the travel industry with new topics, such as the environmental impact of travel and when an agency could successfully employ a bot, showing the 2020s will be another era of rapid change for travel.

Featured image credit: hanohiki/Getty Images

Read the rest here:
These are the trends that will shape travel experiences in the next decade - Web In Travel

Its the end of the decade and were looking back at what games we loved the most. Ive compiled a list of my 10 favorite games of the last 10 years. Since lists are always divisive by nature, I feel compelled to say that I formed my list by using a very simple metric: What 10 games did I love playing the most?

That means my list may not be the most diverse one youll see, but its 100% honest. I didnt throw in games for genres I dont play just to tick off a box, I picked what I enjoyed. That being said, there is nothing wrong with a little healthy disagreement should you choose to engage with us.

The original Super Mario Galaxy was everything I wanted in a Mario game. As someone who didnt love Super Mario Sunshine as much as most, I wanted a game that took Mario to a variety of locations, utilized the power ups (new and old) in creative ways, and recaptured some of that pure Nintendo fun I felt was missing from Sunshine. Galaxy delivered all that and became my favorite Mario game at the time.

Super Mario Galaxy 2, released in 2010, initially gave off a Lost Levels vibe. It was the sequel to a smash where the gameplay and aesthetic stay the same. It was the subtle changes, along with one major addition, that made this game surpass the original.

Galaxys main issue was that the levels were scattered inside the hub area, meaning you had to go to different areas to play different levels. G2 streamlined this with Starship Mario, an intentionally concise hub planet where you could travel to whichever planet you wanted by interacting with the starship steering wheel. The levels were displayed on a grid (Much like Super Mario 3D Land on the 3DS). The ability to dive into any of the planets I had discovered immediately was a massive time saver. Some were disappointed there was less to do as far as hub world exploration went, but I care about the levels themselves, and this game trims all the fat and gets right down to it.

While Galaxy had an elaborate (for a Mario game) plot, Shigeru Miyamoto specifically wanted Galaxy 2 to have as little story as possible. I mean, this is why the man is a genius. Fun trumps everything. Get out of my way and let me play.

The main difference between 1 and 2 was the addition of Yoshi, whose moves and controls were actually better suited and easier to handle using the Wiimote and Nunchuk.When I look back at some of my favorite games of the Nintendo Wii, I often forget how much of a nuisance motion controls were. Donkey Kong Country Returns was an exceptional game, but going back to it I was unable to tolerate the shaking and the waggling. The Mario Galaxy games were always the exception (unless you count pointing the Wiimote at the screen to collect Star Bits, because I always hated that little bit of business).

Are there better overall Mario games? Yes. Are there more groundbreaking Mario games? Yes. So why is Galaxy 2 my favorite Mario game of the decade? Its the one I had the most fun playing. I consulted the metric, and that checks out.

Honorable Mention: Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario 3D World

What started out as a Flash game turned into a bona fide indie smash. These days the indie game market is flooded with rogue-lite, procedurally generated titles, but Isaac is my all time favorite of the genre, and is in my top 3 favorite games of all time.

What drew me to this title was the look. It is heavily inspired by the dungeon layout of the original The Legend of Zelda title, so to me this was like playing a Zelda dungeon generator. A never ending supply of fresh gameplay perfection.

Through the years the game has received multiple updates, subtitle changes, added items and challenges. The greatest feature of this game is its ability to force you to use your judgment, make choices, and learn through experience how to become a better player.

Isaac is the first game I wrote about here because it meant so much to me. Ive since become a rabid Edmund McMillen fan, who has the ability to make games I dont normally like, and turn them into unforgiving, tough as nails experiences that will often turn you into a sadist.

Also, I got a Platinum trophy for it, and completed every single thing the game has to offer which took meyears. And I still play it every week.

Honorable Mention: Dead Cells, Spelunky

Ni No Kuni is the perfect RPG. It has breathtaking animation from the Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli, known for the 1988 film My Neighbor Totoro. The battle system is simple, but has deep, layered functionality that you will need to master during the back end of the adventure.

You play as Oliver, a young boy who lost his mother and is dealing with the loss as best he can. You are joined on your adventure by Drippy, your doll that comes to life after your tears awaken him. He speaks in a charming Welsh accent and serves as your main sidekick. You will gain two other companions as well, Esther, the daughter of a great sage, and Swaine, a boastful petty thief.

As a kid, when RPGs were not yet popular, I used to dream of bright and vast worlds teeming with secrets to uncover. This is what my mind envisioned. A game that gives you dozens of different game play mechanics to play with should you so choose.

To this day I have never played a Pokemon game, but Ni No Kuni allows you to capture enemies, raise them, power them up, and have them fight alongside you in battle. You can control as many or as few characters and familiars as you want in battles.

The battles themselves unfold in a way that allows you to wander the play field instead of standing still like many of the RPGs at the time. I found the battles to be interesting, and when they started to become tedious, I would experiment with different weapons and attacks, which would lead to discovering new item drops and better methods of fighting.

The animation is stunning, but so is the music and the voice acting. When Ni No Kuni II released, I was disappointed that they severely scaled back the voice acting. The PS3 games use of voice acting made the game so much more immersive.

Now that Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch has been released on PS4 and Nintendo Switch, you should do yourself a favor and pick it up. You wont be sorry.

Honorable Mention: Dragon Quest XI: Echos of an Elusive Age

Slow down. Thats what I told myself when I began playing Skyrim back in 2011. I had gotten Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion when I first got a PS3 and I could not get into it. It was too confusing, too aimless. I didnt know what I was doing. I didnt know what set townsfolk off. So for Skyrim, I went slow. I took it all in.

I wound up putting over 200 hours into my initial playthrough of the game. Ive since played several other times as Ive repurchased it for PS4 and Nintendo Switch (Im a re-purchaser).

I remember finding out someone I knew played the game as much as I did. We spent hours talking about our techniques, our strategies, the funny quirks and bugs, and clever ways to exploit the game. When you have a game as huge as this, you adapt to the glitches.

As you play through the game, youll make a home for yourself, become an adept locksmith, an alchemist, a spell caster, a blacksmith, a loving (or indifferent) spouse, an intrepid explorer, and more. Seriously, the list could just keep going. Its all there for you, and you get to pick and choose which things you want to do which in my case waseverything.

Also, Im not a PC gamer, but if mods are your thing, Skyrim has got the goods.

Honorable Mention: The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

I never played a Persona game until I owned a PS Vita and was told by everyone that it wasthegame to own for the system. I got it and was instantly distraught because it wasnt what I wanted the game to be. There was too much story and not enough action. There didnt seem to be enough time in the day to do everything I wanted to do. I was intrigued by the central mystery of the game, and found the characters to be engaging, but I wondered when the little voice in the back of my brain would start asking if we were having fun yet.

Then something happened: I stopped worrying. I just made choices. I lived with what I chose and didnt live in regret for the choices I didnt make. Islowed down, the exact thing I made a conscious choice to do from the get-go when playing Skyrim, and it made me totally fall in love with this game.

The game is part murder mystery, part action RPG, part life simulator, and part surrealist fever dream. Having since gone forward and back in the series as a player, I now know the general idea of a Persona game, but having played 4 first, Im partial to it over the others, including the gorgeous5which I have not finished as of yet.

The gameplay is classic JRPG goodness, but what is really stunning is the depth of the characters, and the way they wrestling with their darker emotions. The game went places I didnt know mainstream games went. There was an emotional honesty that is missing in games where your character is usually either a paragon of virtue or an amoral jerk. Getting me to care about gaming characters is tough, but I did with these, and I never wanted to fracture relationships with people I liked.

A game this good, this different, this honest, deserves at least a look from gamers to see if it clicks for you the way it surprisingly clicked for me.

Honorable Mention: Persona 5, Tokyo Mirage Session #FE

2013? I cant believe its been this long since a new GTA game came out, although from what I hear, another one is potentially on the horizon.

I was slightly disenchanted with Rockstars fourth mainline entry in the series. It was overstuffed and excessive, and not in that good way that this series does so well. You were constantly bombarded with people vying for your attention and personally, it gave me too manyoptions. The game map was littered with so many points of interest they often overwhelmed me, especially as someone who likes to do all the side missions before the main campaign.

Luckily, the franchise got me back with V, a return to my favorite location in the series, San Andreas. Here, you are in control of three separate characters: Michael, the presumed dead FIB informant living a pretty sweet life in witness protection; Franklin, a low level criminal dissatisfied with high risk/ low reward jobs and friends who dont have his back; and Trevor, a complete and total sociopath.

The dialogue is classic GTA: over-the-top vulgar, offensive, and button pushing. It doesnt hold back in any regard, and yet, has a lot of smart things to say about how society acts (or reacts) to people they deem to be the problem. Whether its through dialogue in missions, people on the street, TV programs and commercials (that you can lose an hour just watching along with your character) and even websites, the games satire is simultaneously grandiose and realistic.

The current gen systems also got First Person mode, which allows you to turn the game into a FPS for when shit goes down. I found this to be perhaps the greatest addition to the series, as you can approach gunfights several different ways.

The graphics are stunning, the AI of NPCs is worthy of its own article, and the gameplay is pure joy (if anarchy and an unleashed id are your bag).

Honorable Mention: Yakuza 0

It wasnt the first 8 bit throwback game, it was just the one that mastered the art of making an old school game that replaces every boring tedious 8 bit game mechanic with a cool, often random, fun alternative.

The tight platforming, the level design that call to mind Mega Man and Castlevania, the pixel perfect art, and a metric ton of content make this not only a great old school game, but a great game overall.

I played it on WiiU and kept getting add on content for free. RecentlyI plunked down $24.99 for the Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, which will entitle me toallthe DLC Yacht Club Games has to offer (the price as of Dec 10, 2019 is now $39.99, and is stilla deal).

Those who love an old school challenge will enjoy this game, which is tough but fair. I completed the main campaign myself, and still have most of the add on content to go through, and there is so much variety in gameplay that you are getting wholly new experiences, not reskinned characters and frivolous bells and whistles.

The team at Yacht Club Games outdid themselves, and I, for one, am looking forward to their next game, Shovel Knight Dig.

Honorable Mention: The Shantae series.

The WiiU was a commercial bust of a system. It was marketed so poorly even I had no idea what it was trying to be. Im a simple gamer when it comes to systems. I dont need it to do anything except play games (and now have streaming services). Its all about the games to me, and the WiiU hadgames. The fact most of its AAA library has been ported over to the Switch is proof of that.

When Super Mario Maker was announced it was a dream come true for me and millions of Mario fans that had always dreamed of creating their own levels. Not only that, having the WiiU pad meant you could design levels using a stylus on the screen. The controls were simple, intuitive and easy to do (and undo) anything you did.

You could instantly make the level playable at any point to see how it was in action. Make a jump impossible? Extend the floor a few blocks and have Mario try again. The game was all about experimentation and discovery. You had so many tools at your disposal, including special effects, sound effects, and clever new twists on items and enemies.

Sadly, Im not much of a level designer. I could make beautifullookinglevels (one inspired by Bubble Bobble got me the bulk of all my likes and stars), but never anything that was challenging in an inventive way. Luckily, the gaming community answered the call and created some brilliant levels. Some were good old fashioned platforming challenges, and some were Rube Goldberg contraptions, while others seemed to ape the punishing difficulty of Kaizo Mario levels.

Super Mario Maker 2 built on this, adding a Super Mario 3D World game style, a Story Mode (which is like a new Super Mario game insidea Mario Maker game), and just released DLC that allows you to create levels where you can play as Link from The Legend of Zelda, where you use your sword, shield, bombs and arrows.

I couldve chosen either games for this list, but since the original was so revolutionary I went with that one even though most people will, and should, purchase 2 since the Switch is Nintendos latest console. And SMM2 has slopes and the Angry Sun. You have no idea how much people wanted those back when the original game was out.

Honorable Mention: Super Mario Maker 2

I love the Zelda series, but even I have issues with some of the games. I found Zelda II to be ugly and lacking replayability. I found the first few hours of Twilight Princess to be an interminable slog and overly hand-holdy (despite it having my all time favorite Zelda character in it, Midna). And Skyward Swordgoodnessdid that game disappoint me in almost every way.

Breath of the Wild is a revelation. Its back to basics approach was married with open world exploration in a way that few games have been able to capture. There is literally no other game world I love exploring more than Hyrule in BotW. The world itself is gigantic. Ive played the game for hundreds of hours and there are still several areas I have barely explored.

Anyone who has played the game will know this world is teeming with things to find. You can spend a whole day searching for Korok seeds (there are 900 of them total), or looking for hidden treasure chests under ground, underwater, or in hidden caves.

Its not just about discovering items, its about encountering moments. Ive seen whirlwinds scoop up fish and rain them down like a Biblical storm of frogs. I once froze an enemy in a block of ice and watched as his buddies chipped away at it with their spears.

There is also a renewed sense of agency in the game, as you can often complete tasks and shrines (which replace the standard dungeons) in dozens of different ways. This is a game where if you can dream up a possible solution, chances are the programmers have set you up for success. Nothing is more disheartening than having a clever idea, only to discover the people behind the game either didnt plan for that, or couldnt be bothered to include it.

There is a reason these games take so long to come out. Breath of the Wild is not above criticism and small, minor complaints, but it is a masterpiece that every gamer should experience to relive the feeling of freedom wandering the world of Hyrule in a way they havent since the original 8 bit game.

Honorable Mention: Horizon Zero Dawn

Mild Spoilers Ahead

The original God of War games were a product of their time. The ultra violent, nihilistic tone was part of their charm. Im not a hand wringer when it comes to social commentary, and find the policing of art (whether its TV, movies, music or gaming) to be just as curious today as I did when I was a gamer in the late 80s and early 90s. Oddly enough, it seems like whatever side of the political spectrum you fall on, someone has an opinion about why the thing you like is bad, or problematic, or whatever buzzword armchair critics and people with a strong, aggressive Twitter presence are currently using.

Kratos, the main character of the series, has always been a bit of a lightening rod. Even someone like myself found him to be abrasive and downright unlikable at times. He went from a tortured warrior, towellan asshole.

I was not thrilled however when I heard the new game would try to evolve the character. Too often, that means reckoning with toxic masculinity or reshaping a character to fit more with standard societal norms, to which I am not opposed. However, it is often done in a clumsy, or preachy, way that extracts the heart of what made something different in the first place.

God of War (2018) is an evolution of Kratos, a brilliant, gorgeous, amazing evolution. Kratos is now older (the gray in his beard tells you this). He is a father now, to a young boy, Atreus (although more often than not he simply refers to him as Boy). He has left the world of Greek mythology behind in favor of Norse mythology. He disemboweled most of the Greek legends and gods anyway.

Where Kratos was once a perpetually enraged monster, he is now a survivalist, hell bent on teaching his son to survive in the brutal and often unkind world. He is not harsh with his son out of anger; he is that way because his son needs to learn how to survive in a world where good and evil are not always clearly defined.

The game is stunningly played out as one continuous shot beginning with the title screen. Atreus is almost always by your side, and if this gives you any apprehensions fear not, this is no escort mission where you have to protect a helpless NPC that constantly makes life hard for you. Atreus can be leveled up as well, and you can customize how he plays as well.

Many were upset when they found out Kratos uses an ax in this game, instead of his usual Blades of Chaos, but once you adapt to the mechanics of the ax, you may find that you love itmorethan the old familiar. Plus, if you dont, you return to your home midway through the game, pull up the floor boards and retrieve your beloved Blades in a scene that gave me chills when I pieced together what he was doing.

This game did indeed reckon with the bad part of Kratos, and it did it with masterful storytelling. It didnt excuse the past actions of Kratos, but it allowed him to move forward and continue to grow. He would scold his son, he would yell, but he would also listen, he allowed Atreus to express himself as well. Not to mention, there is probably no moment that better encapsulates this new Kratos than when we watch as he moves his hand slowly toward the back of his son, looking to simply comfort him, before pulling away his hand and holding back. Its not that he is withholding, or incapable of empathy, he is just trying to figure out how to love his son the best way he knows how. Its powerful and its real, and it honestly moved me in a way few games ever have.

Thats all she wrote, kiddos. The 2010s are over, and the 20s are upon us. What did you think of my list? Are you upset I had no XBox or 3DS titles on it? Where were the sports games, or real time strategy games? Lets talk about it.

Plus, whats better than one list? Two lists! Our own Collin Henderson will be revealing his top 10 list soon as well. Then the debates can truly begin!

Help us keep the conversation alive! We publish new content daily that can easily be found by following us onTwitter,Instagram, by joining ourFacebook Page, or becoming an email subscriber here onthe site. Thank you as always for your support of 25YL!

If you would like to write for 25YL leave us a message on our websitehereor send an email to: andrew@25YearsLaterSite.com

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Editor's Choice: Johnny's 10 Favorite Games of the Decade - 25YearsLaterSite.com

Screenshot: Centro Storico Fiat (Youtube)

Fiat went through the wringer in the 1970s. The original 500 was canned and the the brand introduced a new wave of front-wheel drive hatches. Eventuallyr the Ritmo was launched, but not before a major injection of cash from a man in North Africa named Muammar Qaddafi. The first Fiat plant was opened in the major overseas market of Brazil. The company had to change because it was up against a lot back then. And while most of the marques more creative decisions of the era at least appeared to attempt to drive sales (Fiat X1/9, I see you), this film stands apart.

Because when Fiat of 1977, in the midst of all those growing pains, decided to put out a short animated film, it didnt make up your average short advertising film. No, this was nothing like BMWs The Hire. Its hardly an ad at all, to be honest. Why? Because the film itself is honest. It holds back almost nothing about the challenges car culture posed to humanity and vice versa back in 1977. I guess thats what an angsty Fiat, torn up by a market in upheaval, might put out. Its oddly raw, even pessimistic about the product its promoting, but thats exactly what I like about it.

The nearly forty-minute film intersperses animated shorts of varying styles with live-action sketches depicting a motorist confronted by the very real human ills created and exacerbated by the automobile. From depicting choking congestion and the dangers of road rage to a somewhat racist attempt to tackle automotive machismo, the animated segments slowly convince the protagonist that his love affair with cars is much more costly than he first realized.

All ll the while the animators challenge the viewer with ever more imaginative depictions of cars, the people who drive them, and the roads they occupy. I wish I could speak a little more to whats going on with the style of animation (Ill pretend to go to film school someday) but just take a moment to see a few of the shorts. Each one clearly took an immense effort to animate and the results are just beautiful.

Fiat must have been aware that you might come away from this film a little worried that the automaker had totally lost its drive, that the tragedy of the motorcar had taken in its toll on the big brand from Turin, and thats why theres a disclaimer at the beginning:

The car is an integral part of the everyday life of the modern world. It provides material for paintings, songs, novels, posters, sculptures, comic strips, and films.

In CARTOONS youll be seeing the car as observed by animated cartoonists in moods that vary from from the absurd to the cynical. Some of these cartoons are critical of the car and drivers but we see no reason to conceal such attitudes for after all it is not the car that is good or bad, but the way we use it.

Lets use it intelligently, then and enjoy CARTOONS.

That seems to be a rather enlightened perspective for a piece of film put out by an automaker, but its important to remember just what Fiat was contending with during the late 70s. 1977, when this film came out, was right in the middle of the Years of Lead, when the Red Brigades had their sights on symbols of Italys troubled process of industrialization, Fiat chief among them. Add to that the backlash from the Right against that 1976 loan from Libya and all it entailed and Fiat was in a tough spot.

Absent a clear explanation form the company itself, it seems reasonable to assume that putting out a project like this might have been seen as an aesthetic olive branch, an attempt to convey a degree of self-awareness on the part of Fiat that might have been seen as lacking by a company still helmed by the glamorous Agnelli clan.

Luckily, Fiat remains self-reflective and Centro Storico Fiat, Fiats archive, has brought the film (along with many other visual artifacts from the firms past) to Youtube.

This version is in Italian, but the quality is a lot nicer.

It should be noted that in addition to cartoons, the Agnelli family was still making sure that the company was still succeeding in the auto market, at least enough to pay for trips to the French Riviera.

While Fiat seemed to be aware that the effects of the proliferation of the automobile were in full effect, it still had some hope for the car as a force for fun and excitement. It was still making the 124 Spider in 1977 and the recently-introduced Bertone-penned, mid-engined X1/9 was also on offer. You know, in case you werent totally sold on the cars are merely a neutral medium for the automation of human existence thesis Fiat was clearly onto with these cartoons, for whatever its worth.

Read this article:
In 1977, Fiat Put The Car In Cartoons - Jalopnik

Marta Pozzan in Marta x AFRM.

Marta Pozzans first capsule collection with AFRM, AFRM x Marta Pozzan, launched just in time for the holidays. The Italian content creator and actress wanted to create more than just a wardrobe, but a positive message to her fans and followers. AFRM, which stands for affirmation, is known for writing positive messages on their tags and packaging to uplift the women wearing the clothes. I love the idea of filling our lives with positive and meaningful affirmations; its very important to me as a creative to also give that message to my followers and to remind them that were humans before anything else. We should all respect each other and uplift one another, shared Pozzan on the message of her collaboration. The collaboration was inspired by Pozzans eclectic European background with colorful prints and unique designs.

Marta Pozzan in Marta x AFRM.

Before Pozzan became a designer or graced the covers of Elle, she got her start as a ghost writer for a Vanity Fair in Milan, Italy. Fashion has always been everything to me and working for Vanity Fair taught me so much about designers, the publishing world and creative writing too. Then they had me host little fashion segments for their YouTube channel and thats when I realized I wanted to do more on-camera work and so after graduating from college I came to Los Angeles, went to acting school for a year and then social media took off and brand partnerships became my thing, explained Pozzan on how she grew her social media following to over half a million followers.

Social media transformed Pozzans career for the better and allowed her to garner new opportunities that wouldnt have been presented to her otherwise. Although influencers have become more common over the last few years, Pozzan finds that many people do not understand what her job is. So when TEDx asked her to speak with Oretta Corbelli as digital creator she felt sharing her experience with social media would bring help bring awareness to the industry for those not familiar. I feel like a lot of people ask me on a daily about my job and how it works so it only felt natural to want to explore the topic on a TEDx talk! Also I feel like TEDx brings so much credibility to the table that it made total sense to want to discuss certain aspects of my career on it as it will perhaps be seen by some of the non-industry people out there as something more official and legitimate, said Pozzan.

Marta Pozzan and Oretta Corbelli at TEDx.

Pozzan also felt it was important to highlight how positive social media can be when used correctly, I think if you have a good foundation as a human (which includes education, self awareness and basic social skills) you can do so much good on social media: become your own boss, have your own brand, do charity work, support other peoples business, share your work as an artist, and so on. And the beautiful thing is that if you have a voice and you put it out there anybody can hear it and relate to it and thats how you create a community and awareness around topics that need to be talked about.

For Pozzan using social media has helped her connect with people around the world to bring important issues to light such as mental health. As far as the fad of influencers, Pozzan doesnt see the industry going anywhere anytime soon, There are so many unique and special voices that have helped, inspired and motivated people out there and if they keep doing that in the truest form of what the word influencing means I dont see why they would fade. Influencers bring more approachability to their audience as theyre not yet fully perceived as traditional celebrities and thats a pretty impactful aspect of how influencers are beneficial to brands.

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Marta Pozzan On Her AFRM Design Collaboration And Bringing The Business Of Social Media To TEDx - Forbes

Photo: Courtesy of Ecco

Lidia Yuknavitch, author of Verge (out Feb 4): Hands down, the book that carried me through the year was Ocean Vuongs On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous. Im willing to bet this book carried legions of us, with the brutal and yet also tender beauty of the poetics, the intimacy between bodies, the weight of the heart suspended inside longing. This is a book that multiplies meanings, but at the center is a queer coming-of-age story as well as a bicultural family history. The shadow of a mother-son relationship and the shadow of the America-Vietnam relationship haunts the story. I fell in love with the narrator a hundred times over. I also felt suspended between the atomized mother who cannot fully understand the language of her son, a sons attempt to both inhabit as well as break free from his own family history, and the force of nature it takes to wrestle the gap. The language went into my body.

Anna Wiener, author of Uncanny Valley (out Jan 14): What a pleasure it was to read Caleb Crains Overthrow, a novel about political crisis, political optimism, technology, divination, surveillance, queerness, digital subversion, and the profound possibilities of empathy. The book, which is set in the near past, follows a small group of friendsall young, all attempting to carve out a lifewho refer to themselves as the Working Group for the Refinement of the Perception of Feelings. The group lives in an unnamed but familiar city, where there is growing excitement and energy around a particular public, collective political action, la Occupy Wall Street. Some members have telepathic powersmaybewhich lead to an unusual style of digital exploitation. All are struggling for selfhood, connection, privacy, and intimacy, in a time when such pursuits can feel nearly Sisyphean. Perspectives shift, as do individual commitments. The reader begins to question certain narrative realities; this is part of the fun.

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10 Authors on The Best Books They Read in 2019 - Vogue

ESPN analyst Doris Burke talks with The Posts Justin Terranova about a Doc Rivers disagreement, growing up a Knicks fan and calling the 76ers-Bucks on Christmas Day.

Q: You were recently called out by Doc Rivers after criticizing Kawhi Leonards load management. What did you take away from that?

A: I had reached out to the Clippers directly and said if Kawhi wants to say anything to me, let him know that I am happy to listen to whatever he might say to me. Thats our job as broadcasters. You have to be able to look that person in the eye. He chose not to do that and thats fine. The same way with Doc. He was speaking from a frustrated coaching perspective and he used me as a launching off point. If I could do it all over, I would make it less personal. I couldve used a different term than ridiculous. I am aware of the power of the words, so I use those carefully. I dont regret anything I said, though, I was frustrated from the fans perspective of missing out on a Kawhi-Giannis (Antetokounmpo) matchup.

Q: Do you mind being in the spotlight like that?

A: Its going to sound absurd, but I really dont like it. I am pretty good at keeping myself out of the news. I know that its part and parcel with the job, but the reality is I simply love calling games. I understand theres a responsibility that comes with my job that sometimes takes me out of my comfort zone, but if I could sit courtside and call the games, that would be my ideal. Thats not the nature of what we do, though.

Q: How have the Knicks struggles affected the league?

A: I wonder if this is the bias of a Knicks fan; I dont know if I could separate myself from this. It is my belief and its strongly held that the NBA feels different when the Knicks are good. And I would say the same about Chicago. I am not a ratings guru, but I do wonder if things would change if those big markets were better and getting the numbers you hope when they are televised.

Q: This regular season, you are working only an NBA analyst no college, no sideline work (until the conference finals). How have you gotten more comfortable as an analyst through the years?

A: When I was doing college basketball, both mens and womens, and NBA, Id be doing NBA games and (think), Wow, this game is moving fast. To be honest with you, It is a lot easier to be invested completely in one sport. At night I can tune in to a couple of games and really lock in and not worry about, Oh, I have UConn-Notre Dame on Friday.

Q: What do you think of Joel Embiids growth as a player?

A: I found Joel Embiids response to the challenge and critique of both Shaquille ONeal and Charles Barkley interesting. It showed a level of self-awareness and humility from Joel to accept the criticism and say, You know what? They have a point. He went out and dominated the next couple of games. But ultimately greatness in this league requires sustained effort and the pursuit of perfection when you are outside the lines and no one is looking at you.

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Doris Burke on Doc Rivers disagreement and the NBA needing the Knicks - New York Post

CHICAGO Football may be the ultimate team sport, but for three hours Sunday night at Soldier Field, it's all mano a mano.

Matt Nagy doesn't want to hear it. Ryan Pace won't meet with media until after the season. But Mitch Trubisky acknowledges the giant elephant in Halas Hall as the first direct encounter between the top two quarterbacks selected in the 2017 draft comes front and center.

"The comparisons are out there and they are never going to stop," Trubisky said. "Me, Pat (Mahomes) and Deshaun (Watson) are all grouped together because we are in the same draft class, drafted in the first round and all that. But there are no do-overs. We are where we are. Our careers are going in different paths, and they will for the rest of time and they'll be compared against each other.

"It's the nature of the beast, but I'm in competition with myself and trying to be the best version of me and win games for the Chicago Bears, and it's something that I can't control. But two good guys to be compared to. Hopefully we keep getting better and help the league."

Trubisky's self-awareness is a sign of maturity and that his confidence remains steady as the Bears play out the schedule with the goal of finishing above .500.

The Chiefs, meanwhile, are aiming for a first-round bye in the playoffs. Mahomes is the NFL's reigning MVP and was voted to the Pro Bowl along with the Texans' Watson. Mahomes was perhaps a coin flip away from reaching the Super Bowl last season as the Chiefs lost the AFC championship game in overtime to the Patriots. They have continued to thrive in 2019 at 10-4, while the Bears have been thoroughly inconsistent, locked into third place in the NFC North at 7-7.

Nagy, who coached Mahomes as a rookie, isn't putting any thought into the natural comparisons between Trubisky, the second pick in 2017, and Mahomes, taken 10th.

"I don't get into that," Nagy said. "When we get rolling, it has nothing to do with a one-on-one battle. It's everything about these two teams."

Nagy's position is understandable. It's the only stance he can take. But for Bears fans watching at Soldier Field, at a tavern or from their couch, this game is reduced to Trubisky versus Mahomes. There's no postseason for them to consider, so it becomes a head-to-head display of what could have been.

Mahomes last season became the youngest player, at 23, to be named MVP since Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino in 1984. He has passed for 8,987 yards with 73 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in 29 regular-season games. Trubisky has passed for 8,190 yards with 48 touchdowns and 29 interceptions in 39 regular-season games.

Mahomes is averaging 309 yards and more than 2.5 touchdown passes per start. Trubisky has passed for 309 or more yards in only seven starts and also has thrown more than two touchdown passes only seven times.

Yes, the Chiefs have superior skill-position talent, but the comparisons, especially as the Bears offense has languished this season, are unavoidable for Bears fans wondering what the future holds.

The Bears figured their championship window was opening with a quarterback on a rookie contract when they swung the deal to add pass rusher Khalil Mack in September 2018. A 12-4 finish that season validated their thinking. Now, a broken offense threatens to slam that window shut.

Trubisky understands the situation and didn't run from it.

"I'm trying to be the best I can possibly be," he said. "Everybody's competing. You play this game to be the best you can be, so that's the way you train, that's the way you work, that's why you play the game.

"Everybody's journey is different. Their journey to get where they are now is different, my journey to get to where I am now is totally different _ what I had to go through, high school, college, where we are now, adversity. Everybody goes through different stuff, and you just go through your journey and try to keep getting better and affect the people around you in a positive way."

Pace got leeway at the end of last season when the second seasons of Mahomes and Watson were far more productive and highlight-packed than Trubisky's. It was the Bears' first season with Nagy, and the hope was Trubisky and the offense would take a major step forward in Year 2.

That hasn't happened, and while Mahomes and Watson are likely in line for new contracts during the offseason that will make them among the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league, the Bears are left to consider a fifth-year option in 2021 for Trubisky that would pay him $25 million.

That fifth-year option is a story for another day and something Pace will have to address after the season. After two seasons plus 14 games, the career arcs for Mahomes and Watson couldn't look more different than Trubisky's. At least the Bears are fortunate both of his draft classmates are in the AFC and they have to be reminded only once every four years of an evaluation that went so wrong. The Bears will host Watson and the Texans next season.

In prime time Sunday, it's Trubisky versus Mahomes, and the comparisons will continue.

"It doesn't matter if they're fair," Bears offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich said. "They're inevitable, whether you're an NFL quarterback in your 17th year or your first year, (and being) the same year certainly will lend to more comparison. That's going to happen if you play any position in this league forever.

"I don't know if (Trubisky) sits at home and looks at their stats line and compares each other or not. But there's things you take in, you spit them out and you move on. Whether it's, 'Hey, I'm way better than this guy or way worse,' whatever those results or conclusions are, what he does between the white lines and off the field is what matters."

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Brad Biggs: Trubisky isnt trying to ignore inevitable comparisons with Mahomes - Pekin Daily Times

You dont hear much these days about Advent, the 40-day contemplative period leading up to Christmas.

Kinda hard to craft a peppy, boy-meets-girl Hallmark movie from traditions that harken back to the Middle Ages.

Besides, were growing increasingly adverse to contemplation. Quiet has become a source of discomfort, a problem to be solved with ceaseless entertainment and distraction-on-demand.

During Advent, light is in its shortest supply. In this part of the country, most of us we wake up in the dark and go home in dark.

For Christians, the darkness ends with Christmas, as light re-emerges in the world in the form of the one who made it.

Dying from despair

It has become second nature to fear the dark. Darkness can fuel our imagination like nothing else. Our popular culture has taught us that those things that go bump in the dark never turn out to be good.

That fear of the dark is being manifest in an increasing number of Americans who are dying from despair because they cant see even a flicker of hope. Earlier this year, the Journal of the American Medical Association published findings that show that decades of increased life expectancy have begun to reverse, as more people have begun to succumb to suicide and substance abuse.

In the wealthiest, most powerful and most connected nation in human history, increasing numbers of its citizens are suffering from economic worry, social isolation, anxiety and psychological distress.

In a state of hopelessness, even Christmas can add a burden of guilt and grief, especially if you cant afford to keep up with the madness.

Keep looking

Its being suggested, through our entertainment and through the flood of tragic stories that saturate social media, that darkness is a power that cannot be overcome.

But it is in those moments we must remember to keep looking for the light; to remember even the smallest spark forces the darkness to flee.

Even in the dark, there is value to be found. Being in the dark often forces us to focus. It heightens our self-awareness and strips away the pretense we wear like armor.

Nature and the heavens themselves teach us that, unlike some beings, we cannot exist apart from the light. Because of the warmth and joy it brings, it is the thing that makes us feel most alive. It connects to the divine spark within.

The story of Advent and Christmas is the story of light re-emerging to take its rightful place in the world.

It reminds us that no matter how deep the dark, it cannot stop the light.

Reach Charita at 330-580-8313.

On Twitter: @cgoshayREP

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Charita Goshay: In days of darkness, light finds a way - Canton Repository

Posted December 23, 2019 07:11:45

Elite sport is now prone to moments of self-awareness during times of crisis.

So thankfully, when the Sydney Thunder and Adelaide Strikers were forced from Manuka Oval by heavy smoke from nearby bushfires during a BBL match on Saturday night, no-one suggested the loss of play was a tragedy.

Not when lives have been lost and untold damage caused to property and precious wildlife and national parks by this unprecedented inferno.

But the obscured sight of players and spectators in a foggy haze choking on acrid smoke before the game was rightly cancelled provided a stark reminder of one of cricket's greatest challenges.

The politicisation of climate debate means there will be two stark opinions about the cause or, more pertinently, the extent of the current bushfires and the subsequent game-spoiling smoke.

To some, it will be clear-cut evidence of climate change and a call to arms for greater action domestically and globally to reduce carbon emissions, including by bodies such as Cricket Australia.

Others will continue to insist this is a once-in-a-generation event and even that the current fires are part of an ancient pattern of destruction and renewal.

But, ignoring the clash between science and ideology that has poisoned sensible discourse on climate change, any club cricketer can tell you the Canberra cancellation is merely the latest example of how increasing temperatures and other associated weather events are imposing themselves on the game.

Heat has replaced rain as the scourge of the game in Australia. Just as hurricanes in the West Indies, air pollution in India and drought in South Africa have caused havoc for cricket in recent years.

There are obvious reasons cricket is more prone to changing weather than most other sports.

The game is played outdoors in the hottest months, its duration is greater than most and it is played in its own quasi-natural ecosystem, making it heavily dependent on the right climatic conditions to produce suitable pitches and outfields.

In September, a report titled Hit For Six, compiled by climate scientists and sports physiologists, was released at Lord's. It highlighted the dangers cricket is already enduring from global warming and made recommendations about potential courses of action.

Typically, the most prominently reported response to this report was that of Shane Warne, whose most notable contribution to the climate debate had previously been the smear of white sunscreen on his nose.

"At times in the past it has been hard to know who to believe, but I think we all have to admit now that climate change is a huge issue," Warne, a member of the MCC World Cricket Committee, said.

"Scientists with proven facts are telling us things we can't dispute about the rising temperatures, the rising sea levels."

Sports stars commenting on political and particularly scientific issues in which they have little expertise can be fraught, but Warne's contribution to this debate resonated.

Not just because Warne agreed with the scientific consensus, but because those in cricket advocating direct action to address the symptoms, and hopefully even the causes, of global warming needed an advocate with the great leg-spinner's broad appeal.

At the very least, the fact Warne found aspects of the report describing the potential impact on cricketers playing in extreme heat, the damage of flash flooding to local facilities and other threats listed in the report "scary" gave hope that others could be convinced to take the problem seriously.

At least, more seriously than those who believed climate change's most grave threat to cricket came when MCC Members were permitted to remove their jackets in the Lord's pavilion during this year's Test against Ireland, when the temperature rose to 38.7 degrees Celsius.

Cricket Australia had already responded to rising temperatures with its Heat Stress Risk Index Management Interventions, which provided guidelines on heat cancellations, drinks breaks and other such measures now commonly employed by local associations.

The cancellation of the Big Bash game in Canberra was just the most dramatic indication that the dangers of climate change have been heeded and embraced in official policy.

At club level, there has been an extra emphasis on imposing rules for junior competitions, with games typically abandoned or suspended when the temperature reaches 36C.

But it remains to be seen how many of the more challenging and unorthodox recommendations in the Hit For Six report including heat-resistant equipment, extended tour itineraries to enable acclimatisation and a fashion statement that would be an even more stunning reminder of the rising temperatures than an MCC member in shirt sleeves: first-class players wearing shorts! will be implemented.

Yet, much of this is relatively straightforward, commonsense and reactive. Far more contentious is whether cricket across its various levels, from the ICC to community clubs, goes beyond treating the symptoms and uses its status, political affiliations and vast numbers to lobby for climate change action.

The problem is that cricket, like society, is a broad church, and gaining the kind of consensus required to become a loud voice in a political debate is difficult.

Can you act in the best interests of your constituency while ignoring the beliefs of a large proportion of those members, who insist the game should keep its nose out of the issue regardless of how compelling the science seems?

That's a leadership question for cricket administrators who are busily applying bandaids to a problem that, the smoke in Canberra seemed to suggest, needs a full-body cast.

Topics: cricket, sport, fires, climate-change, canberra-2600, act, australia

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What does the BBL cancellation say about cricket in a changing climate? - ABC News