If you like reading cookbooks for more than the recipes, you need to read Ann Hodgman, one of the few cookbook writers whose introductions (we call them headnotes) and even recipe names regularly make me chuckle, if not guffaw. Her latest book, Vegan Food for the Rest of Us (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017) is no exception, except now, as you can tell by that title, Hodgman, 60, is bringing her matter-of-fact sense of humor to the topic of vegan cooking, something she has been trying to master since becoming vegetarian in 2009.

[Make the recipe: Vegan Burgers ]

Take the introduction to a recipe she calls Cauliflower Steaks (but Lets Not Go Nuts Here): You can cut a cauliflower into thick slices and call them steaks, but they are not steak and will never be steak, no matter how brown and caramelized they get. So why not call them slices? Well, because steak is a sexier word.

I talked with Hodgman about her experiments in vegan cooking. Edited excerpts follow:

There are vegetable-forward cookbooks, but this isnt that. In fact, you include a funny quote from Peg Bracken about the lack of appeal of vegetables.

I love vegetables. But when people say all I need is fresh vegetables on that desert island, how can they mean it? If you imagine the taste of cabbage, which I like very much, compared to, say, candy, how can it compete?

Theres one thing vegan food doesnt naturally have enough of, and its fat. If you depend only on vegetables, you have to have a source of a kind of vegetable enricher, or it wont taste as good. Vegetables just dont have as much sugar or fat as other foods. Unfortunately, vegetable fats melt more easily, so you have to figure out ways to not turn your cake into a pool of oil.

This book is a journey of experimentation. Why did you approach it that way?

I went into the assignment thinking I had to learn to make tofu taste good, to make nondairy cheese taste good. I was dehydrating things, I was sprouting seeds. For a year, I was foundering, and my house was completely filled with vegan products and ingredients. It was when my husband said, I wouldnt mind never tasting this again after I tried to make my own seitan that I realized I was going about it the wrong way. I realized, Im thinking of this as chemistry, so no wonder Im tense. This isnt the way Ann Hodgman cooks. When I decided to make only things I knew I wanted to eat, it got much easier. But I had acquired a certain amount of biochemical knowledge, which I needed.

Whats your thinking about meat substitutes?

Most of the fake meats Ive tried have a grain quality that I find icky when you eat them straight up. Id rather use a small amount of textured vegetable protein or wheat gluten to create the sensation youre biting into a hamburger. On their own, I dont think they work very well.

Legumes are satisfying, but I think you cant make a good legume burger without including wheat gluten. With hamburgers, what are you looking for? Substance, a crispy exterior and for it not to feel like a mashed-potato patty.

I loved your idea to use vital wheat gluten to add texture to the vegan burgers. It works!

I dont think my vegan burgers taste exactly like burgers, but to me they seem as good as burgers.

Any words of advice for aspiring vegans?

I can say uncompromisingly that the moral edge goes to those who dont eat meat. That said, food is very important to people emotionally, and its important to recognize that. Giving up food that has meant so much to you your whole life is a very big project. So do it gradually.

People should become morally more rigorous in their thinking, but better about cutting themselves slack. Food means more to us than sustenance its comfort and family. Youre asking a lot of yourself to make dietary changes. So honor yourself and do your best.

Hodgman will join our online chat with readers on Wednesday: live.washingtonpost.com.

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Want to go vegan? One author's advice: Do it gradually. - The ... - Washington Post

Kery Shaw is one of many dog owners aligning their pets lifestyles with their own.

Shaw, a freelance photographer who lives in San Diego, was on medication for irritable bowel syndrome, migraines, allergies and recurring sinus infections when she learned about the health benefits of a plant-based diet. She decided to go vegan, abstaining from meat, fish, eggs, dairy and other foods made from animals.

On the new diet, her health improved so much that she wondered if Portland, her golden retriever who was suffering from bouts of diarrhea and itchy hot spots on the skin, could also benefit from a vegan diet.

She switched him from a meat-based dog food to v-dog, a vegan kibble that uses a pea-based protein and forgoes corn, soy and wheat, and saw his symptoms clear up. She supplements his diet with homemade smoothies and vegetables.

Hes a cancer survivor, and he has way more energy than ever, she said of Portland, who now has a clean bill of health.

Dog owners turn to plant-based foods for ethical, environmental and health reasons, noting that byproducts from mistreated or diseased livestock sometimes make it into foods and that animal agriculture is a leading source of greenhouse gases requiring copious amounts of water. Unlike cats, which are obligate carnivores (cats need nutrients found in meat to survive), dogs can draw the nutrients they need from animal or plant sources.

Makers of plant-based dog foods, which include brands like v-dog, Halo and Evolution, say their food meets the nutritional standards set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials, an organization of commercial feed producers and government officials that seeks to safeguard consumer and animal health. Vegan dog foods contain protein from plants like soybeans, potatoes or peas and are supplemented with the vitamins, minerals and amino acids, like vitamin B12 and calcium, that the feed organization recommends for dogs.

Veterinarians agree that dogs need a balanced diet, but are divided over whether plants and supplements make for an adequate meat substitute.

Dr. Lisa M. Freeman, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and a professor at Tufts University, said that there were no long-term studies on the effects of veganism in dogs. A vegetarian herself, Freeman understands the ethical argument for avoiding meat but believes that a balanced diet for dogs should include meat. She recommends feeding a dog a high-quality fish-based diet as an alternative.

We know a lot about dog nutrition, but there are unknowns as well, she said. We want them to be eating a diet that is nutritionally balanced. That means it has all the proteins, vitamins and minerals that they need in the correct ratios and with the best quality control. It isnt easy to formulate a high-quality diet for dogs, and its particularly difficult with a vegan diet.

A study published in 2015 in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association that looked at vegetarian commercial pet foods found that of the 24 foods tested, most were not compliant with the minimum nutritional standards set by the feed producers group. Because some foods arent always formulated correctly, Freeman said, a meat-based diet from a reputable company is the best way to ensure that nutritional gaps are filled.

If people are doing this because they are under the impression that its healthier, thats just not true, Freeman said.

While plant-based diets are known to have health benefits for humans such as reducing the risk of chronic illnesses like heart disease or Type 2 diabetes, pets will not necessarily get the same benefits.

While dogs and cats get some of the same heart diseases that people do, they are very resistant to coronary artery disease, the main heart disease affecting humans, Freeman said. So the nutritional strategies that are beneficial for preventing heart disease in humans are not useful in dogs and cats. Since obesity is the main risk factor for diabetes in cats and dogs, she said, maintaining a pets ideal body weight with a consistent diet is the key to successful treatment of that disease.

Dr. Michael Roth, a veterinarian in Richmond, Massachusetts, and himself a vegan, said that some dogs have an allergy to common dog food ingredients like beef or dairy and that some may benefit from a vegetarian or vegan formula to help ease skin rashes and other allergy symptoms. He recommends that his clients try a vegetarian formula for 12 weeks to see if it relieves itching and improves the skin and coat. Many owners who see an improvement in their dogs, he said, are reluctant to move their dogs back to a meat-based diet.

Is the vegan diet the best diet for all dogs out there? I dont think anyone would say that, just like nobody would claim there was one best diet for all the people on the planet, Roth said.

Dogs, like humans, have varying degrees of tolerance for certain foods, he said. He fed his most recent dog, Dawn, a golden retriever, a vegan diet. She lived to age 11 before developing a fatal cancer, about the same age that her brother, Sam, raised on a diet that included raw meats, also died of cancer.

Dr. Lorelei Wakefield, a veterinarian who regularly sees vegan dogs as part of a consultancy service she runs in the Philadelphia area, says that her clients do completely fine on the diet.

We dont know yet what the healthiest diet is for them, but ethically, for someone who believes in vegan ideals, it makes sense, she said.

Mary Straus, who runs a website called DogAware.com and writes for the WholeDog Journal, a holistic dog newsletter, disagrees. She says that some nutritional deficiencies take months and even years to show up in vegan dogs. Signs of malnutrition range from a dull coat and digestive issues to heart disease and early death.

Our knowledge of nutrition is not great enough to ensure that this is the case, even if AAFCO guidelines are met, she said in an email, referring to the feed-makers group. To be safe, a new set of guidelines would have to be developed for vegan diets, along with long-term testing to ensure that the diets actually meet the animals requirements. This has never been done.

Straus, who feeds her Norwich terrier Ella a mostly homemade diet with meat, worries about the consequences of forcing dogs to eat a diet they were not designed for.

If you arent willing to give a dog the diet it really wants, she says, get a rabbit or a guinea pig: There are lots of herbivores out there that make great pets.

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The vegan dog - MyAJC.com - MyAJC

Raleigh Army National Guard police officer Darren Canfield is a finalist in PETAs sexiest vegan contest.

PETA is preparing to crown this years Sexiest Vegan Next Door and Canfield beat out hundreds of other entrants from across the country to advance to the final round of 10 men and 10 women contestants.

People can vote for the winners at PETA.org. Two winners one man and one woman will be selected and will each get a free vacation for two to Maui, Hawaii

Canfield, 30, said hes been in the national guard for 7 years, and commutes to an armory in Rocky Mount to work as an Army National Guard police officer.

The force trains like law enforcement and can be dispatched to domestic disasters, he said. Recently the force has been sent out after the Charlotte riots and to eastern North Carolina after Hurricane Matthew.

He said hes not the kind of guy who would put himself out there for a sexiest vegan contest, but was coaxed into it by a friend.

Im pretty humble, so its not something I would have done off the bat, he said.

He said he first got interested in becoming vegetarian after watching some videos on the internet, and decided to try it out for health reasons.

My family has a lot of cancer in it, and Im trying super hard to prevent it.

When he went vegetarian, he looked to social media groups to find others in the military that went vegetarian or vegan. He said hes not met any in person, but knows of quite a few online.

Being vegan in the military has proved to be hard, he said, because some of his fellow soldiers think not eating meat is less masculine and will sap athletic performance. However, he said hes still a top performer in athletic competitions and is very open to teaching others who are interested in his lifestyle.

I enjoy educating other people that are super interested, he said.

Darren proves that nourishing plant-based meals are all the fuel that our strong service members need to be in peak condition, and he uses his fit physique and creative cooking skills to inspire others to go cruelty-free, said PETA executive vice president Tracy Reiman.

Each one of the finalists in PETAs contest is a testament to how sexy vegans areinside and out.

Living in Raleigh has been a great place to be a vegetarian, Canfield said, because there are several restaurants and grocery stores that cater to vegetarian and vegan diets.

Getting the nod from PETA is an honor because hes been mostly adhering to the diet on his own, and he said it was a big boost of support for him.

Its awesome to be a finalist because Ive been doing my own thing, he said. To be nominated by someone like PETA, this is a pretty big deal.

Voting for the finalists to help PETA determine who it should select as the winners ends at noon on June 21. Winners will be notified and announced on June 28.

For more information or to cast your votes, go to http://www.peta.org/features/sexiest-vegan-next-door-contest-2017/vote.

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National Guardsman finalist in PETA's sexiest vegan contest - AmeriForce Publishing, Inc.

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Tacoma nurse is a finalist in PETA's sexiest vegan contest | The ... The News Tribune PETA's 2017 Sexiest Vegan contest has a Tacoma nurse as a finalist. As a vegan, Daniel Dyviniak says he's better equipped to handle his HIV diagnosis and he ... Parkville resident, Coppin State University officer is finalist in PETA's ...Baltimore Sun (blog) all 3 news articles »

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Tacoma nurse is a finalist in PETA's sexiest vegan contest | The ... - The News Tribune

Philly's vegan scene keeps growing, with a couple more big-name openings right around the corner, and we can be both proud and grateful to have so many animal-free possibilities here in town. Meanwhile, though, the Western suburbs are also stepping up their game with new offerings and new venues that are definitely worth a quick trip or two.

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That's why I was out in Malvern at the Greyhound Cafe (Great Valley Shopping Center,81 Lancaster Ave, Malvern; 610-240-0222)recently, trying a few of the full slate of offerings in this crisp, casual joint focusing on easy-to-love comfort foods like nachos, pizza, burgers and chicken-and-waffle platters with fries.

Joseph Solar explained that after decades running restaurants in Texas and elsewhere he was ready to retire, but went vegan about a year and a half ago at the behest of his step-daughter and started working out vegan versions of some of his favorite foods. The more vegan food he ate, he told me, "the better I felt," and he soon endeavored to spread the word in the form of approachable vegan dishes, opening the cafe earlier this year.

"I didn't miss anything that I used to eat," he told me, then laughingly added, "except for smoked whitefish on a bagel. So I created a vegan version of that, and added it to our menu."

As I sampled the breaded cauliflower that stands in for chicken along with the waffles, Solar explained how the latter were enriched with black beans and other savory nutrients - "it's not the basic waffle you get at a lot of places." He observed that all the food components like the waffles in Greyhound's dishes are "made fresh right here."

Solar said he opened Greyhound not so much to serve vegans but mainly to raise awareness among meat-eaters, "make people see there's more to this lifestyle - it's not a diet, but a lifestyle," he underscored. To that end, Greyhound is doing a benefit night this Thursday, June 15, with a portion of all proceeds donated to The Humane League, and is in the final stages of planning a July event for Luv-N-Bunns Rabbit Rescue.

Just up Route 29 in Phoenixville, right in the middle of town across from the Colonial Theatre, Sand Castle Winery has opened a different kind of vegan venue, helmed byexecutive chef Theo Charitos.Overhaulingits retail wine-and-snacks shop, Sand Castle in May launchedTaste, (236 Bridge St, Phoenixville;484- 924-9530)an upscale vegan destination reminiscent of the former Horizons Cafe up in Willow Grove. Of course one key difference is that that venue was BYOB, whereas at Taste wine (yes, vegan!) is not only plentiful, but dominates the decor, with more than 200 bottles arrayed on one wall, and I dutifully sampled the menu accompanied by a smooth 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Seasonal Olives and Crispy Chickpeas with sweet Sriracha were great starters, and the Pickled and Marinated Veggies provided a nice contrast, though the pickles could maybe have had a more forceful tang. I enjoyed the Portugese Chicken & Sausage (both Taste and Greyhound use unmarked and unaltered animal-food names for menu items) with black bean kake and braised baby kale. The kale especially was excellent, retaining just enough of its hard-green flavor to complement the sweet, mellow sauce. Likewise the Alpine Spice Spiced Sundae had a nice cinnamon/wine balance with the vegan vanilla ice cream.

Taste is more audacious than most vegan places in its appropriation of animal dishes and their names, with such offerings as a "Blackened Ribeye" and "Char Grilled Filet / Tenderloin" which come close to their namesakes while carving out an identity as vegan entrees (of course this practice is a double-edged sword, raising more definite expectations - the ribeye could have been more dense and chewy, for instance, but I quibble).

This meat-based boasting ties in with Taste's sourcing from Herbivorous Butcher, a Minneapolis-based food firm that has rocketed to vegan stardom with "small batch, made fresh by hand" cuts of seitan, along with vegan cheeses, for just these purposes. They have a wide variety of vegan meats, some with more versimilitude than others, but it's a good bet the early adoption of this hot new source will help distinguish Taste's cuisine around the Delaware Valley and within the growing crowd of vegan eateries. (The owners foresee more Philly vegan TASTE locations by the end of this year.)

As it happened, upon arrival at Taste I almost literally ran into Char Nolan, who happened to be checking the place out as well if not better, and as she's already committed her thoughts to the internet, you can get another angle on the menu here.

Also in Phoenixville (6 Gay St; 610-616-0000)is the second location for Vincent "Vinny" DePaul's Gangster Vegan Organics (the OGV is in Norristown), appealing both to health-and-spirituality-focused raw foodies and fun-loving impudent kids, plus anyone in the area who's looking to expand their vegan palate. And West Chester foodies are already salivating over July's expected opening of Love Again Local, an all-vegan sandwich shop that looks very intriguing.

Also, let's not forget that in the same strip mall as Greyhound is the venerable Su Tao, (Great Valley Shopping Center, 981 Lancaster Ave, Malvern;610-651-8886)known and loved for pan-Asian vegan buffets and vegan celebrations for many years.

This is not, of course, to overlook the growing number of suburban non-vegan joints adding their own signature vegan items to menus, a trend noted in a 2013 V for Veg column. I mentioned some faves like Woodlyn's Frankie's on Fairview (604 Fairview Rd, Woodlyn;610) 543-2300)in my 2016 Eating Vegan in Philly guidebook, but I'm finding more all the time, such as the Nova Mediterranean Grill (815 Lancaster Ave, Villanova; 610-525-4745),which among other plant-based treats offers a Vegan Seitan Gyro with Roasted Eggplant Spread, Hummus, Piaz Beans & Tahini as well as the now expected traditional vegan cheesesteak (both with Michael's Seitan).

With the weather dramatically warming up it's a great time to explore beyond city limits, or maybe even your own limits, and sample some of the newest vegan-friendly creations out there. You'll get a sense of where cuisine is headed, a full belly of tasty food, and a chance to help Philly's legendary vegan scene grow even larger!

Published: June 13, 2017 7:00 AM EDT | Updated: June 13, 2017 2:17 PM EDT

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As another perfect spring comes to an end, Southern Californians prepare for their least favorite season fireworks season.

Fireworks season begins near the beginning of June and tapers off in early August. Random explosions, crackles and whistles are the hallmark of fireworks season. And as annoying as it is for us, the random fireworks can be absolutely terrifying to our pets with noise phobias.

It is thought that about 20% to 25% of dogs in the United States have noise phobia. Like other phobias, there is an exaggerated response to the stimuli that may worsen over time with repeated negative experience. There may be a predisposition in female dogs compared to males. Certain breeds, such as herding dogs, may also have a tendency to overreact to loud noises.

Dogs that have noise phobias often exhibit shaking and excessive panting. Some dogs may drool excessively too. They often try to hide under furniture or go into closets or the bathroom to escape the perceived threat of the random loud noise of fireworks. Some dogs will try to climb onto their owners for comfort. Others panic and try to escape by jumping off balconies or even crashing through glass windows or doors, resulting in injury or death.

Some of my clients have pets that are so negatively affected by the noise that they will relocate their pets out of the area for a week or two around the Fourth of July holiday.

There are three things that you can do that may help your pet get through fireworks season:

1. Behavioral and environmental therapy: This involves desensitizing your pet prior to the actual event by exposing them to very low levels of the noise that causes panic in a controlled setting while providing positive rewards. There are CD recordings of thunderstorms and fireworks that you can play at very low levels while rewarding your pet with treats and petting. As your pet becomes comfortable with the recorded noises, you can try gradually increasing the volume.

During the actual event of a fireworks show, you can modify the environment by closing the blinds to block the flashes of light, turn on some distracting sounds like easy listening music (by the way, reggae music was found to be the most relaxing music for dogs in a recent study who knew?). Covering your pet with a blanket may help block some of the noise. And last, but certainly not least, is to not leave you pet alone during major events. Nearly all noise phobic dogs become more afraid and panic when left without their humans around.

2. Natural remedies: These include herbal, aromatic and compression therapy. Certain herbal supplements, such as Rescue Remedy, can work in some pets. Essential peppermint oil properly diluted in safflower or coconut oil applied to the footpads has been used successfully in some dogs. (Never apply undiluted essential oil on your pet!) It is thought to work by distracting the dog and may also have some direct calming affect from the scent. Adaptil pheromone collars are effective in many dogs and are long lasting and safe.

Compression therapy is placing a very snug wrap around your dog, much like swaddling a baby with a blanket. Thundershirt is one brand that is widely available and many of my clients find these easy to use and effective.

3. Drugs: Even after desensitizing, natural remedies and environmental modification, there are still many dogs that are going to freak out with fireworks. These pets need prescription medicine. There are a few different categories of drugs that are used for noise phobias. Sedatives: For years pets were prescribed sedatives like Acepromazine for noise phobias. While usually safe for most pets, recent studies show that this class of drugs do not decrease anxiety, and may actually make pets more sensitive to loud noises. However, the only FDA approved drug for noise phobias in dogs at this time is a sedative that is given in very small doses, referred to as microdosing. Dexmedetomidine oromucosal gel, brand name Sileo, is a highly selective alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonist that blocks norepinephrine release, thereby calming the pet. We have used this medicine for about a year at our hospital and have had success in most but not all noise phobic dogs.

Anxiolytics: These are medicines that reduce anxiety. Xanax, Prozac and Trazodone are examples of this class of drugs. These drugs may have a longer action and may be more appropriate for longer term use than other medicines in some patients.

While safe in healthy pets, always consult your veterinarian before you try any of these treatments for your individual pet.

Dr. Greg Perrault owns and operates Cats & Dogs Animal Hospital in Long Beach.

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DOGS AND CATS: Fireworks Noise Traumatizes Pets - Gazette Newspapers

Nathan Snoq, Gamers Guide 11:32 a.m. MT June 14, 2017

A scene from "Tsuro."(Photo: Submitted)

The concept of relaxing video games is a tough one to pin down. Many people out there who enjoy video games say that they like them because they provide a release- a way to forget the stresses of the day and get lost in a fantasy world. Yet, if youve ever taken the time to really look at someones face as they are playing a game then you will see that they rarely, if ever, have that peaceful, spa-day smile. Most video-game faces are either blank masks of concentration or gruesome contortions of frustration. Now, while there can be something relaxing about the total immersion that video games offer, even when the game is challenging, it is still rare to find a game that advertises itself as a peaceful experience and then actually delivers.

A scene from "Tsuro."(Photo: Submitted)

Such is the case with Tsuro, a mobile version of the immensely popular tabletop game. This is essentially a tile-placing game, with each square tile having two possible paths connecting to it and lines running over it. As you lay down more tiles you create longer, winding paths around the board. Given the amount of tiles there are and the number of shapes the possibilities for paths you can take are limitless, giving the game great replay value. The objective of the game changes between one of three different game modes, though in all of them the main goal is to stay on the board and place as many tiles as possible before you run out of room and your path leads you off the game. The challenge comes in planning out your moves in advance to stay on the board as long as possible, all the while adapting to tiles your opponents might place and thinking of ways you can run them off the board.

A scene from "Tsuro."(Photo: Submitted)

Tsuro is that rare blend of a game that is at once genuinely relaxing while being challenging at the same time. The beautiful art, soothing music, and overall minimalist aesthetic and strategy make this a game that can be genuinely relaxing. However, as soon as your opponent places a wrong tile in your path that ruins your plans to make a large loop and win the game all of that relaxation flies out the window and you find yourself silently, serenely, cursing the other player and immediately start plotting your revenge. While the one downside of the game is that the simple game design and gentle music does tend to get a little sleepy, the overall effect is relaxing, yet challenging: a difficult combination.

There is no objectionable content throughout the game.

3 out of 5 stars

At once peaceful yet challenging and a little frustrating, Tsuro impresses with its minimalist-yet-inexhaustible game design. Available on most mobile devices for $2.99.

Nathan Snow is a freelance writer for Where Its @.Follow him on twitter @nathanssnow

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'Tsuro': As close as we'll ever get to a truly zen-like game - St. George Daily Spectrum

Stress eats away at us. It stops us from sleeping. It takes away our appetite. But how do we combat stress? Netflix? Social media? Alcohol?

I find that what most relieves stress is also what can cause it. Books. Whether youre revising for an exam or writing an essay, books can make you feel under pressure and anxious. But stray from your textbooks and anthologies and youll find that books can actually solve the problem.

Colouring is one of the best ways to relax and keep your mind active

We can probably all remember having colouring books when we were little but whether you spent hours perfecting a picture or just scribbled all over it, colouring is one of the best ways to relax and keep your mind active. In the past few years, this activity has had a surge in popularity among people of all ages as they rediscover their youth and wind down after a long day.

Even if youre not creative at all, colouring is the perfect way to forget about exams and lose yourself in a multi-coloured design of your own. Adult colourig books are available in a massive variety of topics,so whether youre into retro patterns, Disney princesses or cars, youll be able to find the perfect colouring book to help you unwind.

Books can take you to a place like nothing else can

Similarly, how about taking your stress out on books themselves? Wreck This Journal is a book by the acclaimed artist Keri Smith in which she urges you to do more and more daring and creative acts to her book, which you will eventually destroy. Have you ever wanted to write between the lines, poke holes in pages and paint a book with coffee? This books actively encourages you to do all these things and more, to unleash your inner artist.

My last morsel of advice is that if you are a bookworm like me, then books can take you to a place that nothing else can. They can take you to your favourite country, a brand new world or they can simply take you home. So, re=reading an old favourite can help you relax and feel more comfortable in the familiar. Whether its Roald Dahl or Enid Blyton, Tolkien or Plath, unwind with an old friend.

Go outside, and be with friends

The best way to combat stress is to merge any of these methods with two simple things: go outside, and be with friends. Wreck a journal in a park. Colour in a picture with some relaxing music. Read a good book. Be well.

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Books to beat the stress - The Boar

Video-streaming site YouTube is a valuable advertising platform for its parent company Google, with hundreds of millions of hours of videos uploaded generating billions of views.

According to World Wide Worx and Fuseware, South Africa had 8.28 million YouTube users in 2016.

Talk Radio 702 interviewed Google South Africa country director, Luke Mckend, on how South Africans can make money on the video platform.

In December, Forbes released its list of top-earning YouTube stars in 2016, with the worlds most popular internet star taking home over $15 million (R204 million).

Swedish Lets Play YouTuber, Felix Kjellberg known as PewDiePie retained the top spot on the list, leveraging his sizeable audience to make money beyond YouTube revenue made from people watching him play video games online.

The YouTube star extended his reach through branded mobile games, and even published a book, taking his total earnings for the year up to $15 million (up from the $12 million he made in 2015).

This is significantly higher than anyone else on the list almost double 2016s number 2, Roman Atwood, a popular vlogger (video blogger) and prankster, who earned $8 million.

Mckend said that it is possible to generate a livable income from YouTube in South Africa. You really have to think very carefully about the kind of content you are going to create. Folks who are able to make a living off YouTube really reach international audiences.

He said the model works in such a way that YouTube places an advert that either appears before a video or an advert appears just to the right of the screen a static display advert.

We give the content creator a cut from that particular advertisement, Mckend said.

Each individual advert, he pointed out, is a relatively small sum of money. So for someone to make a genuine living from YouTube, you need to be delivering millions and millions of views.

He said that, in a South African market, delivering those kinds of hits is difficult. The guys who have been super successful, have reached an international audience, Mckend said.

The Google exec pointed to channels like Kruger Sightings which appeals to a wide audience including people from the US and UK, and Yellow Brick Cinema which generates relaxing music, reaching a global audience.

When questioned how much a person can make from uploading content, Mckend said: Each individual play you are talking about very small percentages of a rand. The last time I looked at this in any detail, you would probably get paid something in the region of R1,000 per million viewsthats an estimate.

Mckend said that the way people make money from YouTube though has very little to do with the advertising. He said that many content generators are creating ecosystems around their content that enables them to monetize what they do.

He cited SuzelleDIY as an example. She has created a brand that has launched her into television. She is making a lot more money from her activities surrounding her YouTube channel than from the channel itself.

Mckend cautioned that it only shares money with content providers if an advert is viewed to its conclusion or if it is viewed for more than 30 seconds. He said the reason for this is that Google only charges advertisers for the placement if the advert it watched to its conclusion.

Read: These are the most-watced YouTube videos in South Africa in 2016

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How to make money on YouTube in South Africa - BusinessTech

Wolves in the Throne Room play black metal at Neumos on June 15.

When the founders of Southwest Terror Fest set their sights on Seattle as the location of a Northwest edition, Joe Schafer, a frequent contributor to The Stranger's music section, was one of the local metal brain-trustees they assembled to help him pull it off. (Others include Tanner Ellison from KEXP's Seek and Destroy, Joe Grindo from the bands Samothrace and Theories, and Islander, who edits the online metal webzine No Clean Singing.)

Because I am the least metal person in North America, it fell to me to ask young Schafer to explain this new but already popular festival.

Where did your interest in this form of music begin?

I'm almost 30 now, but like a great many people my age, I grew up listening to mainstream rock radio. On the way to and from school or soccer practice, heavy guitar musicmetal bands, reallywere the soundtrack just about as soon as I got too old to listen to the soundtrack to The Lion King on cassette. Metallica's self-titled record and its seemingly infinite supply of great singles dominated the radio, as did the breakout artists from Seattle at the time: Soundgarden and Alice in Chains. In retrospect, I think of the word "grunge" as a marketing term, not a genre. Nirvana was a punk band. Pearl Jam was a classic-style monster-rock band. Alice in Chains and Soundgarden were, among other things, metal bands. When the next wave of those bands, things like Nickelback, hit, I found them uninteresting, so I kept looking for artists that sounded like the heavier grunge and California thrash bands: Faith No More, Megadeth, Slayer. Those bands led me to Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, classic progressive-rock bands, new wave, punk, goth, and alternative rock. They led me further down the amplifier-worship rabbit hole at the same time. Most of those sounds appear on Terror Fest to some extent, but obviously extreme heavy metal is the organizing principle.

For the uninitiated, what distinguishes the bands in Terror Fest from more traditional metal, or even the more specific subgenres?

The calling card of extreme heavy metal and hardcore punk is the harsh vocal style, distinct from what metal heads commonly refer to as "clean" singing, which most rock bands employ. Many people say that harsh vocals remind them of Cookie Monster from Sesame Street. These vocals can be difficult for many people to register for two reasons. The lyrics are often unintelligible at first listen. Also, they operate with timbres that are almost unheard of in the Western musical tradition, though they do exist in a few folk traditions such as the throat singers of Tibet. I've been listening to harsh singing for so long that I can understand most words very easily, and now I find it quite relaxing, beautiful, and passionate when well-executed. Of course, this sort of music can also inspire fear, but that's part of the pointfear is exciting. Metal and punk are the horror and thriller films of music, so tension and release are very important, as opposed to immediate gratification.

Many Terror Fest bands also play in exaggerated tempos. Noisear, for example, includes Bryan Fajardo, one of the fastest drummers in the world. They play a hyper-quick subgenre called grindcore or just grind for short. Other bands like Lycus or Seattle's own Samothrace employ very long songs at very slow tempos, only a handful of beats per minute. They play a subgenre called doom, which often is a direct echo of Black Sabbath's more dramatic songs. Both of these extreme tempos can create a meditative feeling that is not frequent in pop music and absent from the hard rock radio metal that I grew up with.

Do you find Seattle generally hospitable to metal-related subcultures? As you mentioned, heaviness is prominent in the city's musical DNA, but metal seems to alienate more people than it attracts, sonically and culturally. In the historic divide between metal and punk, Seattle has long seemed to come down on the side of punk. Do you agree? Why do you suppose that is?

I've been documenting the Seattle heavy-music scene for some time now, and I think Seattle and especially the Pacific Northwest at large (Portland, Olympia, Vancouver, BC) has a tremendous fondness for metal as a music and aesthetic culture. Seattle's metal scene is world-class, on par with other US hotbeds like Chicago, New York, and San Francisco, as well as the genre's meccas in Scandinavia. This city hosts great metal gigs weekly in each of the genre's various sub-styles, many of which owe as much to punk as they do to metal.

I hear that metal used to be a genre for jocks. That hasn't been true during my adulthood. This genre has a welcoming and deeply inquisitive community of fans and musicians. In terms of the community, it functions much more like electronica was in the late 1990s and early '00s in that respect. It's not popular music as people otherwise know it, but it's definitely intended for popular consumption.

I'm aware that in the genre's commercial peak in the 1980s, metal and punk were diametrically opposed. That said, I also know that the two have been growing slowly together ever since. The political divides are being erased. Ever since Slayer, the two genres have been conjoined twins, really. Styles like crust, grind, sludge, and doom draw from the two genre traditions equally. In Seattle, the two scenes intermingle and overlap a great deal in my experience, especially at venues like Highline or Victory Lounge. The Terror Fest lineup is friendly to both metalheads and punks, and that the two scenes intersect so much in Seattle is part of what made it an attractive city for a festival like this.

In a scene up to its eyeballs in festivals, why is this one important?

You're right on the money that there are a ton of festivals right now. I assume you're referring to events like Bumbershoot, Sasquatch!, and even the Capitol Hill Block Party, locally. Those are all great events, and they even book a handful of metal acts regularly. That's awesome, because those events are a platform for bands to reach an audience they otherwise would not.

Terror Fest comes from a different genre-specific tradition. Destination metal festivals are opportunities for people who love the genre to experience a lot of it at once, surrounded by their peers. They're also a great way for more casual listeners to deeply immerse themselves in metal culture. They're also a great opportunity for these bands to play venues they otherwise would not.

Bands like Cliterati or Nomads play punk houses and diveswe're putting them in one of the most beautiful venues in the city with an incredibly powerful sound system. There are many such festivals in the United States, but none really in the Pacific Northwest on this scale. There was a festival last year in Olympia called Migration that was similar, but it's moving to the East Coast, where there are more events like this. For Seattle, this will be a unique experience. My hope is to make it a beloved part of this city's musical year for everyone. The weekend the metalheads come out in force and let their freak flags fly.

Three days, three clubs, nearly 40 bands: How did you know the festival would sustain such a big footprintand, actually, do you know that it will?

Cities of Seattle's size in other parts of the country sustain festivals like this. LA has several in different subgenres. Compared to a few festivals, especially the massive European camping festivals like Wacken, our lineup is restrained. The advantage of our size is that we can book three full days of all killer bands. I don't think there's a dud on the list. As for ticket sales, our weekend passes to all three venuesNeumos, Barboza, Highlineare completely sold out. There are still individual day passes available, though. Each day has its own specific flavor or attitude, and I expect there's going to be people who only want to attend one or two days to catch a handful of bands, rather than spend the weekend and sample new sounds.

To be completely candid, there are only three artists on the schedule that I've heard or even heard of (Cephalic Carnage, Marissa Nadler, and Heiress), and generally speaking, I dislike metal in a really visceral, cellular way. What bands or bills in the festival would you recommend to help turn me around?

I'm glad you asked. There are a few really interesting and compelling acts on the bill that you cannot see elsewhere. The Thursday headliner at Neumos, Wolves in the Throne Room, play meditative black metal with an ecological bent. They write long, beautiful, and melodic songs and perform with an intense stage atmosphere, with fog and pine branches draped across the stage. Seeing them feels like attending some sort of ritual in the middle of a pine grove. They're one of my favorite groups and, as far as black metal goes, very accessible.

Local band Bell Witch will perform a collaboration set with Aerial Ruin, a solo folk artist, as a power trio. That set will be one to remember. Bell Witch's bassist, Dylan Desmond, is one of the best musicians I have ever seen. Their drummer, Jesse Schreibman, plays drums and organ at the same time. Their songs are long and sad but full of rich melody from the 1970s progressive-rock tradition. They play the doom metal equivalent of, like, the soundtrack to a Studio Ghibli film. That set can't be missed.

Coven, the Saturday night headliner, played psychedelic, occult-themed rock music before Black Sabbath did. This will be their first US show in 27 years. Their singer, Jinx Dawson, still has it: the voice, the charisma. By all accounts their show at Roadburn Festival in the Netherlands was a force of nature. They're a piece of history, and their influence has only grown over time.

Last, a special shout-out to Fucked and Bound, who don't even have a record out yet. They're a side project featuring members of Seattle bands Witch Ripper and He Whose Ox Is Gored. Their singer, Lisa Mungo, only screams in F&B, and the whole band seems to have a righteously feminist bent. It's very aggressive music, but cathartic and empowering as hell. Seeing them on that big stage is going to be like seeing Wonder Woman on the big screen, finally.

Read the rest here:

Northwest Terror Fest Proves Metal Isn't Just for Jocks Anymore - TheStranger.com