Instant coffee brand Nescafe has partnered with Japanese bed manufacturer France Bed Co to stage a pop-up caf with beds, to mark World Sleep Day.

Nescafe's Harajuku outlet has been transformed into a 'nap caf', with the venue offering coffees alongside 10 comfy, reclining beds. Guests can take a nap for up to two hours, with relaxing music played through headphones and special lighting in the background.

Before customers go to sleep, they are treated to a free cup of Nescafe decaffeinated cofee and upon waking, are given a cup of regular coffee.

The caf will be open until 26 March, with World Sleep Day falling on the Friday before the March equinox.

More: Last year,US mattress start-up Casper opened a sleep-themed pop-up in London's Covent Garden, aimed at helping individuals to re-energise and recharge. Mattress brand Eve also hosted 'power nap pods' at its Nap Station at The Truman Brewery last July.

Comment below to let us know what you think.

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Global: Nescafe creates Tokyo 'nap caf' - Event magazine - Event Magazine

ABU DHABI // A new government programme is making local organic produce not only more readily available in supermarkets around the country but also more affordable in comparison with its more expensive, imported counterpart.

The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment has made a concerted push in recent years to subsidise farming equipment, provide expertise and connect local farmers with supermarkets to help market their products.

On Tuesday, Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, launched the programme whereby local produce will be made available in shops around the country.

"Its part of the countrys strategic goal to produce more food and we, of course, need to research new technologies and ways to make organic food a viable option for everyone," said Dr Al Zeyoudi at the opening of a Lulu hypermarket at Mushrif Mall.

Last week, he spoke at the Federal National Council about how his ministry would continue to support the sale of local produce, address the challenges the industry faced and that it soon planned to sign an agreement with Carrefour to market local fruit and vegetables.

Local produce becoming more prevalent includes zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes and eggplants. Dr Al Zeyoudi said the ministry had investments in other countries, and dates are being exported to 45 countries.

The idea is to work with farmers across the country using organic, hydroponic and commercially grown produce and support them in getting it into local supermarkets at competitive prices.

The growth of organic farm land in the UAE has gone from 2,360 acres in 2009 to 45,890 acres last year. The ministry also provided farming equipment, including tools for organic and hydroponic farming, at half price.

In some cases, support for the organic and local farmers from the ministry is allowing them to market produce at a price point equal to or lower than imported counterparts as is the case with tomatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, capsicum and cucumber.

"My dream is to have all the organic prices be lower than usual. We want to push nutritious products to the market," said Rashid Al Kitbi, whos been growing organic for the last 10 years on his farm.

He said that not much research has been done on the effects of chemicals used in modern pesticides and inorganic farming supplements, to the extent that being safe and eating organic not only provides more nutrition but also a safeguard against diseases.

Mr Al Kitbi teaches workshops around the UAE on ways in which urban farming can be done and ways to promote healthy diets in the country.

"Look at all these modern diseases, cancer and what not. It needs to be researched but, when you eat food the way it was intended, you feel it inside that youre doing something good for your body and good for your family," said the Emirati.

The organic UAE brand, which is mostly in line with European organic standards, is now available in Union Co-Ops around the country and in Lulu Hypermarkets in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Tawfik Ibrahim, executive chef of Yadoos House, an Emirati restaurant, said that organic produce is sometimes at a reasonable price point that allows him to buy local.

"It honestly all depends but, whenever we can, we try to buy local as long as the quality is up to par. Of course sometimes, what we need is not available but we try as much as we can," he said.

Cooking Emirati dishes requires fresh ingredients but that is not an issue when buying local.

"Thats whats nice about buying local, you dont have to worry about freshness. But when it comes to organic, sometimes its too expensive," he said.

More supermarkets will soon be involved in the programme, allowing for more local products to be sold in those shops, said a spokesman from the ministry.

nalwasmi@thenational.ae

More:

UAE Government backs local organic produce - The National

Mayan farmers inthe states of Campeche and Quintana Roo have become players inthe global chewing gum market with their unique and organic product.

Sold under the brand Chicza Organic Rainforest Gum, the biodegradable chewing gum was launchedin 2009 and has since expanded to 26 European countries, Canada and the United States.

Introduced to the global market during BioFach 2009, the worlds largest trade fairfor organic food, Chicza was chosen as one of the top 20 original products.

Chicza is madefrom raw latex obtained from the sustainable harvestof the chicozapote tree by Consorcio Chiclero, an umbrella cooperativethat brings together 40 groupsrepresenting some 2,000 small producers from the two southeastern states.

The cooperativeprovidesgum producers with social security, scholarships and other benefits, improving the quality of life of their families.

The chicozapote, or Manilkara zapota, trees from which the latex is taken are located in a 1.3-million-hectare region of rainforest with organic certification.

Chicza chewing gum is produced in Campeche and Quintana Roo. (PHOTO: chicza.com.uk)

The cooperative produces 40 tonnes of flavored chewing gum annually, whilean additional 100 tonnes of raw gum are exported every year to Japan and Singapore, which have been buying Campeche and Quintana Roo gum for over 100years.

The processed gum comes in fiveflavors, lime, cinnamon, mint, spearmint and mixed berry.

With officesin Quintana Roo and the United Kingdom, Consorcio Chiclero oversees all stages of the production chain, from cultivation to distribution and exporting the finished product.

CEO Manuel Alderete Terrazas saysChicza is proof that the privatesector doesnt have to be at odds with the environment.

Source: mexiconewsdaily.com

Link:

Mayan chewing gum penetrates global organic-foods market - The Yucatan Times

By: Danielle Pucillo

Its not uncommon to hear people bragging about the fact that they only eat organic food. But what benefits does eating organic really have? This is something I ponder every time I step into a Whole Foods Market and see customers piling their carts high with organic brownies, cheese and frozen burritos. When you peel off the organic label and look at the nutritional facts, these foods are not any healthier than their conventional counterparts.

Any meat and poultry considered organic does not contain growth hormones and antibiotics. This is all good and plenty, but there seems to be a common misconception about many of these foods: apparently eating anything labeled organic automatically means its healthier than conventional foods.

When people go on a health kick, the first instinct is to look towards any food besides the staple junk foods. But it seems that its an increasingly common practice to replace the conventional junk food with organic junk food, such as organic Oreo cookies, Kraft macaroni and cheese and toaster pastries. Doing minimal research and simply throwing food into your cart that has an organic label is not enough to lose weight or be healthy. Everyone has different nutritional needs, and we all have an individual chemistry that affects how our bodies process the food we eat. Organic food may be free of pesticides and antibiotics, but it doesnt have any less fat, sugar or carbohydrates than conventional food.

Its been proven by researchers at Stanford that there is little to no evidence that proves organic food has higher nutritional value or fewer health risks. What determines if produce and livestock are healthy is the quality of farming practices involved with their production. For instance, vegetables grown in nutrient-poor soil or in unsanitary conditions are going to have a higher risk of causing health problems. But conventional foods have been proven to pose no more or fewer health risks than organic food.

Theres a difference between a trending fad started by a celebrity *cough* Gwyneth Paltrow and the cold hard facts derived from research done by actual scientists. Processed food can still be classified as organic, as long as there are organic ingredients. So sodas, macaroni and cheese, french fries, ice cream, cookies, chips and anything covered in chocolate can be organic. You can shovel as much organic macaroni and cheese onto your plate as you like; your arteries will likely hold it against you later in life. So do yourself a favor. Before you spend that $15 on an organic bean burrito, think about your options. You might as well pick up some chicken nuggets and call it a day.

Read more here:

Organic does not equal healthy - The Current - The Student-Run Newspaper of Nova Southeastern University. (satire) (registration)

Football, etc. Gia Quilap/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Football, etc.

It's spring, a time for renewal and flowers and sunshine and... sadness, if Football, etc. has anything to do with it. For nearly ten years, singer and guitarist Lindsay Minton has flown the flag for '90s-era emo, with all of that movement's signature heart-on-the-sleeve confessionals and a voice that knows how to carry a weight. As I wrote a couple years ago, Football, etc. is particularly thoughtful about its backwards glance, balancing twinkly guitar ballads and moody pop songs, staking its own identity in a genre that's still discovering newness.

The Houston trio's third album, Corner, shows a band getting more comfortable in the studio, taking full advantage of J. Robbins' ears and expertise, who also recorded and mixed the band's Disappear EP from 2015. But it also shows a band maturing like late-period Rainer Maria the raw emotion has evolved with long hindsight and subtle dynamics that shift in muted hues instead of broad brushstrokes.

Album opener "Save" makes the most of this studio mix, the rhythm section (bassist Mercy Harper and drummer Daniel Hawkins) popping over guitar harmonics that give Minton's voice more room to explore the turbulent seas of a codependent relationship: "You're coming into shore / I'm drifting out to sea / But you can't save me."

Corner comes out May 26 on Community (U.S.), Barely Regal (U.K.) and Stiff Slack (Japan).

Continued here:

Hear Emo Torchbearer Football, etc.'s Meditation On A Turbulent ... - NPR

Most people barely have time to get ready in the morning, so fitting meditation into the routine probably feels impossible.

But the benefits of a few minutes ofmindfulness are clear: Research shows that it helpsincrease self awareness, lowers stress and improves concentration. So, that sparks the question: If all you have is a few minutes to do it, is that enough? And how do you go about it?

I think if you only have five minutes, then do the five minutes, Salzberg told The Huffington Post.

Eventually, those five minutes could grow to 10 and so forth, she explained. And the more you meditate, the more you stand to reap the mental and physicalperks of doing so.

Salzberg, who has been practicing since 1970, broke down the nuts and bolts of a five-minute morning meditation routine and how to do it. Take a look at her advice below:

Make sure you settle into a comfortable spot. Meditation experts suggest to sitwith an upright spine and to keep the shoulders gently down and back. Salzberg said you can either choose to close your eyes or keep them open.

Place your attention to the nostrils, chest or abdomen and just breathe naturally, Salzberg said. See if you can feel the in-and-out [of your] breath. When your mind wanders, dont worry about it. See if you can let go and come back.

Dont panic if you start to notice that youre thinking about the coffee maker or creating a grocery list during the meditation.

The key is knowing that your mind will wander, Salzberg said, noting that its not a sign of failure.

Gently notice the items that pop up in your mind and then let those thoughts pass as you direct your attention back to feeling your breath go in and out.

Every time you gently let go of whats distracted you and come back, youre doing the training, she said. [Mindfulness training]is about letting go more gracefully and its about beginning again with more kindness toward yourself. So let go and begin again and if thats all you do for five minutes thats a good five minutes.

Salzberg says that morning meditations are the perfect opportunity to set up your day on a positive, empowering note.

In the morning, I like to end with something that is aspirational for the day, she said. It might be, May I try to bring this spirit of beginning again into my day. Or, May I try to be more grounded in the present moment.

Salzberg also stressed that a five-minute meditation routine (or any length of time, for that matter)is not just to find calm in that time period, but to train yourself to access that relaxation the rest of the day. If you find yourself thinking self-defeating thoughts or become frustrated with your family or coworker later on, think back to the morning meditation.

Ready to add the practice into your daily routine?

More:

How To Do A 5-Minute Meditation In The Morning - Huffington Post

Meditation and music listening programs have shown promise in improving measures of cognitive and memory in adults with subjective cognitive decline, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Alzheimers Disease.

Emerging evidence indicates that subjective cognitive decline (SCD) could represent a preclinical stage of Alzheimers disease, or unhealthy brain aging. Alzheimers disease affects more than 5 million people in the United States.

Dr. Kim Innes, associate professor of epidemiology at West Virginia University in Morgantown, and colleagues aimed to assess the effects of two mind-body practices Kirtan Kriya meditation and music listening on cognitive outcomes in people with SCD.

Kirtan Kriya is a form of yoga meditation that combines focused breathing practices, singing or chanting, finger movements, and visualization. Practitioners of yoga claim that this type of meditation stimulates all of a persons senses and the associated brain areas.

Practicing 12 minutes of Kirtan Kriya is reported to help a person to think more clearly, improve memory retrieval, improve sleep quality, reduce stress, improve both short- and long-term psychological health, and sharpen attention, concentration, and focus.

Music listening programs have been suggested to provide behavioral and emotional benefits for people with Alzheimers disease and have shown positive outcomes even in the late stages of the disease.

The areas of the brain that store musical memories are thought to remain relatively undamaged by Alzheimers disease. People associated music with significant events or a wide range of emotions, which may evoke a response long after memory declines.

Music listening therapy may relieve stress, reduce anxiety, and lessen agitation in people with Alzheimers disease. Furthermore, music could boost mood, stimulate positive interactions, facilitate cognitive function, and help coordinate motor movements.

Previous research by the West Virginia team suggested that both interventions of Kirtan Kriya and music listening improved stress, sleep, mood, well-being, and quality of life. These improvements were especially significant in the meditation group, and they were sustained or enhanced a further three months after the interventions were complete.

In this new randomized controlled trial, Innes and team assigned 60 adults with SCD to either Kirtan Kriya meditation or music listening programs.

The participants were asked to practice their activity for 12 minutes per day for three months and the following three months if they so wished. Measures of cognitive function and memory were taken at the start of the study, and at three months and six months.

Study results demonstrated significant improvements in subjective memory function and objective cognitive performance in both the meditation and music groups.

The areas of cognitive functioning that benefited were those that would potentially be affected in the preclinical and early stages of dementia, such as attention, executive function, processing speed, and memory function.

As with the teams previous study, memory and cognitive gains were maintained or increased at three months post-intervention. The study authors write:

Findings of this preliminary randomized controlled trial suggest practice of meditation or music listening can significantly enhance both subjective memory function and objective cognitive performance in adults with SCD, and may offer promise for improving outcomes in this population.

The study findings indicate that Kirtan Kriya meditation and music listening programs could be useful interventions for improving mood, sleep, and quality of life in adults with SCD, as well as providing help with memory and cognitive performance.

Visit link:

Alzheimer's disease: Music, meditation may improve early cognitive decline - Payson Roundup

Her frazzled hair came from running around downtown Austin just ahead of the WEDC Startup Showcase at South By Southwest. When she gets going she can talk a mile a minute, do you remember the micromachine man? One look in her eyes and you can tell shes micromanaging 100 different tasks in her brain. Does that sound like an executive level manager with a Fortune 100 company? Try 6 Fortune 500 companies.

Thats Eloyce Starr Barbour a spitfire business woman, ready to take on any challenge. She spoke with me off camera a bit, about a lifestyle after graduating from North Carolinas A&T. Barbour quickly rose through the ranks in companies like GE, IBM, Fannie Mae, Lockheed Martin and Accenture. As a woman in an upper level capacity at some of the nations biggest tech firms she had to be on her game. That meant managing so many different tasks at one time. 20 hour days were common practice. She didnt want to end up like some of her colleagues and mentors, burnt out and brain dead by 40.

On the edge, but not quite over it, her doctor told Barbour that she should look into meditation. But she knew, with a Type A executive personality, going to a meditation studio wouldnt work for her. Self meditating wasnt enough.

So the DC based executive launched Still Going a DC startup that is changing the way people meditate. The company has developed a mobile app that is like Uber for meditation. While a meditation coach doesnt come to your home, you get instant access to one of several meditation coaches across the country via two way communication through the app.

Still Going offers the user the ability to have an on demand meditation coach, or they can set an appointment thats good for their schedule. Users can also join a variety of pre-scheduled meditation groups.

Most people who use meditation as a stress relief do so at a certain time and for a certain time on a daily basis. But say you just took a transcontinental flight and then your spent hours fighting customs just to get another delayed flight. Oh and the boss needs a presentation by the end of the day. Still Going users can grab an on demand coach, unwind, relax, meditate and then, you guessed it, keep going.

Check out our interview with Barbour above and for more info check out stillgoingmeditation.com

See original here:

Workaholic Creates The Uber For Meditation Startup In DC [sxsw] - Nibletz

His politics is exclusively fire and brimstone variety. But Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has a softer side too.

The 44-year-old monk is also an animal lover. And his compassion for animals goes beyond cows of which he has around 500 in a cow shelter in the Gorakhnath temple where he is also the head priest.

While his daily schedule has changed following his appointment as chief minister, Adityanath had a gruelling time table as head priest in Gorakhpur.

He (Adityanath) gets up at 3 am. After yoga and daily prayers, he feeds the cows at his gaushala. He takes his breakfast only after feeding the cows, said a close associate.

The gaushala is set up across two acres of land on the temple premises. Several volunteers every day tend to the 500-plus cows at the shelter.

Yogiji likes my dedication towards the service of cows, including Nandini, his favourite one. Yogiji doesnt take his breakfast till he himself feeds the cows, Man Mohamed, the only Muslim volunteer at the shelter told HT.

Read more

While Adityanaths love for cows is well known, he is also a pet lover and has a number of animals on the Gorakhnath temple premises, including a dog, a cat, a deer and some monkeys.

His dog named Kallu roams the temple premises all day. When Adityanath is in Gorakhpur, he spends time with Kallu after completing his daily chores and political meetings.

In the morning, he also feeds the monkeys which have made the temple their home.

Recently a photo of Yogi feeding milk to a tiger cub went viral on social media.

His aides in the Gorakhnath temple said the cub was found roaming near an ashram in Tulsipur, in Balrampur district near the India-Nepal border, about 150 km from Gorakhpur. The cub was kept in the ashram for a few months and later handed over to the forest department for rehabilitation. Adityanath used to feed the cub with a milk bottle whenever he visited the ashram, they said.

He used to also feed the deer and antelopes that roamed around the ashram near Tuthibari in Maharajganj district, 100 km from Gorakhpur. The ashram is sandwiched between Sohagibarwa Wildlife Sanctuary in Maharajganj and Chitwan National Park in Nepal.

Adityanath feeds cows at the gaushala in Gorakhpur. (HTFile Photo)

The Gorakhnath Temple Trust has also set up an ashram in Nawal Parasi district across the border in Nepal which Aditya Nath sometimes visits.

In the late 1990s, a young Adityanath had galvanized Tharu and Vantongiyas tribals, settled in the bordering districts of Balrampur, Lakhimpur, Siddharthnagar and Maharajganj to launch a movement against poachers in the forest areas of Nepal and UP.

His love for trees has turned the Gorakhnath temple into an oasis in a concrete jungle. His supporters call him a green saint who has planted a number of saplings of peepal, mango, banyan and Ashoka around the residential complex located on the temple premises.

Adityanath is also said to have planted a number of aromatic and medicinal plants in an area between the temple and the cow shelter.

Link:

UP chief minister Adityanath: A Hindutva leader, 'green' saint and animal lover - Hindustan Times

BTW

Internships are more competitive than ever, so one person vying to work for Jimmy Fallon put himself at the center of a Tonight Show classic to stand out from the crowd.

Along with his application for a Tonight Show internship, Jake Sirianni include a video of his own to make his case. He took one of Fallons most popular viral videosDaniel Radcliffes performance of Blackalicious Alphabet Aerobicsand edited himself into the video as he pitched why he would make a good intern. What makes it even more impressive is that he rewrote the entire song to cater specifically to Fallon and company. Heres one snippet of Sirianni moving from B to C:

Studio 6B, with Jimmy Fallon next to me Do you need an intern? Cause Im gettin a degree in this Communication. NBCs the station to view content creation from the Comcast corporation

Hes got the editing skills, and hes already got the beginning of a viral hit on his hands after a friend posted it to Reddit.

Sirianni,a student Washington State University whos also studied comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre Training Center, is really putting himself out there. His YouTube summary links to his cover letter, which includes a full bio, his LinkedIn profile, and his email address.

Imitation is the highest form of flattery, so even if you dont find the rap funny, chances are the people who its supposed to impress might: Fallon and his staff.

Excerpt from:

Student Rewrites 'Alphabet Aerobics' For 'Tonight Show' Intern ... - The Daily Dot