Mildly repetitive adventure that adopts unique personality-based alignment scale.

Game:Star Story: The Horizon Escape

Developer: EvilCoGames

Publisher: EvilCoGames

Reviewed: PC

Im a sucker for anything to do with space, so EvilCoGames cartoonish adventure about a space archaeologist battling space shrimps sounded too weird to resist.Star Story: The Horizon Escapeisnt spectacularly engrossing by any stretch of the imagination, but does manage to find its rhythm after a sluggish beginning. Its purely mouse-based gameplay that mostly consists ofturn-based battles, slightly too linear exploration, and crafting resources into weapons, bandages and so on. The story itself is a bitclichyour spaceship crash landed on an unknown planet, forcing you (and your AI buddyV3R-DaNA) to survive seemingly insurmountable odds and escape in one piece. Fortunately, a refreshing twist exists within the combat department. Rather than using levelling up to propel progression like the typical RPG or MMO,Star Story: The Horizon Escapeuses a personality alignment scale that affects your characters resolve, insight or goodwill depending on how you handle situations, and that does help break the linearity. Its tied to higher level skill and weapon tiers, which are unlockable if you gather sufficient resources like iron, copper and irridium, so the game loop sits tightly in place.

Combat offers a nice repertoire of weapons includingbare fists, smoke, a Blaster UX-n7 Minor andcorrosion grenades, but tends to betooeasy in the beginning. Since HP regenerates after you nap in your spaceship (accessible after any battle/puzzle solving encounter) its hard to enter a fight wildly unprepared, but beyond that, the aliens I was facing felt consistently underpowered. I was glad to see the difficulty level ramp up with later battles, not just because it better emphasises the importance of crafting and gathering resources, but because ultimately this is what grindy RPGs rely on to keep them interesting increasingly powerful enemies that sometimes give you a run for your money. Visually, the aliens (called shrimps in the game) aregrotesque and awesome-looking, and thats true for the art direction as a whole. The backgrounds burst with colour and detail, and the music is smooth, atmospheric and creates a relaxing aura as you chew through those long passages of text.

There are many opportunities to solve puzzles, too, but like combat, theyre a bit on the easy side. Failing a puzzle three times can result in damage, which creates some tension and excitement initially. However, in my playthrough I encountered one particular puzzle repeated a couple of times with almost identical decoding methods, which made things feel predictable rather than enjoyable.Star Story: The Horizon Escapeis mostly glitch-free, barringan isolated issue usually youre meant to be able to click on items in the environment to unearth hidden resources, but in my first run, clicking on them didnt reveal anything; this problem didnt manifest again but does require you to restart the game, which is no problem since the loading times are lightning-fast.

Despite its more redeeming qualities, Star Story: The Horizon Escape feels too easy. Its a fun game to relax with, especially if you want something thats sci-fi themed and has interesting, often funny dialogue, but it needs greater diversity in puzzle design and more engaging combat to capture player interest over a longer period of time.

Interested players can get stuck intoStar Story: The Horizon Escapetoday for $9.99 USD (PC, Mac).

A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.

Read the original here:

Star Story: The Horizon Escape ImpressionsDecent Spacefaring - Gameranx (blog)

Amazons acquisition of Whole Foods, the grocer that brought pricey organic food to the masses, comes during a time of turmoil in the organic industry: The Department of Agriculture is continuing to investigate the importation of millions of pounds of phony organic grains. The move is in response to a lengthy Washington Post expos published in May that tracked shipments of corn and soybeans from Turkey, Romania, and Ukraine that were labeled organic but were not (I wrote about it here).

The Post reported that the fraudulent imports were large enough to constitute a meaningful proportion of the U.S. supply of those commodities, a troubling development that should raise serious questions about the veracity of the organic label, since these grains are mostly being used as livestock feed to meet National Organic Programs (NOP) standards. Organic meat and dairy products must be sourced from animals fed only organic grains; this has led to an enormous surge in imports over the past few years, since nearly all the corn and soybeans grown here are from genetically modified seeds, verboten in organic production. Organic soybean imports have jumped sixfold from 2011, and organic corn imports have quadrupled since 2013; Turkey is now the largest exporter of both crops to the U.S.

A USDA spokeswoman confirmed to me that an investigation is ongoing and said the agency has already revoked the license of one Turkish handler. (Organic verification is done by an outside party, not by the USDA directly; 82 certifiers oversee 31,000 organic farms and businesses in 111 countries and the U.S.) The spokeswoman also said the agency is currently investigating other evidence related to shipments of soybeans and corn. These investigations will continue in the coming weeks, and NOP will issue additional notices and notifications if there is clear evidence of violations. The USDA cannot suspend imports from these countries as the investigation proceeds, but it has notified importers about the fraudulent grains.

But this problem extends far beyond a few shady international grain dealers. Organic companies have used these non-organic grains in their products and either knowingly or unwittingly sold those goods as certified organic. The Organic Foods Production Act does not authorize recalls of organic products, but the USDA can revoke a companys organic certification and levy a fine of up to $11,000 per violation. It will be interesting to see if the USDA penalizes any domestic producers for knowingly using phony grains.

While the Post exposed only three shipments of fake grains, its safe to assume this has been going on for some time, with perhaps a wink and a nod from folks throughout the organic supply chain. No one questioned how Turkey suddenly became our leading supplier of organic corn and soybeans when those imports were nonexistent just a few years ago? This is more than someone just being asleep at the switch; this is selective ignorance on a large scale.

All of this finally prompted the nations largest organic lobbying group, the Organic Trade Association (OTA), to take action. Last month, the group formed a Global Organic Supply Chain Integrity Task Force to develop a best practices guide to use in managing and verifying global organic supply chain integrity to help brands and traders manage and mitigate the risk and occurrence of organic fraud. This might be long overdue, since organic-goods imports are skyrocketing. According to OTA estimates, organic-corn imports more than quadrupled between 2013 and 2016, while organic-soybean imports more than doubled.

OTA spokeswoman Maggie McNeil told me that the groups top priority is to protect the integrity of organic. We support strong and robust oversight and enforcement of organic certification practices and standards both inside and outside of the U.S. The group will ask for more money in the 2018 farm bill, including a 10 percent annual increase in the NOPs budget and $5 million to upgrade technology systems for international trade-tracking systems and data collection.

But until the USDA concludes its investigation and all responsible parties are held accountable for this massive fraud in our food supply, no additional tax money should go to fund the NOP. Indeed, Congress should reconsider whether the NOP, which is designed as a marketing program, should be under the federal governments purview at all. Meghan Cline, a spokeswoman for the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, told me that the committee will be taking a close look at the NOP as part of the upcoming Farm Bill reauthorization process.

In the meantime, consumers of the $47 billion organic market who pay a premium for organic food should take a hard look at what theyre paying for. Folks buy organic because visions of a local farmer growing crops and feeding them carefully to his animals dance in their heads. Now that we know this is patently false, and that most of the organic foodstuff in our supply is shipped here from other countries, maybe its time to reconsider paying double for that quart of organic milk. Especially since its likely the cow is being fed phony grains from Turkey.

READ MORE: When Organic Food Isnt How College Students Are Being Misled About Sustainable Agriculture Is $13.7 Billon a Good Price for Whole Foods?

Julie Kelly is a writer from Orland Park, Ill.

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The Organic Industry Is in Turmoil - National Review

AURORA, Colo. Grocery shopping can be a big pain, especially when you don't have the time in the day to get it done. More companies in Colorado are working to make your life easier through produce delivery services.

Denver7 connected with a few local produce delivery companies. With "Door to Door Organics"you choose your produce box and then its delivered right to your doorstep. "Colorado Fresh Produce boxes up fruits and veggies and delivers them to locations for discounted group rates. Another option is "5280 Produce", offeringsmall and large produce boxes available for pickup.

For customers like Kristen Strait in Aurora, the produce delivery option is important for her schedule.

"I work two jobs and basically getting to the store or other farmers markets can get difficult," said Strait. It's time-consuming, costs money and costs gas."

Strait orders two boxes a week from ColoradoFresh Produce. Pricing for the boxes starts at $30,but she says its worth it.

That right there cuts out all of your time of walking through the store, figuring out what you want," said Strait.

At Door to Door Organics, for a family of three or more, youre looking at around $30 to $40 a week depending on the box size and your location. With Door to Door you can customize your box straight from your phone or computer.

Youre not paying for all of the different markups that are going to come with stores, youre getting it straight from the farmers market; straight from your farmers out here and youre supporting something thats here in Colorado," said Strait.

Founder of UGrocery app Eva Fry shared that the organic foods market sits at $50 billion right now with a 15 percent growth rate expected through 2021. Fry sourced her information from the Organic Trade Association.

Businesses like these could see an increase in demand with the rise in interest for organic food.

Link:

Produce delivery companies aiming to save you time and money - The Denver Channel

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A new research project is encouraging people with dementia to take up tai chi.

The project, called The TACIT Trial: Tai ChI for people with demenTia, aims to test whether tai chi is of benefit to people with dementia, and of benefit for their carers.

Dr Samuel Nyman, a NIHR Career Development Fellow at Bournemouth University, is leading the study. He said, For those taking part in the TACIT Trial, they will be helping with an exciting research area; this is the first trial of Tai Chi with people with dementia in the UK. It is also the first trial in the world to include assessments to see how Tai Chi might help with people with dementias balance and help prevent them from falling.

The trial is now recruiting, looking for people with dementia and their carers to sign up to further research, and to reap the health benefits that tai chi can provide.

Dr Nyman continues, Tai Chi is something a few years ago people may not have heard anything about. Tai Chi is particularly suited for people with dementia given it is highly accessible anyone can do it! Because it is very slow, gentle, and repetitive, people of all shapes and sizes and different abilities can do it. Even just by doing the very easy warm-up moves you can benefit from it.

From a pilot study we did in 2016, participants were telling us they felt stronger and more confident to go out of the house on their own or to do gardening, feeling better from having done exercise, and a sense of achievement of having learnt something new.

The aim is for researchers to better understand the benefits that tai chi can bring. Participants will be asked to undertake a 20 week tai chi exercise programme under the watch of Bournemouth Universitys research team, while others, part of a control group, will be asked to continue with their normal NHS treatment. Participants will then be compared to see if tai chi can have positive effects for people with dementia.

Dr Nyman concludes, It is a very slow, gentle, calming form of exercise. By slowing down moving slowly and taking slightly longer breaths it is very relaxing and a real de-stressor. It also helps build up strength and coordination that we lose over the years. The course is very easy to follow with lots of repetition. In fact thats why we called it TACIT; were building on peoples tacit memory things you learn by repetition and then do automatically and people with dementia tend to retain this ability very well despite difficulties with other types of memory.

Classes will be held across the south from Dorset and Southampton to Eastleigh and Portsmouth.

http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/tai-chi

Link:
Tai Chi for people with dementia - European Pharmaceutical Review

Submitted information

OHIO CITY The Ohio City Park Association and the Lambert Days Committee has finalized plans for the 2017 festival.

Lambert Days is always the third full weekend in July. This years dates are July 21-23. This is also the 50th anniversary of Ohio Citys celebration of the life of John W. Lambert and his invention of Americas first automobile.

This years edition of Lambert Days will feature a communitywide garage sale. For more information, contact Laura Morgan at 419.965.2515. There will also be food all weekend in the newly renovated Community Building on Ohio 118.

Friday, July 21

Festivities start off with a steak dinner (carryout is available), starting at 4 p.m. Friday. Ohio Citys American LegionHarvey Lewis Post 346 will have aflag-raising ceremony at 5 Friday evening, while kids games and inflatables will also open at 5. At 6 p.m., the Lambert Days Wiffleball Homerun Derby will take place. For more information, contactLorenzo Frye 419.771.7037.

There will also be entertainment at 6 p.m. featuring Cass Blue. At 7, there will be a adult Wiffleball tournament. For more information, contact Brian Bassett419.203.8203. A Texas Hold em Tournament will begin at 7 p.m. Friday, along with Monte Carlo Night, which begins at 8 p.m. For more information, contact Jeff Agler at 419.513.0580.

Entertainment for Friday night starts at 8 and will be the band Colt & Crew. There will also be a fireworks display at 10:15 p.m. Friday (Saturday night is the rain date).

Saturday, July 22

Saturday morning begins with a softball tournament at 8. For more information, contact Brian Bassettat 419.203.8203. There will also be a coed volleyball tournament that starts at 9 a.m. Saturday. For more information, contact Tim Matthews at 419.203.2976. The Lambert Days Kids Wiffleball Tournament starts at 10 a.m. Saturday. For more information, contact Lorenzo Frye at 419.771.7037.

Kids games and Inflatables continue at 11 Saturday morning. Cornhole tournament registration and 3-on-3 basketball tournament registration start at noon, while both tournaments begin at 1 p.m. For more information on cornhole, contact Josh Agler at 567.259.9941 and for 3-on-3 basketball, contact Scott Bigham at 419.953.9511.

The Hog Roast Dinner starts at 4 p.m. Saturday and carryout is available. There will also be music under the tent by Jeff Unterbrink at 4. Bingo will start at 5 p.m., and the night ends with entertainment by Megan White and Cadillac Ranch.

(more)

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Lasix and potassium loss - Lasix effects and side effects - Van Wert independent

07/10/2017 - 11:10 AM

St. Cloud State Unniversity is not only committed to bringing you education but also the safety of students.

On July 19 the campus of St. Cloud State will be conducting a full-scale emergency exercise. Associate Director of Public Safety, Jennifer Super, says the university will be engaged with community response partners including the St. Cloud Police and Fire Departments, St. Cloud Hospital, and Gold Cross Ambulance.

The exercise will span over 4 hours from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Atwood Memorial Center will have a late open at 11 a.m. and V Parkiing Lot next to 5th Avenue South will be closed until 1 p.m. while the rest of campus will operate at their usual times.

Emergency vehicles are also expected to run on 5th Avenue South through the day as the exercise is taking place.

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Emergency Excercise On The Campus Of St. Cloud State University - KVSC-FM News

FITNESS

Divine Joy Yoga Rincon United Church of Christ, 122 N. Craycroft Road. Visit divinejoyyoga.com to see all locations. 9-10 a.m. July 20, 25 and 27. $6. 808-9383.

Yoga in the Buff Movement Culture, 435 E. Ninth St. Clothing optional co-ed. 4-5 p.m. Thursdays. $5. 250-2331.

Hot Yoga Rooted, 1600 N. Tucson Blvd. Full body flow. 6:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. $10. 1-435-671-9033.

Be-You-tiful Women's Body Image Workshop Floor Polish Dance Studio, 215 N. Hoff Ave. Presented by Yoga in the Buff. Bring a mat, towel, journal and pen. Everything is optional including clothes. Email info@yogainthebuff.com to register. 3-5 p.m. July 22. $10. 250-2331.

Vinyasa Yoga Tucson Chiropractic Center, 570 N. Columbus Blvd. Strengthen, stretch and tone. 8-9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. $5. 1-435-671-9033.

Tucson Tuesday Laughter Yoga Quaker Meeting House, 931 N. Fifth Ave. To promote peace and healing. 6-7 p.m. Tuesdays. Free. 490-5500.

Tai Chi for Health Resurrection Lutheran Church, 11575 N. First Ave, Oro Valley. Improve balance, mental clarity, relieve pain and create an overall feeling of well-being through natural breathing and slow, gentle, meditative body movements. 1-2 p.m. Mondays. $10 per class; $60 for nine weeks.780-6751.

Tai Chi for Health St. Francis in the Foothills, 4625 E. River Road. Safe, effective and fun way to improve balance, mental clarity, relieve pain and create an overall feeling of well-being. 9-10 a.m. Tuesdays. May 16-Aug. 15. $10 per class; $60 for nine weeks.780-6751.

Seated Tai Chi for Health Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center, 1660 W. Ruthrauff Road. For those who want to improve their health but cant stand to exercise. 1-2 p.m. July 26. $24 for four classes. 465-2890.

Taekwondo Wellness Intuition Wellness Center, 5675 N. Oracle Road. Learn traditional Taekwondo philosophy and core principles, self-care, stress management, coping skills, social skills and mindfulness meditation. 4:15 p.m class for ages 7-12; 5:15 p.m. for ages 12 and up. 4:15 and 5:15 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. $20. 333-3320.

Capoeira for Kids Studio Ax, 2928 E. Broadway. Children learn the basics of Tucson Capoeira Martial Arts through games and exercises. Ages 5-12. 4:30-5:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Free first class; $15. 990-1820.

Capoeira for Kids Studio Ax. Learn the basics of Tucson Capoeira Martial Arts through games and exercises. Ages 5-12. 5:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Free first class; $15.

Intro to Capoeira Studio Ax. A form of fitness and exercise that works the whole body, but also the mind. 7-8:15 p.m. Monday, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Free first class; $15.

Tucson Community Capoeira Classes All Levels and Levels Movement Culture. Build strength, and test endurance while learning the basic history and traditions. 4-6 p.m. Saturdays. $10.

Kids Capoeira Movement Culture. Develop; balance, motor coordination, speed and strength. Wear loose pants/sweat pants and t-shirt, training will be in bare feet or martial-art/dance shoes. 4:30-5:30 p.m. Mondays. $10.

Tucson Capoeira intro class Movement Culture. Introduction to the four core expressions of Capoeira : Movement, music, philosophy, and history. 5:30-7 p.m. Mondays. Free.

Kettlebell Fit Centerline Movement, 1600 N. Tucson Blvd. Strength and conditioning. 18 and up. 7-8 a.m. July 20 and 25. $25. 975-0292.

PWR!Gym Wellness Series (Pelvic Floor Exercise) PWR! Parkinson Wellness Recovery, 140 W. Fort Lowell Road. Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles can help optimize function relating to bladder, bowel, and sexual dysfunction. 4-5:30 p.m. July 20. Free. 591-5346.

Belly Dance Class Movement Culture. Involves belly dance drills, combinations and choreography. Wear comfortable clothing, dance barefoot and bring water. 5:45-6:45 p.m. July 20 and 27. $10.

Brewery Bootcamp Dragoon Brewing Co., 1859 W. Grant Road. Full body workout. 21 and up. 11 a.m.- noon. July 23. $10 includes first beer. 465-6895.

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Tucson Tai Chi, Yoga and more fitness ideas July 20-28 - Arizona Daily Star

Go to page Home Page Thai Recipes Thai Grocery Store Fruit Carving Thai Cookbooks Food Blog Contact Us Fresh Produce Thai Sauces Nittaya Curry Paste Curry Paste Tea & Beverages Asian Noodles Dried Spices Flour and Sugar Pickled & Preserved Jasmine & Sticky Rice Thai Pastes Pad Thai Satay Cooking Kits Asian Snacks Canned Food Thai Fruit Curry & Soup Convenience Food Asian Cookware Mortar & Pestle Sticky Rice Steamer

Welcome to our Thai recipes section. Thai cuisine is adaptable, innovative and dynamic. The best Thai cooking uses the freshest ingredients available to create the unique Thai taste. This taste can be defined as the use of all 5 flavors: spicy, sweet, salty, bitter and sour. Only Thai cuisine brings out all of these flavors to play together harmoniously in a meal. Cooking Thai food should be sanook - fun! Cooking can be meditative, relaxing and enjoyable. Especially when the recipes are not complex and turn out tasty.

Get started with our home style Thai recipes for Pad Thai, Sticky Rice, Curry & Satay.

Most of the Thai recipes here are not elaborate but good useful everyday food that can be prepared with a reasonable expenditure of time and labor.

These recipes are mainly home-style i.e. not in the palace tradition. Written for Westerners working with limited time and using ingredients available in the United States (esp. if you use shop in our online Thai food market).

That said, the recipe should be a only a rough guideline. Thai recipes are highly adaptable. The characteristic flavors of Thai food come from the methods of cooking and ingredients used, not from precise quantities of the main seasonings. This means you should adapt the quantities, especially of things like fish sauce, garlic, and chilies, to suit your own tastes.

Like all great cuisines, the foods in season should be the most important factor to determine what to cook. If a certain ingredient is not available where you live, visit our online Thai food market, try a a substitute, or leave it out entirely. With imagination, experimentation, and knowledge, with constant tasting, you can cook delicious Thai food in the West.

Basic knowledge of the balance of the five flavors is key. There are many variations of any one Thai recipe, it depends on the cook, the season, the availability of ingredients, and the region.

Try a basic menu to get started.

Also visit our Thai Cooking section to read our latest cooking articles.

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Thai Recipes for Home Cooking Temple of Thai

Its the slow, trance-like movements that appeal to me. Photograph: Alamy

I make neither boast nor apology, but I have started to explore that form of martial mysticism the Chinese call tai chi. Its the slow, trance-like movements that appeal to me, even when Im being a soaring crane or sharpening my tiger claws on the living room carpet. To be frank, all Im really doing is learning how to breathe, my personal trainer having told me that I have never breathed properly in the whole of my life. I recognise this to be true. Hoping to be able to swim one day, I keep signing up for lessons, but know its hopeless the minute the instructor tells me to hold my breath. I would if I could find it.

I say personal trainer, but in fact hes my wifes. I decided to tag along only when I saw the wonders he was doing for her core. And he doesnt exactly train me, either. He pulls me out of myself the way one pulls apart a bowl of glutinous spaghetti. I am longer and looser when he has finished than when he started. Not able to touch my toes or scratch my back not yet, anyway but not hunched or hooped, feet and head/Coming together in lifes pilgrimage like Wordsworths leech gatherer.

After the loosening comes the dying bug a diabolic, core-strengthening exercise that entails bringing the knees and hips up, the ribcage down, rotating the pelvis, squeezing the glutes and remembering to breathe. Three sets of these twice a week and suddenly Im feeling well.

But it doesnt become a writer to feel well. I was going to say there is no record of anyone going round to Kafkas place and finding him on the floor doing the dying bug, but I realise that might have been because they found him on the ceiling. Scott Fitzgerald drank himself to death; Dylan Thomas, whom its impossible to imagine exercising his abs, did the same. Marcel Proust couldnt get out of bed, he felt so rotten. Sylvia Plath couldnt bear to go to bed, she felt so rotten. O, horror! To live another year in this misery, Dostoevsky wrote to his brother in 1838. I suffer the torments of hell, he wrote again, six years later. I cant claim to have read every letter he wrote, but I have yet to come upon him saying that he is off to Gorky Park to be a tai chi tiger.

There must be exceptions. Jane Austen is said to have liked dancing. Dickens walked long distances. And Hemingway reconciled the physical demands of an outdoor life with a succinct prose style. Its only a shame he had to go and turn his shotgun on himself.

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Howard Jacobson: 'My personal trainer has me doing tai chi' - The Guardian

What exactly is a mantra, you ask?

Its a word or phrase repeated over and over again during meditation.

But using mantras for meditation involves a lot more than just sounding like a broken record. Theyre generally sacred in nature a name or sound that both uplifts you and helps you keep your focus during meditation. In other words, theyre designed to change you.

A long time ago...

The thing about mantras for meditation, is that they give your brain something to do. Yes, spiritual mantras are meant to transform you just by uttering them again and again, but theres a lot to be said for saying something just to keep nonsense babble at bay.

And speaking of nonsense babble, rather than just giving you some meaningless drivel like my shoes are green, or I love pickled herring, (which, for keeping your mind busy during meditation, does have its benefits. But lets face it, this is broken record material and nothing more).

Here are some tried and true mantras to help you use meditation for transformation.

An oldie but a goodie, you really cant mess this one up too badly. The Om is the sacred sound of Hinduism and is said to mean, variously: It Is, Will Be or To Become.

Rhis ones from Tibet and it means, roughly, Hail the Jewel in the Lotus. The jewel in this case is the Buddha of Compassion.

Homage to the Buddha of boundless light.

This is one of the Hebrew Torahs most famous lines, and it was Gods answer to Moses when Moses asked for his name.

The Hindu variant, meaning I am THAT.

Hooponopono (Hawaiian) Mantra.

It all started with the ancient Hindus, but the use of mantras for meditation has since spread mostly through the Far East among Buddhists, Taosts, Sikhs and others. Today, Western peeps on a spiritual path also create mantras.

Many of them seem more like affirmations, but the ones that are short-n-sweet still work nicely for that all-important transformative effect.

Read more from the original source:

These Are The 10 Most Exciting Mantras For Meditation