Welcome, to Midnight Mania! Tonight, weve got an old-school style vs. style clash in China -- traditional martial arts against MMA, knockouts from the weekend, one kid taking out five attackers, and much more.

It appears history is happening all over again in China. Via BloodyElbow.com, comes the unfolding story of Tai Chi (and other traditional Chinese martial arts) against the raw aggression and modern skill-set of MMA. Weve seen this story before.

This MMA fighter, Xu Xiaodong, had been talking all kinds of trash on the internet, claiming traditional martial arts were phony and fake. When the moment of truth came, he delivered on that thesis, brutally knocking out the Tai Chi master and then returning to social media site Weibo to talk more trash.

What makes this event extraordinary is the reaction Xu is garnering. He has been challenged by several traditional martial artists, despite the official stance of the Chinese Wushu association. Via Bloody Elbow:

Straits Times reports that He Xi Rui, head of the Wudang Tai Chi sect, was one of the first to respond to Xus challenge. Using Weibo Xu wrote, You are welcome to visit the Wudang Mountains to witness real martial arts.

Lu Xing, another Tai Chi master - this time from the Pushing Hands school in Sichuan Province - also accepted the challenge. Lu told Chengdu Business News that hell likely beat Xu thanks to his iron fist which took more than twenty years to develop.

Yi Long, who has been marketed as Chinas strongest Shaolin monk also took to Weibo to accept Xus challenge. A fight with Xu would be familiar territory for Yi, who has previously tested his Kung Fu style boxing against western and Thai-style fighters.

Yi Long in action:

Will the upstart MMA fighter Xu get the better of these respected martial artists? A lot rides on it. Not only did Xu himself offer 1.2 million yuan, about $174,000, to the person who can beat him, but an entrepreneur, Chen Sheng, has added his own money to the pile: 10 million yuan to the person who can beat Xu. This has all the makings of another Ip Man movie.

Derrick Lewis posted this insane video of a kid beating up five attackers using what looks like a deep well of Muay Thai training.

A post shared by Derrick Lewis (@thebeastufc) on May 8, 2017 at 2:12pm PDT

The weird animations are back.

Thats called shade, kids.

Nate Diaz and Dave Chappelle are the most random duo ever ... then again, the Diaz brothers are mixing it up with all the cool people nowadays.

How did they do this?

Conor McGregors girlfriend Dee Devlin had a baby and the little guy already has thousands of followers on his Instagram account.

Camacho Hell Boy is probably one of the toughest guys ever ! Illegal shots all kind of punches can't destroy him ! (FavelaKombat24) pic.twitter.com/zgCZCSJqfb

Stay woke, Maniacs!

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Midnight Mania! MMA fighter wrecks traditional Tai Chi master in ... - MMAmania.com

18:00 Tuesday 09 May 2017

The first Shefford Tai Chi Festival was declared a success as it was held mark an important date in the calendar.

The last Saturday in April is designated by the World Health Organisation as World Tai Chi and Chi Kung Day, and this year the festival of Tai Chi and related arts was held at the Community Hall.

Ian Deavin, who runs Shefford Tai Chi, said: It was brilliant. As a first event we set our sights high but our expectations low - both were exceeded and we lost count of the number of visitors and were totally impressed by the enthusiasm of the demonstrations.

For those who dropped in on spec the atmosphere was warm and friendly with a multi-generation make up - so much a community event.

Tai Chi demos took the form of a short beginners class with lots of people joining in and some demonstrations. This was the sort of class that beginners can expect at classes in the afternoon on Mondays and Sunday evenings at the Community Hall.

Among a host of other demonstrations was Les Hummel with a taster class of yoga, David Sheppard with massage tasters, Wing Chun students under the direction of Master William Wong and Shash Gajjar with a pilates class.

Other Tai Chi classes were held and the Community Hall Taekwondo group, led by their fourth degree instructor Tom Delve, showed a high energy level with a routine that culminated in a brick breaking demo!

Judy Hammond took over with a class on Alexander Technique where she worked with individuals on their posture and then Ian gave a fast demo of the Chen style Broadsword form which was enjoyed by all.

Visitors watched Thai kickboxing by Master Miggy Marcantonio and a brilliant class of enthusiastic young students doing a 30-minute routine.

The final event was another Tai Chi class to finish off a very successful day.

Ian said: Many thanks to all who gave up their time to demonstrate and take classes - and of course to all our visitors.

Thank you to everybody who donated to charity for their tea/coffee and cakes - we collected over 73 which will be split between the World Wildlife Fund for Nature and a local charity for the homeless.

Visit http://www.sheffordtaichi.org

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First Tai Chi festival draws the visitors - Biggleswade Today

The Howell Republican Club meets on the third Monday of the month. The next meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. May 15 at the Howell First Aid Squad building, 16 Kent Road, Howell. Individuals who would like to join the Republican Club and/or attend a meeting are asked to contact club President Thomas Russo at thomasrussonj@gmail.com

Professional and Business Social Network sponsors a dance party and social from 8 p.m. to midnight May 13 at the Westin Princeton at Forrestal Village, Plainsboro. Salsa dance lesson at 6:45 p.m. Singles and couples; all are welcome. Membership not required. Admission: $15 to $20. Cash bar. Dressy seasonal attire, jacket and tie optional. Details: 610-348-5544 or http://www.PBSNinfo.com

On May 17 at the Jackson Library, attorney Carl Archer will discuss benefits to which veterans are entitled and how those benefits may be obtained. The program is for adults and registration is required. Details: 732-928-4400 and press option 4.

The Jackson Library will host a workshop presented by a representative of Ocean County SCORE at 6:30 p.m. May 24. The workshop is designed to educate entrepreneurs and help small businesses start, grow and succeed. The counselor will discuss how a business owner can make the most of email and social media. The program is for adults and registration is required. Details: 732-928-4400 and press option 4.

Individuals looking for a job are invited to the Jackson Library, 2 Jackson Drive, Jackson, from 10 a.m. to noon May 22 for a hands-on tour of the New Jersey Career Connections website. Personal budgeting, filing for unemployment, drafting cover letters and resumes, completing online applications and interviewing will be discussed. Registration is required. To register, call 732-928-4400.

The Monmouth County Park System is seeking vendors for its Eco-Elephant Family Flea Market to be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 17 at the Dorbrook Recreation Area, Route 537, Colts Neck. Individuals, businesses, nonprofits and crafters are welcome. Vendors must provide their own table and merchandise. Cost: $30 per space. Reserve a space at http://www.MonmouthCountyParks.com. Details: Al Weaver, 732-542-1642, ext. 31.

A program on the Art of Meditation for Beginners will be held at the Jackson Library from 10-11:30 a.m. June 6. The program is for adults. Participants will learn about different techniques of meditation that may work best for them. Program led by Shazia Zaman. Wear comfortable clothes. No experience required. The program is free and walk-ins are welcome. Details: 732-928-4400.

The film Under One Sky: Arab Women in North America Talk About the Hijab will be shown at the Jackson Library at 7 p.m. June 12. The film is for adults. Arab women living in North America explain the ideologies behind the hijab (veil). Followed by Q&A with Mariam Jalabi, director, Syrian National Coalition, United Nations. The program is free and registration is required. Details: 732-928-4400.

The Jackson Library will host the seventh annual Verity Academy Piano Recital from 2-4 p.m. June 17. Classical music will be performed by students of the Verity Academy. All ages welcome. Registration required. To register, call 732-928-4400 and press option 4.

The Jim Hall Memorial Homeless Vets Motorcycle Run and BBQ/Picnic will be held at noon June 24 at Jackson Elks Lodge No. 2744, 1059 East Veterans Highway, Jackson. Tickets are $25. Registration for the ride starts at 9 a.m. and the ride kicks off at 10 a.m. Food, beverages, entertainment by the Mangos and vendors. Proceeds of the day benefit homeless veterans. Details: joelamo90@gmail.com

The Pinelanders Youth Soccer Club in Howell will hold its first Casino Night and Gift Auction fundraiser on May 20 at the Girl Scouts Activity Center, 127 Yellowbrook Road, Howell. Doors will open 6:30 p.m. All proceeds will benefit the Pinelanders Youth Soccer Club. The event will feature food, drinks and prizes. Pre-sale tickets are $40. Tickets are limited and will be $45 at the door if available. For tickets or more information, contact events@pinelanders.com

The McKaig Test Mullen American Legion, 2 Meadowbrook Lane, New Egypt, will host an afternoon Bingo on May 21. The event will support veterans. Doors open at 1 p.m. Games start at 3 p.m. There will be more than $3,000 in prizes. Admission is $40 per person. Food will be available. Details: 609-758-8131.

Singer Bob Kulik of the 1950s and 1960s group the Happenings, will perform at Congregation Ahavat Olam, 106 Windeler Road, Howell, at 3:30 p.m. May 21. A Chinese buffet will follow the show. Dinner and show, $25; Children 12 and under, $15; Show only, $18; Children 12 and under $10. RSVP by May 15. Reservations not needed for show only, but are appreciated. Details: 732-719-3500.

The Jackson Library will host a Red Cross blood drive from 2-7 p.m. July 31. Anyone who is at least 17 years old, weighs a minimum of 110 pounds and is in generally good health can donate blood. All blood types are needed. Donors should bring a photo ID. Visit http://www.redcross.org to schedule an appointment. Walk-ins are welcome.

Look for turtles, egrets, herons, ospreys and other wildlife during a boat tour of the Manasquan Reservoir, Howell. Each 45-minute tour leaves from the Visitor Center, Windeler Road, Howell. Tours are offered at the top of the hour from 2-5 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, May 6 through Sept. 4. Wednesday tours are offered at 2, 3 and 4 p.m. from July 5 through Aug. 30. Evening tours are offered on the first Friday of each month May through September; call 732-751-9453 as times vary for the evening tours. All tours are weather and water level dependent. The fee is $6 per adult and $4 per child age 12 and under.

The Italian American Cultural Society of New Jersey will host a dinner meeting on May 11 at 7 p.m. at Mamma Mia Focacceria, 345 Route 9 South, Manalapan. The guest speaker will be portrait, sports and wildlife artist James Fiorentino. BYOB. All are invited. The cost is $35 per person for society members and $45 for non-members. Cash is preferred, no credit cards. To reserve seating, call Anthony Grassi at 917-743-3311 or Richard Favara at 732-861-9465.

The annual Spirit of the Jerseys State History Fair will be held on May 13 at Monmouth Battlefield State Park, Route 33, Manalapan, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine. Five centuries of New Jerseys history will be represented by exhibitors and re-enactors. Activities include 19th century baseball, plowing demonstrations, period music, and historical figures from New Jerseys past. Free admission/suggested $10 parking donation. Details: http://www.njhistoryfair.org

The Jackson Library will host meditation practitioner Shazia Zaman sharing tips and techniques about visualizing during meditation. The program will take place at 11 a.m. May 16. This is an intermediate level class. Comfortable clothes recommended. Pre-requisite: Some meditation experience required. Limited seating. The program is free. To register, call 732-928-4400.

A coloring for adults program will be held at the Jackson Library from 10-11:30 a.m. June 20. Rediscover the joys of coloring. Coloring sheets and art supplies provided along with light refreshment and relaxing music. Adults 18 and over. Seating limited. Registration required. Registration is open now. Details: 732-928-4400.

Adults 18 and over can create their own rainbow clay necklace at 2 p.m. June 22 at the Jackson Library. Supplies provided. Seating is limited. Registration required. Registration opens June 9. Details: 732-928-4400.

The Jackson Library will host an Adventure in Art workshop from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. June 10. The workshop includes hands-on instruction by artist Nancy Bonta Voitko. Adults 18 and over. Seating limited. Registration required. Registration opens May 8. Details: 732-928-4400.

New Egypt Day will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 20. Activities for children will include face painting, pony rides, inflatables, petting zoo and a tractor-pulled wagon. Food, music by Jakes Rockin Country Band and vendors. Festivities will take place on Main Street and Evergreen Road. Admission is free. A $6 per child wristband is required for unlimited access to childrens activities listed above. For more information or to request a vendor application, contact Peter Ylvisaker at 609-758-2241, ext. 132, or email pylvisaker@plumsted.org

The Upper Freehold-Allentown Municipal Alliance will host Bike Night 2017 on June 7. All makes and models of bikes are welcome. American and metric bikes will be present. A car show will be held on June 28. All makes and models of cars are welcome. Both events will be held from 5:30-9 p.m. at the Roost at the Cream Ridge Golf Course, 181 Route 539, Upper Freehold Township. Door prizes, judging, awards, music, food and beverages. Vendor opportunities are available. There is no entry fee, but donations for the alliance are accepted. Details:609-758-7738, ext. 230.

The Jackson Librarys knitting group, Knit-Chat-Chain, is seeking donations of yarn and wool. The members of the group create sweaters, hats, scarves and blankets to donate to charity. Yarn donations may be brought to the Circulation Desk during library hours: Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Details: 732-928-4400.

New Jersey Blood Services is in need of volunteers to work blood drives in Ocean and Monmouth counties. Tasks include assisting donors with registration, watching donors for post-donation reactions and responding to their needs. Details: Jan Zepka, 732-616-8741.

St. Aloysius Church, 935 Bennetts Mills Road, Jackson, offers support groups to help people better understand their feelings and to meet others who are dealing with the same life issues. A bereavement support group meets on the second Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. and a divorced and separated support group meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. Both meetings are held in the parish office. A freewill donation of $5 is requested. Details: Email St AloysiusGonzagaGroup@gmail.com.

Items for the Datebook may be sent to gmntnews@newspapermediagroup.com. Please submit items at least two weeks prior to a scheduled event.

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Tri-Town News Datebook, May 11 - centraljersey.com

By Shaelynn Miller, FamilyShare

If you find yourself feeling groggy in the morning, its time to change your sleeping habits. Recent studies show the things you do before bed could be costing you precious sleep.

Adults ages 18 and up need at least seven hours of sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation. If you arent getting enough shut-eye, change these six habits so you can have a good nights rest:

1. Watching television in bed

Tip: use your bed for sleep and intimacy only

One of the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to their sleep schedule is using their bed for too many things, Gary Zammit, Ph.D., said. Some people use their bed as an office or entertainment room until its time to fall asleep; then they expect their body to be ready for sleep at the flip of their light switch. But the brain doesnt work that way, Zammit points out.

If you cant resist turning on the television or reaching for your phone while in bed, remove the temptation. Set up the television in your living room, keep your laptop on a desk or bookshelf and use a real alarm clock instead of relying on your phone. Use your bed only for sleep and intimacy so your brain doesn't confuse bedtime with answering emails and social media scrolling.

2. Grabbing a late afternoon pick-me-up

Tip: avoid caffeine after lunch

Sometimes your afternoon pick-me-up could be interfering with your sleep. Caffeine stays in your body for three to five hours, and could stay as long as 12. Grab a caffeinated soda or a coffee a little earlier in the day, but try to avoid it after lunch. A good nights sleep could should give you enough energy to get through the afternoon without a caffeine break.

3. Sleeping in on the weekend

Tip: set your alarms every day

As annoying as it might be to wake up early on your days off, it will pay off when Monday morning rolls around. Consistency is the key to a good nights sleep, according to Travis Bradberry, Ph.D.

Have you ever noticed you sometimes wake up right before your alarm rings? Thats because your body has prepared itself by increasing your hormone levels and blood pressure, Bradberry said. A consistent sleep schedule helps your body know when to prepare for waking up, but an inconsistent schedule confuses that natural rhythm.

4. Thinking about tomorrows to-do list

Tip: set a routine

Anxiety and stress are common culprits that keep you from falling asleep. Help your body wind down by setting a routine. Try reading a book or listening to relaxing music each night before tucking in.

5. Feeling uncomfortable

Tip: use a night-light

It goes without saying that you need to be comfortable to fall asleep. To do just that, find a mattress you like, wear something soft, set your thermostat to a comfortable temperature and turn on a night-light or music if needed.

6. Waking up in the middle of the night

Tip: talk to a therapist

If youre having consistent trouble falling and staying asleep, talk to your doctor or therapist for help. Sleep disorders can be caused by anxiety, depression and big life changes. A therapist can help you determine the root of the problem and offer solutions so you can get a good nights rest.

Find what works best for you as you try out different bedtime routines and sleeping habits. Get the amount of sleep you need so you can feel well-rested and conquer the day ahead of you.

Shaelynn Miller is a journalist who has a passion for photography, video production and writing.

Contact her at smiller@deseretdigital.com.

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These 6 things are why you're tired all the time, according to science - WRAL.com

High achievers often face the problem of taking on too much.

Theyve been so effective at accomplishing things in the course of their career that they start to think they are capable of accomplishing even more. Their productivity causes these otherwise worthy individuals to create longer and more involved to-do lists than the rest of us.

Many people unconsciously ensure that theyll never get to the end of their list by continuously adding more tasks after accomplishing even just a few.

Over-achievers seem to derive some kind of motivation from never completing everything on the list for a given day.

This kind of approach to managing ones to-do list is fraught with problems.

It is both rewarding and appropriate when you cross off everything on your list and feel complete about your achievements. When youre able to finish your lists two to four times a week, you actually come back to work the next morning with more energy, focus, and direction than you might presume.

Completions Yield Satisfaction

Conversely, when you perpetually leave the office with unfinished tasks for that days to-do list, you unconsciously engender a situation in which you never quite feel complete or satisfied, and you find yourself in a perpetual striving mode.

In the short run, its okay to leave unfinished tasks, especially when youre on a specific campaign or project. In the long run, however, continuously over-extending your daily to-do list can have a harmful effect on your life.

Its understandable that ambitious career professionals want to achieve as much as they can and, if employed by others, desire to greatly benefit their organization. If youre not careful, however, and you attempt to accomplish one major task after another instead of alternating large and small tasks, your productivity will actually suffer, as trying to tackle one major task after another can be mind-numbing.

Instead, choose to tackle a handful of key tasks in a given day, alternating them with some minor tasks so that you can maintain a fairly high level of energy and allow yourself to leave the workplace with a sense of completion.

Youll work more effectively the next day, as well as throughout the course of your week, month, year, and career. Youll engender a most definite sense of accomplishment while experiencing, at the least, recurring feelings of work-life balance.

Slowing Down Your Day

Most of what you experience each day, in terms of the passage of time, is based on your perception. You can slow down time if you choose. How? Whenever you feel youre racing the clock or trying to tackle too much at once, try this exercise:

Close your eyes for a minute and imagine a pleasant scene. You might be surrounded in trees or with a loved one. It could be something from childhood. Let the emotions of that place and time pervade you. Get into it! Give yourself more than a New York minute for the visualization to take hold.

Open your eyes and return to what youre doing. Whatever care or task youre working on is not quite so bad and whatever pace you were working at is never quite so feverish.

Pause and Reflect

Imagine youre flying on an airplane. You have a window seat, and its a clear day. As you gaze down to the ground below, what do you see? Life passing by. Cars the size of ants. Miniature baseball diamonds. Rivers the size of streams.

Theres something about being at great heights that enables you reflect on your life. The same phenomenon can take place from the top of a mountain or skyscraper. As often as practical things seem to be racing by too fast, seek higher ground, literally, for a clearer perspective.

If youre among the lucky, perhaps you regularly allocate time for reflection or meditation. If you dont, its no matter. There are other ways to make it all slow down. After the workday, listen to relaxing music with headphones, and close your eyes. A half hour of your favorite music with no disturbances (and your eyes closed) can seem almost endless. When you re-emerge, the rest of the day takes on a different tenor.

An effective method for slowing down time and catching up with today is periodically deleting three items from your to do list without doing them at all. Before you shriek, consider that much of what makes your list is arbitrary. In most cases, eliminating three items wont impact your career or life, except for freeing up a little time for yourself in the present.

Mediums and Mammals

I have long used water to reduce stress. For eleven years, I lived in a high-rise condominium in Falls Church, Virginia, complete with its own 25-meter pool. No matter how hard I worked during the day, even if I did a 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. stint, at 6:05 p.m. I was in the pool. After 30 minutes of laps, I had swum out many of the stresses and strains of the day. Find the swimming hole nearest you!

If you have a dog or cat and do not consider it a drain on your time, heres a little something about Rover or Mittens that you may not have known. In recent years, as reported by U.S. News & World Report, scientists have found proof for what was only once suspected: that contact with animals has specific and measurable effects on both your body and mind. The mere presence of animals can increase a sick persons chances of survival, and has been shown to lower heart rate, calm disturbed children, and induce incommunicative people to initiate conversation!

The exact mechanisms that animals exert to affect your health and well-being are still largely mysterious. Scientists suspect that animal companionship is beneficial because, unlike human interaction (!), it is uncomplicated.

Even if you only have goldfish, sometimes simply staring at them in their silent world can help deaden your hectic pace.

Jeff Davidson is principal of Breathing Space Institute in Raleigh, N.C. He offers keynote presentations and workshops on work-life balance. For more information, visit breathingspace.com or email jeff@breathingspace.com.

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Taking on too much, all the time | Expert Column - Virginian-Pilot

Getting a good cannabis buzz going is one of the best feelings in the world. THC is truly a beautiful thing. But whathappens when you get too high? You know, when you cant get yourself to move off the couch.

When you stop caring about everything thats going on around you. Or youfind yourself playing the same video game level over and over, not realizing youre stalling. Maybe you start to think youre the next Steve Jobs, the next great innovator of our time. Or maybe, you start to get super paranoid and are like 110% sure the world is about to end.

Fear not! We have some helpful tricks to bring you back down to earth when youre just too damn high for your own good. Hopefully, youll start feeling better fast, and maybe think twice before you smokethat much again.

Drink lots of water.Like, at least a liter, or eight glasses worth. Getting yourself some good H20 is a great first step in calming down your ber-high. It also helps your body begin to detox. If you cant stand the taste of water (trust me, you arent the only one), try drinking fruit juice, Gatorade, or seltzer. Skip the coffee and energy drinks for now. They can make you feel more sluggish and irritable once their initial effects wear off.

Eat something greasy and no-good. And no, we dont mean an edible. That will only make it worse. Research backs that fatty foods bind to endocannabinoids.Research backs that fatty foods bind to endocannabinoids, meaning your body will absorb the THC faster. And hopefully, lessen your high. So feel free to indulge in a rack of ribs or a juicy burger when youre way too high. Use this strategy in moderation, as youll probably start to pack on the pounds if use this strategy every single time.

Take some deep breaths. If youre totally bugging out, you need to work on calming down your parasympathetic nervous system. Its one of three divisions our nervous systems and is associated with our fight-or-flick response. To calm it down, try taking some really deep breaths, in and out. Hold your breath in between inhales and exhales. Paranoid? Remind yourself that everything is gonna be alright. Play some Bob Marleyif need be.

Chew some peppercorn.Okay, we know this sounds wacky as hell. But research shows that pepper, like weed, has a phytocannabinoid-terpenoid effect. Basically, this means that it works on the brains naturalcannabinoid receptors, which, when activated, can really help to calm you down. If youre not up for chewing peppercorn, try at least giving it a good sniff after grinding it down. Your paranoia should instantly alleviate.

Get outside and move.Feeling too high to function? You may need some sunlight, fresh air, and a bit of exercise. Go for a long walk down your block. This will help get your blood flowing, which will doubly help your body and brain start to detox. Exercise also releases endorphins, which is a massive natural stress killer. You dont have to overdo it; a long, brisk stroll in nature might just be the ticket.

Talk to a friend. Sounds simple, but positive social interaction has an amazing propensity to boost our moods and distract us from whats bothering us. Thats what friends are for, right? Talking to a friend and laughing about how youre way too high can not only calm you down but get you a good buddy to warn you next time before you smoke too much bud.

Take a cold shower. Cold water is hyper-stimulating. Taking an icy cold shower will immediately slow down your heart rate (your body does this on instinct to stay alive). This will, in turn, relax you, and hopefully ease your anxiety and wake you up a bit.

Lie down and relax. Your body needs time before the THC is fully absorbed through your system. Sometimes the best thing to do is pop your earbuds in, turn on some relaxing music, lie down and just wait it out. Better yet, take a nap. Your dreams will likely be bizarre, but youll probably feel much better in a couple of hours.

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Too High? Try These Tricks to Bring You Back to Earth - Green Rush Daily

Do parents know what is in their students' lunches? In the past decade, the nutritional requirements for school lunches have greatly increased. Former first lady Michele Obama made some alterations in regulations, calling for more whole grains, fruits and vegetables to be included in a healthy meal for students. What was not included in these changes was a requirement for schools to provide organic foods.

Most school cafeterias do not have, nor do they identify, organic foods so students can choose what they eat wisely. When I go through the lines in our cafeteria, there is nothing to indicate how the food is produced. I have no idea if it is organic or non-organic, or whether the food could cause health problems when I eat too much of it. While more grocery stores are providing better access to organic foods, school cafeterias are not providing the same option. If organic foods are not provided to students, then the option of eating healthier foods without harmful additives is taken away from students whoare unable to bring a lunch from home.

There are many positives for what this simple change can do.

Organic foods are healthier. Non-organic foods are usually made less naturally. Instead of being made in kitchens, many of the foods are produced in bulk in factories. These foods include ingredients you normally would never add to what you eat. Additives such as partially hydrogenated oil, food dyes and high-fructose corn syrup are included to preserve and add flavor; they can cause harm when eaten regularly. Ingredients such as these have been known to lead to obesity, heart disease and even cancer. Exposing students to these ingredients on a regular basis increases their risk for these health concerns.

Furthermore, organic foods are free of harmful toxins. Non-organic food is produced with fertilizers, chemicals and antibiotics. Substances such as these are harmful to humans, animals and the environment. In fact, they cause chemical runoffs while also making humans and animals ill. In today's competitive business environment, large companies produce food mainly for the profit, rather than quality. Unfortunately, this lack of quality has consequences for the environment. Schools are bringing up our future citizens; they should teach environmental responsibility and set an example for what foods are provided at lunch.

Schools should switch to organic foods because they have many health and environment benefits. Organic foods are grown without pesticides, synthetic fertilizers and antibiotics, and are made without many preservatives. Studies have shown that they have even more nutritional value than non-organic foods. Organic food is a rapidly growing industry because of all the people wanting to make a healthy lifestyle change, and is subsequently leading our world back to the natural way food should be produced.

Although organic food is a little more expensive and harder to get, it is a growing industry that has many health benefits. If more schools are required to have organic options, demand will increase for organic food, thus motivating businesses to increase the supply. While cost and access will be difficult initially, these issues will eventually subside. Ultimately, students will be healthier, which is the primary goal of this change.

Organic food should be included as a part of the nutritional standards for school meals. Current regulations do not go far enough in requiring foods without harmful additives and toxins.

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The organic option - Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

Sprouts Farmers Market Inc., a grocer focusing on organic and natural foods, appears to be eyeing at least two Philadelphia-area locations as it brings its fresh veggies, grass-fed meats, and other munchies for the nutrition-minded to a broader swath of the United States.

The Phoenix-based chain is to be a tenant at the Lincoln Square development at Broad Street and Washington Avenue in South Philadelphia, according to a presentation posted to the website of the developments owner, Kimco Realty Corp.

Sprouts also has a deal to take space in part of a property formerly occupied by Macys at the Moorestown Mall in Burlington County, according to an April report in Food Trade News, an industry publication.

Sprouts, which now has 268 stores in 15 states though none yet in the Northeast is in the middle of an expansion aimed at satisfying growing demand for organic and minimally processed foods at prices that are said to often undercut competitors'.

Sales of organic food soared in the United States to $43.3 billion in 2015, from $3.6 billion in 1997, according to the Washington-based Organic Trade Association.

Burt Flickinger III, managing director of the retail consultant Strategic Resource Group in New York, said that Philadelphia, where Whole Foods currently has a near monopoly on the appetites of the kale-munching set, is particularly promising for the retailer.

But competition is heating up, with Moms Organic Market about to open its first Center City store after locations in Bryn Mawr and Cherry Hill and existing grocers in the region, including Aldi and ShopRite, boosting their own organic and natural offerings, he said.

Bfresh, a sibling of Giant Food Stores under the Ahold Delhaize corporate umbrella, and Germanys Lidl also are expected to enter the market soon with stores that lean heavily on organic foods, Flickinger said.

All this could be good news for consumers, he said: There will be a price war in Philadelphia of unprecedented proportions.

Sprouts did not immediately respond to an email seeking details about its planned Philadelphia locations.

Leigh Minnier, a Kimco spokeswoman, said she could not confirm any details about Sprouts plans at Lincoln Square, where it would share lower-level retail space with a Target Corp. store and a branch of the PetSmart chain.

Kimco paid $10 million for a 90 percent interest in the South Philadelphia development project, which also will include 322 rental apartments, the New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based shopping-center company said in an April news release announcing its earnings.

Heather Crowell, a spokeswoman for Moorestown Mall-owner Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, said Tuesday that she could not confirm the Food Trade News report. Officials with the company said last month that a food market was among three new tenants that will take the place of the malls shuttered Macys store.

Sprouts chief executive Amin Maredia said during a May 4 conference call with analysts that the company has 63 sites approved for new stores and 43 signed leases for the coming years, but he did not specify their locations.

Its late 2016 openings included a Raleigh, N.C., store that is now the closest Sprouts location to Philadelphia, as well as a new produce-distribution center in Atlanta, he said.

The company also is said to be exploring a merger with Albertsons Cos., owner of the regionally prominent Acme Markets chain,Bloomberg reported in March.

Robert Gorland, a supermarket-site-selection specialist with Rahway, N.J.-based Matthew P. Casey & Associates, said he doesnt think Sprouts would be closing in on the two Philadelphia-area locations if it didn't have bigger plans for the region.

You would think they might be looking at some other sites, versus opening one store in Pennsylvania and one store in New Jersey, he said.

Published: May 9, 2017 11:59 AM EDT | Updated: May 9, 2017 12:11 PM EDT

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Natural grocer Sprouts seen landing in S. Philly, Moorestown in nationwide expansion - Philly.com

Living model industry legend Gisele Bndchen may have retired from the runway, but her schedule isnt showing any signs of slowing down. In addition to cochairing last weeks Met Gala and starring in an episode of National Geographic Channels award-winning climate change docuseries Years of Living Dangerously , Bndchen successfully balances several other hats: motherhood; being the worlds most famous unofficial Patriots cheerleader; and promoting a handful of causes near to her heart, including the restorative power of meditation.

We ran into the supermodel on Tuesday, moments before she took the stage to be honored at the Women of Vision luncheon in New York City. The event is an annual fundraiser for the David Lynch Foundation, an organization that promotes the stress-reducing properties of Transcendental Meditation to more than 1,000 women and children who have survived domestic violence and sexual assault. There, Bndchen spilled the beans on her penchant for comfy sweatpants, the unlikely places youll find her meditating, and how she kicks off her morning routine every single day.

Your episode of Years of Living Dangerously was so good! It made me want to be a conservationist and move to the rain forest.

Right? Thats what I thought: Maybe I should just move to the rain forest. But then I thought my kids would miss me and my husband probably wouldnt like it too much, either.

Speaking of your husband, Tom Brady, both of you looked so great at the Met Gala last week.

I havent gone in two years but this year I was lucky enough to serve as the cohost. Its an amazing event; it raises so much money for the museum.

And you tied in your passion for sustainability with that Stella McCartney dress you wore.

Yes, I wanted a sustainable dress, something very classic, so I called Stella. I said to her, I want something sustainable, and she did three or four different drawings and I loved the one I ended up choosing because it was so 1940s and had that open back. It was great. And my husband loved it. He always sees me in sweatpants, so anytime I wear something thats not sweatpants he likes it. But that was a great dress.

Lets talk about meditation. You started practicing in your early 20swhy?

I was going through a challenging time in my life and I started practicing yoga. I was doing a lot of Pranayama breath work, which helps balance the left and right sides of your brain, I was doing three-day silence retreats, and eventually that led me to start practicing meditation. Every time I had a challenging time and needed clarity, I would do meditation, but I wasnt consistent about it. I would go on vacation for 10 days and meditate for an hour every day, then I would come back and maybe I wouldnt do it every day. Whenever I felt a lot of intensity coming from all over the place, I would decide to meditate. It wasnt until about two or three years ago that I met Mario [Orsatti, a director of the David Lynch Foundation], and he introduced me to Transcendental Meditation, that I really started to meditate more regularly.

And how did picking up the technique of Transcendental Meditation change your practice?

Well, its only 20 minutes two times a day, and I thought, Ive been doing an hour a day, so I like that!

More efficient!

Exactly!

What is it that you like about meditation?

People have been practicing meditation for thousands of years and the reason is because its really a wonderful tool to grant you a different access to yourself. Its a different awareness and new level of peace. Once you learn how to do it, its yours foreveryou can always access that. Its an energy inside of you. Its not something you can lose thats outside of yourself. Its not physical; its something much deeper than that. The more you practice and the more you reach it, the more amazing it becomes.

Where do you meditate?

The thing about meditation is that you can do it anywhere. And Ive done it everywhere. On planes, the back of a taxi, sitting in hair and makeupbecause of my job, sometimes youre doing makeup for hours and hours and hoursin my bed in the morning, in nature, anywhere. All you need is 20 minutes. Even with a schedule like mine, I can find 20 minutes. For me, I love to do it early in the morning before the kids are up. The energy is very calm.

Has meditation helped you as a parent?

Well, I like to do it in the mornings because the energy is very calm. Its dark; I like to put a candle on. For me, its a ritual. The way I see it is that you have to put the oxygen mask on yourself first before you can put the oxygen mask on the people around you. If I nourish myself in the morning, when the house energy starts revving up, you have so much more to give. As a mother, youre always giving. Its important to give something to yourself, so you can give from a place of being full, instead of giving from a place of being depleted, which isnt healthy for you or for the family. If I dont do it in the morning, its a very different energythe dogs are barking, the kids are saying they are hungry, its so chaotic, theres this and that . . . when I wake up just 30 minutes before everyone else, it makes a world of a difference. It pays off.

You used the word ritual. Whats your process, exactly, when you meditate?

I get out of my bed because everybody is still sleeping. I go downstairs, light a candle, and I have warm water with lemon every morning to start my system. I have my warm water; I have my candle; I just sit on the couch, in silence, with my back straight, and close my eyes. Some people have a mantra, but because Ive been practicing for so long, I like to focus on my third eye. I bring the energy right to my third eye. Sometimes I sit in silence and enjoy the silence, but usually Im meditating on a certain question. And almost alwaysI can find the answer.

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Why Gisele Wants You to Start Meditating - Vogue.com

Starting a company is stressful. Starting one in your twentieswith no experience as an entrepreneur and no fall-back plan? For Yunha Kim, it was all-consuming: "M y identity was tied up with the companys success," she says.

The need to dissociate herself from her first venture, Locketwhich she sold to e-commerce platform Wish in 2015was what initially inspired Kim to start meditating. She turned to the practice as a way to cope with the ups and downs of life as an entrepreneur with a "total lack of work-life balance." And she's not exaggerating: "I lived with five guys and three dogs in a two-bedroom apartment. We lived in the bedrooms and worked in the living room."

After a CEO coach introduced her to meditation, she began experimenting with various apps and in-person classes. While she liked the convenience of apps, she also appreciated trying out different instructors and methodologies. That conflict illuminated a gap in the meditation tech space: "M ost of these apps really have one teacher, but I needed access to all kinds of meditations, all kinds of teachers," says Kim. That's exactly the need that she is attempting to meet with her second startup, Simple Habit.

On Tuesday, the San Francisco-based, four-person company announced that it has closed a $2.5 million round of seed funding, with investments from New Enterprise Associates (NEA), FJ Labs, Foundation Capital, Dropbox founder Drew Houston, and Gusto founder Joshua Reeves.

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At its core, Simple Habit is a library of guided meditation, organized by occasionsuch as commuting to work, preparing for an important meeting or date, or going to sleep. Kim says she hopes to do for the mindfulness space what streaming app Spotify has done for music.

Like Spotify, the startup offers meditators the choice between a free version and a premium subscription. With the former, users get access to 50 meditations. The latterwhich costs $12 per month or $100 per yeargives access to a library of over 1,000 meditations, most of which are five minutes long.

Since launching to the public last summer, the platform has acquired 400,000 users and hosts meditations by approximately 60 teachers.

In addition to allowing users to discover teachers, the app promises to help instructors grow their audiences. " How do you become famous [as a mindfulness expert]? YouTube doesn't cut it," Kim says. In addition to distribution, teachers get revenue share based on how often their tracks are played.

Other popular meditation apps create content in-house, usually with one or a handful of teachers. For example, meditation app Headspace touts teacher Andy Puddicombe as "the voice of all things Headspace."

As a second-time founder, Kim says she is keenly aware of the need for balance. " Were in it for the long game and we need to take care of ourselves," she says of her company, which she hopes to build into the " leading brand for mindfulness and meditation content." Her new practice of k icking off every meeting off with a five-minute meditation is a start.

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Female-Founded Startup Simple Habit Is the Spotify for Meditation ... - Fortune