Las Vegas digital artist James Stanford will be donating his monumental work Budding Buddha to Art For Tibet for their 9th annual auction and exhibition in support of the Tibetan peoples nonviolent freedom struggle against occupation.

Founded in 2009, Art for Tibet will be taking place in New York on Thursday November 7 2019, and will bring together artists and activists to celebrate, commemorate, and support the Tibetan people.

Stanfords work Budding Buddha, a 3-flip backlit lenticular print is edition one of five, moving with the viewers gaze it transforms into three contrasting versions of itself. Depicting the Buddhas head the work refers to Stanfords own deep spirituality ignited in his teen years when he was introduced to Seon Buddhism and began practicing meditation. Other artists donating works to include Shepard Fairey, Cey Adams, Al Diaz and Pema Rinzin.

This years Art for Tibets Honorary Committee is made up of legendary hip-hop artist and Beastie Boys collaborator Cey Adams, French-Tibetan painter Marie-Dolma Chopel, Shepard Fairey and Columbia Professor of Indo-Tibetan Studies, Robert Thurman. The exhibition and auction will take place at the prestigious Gallery 8 in Harlem, where Tibetan artists will be showcased alongside leading contemporary artists. An online auction will take place from October 25 November 7 2019 and the live auction on November 7.

Stanford is widely known for his series Shimmering Zen, a group of digital works featuring mesmerising mandala designs based on photos of historic Las Vegas neon signage. The mosaics and patterns have an immaterial and spiritual quality evoking the artists strong connection to Zen Buddhism. Using a mix of traditional photography and digital techniques, Stanford layers photographs to create and discover patterns in familiar yet completely revitalised images. The exploration of light is key to Stanfords practice as he draws on his expertise as a painter photographer and professor of colour theory.

Dedicated to promoting arts and culture in his hometown Las Vegas, recent months have seen Stanford design a monumental site-specific mural covering the arts incubator at 705 North Las Vegas Boulevard. The mural spans over 2,000 square feet and commemorates the iconic Blue Angel statue that watched over Downtown Las Vegas for 61 years from its mid-century perch at the Blue Angel Motel.

Multimedia artist Stanford has earned an international reputation for an innovative and diverse oeuvre founded on the values of artistic experimentation and meditative practice. Working inventively in a wide range of media and genres, his subject matter ties into a long-term interest in the study and transformation of popular culture, most widely known in the abstract meditative reconfigurations through his Shimmering Zen series, a body of work based on the neon signage and lights of Las Vegas.His art is widely recognized for a sense of radiant light, shadowy space and an infinity of crystalline forms, aptly named modern mandalas.As a practicingBodhisattva teacher, the artist describes his approach and the transformation within his process: My works are part of my practice: meditations, and as such they act as guides to help the viewer gazedeeperinto who we really are. Popular culture can teach us all a lot about who we really are and show us our correct relationship to the universe.

James Stanford says:

I am honoured to be donating a work to Art For Tibet, a cause that is very close to my heart. As a practicing Buddhist I believe in equality, freedom and human rights, all things the Tibetan people are currently deprived of. I commend the Students for a Free Tibets (SFT) important work including their annual fundraisers which help them continue their fight to free Tibet with nonviolent action.

Notes to Editors:

About Art for Tibet:

Founded in 2009, Art for Tibet raises critical funds for Students for a Free Tibet (SFT), a grassroots network of youth and activists campaigning for Tibetans fundamental right to political freedom. Through education, grassroots organizing, and nonviolent direct action, SFT empowers youth as leaders in the worldwide movement for social justice.

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James Stanford donates Buddhist work to the Tibetan cause - ArtfixDaily

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Navneet Vyasan

Born toFrench-Canadian parents, Jack Kerouac excelled in sports from a very young age.Initially, never interested in literature, Kerouacs athletic pursuits won hima sports scholarship at Columbia University in the early 1940s.

At the same time, Allen Ginsberg, also won a scholarshipat Columbia University and then met Lucien Carr. Carr, a well-read academic,was popular for his views and writings, which were infamouslyanti-establishment.

This is the time when, the core members of the BeatGeneration Kerouac, Ginsberg, Carr, Herbert Huncke and William S Burroughs would go on to start a movement that would inspire generations to come. Throughtheir prose and poetry, they would advocate spiritual awakening, purification,and illumination through heightened sensory awareness. This, they argued, mightbe induced by drugs, jazz, sex, or, in the later years, Zen Buddhism. But itwas Kerouacs book titled On the Road, and his friendship with Ginsberg thatmade headlines every nowand then.

In the 1960s, as their writing gained momentum, adorationwas closely followed by denunciation. However, their works, in time, influencedthese popular trends, then engulfing the world.

The hippiemovement

I was surprised, as always, by how easy the act ofleaving was, and how good it felt. The world was suddenly rich withpossibility, wrote Kerouac in his seminal work, On The Road. Published in1957, this part travelogue part novel, took Kerouac only three weeks towrite. Written in a single, effortless flow, the book was inspired by Kerouacstravel across the rapidly changing post-war United States.

Cited by legendary artistes including, Bob Dylan, JimMorrison, and David Bowie as an influential read, Kerouacs work inspired ageneration of hippie trails. The quest for soul searching, lied in travel, andfor him, the journey he underwent before writing the book, was just a start.Unsurprisingly, American teens read the book cover-to-cover and before late, hebecame a literary icon.

In fact, the term hippie was introduced in the 1960s.Before that, the American media coined the term, beatnik, to describeAmericans, setting on a long journey inspired by Kerouacs writings. His works,acquired a global reach after hippies became prevalent around the world. The trail,required Americans to fly to Europe, which is where it would start. The finalstop, more often than not, being Southern India, the travellers used the passesthrough pre-revolution Iran, and Afghanistan, before it was invaded, finallycrossing over to Pakistan and entering India before settling in the southernstates of Goa and Kerala.

Countercultures

Arguably, nothing influenced music and literature the waycounterculture did. Constantly associated with liberation, one can see the riseof ideals of pacifism, LGBT acceptance and marijuana legalisation when onereads works like Post Office by Charles Bukowski or Fear and Loathing in LasVegas by Hunter S Thompson.

Counterculture literature grew with time when authors,notably, used their writings as a tool to critique the establishment that wasgoverning them. Risking imprisonment and sedition charges, Kerouacscontemporary, Allen Ginsberg penned his much acclaimed poem, Howl. Ginsbergregularly mentions Kerouac in his works.

What is obscenity? And to whom? he wrote in the initialpages of his book, Howl and Other Poems. Ginsberg was frustrated that therapidly growing American economy was masking the countrys military ventures.He accused the everyday white collar worker of ignoring the countrysatrocities. I saw the best minds of my generation who threw their watches offthe roof to cast their ballot for Eternity outside of Time, and alarm clocksfell on their heads every day for the next decade, he wrote about how the USgovernment was fooling them by luring them with jobs, as a way to mask VietnamWars atrocities. Subsequently, he had to face sedition charges.

Religion andspirituality

In Kerouacs final days, which would also mark theconclusive years of the Beat Generation, he set out in search of spiritualityand was fascinated by Eastern religions. Ginsberg made a historic trip to Indiaand Kerouac published, The Dharma Bums, what is now considered the hippie handbook.

My karma was to be born in America where nobody has anyfun or believes in anything, especially freedom, he wrote. Raised a devoutRoman Catholic, Kerouac after being introduced to Buddhism, mentionsBodhisattva frequently in his works which followed The Dharma Bums. Moreover,this was the early 1960s, when hippies, in their Volkswagen buses, thronged thebeaches of California chanting Hare Rama, Hare Krishna.

(HT Media)

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Jack Kerouac: On the road to immortality - The Navhind Times

After an off-season in which it seemed like the N.B.A. never took a break, The New York Times talked to a few of the leagues stars about some of the other important things in their lives anything but basketball.

First is Jimmy Butler, the four-time All-Star who joined the Miami Heat this summer after a deep postseason run with the Philadelphia 76ers.

MIAMI The day before he won a gold medal with the United States mens basketball team at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Jimmy Butler tried a form of game preparation that was completely foreign. He watched the mens soccer final as a fan at Brazils famed Maracan stadium.

It was the first soccer match that Butler, then 26, had ever attended.

I watched the greatest soccer player of all time win gold as well, Butler recalled. You know who Im talking about, right?

As usual with the Miami Heats ever-edgy Butler, there was little subtlety in his delivery. He was, of course, referring to the star forward Neymar, whose goal and subsequent clinching penalty kick in a shootout against Germany finally secured Brazils first Olympic gold to go with its five World Cup crowns.

He won gold in his own country, which is even better, Butler said. It was the first time I really paid attention to it and he was killin look at 10 go. And the crowd was just going nuts. I went that one time, and that was it.

What he means: That initial exposure to the 5-foot-9 Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. was enough to turn the 6-foot-8 Butler into Neymars self-proclaimed biggest fan.

Upon Butlers return to the United States, it wasnt long before he started regularly wearing Neymars club and national-team jerseys and posting pictures to Instagram. Friends say Butler, who turned 30 in September, also will routinely throw thank yous for the gift of Neymar Jr. into the blessings he recites before meals.

Neymar said in an email that Butlers support was very special to me and added: Jimmy has a big heart. Our friendship is based on sincerity and honesty. He is shy and at the same time, his fun side is what makes him different.

By the summer of 2018, Butler and Neymar were full-fledged pals, connecting through social media in what surely ranks as one of the most high-profile bromances in sports.

In August 2018, after his first season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Butler went to France to watch Neymar play for Paris Saint-Germain. This June, Butler prepared for N.B.A. free agency by traveling to Rio to spend time with Neymar.

Now we kick it every summer as much as we can, said Butler, who also was treated to a dose of Neymar on United States soil last month when Brazil played Colombia in Miami in an international friendly.

For much of Butlers N.B.A. career, one of his signature quirks was taking an American football with him to throw around in his spare time wherever he went. Butler, in 2016, elicited incessant ribbing from his Olympic teammates in Brazil for repeatedly insisting loudly that he was an N.F.L.-caliber wide receiver.

But after Neymar introduced him to the racket sport padel, Butler adopted it as his new conditioning hobby. Now he travels with a professional padel bag loaded with rackets and plays frequently with James Scott, his personal performance coach.

[Want more basketball in your inbox? Sign up for Marc Steins weekly N.B.A. newsletter here.]

Butler is the first to admit that pastimes such as padel and watching soccer werent in the cards for me at all. Growing up in the Houston suburb of Tomball, Texas, he never kicked a soccer ball.

Nope, Butler said. Only kicked a basketball when I got angry.

But Butler has done a lot of changing since his arrival in the N.B.A. as the 30th overall pick of the Chicago Bulls in 2011. He blossomed into a four-time All-Star with a reputation as a hypercompetitive and demanding teammate, unafraid to also challenge coaches, team executives, whomever. In an interview with Yahoo Sports last season, Butler acknowledged that he could rightly be described as confrontational. He has also described himself as a little extra at times.

None of that, though, has prevented him from bonding with some of world soccers elite. In addition to Neymar, Butler enjoys a budding friendship with the mercurial Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba whom he met over FaceTime in July after a chance introduction to Pogbas mother, Yeo, in Senegal.

While Butler was on a trip to Senegal to visit the family of the Philadelphia 76ers player-development coach, Remy Ndiaye, Yeo Pogba spotted him in a hotel lobby and arranged for the basketball star to speak to her son. Within a month while spending six weeks of his off-season in London to help feed another one of his passions, international travel Butler made a trip to Old Trafford on Aug. 11 to watch Pogba and Manchester United rout Chelsea, 4-0, in the English Premier League.

Im Neymar to the death of me, and Im Paul Pogba to the death of me, Butler said.

The sudden manifestation of Butlers soccer fandom has earned him some further needling from fellow players especially since he wasnt lured to the game through the much more common route for N.B.A. players: playing Electronic Artss popular FIFA video game series.

One example: Miamis veteran guard Goran Dragic, much more seasoned as a soccer-watcher after growing up in Slovenia, doesnt hesitate to challenge Butlers frequent Neymar is the G.O.A.T proclamations by telling him Lionel Messi is the smarter choice for the greatest of all time.

But Butler makes it clear that he is serious about his soccer no matter what anyone thinks. When a reporter sought to Americanize the conversation by asking which of Neymars jerseys he owns, Butler offered a stern rebuke.

Theyre called shirts, by the way, Butler said. Not jerseys. You sound like a rookie.

As he prepares to begin his new work life with the Heat, Butler is pushing back harder against those around the N.B.A. who have criticized him for how much he has changed from his early days in the league. Back then, he was known as a coach-pleaser who liked to accentuate his Texas roots by wearing cowboy boots and oversize belt buckles, and listening to country music.

I like it, Butler said of the knock that he has changed too much. I am different. Ive picked up a lot of different hobbies. I dont want to stay the same.

I do what makes me happy. Some people just dont like it. Some people just dont want people to be happy.

And some people, like Butler, think it is perfectly reasonable to sit on a balcony in Rio days before committing to join the Heat, sketching a green No. 10 inside a yellow square and then announcing to the world in an Instagram video that hes drawing pictures of goats.

I just saw him that first time and I was like, damn, damn, hes tough, Butler said. Ever since then, hes my friend, and Im a fan.

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Jimmy Butler and Neymar: a Bromance Among Superstars - The New York Times

Nestle's CEO Mark Schneider believes acquiring product lines to improve overall health will shake up the 100-year-old brand. In a recent bold move, the company purchased Persona, a personalized vitamin program delivered right to customers' doors.

Scott Mlyn | CNBC

Mention global food behemoth Nestle and the name will likely conjure up images of chocolate, frozen pizza and ice cream. Yet recent moves by its Lausanne, Switzerland-based Nestle Health Science division is making the company look more like a drug giant. The wholly-owned subsidiary, which specializes in nutritional products to improve overall health, has been investing heavily in companies that treat everything from gut health to Alzheimer's. Its latest acquisition: Persona, a personalized vitamin program delivered right to customers' doors.

Nestle Health Science's August purchase of Persona comes at a time when interest in personalized nutrition is exploding. The category includes wellness products, dietary supplements, so-called nutraceuticals (pharmaceutical alternatives that promise health benefits) and functional foods that help aid in overall well-being or performance. Analysts at Grand View Research in San Francisco estimate that retail sales for these products will reach $50 billion by 2025, up from around $11 billion today.

It makes sense. With health-care costs skyrocketing, consumers are doing all they can to get and stay healthy. Preventative measures getting enough sleep, exercising and eating a diet with more fruits and vegetables have always been part of the equation. But now the rising trend for customization of everything from movie recommendations to the kinds of workouts we do is expanding to vitamins, supplements and medical foods, and companies like Nestle are taking notice.

"In the deal between Persona and Nestle, both companies anticipated the considerable market potential of personalized nutrition," says Rubik Barar, a research manager of biotech, diagnostics and pharmaceuticals at Grand View Research. He believes larger companies will continue to form alliances and collaborations with smaller, personalized nutrition companies to ensure they don't miss out on this revenue stream.

The acquisition demonstrates the moves CEO Mark Schneider is making to shake up the 100-year-old brand since he took the reins in 2017. Diversifying into new lines of business has been key. On Thursday the company announced sales of $68.4 billion for the first nine months of 2019, noting it is on track to meet its target for operating margin a year early. It also plans to return another $20 billion to shareholders by 2022.

Greg Behar joined Nestle Health Science as president and CEO in 2014 after spending more than a decade in the pharmaceutical industry. He says the division was founded in 2011 as a way for Nestle to tap into the rapidly growing field of nutritional science. Over the past eight years, the unit has developed a portfolio of science-based consumer health, medical nutrition and supplement brands, including its purchase of Persona. Nestle Health Science has made more than a dozen acquisitions so far, focusing on nutritional therapies for brain health, gastrointestinal issues, aging, food allergies and obesity, among others.

In September, Nestle invested in Before Brands, specialists in early childhood allergy prevention. Before Brands is the developer of a line of childhood nutritional products called SpoonfulOne, aimed at reducing food allergy development. Earlier this year, Nestle Health Science acquired an equity stake in Amazentis and now has global rights to use its patented Urolithin A technology for dietary supplements and medical nutrition products.

Behar says "consumers are really looking for more custom solutions, so we've been scanning the marketplace searching for start-ups and more established companies that have at their core strong science and technology."

The main focus for Nestle so far has been on lightly regulated dietary supplements. After all, they don't require expensive and time-consuming clinical trials the way pharmaceuticals do, so products (like Persona vitamins) can get to consumers fairly quickly. In fact, two of Nestle Health Science's biggest sellers Boost, a high-protein nutritional shake, and the Meritene brand of shakes and soups to combat fatigue account for about 25% of Nestle Health Science's $2 billion annual revenue. That's still a small sliver of parent company Nestle's global revenues of $93 billion, but NHS executives have said they envision sales increasing to as much as $10 billion in the coming years.

That doesn't mean Nestle is shying away from the regulated side of the business. It recently got the go-ahead from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to start late-stage human trials for a proprietary medical food that targets Crohn's disease. It's also submitted paperwork to the FDA explaining its plans for late-stage testing for a drug compound to treat ulcerative colitis, a disease that affects more than 1 million people worldwide.

But not every investment by Nestle Health Science has gone smoothly. In 2012 it invested in Accera (now known as Cerecin), a biotech firm focused on acute and chronic neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's. Accera had developed a product called Axona, which was marketed as a medical food to manage the metabolic processes associated with mild to moderate Alzheimer's. In 2014 the FDA issued a warning to Accera, saying it failed to prove that Alzheimer's has distinct dietary or nutritional requirements. The company stopped marketing Axona as a medical food and is now trying to develop a more traditional drug to treat Alzheimer's.

CNBC Evolve will return, this time to Los Angeles, on Nov. 19. Visit cnbcevents.com/evolve to register.

The event highlights the challenge food companies face when they attempt to make health claims about vitamins, supplements and medical foods. To keep things like this from happening more frequently, the FDA in 2015 created the new Office of Dietary Supplement Programs. It comes as the supplement industry has grown from about $6 billion to more than $35 billion over the past 20 years.

The office has been busy. In February the FDA posted 12 warning letters and five online advisory letters to overseas and domestic companies that are illegally selling nearly 60 products many sold as dietary supplements that are unapproved new drugs or misbranded drugs that claim to prevent, treat or cure Alzheimer's and other serious diseases and health conditions.

By contrast, the Persona acquisition fits in nicely with NHS's personalization strategy, says Behar. The Seattle-based company was launched in 2017 by Jason Brown, Tamara Bernadot and Prem Thudia, longtime business colleagues who have worked in the health-care and supplement business for the past 20 years. One of the features that Behar says he found so intriguing about Persona is its technology. A detailed, online questionnaire based on a proprietary algorithm lets consumers answer questions about their biggest health and nutrition concerns. Persona CEO Brown claims the questionnaire goes one step further than any other personalized vitamin program on the market because it also includes detailed questions about a person's prescription drug usage.

"We can give customers the finest nutritional products out there, but we've got to make sure that we're not going to give them anything that interferes with any prescription medication they're on," Brown says. "Our questionnaire makes sure we're not recommending anything that would conflict with that medicine."

Once a customer completes all the questions, Persona makes a recommendation of which vitamins and supplements best address their particular health and nutrition concerns, whether that's stress, fatigue or weight management. The products are packaged into daily dose packets typically, there's a morning and evening pack and shipped to customers once a month. The price of each monthly program varies by customer, but Brown says that on average it breaks down to about $1 to $3 per day.

Now that it's part of the company fold, Nestle Health Science is looking to launch Persona even further afield. So far, Brown says more than 750,000 people have filled out Persona's online questionnaire. Last year the company posted revenues of $4 million, up from $200,000 in 2017. By November the products manufactured in the U.S. will be launched globally and be available in 32 countries throughout Europe and Asia. Persona currently has 50 employees, but with Nestle Health Science's investment, Brown says that number will grow by 150% over the next 12 months.

Of course, it's not lost on Behar that a company better known for products like Hot Pockets and Haagen-Dazs ice cream is backing a portfolio of vitamin and wellness brands that aims to make us all healthier, more energetic and better rested. But he says customers are willing to listen.

"Consumers recognize what Nestle is doing to reduce the amount of sugar and salt in its products and to reduce its packaging impact on the environment," he says. "We're moving the needle on a number of things, and consumers recognize that and trust us."

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Nestle invested in Before Brands in September. An earlier version stated that Nestlepurchased the company.

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Food giant Nestle pivots to gain a foothold in the personal nutrition market - CNBC

Bart Swings Sunday at the International Openingswedstrijden in Inzell, as the third ended up in the 3,000 meters. Swings recorded a time of 3:41.54. This is the training camp for two weeks, with the Belgian national team in the South of germany schaatsoord off.

The victory of the training are often driven for three miles was made to the Norwegian Sverre Lunde Pedersen is in a strong 3:39.79. The Dutch veteran, Douwe de Vries was second in 3:40.23.

the day after her first 500 meters in under forty-five seconds, and ended Stien Charles the ninth, in 40.17. Designer Purse, the age of thirteen, has improved her best time to 40.64. The victory went to the Dutch Ireen Wst is at 38.74.

In the 1,500 meters, brought Charles to a personal performance of 2: 04.26 (xiv). Even here, the victory will go to schaatslegende Wst in 1:54.79. In the 3,000 meters was a Bag of the seventeenth in 4:16.88, also a personal best. The Dutch, Melissa (Female, won in 4:01.07.

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Bart Swings schaatst the prices, and set a new personal best for the talented and Stien Vanhoutte - Wire News Fax

The Reset This PC feature has been around since Windows 8, but its changed a lot since then. Microsoft keeps making it better and better, and its easy to miss all the improvements. Cloud Download is just the latest, most visible one.

The Reset This PC feature makes it almost like you just opened your PC for the first time, according to Microsofts Aaron Lower, a project manager in charge of Recovery at Microsoft, in a Windows Insider webcast. If youre selling or giving away your PC, you can erase your files and even wipe your drive so your data cant be recovered. If youre experiencing a PC problem or just want a clean Windows system, youll get that fresh Windows OS.

When resetting your PC, you can choose to either keep your personal files or have them removed from your PC. Either way, Windows will remove your installed programs and give you a fresh operating system.

To reset a PC, head to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery or choose the Troubleshoot > Reset This PC option in the Advanced Startup Options menu. This menu opens if you have problems booting your PC, but you can also open it by holding the Shift key while you click the Restart option in the Windows Start menu or on the login screen.

Under the hood, Windows will gather the files it needs and basically create a new Windows installation. It will migrate your personal files, if you choose, as well as hardware drivers and preinstalled applications to the new system.

RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Reset This PC in Windows 8 and 10

Windows Recovery goes a long way back. Recovery partitions began in Windows XP and were also used by Windows Vista and Windows 7. These were separate partitions containing a compressed copy of Windows and the manufacturers customizations, and you could restart your PC and boot into them to restore.

On Windows 8, the Reset This PC feature exposed the recovery feature in a standard wayPC manufacturers didnt have to build their own recovery features. While Windows 8 didnt use a recovery partition, it supported recovery images that it restored from. You could even replace the recovery image with your ownfor example, uninstalling

On Windows 10, the Reset This PC feature has always worked differently from how it did on Windows 8. Windows 10 uses imageless recovery. Instead of having a recovery image take up space on the drive, Windows 10 creates a fresh copy of Windows by assembling files present in the Windows installation. This means no storage space wasted on a separate recovery partition. Also, any installed security updates are preserved and not discarded, so you dont have to update everything after going through the recovery process, as you did on Windows 7.

Fresh Start is now integrated into Reset This PC. This lets you restore a Windows 10 PC without restoring all the manufacturer-provided softwaresome of which might be useful, but much of which is definitely bloatware that clutters and slows down your PC.

Previously, this feature was hidden. You had to go through Windows Security to find it. Lower said this project was a parallel effort alongside Reset This PC at Microsoft. It uses the same recovery tech as Reset This PC under the hood but doesnt restore those manufacturer-provided applications.

To use this, youll be able to go through the Reset process, access additional options, and deactivate the Restore preinstalled apps? option. This will make Windows perform a Fresh Start without the manufacturer provided softwarelike reinstalling Windows.

Microsofts Lower called the Windows Security option a secret squirrel entry point and said Microsoft would be discontinuing it. It makes sense for Fresh Start to be integrated into Reset This PC rather than being buried in Windows Security, which is an almost entirely separate application.

For now, the Fresh Start option is still available at Windows Security > Device Performance & Health. Click Additional Info under Fresh Start and click the Get Started button.

RELATED: How to Easily Reinstall Windows 10 Without the Bloatware

Starting with the October 2018 Update, Windows 10s recovery environment can now uninstall quality updates. These are the smaller updates Windows installs on Patch Tuesday, for example. If an update caused a problem and your PC cant reboot, you can use the Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Uninstall Updates option in the Advanced Startup Options menu to restore it rather than digging through a Command Prompt window and looking for the most recent installed KB.

The Uninstall latest quality update option will uninstall the last normal Windows Update you installed, while Uninstall latest feature update will uninstall the previous major once-every-six-month update like the May 2019 Update or October 2018 Update.

This feature may sound pretty technical, and few people may use it, but theres some good news: Windows will automatically use it when it detects a problem with an update. So, if an update renders your Windows 10 system unbootable or causes another major issue, Windows 10 will automatically uninstall that quality update when it goes through the restore process. You dont even need to know this feature exists.

Before this automatic feature, only seasoned administrators who knew what they were doing could uninstall updates from the recovery environment.

Cloud Download is the latest exciting feature. As Lower writes on Microsofts blog, the standard imageless recoverynow known as Local Reinstallcan take more than 45 minutes and cannot always repair Windows if the installation is in a really bad state or is too corrupted.

The new Cloud Download feature will let you reinstall Windows from the cloud rather than using your local copies of files. If you have a fast internet connection, it can be faster than using Local Recoveryand it can be a more reliable way of recovering Windows, too. Its just like using the Media Creation Tool to download Windows onto a USB stick and restore your OS, but its built right into Windows 10, and you can do it in a few clicks.

To use this feature after Windows 10s 20H1 update becomes stable, head to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Get Started. After selecting either Keep my files or Remove everything, youll be prompted to choose Cloud download or Local reinstall.

Lower explains how it works in more detail on Microsofts blog. It works like you might expect it to. Windows will download the files it needs from Microsofts servers, create a new root operating system folder, migrate files like drivers from your current installation, and then swap the operating systems root folder.

RELATED: Microsoft Explains How Cloud Download Reinstalls Windows 10

In the future, Microsofts Lower said that Microsoft would be simplifying the overall interface by removing those secret squirrel entry points like the Fresh Start button in Windows Security.

Also, he said he hoped to do more with Cloud Downloadrather than using the machines local hardware drivers during the reinstallation, he would like Windows to download the latest, freshest hardware drivers instead. Thats just an aspirational goal, and theres no guarantee Microsoft will do this.

Lower also said hed be interested in whether people would want Cloud Download to let them upgrade to newer builds or downgrade to older builds, so thats another possible feature for the future.

Whatever Microsoft ends up doing, Windows recovery has already come a long way from even the days of Windows 7, when you had to use a manufacturer-provided recovery partition or just reinstall Windows from scratch.

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How Windows 10s Reset This PC Has Gotten More Powerful - How-To Geek

Behind the gates of Wat Yannawa temple, barefoot monks emerge, their saffron robes a pop of color in the early morning light. From the youngest to the oldest, they do this same routine every day: collect alms, or offerings, from the Buddhist faithful.

In metal pails that sway near their hips as they walk, they collect food, drinks and the occasional cash donation for the temple. They pray with the person who offers it, and then return home to prepare the meal with what they've been given.

More than 90% of Thailand's population follows Buddhism and the monks here are held in high regard, but there is growing concern about their health: Thailand's monks are gaining too much weight.

Thailand's National Health Commission Office says there are nearly 349,000 monks in Thailand, and almost half are considered overweight or obese.

There are several factors, but it largely centers around the morning routine -- and the changing nature of the offerings placed into the monk's pails.

The monks aren't able to control their own diet -- it's at the mercy of the offerings they receive each morning. Traditionally, those alms are calorie-rich foods, either processed or homemade -- with the Buddhist faithful wanting to offer something of high value and taste.

The monks are also forbidden from eating anything after 12 p.m., having only one or two meals a day between the hours of 6 a.m. and noon.

This means it's hard for monks to change their diet.

Professor Jongjit Angkatavanich, a pharmacist, dietician, and nutritionist who has been studying the health of Thailand's monks for the past eight years, describes the situation as a "ticking time bomb."

"When we look at the obesity rate, it's kind of like the first landmark that we used as an indicator," Jongjit said.

The monks are experiencing conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, eye issues and osteoarthritis in knees, but they know very little about them.

For example, one of the most shocking things Jongjit has seen is monks with amputated toes and feet because of diabetes, but the monks had no knowledge of the condition -- many had never even heard of diabetes.

A taste for soda

Obesity rates among Thailand's monks are higher than the wider population -- 48% of them are obese compared to 39% of the Thai male population, according to Jongjit's research. While people might think the monks are simply eating more, Jongjit said that isn't the case. The monks consume 150 less calories than Thai men.

So what's happening to Thailand's monks?

"After midday, they have to rely on a drink or beverage," Jongjit explained. "It has changed over time, from the ancient time -- right now, it is a soda, a soft drink, a sweetened beverage."

What's more, she said, is the monks often consume the sugary drinks on an empty stomach. "The sugar in the liquid is absorbed faster," she said. "It means the effect or consequence of the added sugar is even worse for a monk."

To complicate matters even further, the monks aren't supposed to exercise -- it's considered vain. Navigating those restrictions is an important part of the long-term solution.

Somdet Phra Mahathirajarn is the Abbot of Yannawa temple -- its highest-ranking monk. He's been leading the charge in implementing changes suggested by Jongjit and her team, including finding a way around the exercise restrictions and healthier menu options for the novice monks' midday meal, as the novices get one meal prepared by the temple before noon in addition to the morning alms.

"We consider their intention" when it comes to exercise, he said, allowing exceptions for health reasons. "My department has to coordinate with the government to dispatch mobile medical units to educate the monks, so they can learn about proper exercise, proper rest and proper living."

Keeping track

One of the mobile medical units arrived later that day. A fleet of health workers armed with scales and blood pressure cuffs descended on Yannawa temple, measuring and tracking the health of the youngest novice monks. From blood sugar levels to weight and body mass index, the numbers are recorded and entered into a database -- no small task, considering the sheer number of temples and monks in Bangkok alone.

"We started this health check-up for the monks in temples all over Thailand, and especially in Bangkok," said Dr. Somchai Teetipsatit, director of the Health Promotion Division for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. "We have 454 temples in Bangkok, with about 16,000 monks."

To cover everyone, both public and private healthcare clinics are involved, spurred on by a unique health charter implemented by the government and the National Health Commission Office in 2017. The goal is to teach not only the monks, but the public, about proper nutrition, so they can take care of each other.

Phupha Srichalerm is a 17-year-old novice monk from a province in southern Thailand. He's been studying at Yannawa temple for nearly five years, and now his Buddhist education also includes nutrition.

"It's good because it makes me aware about diet," he said. "I've changed my dietary habits." For starters, he's begun swapping out the sugary afternoon drinks in favor of water. Otherwise, he now understands that the risks of obesity and the diseases that come with it are serious.

In the eight years since Jongjit first started this work, she has seen some progress.

"We started small," she said. "But we have to spread [the message]. Now we call it 'one temple, one hospital.' And with this national health strategy, we will distribute our [educational] media to at least 11,000 hospitals in Thailand -- from the main hospitals in the provinces to the primary care district hospitals, the roots of our community" -- going to the root of the community, to help the heart of the community.

See the rest here:
Why Thailand is putting its Buddhist monks on a diet - CNN

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- An alleged Lucchese soldier planned to escape federal jail with the help of some unusual tools: Kool-Aid, dental floss and a high-fiber diet, according to the New York Times.

Christopher Londonio, 45, of the Bronx, started plotting his escape while awaiting trial in a 2013 murder case, according to the published report.

Londonio was planning on using dental floss to cut through the glass of his cell, which his mother smuggled into Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, and a diamond-tipped hacksaw blade to remove the steel guarding in front of the window that he was able to get through a sympathetic priest, according to the Times.

But in order to be able to fit through the home-made hole, Londonio figured he needed to lose weight -- hence a diet high in fiber and an exercise-regiment of plenty of sit ups, the Times wrote.

The thoroughly-planned escaped was detailed in an FBI report first obtained by Jerry Capeci of Gang Land News, the Times wrote.

Read more from the original source:
Report: Alleged Mafia soldier planned to escape jail with the help of floss, a priest and a fiber diet - SILive.com

Diabetes is just one of the many chronic ailments that is so prevalent in the U.S. with millions of people suffering each year and thousands newly diagnosed by the same token.

And whether you have type 1 or 2 diabetes, making healthy lifestyle choices in the form of exercise (physical and mental), diet, and mental health management are vital for keeping this life-threatening illness at bay.

So, were going to focus on the exercise aspect of diabetes management because its a crucial component. But, well also briefly cover diet, and mental exercise (meditation, etc) because these factors all play a huge role in your overall well-being.

Diabetes is a disease that affects how the body uses blood sugar and it results from high blood glucose, or blood sugar levels. Now, glucose is supplied in our bodies from the foods we consume, and then its used for energy in the body with the help of the hormone insulin; which is produced by the pancreas.

But if this process does not occur efficiently due to several possible factors like lifestyle habits and even family history of the disease; diabetes results, which can then cause many health issues that can potentially affect the heart, kidneys, feet and nerves.

Whats The Difference Between type 1 and type 2?

The two forms are type 1 and type 2 with the former being more severe and the latter the most common form that people suffer from. Over 90% of people who have diabetes are type 2. (1)

Type 1 means the body no longer produces insulin, and it occurs more in children and young adults. But it results from the immune system attacking the cells in your pancreas which creates insulin. So, daily treatment is absolutely crucial. About 10% or so of people diagnosed with diabetes are type 1.

Type 2 means the body does not utilize insulin effectively or that it doesnt create it at all. This form is more common in middle-aged and older people but anyone can develop it.

And countless studies have proven the positive effects of exercise for the prevention and management of diabetes and insulin resistance. But, these effects are much more prominent in combination with making healthy lifestyle choices.

Lets talk about how exercise helps to manage and improve diabetes.

Stress affects nearly everyone and with the fast-paced, poor diet, and the high-expectation world we live in today, its no wonder were experiencing so much dis-ease in the body.

Stress causes hormones like adrenaline and cortisol to be released in excessive amounts, and when these hormone levels are sustained in the body, health and disease result. It also has a direct correlation with increased blood glucose levels and only exacerbates the issue. (2)

So, stress management is a must for the sake of your overall health. And exercise is a very necessary weapon in your stress-management arsenal because it not only helps to manage the disease but it also staves it off and can even help to improve it.

Exercise releases feel-good chemicals in the brain called endorphins which directly impact mood and distract from many of the typical stressors of life. But it also strengthens the heart, potentially lowers blood pressure, and gives you more confidence as well. (3)

Short-term stress is normal but long-term stress is deadly.

Check also the4 tips to lower stress.

Overweight and obese individuals on average at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes due to their physical condition.

David Marrero, PhD, president of health care and education for the American Diabetes Association has a very good saying when it comes to the relationship between weight and diabetes

If I suddenly take a bunch of gravel and throw it in the back of your car, you can still probably make 70 mph on the interstate. But youre going to make the engine work a little harder. If I put 1,000 pounds in your car, that effect increases. I can probably put enough weight in so, eventually, your car no longer can perform like it needs to.

He also explained

What we know in diabetes prevention, and in prediabetes, is that a very modest amount of weight loss has this huge reduction in risk. You lose 7% of your body weight, you cut your risk [of developing diabetes] by 60%. And, in fact, if youre over 65, its over 70%.

As you can see, exercise is not optional, but rather a necessity, especially if youre an overweight individual.

You want to be eating lots of dark leafy greens, very little meat (substitute), whole grains, healthy fats, good carbs, and some fruits. But, the greens should make up the majority of your diet while complex carbs, fruits, and fats should be consumed in smaller amounts. (4)

And you should avoid anything processed, refined, and high on the Glycemic Index Scale. But certain fats (saturated and trans fats) and even sodium should be on the lower side.

Check out this article on why phytonutrients are so important for chronic disease management.

Sometimes a healthy diet is a difficult thing to maintain with all of the delectable options and lack of nutritional knowledge.

But the good news is that exercise can lessen the impact of a bad diets effects on health, in a society where processed, fast-food options are the main source of nutrition for many. And a big reason is that it staves off chronic symptoms associated with certain ailments.

But, dont think you can just eat bad, then exercise and all will be well because it doesnt quite work that way.

A diagnosis of diabetes or any other chronic disease can be discouraging and it can certainly do a number on ones mental health. In fact, people suffering from diabetes are at increased risk for depression, anxiety, and even eating disorders. Then tack on the added responsibilities regarding the daily treatment schedule and its a real challenge for some individuals. (5)

But the illness itself can also bring on a mental disturbance in the previously mentioned forms due to the potential fluctuations of blood sugar levels; which when all added up together, can cause a condition called diabetes distress.

And many think that theres no use in trying to do anything to try and improve this condition due to feeling hopeless and helpless.

And therefore, mental health worsens from this doomed thought process. Well, the absolute truth of the matter is, exercise is just as important for your mental well-being as it is for physical health.

They go hand-in-hand and one without the other is always a recipe for disease. And that is why doing some form of aerobic and/or anaerobic exercise daily is crucial for sustaining your health and well-being.

A 12-week study found that regular aerobic activity has a significant positive impact on self-esteem and mental health which is directly connected with a better quality of life. (6)

So, whatever activity you choose, be consistent. Weight training, jogging, sports, pure cardio these are all very viable options. And based on research, all forms whether aerobic, anaerobic, or combined activities are equally good at improving HbA1c values. (7)

But dont forget about the mental exercise aspect of mental health management; like meditation, therapy, etc because without these, you could be fighting an uphill battle. Talking to someone and implementing cognitive strategies are going to make the biggest difference for your mental health.

Engaging in mindful/meditative activities will allow you to focus on the present moment and healing, rather than dwelling on the problem/s. And this is how many people combat depression, boost their immune system, and improve cognitive abilities.

This can obviously vary between individuals based on current physical condition. If you havent exercised in a while, start out very slowly as to not overwork yourself. If youve been exercising lightly then turn up the intensity little by little.

And if youre serious into fitness, well, good on you! Keep it up and remember, its a powerful weapon in your fight against diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association recommends starting off with a light walk for those who have sedentary for a while. But do it in a way that promotes a relaxing experience. For instance, listen to a calming audiobook and/or take a stroll through your favorite area with a loved one.

And for those more experienced with exercise, at least 30 minutes a day is sufficient. Also, strength training should be a part of your regime at least twice weekly to keep strong and manage blood sugar levels too. (11)

But, never overexert yourself and always make sure to bring a healthy carb source with you like some fruit or a healthy snack in case your blood sugar levels drop too low.

And always consult with your doctor before doing any exercise to ensure the process runs smoothly and for your absolute safety.

Theres no difference in the type of activities you can participate in when compared to someone who does not have diabetes. Do fun exercise thatll keep you inspired to keep up with your activities. But, try your best to not overdo it and stop when you feel decently tired.

Now, since weight training is very beneficial for maintaining a healthy, weve put together a little workout split that you can follow for at least a month before switching up your routine.

Make sure to warm up with lighter weight for a few sets before the working sets which are shown below, and avoid using really heavy weights (which is why weve chosen moderate rep ranges). But you should still train with at least moderate intensity to elicit results.

Heres an example weight training routine including the days and exercises adjust as needed.

Monday:

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Thursday:

Friday:

Saturday:

Sunday:

Repeat the routine on Monday.

You can train your core 3-4 days per week as well by doing 3 rounds of front planks, and lying side hip raises to keep things simple starting out.

At least one to three hours after a meal when your blood sugar levels are likely relatively higher.

But, if you take insulin always make sure to check your blood sugar levels prior to, and following any type of physical activity. If your levels are below 100 mg/dL, eat something to bring it up because you can be at high risk for hypoglycemia.

If levels are over 250, then refrain from exercise for the moment, as it can potentially make the situation much worse.

Also, its important to check your levels following any form of activity to make sure youre within a healthy range and to avoid hypoglycemia.

Exercise is a crucial component for the management and improvement of diabetes.

You dont have to go ultra hard but you can definitely turn up the intensity a little without worrying about doing too much if you take all the necessary precautions beforehand. Diabetes may be an inconvenience in many ways but that doesnt mean you cant live your life how you want too.

And making it a priority to be active on a daily basis will allow you to stave off many of the potentially negative effects and symptoms. So, get into a routine and take control by doing whats necessary,

Diabetes or not, physical activity is a key component for promoting and maintaining optimal levels of health, both physically and mentally.

But you dont want to forget how vital diet and mental exercise (meditation, therapy, etc) are in a healthy regime for encouraging a better lifestyle as every preventative component should be up to par.

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Read more:
Why Exercise Is Non-Negotiable For People With Diabetes - FitnessVolt.com

Gregg Wallace is a television host known for presenting Masterchef and appearing on Strictly Come Dancing. He has been on the small screen helping a family make healthier choices on the BBC show Eat Well for Less?. It is clear the television presenter has also taken the health tips into his personal life as he has recently transformed his figure. Gregg has revealed a three stone weight loss in the past - what did he do to shape up?

In a recent Instagram post, Gregg treated fans to a picture of his six pack abs captioned getting there.

One fan questioned: Well done, what does your diet consist of?

The presenter replied to the comment: less fat n booze. (sic)

Another asked if he had a personal trainer to which the presenter replied yeah.

Gregg recently used his social media account to share his fitness stats, revealing in an Instagram story he had slimmed down to 12st 3lb.

The presenter also told fans he had slimmed down to have a body fat percentage of just 18 per cent.

In the past, the Masterchef host has opened up about his weight loss and explained he made healthy versions of his favourite meals to shape up.

Speaking to The Sun, he said: "Im a huge fan of curries, chillies and stews and it is still possible to lose weight and eat hearty meals.

Think about cooking with meats such as chicken and pork all the things that dont have much fat.

Use lean mince to make chillies, fill up with tasty stews stuffed full of healthy, low-calorie veg.

See the article here:
Gregg Wallace weight loss: TV host used this diet plan to shed 3st - what did he eat? - Express