The organic industry is creating an anti-fraud task force in the wake of a Washington Post report that millions of pounds of USDA Organic soybeans and corn imported through Turkey appear to have been fraudulent.

Organized by the Organic Trade Association, the task force would develop methods for companies to ensure that imports of organic products are actually organic.

There is a strong desire on the part of industry to stop the incidence of fraud in organic, said Laura Batcha, director of the association. The consumer expects that organic products are verified back to the farm. The industry takes that contract with the consumer very seriously.

Last month, The Post reported that three enormous shipments of organic corn and soybeans - large enough to constitute a meaningful proportion of the U.S. supply of those commodities - had reached the U.S.

[The labels said 'organic.' But these massive imports of corn and soybeans weren't]

Documents and interviews indicated that the shipments were not really organic - in fact, some had been treated with pesticides en route to the U.S. All three shipments hailed from Turkey, one of the largest exporters of organic products to the United States, according to Foreign Agricultural Service statistics. With the "USDA Organic" designation, the value of the shipments rose by millions of dollars.

The report confirmed the suspicions of many U.S. farmers, who have seen prices by as much as a third as the volume of imports of organic corn and soybeans have climbed rapidly in recent years.

After the story appeared, one of the nations largest organic inspection agencies, CCOF, issued a notice to its clients indicating that it lacks confidence in the organic status of foreign grain. The agency instituted rules requiring that organic grain shipments be traceable back to growers.

One of the Turkish exporters involved in the shipments described by The Post, Beyaz Agro, has been decertified as an organic company by the USDA.

Now comes news of the task force.Some U.S. farmers look skeptically at the effort because, they say, they have been waiting for two years for protection from cheap - and fraudulent - organic imports.

John Bobbe, executive director of the Organic Farmers Agency for Relationship Marketing, or OFARM, a farmer cooperative, declared that he was amused by the industry effort. He noted that many members of the Organic Trade Association have benefited from the lower prices on organic corn and soybeans.

The three shipments examined by The Post represent roughly 7 percent of annual organic corn imports and 4 percent of organic soybean imports.

It remains to be seen whether this effort is serious or not, Bobbe said The OTA has been strangely quiet about this issue. It seems they have been looking the other way - the see no evil scenario. But I guess they cant ignore it now. I think the fire is burning enough that the flames can't be stamped out.

The USDA has been far too lax - and slow - in ferreting out fraudulent imports, U.S. organic farmers have complained. For months, the agency has said it has been investigating fraudulent grain imports.

[Why your 'organic' milk may not be organic]

If the anti-fraud efforts go no farther than publishing a set of best practices, Bobbe suggested, little is likely to change. A list of ethical practices, he said, will not stop an importer intent on the quick profits that can come from relabelling conventional grains as USDA Organic.

But Batcha said that the industry is working on more than a set of best practices. It is also lobbying to give the USDA broader enforcement powers in the next farm bill, she said. The association is also pushing Congress for new technology to trace organic products all the way back to the farm. It will also ask that the USDAs National Organic Program submit to Congress an annual report on enforcement actions.

Were going to Congress - we want to close the loopholes, Batcha said. The task forces work is important but its not the only thing were doing.

[How millions of cartons of organic milk contain an oil brewed in industrial vats of algae]

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Millions of pounds of apparently fake 'organic' grains convince the food industry there may be a problem - Washington Post

Alexander C.N., et al. Treating and preventing alcohol, nicotine, and drug abuse through Transcendental Meditation: A review and statistical meta-analysis. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly 11: 13-87, 1994.

Aron E.N. and Aron A. The patterns of reduction of drug and alcohol use among Transcendental Meditation participants. Bulletin of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors 2: 28-33, 1983.

Clements G., et al. The use of the Transcendental Meditation programme in the prevention of drug abuse and in the treatment of drug-addicted persons. Bulletin on Narcotics 40(1): 5156, 1988.

Gelderloos P., et al. Effectiveness of the Transcendental Meditation program in preventing and treating substance misuse: A review. International Journal of the Addictions 26: 293325, 1991.

Gelderloos P., et al. Effectiveness of the Transcendental Meditation program in preventing and treating substance misuse: A review. International Journal of the Addictions 26: 293325, 1991.

Orme-Johnson D. W. Transcendental Meditation as an epidemiological approach to drug and alcohol abuse: Theory, research, and financial impact evaluation. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 11, 119-165, 1994.

Royer A. The role of the Transcendental Meditation technique in promoting smoking cessation: A longitudinal study. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly 11: 219-236, 1994.

Shafii M. et al. Meditation and marijuana. American Journal of Psychiatry 131: 60-63, 1974.

Shafii M. et al. Meditation and the prevention of alcohol abuse. American Journal of Psychiatry 132: 942-945, 1975.

Wallace R.K. et al. Decreased drug abuse with Transcendental Meditation: A study of 1,862 subjects. In Drug Abuse: Proceedings of the International Conference, ed. Chris J.D. Zarafonetis (Philadelphia: Lea and Febiger): 369-376, 1972.

Walton K. G., and Levitsky, D.A. A neuroendocrine mechanism for the reduction of drug use and addictions by Transcendental Meditation. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly 11: 89-117, 1994.

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Transcendental Meditation (TM) Technqiue - Sioux Falls

Lucia Garcia

Every week at PopCrush, were putting the spotlight on one up-and-coming act you need to know about. Why? So you can get on board early before everyone else and their mother jumps on the bandwagonand so you can be that one friend in the group whos always like, Um, actually, I prefer their earlier work.

You never know where inspiration will come knocking. Just ask Minke.

The London-based alternative R&B up-and-comer formally arrived on the scene earlier this year with her HypeMachine No. 1-charting Gold Angel, earning early support from Zane Lowe on Beats 1 and even a deeply meditative, super-artsy Lindsay Lohan on Instagram.

This month, Minke returns with a follow-up to her acclaimed debut a tribute to letting down your guard which came to be because of a simple phrase uttered at a bar.

You cant dance in armour' was something a local said to me once at one of the bars I was working at in London and it sort of stuck, Minke tells PopCrush of Armour.

I had written it down in the notes on my phone and as Rory [Andrew] and I started writing, I found it and we wrote the song really quickly after that.

The track, she says, is a celebration of vulnerability.

Cant dance in armour, hold your defenses / Im here beside you til you come to your senses, she soothingly, soulfully assures across warm pulsations and light tripping beats, recalling Solange, London Grammar and Jessie Ware.

Its fine not feeling fine youre not alone, she explains.

Everyone goes through st and the best thing we can do is to be ourselves, truly, always. Even when sometimes its not that pretty.

After hitting the stage at Bushstock Festival over the weekend, Minke will be performing at Latitude Festival later this summer. Listen to Armour above and Gold Angel below.

And for more from the burgeoning singer-songwriter, make sure to follow her journey on Twitter and Facebook.

Best Songs of 2017 (So Far!)

Next: PopCrush Presents: Nikki Flores

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'You Can't Dance in Armour': Meet Minke, Lindsay Lohan's Musical Meditation Go-To - PopCrush

Noisey

Watch Nathan Williams Experience Guided Meditation Noisey So naturally, he chooses to experience guided meditation. In a deleted scene from tonight's episode, with the help of therapist Dr. Siri Sat Nam Singh, the singer attempts to "become one with the universal bio-rhythm," closing his eyes and feeling his ...

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Watch Nathan Williams Experience Guided Meditation - Noisey

Meditation is a practice to calm your mind and attain deep peace and awareness. It is a state of consciousness when your mind is clean and free of any distracting thoughts. You become aware of thing you otherwise ignore like the sound of the bird and your breath. Meditation refers to several practices including techniques to build inner strength, reduce stress and promote relaxation. As per the yoga text, one must pass several stages to reach the true state of meditation. You begin with breath control, physical position and then move on to the advanced stages of contemplation and concentration. There are different type of meditations based on mindfulness, compassion, transcendentalism and yoga. You can select the one you are comfortable with and start practicing it for its numerous benefits. This Step-by-step guide to meditation will help you begin your journey. (ALSO READThis meditation video featuring celebs has gone viral!).

It is important to select an appropriate time for meditation, as it will be your relaxation time. You must choose a time when you will be free and will not be disturbed. While morning is usually considered the perfect time to meditate, feel free to do it in the evening or any other time when you are free.

Do not meditate after you have your food, as you tend to feel sleepy after your meal. You should meditate after around two hours after your meal or empty stomach.

You need a distraction-free place for meditation. The place should be clean and quite. Turn off your mobile phone, television and computer. If you live with your family or with roommates, close the door of your room before you sit down for meditation. You can light incense or aromatic candles for the meditation. You can also dim the light of the room and light a single lamp to help you meditate.

You can use a yoga mat or cushion to sit down on the floor for meditation. Chairs are avoided as you tend to slump back and lose concentration. Also, you can sit cross-legged position for meditation. Keep your back straight and away from the wall.(ALSO READDo these 5 things when you wake up in the morning for a healthy start)

Before you sit down for your meditation session, try to do some basic yoga asanas to warm up your body. This will improve your blood circulation and make you feel lighter.

You need not sit in padmasana if you are not comfortable sitting in that position. You will be able to concentrate better when you are sitting in a comfortable position. Keep you back straight, your body relaxed and concentrate on your breathing. (ALSO READGroup meditation may cure depression, anxiety and stress-related disorders).

Setting a timer will allow you to meditate without worrying about how long you have been meditating. Set the timer and start your meditation. Begin by meditating for three minutes, then gradually increase it to 10 minutes. You can also meditate for a longer duration.

While meditating, keep your mouth closed and breathe through your nose. Relax your jaws and practice inhaling and exhaling through your nose. Tilting your chin downwards will make breathing easier by opening up the chest. Keep your eyes closed to avoid visual distraction.

Focus on your breathing when you meditate. You do not have to analyze how deep you are breathing but be aware of your breathing. You should be present at that moment and experience it. The world fades away when you concentrate on your inhalation and exhalation.(ALSO READ9 Reasons to Master the Art of Meditation).

While practicing meditation, keep a smile on your face. This gentle smile will enhance your experience and you will feel happy.

As you hear the buzzer of your alarm, gently and slowly open your eyes. Take your time and slowly do some stretches before you get up from that mat.

Found this story interesting? Like our Facebook page to read more such articles. Also, share your comments below. We would love to hear from you!

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How to start meditating: Step-by-step guide to meditation - India.com

Meditation ~ Full Moon meditation ~ Novice and Experienced meditators welcome! Santa Barbara Edhat Immerse yourself in the powerful meditative energy of the Full Moon this Saturday night at 8:00 PM . This is a non-denominational event and newcomers to meditation are especially welcome. The meditation program will be led by Santa Barbara native, Tom ...

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Meditation ~ Full Moon meditation ~ Novice and Experienced meditators welcome! - Santa Barbara Edhat

Katy Perry waves to the camera during her 72-hour live stream. Photograph: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

In 2017, there are myriad ways to approach an album rollout. Theres the Kanye way, consisting of a steady drip of promotional singles and a bonkers listening party at Madison Square Garden, after which, of course, you dont actually release the album. Then theres the Beyonc approach, in which said album arrives as a complete surprise usually with an accompanying film causing tectonic plates to shift as scorned lovers the world over revolt. Adele and Frank Ocean, similarly, dropped long-awaited records after extended hiatuses with minimal promotion. Lady Gaga, who once commissioned a Jeff Koons sculpture for the release of Artpop, now opts for more measured rollouts, sporting cowgirl gear for Bud Light-sponsored gigs at speakeasies and pubs ahead of her folksy record Joanne.

What Katy Perry did this weekend was quite different. Perry, whose album Witness was released on Friday, installed 41 cameras in a Los Angeles apartment for a Big Brother-style live stream lasting from Thursday night to Monday afternoon.

Do you see her, like, take a shit? a friend asked me in anticipation. Well, I wasnt entirely sure, though I assumed not. I had tuned in a bit on Friday Perry was doing transcendental meditation but didnt commit until two days later, on Sunday morning, when I woke up, had coffee, went on YouTube, and became a Witness along with thousands of others.

Katy Perry is asleep when I pull up the stream, which is a bit awkward because James Corden has stopped by for a visit and is wandering around aimlessly. Earlier, there was cooking with Gordon Ramsay, yoga with Jesse Tyler Ferguson, astrophysics with Neil deGrasse Tyson, and therapy with Siri Sat Nam Singh, all in 24 hours.

Perry awakes in funky blue pajamas with stars on them that I wish I owned. She greets Corden and they make their way to the kitchen, where an impressive food artist called Dan Blake is making pancakes with Perry and her friends faces on them. She thanks him and takes a bite, and theres one for her puppy, Nugget, too.

Perry says shell show us how she can make herself look like a frog

The event is, well, not exactly Perrys daily goings-on and the fact that its presented as such can get annoying, particularly in moments when all the necessary pre-orchestration makes itself glaringly known (Perrys assistant can be seen carrying around a face sheet, a sort of PR rubric of all the other celebrities who will be stopping by).

Perry and Corden play Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts, a game in which they choose to answer personal, gossipy questions or instead eat something from an artfully prepared tray that contains cow tongue, scorpion, pickled pigs feet, bird saliva, and a 100-year-old egg. Corden opts to take a bite of the cow tongue instead of saying whos the most boring guest hes ever had on his show. He also takes a shot of mayo when asked to choose between Justin Bieber and Harry Styles.

KP is the more candid of the two, probably due to her totally understandable aversion to eating a pigs innards. Corden asks her to list her famous lovers in bed from worst to best, with Diplo coming in last, followed by Orlando Bloom and then John Mayer. Theyre all amazing lovers, Perry says, and I would have sex with all of them when I get out of this place!

An hour in, I realize something: celebrities are as transcendently boring as we are. Perry says her goodbyes to Corden, and a 3D painter called Tracy Lee Stum stops by. In what looks like the houses courtyard, shes done a sort of panoramic piece in honor of Perrys album, the word Witness written across it. Its nice to see artists, whether of the pancake or graffiti sort, get access to a platform like Perrys, and thus far theyve seized the moment.

KP goes up to her bedroom, where an iPad is waiting for her. She goes to a different, FaceTime-y live stream to answer fan questions. The best part, as is always the case with public streams, is reading the comments as they pour in, which range from messages of unconditional devotion to requests for money or advice or sex. It made me vicariously uncomfortable to watch Perry read and sidestep the weird ones, and then I found my patience tested as she nobly spent 10 minutes giving shout-outs to commenters, repeating the phrase Hi (insert name) hundreds of times and then merely hello in different languages.

Perry says shell show us how she can make herself look like a frog. I didnt know what this meant, but I was nonetheless intrigued. Then, with the help of a secret neck muscle, Perry releases from under her chin what looks like a frogs vocal sac. I attempted to do this multiple times to no avail, but a few commenters chime in that they possess this strange, secret neck muscle, too. I figured out I had it when I was six, Perry says, before going off to shower.

With KP temporarily absent, the house starts blasting her new album and were back to the kitchen camera, where some of Perrys visitors are having their faces replicated in pancake form by our old friend Dan Blake. To pass time, the camera has assumed a cryptic, security footage-style view of the kitchen, where people I still dont know are still chatting and still eating pancakes.

Perry commences a remarkably meticulous skincare routine that goes on long enough to get through at least five songs off her new album, which she sings and dances to while applying nasal strips and deodorant and face cream and a few other things I couldnt identify. This, obviously, is not as grating as the fact that Mariah Carey supposedly gave birth and has sex to her own music, but watching entertainers dance to their own songs is not something Ill ever warm to.

It turns out she was readying herself for a makeup tutorial from the YouTuber wunderkind/makeup artist Patrick Starrr, whos now usurped Dan Blake as the best thing about the stream. Starrr tells Perry a bit about his path to YouTube stardom, how he doubted anyone would want to see a brown, plus-size Filipino do make-up, and hilariously briefs her on some niche lingo, specifically the exact cadence in which one should say: Girl, let me tell you. Then comes an uncomfortable moment as Perry talks about her cosmetics line for CoverGirl and its new initiative: to eliminate the stigma around PDA, public displays of (cosmetic) application. Starrr doesnt look impressed.

I revisited the Witness stream on Sunday evening if only to see how much longer Perry could keep it up. When I log back on, I find Perry, Margaret Cho, Caitlyn Jenner, Van Jones, Derek Blasberg, Ana Navarro and a few others deep in dinner conversation about politics, race relations, and Twitter followers. The best part of this conversation is the politically conservative Caitlyn Jenners reaction, an unsavory mix of scorn and shock, to Margaret Cho saying shes sick of white people.

Its almost 2 in the morning in New York, Ive got work in just a few hours, and things are getting a bit gratuitous on the Witness live stream, so I call it quits, emerging from the depths of internet tedium with an infinitesimally better understanding of Katy Perry and just how one disguises a 72-hour experiment in self-promotion as candid, plain-spoken fun.

See the article here:

A weekend with Katy Perry's live stream: meditation, James Corden and a dog called Nugget - The Guardian

Downtrodden Dalits found a better life when Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi invited them to set up homes at the Sabarmati Ashram almost 100 years ago. Today, when the Ashram is gearing up to celebrate 100 years of its existence, these people who were once like family to the Mahatma are being treated like pariahs again.

While the Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust has organised a grand fete to mark the centenary on June 17, Dalit families at the Ashram allege the trust is treating them like untouchables by excluding them from all celebrations.

BCCL/Representational Image

Forming a group called 'Harijan Ashram Bachao Samiti', they have listed their grievances and submitted a memorandum to the trustees. The families have also planned to stage a dharna on June 17. The trustees, however, refute the allegations, claiming that the celebrations are being hosted by Gandhian organisations including the Sabarmati Harijan Ashram Trust.

Shailesh Rathod (41), president of Gandhi Ashram Rehvasi Mandal and convener of Harijan Ashram Bachao Samiti, says, "Gandhiji came here with 99 Dalit families and called this place the Harijan Ashram. My grandfather Ukabhai was one of the families. We are the original ashramvasis but we have not been included in the celebration. We have no clue about the festivities to be held on June 17."

The memorandum presented by the Dalit families lists nine demands including information about the festivities, inclusion of residents in the activities and maintenance of all houses on the premises. Explaining this, Rathod says, "Gandhiji first established the Sabarmati Harijan Ashram Trust in 1934. Later, for various reasons, this was split into other trusts after 1951. One of our demands is that one of us should be part of these trusts."

Ashramvasi Hemant Chauhan (54), who works as a caterer, says, "We submitted a memorandum 10 days ago that the original inmates were being sidelined from this historical event. It is because of our families that Gandhi ashram has preserved its glory. We opposed several development schemes declared by the government that would have damaged this heritage site. Yet, we are being ignored while institutes like Navjivan and Gujarat Vidhyapith are a part of the fete." He adds, "The Ashram includes our houses too, not just the memorial. Yet, the trust has been using funds only to give the memorial a facelift while our buildings receive no maintenance."

BCCL/Representational Image

More than 200 families live on the Ashram premises, and most of them are Dalits. The families pay rent ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 200 a month for the houses. Most of them have jobs or run small businesses. As per the memorandum, residents demand waiving of rent. "We want the houses to be gifted to us. We also want to be given priority in jobs related to management of the ashram," the residents seek in the memorandum. The memorandum also demands a stop against sale of merchandise like kurtas, books, mugs and soaps as "it is against the trust's Constitution". "The trust is supposed to take care of the memorial not indulge in commercial activities," the memorandum states.

Meanwhile, refuting allegations, memorial trust director Tridip Suhrud terms celebration as a historical one. Admitting he received a memorandum from Ashram residents, he says, "We will address their grievances. The trust's secretary Amrut Modi and Harijan Ashram Trust's Jayesh Patel met them. Our trust's chairperson Ila Bhatt will meet them soon."

He adds, "No individual is involved in the event. It is being hosted by eight organisations and trusts associated with Gandhiji. Other than the memorial trust, these include Sabarmati Harijan Ashram Trust, Gujarat Vidyapith, Navjivan, and Majur Mahajan Sangh. These families live in houses rented by Harijan Ashram Trust that is part of the celebration. So, there's no question of ignoring anyone."

About repairs to houses, Suhrud says, "A committee has been formed to decide how to use government funds." While Harijan Ashram trustee Jayesh Patel could not be contacted for comment despite several attempts, secretary Modi confirms they met residents on Saturday. "They have not been sidelined. However, we will talk to them once more to sort out issues."

Gandhiji's grandson Gopalkrishna Gandhi will be the guest of honour at the centenary celebrations to be held at Sabarmati ashram on June 17. Memorial trust director Tridip Suhrud says, "Gandhi will dedicate 'My life is my message' gallery and Charkha gallery at the ashram. He will also plant a baval tree. This is significant as several meetings of the Majur Mahajan Sangh used to be held under baval. We will also have a Sarva Dharma Sama Bhava prayer as per the tradition of the ashram."

BCCL/Representational Image

1) Remove untouchability, give information to ashram residents on celebrations

2) Include ashram residents as part of all trusts that were formed by splitting original Harijan trust

3) Waive rent of residents Give priority in ashram management jobs

4) Khadi must for all ashram employees and office-bearers

5) Use government funds to maintain houses, not just the memorial

6) Memorial trust must stop selling merchandise

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Dalits Being Treated As Untouchables At Sabarmati's Harijan Ashram, Set Up By Mahatma Gandhi - Indiatimes.com

Iran has banned women from dancing, cycling, watching soccer matches, listening to certain music and now Zumba.

Thats right. The Islamic Republics Shiite leaders announced this week that, under religious law, the 17-year-old Colombian dance aerobics craze is forbidden.

Ali Majdara, the head of public sports in Iran, issued a statement Sunday banning Zumba and any harmonious movement or body shaking instruction. The ban applies to public and private gyms, clubs and classes. The announcement came just days after Majdaras Iran Sport for All federation provoked an outcry on Twitter by calling for the ban.

Critics took to Twitter as well, but to express displeasure and dismay using the Persian language hashtag #Zumba. Has Colombia summoned the Iranian ambassador yet? one Twitter user joked.

Unbelievable, said Zumba teacher Sepideh Abozari. The authorities are worried about a Zumba pandemic?

Tehran-based cleric Hossain Ghayyomi explained the reasoning behind the ban.

Any harmonious movement or rhythmic exercise, if it is for pleasure seeking, is haram, forbidden under Shiite leaders interpretation of Islam, Ghayyomi said. Even jobs related to these rhythmic movements are haram. For instance, since Islam says dancing or music is haram, then renting a place to teach dancing or cutting wood to make musical instruments is haram too.

While some have tried to justify teaching or listening to music as legal under Islamic law in Iran, he said, They could not change the mainstream of the clerical establishment.

Theres also the fear among religious leaders that Zumba is corrupting Iranian men, who can watch videos of classes posted online. Some Iranian Zumba instructors videos already have been deemed pornographic and blocked by authorities since the ban.

As Zumba has spread to more than 180 countries, it has been banned by other conservative Muslim leaders for being un-Islamic, including by a fatwa, or religious edict, in parts of Malaysia.

But Irans ban comes at a time when the dance fitness trend has gone mainstream here. In Tehran and other large cities, most public and private gyms offer womens Zumba classes. Many women, whose exercise opportunities already have been curtailed by the state, were aghast at the Zumba ban.

Abozari said the classes are incredibly popular, not just among wealthy women, but also among the middle class and the poor.

Even in low-income areas on the outskirts of Tehran where I live ... women pay as much as a month cash subsidy to participate in Zumba class to keep fit in body and mind and tune in to the happy rhythm, said Abozari, 38, who teaches Zumba in her spare time to children too poor to pay for lessons.

At issue isnt just womens rights, she said: Its about the economy. She noted that middle-class and wealthy women in north Tehran often pay for private Zumba classes at home, and those jobs where pay is negotiable and usually generous will now disappear.

Malihe Agheli, 38, a mother of two who works at a bank in Tehran, said the gym at her office already refused to offer Zumba or other rhythmic workouts. She has been paying a steep price, $50 for eight private classes a month. While Zumba classes still may be offered underground, she said, After being banned, it will be more expensive.

Zohre Safavizadeh, who has taken Zumba classes at her Tehran gym in the past, likes the music and the ambiance.

I feel wonderful the body rhythm and the music in background are fascinating, she said.

But as often happens in Iran, theres a political element, even with Zumba. Safavizadeh sees the ban as a backlash by hard-liners to the reelection last month of moderate President Hassan Rouhani.

The hard-liners want to undo what was promised by President Rouhani, she said, and as a result, We as women are deprived small happiness.

Rouhani won after promising to unite Iran. But terrorist attacks by Islamic State militants in the capital this month that killed 17 people gave hard-line Shiite leaders an opening to crack down. Some analysts said the Zumba ban may be the beginning of efforts by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other hard-liners to reexert influence and sideline Rouhani.

Tehran-based analyst Nader Karimi Juni wasnt optimistic that Rouhani will make much headway against the supreme leaders bans, including Zumba.

For the supreme leader, America and Israel are archenemies, the eternal foes, Juni said. So whatever lifestyle, tastes or athletic activities are associated with what he calls corrupted Western culture is haram and should be banned.

ALSO

North Korea releases American student reportedly in coma as Dennis Rodman returns to the reclusive nation

Corpses being dumped in Iraq show signs of torture, execution and Iraqi forces may be responsible

A Palestinian village was annexed by Israel after the 1967 war. Now it's behind a wall and orphaned

More here:

Iran bans women's Zumba aerobics classes - Los Angeles Times

Reprinted wtih the kind permission of Simmaron Research.

By Cort Johnson

For the second time this month, the loved one of an ME/CFS patient has dedicated talent and sacrifice to raise funding for Simmaron Research and awareness of the disease more broadly.

Michael Jasper met Terrys husband, Silvestre, 13 years ago and over time the two couples became best friends, even like family to each other but for a while they were a family with a mystery: Terry would mysteriously disappear at times. When the Jaspars were told she had something called chronic fatigue syndrome the explanation helped even as it obscured.

It wasnt until Michael and his wife Marie saw a screening of The Forgotten Plague earlier this year that they really began to understand what was going on. Terry wasnt just tired she was really sick! Theyd seen her only on her best days, which unfortunately were few and far between.

The Forgotten Plague turned out to be a line of demarcation for them. Theyd pounded Terry with questions about the disease after that. They now know the history, they know the neglect, they know the seeds of change that are sprouting now and they wanted to do something for their friend.

Several months later Michael asked for a meeting and when Terry was well enough Michael and his family broke the news: he was resurrecting his music career and wanted to dedicate the song Beachwalk to Terry and the ME/CFS community. Hed composed it years before, and when he and his daughter, Marissa, got to work on the album, it was the first song theyd worked on.

Michael told me that hed played in the greatest garage bands that never made it. Along the way, hed played and toured around the world with many figures in the music industry. Now as he re-emerged into the music scene he was putting those connections to good use having them join him on the new album he and his daughter who, having just graduated from college with a degree in music were going to release in December. Merging old and new his old-school R & B and funk roots with her contemporary pop and dance sound the album will have a unique sound.

Beachwalks melody described for him a simple pleasure that few people with ME/CFS could enjoy: a relaxing walk on the beach, the sun overhead, the sand in their toes a walk that left them relaxed and rejuvenated. Such an easy thing to contemplate for most people but just a dream for Terry and so many others.

For me I heard the keyboards, horn and guitar singing a song of triumph; a song celebrating someone finally making it to their beach after years of effort. It was an uplifting feeling.

Music for Simmaron

It was out of a vision of Terry, their good friend of many years, and others with ME/CFS finally taking their well-deserved walk on the beach, that Michael is donating 50% of the proceeds from the sale of Beachwalk to the Simmaron Research Foundation to help people with ME/CFS.

Please take a walk on the beach with Michael Jaspar, his daughter Marissa and other as they play for Terry Gilmete and others with ME/CFS to support Simmaron. You can find Beachwalk:

Millions Missing Rally & a Song in Sacramento on June 2nd

The problem, of course, is that people with ME/CFS arent able to walk far, if at all. Theyre largely missing from the rounds of daily life an absence dramatically evoked by the MillionsMissing rallies featuring ME/CFS supporters and their shoes.

This Friday, June 2, patients and loved ones will gather on the steps of the Capitol in Sacramento for a MillionsMissing Rally and a live debut of the Jaspars Beachwalk.

The Sacramento Rally featuring Terry Gilmete, Michael Jaspar and others has a story all its own. The woman who organized it, Marilyn Yu, also created The Forgotten Plague screening which opened Michael Jaspars eyes and got him, his wife and daughter involved. In 2016, Marilyn, whos had ME/CFS for three years, got West Sacramento, Elk Grove and Sacramento to do proclamations of their own. Shes gotten the Sacramento City buildings lit up in blue for the past 2 years. The Sacramento Convention Marque featured May 12 as ME/CFS Awareness Day. Marilyn also created a virtual run last year in which she raised some money for Simmaron.

On May 18th, a number of California patients including Terry Gilmete and Marilyn Yu met with Senator Glazers and Moorlach to sponsor SCR-40 which proclaimed May 12th ME/CFS Awareness day and the month of May Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Month in California. Senator Moorlach passionately spoke of his friends daughter whos been disabled from ME/CFS for 18 years.

The striking and, in many ways, beautiful California resolution resolved that

WHEREAS, ME/CFS has been found by the National Academy of Medicine to be a serious, chronic, complex, and systemic disease that frequently and dramatically limits the activities of affected patients, leaving them with a lower quality of life than patients with multiple sclerosis, stroke, renal failure, heart failure, and other chronic diseases; and

WHEREAS, The lack of tracking for ME/CFS by the CDC and the grossly inadequate NIH funding for research based on disease burden have hindered progress in diagnosing and treating ME/CFS, such that there is no FDA-approved treatment for the disease; and

WHEREAS, ME/CFS is a tragic and disabling disease that destroys the lives of many patients and imposes a severe toll on their families, friends, and caretakers;

WHEREAS, The economic impact of ME/CFS in the United States is estimated to be $20 billion to $50 billion per year (CDC February 2016) and likely costs the California economy billions of dollars in health care costs, patient care, lost productivity, and lost tax revenues;

The Legislature hereby proclaims May 12, 2017, as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Day, and declares the month of May 2017, and each May thereafter, as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Month, to help spread awareness of the disease and the need for increased research funding, and to support individuals living with ME/CFS;

On June 2nd, Michael Jaspar, Marilyn Yu, Terri Gilmete and others will all be at ME/CFS Millions Missing Rally in Sacramento at the CA State Capitol Steps-south side on June 2 from 11:30-1:30. A shoe exhibit will be on display from 10:30-4. The music will be an inspiration all our own in the ME/CFS community.

When: June 2, 2017, 10:30-4:00 shoe display, 11:30-1:30 rally and musical debut

Excerpt from:

Making Music and a Difference for ME/CFS - ProHealth