ASHEBORO The Asheboro Cultural and Recreation Services Department is gearing up for water aerobics classes for adults throughout the upcoming summer.

Classes are scheduled for Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at Memorial Pool, 321 Lanier Ave., Asheboro, from 10:30-11:30 a.m.

All classes will be taught by Mary Fisher during regularly scheduled Adult Swim hours, where the cost of admission is $1 for adults with a valid RecCard, $1.75 for non-residents and free for those with a senior citizen RecCard.

The class will focus on low-impact exercises in the water, great for conditioning and rehabilitating muscles in a fun and unique setting. The pool is also handicapped accessible, so adults of all ages and abilities are encouraged to participate.

Classes will begin on Monday, June 19, and run for the duration of the 2017 pool season, ending on Friday, Aug. 11. For more information, contact Cynthia Castle at 336-626-1240, ext. 5, or ccastle@ci.asheboro.nc.us.

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Adult water aerobics classes begin June 19 - Asheboro Courier Tribune

LOS ANGELES, June 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --cheero USA has released the second generation Sleepion on Kickstarter. Sleepion 2 helps you sleep better by inducing sleep the natural way without the use of pills and medication.By programing the prenatal rhythms that naturally reside in all of us, Sleepion 2 can help user that have trouble sleeping, concentrating, or relaxing feel rejuvenated and rested with its daily use.

Sleepion 2 is not only designed to help users get a better night's sleep, but for an overhaul into a healthier style of living. With the addition of three modes, Sleepion 2 can be used throughout the day. Concentration mode comes loaded with songs deigned to help focus the brain with upbeat melodies. Relaxation mode comes with mellow beats that help the brain rest without falling into a deep sleep. Bluetooth mode allows users to play their own relaxation music while traveling or play the latest hits when with friends.

The choice of song is a pivotal part of theSleepion2. However, the Aroma rings combined with the music is what makes the Sleepion 2 truly revolutionary. The Aroma Rings included in with the Sleepion 2 offers a mess and hassle free way to enjoy natural aromas from around the world. Germanium, Lemon Grass, Lavendar, Hinoki, and Forrest are the 5 scents clinically proven to help induce sleep, relaxation, and concentration. With the addition of "blanks", users can now soak their favorite oils onto the rings for a truly customizable scent.

To find more information about our Kickstarter campaign, please use the link below.

Media ContactFor additional information, images, and samples please contact us below. Xavier Usami | Media Relations | cheero USA | 164338@email4pr.com | 888-545-7888

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SLEEPION 2 - A Revolutionary Sleep Device - PR Newswire (press release)

The first of the six scheduled Sunset Music Series concerts this summer attracted about 3,000 concertgoers to Wednesday's musical acts, which featured bands Ron Yarosz and the Vehicle, and Blue Sky.

Temperatures in the 70s, sunny skies, great music, and,oh yes, a Presque Isle sunset.

Concertgoers attending the popular and free UPMC Sunset Music Series Wednesday night at Presque Isle State Park's Beach 1 couldn't have encountered better conditions.

Those who came for the music parked their lawn chairs and blankets in the sand and relaxed to the sounds. Those whowanted to take in theatmosphere, and perhaps take a dip in Lake Erie, did so.

Otherswatched or partook inhula-hoop workshops and cornhole games. Dinner time meant waiting in line for a hot dog or hamburger, ice creamor an assortment of items from a food truck parked near thefestivities.

"For music, you can't beat the beach,''Millcreek Townshipresident Connie Kuczynski, 55, said. "As long as they don't cancel these, I usually come. This is the absolutely perfect setting perfect day. You couldn't ask for anything better. It's not too hot. I've been to them when it's been very cold. This is our reward.''

Kuczynskiusually attends every SunsetMusic Seriesevent. She arrived at the beach about 15 minutes before the start of Wednesday's opening5:30 p.m. concert andfound herplace close to the stage.

"It'severybody getting together and just relaxing and listening to the music,'' Kuczynski said. "You meet new people at all of them. You just can't ask for a better thing.''

The first of the six scheduled Sunset Music Series concerts this summer attractedabout3,000concertgoers to Wednesday's musical acts, which featured bands Ron Yarosz and the Vehicle, and Blue Sky.

"Everybodyis out here with their lawn chairs, you have a nice breeze, the beaches are open, the life guards stay later, and it's really like the signal that summer is here,'' said Jon DeMarco, executive director of the Presque Isle Partnership, which organizes the musical series. "It's a very humbling feeling to see all these folks come out and taking advantage of this great resource we have in our backyard.''

Erie residents Carol Bard, 75,and her husband, Dave, 77, arrived at Beach 1 at about 4:15 p.m. and took up residence near the stage.

"We like to get out of the house and we've loved this ever since this series started,'' CarolBard said. "We come to pretty much every one of these because we like the music.It's a beautifulevening. We love to be outside instead of being stuck in the house. We're getting old and we don't have a lot of time left, so we try to have as much fun as we can. We go somewhere just about every night for music.''

Sunset Music Series concertgoers will have a chance to win a restored 1979 Jeep CJ-7 or a $20,000 cash prize in a new giveaway whose drawing is scheduled forNov. 4. Tickets for the drawing are $10 each or three for $20, and can be purchased throughout the summer concert series.

The UPMC Sunset Music Series continues each Wednesday through July 19 atPresque Isle StatePark's Beach 1 from 5:30 p.m. to sunset. Eachevent will feature two bands.

Ron Leonardi can be reached at 870-1680 or by email. Follow him on twitter at twitter.com/ETNleonardi.

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Crowd upbeat at season's first concert at Presque Isle - GoErie.com

Dover hip-hop group Trio kicks off Firefly Festival with a much-hyped performance in the campgrounds on Thursday. Jason Minto/The News Journal

Trio performing at the northeast hub stage in the premier camping area at the Firefly Music Festival in Dover.(Photo: Jason Minto, The News Journal)Buy Photo

When they started the hip-hop group Trio three years ago, the goal for Matt "Tribe Beats" Howe,Matt "Meeze" Coston and Samuel "SAM" Carter III was to make it to Firefly as performers.

In 2016, they got a step closer.

"Last year, we worked here (Firefly) selling beer," Carter said.

This year Trio kicked off the festival with a much-hyped performance in the campgrounds on Thursday.

With a 10 a.m. show time at the Northeast Hub stage,campers were eager to get the party started early.

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The campground felt like a morning on the beach, the atmosphere reminiscent of spring break. The weather was warm and sunny with a nice breeze, and Fireflygoers were out and about playing volleyball, cornholeand enjoying a mid-morning beer while relaxing in the sun.

Camps were being set up withunique designs ranging from rows ofconnected canopies to homemade couches, sofasand tables. The dust in the air covered vehicles almost as soon as they parked, but festivalgoers were prepared, wearing bandannas over their mouths to breathe easier.

RELATED: Follow Firefly on our social media wall

STORY: Dover roadways brace for Firefly

Inside the Hub, which houses a stage and vendors, the vibe was completely different.

It was live, with the speakers turned up to the max. The bass could be felt in the air and the ground was shaking. Fans poured into the Hub with smiles on their faces, bumping to the bass as Trio hyped them up.

Trio energized a crowd that grew throughout the concert from about 50 to a few hundred. Fans were on their feet, throwing hands in the airand bouncing beach balls around the stage. Fans roared in response to the group, and when the DJstopped the music and asked the crowd to shout lyrics to one of their original songs, fansresponded, getting louder and louder.

The hip-hop group changed the pace with "I Want it That Way" byBackstreet Boys and the crowd initially laughed -- but then started singing along. The group went from Backstreet Boys to thebeat of Jay-Z's "New York" and straight into "Party in the USA" byMiley Cyrus to re-energize the crowd before jumping back into their originals.

Trio put in their work to perform at Firefly, group members said. It wasn't easy to get a spot.

News Journal producer Jeff Taviano tours his camping site at Firefly Music Festival and shares his tips for surviving the festival and the weather. Jason Minto and Daniel Sato/The News Journal

We sent tons of emails over the year," Coston said. "And they finally got back to us, and here we are.

Now in its sixth year, Firefly has grown from a 30,000-person, three-day indie rock festival in 2012 to a four-day, camping-and-music festival that last year drew 90,000 and genres from rock to hip-hop to alt-country and more. Its reputation has grown, too.

Its great to have this in our backyard, we had to be here," Coston said.

With so many acts on the lineup, even the artists take the time to check out fellow performers. They'll be there when Chance the Rapper, Wale and Twenty One Pilots play, they said.

Trio is aiming to return to Firefly, only next time they want to take their talents to the main festival grounds.

Our goal is to play on the big stage in the festival and we will be back," Coston said.

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Dover's Trio starts the campground party at Firefly - The News Journal

If AI and robots are going to take our jobs, at least they can do it in the most relaxing way possible. Just like Shimon here a four-armed marimba-playing robot designed by George Techs music technology center. Sure, Shimon is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to AI making music, but just listen to those jazz-fusion vibes.

Like many AI music experiments, the music Shimon is playing is generated by a method called deep learning. This essentially means mining a large amount of information (in this case, a dataset of some 5,000 songs) and looking for common patterns in the music. For example, if you have a sequence of notes F, G, A, what note will follow next? Deep learning will give you a good answer.

Shimon the robot has been around for a while now, playing alongside human musicians using preprogrammed songs. But now, its being used to play original compositions. The video above shows the first melody Shimon ever created, while the one below is melody number two a slightly faster number:

As weve seen with previous experiments, the actual musical output is a bit avant-garde. Researchers working in this field say this is because the deep learning systems we use to analyze music tend not to be so good at thinking about long-term structure. They analyze the music in short bursts, and the resulting melodies sound quite abstract. It is possible to program in artificial constraints so the programs will produce songs with traditional verse-chorus structures, but at that point its not really AI-created music, but AI-human collaboration.

So, although the marimba is a particularly non-threatening instrument, the melody itself is proof that machines have a way to go. For more information on Shimon, check out this interview with its teachers, Gil Weinberg and Mason Bretan, over at IEEE Spectrum.

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This AI-powered robot can play the marimba, the least threatening of instruments - The Verge

Addison County Independent

VUHS social studies teacher Pam Taylor reflects on 43 years in front of the classroom Addison County Independent ... studies and some English classes at Vergennes Union High School, that former Ira Central School student Pam Taylor is ready to step away and spend more time reading, painting, playing music, relaxing in her North Ferrisburgh home, and traveling.

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VUHS social studies teacher Pam Taylor reflects on 43 years in front of the classroom - Addison County Independent

Produce processors and retailers are finding it increasingly difficult to secure sufficient supplies of organic produce, as domestic demand continues to rise at a pace that exceeds production, according to a new report from CoBank. The dollar value of U.S organic produce sales doubled from 2011 to 2015 and annual sales now amount to $5.5 billion. Currently, 15 percent of all U.S produce sales are organic. While organic acres have nearly doubled over the last decade, that pace of supply-side growth has been sluggish relative to demand.

Sales of organic fruit, vegetables and nuts have increased dramatically in recent years and this growth trend will continue, said Christine Lensing, CoBank senior economist, specialty crops. More than half of U.S. households are now purchasing some organic produce. But for a variety of reasons, production has not been keeping pace with demand and the supply gap is widening.

More domestic growers would need to transition to organic to bridge the supply gap. But Lensing concludes that given current consumption trends and the length of the required transition period, organic produce supplies will likely remain under pressure over the next three to five years.

Food companies and large retailers have increased imports to meet demand and secure supplies throughout the year. The volume of U.S. imports of selected organic specialty crop items soared by almost 800 percent from 2011-2013 before leveling off.

Its quite clear the market for organic produce will continue to grow, which creates opportunities for growers, adds Lensing. However, transitioning to organic comes at a cost and is not without risk. Steady domestic supply growth will be dependent on consistent, wide premiums that reward growers for accepting the elevated risks associated with organic production.

Despite premiums of 30 to 50 percent, the perceived risks associated with transitioning to organic are often a significant deterrent for conventional growers. Key among those risks is the absence of an established market that offers transitioning growers a premium price during the lengthy three-year transition period. Concerns about market and price sustainability, the additional labor required for organic farming and the absence of support systems such as subsidies or grants compound grower reluctance.

According to Lensing, the organic industry recognizes these challenges and is taking steps to help alleviate some of the pressures on transitioning growers.

A new partnership between the Organic Trade Association and the USDA has been established to provide guidance to growers transitioning to organic production and is laying the foundation for a transitional organic market.

Initiatives such as the transitional organic certification program and the formation of additional strategic partnerships should serve to encourage more domestic organic production and help address the marketing challenges created by supply shortfalls, added Lensing.

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Surging demand for organic produce widens US supply gap - High Plains Journal

Dive Brief:

While the popularity of organic food is growing, it is inevitable that organic food fraud may increase, too.According to the OTA, organic food sales totaled $43 billion in 2016. Organic produce makes up about 15% of all of the fruits and vegetables Americans eat. And these numbers are projected to keep growing. According to a TechSci Research report, the global organic food market is projected to grow at a CAGR of more than 14% until 2021.

The organic certification also can be given to products imported into the United States. Those products are supposed to be subject to the same rigorous guidelines and inspections as the ones produced domestically.

But late last year, The Washington Post found three large shipments of corn and soybeans that came into the United States from Turkey were labeled as "USDA Organic," even though they were conventionally farmed and had been treated with pesticides.Reporters found pesticide residue tests on "organic" produce were uneven, with more than a third of the tests done by a single test company in China showing more than traces of the residue.

Many have criticized USDA for being too lax and slow in inspecting fraudulent organic imports. In this situation, it makes sense for a trade association to step up its efforts. Batcha told The Washington Post the agency is lobbying to give USDA more enforcement powers in the next farm bill, which is set to be passed next year.

In the meantime, USDA announced it will post more organic program enforcement actions on its website. In an email press release this week, the agency said it's now publishing suspension or revocation of organic certification notices. Settlements and decisions also will be added to the site much more quickly within weeks instead of quarterly.

While the industry is redoubling efforts to ensure organic food lives up to its certification, how consumers may feel about it is another question. With organic fraud stories getting a fair amount of play in the news, do consumers trust the products that are labeled as "organic"? Stepping up enforcement and boosting transparency are two parts of regaining consumer confidence.

Public information campaigns about organic food, inspections and what the certification actually means may be another piece of the puzzle. Showing consumers more about what makes products organic and how manufacturers and regulators ensure the products deserve the certification can bridge the credibility gap that may have opened.

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Organic Trade Association steps up the fight against fraud - Food Dive

TechCrunch

Headspace's revamped app helps busy people turn meditation into a habit TechCrunch After years of struggling to make it part of my daily routine, I've started to suspect that if I were mindful enough to remember to meditate, then I probably wouldn't need to meditate in the first place. To get the attention of people who, like me ... Headspace evolves into the app you need to find zen in 2017CNET Headspace's Paid Version Just Got a Lot NicerLifehacker Australia all 3 news articles »

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Headspace's revamped app helps busy people turn meditation into a habit - TechCrunch

The benefits of meditation for adults are well-researched and supported by science. Improved cognition, decreased anxiety and increased focus are just a few of meditations touted effects. The research on childrens meditation isnt as plentiful, but studies have shown that kids, too, can reap the benefits of quieting the mind. Asheville parents and teachers are seeking out ways to introduce their children and students to these techniques.

In 2013, meditation and kindergarten teacher Elise Cross attended a teaching given by the Dalai Lama in Louisville, Ky., with her husband and two young daughters. He spoke on the increased need of adding secular ethics to our education system, says Cross. He explained how were focused on material goals but not necessarily teaching kindness and warm-heartedness.

As a kindergarten teacher at The New Classical Academy in Ashevilleand kids meditation teacher at Urban Dharma, Cross resonated with the Buddhist leaders words. I became much more intentional with how I could incorporate these lessons in the classroom and into [the Urban Dharma] childrens program, she says.

Cross has been teaching her monthly Meditation for the Young class at local Tibetan Buddhist center Urban Dharma for the past two years. The class, which varies by age group, is offered in conjunction with Jubilee!, a local faith community.

Cross doesnt expect her young students to practice meditation in the same ways that adults do, saying itisnt realistic or effective to expect kids to sit and be quiet for long stretches of time. Instead, I try to point out how mindfulness is relevant in their lives and the importance of having the ability to not get carried away by emotions, she says. We talk about how were exercising and training our minds, working toward being able to act from this calm state when were in the midst of chaos or a challenging situation.

A typical class includes several exercises and often begins with a body awareness and breath meditation. Drawing the attention to the body and breath helps calm the mind and draw their awareness to the present, says Cross. She also directs the children in visualization activities and guided meditations aimed at building compassion toward themselves and others.

Meditations for kids should be kept brief so they can feel successful and enjoy the experience, says Cross. With this in mind, she will break up the meditation exercises with stories that focus on secular humanist ethics, followed by discussion.

Even with adjusted expectations for young meditators, Cross is struck by how kids respond to the practice. Even the most energetic kids have been able to achieve a pretty impressive level of calm and quiet in a fairly brief amount of time, she says.

Vicki Garlock is the nurture coordinator at Jubilee! Community Church. She works with Cross to introduce the children at Jubilee! to other faith-based traditions. But she points out that meditation and mindfulness dont have to be religious in nature. Many activities can be mindful, and its becoming harder and harder to maintain boundaries between faith-based meditative practices and more secular mindful practices, says Garlock. Regardless of motivations, many activities like making crafts, praying or even stretching can be mindful, and perhaps even meditative, if they are done in a quiet and reflective manner.

For Garlock, its very important that the kids at Jubilee! experience quiet and stillness, especially in our distracting, even chaotic, world. All that noise can prevent us from getting in touch with the truest part of ourselves, she says. Silence and stillness help us access those places deep within us that are often masked or hidden from view.

James Dougherty, who studied under a Tibetan lama and practices meditation as a Buddhist,takes his 9-year-old granddaughter Lilly to Cross class regularly. Mindfulness meditation does not conflict with ones religion, he says. It is unfortunate that people think it will brainwash their kids, or its strictly a religious practice, says Doughterty. The classes Elise teaches are secular, with lots of stories and activities.

Furthermore, says Dougherty, the effects of meditation on his granddaughter are evident. It is a process, but I did see an immediate improvement in Lillys attitude toward others, and she was a calmer child, he says. Study after study has confirmed that adults who meditate have more clarity, are happier, have less addiction problems, are better able to avoid conflict, are more successful, have fulfilling relationships. Translate this to kids, and they do better in school, are more contented, have less behavioral issues, have more fulfilling friendships and grow up more balanced.

Kimberly Mason volunteers at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, where she teaches Neighboring Faiths, a class in which she and her students explore other faith traditions. It was through this program that she met Cross. Masons 5-year-old daughter, Libby, practices mindfulness as part of of her kindergartencurriculum at Isaac Dickson Elementary.

Mason says her daughter practices a type of mindfulness practice at home called loving-kindness meditation, using it as a prayer before dinner. In this practice, the practitioner repeats the words, May I be safe, may I be happy, may I be healthy, may I live with ease, eventually replacing the I with you.

It is really lovely, says Mason. Sitting meditation is less interesting to the active 5-year-old, but Mason tries to addit in small doses. I do encourage her to join me in sitting in silence for a minute or two, and that is about all she can handle, says Mason. But I think its worth my persistence because the benefits are so great and so well-established. So we try just brief sittings (a minute or two), and then we talk about why this is good for our brains.

Mason imagines that sitting meditation may come later for Libby, but in the meantime, she is happy to keep incorporating the mindfulness practices she has learned into her home routine. I think meditation is an antidote to stimulation addiction that is pretty widespread these days, says Mason. It helps us regain control of our attention and focus, so that we are not at the mercy of our emotions and cravings. Its easy to see how this can lead to more success in relationships, school, job performance and just about every aspect of life.

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Asheville kids learn meditation and mindfulness - Mountain Xpress