The light board has been affixed to the facade of 162 East Broadway for months. Now, its lit up with the greeting, Hola Chinatown! We see you. This is how the plant-based newcomerJaJaJa is announcing itself to the Chinatown neighborhood it invaded.

It opens to the public on Friday.

JaJaJa (Plantas Mexicana) is a vegan Mexican restaurant helmed by Gelso & Grand proprietor Nima Garos and partner Koorosh Bakhtiar. The concept has been in the works for more than a year, and evolved along the way. For one, the establishment previously went by Gracias Mama, and also, the menu wasnt always strictly vegan. Now theyre trying capitalize onthe Dimes and Dirty Candy vibe/crowd.

The new cantina describes itself as a hybrid venture that caters to the unique way New Yorkers eat, meet, and share. Heres more babble fromthe Facebook page.

[JaJaJa] will feature an extensive Tequila and Mezcal program, traditional Mexican beers on tap, Mexican-style lagers and pilsners from local microbreweries, fresh pressed juices, and plant based Mexican fare with options for both comfort and health.

Bakhtiar and Garos caused quite a stir from the outset (when it was still Gracias Mama) having dispensed with two long-running Chinese businesses in its commercial space (newsstand and bakery). Their departure from 162 East Broadway came shortly after Garospartner in Gelso & Grand Hassan Gholizadeh purchased the buildingfor $6.6 million(December 2015).

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Vegan Mexican Joint 'JaJaJa' Opens Friday on East Broadway ... - Bowery Boogie

18 April 2017 17:00 (UTC+04:00)

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By Laman Ismayilova

YARAT Freestyle invites everyone to enjoy the wonderful night of spiritual music on April 28.

The program of the evening is prepared by Mr Hppy.

Mr. Happyhas graduated from violin class at the Baku Music Academy. He composes and performs his own songs. During the concert you will enjoy both violin and vocal performance by Mr. Happy. Not to forget that,

He also practices anti stress and yoga activities, so come along and let your soul enjoy a peaceful and relaxing music!

The event starts at 19:00. Admission is free.

YARAT is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to nurturing an understanding of contemporary art inAzerbaijan and to creating a platform for Azerbaijani art, both nationally and internationally. Based in Baku,YARAT (meaning CREATE in Azerbaijani) was founded by Aida Mahmudova in 2011.

YARAT realizes its missionthrough an on-going program of exhibitions, education events and festivals.YARAT facilitates exchange between local and international artistic networks including foundations, galleriesand museums.

---

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter:@Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter@AzerNewsAz

Excerpt from:

Enjoy wonderful night of spiritual music! - AzerNews

From left to right, James madison collegefreshmen Allie Pail, Dana McDorman-Kolata, Claudia Allou and Georgia Artzberger study outside on Feb.19, 2017 at Case Hall. They had gone to get gelato together prior to their study session.

The weather is finally warming up in East Lansing, and it'stime to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. The warmer weather opens the door for a slew of activities for students and residents to partake in. Here is a list of 10 fun things to do in East Lansing now that the harsh Michigan winter seems to be over.

Make a trip to an ice cream shop

There is nothing better than icecream after class on a nice day. With locations inAnthony Hall and the Union, theMSU Dairy Store sells icecream, icecream floats, icecream sandwiches and more. There is also Cold Stone Creamery on M.A.C. Avenue andTasty Twist on Grand River Avenue.Students can grab a frozen treat to make theirstroll across campus enjoyable.

"I like to go to the Tasty Twist to get ice cream," media and informationjunior Aarmond Cook said. "Normally, I'll getthe ice cream inside and then go outside and eat that, you know it's the perfect weather for it."

Grab dinner at a local restaurant with outdoor patio seating

The weather is perfect to enjoy food out in the sun. Restaurants like El Azteco and The Peanut Barrel offer open patio seating during the warmer weather, which makes for a fun meal with friends.

Take a walk or abike ride along Red Cedar

TheRed Cedar River is a landmark at MSU, so take a bike ride or just a nice walk and enjoy the sights and sounds of the river. The changing weather also calls for fashion changes, so walks or bike rides arelight andeasy.

"It's getting nicer out, it's nice to switch up the shoes and not wear heavy boots and I can wear sneakers," creative advertising sophomore Nicole Kay said.

Have a picnic with your friends

Grab some blankets, a speaker with music and some friends for a nice, relaxing picnic in the sun. Dorms usually have large lawn areas behind the buildings for students to play sports and relax. Use a little bit of that space to spread out some blankets and enjoy a meal.

Feed the ducks

The Red Cedar River attracts a lot of ducks when the weather is warm. The ducks like to gather near Wells Hall. In moderation, feed the ducks on the grass with friends. The interaction is sure to cause some laughs.

Drink iced coffee outside of Espresso Royale

Its finally that time of year to make the switch from hot coffee to iced coffee. Espresso Royale offers a number of cold beverages and outdoor seating to get people through those warm spring afternoons.

Participate in a 5k

Get in shape for the new season and raise money and awareness for a good cause by participating in a 5k. MSU clubs and organizations hold numerous5k runs throughout the year. The warmer weather should be extra motivation to participate. Grab a friend and challenge yourself with a fun run.

Visit the W.J. Beal Botanical Garden

The W.J. Beal Botanical Garden is a natural getaway right on campus.The nature of the garden offers a spectacular, colorful view. Its the perfect place to relax with benches available for everyone. The fresh spring air is sure to clear anyone's head.

Grill

Make use of the warm air to take the chance to cook outside. If your apartment complex or rental home comes with a grill, fire it up and make dinner for you and your friends.

Lay outside and get a tan

Catch some Vitamin D by laying outside. Take a break from homework, play some music and relax on your lawn.

Read the original:

10 things to do in East Lansing now that warmer weather has arrived - The State News

NSF International

Kashis certified transitional Dark Cocoa Karma Shredded Wheat Biscuits.

You may have started noticing a new certification mark on some of the foods you buy. The certified transitional designation essentially means that the product is on its way to becoming organic. For example, boxes of Kashis Dark Cocoa Karma Shredded Wheat Biscuits bear a green seal with a small t and the words transitional, certified by QAI. Quality Assurance International is one of a group of national certifiers of organic, and now transitional, products.

Think of certified transitional as the on-ramp to organic, says Nate Lewis, farm policy director of the Organic Trade Association. The organization developed the standards for the National Certified Transitional Program, which was approved by the USDA this year. The goal of the designation is to increase certified organic farm acreage in the US, which stands at a meager 1 percent of all farmland. Domestic supply is not keeping up with organic demand, says Lewis.

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The transitional designation tackles one of the primary obstacles growers face when converting their land (or considering conversion) from conventional to organic: cost. It takes three years of rigorous organic farming and compliance for a farm to become eligible for organic certification, during which time it cant charge more for its crops or livestock. This lengthy period of increased operating costs and lower yields (without the use of conventional fertilizers or weed- and pest-control chemicals) is particularly prohibitive for small farms.

What the NCTP program and certified transitional mark do is allow farms in transition and food manufacturers using those crops to realize premium pricing not as much as organic foods would command, but higher than conventional during the second and third years of transition. (Transitional certification can be achieved after one full year of not using prohibited substances.)

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The Globe's top picks for what to see and do each weekend, in Boston and beyond.

Lewis says not to expect a USDA transitional label. Each certifier will have its own seal; QAIs was one of the first to hit packaging on store shelves. The USDA oversees the national program by overseeing the certifiers, explains Lewis.

For a company like Kashi, which is working with two farms transitioning to organic wheat production, increasing its sources of organics is critical. We need organic ingredients to grow the supply chain for our own company, says Nicole Nestojko, senior director of supply chain and sustainability. It will extend to other brands, she says. We see this as a way to support the growth of organic agriculture.

And organic (food and other) products grown without pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics, growth hormones, GMOs, and with minimal impact on the environment are clearly in demand. In 2015, the OTA recorded organic product sales of $43.3 billion, an 11 percent increase over the prior year.

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Its a win-win for all: Growers are encouraged to transition to organic farming because theyll receive some premium pricing during the transition period; food manufacturers can support farms prior to their becoming full-fledged organic; and consumers have greater choice when it comes to produce, meat, and packaged foods made with organic ingredients.

See the original post here:

What does 'certified transitional' mean? - The Boston Globe

BY: SHAWNTAE HARRIS

The hustle of a big city makes it almost impossible to relax sometimes. Hearing the loud cars go by and running to catch the train as the doors nearly close around you can be exhausting.

The only moment you can really take a second to breathe is in the back seat of the Uber that you ordered to avoid driving through rush hour on your own.

But now the minutes spent in the back of an Uber, walking down a crowded street or on the packed subway train can be spent relaxing.

Sway is an app designed for big city living. It helps people meditate on the go with a sensor that tracks users movements. The app is a collaboration between PauseAble, a meditation app, and Ustwo, a digital production studio.

The app was created byPeng Cheng and Ustwos Malmo studio who created the two-year updated app. Cheng created another meditation app two years prior called Pause, which allows you to meditateby continuously moving a bubble on a phone screen.

How can we help people distress, refocus and recharge anywhere, anytime as part of their normal lives? saidMarcus Woxneryd, head of Ustwo Malmo to Wired.

All you need is a pair of headphones and an iPhone(its currently not available for androids). The sound fades in and out with a slight build up until you reach complete serenity.

The Sway app acts as a yoga instructor as well. It tells you whether to take longer breaths or shorter breaths. It uses the phones rotation tracker and accelerometers to measure the attention span of a person, and suggests things to do with your body like do small controlled movements.

The app will know when relaxation is over. It notices whenever someone moves around too much that they are not focusing enough.

This new approach is called interactive meditation, which, according to Sway, is supposed to detecthumans attention through slow and gentle movements that thrive during noisy and active environments.

Sway is developedfrom the movements of the sixth sense. The last sense is the control of body movement. This occurs when we have complete control of our body and complete control of our movements and we have control of how our movements will play out.

This then allows focus, clarity and complete relaxation. The only way to achieve this is when the person directs and pays attention to the repetition of a word, sound, phrase, prayer, or muscular activity, according to Ustwo. The person passively disregards everyday thoughts that inevitably come to mind and returning to your repetition. The meditation is supposed to be done for 20 minutes every day to get the full effect.

Money and work seem to be the leading factors of stress for Americans. The Paychexsurvey looked at 2,000 full-time employed Americans aged 18-79.

The survey found that Americans are stressed for 60 per cent of the work week. Most people turn to television, social media, and getting into comfy clothes as a way to destress at the end of the night.

Working out is another great solution to destress since it releases endorphines. But the stress can lead to anxiety and depression with some people.

Meditation can improve decision making, creativity, personal and work relationships. Taking 20 minutes out of your day to devote to meditation can make a huge difference in improving your mental health, and subsequently your overall happiness.

Continue reading here:

Sway meditation app taps into our 'sixth sense' - The Plaid Zebra (blog)

By admin | April 17, 2017

We wont tell JoJo to leave (get out) but we will recommend she stops giving news media the bait to make her a phoneyvegan figurehead.

PETA was quick to promote the pop-singer as their latest vegan poster child, sharing her mere mention of veganism in an interview about her 2017 world tour. JoJo herself starts that same interview by mentioning her interest in a plant-based diet and the positive effects removing dairy had on her vocal chords and allergies. But its revealed that JoJo has a vegan friend, has read Russel Simmons Happy Vegan, has tweeted about vegan scones before, and has a strong enough internet connection to stream the plethora of vegan documentaries (and their own mixed messaging). But we know interest in the trendiest bits of veganism doesnt make someone a vegan. Can you imagine our numbers if it did!?

Fault Magazine and TV3 didnt forget to include her Im by no means a perfect vegan bullshit, even if they kept vegan in their headlines for the clickbait. So when that JOJO IS VEGAN headline is at the top of the vegan google alerts thread, just a little more confusion gets sprinkled over an already confusing movement that almost perversely clings to the hopes a teen idol will be the key to making the world a better place. Not the clear education and understanding of fundamental rights or the need for freedom from exploitation thats not catchy enough and you cant photograph it in lingerie. And dont worry, they made sure a little bit of vegans think they have to be perfect was smushed in there to keep the non-vegans pleased.

So while we do hope the accessibility of information and her own ease and enjoyment of eating plant-based can be leverage for a legitimate vegan education, we wont be looking to JoJo for sage advice on behalf of our animal brethren anytime soon. Until she is shown the morality of refusing animal products, and considers the victims instead of the alleged choices we face, JoJo will be just another Ricky Gervais, Leonardo DiCaprio, or Beyonce.

You can go vegan today, without the help of a celebrity.

Photo from Fault Magzine

See the original post:

JoJo is the next non-vegan 'vegan' celebrity - Ecorazzi

Plant-based i.e., vegan restaurant J. Selbys is now open on Selby Avenue and Victoria Street in St. Paul.

The restaurant is the creation of Matt Clayton, a retiredphysician who is vegan and said he was tired of the options available to him and his fellow meat-eschewing diners.

Claytons goal was to create a menu that even non-vegans would enjoy, and the opening offerings read like a gastropub menu: Fresh pretzel, Buffalo wings (made from cauliflower), a Philly sub, chili, a burger and lots of grain-based bowls. Theres also a tap beer list, wines by the glass and a kids menu.

J. Selbys (169 N. Victoria St., St. Paul; 651-222-3263; jselbys.com) is open daily for lunch and dinner, and for breakfast through dinner on the weekends.

Jess Fleming has been with the Pioneer Press since 1999, and has been covering the Eat beat since 2012. She is an adventurous eater, cook and gardener, but will only grow something she can eat. She is a graduate of the journalism school at the University of Minnesota and a native of Eastern Wisconsin, where she grew up eating good brats, good cheese and fresh vegetables from her dads garden.

As you comment, please be respectful of other commenters and other viewpoints. Our goal with article comments is to provide a space for civil, informative and constructive conversations. We reserve the right to remove any comment we deem to be defamatory, rude, insulting to others, hateful, off-topic or reckless to the community. See our full terms of use here.

April 17, 2017, 4:05 pm

HeadFlyer Brewing () is getting ready to land along East Hennepin in Minneapolis. A grand opening is set from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at the new brewery and taproom in the historic Miller Textile Building (861 East Hennepin Ave.). Along withthe brewerys American-style craft beers, small-batch and seasonal beers, the grand opening event will include live...

April 16, 2017, 11:30 am

SUNDAY (Family) Spice up family day with ROASTED PEPPERED PORK LOIN. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Rub 1 (2- to 3-pound) well-trimmed boneless pork loin with a mixture of 1 teaspoons garlic pepper and 1 teaspoons dried rosemary. Place pork in a shallow pan. Roast 40 minutes to 1 hour (20 minutes per pound) or until internal temperature of pork...

April 16, 2017, 9:47 am

Were all 80 years old. Were looking at 16- to 18-hour days and we just cant do it anymore, said Dick Mueller, who ran the stand with his wife, Donna, along with business partner Audrey Skarda

April 14, 2017, 2:35 pm

Being vegan means giving up lots of delicious indulgences, including flaky croissants, which are layered with plenty of butter, an animal byproduct. Or does it? St. Paul-based startup vegan company Eureka Compass Vegan Foods will be producing a vegan version of the indulgent pastries and will be selling them at the Herbivorous Butcher in Northeast Minneapolis on April 21. The...

April 13, 2017, 6:35 pm

Ichiddo Ramen, which also has a location on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis, has just opened a St. Paul restaurant on University Avenue.

April 12, 2017, 4:37 pm

Morel, morel, You put me through hell. Awaiting your season, Abandoning reason, Im probing the dirt With a heartful of hurt, Knowing theres no way; A month from Mothers Day, Youre ready to bloom, Youelusive wee shroom. My son hunts morels. He even casts spells To ward off others Who would stomp and smother Our fave morel packs And nearby...

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Vegan restaurant now open in St. Paul - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press

I was invited to try the float tank by Lexi Matthews at FM Integrative Health in Fargo, home to the first float tank in North Dakota only open to the public since early April. Sensory deprivation tanks have been around since the '50s but have seen a resurgence in popularity over the past year or so. Proponents say spending up to an hour floating in an enclosed chamber of salt water devoid of light and sound helps relieve anxiety, stress, insomnia and chronic pain.

"It just gives you a chance to calm down and relax, which is not something we take time for anymore," says Matthews. "By just stopping, it forces the body to shift from being super energetic to rest and digest which is the other side of your nervous system."

We walked from the lobby into the small room holding the float tank and I was immediately surprised by how big the tank was; it was more like the size of a small car than the coffin-like tank I saw in my only other point of reference on float tanks an episode of "The Simpsons." (Important online research.) In the episode, Lisa tried a float tank and got into a meditative state that caused her to hallucinate that she turned into her cat, a tree and Cokie Roberts.

Matthews didn't say anything about Cokie Roberts, but told me, "It's a totally new experience unless you've floated in the Dead Sea." (I have not done that as it would require me to be seen in my bathing suit.)

Matthews said before getting in the tank which is filled with 10 inches of water and 800 pounds of Epsom salt I first had to get clean: remove my makeup and take a shower. This step ensures the tank stays as free from oils as possible. There is also a filter which runs for a half-hour in between clients.

As I stepped in the water, it felt lukewarm close to my own body temperature. I shut the door and laid back in the darkened tank. I was struck by how easily I floated. The high salt content of the water created extra buoyancy. (I guess I would have known that if I had taken that vacation to float in the Dead Sea.) The tank was not completely dark as a small blue light shown from the bottom.

Unlike some tanks, FM Integrative Health pipes relaxing music into the chamber so as I floated I listened to the music and drifted away, or rather tried to drift away.

My thoughts: "Oh, that's lovely violin music...so peaceful. Shoot, Laura (my daughter) needs a new viola. I meant to call the violin store today. I wonder if they're open until 6 p.m. when I get off work. If I'm late getting home, what will I make for dinner? What's in the freezer?"

STOP!

Time to float.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on not concentrating. It helped that I didn't feel claustrophobic like I thought I would. The top of the tank was a couple of feet above my head and I noticed as little sparkles of light peeked through it looked like a constellation of stars. (Maybe this new age woo woo stuff is how it started for Lisa Simpson).

I floated for a few minutes with the music and light, but I chose to turn both off to completely deprive the senses. After a couple of minutes, I felt myself drift further. I gently stretched my neck back and forth, but mostly I just laid there in the quiet darkness. I wouldn't say it was the psychedelic experience some users report, but I found it incredibly relaxing and peaceful and hard to get out of the tank when my session was over.

When it was over, I showered to get the salt off my body. I got a little salt in my ears and eyes, but that was a minor inconvenience compared to how soft my skin felt. Better yet, I still felt relaxed a couple of hours later the kind of relaxed you feel stretched out on the deck on a warm summer day enjoying a cocktail. I didn't turn into a cat, a tree or Cokie Roberts, but I'd consider it a win, and no one had to see me in my bathing suit.

Continued here:

What it's really like to float in a sensory deprivation tank | Jamestown ... - Jamestown Sun

The Dodgers are 7-6. That translates to an 87-win pace, but there is little reason to draw major conclusions from a few weeks of games. The team finishes up a four-game series with Arizona on Monday, with a chance to take three of four.

As always, there is plenty to discuss. You can send me questions on Twitter @McCulloughTimes. Lets do this.

Put your hands over your ears, then?

The chatter connecting the Dodgers with Ryan Braun has always felt a tad strange to me, as Braun does not exactly fit the profile of the sort of player President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman likes to pursue. Braun is 33, he can only play a corner outfield spot (and maybe only left field) and hes locked into an expensive contract.

As one rival evaluator told me last summer, Its a lot of money for an inflexible, left-field-only player with injury history. These are the types of players theyre trying to get away from. Now, after flailing against left-handed pitchers throughout 2016 and often at the start of 2017, the teams calculus may change. But Braun is still an imperfect fit, especially if the need is as simple as finding an outfielder who can mash southpaws. Those players basically grow on trees.

The Dodgers were linked to Braun last summer, in a deal that reportedly would have involved Yasiel Puig and Brandon McCarthy, and there were more talks this winter. My current understanding is the Dodgers are not seriously involved in discussions about Braun. That could change, obviously, but its April, and six-time All-Stars rarely get traded in April.

The Brewers may be feeling pressure to shed Braun from their roster, though. His 10-5 rights, which would allow him a full no-trade clause, kick in on May 24. For plenty of reasons, it would make sense for Milwaukee to move him before then, when Braun would hold all the leverage. Braun may not handcuff the Brewers like Brandon Phillips did in Cincinnati, but he would control the situation.

Braun makes a lot of money. The Brewers owe Braun $20 million this season. They owe him $20 million in 2018. They owe him $19 million in 2019. They owe him $17 million in 2020. In order to buy out his mutual option for 2021, the Brewers must pay Braun $4 million. In all, the team owes him $80 million.

The Dodgers, of course, can afford this. They have the largest payroll in the sport for the fourth consecutive season. But under Friedman, the team has tried to trim money off the books. They also would like some financial flexibility for after 2018, when Clayton Kershaw can become a free agent.

If the Dodgers continue to flounder against left-handed pitchers, Braun will be out there. But so will Andrew McCutchen, and a slew of players less expensive than Braun.

Soon. Quite soon, I think.

Hi Ross!

I would not be shocked to see Julio Urias replace Rich Hill in the rotation after Hill's latest blister setback. The assignment may go to Alex Wood, but with an off-day on Thursday, the Dodgers can re-set their rotation and skip Hills spot for a turn. The need for a fifth starter will not re-emerge until the end of April.

Which, conveniently, is when Manager Dave Roberts suggested Urias would join the big-league squad.

Hard to say. Adrian Gonzalez has been a very good player for more than a decade, and has earned the benefit of the doubt regarding his first 50 plate appearances. Hes shown an ability to reshape his swing to remain productive despite whatever his physical condition may be. But there have been some troubling signs early.

Some scouts I talked to noted his inability to drive the baseball, which could be related to the elbow that bothered him for most of spring training. Gonzalez has two extra-base hits thus far. Both were doubles. He is hitting .238, and has often tried to take the ball the other way, rather than pull. That is not exactly encouraging.

Its 50 plate appearances. Gonzalez found a way to be productive in 2016, despite various issues with his neck and back, so perhaps he can do the same in 2017. But if he is still hitting .238 in June, and if Cody Bellinger is still hitting .395 in triple-A (or some realistic equivalent), its a discussion worth revisiting. Bellinger looked lost in the Cactus League in March, but theres a reason the organization refused to discuss him in various trade scenarios over the winter.

Bellinger is likely to debut in the majors this season. When and where may be more dependent on Gonzalezs health and production than on whatever Bellinger does in Oklahoma City.

That sounds about right. Ryu has not dominated, but hes been useful. Given the severity of his shoulder surgery, that is a victory for both him and the organization. The bigger question is whether Ryu can post every fifth day for an extended period of time. His fastball velocity dipped during his second outing, which isnt encouraging. Im curious and I suspect the Dodgers are too to see how he holds up in the coming weeks.

Its hard to frame the Dodgers as giving up on Zach Lee. He had spent three seasons in triple-A, from 2014 to 2016, and had a 4.89 earned-run average in 13 starts for Oklahoma City when the Dodgers traded him. By that point, he had been surpassed on the internal depth chart by Julio Urias, Brock Stewart, Ross Stripling and Jose De Leon. He was never going to be a member of the Dodgers rotation.

The Dodgers got back Chris Taylor when they sent Lee to Seattle. Lee got walloped in Tacoma (7.39 ERA in 14 starts). The Mariners put him on waivers. He is pitching for a San Diego team that is not interested in winning games in 2017. Even if hes in Oklahoma City, Taylor has more value on the Dodgers 40-man roster than Lee would.

I suppose its possible, but Im not sure which other teams would be willing to part with significant assets to acquire an aging, expensive player who has taken 24 at-bats since 2015. If Andre Ethier is healthy and productive, the Dodgers want him on the roster. If he is neither healthy nor productive, it doesnt make sense for another team to want him.

Not particularly.

Not particularly.

You made a pair of egregious omissions by forgetting Vietnamese* and Thai. Those two are 1-2 in my power rankings. Followed by:

3. Chinese

4. Mexican

5. Italian

6. Japanese

7. Greek

8. French

9. Indian

*One of my rare gifts is the ability to name a decent Vietnamese restaurant in every American League city (the National League is a little tougher, for whatever reason). If youre searching for pho in Cleveland or Tampa let me know. I can hook you up.

I havent watched much. Ill probably browse Payback in a couple weeks, but I have little interest in the weekly shows. They seem miserable.

Goo Goo Dolls. No offense to the Blossoms, but this should not be a debate.

I dont know what the players do in the air, but I usually try to sleep while listening to music. Im always in the market for relaxing music, but I cant find anything that tops Lost In The Dream by The War on Drugs or Jason Isbells Live From Alabama. I sleep in 45-minute intervals, for whatever reason. Ill fall asleep midway through Decoration Day and wake up to Dress Blues.

Go here to read the rest:

Dodgers mailbag: Should they go after Milwaukee slugger Ryan Braun? - Los Angeles Times

Imagine a thin line ofavocado slices that start curling inwards, rolling together and taking shape of a flower, or a round jelly cake being divided by a ceramic knife into four pieces of equal size, so perfect that youdont even want to take a bite.

If you find these imagesrelaxing or tinglingly pleasurableto watch, you will like satisfying videos.

Satisfying video clips feature repetitive tasks, perfect patterns in motion or machinery processes being completed in slow motion, with relaxing music. On Instagram, there are more than 265,000 posts under the hashtag #satisfyingvideos and as of writing, another 13 have jumped up within just two minutes, according to social analytics firm Brandwatch. On Reddit, there are active subreddits, mildlysatisfying and oddlysatisfying, where users discuss their favorite hypnotic videos and GIFs. And on Twitter, celebrities like Chrissy Teigen are mesmerized by those clips.

Publishers who are pursing views are aware of this trend. BuzzFeed, for instance, has been curating satisfying videos from Instagram and YouTube, churning out articles with headlines 11 oddly satisfying videos that will calm youdown and This video of things melting is the most satisfying thing youll see all day.

The reason for the rise of these videos isnt known. But these are times in serious need of zen, and people will take it where they can get it.

Naturally, brands want in. Recently, agency Arnold Worldwide created a painting video series called Color Theory to promote telecom company CenturyLinks new service Prism TV. Those slow-motion clips are close-ups of artist and Instagram influencer Annette Labedzki creating different colors blue, pink, orange and green with a painting spatula.

We know that color mixing is trendy on Instagram. I think the slow nature of those videos are different from what you typically see in your news feed, said Juliet Tierney, manager of social and content systems for Arnold. Those videos allow you to take a second out of your busy day and meditate. We are seeing a very strong completion rate.

While David Coomer, chief creative officer for agency Cornett, thinks that advertisers have always worked to have elements of satisfaction in their creative to make the communication intuitive and easy to connect on an emotional level. And from TV to billboards, Coca-Colas Taste The Feeling campaign could be one of the best uses of neuroscience in marketing. The photography is filled with happiness, the product looks tasty, even the sunlight showcases the brands iconic red while giving it a sense of warmth and playfulness, he said.

For R/GA managing director Chapin Clark, the most memorable advertising that applies the concept of satisfying videos is a series of banner ads for small publisher Seagull Books that he saw on the New York Times last summer.According to Clark, those banners were simply videos of seagulls on the beach, flapping their wings, looking off into the distance with the wind ruffling their feathers. There was no ad copy or description about specific book titles.

They were oddly hypnotic and weirdly funny, said Clark. I still remember them and the advertisers name, very clearly.

Satisfying videos look very familiar to ASMR content(which is short forautonomous sensory meridian response) thattake viewers to a calm and happy state through certain typesof soft sounds, including soft whispering and crinkling paper. Brands like KFC andDove chocolate have created ASMR ads to tout consumers.

Clark thinks that satisfying videos resonate with the viewers emotional position: People are tired of arguing about things or having a well-informed opinion about world events. In many cases, people dont have to have an option about everything. The internet can be a very contentious, scary and angry place, on a daily basis. Given the current political climate in the U.S., maybe now more than ever,according to Clark.

I think we all need a respite in our feeds every now and then, he said. These videos are fulfilling in themselves. There is no point-counterpoint. They just are.

Read the original:

Moment of monetized zen: Brands are cashing in on the new 'satisfying videos' craze - Digiday