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Concertgoers can arrive by land, sea and bicycle trail as Freeport hosts another summer of monthly musical performances at Riverside Drive Park.

Soul Raydio kicks it off at 7 p.m. June 9. Murphy's Music Center Big Band, an Alle-Kiski Valley institution, follows July 14, and Makin' Changes bookends the series Aug. 11.

To me, it is the most amazing experience to relax along the Allegheny River and listen to great musicians performing in our vintage gazebo, says Mary Bowlin, secretary of the organizing Freeport Renaissance Association. There is plenty of room. It is not crowded or congested. The Freeport Community Boat Dock has been placed in the river so it is ready to welcome recreational watercraft of all sizes to enjoy the entertainment. Free docking and free entertainment in Freeport ... it doesn't get any better!

Cyclists on the Butler-Freeport Trail can just make the ride across the Freeport Veterans Bridge and head to the river to enjoy the concerts.

The atmosphere is relaxing. It is a wonderful place to wind down at the end of the week, Bowlin says. The gazebo was built in 1999 to house entertainment and so we are very proud to be continuing in line with that mission.

Soul Raydio drummer Coley Ward says his New Kensington-Pittsburgh group enjoyed playing Freeport's September by the River festival last fall and is looking forward to performing by the river again this summer.

Music lovers are in for a treat, says Lou Downard, who books the bands for the annual Rockin' Roosevelt and Band Blast concerts in Arnold and New Kensington, respectively.

They're a very high energy funk/soul band, he says. They have played at several blues competitions in Memphis the past several years. ... They've played the past three Rockin' Roosevelt concerts and all three of the Band Blast Memorial Park concerts and I've booked them for the next Band Blast, Sept. 24.

Husband and wife Pete and Donna Little make their way to Freeport for the first time to perform as Makin' Changes, leading a five-piece band from northern Pennsylvania that they started 11 years ago and plays '60s rock and oldies.

The Murphy's Music Center Big Band is pleased to return to be part of the programs, says Jim Caporali, owner of the Leechburg music store.

While this band began as a fun hobby for its members, it has grown into a great opportunity to share music which has a rich history from a bygone era. It is our pleasure to perform this music in the way it was originally intended to be heard: live and in person, he says.

The 17-plus musicians and vocalists offer Count Basie, Woody Herman, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and other sounds of that era.

While our core audience tends to be people who grew up listening to this style, we see quite a few younger people in attendance, many of whom have never been exposed to this music. It makes us smile to see new generation enjoy the sounds of Sinatra, Martin and many others, says Caporali.

The current iteration of the band is 14 years old, however, the history of the big band associated with Murphy's Music goes back to the early 1950s, primarily in the form of the Johnny Murphy Orchestra.

We look forward to folks visiting our town for the very first time and then returning again and again to shop, dine or just relax along the river, Bowlin says.

Rex Rutkoski is a Tribune-Review contributing writer.

Continued here:

It's music down by the river side in Freeport this summer - Tribune-Review

There is a long list of reasons to visit Shibuyas latest addition to its cityscape from the craft cocktails served in its roomy lounge to the outdoor terrace with large white cushions and its architect-designed convenience store. Not to forget the pop-up space, four spacious event rooms, a kushiyaki (grilled skewered dishes) outlet and a wooden rooftop chapel.

With so much going on, it may be easy to forget that there is one other compelling reason to visit: checking in and going to sleep.

Trunk (Hotel), which recently opened its doors in Tokyos Shibuya district, is one of a string of new establishments in the capital that are transforming Japans traditional hospitality industry. Tokyos hotel scene has long been dominated by either salaryman-packed business hotels or high-end luxury five-star hotel chains, with little in between (love hotels aside).

Something, however, appears to be shifting. A growing number of new hotels are defying stereotypes by shunning Western-style hotel aesthetics for Japanese design and craftsmanship, offering more reasonable room rates and creating services and facilities that swap traditional hospitality concepts for the idea of a third space.

There is Wise Owl Hostels, whose two Tokyo establishments target both partygoers and families, fusing contemporary urban spaces with budget accommodation. Both hostels have high-quality memory foam mattresses in all bunks, while the Hatchobori branch even has a lively bar in its basement.

Meanwhile, Bed & Bed Tokyo in Ikebukuro offers visitors the opportunity to sleep, quite literally, in a world of books, with its friendly space of wooden capsules hidden behind bookshelves by Suppose Design.

And now, there is Trunk (Hotel).

Located just seconds from fashion-hub Cat Street in Harajuku, the hotel, which opened in May, is housed in two adjacent four-story buildings designed by Mount Fuji Architects, complete with recycled wood and gray stone facades, tiered balconies and cascading greenery. Jamo Associates designed the interiors, including the lounge an expansive and relaxing music-filled space of concrete floors and minimally abstract artworks, offering guests coffee and free Wi-Fi by day and craft cocktails after dark.

For those with sleep on the agenda, there are 15 guest rooms, each resembling that of a stylish urban apartment rather than a hotel, fitted with custom-crafted wooden furniture by Truck in Osaka, monochrome tiled bathrooms and a number of expansive wooden terraces filled with insect-repelling rosemary herbs.

Another key attraction are its four spacious and contemporary events spaces, which are likely to become fashion-industry favorites as well as a popular choice for wedding receptions (the reason for a clean-lined wooden chapel on the roof terrace).

For foodies, the flagship restaurant Trunk (Kitchen) serves a contemporary menu designed by Yuji Tani (of House restaurant in Nishi Azabu), with enticing dishes such as Shibuya Burrata cheese and pomegranates. Meawhile, Trunk (Kushi), a modern take on traditional grilled meat dishes, is housed in a cosy enclave near the hotels entrance.

The most relaxed spot, however, is the main terrace. The space, with a Zelkova tree at its center, is open to guests and locals alike and is home to a white Torafu Architects-designed convenience store filled with Tokyo-made food, drink and design products, as well as the hotels own branded Trunk range, including organic Japanese body products and monochrome T-shirts.

The Made-in-Japan theme is strong throughout from the complimentary guest-room tins of Trunk candy made by historical Tokyo sweets company Sakuma to the surprisingly tasty Tokyo wine served in Trunk (Kushi) and made by Fujimaru Winery based in the Kiyosumi-Shirakawa district.

The establishments environmental imprint is another key concern, as reflected in countless details such as the recycled acrylic cloakroom keys, the dead-stock denim staff aprons and a fleet of renovated abandoned Tokyo bicycles.

For Hisao Koga, the general manager, key to Trunk (Hotel)s concept is the fact that it does not fit easily into Tokyos existing hotel stereotypes and it aims to mark the beginning of a new era for the citys hospitality scene.

Trunk (Hotel) is neither luxury hotel nor business hotel, he explains. It is not just a design hotel or boutique hotel. Its an unprecedented new concept-hotel, focusing on the ability for individuals to be able to realistically and easily make substantial social contributions through their daily lives.

He adds: Just like fashion or food, being able to choose a hotel according to your needs and preferences is becoming a must these days. Our goal is to become a destination hotel where people come because we are here.

Theres no doubting that any new hotel opening is a timely addition for Tokyo, which is currently suffering a widespread accommodation shortage in the run-up to the 2020 Olympic Games. The 2020 countdown has, needless to say, accelerated a flurry of developments the most recent announcement being a luxury hotel, planned by Mori Trust and designed by Kengo Kuma, in the Ginza district.

Describing how the Olympics is fueling a significant shift in the citys hotel world, Koga adds: There will be more luxury and business hotels opening in the next couple years, and that will allow customers to choose according to their needs and preferences.

As far as I am aware, there are quite a few interesting hostels, but not so many concept-driven boutique hotels planning to open before the Olympics although there surely is a demand for that.

Trunk (Hotel) has rooms from 27,000 (single) to 570,000 for the top suite (sleeping 14). For more information, visit trunk-hotel.com.

Go here to read the rest:

Trunk lifts the lid on Tokyo's evolving hospitality industry - The Japan Times

Eating food with high levels of pesticides has an adverse effect on the brain, according to a review of existing scientific evidence commissioned by the European Parliament.

The MEPs wanted to know whether organic food was healthier than conventionally grown crops and asked experts to look at the relevant research.

A report based on the reviewsaid a California study had found that children whose mothers had traces of organophosphate metabolites the basis for many pesticides duringpregnancy were more likely to haveadverse mental development at two years of age, attention problems at three-and-a-half and five years, and poorer intellectual development at seven years".

Another study calculated that an estimated 13 million IQ points a year are lost as a result of pesticides, which represents a loss of approximately 125bn (109bn) across the European Union.

The report suggested this figure was likely to be an under-estimation, as it failedto take into account the possible impact of pesticides ondiseases like Parkinsons, diabetes and some types of cancer.

The experts also raisedconcerns about pesticide regulation. While they undergo a comprehensive risk assessment before market release important gaps remain," they said.

"At least 100 different pesticides [are] known to cause adverse neurological effects in adults and all of these substances must therefore be suspected of being capable of damaging developing brains as well," they added.

Organic food, however, contains low pesticide levels and the potential risks to human health are largely avoided.

Professor Ewa Rembiakowska, of Warsaw University, said: There are indications that organic crops have a lower cadmium content than conventional crops due to differences in fertiliser use and soil organic matter, an issue that is highly relevant to human health.

"Organic milk has a higher content of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids compared to conventional milk, although we cannot currently derive any specific health benefit from this.

And Professor Johannes Kahl said: "We find that people who prefer organic food also have overall healthier dietary preferences, including more vegetables, fruits, and wholegrain products and less meat.

"These patterns are also favourable from the perspective of environmental sustainability."

The report concluded that there was a link between organic food consumption and a decreased risk of allergic diseases, as well as potential benefits for overweight or obesity people.

View post:

Pesticides can cause brain damage and organic food is the future, EU report says - The Independent

Meditation, relaxation and psychological counselling are becoming important tools in the care of people with cancer, according to multiple clinical trials released at the worlds largest conference on cancer.

The research unveiled at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference is part of a new push by oncologists to focus on not just killing tumors, but boosting the morale and mental health of people who are reeling from the shock of being diagnosed with cancer.

For many women who survive a bout with cancer, the fear that it will return can be debilitating, and may interfere with work and family relationships. About 50% of all cancer survivors and 70% of young breast cancer survivors report moderate to high fear of recurrence, according to one study led by Jane Beith, a medical oncologist at the University of Sydney in Australia.

She and colleagues developed an intervention called Conquer Fear, in which trained therapists met 222 patients for five one-hour to 90-minute-long sessions over 10 weeks. They talked about accepting uncertainty and teaching strategies to control worrying, as well as how to focus on life goals. Stretching and meditation were also part of the treatment.

Stretching and meditation were also part of the treatment. (Shutterstock)

The reduction in fear of recurrence in the psychological intervention group was large enough to improve survivors psychological and emotional wellbeing, said Beith.

Using a 42-item questionnaire called Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory (FCRI), researchers found that the fear of cancer was reduced significantly in those who went through therapy by 18 points on average in the intervention group compared to 7.6 points in a control group that did not receive the same attention.

Talk therapy

Another study, carried out in Canada, showed that brief sessions of psychotherapy could also benefit people with advanced cancer. A randomised clinical trial enrolled 305 patients late-stage cancer to study an intervention, called Managing Cancer And Living Meaningfully (CALM).

After three months, 52% of patients who received CALM had a clinically important reduction in depressive symptoms, compared to 33% of patients who received usual care, researchers reported. After a few months, patients who had undergone the therapy were more prepared for the end of life.

This brief talking therapy helps patients facing advanced cancer, and their loved ones, sustain what is meaningful in their life despite its limitations and face the future, said lead study author Gary Rodin, head of the department of supportive care at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Canada.

It provides time and space for reflection on the threats and challenges associated with advanced cancer.

Using a 42-item questionnaire called Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory (FCRI), researchers found that the fear of cancer was reduced significantly in those who went through therapy . (Shutterstock)

Online therapy

A third study examined the possibility of using the internet to deliver psychological help to cancer patients who may not be able to get it in person.

Called the STREAM intervention, the eight-week programme offered web-based stress management, in a programme developed by oncologists and psychologists.

Weekly topics included bodily reaction to stress, cognitive stress reduction, feelings, and social interactions.

A total of 129 cancer patients mostly women with breast cancer were randomised to either receive written and audio information and then complete exercises and questionnaires, or join a control group that did not go through the programme.

Those who completed STREAM reported a greater improvement in quality of life than patients in the control group, and less distress than before. However, there were no significant differences in anxiety or depression between the two groups.

I think online psychological support will be much more important in the years to come, as the digital generation reaches the age when they are at higher risk of cancer, said lead study author Viviane Hess, a medical oncologist at the University Hospital of Basel in Basel, Switzerland.

For them, it will be natural to use such online tools and communicate without face-to-face interaction, and so now is the time to standardise and validate the tools.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more.

More:

Meditation, talk therapy effective in reducing fear, anxiety in cancer patients - Hindustan Times

I make a special effort to be on Front and Union Streets as often as possible when the trees are blossoming. They wont last long, those branches of airy snowballs. This week full bloom, next week withering, and then the leaves start up. Im surprised with what Ada Limn does with that. I expected her, as people usually do, to go on about the beauties of spring blossoms.

But she leads us from the beginning with more than, and more than. Even the words almost obscene display, shoving, and baubles and trinkets prejudice us in favor of what must come next. She has the blossoming feel garish compared to the greening.

In the aftermath of all that display, here come the trees, patient and plodding. How can I help but think of the condition of the world right now? How can my mind not turn to politics, war, chaos? Maybe thats why I landed on this poem. Because it reminds me, as a walk in the woods reminds me, of the ongoingness of things. I dont read this poem as an invitation to do nothing but watch trees leaf out, but more as a reminder that life is continuous, in spite of the mess of us, the hurt, the empty. The leaf unfolds the way a fist can turn into an open palm and take it all.

Im struck by the tree saying, Fine, then. I read that as Okay, I get it, thats the way its going to be. Not particularly joyful about it, but not sad either. Life is a turmoil, and it is necessary to open to whatever is the case.

Not that greening is any more virtuous than blossoming. You might think of it like courtship, all full of excitement and flowers. Then comes the commitment to making something ongoing together. If you were thinking in terms of politics, you might think of doing the steady, hard work of governing, after the fanfare of elections. Of not giving up, as the title says.

I notice that she says the strange idea of continuous living. Whats strange about it? Maybe its that our natural inclination is to think in narrow terms, short bursts of enthusiasm. I guess it may be stranger to imagine the steadiness, the cyclical nature of things.

Ada Limn is the author of Bright Dead Things (Milkweed Editions, 2015). She teaches in the low-residency MFA program at Queens University of Charlotte and at the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center and lives in Lexington, Kentucky.

Fleda Brown of Traverse City is professor emerita, University of Delaware, and past poet laureate of Delaware. For more of her work, and to see her website, go to http://www.fledabrown.com.

Original post:

On Poetry: Meditation on the ongoingness of things - Traverse City Record Eagle

COME, HOLY SPIRIT, COME!

A Universalist Meditation for Pentecost

James Ishmael Ford

4 June 2017 Unitarian Universalist Church Long Beach, California

One of the lovelier things that can happen for a writer is when something theyve composed takes on a life of its own. In my Unitarian Universalist life this has in fact happened twice. Maybe twenty years ago I wrote a little piece called An Invitation to Western Buddhists. It was basically a suggestion that convert Buddhists who were mostly practicing meditation at centers, which were organized more like spiritual-gyms than spiritual communities to consider joining Unitarian Universalist churches. I provided a couple of reasons, of which I felt the most important was how UU churches are Buddhist-friendly places to raise children. It has been reprinted here and there over the years, and actually I was informed not long ago it is going to be included in a forthcoming Skinner House (our UU book publisher) anthology on UU source materials.

The other piece I wrote that has been reprinted here and there, was an appreciation of the formal adoption of our current Unitarian Universalist Principles and Purposes. It was originally part of a sermon, but like that Invitation has taken on its own life. Ive run across it in any number of locations, almost always credited to me. I believe Ive shared it at least once, here.

Today is Pentecost in the Christian tradition, the marker of the descent of the holy spirit on the disciples, a moment some count as the founding of the Christian church. And as that piece Id written was my mild tip of the hat to that older Christian celebration, I find myself thinking of it once again. I hope youll indulge me repeating it here. We can think of it as the text for todays reflection.

On June 25, 1984, Unitarian Universalists from across the United States and Canada gathered at the Ohio State University campus in Columbus for the eleventh General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. The great focus of this GA was a vote on a new statement of principles.

When the document was pretty close to being finished, it was, frankly, mostly mom and apple pie. There was hardly a word in it that anyone, of almost any spiritual tradition, could argue with. It was what I would call the perfect product of a committee. Its most distinctive feature was the First Principle, a declaration of the inherent worth and dignity of every person, carrying forward a libertarian focus on the individual that had marked out English-speaking Unitarianism for its entire history.

Then the Rev. Paul LHerrou made his way to the microphones. People who remember the scene say he was lanky and bearded and that he stood at the microphone with the ease of an experienced pulpit minister. He looked around, briefly stroked his beard, and then addressed the proposed Seventh Principle, which was a call to respect for the Earth and the interdependence of its living systems. In my minds eye, as Paul stood there, the hall fell to a hushed silence. I imagine that the world outside grew quiet, as well. Perhaps one or two stars broke through the Ohio daylight, shooting beams in the general direction of Columbus. Out of the silence Paul pointed out how that wording fell far short of what it could be.

Paul proposed new wording for the Seventh Principle: a call to respect the interdependent web of existence of which we are all a part. Im pretty sure, although I have to admit theres no hard record of it, that with those words the roof blew off the convention center and a host of angels, devas, and other celestial beings from all the worlds religionspast, present, and futuredescended from the heavens, some playing instruments of astonishing beauty, while others sang a Gloria that reached out to the farthest corners of the universe. Even the stars danced in joy at the revelation of this great secret of the universe to a gathering of Unitarian Universalists in Columbus, Ohio, in the United States, on the North American continent of a tiny planet circling a middling star at the edge of one of a hundred thousand million galaxies.

The call: to know that interdependent web of existence, of which we are all a part.

And then it was over. The roof resealed and the beings were gone, only a hint of their song remaining in the hearts of the assembledwho then voted. They accepted the proposed change, and with that decision our little band found itself marked with an astonishing charism, a particular channel of divine blessing aimed at healing this poor, broken world. I suggest in that hour our future was articulated with as much authority as if it were from the tongue of an ancient prophet.

Thats it. Presented with some artistic license, and I hope respectfully, as I said with a tip of the hat to the Christian Pentecost. But, today, on the actual festival of Pentecost, I want to consider a little more that idea of spirit. And particularly Id like to consider what spirit and spiritual might mean for us, religious liberals, the larger majority of whom are pretty naturalistic in our sensibilities.

Me, I have a favorite trope that I cite from time to time. It goes the spirit lists (or rests) where it will. As a Zen Buddhist Ive always felt it captures something of the, if you will, spirit of Zens awakening. As a Unitarian Universalist I tend to think of it as referring any moment that enlivens us. Spirit after all means breath. I also like that it is something just a bit outside of our control. In some ways its a corrective to the excesses of our libertarian impulse.

However, while I know the line is biblical, I have to admit Id forgotten the actual citation. So, I googled it, using quotes around the phrase. And just to be sure I did it twice, once with lists and the other with rests. In both cases, it was mildly distressing to discover the first two listings each time were links to something Id written. And no scriptural citation popped up.

I was led to some references to spirit in the Hebrew Scriptures, particularly a lengthy passage in the Book of Numbers, where the spirit almost seems more like a contagion or even some kind of contact high. I found myself thinking of that old line the madness of crowds. Which has its own lessons, and perhaps warnings. But, it certainly was not that full-throated assertion of how the spirit, the breath of life, wisdom, the great heart, God if you will, comes to us without condition.

Now, I know in my heart of hearts that spirit resting where it will is a true thing. Ive witnessed spontaneous manifestations of deep wisdom erupt in all sorts of unlikely conditions among all sorts of equally unlikely people. Like, for instance, that vote in Columbus in 1984. This descent of the dove presents in two principal ways. The one is our noticing that we are all of us connected. We give it different language, usually based on culture or personal disposition. The other is less common, but just as important. It is a revelation of how no thing, you or I or the world itself, is substantial in and of itself. As precious as we are in our individuality, we are at the very same time utterly dependent on others. And that dependence, that connection, is something precious. It sings of the holiness of this world.

Now, while there are consequences to this, ethical, political, social, psychological, all of which deserve exploring, at the first instance, at the beginning, it is important to note it comes freely. This opening to our deep joy is never earned. For me this is the heart of my Zen Buddhism. And, I would add, it is at the heart of my Unitarian Universalism, or more specifically my Universalism. We see traces of this insight in the writings of nearly all the worlds religions. And, as the google machine can attest, Ive been pleased to cite this rather explicit version from the Bible about the spirit resting where it will, a lot.

So, it was mildly disappointing that my memory had failed and the quote isnt in fact there in the Jewish or Christian scriptures. Still, I sure thought it was. And, Im pretty familiar with the Bible. At the same time clearly I had the quote wrong. But the question became, how? The fact that the quote as it bubbles up in my mind uses that archaic term lists, for rest, made me feel it was there somewhere. I was just a little off. So, I went to a King James Bible search site. Oh, I do love our new computer age. Although, working through various combinations of words, I still couldnt find it. I was beginning to think oh dear, I have imagined this, when Jan suggested I add in the word whither. Another of those archaic terms, and one that felt right.

I googled. And there it was. The Gospel According to John, the third chapter, the eighth verse. The actual text in the always lovely King James Version goes, The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Now one reflection on that text I found points out how the same Hebrew word is translated first as wind, and then as spirit. Breath and wind are probably the most ancient metaphors for that transformative force in our lives. That movement of air as the primary metaphor for the spirit occurs in languages as diverse as Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. And the list continues. We also find it in Sanskrit and Chinese. Actually Ive been informed it is a near universal metaphor.

That same article cites a couple of other scriptural verses I found intriguing. One is Ecclesiastes 3:6,the wind goes around and the wind returns to its going around and from the Psalms, 78:39, a breath, going and never returning Now, I admit those lines takes a rumination on wind as spirit in a number of directions I hadnt given a lot of thought to. But it is valuable. People have been thinking about this not quite controllable aspect of our lives for a very long time.

And what might my take away be from the collective wisdom of our ancestors? Well, for one, that wind, that spirit, would be in constant motion. Of course. And it definitely comes from and takes us home. Thats always the subtext. And its not just wind, it is breath. It is that which gives us life. Here the verb of our reality is revealed.

How we engage spirit and spirituality does indeed matter. There are so many lessons, so many pointers for us. In the Ecclesiastes example, we cannot grasp it intellectually. Rather, we can only experience it. But when we experience it, we find our true home is within the wind. Another lesson is that warning about taking something living and crushing the life out of it. The spirit gives life, but the letter kills. Not bad Zen lessons, not bad Unitarian Universalist lessons uncovered in the ancient texts of the Hebrew tradition.

For me it is a call to humility, an invitation into the dance of our world spiritualities. But as to that full throated call to that particular magical quality, that we dont have to do anything, we dont even have to be good, and the great realization can settle on us, anyway, it is there, if buried a bit. And I like that. Not esoteric, not hidden, but mostly noticed out of the corner of the eye.

And theres a truth. We find that pointing to the spirit resting where it will in what I find a complicated and not entirely attractive text, the Gospel According to John. Okay, I have to like that. It shows the point. The spirit rests where it will. That is the great secret of our hearts. Like the spirit descending on a crowd of Unitarian Universalists in a hot convention center in Columbus, Ohio, in 1984.

This life giving moment, this transformative instance where our lives are revealed is there for anyone willing to open up and let it rest on us. Well, on occasion it comes even to those who do all they can to resist. I think of the story of Saul and his fateful encounter on that road to Damascus. For me this is the real universalism. Not the old Christian idea that all dead people go to heaven. Rather that the spirit cannot be contained, and genuine wisdom is available to all of us. And, that wisdom comes like a thief in the night.

After which we have to figure out what to do with it. Then we hear the night whispers of justice. With that descent of the spirit, with our knowing our connections so deeply true, we also know the calls of a hurt world are calls from our hearts to our heart. We are connected. We are the wind. We are the breath.

The secret message of Pentecost.

What will we do with it?

Amen. And, amen.

Read the rest here:

COME, HOLY SPIRIT, COME! A Universalist Meditation for Pentecost - Patheos (blog)

The National

Emirates shows a clean pair of heels on jet cleaning The National Keeping an aircraft clean is more than just a cosmetic excercise. The dirt that accumulates on a plane's surfaces also increases the fuel it consumes by making it and less aerodynamic. Traditionally, aircraft are cleaned by using highly pressurised ... and more »

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Emirates shows a clean pair of heels on jet cleaning - The National

INDORE: A hut on banks of the Narmada river in Dewas district was abuzz with activity as onlookers keenly watched a team of policemen gazing at photographs in their hands and trying to match it with an elderly woman clad in saffron, on Friday.

Geeta Bai, who was fondly called 'Jiji' by pilgrims visiting the ashram, turned out to be Indira Bishnoi, an accused in the infamous Bhanwari Devi murder and carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh on her head. The news came as a shock to the ashram dwellers in Nemawar.

"We can't fathom the fact that Jiji is a murder accused. And that too in Bhanwari Devi case," said Dev Kumar Shastri, a prominent volunteer at the ashram.

Indira had been visiting the ashram once or twice in a month. She offered prayers, meditated and went on her way, without disturbing others, he said. "While in Nemawar, she stayed at a rented accommodation of one Rajkishore Parashar," Shastri said.

Indira had successfully evaded police for six years with meticulous planning. Her three-layered network of security and communication was quite sophisticated, said Rajasthan ATS officers.

"We have been tracking her movements and communication for last five months, but we are yet to fully decipher her messages," Rajasthan ATS SP Vikas Kumar told TOI.

While staying in Harda town, Indira had completely shunned technology and adopted a lifestyle that did not raise any eyebrows and also helped her stay clear of CBI's radar. "She, however, used to manage her business through coded messages," said Kumar.

Originally posted here:

Nemawer ashram inmates shocked on Indira's arrest - Times of India

By FPJ Bureau|Jun 04, 2017 12:11 am

Indore : Under the aegis of Vartika Mahila Mandal, NTPC Rihand organised a 15-days aerobics, dance workshop at Triveni Preksha Grah recently. President Shridevi Narendra was the chief guest at the function. In her address, she encouraged the organisation to keep up the tradition of organising such events as it is a good platform for children and women to showcase their hidden talents. Aerobics and dance specially help in the physical development and gives a lot of confidence, she added. Manager (human resource) Narsingh Yadav anchored the show. Nisha Agarwal, Geeta Singh and Nirmala Yadav marked their presence as special guests.

Stock clearance sale at Bharat Lifestyle

Indore : Bharat Lifestyle is back with its crazy stock clearance sale offering flat 50 percent to 70 percent discount. Bharat Lifestyle offers a whole range of furniture including sofas, beds, dining tables and more. They have a fine collection of solid wood dining set. Customers can buy furniture at 0 percent interest rate by financing from Bajaj Finserv.

Omaxe Ltd gives possession to those in need

Indore : Omaxe Limited gifted houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna at a subsidised rate to those who are financially weak. Possesion letters were given at Omaxe City -1, Bypass road. Company business head Vineet Sharma, sales marketing head Anoop Agrawal, chief manager Praveen Sharma and construction site in-charge Hitesh Goyal said that for the ongoing social concerns company gave house possessions under Basera Project at a subsidised rate of Rs four lakhs to Balveer Singh Jatt, Annapurna Verma and other customers. Interested customers can also avail houses under the Basera Project.

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Originally posted here:

NTPC Rihand organises aerobics, dance workshop - Free Press Journal

You may have a heavy period with annoying and painful side effects like cramps and headaches, but is it better not to have a period at all? Some raw vegan bloggers think so, and they are encouraging their readersto follow a similar extreme diet in order to lighten or eradicate their periods, which they claim are toxic.

Many girls who lose their period often worry and try numerous things to get it back, Miliany Bonet wrote on her blog, RawVeganLiving. Its often advised that to get your period back, you should stop exercising and eat more calories and incorporate more plant-based fats in your diet. What if I told you that everything you were taught about menstrual cycles was a complete LIE?!

Despite controversy, Bonet continues to support her claim. A non-menstruating body indicates the body is clean, the 19-year-old told Broadly in May. If a woman or young girl decided she wanted to stop menstruating or lighten up her heavy periods, then I would recommend a raw foods diet to help them with that. The industry has done a great job of brainwashing too many women into thinking that if they do not get their periods on a monthly basis, that something is wrong with their body and hormones.

Bonet is not the only blogger to lose her period and insist that its healthy. Back in 2013, controversial raw vegan blogger Freelee the Banana Girl shared a video discussing her period, stating that she was happy when she lost her period, and suggesting that her now very light, three-day period was healthy. A lot of people were like, no, thats unhealthy, you need your period, thats terrible. But is it? Well, a lot of people dont know, Freelee said. And all I can go on is my instincts and my feeling at the time that it felt good. It felt right, and at the time I think it needed to happen for my body to balance out.

As Freelee says, listening to your bodys signals is a good thing. But losing your period is indeed a signal sent from your body, and an important one at that. Doctors warn against changing your diet in an attempt to alter your menstrual cycle. Dieting to get rid of your period is unhealthy and anyone promoting this should be ashamed of themselves and take a first year biology course, Dr. Jen Gunter told theDaily Mail. This is a very dangerous idea and displays a complete lack of understanding of female biology and the human body in general. Periods are not bad or filled with toxins. This trend is alarming because it comes from someone who clearly has no understanding of periods or even biology in general and is just another form of body shaming.

Gunter says that women who are very thin and dont have a period may not be ovulating, and thus have very low estrogen levels and risk osteoporosis and other health concerns.

While Freelee acknowledges that ovulating is important and advises followers who lose their periods to check that they are still ovulating, she herself does not follow this advice. For some reason I just instinctively felt like I was still ovulating because I felt so good, Freelee said. I still believe that, largely, menstruation is toxicity leaving the body, she explains in her controversial video, which was heavily criticizedby some viewers and the eating-disorder charity Beat. So a lot of people are having these heavy, heavy periods and painful periods because they have a toxic body or have a toxic diet.

In response to the video, Beat defined the absence of periods as amenorrhea, a sign that somebody is at a low weight. Amenorrhea has in the past been used to diagnose anorexia nervosa.Being at a low weight and restricting intake for a significant [length] of time can have other serious side effects low blood pressure, osteoporosis, organ failure, infertility, restricted growth among others, Beat said.

Even vegan dietitian Vesanto Melina, a memberof the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, agrees that vegan diets centered around only fruit, as many raw vegan diets are, are low in protein and zinc. Its not an ideal vegan diet because the nutrient intake is very insufficient, Melina told Hollywood Life. And while its certainly possible to maintain a healthy vegan diet, losing your period is not a good sign. These women believed it was a good thing. They made a mythology out of it. But its not a normal thing. You need different food groups.

Despite the risks, these blogs remain popular, and a video uploaded by Freelee in September, which claims, If youve got heavy periods, thats not normal, has been viewed almost 250,000 times. That is not as healthy as you can be.

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Controversial Raw Vegan Bloggers Claim Diet Gets Rid of 'Toxic' Menstruation - Yahoo Health