An influential voice in a new generation of Buddhist teachers, Owens is respected for his work focused on social change, identity and spiritual wellness.

ROME, Ga (AP) Instead of traditional maroon and gold Tibetan Buddhist robes, Lama Rod Owens wore a white animal print cardigan over a bright yellow T-shirt with an image of singer Sade, an Africa-shaped medallion and mala beads the most recognizable sign of his Buddhism.

Being a Buddhist or a spiritual leader, I got rid of trying to wear the part because it just wasnt authentic to me, said Owens, 44, who describes himself as a Black Buddhist Southern Queen.

For me, its not about looking like a Buddhist. Its about being myself, he said at his mothers home in Rome, Georgia. And I like color.

The Harvard Divinity School-educated lama and yoga teacher blends his training in the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism with pop culture references and experiences from his life as a Black, queer man raised in the South by his mother, a pastor at a Christian church.

Today, he is an influential voice in a new generation of Buddhist teachers, respected for his work focused on social change, identity and spiritual wellness.

On the popular mindfulness app Calm, his wide-ranging courses include Coming Out, Caring for your Grief, and Radical Self-Care (sometimes telling listeners to shake it off like Mariah Carey). In his latest book, The New Saints, he highlights Christian saints and spiritual warriors, Buddhist bodhisattvas and Jewish tzaddikim among those who have sought to free people from suffering.

Saints are ordinary and human, doing things any person can learn to do, Owen writes in his book, where he combines personal stories, traditional teachings and instructions for meditations.

Our era calls for saints who are from this time and place, speak the language of this moment, and integrate both social and spiritual liberation, he writes. I believe we all can and must become New Saints.

But how? Its not about becoming a superhero, he said, stressing the need to care for others.

And its not reserved for the canonized. Harriet Tubman is a saint for me, he said about the 19th century Black abolitionist known for helping enslaved people escape to freedom on the Underground Railroad. She came to this world and said, I want people to be free.

Owens grew up in a devout Baptist and Methodist family. His life revolved around his local church.

When he was 13, his mother, who owns a baseball cap that reads: Gods Girl, became a United Methodist minister. He calls her the single greatest impact in his life.

Like a lot of Black women, she embodied wisdom and resiliency and vision. She taught me how to work. And she taught me how to change because I saw her changing.

He was inspired by her commitment to a spiritual path, especially when she went against the wishes of some in her family, who like in many patriarchal religions believed a woman should not lead a congregation.

Im very proud of him, said the Rev. Wendy Owens, who sat near her son in her living room, decorated with their photographs and painted portraits.

He made his path. He walked his path, or he might have even ran his path, she said. Dont know how he got there, but he got there.

A life devoted to spirituality seemed unlikely for her son after he entered Berry College, a nondenominational Christian school. It didnt deepen his relationship with Christianity. Instead, he stopped attending church. He wanted to develop a healthy sense of self-worth about his queerness, and was dismayed by conservative religious views on gender and sexuality. He felt the way that God had been presented to him was too rigid, even vengeful. So, in his words, he broke up with God.

His new religion, he said, became service. He trained as an advocate for sexual assault survivors, and volunteered for projects on HIV/AIDS education, homelessness, teen pregnancy and substance abuse.

Even though I wasnt doing this theology anymore, what I was definitely doing was following the path of Jesus: feeding people, sheltering people.

After college, he moved to Boston and joined Haley House, a nonprofit partly inspired by the Catholic Worker Movement that runs a soup kitchen and affordable housing programs.

There, he said, he met people across a range of religious traditions from Hinduism to Christian Science to all the denominations of Christianity, Buddhists, Wiccans, Muslims. Monastics from different traditions, everyone.

A Buddhist friend gave him a book that helped him find his spiritual path: Cave in the Snow, by Tibetan Buddhist nun Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo.

The British-born nun spent years isolated in a cave in the Himalayas to follow the rigorous path of the most devoted yogis. She later founded a nunnery in India focused on giving women in Tibetan Buddhism some of the opportunities reserved for monks.

When I started exploring Buddhism, I never thought, Oh, Black people dont do this, or maybe this is in conflict with my Christian upbringing, Owens said. What I thought was: Heres something that can help me to suffer less. I was only interested in how to reduce harm against myself and others.

At Harvard Divinity School, he was again immersed in religious diversity even a Satanist was there.

What I love about Rod is that hes deeply himself no matter who hes with, said Cheryl Giles, a Harvard Divinity professor who mentored him and who now considers him one of her own teachers.

When I think of him, I think of this concept of Boddhisatva in Buddhism, the deeply compassionate being who is on the path to awakening and sees the suffering of the world and makes a commitment to help liberate others, said Giles.

And I love, she said, that hes Black and Buddhist.

Through Buddhism, mindfulness and long periods of silent retreats, Owens eventually reconciled with God.

God isnt some old man sitting on a throne in the clouds, whos, like, very temperamental, he said. God is space and emptiness and energy. God is always this experience, inviting us back through our most divine, sacred souls. God is love.

His schedule keeps him busy these days appearing in podcasts and social media, speaking to college students and leading meditations, yoga and spiritual retreats across the world.

So much inspires him. He wrote his latest book listening to Beyonce and thinking about the work of choreographer Alvin Ailey. Theres Toni Morrison and James Baldwin. He loves Tony Kushners Angels in America. And pioneering fashion journalist Andre Leon Talley of Vogue magazine, who he says taught him to appreciate beauty.

I want people to feel the same way when they experience something that I talk about or write about, Owens said. Thats part of the work of the artist to help us to feel and to not be afraid to feel. To help us dream differently, inspire us and shake us out of our rigidity to get more fluid.

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STANFORD, Calif. (AP) Tara VanDerveer gave her time and energy to a young Dawn Staley behind the scenes years before the South Carolina coach started winning championships or delivering an improbable undefeated season.

The Hall of Fame Stanford coach did the same for her Pac-12 rivals.

For Cori Close. For Lindsay Gottlieb. For Charmin Smith. For Charli Turner Thorne. And for Kate Paye, who will become VanDerveers successor now that the 70-year-old womens basketball pioneer is retiring.

Nearly everybody has a story of how VanDerveer went out of her way to do something kind along the way during her decorated, four-decade career. She cherished her role in helping the sport any way she could. And now, she is leaving on a high note.

The winningest basketball coach in NCAA history announced her retirement Tuesday night after 38 seasons leading the Stanford womens team and 45 years overall. A news conference was scheduled for Wednesday.

VanDerveer surpassed Mike Krzyzewski for the wins record in January. She departs with 1,216 victories at Idaho, Ohio State and Stanford.

Basketball is the greatest group project there is and I am so incredibly thankful for every person who has supported me and our teams throughout my coaching career, VanDerveer said in a statement. Ive been spoiled to coach the best and brightest at one of the worlds foremost institutions for nearly four decades.

And as has been the plan for years, top Cardinal assistant Paye is set to take over the program; Stanford said in a statement that negotiations with Paye are underway. Paye played for VanDerveer from 1991-95 and has coached on her staff for 17 years.

In 2013, Gottlieb was coaching California, which played in the same NCAA Tournament regional as Stanford. When VanDerveers top-seeded Cardinal were eliminated by Georgia and Cal had to face the Bulldogs next, VanDerveer reached out to congratulate Gottlieb and offer to help with the game plan.

The second-seeded Golden Bears went on to reach the programs only Final Four.

After beating Staley and South Carolina 70-32 on Nov. 26, 2010, VanDerveer made her way to the Gamecocks locker room in Maples Pavilion for a postgame pep talk.

For me being on the West Coast I had a front-row seat to all those things, Gottlieb said by phone Tuesday night, fondly remembering VanDerveer reaching out after Cal beat LSU. The first call after that win was from Tara and she asked if we wanted the Georgia scout after her season had just ended. Those are things you dont forget. It shapes the way you treat opponents, it shapes the way you treat other coaches.

Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer, left, celebrates with her players after her 1,000th career coaching win on Feb. 3, 2017, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

Stanford, which lost to North Carolina State in a regional semifinal this year after last seasons second-round defeat at home to Mississippi, will play in the Atlantic Coast Conference next season after the Pac-12 imploded changes that VanDerveer called sad.

From the time I wrote Tara a letter as a senior in college until coaching against her 25 years later, she has always been the model for game-planning, for excellence and for growing our game, Gottlieb said, and I think our prevailing feeling should be gratitude for everything shes done for all of us.

Turner Thorne, a former Stanford player who later coached Arizona State and is now retired, reached out to VanDerveer immediately after hearing Tuesdays news.

She has done it all so just really happy for her to enjoy life after coaching! Turner Thorne said in a text message to The Associated Press. When you know you know.

UConn coach Geno Auriemma called it a monumental day in womens basketball, and in basketball in general.

When youve coached for this extended period of time and youve accomplished what Taras accomplished, it has an incredible effect on the basketball community, Auriemma said. The number of wins, the national championships, the Hall of Fame. Shes had an incredible career and shes left a great impact on the sport. Its been exciting to compete against her all these years.

Coaches who were mentored by VanDerveer said her legacy will be long-lasting.

Taras influence is both deep and wide. I went to her very first camp at Stanford as a camper, UCLA coach Close said in a text to the AP. I competed against her and worked her camps as a player. And I have now been competing against her and learning from her for many years as a coach. My coaching has been affected on so many levels by Taras example and direct mentorship at many crossroads. Congrats on an amazing career Tara. Our game, the Pac-12 Conference, and my coaching is better because of you. Enjoy retirement. You sure have earned it.

VanDerveers last day is scheduled for May 8 the 39th anniversary of her hiring. She plans to continue working for the athletic department in an advisory role.

Her Stanford teams won NCAA titles in 1990, 92 and 2021 and reached the Final Four 14 times.

Rosalyn Gold-Onwude played on the 2008 Final Four squad and is thrilled about the strides her sport has made since.

Whatever helped her decide, she deserves it all, Gold-Onwude said in a text to the AP. She steps away knowing her work was part of making all this possible, and she deserves all the rest, shes earned it! Im happy for her. Thankful for her.

VanDerveer took a year away from Stanford to guide the undefeated U.S. womens Olympic team to a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

The Stanford team listen to their coach Tara VanDerveer, upper center, during basketball practice at the NCAA Womens Final Four, April 4, 2009, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

Coupled with my time at Ohio State and Idaho, and as head coach of the United States National Team, it has been an unforgettable ride, she said. The joy for me was in the journey of each season, seeing a group of young women work hard for each other and form an unbreakable bond. Winning was a byproduct. Ive loved the game of basketball since I was a little girl, and it has given me so much throughout my life. I hope Ive been able to give at least a little bit back.

For many in womens basketball, the answer is a resounding yes.

Shes a legend. The game will miss her, Smith, the current California coach and former Stanford player and assistant, said in a text to the AP. Im grateful for everything Tara has done to contribute to the coach I am today.

This story has been corrected to show that Lindsay Gottlieb was coaching California, not Southern California, in 2013.

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket/ and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

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Tara VanDerveer retires as Stanford women's hoops coach after setting NCAA wins record this year - The Associated Press

The notion that celebrities are just like us regular folks is often hard to justify. However, one thing we all have in common is our love of delicious food, and some celebrities, just like us, have developed a love affair with food. In fact, many celebrity foodies have put their famous names behind restaurants nationwide.

To find out which celeb-backed restaurants consumers love the most, tech platform Q.R. Code Generator meticulously analyzed Google reviews and found the 10 best.

Jump to the List

These star-studded ventures offer a unique dining experience that combines the glamor of the entertainment industry with the artistry of food, a spokesperson from Q.R. Code Generator said in a statement.From renowned actors to musicians and TV personalities, celebrities have ventured into the restaurant business to showcase their passion for food and hospitality.

The methodology behind this report hinges on assessing the average total percentage of excellent reviews on Google, focusing on establishments with more than 10 reviews to ensure a reliable dataset reflective of quality and diner satisfaction.

Whether its a fine-dining establishment, a trendy bistro, or a casual eatery, celebrity restaurants offer a chance to experience the culinary world through their love for food, they said.

Read on for the top 10 celebrity-owned restaurants across the country and the vegan options they offer.

JBJ Soul Kitchen/Instagram

A community restaurant with locations in New Jersey (Red Bank and Toms River) and a unique pay-it-forward model, offering American regional cuisine that emphasizes local and seasonal ingredients. Guests with dietary restrictions can be accommodated upon request.

Vegan highlight: While the menu at all locations of Bon Jovis restaurant changes frequently, the Toms River outpost is currently serving vegan zucchini boats stuffed with quinoa, roasted peppers, and almonds, and comes topped with crispy chickpeas. find it here

Hollywood Walk of Fame

Known for its laid-back vibe and Southern comfort food, this eatery is co-owned by The Walking Deads executive producer Greg Nicotero and actor Norman Reedus. The duo operates four locations of Nic & Normans in Senoia, GA; Chattanooga, TN; and Lexington and Louisville, KY.

Vegan highlight: The menu here is heavy on beef, dairy, and seafood. However, a plant-based Impossible Patty is not only on the menu but is featured in a burger build called Normans Pick which is topped with a fried egg (that can be omitted) alongside beets, avocado, spinach, and soy ginger sauce. The burger can also be ordered on a lettuce wrap for some extra plants on your plate. find it here

Erik Kabik

This iconic restaurant is part of a group founded by Robert De Niro, chef Nobuyuki Nobu Matsuhisa, and producer Meir Teper.A global icon of modern Japanese cuisine, Nobus Virgin Hotel location ranks third on this list and offers an array of dishes that incorporate traditional techniques with a contemporary twist.

Vegan highlight: Nobu offers a selection of vegetable dishes, including vegetable maki and hand rolls, Brussels sprouts, spicy miso eggplant, roasted baby corn, roasted cauliflower with jalapeo, veggie tacos, and kelp salad. The menu also features a seven-piece shojin option to highlight the meat-and-fish-free Buddhist cooking style. find it here

Lindsay Eberly

Co-owned by celebrity couple Giuliana and Bill Rancic, this classic steakhouse in Chicago serves exactly what you would expect: meat and more meat, plus seafood towers. But despite this focus, a spokesperson for RPM Steak tells VegNews that the eatery is thoughtful of its vegan guests and offers exciting dishes upon request.

Vegan highlight:Currently, RPMs off-menu plant-based options include Vegan Risotto With Roasted Mushrooms and Spinach; Tomato Tartare With Avocado Crema and Housemade Chips; and a seasonal Spring Pea and Ramp Bruschetta. find it here

Tagine/Instagram

This intimate dining spot in Beverly Hillsowned by chef Ben Benameur and actor Ryan Goslingoffers a taste of Morocco with tasting menus and la carte dishes that highlight the rich flavors and spices of this North African cuisine.

Vegan highlight: Tagine offers a variety of vegetable mezze dishes, including hummus served with Berber bread, roasted eggplant zaalouk, and tomato cucumber tartar.And if thats not Kenough, Tagine also offers vegan Berber couscous and a signature vegetarian tagine with preserved lemon, sweet peas, carrots, and potatoes. find it here

Crossroads Kitchen

Blink-182 drummer (and longtime vegan) Travis Barker helped open Crossroads Kitchen with celebrity chef Tal Ronnen. The original Melrose location in West Hollywood continues to be a celebrity hotspot that serves an upscale, Cali-Mediterranean menu that focuses on housemade pasta.

Vegan highlight: The entire restaurant is vegan and classic menu items include kelp caviar-topped artichoke oysters, a kale Caesar salad, perfect carbonara pasta, and a piccata entre made with a choice of Impossible chicken, pumpkin seed tofu, or lentil tempeh. Opt for either a five- or seven-course tasting menu to get the full experience. Find it here

Dan DErrico / Montclair Film

This New York City deli boasts a comfortable vibe, offering sandwiches, soups, and salads that focus on simple ingredients. Actor Nicholas Braun from Succession invested in the newest iteration of this 100-year-old business.

Vegan highlight: Amid all the pastrami-loaded sandwiches, egg salads, and turkey clubs, the small print of the long menu points out that you can swap a veggie patty into all of the burgers to make a meat-free meal but youll have to navigate around all the dairy. VegNews has reached out to S&P to inquire if its veggie patty is vegan. find it here

Ole Red

Inspired by country star Blake Sheltons Southern roots, Ole Red is a multi-unit chain that features food, live music, and drinks. Locations include Las Vegas, NV; Orlando, FL; Tishomingo, OK; and Gatlinburg and Nashville, TN (with an outpost at the Nashville International Airport).

Vegan highlight: The good news about Ole Red is the vegan options are clearly labeled. The bad news is that they are limited to vinegar slaw. However, Beyond Meat can be subbed into many items, including burgers and taco salads, greatly opening up the plant-based choices. find it here

Rustic/Facebook

Francis Ford Coppola is as much celebrated for directing and producing great films such as The Godfather as he is for his work in the wine industry. Rustic is an eatery that sits on the Francis Ford Coppola Winery property in Geyserville, CA, and serves Italian-inspired fare that changes seasonally.

Vegan highlight: While guests have been accommodated with plant-based fare in the past, Rustics current winter menu is low on vegan options. However, its sister eatery, Pool Caf is a bit better at serving veggie crudit with hummus, fresh fruit, and meatless options such as the Pool Caf Impossible Burger (which comes with dairy components) and Vegetarian Piadina.The wines at Francis Ford Coppola Winery are also typically not vegan as they use animal-derived fining agents such as gelatin, albumin, and casein. find it here

The Polo Bar

Owned by Ralph Lauren, this New York City bar offers classic American cuisine that highlights the fashion moguls favorite dishes such as crab cakes, corned beef, and steak.

Vegan highlight: Despite its heavy focus on animal products, the menu here has specifically labeled vegetarian options. The Chopped Vegetable Salad and the Roasted Cauliflower are vegan as-is. find it here

Anna Starostinetskaya is the Senior News Editor at VegNews and is always keeping an eye on all things vegan in her home city of San Francisco, CA and everywhere else.

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From Jon Bon Jovi's Zucchini Boats to Ryan Gosling's Tagine: The Best Vegan Dishes at Celebrity-Owned Restaurants - VegNews

An evaluation report released today by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charts progress towards decentralizing services for patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal's King Cetshwayo District (KCD), in line with the country's 2011 DR-TB decentralization policy.

The report finds that the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health (KZNDoH) has established some level of DR-TB services in six district hospitals, three district clinics, and one district community health centre but that progress towards the full implementation of the DR-TB decentralization policy is slow.

For example, the report highlights an absence of services for children with DR-TB and patients with extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) and pre-XDR TB. MSF, which supported the decentralization of DR-TB services in KCD from 2015 2023, calls for the decentralization of these services as a priority.

"The Department of Health has made enormous strides in implementing the decentralization policy, yet the most vulnerable DR-TB patients in the district are still having to travel several hours to the province's central TB hospital in Durban to get treatment and care, at a cost that is often catastrophic,"said Dr. Liesbet Ohler, the long-standing medical coordinator of MSF's HIV/TB project in KCD, which closed in 2023.

According to the report, issues preventing or slowing the decentralization of DR-TB services in KCD include

MSF provided considerable support, including structures, equipment, and staff, for implementing the decentralisation policy in KCD.

"In order to fully decentralize DR-TB services in the District, this support will need to be replaced, perhaps with strategic partnerships with non-governmental actors,"said Ohler. He added that MSF's intention in producing the evaluation report"is not to criticize or apportion blame, but to highlight where the work of decentralization is incomplete so that it can be taken up with renewed energy."

South Africa's DR-TB decentralization policy was largely based on a successful decentralization model of care piloted by MSF and the Western Cape Department of Health in Khayelitsha between 2007 and 2011. Although the MSF project in KCD has closed, MSF is currently applying many of the lessons it learned in the district in terms of making treatment and care easier for patients to access in a newly opened non-communicable diseases project in the Eastern Cape.

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South Africa: MSF Calls for Decentralisation of Life-Saving DR-TB Services in Rural Setting - AllAfrica - Top Africa News

Summary

Jake Gyllenhaal put immense effort into getting his body in shape for Road House, and his personal trainer praises him for his efforts. The new movie is a remake of the 1989 Patrick Swayze film and stars Gyllenhaal as a former UFC fighter who is recruited to work as a bouncer. With Conor McGregor's Knox posing an existential threat, Gyllenhaal's Dalton has to be in perfect shape to stop his rampaging enemy.

Since there were multiple shirtless scenes and several real-world UFC fighters in the Road House cast, Gyllenhaal needed to get in shape to match everyone else. Men's Health spoke to Gyllenhaal and his personal trainer, Jason Walsh, about what it took to help him look like a UFC fighter.

While Gyllenhaal praised the entire team, Walsh wanted nothing more than to commend Gyllenhaal for his work effort. He emphasized that the actor was willing to engage in a variety of drills, including sled work, chain push-ups, and climber sprints, and he did so without faltering. Check out Walsh's quote below:

"The way he looked throughout the movie, there [are] peaks, right? People don't see the valleys. They don't see the time in between the peaks, it just looks like one continuous thing. It doesn't work like that... You can have a great trainer, a great program, great team none of this matters if you don't have the right person to do it all. Jake did the work . He earned it."

Walsh has good reason to praise Gyllenhaal's workout routine. To properly prepare for the movie, Walsh explained that he took part in mobility drills, isometric exercises, heavy sled work, squats, bag drills, push-ups, and presses. He also worked on sprints, push-pull machines, and various other drills that worked every muscle that Gyllenhaal needed to train. Many of the exercises were designed specifically to mimic the movements that he needed to make in Road House fights.

Gyllenhaal also needed to follow a specialized diet to build muscle. While putting aside sugar, he increased his caloric and protein intake. After discovering an allergy to his protein supplements, Walsh put together a specialized protein blend that Gyllenhaal could safely consume. Gyllenhaal also cooked much of his food for himself and his family and stuck closely with his plan.

Considering Road House was filmed in numerous locations, including the Dominican Republic, Florida, and Las Vegas, Gyllenhaal likely needed to maintain his physique for some time, even in various unfamiliar environments. While Walsh accounts for the "peaks" and "valleys" in Gyllenhaal's figure, it is still an impressive display, especially for a 43-year-old actor. With considerable effort, Gyllenhaal tailored his diet and exercise plan for Road House to make the movie as realistic as possible.

Road House is available for streaming on Prime Video.

Source: Men's Health

Road House is a remake of the original 1989 film, which followed protagonist Dalton, a Ph.D. educated bouncer at the roughest bar in the south known as the Double Deuce. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Dalton, with two major changes including Dalton being a retired UFC fighter and the bar locale being in the Florida Keys.

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Jake Gyllenhaal's Road House Transformation & Diet Revealed By Actor's Trainer - Screen Rant

Twilight star Ashley Greene knows it can be hard to get motivated for a workoutbut she does it anyway. Greene, 37, shared a video of herself wearing black leggings and a white t-shirt, doing a kettlebell workout at the gym. "Didn't feel 100 today but still got it in," reads the text over her Instagram story. Greene has detailed her fitness journey since welcoming daughter Kingsley in September 2022here's how the actress prioritizes her health and wellness.

Greene changes up her workouts to avoid boredom and fitness plateaus. "I started doing CorePower Yoga a lot because I feel like I'm getting all these little aches and pains if I'm not paying attention to stretching," she told Parade. "I like high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and for that I do STRONG by Zumba, which is right up my alley. I don't generally go into the classes, but I download them. There's a 60-minute one, there's a 20-minute one and there are some shorter ones too. And it's impossible for me to get a butt, but they have one geared towards that so I've started doing that one."

Greene loves clean beauty products. "Basically, I try to find things that are going to be clean and aren't going to include anything that doesn't need to be in there, and I love Beauty Counter for that reason," she told New York Magazine. "Each one of these oils serves a different purpose."

Greene is embracing her postpartum figure. "I am dedicated to putting in the work to rebuild a strong base," she wrote in an Instagram post. "I am also dedicated to giving myself grace and remaining eternally grateful for the beautiful life my body graciously helped me create and nurture. I don't think my body will ever be quite 'the same' and I'm learning to be ok with that." df44d9eab23ea271ddde7545ae2c09ec

Greene partnered with mental wellbeing platform Aura Health as mental health is a cause close to her heart. "I have always tried to be honest and vulnerable to help others not feel so alone, and this partnership with Aura Health is an example of that in its purest form," she said in a press release. "Opening up about my mental health journey was daunting but I am so proud to share my story on Aura and encourage others to care for their mental health with the help of the many features Aura Health has to offer."

HIIT is Greene's favorite workout. "What I love about HIIT is the fact that you can use your own body weight, which really works for me versus trying to lift a thousand pounds," she told Parade. "Whenever I work out with my body weight, I find that I can track how strong I'm becoming and I'm able to do things later in the week that I maybe wasn't able to in the beginning of the week. So for me, that's just a really fun thing to be able to track."

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Ashley Greene In Workout Gear Didn't Feel 100 Today But Still Got It In - Celebwell

Vegan cafs, bakeries, and restaurants are a vital part of New York dining. Yet these establishments dont always get the coverage they merit. This series of stories this week by Mayukh Sen highlights immigrant-owned, plant-based eateries across the city and the people behind them.

Sommay Jaijong doesnt miss the frog curry she grew up eating as a girl. The perfumes of dill, lemongrass, and galangal would punch up a dish that she ate happily and often when she was growing up in a village in the Sisaket province in Thailands northeast.

Hers was a family of farmers. Vegetables and rice grew in abundance on the land, and meals that incorporated the snakes, rats, and grasshoppers roaming around her shaped her early palate.

Thats why we eat what food we have, Jaijong remembers one day. We cannot choose.

She looks back on these dishes fondly, but its been decades since shes had them. Jaijong, who goes by the name May Kaidee (May is her nickname, a variation of her given name, while she says that Kaidee means, roughly, good business in Thai), is the owner and proprietor of a constellation of vegan Thai restaurants spread across Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and New York (plus two cooking schools in Thailand).

New Yorks sole outpost of May Kaidee now on the Lower East Side (215 E. Broadway at Clinton Street) her first restaurant in the United States, which shes been operating since 2016, after her Thailand locations is tucked away in a basement with a karaoke machine in the back. Here, she serves coral-hued clumps of pumpkin hummus woven with coconut milk, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and turmeric; and specials like tuna salads made from soy protein alongside lettuce, Thai herbs, sticky rice, and cucumbers. (Beyond the restaurant named for herself, she also operates Chakra, a Thai vegan spot with Indian-inspired inflections, in the East Village.)

Jaijong wears a plum-purple flower in her hair and caparisons herself in village wear from the Isan region she once called home. She offers regular cooking classes, fruit carving classes, and dance classes at May Kaidee. She sees her restaurant as a vehicle for spreading the beauty of her homeland. Cooking, dancing, she says. I bring the culture.

Jaijong fell into restaurant work accidentally. As a child, shed wake up in the morning to hear cows and buffalo crooning around her. She didnt go to high school. Her mother would rise early to cook for the family, and Jaijong would pitch in.

She resigned herself to thinking farm work, which she loved, was all life would have to offer her until 1988, when an aunt of hers said she needed Jaijongs help. Her aunt had a food cart in Bangkok; the place didnt have a name, but it served vegan and vegetarian food. Jaijong jumped at the chance to go to the big city.

She was fifteen when she made her way to Bangkok, bringing essentials like her mosquito net and bedding. Once there, she put herself through her paces by doing prep work, like cutting vegetables. Though she didnt know a lick of English upon setting foot in the city, interacting with customers forced her to learn. Jaijong was cooking vegan food then boiled eggplants with basil, summer rolls, green curries with tofu and mushrooms but she wasnt vegan herself. She still loved the taste of chicken.

But Bangkok was a hectic change of pace for her compared to more regimented village life; the city never seemed to slumber. She was eating until midnight some nights, and this rhythm began to hamper her health.

By 1993, her aunt retired, leaving Jaijong to manage the business on her own. This new responsibility coincided with an increasing awareness of her bodys limits. When she ate fried rice with chicken, she would notice herself subconsciously moving the chicken to the side of her plate, as if her soul were trying to tell her something.

She started to realize that her constitution couldnt really withstand milk, either. Eggs upset her stomach, too, so she chucked those. She eliminated oyster sauce and fish sauce; soy sauce, sugar, and lime would suffice as flavoring agents. After ten years, she was fully vegan for reasons relating to her health.

Those years were boom times for her business: She upsized the original iteration from a humble cart to a more proper storefront, and then opened a second location in the city of Chiang Mai, in Thailands north.

One of those tourists was Eric Brent, founder of the website HappyCow, an online citadel for vegans. As Jaijong remembers it, he noticed that her restaurant didnt have a name, but he wanted to list it on the website. So she decided it would be christened after herself: May Kaidee.

Television appearances on Thai, French, and Canadian airwaves soon became routine for Jaijong. Her patrons begged her to write an English-language cookbook, and she obliged. (It was first published over two decades ago and has been reprinted twice; copies line shelves of the restaurant.) More locations spread throughout Bangkok, and one even in the neighboring country of Cambodia, would follow. This attention nudged her out of Thailand in the aughts as she began to tour the world cooking.

Soon enough, she was eyeing a global expansion. One of her Bangkok visitors, Jonathan Daniel now one of her three employees at this Manhattan location encouraged her to open in New York. With his help, she made the leap, moving to the city in 2016 and initially starting the restaurant near Murray Hill. She relocated to her current, larger place in 2018.

Even through the worst of it, Jaijong has prided herself on her restaurants resilience. It was a time when each of her locations in Southeast Asia closed for two years, though the New York satellite remained open for delivery.

Two of her restaurants in Thailand, one in Bangkok and the other in Chiang Mai, woke up again after the pandemic subsided. Jaijong has since resumed her work in spreading her vision of Thai vegan cooking full-throttle.

Jaijong doesnt worry about making gobs of money; she just wants to earn enough to pay for herself and for her employees to survive. Peace, she says, is more important than material luxury. After all, that quest for health however one may define that loaded word is what drew her to veganism in the first place.

When you have enough healthy, she says, You have enough.

Mayukh Sen is the author of Taste Makers: Seven Immigrant Women Who Revolutionized Food in America. He has won a James Beard Award for his food writing, and his work has been anthologized in three editions of The Best American Food Writing.

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Researchers have developed a groundbreaking light-based processor that enhances the efficiency and scalability of quantum computing and communication. By minimizing light losses, the processor promises significant advancements in secure data transmission and sensing applications. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

A team of scientists has created a reprogrammable light-based quantum processor, reducing light losses and enabling advancements in quantum computing and secure communications.

Scientists have created a reprogrammable light-based processor, a world-first, that they say could usher in a new era of quantum computing and communication.

Technologies in these emerging fields that operate at the atomic level are already realizing big benefits for drug discovery and other small-scale applications.

In the future, large-scale quantum computers promise to be able to solve complex problems that would be impossible for todays computers.

Lead researcher Professor Alberto Peruzzo from RMIT University in Australia said the teams processor a photonics device, which used light particles to carry information could help enable successful quantum computations, by minimizing light losses.

Our design makes the quantum photonic quantum computer more efficient in terms of light losses, which is critical for being able to keep the computation going, said Peruzzo, who heads the ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology (CQC2T) node at RMIT.

If you lose light, you have to restart the computation.

Other potential advances included improved data transmission capabilities for unhackable communications systems and enhanced sensing applications in environmental monitoring and healthcare, Peruzzo said.

The teams reprogrammable light-based processor. Credit: Will Wright, RMIT University

The team reprogrammed a photonics processor in a range of experiments, achieving a performance equivalent to 2,500 devices, by applying varying voltages. Their results and analysis are published in Nature Communications.

This innovation could lead to a more compact and scalable platform for quantum photonic processors, Peruzzo said.

Yang Yang, lead author and RMIT PhD scholar, said the device was fully controllable, enabled fast reprogramming with reduced power consumption, and replaced the need for making many tailored devices.

We experimentally demonstrated different physical dynamics on a single device, he said.

Its like having a switch to control how particles behave, which is useful for both understanding the quantum world and creating new quantum technologies.

Professor Mirko Lobino from the University of Trento in Italy made the innovative photonic device, using a crystal called lithium niobate, and Professor Yogesh Joglekar from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis in the United States brought his expertise in condensed matter physics.

Lithium niobate has unique optical and electro-optic properties, making it ideal for various applications in optics and photonics.

My group was involved in the fabrication of the device, which was particularly challenging because we had to miniaturize a large number of electrodes on top of the waveguides to achieve this level of reconfigurability, Lobino said.

Programmable photonic processors offer a new route to explore a range of phenomena in these devices that will potentially unlock incredible advancements in technology and science, Joglekar said.

Meanwhile, Peruzzos team has also developed a world-first hybrid system that combines machine learning with modeling to program photonic processors and help control the quantum devices.

Peruzzo said the control of a quantum computer was crucial to ensure the accuracy and efficiency of data processing.

One of the biggest challenges to the devices output accuracy is noise, which describes the interference in the quantum environment that impacts how qubits perform, he said.

Qubits are the basic units of quantum computing.

There are a whole range of industries that are developing full-scale quantum computing, but they are still fighting against the errors and inefficiencies caused by noise, Peruzzo said.

Attempts to control qubits typically relied on assumptions about what noise was and what caused it, Peruzzo said.

Rather than make assumptions, we developed a protocol that uses machine learning to study the noise while also using modelling to predict what the system does in response to the noise, he said.

With the use of the quantum photonic processors, Peruzzo said this hybrid method could help quantum computers perform more precisely and efficiently, impacting how we control quantum devices in the future.

We believe our new hybrid method has the potential to become the mainstream control approach in quantum computing, Peruzzo said.

Lead author Dr. Akram Youssry, from RMIT, said the results of the newly-developed approach showed significant improvement over the traditional methods of modelling and control, and could be applied to other quantum devices beyond photonic processors.

The method helped us uncover and understand aspects of our devices that are beyond the known physical models of this technology, he said.

This will help us design even better devices in the future.

This work is published in Npj Quantum Information.

Peruzzo said startup companies in quantum computing could be created around his teams photonic device design and quantum control method, which they would continue to study in terms of applications and their full potential.

Quantum photonics is one of the most promising quantum industries, because the photonics industry and manufacturing infrastructure are very well established, he said.

Quantum machine-learning algorithms have potential advantages over other methods in certain tasks, especially when dealing with large datasets.

Imagine a world where computers work millions of times faster than they do today, where we can send information securely without any fear of it being intercepted, and where we can solve problems in seconds that would currently take years.

This isnt just fantasy its the potential future powered by quantum technologies, and research like ours is paving the way.

References:

Programmable high-dimensional Hamiltonian in a photonic waveguide array by Yang Yang, Robert J. Chapman, Ben Haylock, Francesco Lenzini, Yogesh N. Joglekar, Mirko Lobino and Alberto Peruzzo, 2 January 2024, Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44185-z

Experimental graybox quantum system identification and control by Akram Youssry, Yang Yang, Robert J. Chapman, Ben Haylock, Francesco Lenzini, Mirko Lobino and Alberto Peruzzo, 13 January 2024, npj Quantum Information. DOI: 10.1038/s41534-023-00795-5

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Quantum Computing Takes a Giant Leap With Light-Based Processors - SciTechDaily

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In work published in Physical Review Letters researchers at Osaka University's Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (SANKEN) used "the shortcuts to the adiabaticity (STA)" method to greatly speed-up the adiabatic evolution of spin qubits. The spin flip fidelity after pulse optimization can be as high as 97.8% in GaAs quantum dots. This work may be applicable to other adiabatic passage and may be useful for fast and high-fidelity quantum control.

A quantum computer uses the superposition of "0" and "1" states to perform information processing, which is completely different from classical computing, thus allowing for the solution of certain problems at a much faster rate. High-fidelity quantum state operation in large enough programmable qubit spaces is required to achieve the "quantum advantage."

The conventional method for changing quantum states uses pulse control, which is sensitive to noises and control errors. In contrast, adiabatic evolution can always keep the quantum system in its eigenstate. It is robust to noises but requires a certain length of time.

A team from SANKEN used the STA method to greatly accelerate the adiabatic evolution of spin qubits in gate-defined quantum dots for the first time. The theory they used was proposed by the scientist Xi Chen and others. "We used the transitionless quantum driving style of STA, thus allowing the system to always remain in its ideal eigenstate even under rapid evolution," co-author Takafumi Fujita explains.

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According to the target evolution of spin qubits, this group's experiment adds another effective driving to suppress diabatic errors, which guarantees a fast and nearly ideal adiabatic evolution.

The dynamic properties were also investigated and proved the effectiveness of this method. Additionally, the modified pulse after optimization was able to further suppress noises and improve the efficiency of quantum state control.

Finally, this group achieved spin flip fidelity of up to 97.8%. According to their estimation, the acceleration of adiabatic passage would be much better in Si or Ge quantum dots with less nuclear spin noise.

"This provides a fast and high-fidelity quantum control method. Our results may also be useful to accelerate other adiabatic passage in quantum dots," corresponding author Akira Oiwa says.

As a promising candidate for quantum computing, gate-defined quantum dots have long coherence times and good compatibility with the modern semiconductor industry. The team is trying to find more applications in gate-defined quantum dots systems, such as the promotion to more spin qubits. They hope to find a simpler and more feasible solution for fault-tolerant quantum information processing using this method.

More information: Xiao-Fei Liu et al, Accelerated Adiabatic Passage of a Single Electron Spin Qubit in Quantum Dots, Physical Review Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.027002. On arXiv: DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2312.13135

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Shortcut to success: Toward fast and robust quantum control through accelerating adiabatic passage - Phys.org

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, February 29, 2024--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tribe Network, a community organization dedicated to empowering racialized individuals pursuing entrepreneurship, innovation and technology across Atlantic Canada, announced today an expansion of its partnership with Emera, a Nova Scotia-based leader in the clean energy transition. This collaboration aims to bolster diversity, equity, and inclusion within the entrepreneurial community in Atlantic Canada.

Emera is investing $500,000 over the next three years which will provide financial and business development support for an additional 3,000 entrepreneurs and community leaders as Tribes official Innovation Partner. This builds on Emeras support for Tribe Network, first announced in 2021, for a total investment of more than $800,000.

This renewed partnership will allow Tribe to focus on three key areas, helping to propel the work of Tribe forward:

Tribe Start Small Grant Program Powered by Emera: Grant funding and capacity building for up to 300 racialized entrepreneurs and community leaders (including Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) over the next three years.

Collaboration Spaces at Tribe HQ Powered by Emera: Tribe's co-working space in Halifax, which includes the Idea Zone, Idea Room, and Idea Studio. This collaboration will grant access to these dynamic spaces for up to 2,250 community members over a three-year period, enabling a vibrant exchange of ideas and fostering a culture of innovation.

Ecosystem Funding: Help create more inclusive pathways for technology and innovation including challenges, events, and mentorship and coaching programs designed to empower up to 450 diverse leaders in the tech and innovation sectors.

"Through this partnership with Emera, we are positioned to expand our impact on the entrepreneurial ecosystem for racialized individuals in Atlantic Canada," said Alfred Burgesson, Founder and CEO of Tribe Network. "By providing people access to funding, resources, and a supportive community, we are not just empowering entrepreneurs, we are catalyzing a movement towards a more inclusive and innovative future in the region. We are grateful for Emeras continued support."

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"Since we first partnered with Tribe in 2021, its become clear theyre making an incredible impact on lives and diverse communities across Atlantic Canada," says Scott Balfour, President and CEO of Emera. "Were proud to continue supporting Tribes important work in breaking down barriers and creating opportunities to develop the next generation of leaders and innovators."

Together, Tribe Network and Emera demonstrate a shared commitment to creating a more equitable and diverse entrepreneurial ecosystem in Atlantic Canada.

About Tribe Network:

Tribe Network is a community of racialized people pursuing entrepreneurship and innovation in Canada. The organization supports its members by providing access to community, coaches, and capital, helping them thrive in entrepreneurship and innovation.

About Emera:

Emera Inc. is a geographically diverse energy and services company headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with approximately $39 billion in assets and 2023 revenues of more than $7.6 billion. The company invests in electricity generation, transmission and distribution, gas transmission, and utility energy services with a strategic focus on transformation from high carbon to low carbon energy sources. Emera has investments throughout North America and in three Caribbean countries.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240229564894/en/

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Nicole Jackson Dina Bartolacci Seely

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Emera Extends Support for Racialized Entrepreneurs Across Atlantic Canada With Renewed Investment in Tribe Network - Yahoo Finance