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Wednesday, December 28, 2016

The Squid and the Whale (2005) A Film by Noah Baumbach

"The conventional wisdom around Noah Baumbach as a cranky misanthrope with a preemptive grudge against his fictional players—one of the hoariest ad-hominem characterizations in circulation—wasn’t yet in full swing when The Squid and the Whale bruised audiences with its lucidity and rawness. Equally hard-hearted and uncompromising in its mode of delivery as its coolly received follow-ups, Margot at the Wedding and Greenberg, the film executes its mercilessness in dart throws, with each offhand aggression piercing the cork around the bull’s-eye until the board is nearly filled up and a moment of release is granted. The cumulative impact validates Baumbach’s alleged cruelty as a natural, unshakeable route to emotional truth, not a temperament crudely applied to individual scripts. (It’s telling that his latest three efforts, the breeziness of which suggest a filmmaker reading his reviews and calibrating his tone accordingly, don’t hit as hard.)"

Full review of The Squid and the Whale, now out in a new Criterion edition, continues at Slant.

Saturday, December 24, 2016

Albums of 2016

I'll be honest: the majority of this collection is in the singer/songwriter vein, it's almost 90% male-dominated, and it's mostly sad music about death or breakups or encroaching doom. That's been the year, I guess. I've been relatively disengaged from music for a while, but for whatever cocktail of personal reasons I've become re-invested this year (I'm even writing music again), and these are the artists that have been exciting me. With apologies to Kendrick Lamar and Tim Hecker, whose albums this year I've only recently begun to appreciate, here are the gems.

1. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Skeleton Tree

Artistic expression doesn't really get more devastatingly close-to-the-bone than Skeleton Tree, the alternately stygian and encouraging suite of songs that has emerged from Nick Cave's grieving process over his recently deceased son. Though written in large part prior to the tragedy that involved the 15-year-old falling from a cliff during an LSD trip, the album repeatedly doubles back on veiled allusions to the incident and to more direct dealings with Cave's mourning, while the grey sonic cloud that looms over much of its duration, and which finally starts to hesitantly lift in the heartening final two songs, feels unmistakably dirge-like. Opener "Jesus Alone" sustains an oscillating growl and an extraterrestrial whine for approximately six minutes, establishing the free-time, minor-key atmospherics that dominate the subsequent tracks. As a testament to a group of musicians in command of their craft and utterly in tune with one another, Skeleton Tree is peerless. Its audacious song structures, built on cresting and falling waves of textured distortion, practically necessitate precise musical chemistry, as distinctly apparent on cuts like "Anthrocene" and "Girl in Amber"—the former a downright creepy jangle with a skittering beat disappearing and reappearing, the latter a low-hanging fog of muted synthesizers resonating against ghostly backing vocals. That said, it's on album highlight "I Need You," a comparatively straightforward groove anchored by Cave's guttural croon, that the album's virtues are most clearly embodied: at the center of the pile-up of nightmarish details is a burning ache for a lost companion that won't be eased by pleas to God or well wishes from friends.

2. Alasdair Roberts and James Green: Plaint of Lapwing

My favorite musical discovery this year (with thanks to my good friend Jon Davies) has been the idiosyncratic and joyfully anachronistic folk of Scotsman Alasdair Roberts, and Plaint of Lapwing is probably his catchiest collection to date. Filled front to back with baroque earworms, the album is a dynamic showcase for Roberts as a virtuoso of melody, song structure and unorthodox time signatures (the springy interweave of guitar and voice on opener “Anankë” has been stuck in my head at least once a week this year). But the most unique source of fascination is Roberts’ gibberish-by-way-of-Old English vernacular, which has its own curious system for describing familiar phenomena: recounting an erotic encounter on “The Evening is Growing Dim,” for instance, Roberts sings, "and how my questing fingers made your every clasping to unfasten." Tales of drunken revelry, thwarted revenge and summer love take on a Chaucerian quality in their bounty of incident, and Roberts, with invaluable assistance from instrumentalist James Green, nests it all in warm curlicues of guitar, harmoniflute, and various bells and whistles. Plaint of Lapwing builds an entire world equal parts medieval and fantastical.

3. James Blake: The Colour in Anything

I went through the breakup of a nearly six-year relationship in early 2016, and James Blake's third album, The Colour in Anything, was the new record that did the most to get me through it. Blake's always had one foot in the soul genre, but this is his first to fully justify the terminology; where his self-titled breakout and his follow-up Overgrown never quite landed for me in their coolly cerebral stylings, The Colour in Anything anchors Blake's sonic experimentation to a heavy core of human emotion. The full gamut of feelings that accompany a breakup—shock and disbelief, anger and disillusionment, nostalgic fixation and reluctant acceptance—is tackled with courageous directness in Blake's lyrics, which favor straightforwardly worded self-assessments ("It's sad that you're no longer her") to symbolic obfuscation. And Blake hasn't become a lesser aesthete in pursuit of this emotional openness; on the contrary, this is his richest work as both a producer and a pianist. Crackly analog textures mingle with full-bodied synthesizer patches to cover the tunes in an overcast sky, but edgy drum machine backbeats and unorthodox accompaniments (a jew harp, a syncopated dog bark) keep the very long record from getting bogged down in gloom. It helps that Blake mixes the epic fistfuls of pain ("Love Me in Whatever Way," "Choose Me") with anomalous detours, like ravishing Bon Iver duet "I Need a Forest Fire" (better than anything on said artist's flatulent 2016 offering) or the virtuosic self-titled grand piano track. I'll submit that Blake probably could have cut a track or two (I'd sacrifice "I Hope My Life," personally), but in all its enormity The Colour in Anything instantly enters the pantheon of great heartbreak music.

4. Radiohead: A Moon Shaped Pool

A Moon Shaped Pool was met with what seemed like widespread skepticism when it was first released, so I'm glad that seven months later it's topping lists. I don't know what exactly people expect from Radiohead, but whatever it is, the band hasn't been delivering it for the last few releases, veering away from generation-defining statement albums and toward more modest records with expertly honed musicianship. The draw of this new collection is the increased emphasis on collaborative orchestration, with Jonny Greenwood bringing to bear his recent experiences in film scoring for Paul Thomas Anderson and thus gracing the music with a warmth and spaciousness not as evident on the more internalized The King of Limbs—a quality also attributable to Thom Yorke's uncharacteristically soul-baring lyrics, which touch with surprising candor on subjects like global warming, mass stupidity and the collapse of Yorke's marriage. A Moon Shaped Pool spills over with evocative grace notes: the violent surge of staccato strings that follows Yorke's declaration that "people have this power" on "The Numbers"; the almost subliminal way in which the dark piano arpeggio of "Daydreaming" shapeshifts into a synthesizer loop; the unpredictable vocal EQ automation on "Full Stop" or Phil Selway's barely articulated ghost notes on the same track; the wheeze of clipped phrases that prick the right ear in "Present Tense" behind Yorke's main melody. Sitting here revisiting album highlights, I feel like I could go on forever. This is the best band in the world feeding beautifully off each other.

5. Leonard Cohen: You Want It Darker

The declarative audacity of Leonard Cohen's final album title extends to the execution of the music: this is not a record that beats around the bush. Cohen faces his incoming death head on, sans moping and with a lethal dose of humor, and comes away with one of his most touching works. I don't know how he did it. The elegant, straightforward arrangements skirt cheesiness, which has long been Cohen's achilles' heel; the instrumentation is largely non-electronic, with grand piano, guitar, pedal steel and a string section only occasionally supplemented by snatches of drum machines and synth pads; and Cohen's voice is the deepest and richest it’s ever been, wearing both his heart and his larynx on his sleeve. Former relationships are reflected upon, childhood memories are summoned, mistakes are forgiven, sex life is wryly dressed down, and religious matters are cast aside for earthly wisdom. Farewell is finally issued with the glorious “String Reprise/Treaty,” a bastion of unsullied beauty in a year of global instability.

6. David Thomas Broughton: Crippling Lack

UK-born, South Korea-based songsmith/performance artist David Thomas Broughton has been said to contain multitudes. I'd agree, and add that his new triple album, Crippling Lack, which clocks in at an hour and 41 minutes, contains multitudes within his multitudes. Synthesizing the lo-fi chamber folk of The Complete Guide to Insufficiency, the full-band grooviness of Outbreeding, and the choral-infused balladry of Sliding the Same Way, Crippling Lack adopts a grand conceptual canvas if only to leap from idea to idea with reckless abandon. Recorded, per usual, in live scenarios with help from a loop pedal and containing all the invigorating inelegance that implies, the album is marked by the potent sense of Broughton completely losing himself in the songs—that is, until something brutally direct pierces the fog of the enigmatic storytelling. And then there's Broughton's voice on top of it all: florid, operatic, and tinged with just enough of a smirk to make the passages of purple prose work. That tonal ambiguity—the rue mixed with the venom—is what gives something like "The Plunge of the Dagger," a suicide note in song form featuring bad-taste injections of black humor from a thick-accented voiceover, such lingering resonance.

7. Hamilton + Rostam: I Had a Dream That You Were Mine

The second collaboration between Hamilton Leithauser and Rostam Batmanglij finds them fully harmonizing their distinct sensibilities into a cohesive whole rather than simply brandishing dormant Walkmen ideas with some Vampire Weekend ornamentations. This is not to say I don't also adore the somewhat uneven Black Hours, just that I Had a Dream That You Were Mine feels thoroughly cooked. Batmanglij's greatest contribution, in addition to curating some of the punchiest drum sounds and most singular piano tones I've heard on an indie rock album in some time, is in pushing Leithauser's next-level voice toward new inflections and flourishes, like the crackly hollering that closes out "Peaceful Morning" or the fatigued chattiness in the verse of "You Ain't That Young Kid." After seeming to issue a mellowing statement of adult contentedness in Heaven, Leithauser now seems re-energized in his relative middle age, blending his usual dewy-eyed romanticism with a rowdiness that I haven't heard in his voice since The Walkmen's live-recorded remake of Harry Nilsson's Pussy Cats. This is just an irresistible set of tunes, ideal for blasting at a high volume while driving.

8. Julien Baker: Sprained Ankle

I recently realized that this is technically a 2015 release, but I spent the whole year under the assumption that it was dropped in early 2016, so I don't care. I went through a little Baker phase in the middle of the year where I scoured the web for live videos of her performing (this one's the best if you can ignore the dweeb asking questions), all of which helped cement Sprained Ankle as something pretty special despite its surface resemblances to other stripped-down emo-confessional music. Baker's personal story of drug abuse and homosexuality colliding with abiding Christian faith lends the record a potent specificity that graces the woe-is-me musings with real dramatic dimension, and her impressive vocal range (peaking in the epic "Rejoice") really helps sell it. The songs here are sparse and simple—usually featuring only an acoustic or electrical guitar buttressed by subtle reverbs and delays—but Baker has such an intuitive feel for dynamics that the lack of supplementing instrumentation never feels limiting. As a side note, she's also super cute and erudite.

9. David Bowie: Black Star

Unlike Leonard Cohen's goodbye record this year, which sustains one register of unapologetic directness, David Bowie's own parting gift finds the singer in intimidatingly chameleonic form, vacillating between sounding possessed, desperate, devious, energized and exhausted. The seven-track Black Star contains an incredible waterfall of end-of-life creativity, sounding nothing like the flamboyant glam rock that rocketed Bowie to stardom in the seventies or the highly technical electro he produced in the nineties. I don't claim to know everything about Bowie's progression through the decades (I'm one of those casual listeners who took the national mourning over his death as an opportunity to discover and rediscover his body of work), but I'll be surprised if I stumble upon something in his catalogue that feels this haunted and noirish. The monumental title track, which lays a halting, convoluted beat over a moaning bed of woodwinds and guitar drone before switching gears multiple times through celestial funk and something approaching gloomy hip-hop, is an all-time album opener, and despite some duds (for all its coiled anger and atmospheric freakouts, "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)" is undone by its tacky central riff), Black Star never loses its capacity to surprise.

10. PJ Harvey: Hope Six Demolition Project

A highlight from this year: emerging from an overwhelming PJ Harvey concert at the Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles with a renewed appreciation for Hope Six Demolition Project, then blasting the buoyant opening track in my car while driving past the still-dispersing crowd. It was on that night that I settled on this latest LP as a special work—not as monumental as Let England Shake per se, but a very worthy companion piece nonetheless. From the day of its release, claims of flippant white privilege dogged the album, which reflects in diaristic fashion on Harvey's experiences in the war-torn Middle East and in Washington D.C. and finds much to lament in the contemporary world's abuses of power and pockets of crippling disenfranchisement ("This is how the world will end," she rightly concedes). As long as Harvey's writing music and not legislation, I expect her to record her thoughts and feelings in an honest way, not to prophesize about paths to prosperity. And for Harvey, for whom restless evolution is an artistic M.O. and whose decades as a performer have involved countless leaps in persona from album to album, an acknowledgment of her own critical distance from abject poverty and inability to directly reverse it feels par for the course. What compels most about Hope Six Demolition Project is the ongoing collision of different styles and aesthetics (hard rock and blues, marching band theatrics and hypnotic incantations, Harvey's ethereal voice and the call-and-responses of macho background singers), which occurs not just on a song-to-song level but within compositions. That a charging rocker like "The Wheel" can segue so fluidly into a placid elegy like "Dollar, Dollar" is indicative of the musical range on offer here.

11. Jesu/Sun Kil Moon: S/T

Mark Kozelek's continuing retreat from conventional song structures and melodies, which has occasioned a new spurt of productivity in the last few years, apexes with this uncategorizable collaboration with guitarist Justin Broadrick of Jesu and Godflesh (already present in the Kozelek universe via Mark's description of him as a "hungry great white" on Universal Themes). It's not the most successful entry in Kozelek's ragged back catalogue, but it's certainly the weirdest, metamorphosing as it does from a sludgy black metal album to a vaguely danceable collection of slow-mo electronica about halfway through. The guitar-based pieces are jagged, sonically narrow and a bit of a distraction if you're trying to hear the lyrics, but in the latter mode, Broadrick excels at spinning dark cocoons of sound that function as ideal backdrop for Kozelek's streams of casually profound mundanity, which ebb and flow without following predictable narrative arcs. At some point, I'll need to write at length about whatever it is that moves me so deeply about Kozelek's new lyrical approach, but suffice to say that, with the leap into spoken word and absurdly specific personal anecdote, he's tapping into a level of unfiltered intimacy that reaps huge emotional dividends. That's nowhere more apparent than on album closer "Exodus," a harrowing act of empathy for grieving parents that I needed this year following the death of a close friend.


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Assistant Store Manager – ARGENTO, Derry

Closing on: Sep 27, 2021

We are currently seeking an organised, pro-active and driven Assistant Manager to join our Derry Argento store, Richmond Shopping Centre.

If you thrive on taking the lead on retail operations, inspiring a high performing team to beat their targets and provide a world-class service, then we’d love to have you join us.

This is a Temporary (Maternity Cover 6 – 9 months) full-time role, working 40 hours a week on a rotational shift basis.

The Assistant Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operational running of the store.

You will report to the Store Manager, who is responsible for the stores overall commercial success.  You will be their biggest support and be responsible for running the operational aspects of a high-performing store.

You will be responsible for the successful running and trading of the store in the absence of the Store Manager.

You will have a retail operation focus in store.  This includes stock control, store procedures, organising teams around the store to optimise sales, managing store security, team rotas and tracking the team’s sales performance.

Along with the Store Manager, you will also be responsible for supporting, coaching and motivating the in-store team to achieve the stores targets, identifying and maximising on opportunities, whilst setting the example in exemplary Argento customer service.

You will be expected to have a strong retail floor presence, managing teams presence around the store and influencing the sales space, so enjoying this environment is vital.

You will be trained thoroughly in our hand-crafted luxury product to become a Argento product expert.  You will nurture and develop the store team, to unlock their full potential and support their development.

£9.30 Per Hour

The ideal candidate will be a highly capable leader who will confidently support their team of around 10 to provide customers with an unforgettable in-store experience.

Our store teams are the ambassadors of the Argento brand.  Prior experience with a leading brand or luxury retailer is preferred.  If you are a senior Supervisor, or current
Assistant Manager looking for their next challenge then this could be the opportunity for you.

The successful candidate will have;

• Proven experience in driving sales and profitability in store
• Strong communication skills, in order to establish and coach a high-performance team
• Ability to be adaptable and flexible to changing business needs
• A positive, can-do attitude with a contagious enthusiasm for Argento product and core values
• A well-presented appearance with a taste for luxury and a passion for retail

Criteria/ Experience/ Personal attributes

•          Previous retail supervisory/management experience is essential

•          Minimum of 2 GCSE’s (or equivalent) Grade C or above in English and Maths

•          Passionate about jewellery and customer service

•          Understanding of store targets and the drivers behind them

•          Sound judgement with confident decision-making

•          Ability to implement procedural change

•          Ability to coach and give feedback effectively and honestly

•          Ability to adapt to frequent change and a high-pressure environment

•          Experience in the use of Microsoft office packages and EPOS systems

•          Well presented with a positive, pro-active and professional approach

•          5 GCSEs (or equivalent) including Maths and English Grade C or above

Our generous benefits package including;

• A highly competitive salary and bonus potential
• Generous 50% employee discount on all Argento product
• Auto-enrolment pension scheme
• Incentives throughout the year

• Opportunities to progress within the Company

If you are looking for a new challenge and feel you have the relevant experience, then we’d love to hear from you!

To apply please send a copy of your CV and Cover Letter to or drop one into the store today!

Apply for this position

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Question: Does Banana Shake Make You Fat?

Is Banana Shake good for skin?

Moisturizes the Skin and Help It Glow – Being a great natural moisturizer, the vitamin A content present in the banana restores the lost skin moisture and helps in repairing the damaged, dull and dry skin..

What are the disadvantages of banana?

Bananas are a sugary fruit, so eating too many and not maintaining proper dental hygiene practices can lead to tooth decay. They also do not contain enough fat or protein to be a healthy meal on their own, or an effective post-workout snack. Eating bananas becomes significantly risky only if you eat too many.

Does banana cause weight gain?

Bananas are high on potassium, so they help in lowering blood pressure as well. Rich in macronutrients magnesium, calcium and folate, bananas are nutritionally healing and should be consumed without any fear of gaining weight.”

Is Banana Shake bad for health?

DISTURBS DIGESTION: According to studies, consuming banana and milk together not only disturbs our digestive system as it is heavy but also disrupts our sinus. This leads sinus congestion, cold & cough and other allergies like rashes on the body.

Which fruit is best for weight loss?

Here are 11 of the best fruits to eat for weight loss.Grapefruit. Share on Pinterest. … Apples. Apples are low in calories and high in fiber, with 116 calories and 5.4 grams of fiber per large fruit (223 grams) ( 1 ). … Berries. Berries are low-calorie nutrient powerhouses. … Stone Fruits. … Passion Fruit. … Rhubarb. … Kiwifruit. … Melons.More items…•

Can I drink banana shake empty stomach?

Best known as a super-food, banana satiates hunger and is good for digestion. Bananas contain high amounts of magnesium and potassium and when eaten empty stomach, can imbalance magnesium and potassium levels in our blood.

Can banana and milk make you fat?

May contribute to weight gain While both ingredients are fine in moderation, enjoying multiple servings of bananas and milk each day can cause your calorie intake to start stacking up quickly. Without making other adjustments to your diet, this may contribute to increased weight gain over time ( 9 ).

What are the 5 foods that burn belly fat?

Eight Delicious Foods That Help Fight Belly FatBelly Fat-Fighting Foods.Avocados.Bananas.Yogurt.Berries.Chocolate Skim Milk.Green Tea.Citrus. Supermarket shocker: Vitamin C in colorful produce, like oranges and red peppers can help you zap up to 30 percent more fat during exercise, research from Arizona State University at Mesa suggests.More items…•

Is 2 bananas a day too much?

Too much of any single food may contribute to weight gain and nutrient deficiencies. One to two bananas per day is considered a moderate intake for most healthy people. Be sure to eat this fruit as part of a balanced diet that provides all the nutrients your body needs.

Do bananas make you gain belly fat?

Bananas: Though high in calories, bananas are a great flat belly fruit. Bananas are rich in healthy fibers that help curb appetite and make the body burn fat. The indigestible fibers that are present in bananas, or a resistant starch, block the carbohydrates from being absorbed by the body.

Can we drink banana shake at night?

The minerals found in a banana have been shown to have muscle relaxant as well as mood stabilizer effects; simply put, this yellow fruit helps give you a good night’s sleep. However, having a banana before bed is not the only food or drink that can help you have a restful sleep.

How can I lose tummy fat fast?

8 Ways to Lose Belly Fat and Live a Healthier LifeTry curbing carbs instead of fats. … Think eating plan, not diet. … Keep moving. … Lift weights. … Become a label reader. … Move away from processed foods. … Focus on the way your clothes fit more than reading a scale. … Hang out with health-focused friends.

What are the 3 foods to never eat?

20 Foods That Are Bad for Your HealthSugary drinks. Added sugar is one of the worst ingredients in the modern diet. … Most pizzas. Pizza is one of the world’s most popular junk foods. … White bread. … Most fruit juices. … Sweetened breakfast cereals. … Fried, grilled, or broiled food. … Pastries, cookies, and cakes. … French fries and potato chips.More items…•

Does milk make you fat?

We now know that this isn’t the case. The creation of low fat and no fat dairy products has further added to the belief that dairy foods are fattening. But research shows that having enough milk, yoghurt and cheese every day, as part of a healthy diet, is not linked to weight gain.

Is Banana Shake good for weight loss?

For those trying to lose weight, banana shakes can still be enjoyed as long as you limit the content of high calorie, high fat ingredients and make sure to enjoy them as part of an overall healthy diet. The only ones who should truly avoid banana shakes are those with a banana allergy.


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Archives for posts with tag: Silent Professor

IN CLASSIC FASHION, the buried do not stay that way.

That’s the thing about Dead Sir that I forgot to mention, though I can’t imagine who was fooled. Easy enough to hack extra-matter away and dump it in the deep; harder to keep it down there when it wants to come back up and you didn’t want to let it go in the first place.

You know the classic scene: a fisherman alone in his boat, motoring across the still waters at dusk, hoping for a dinner catch before midnight, comes across a finger with a wring, a blue hand, a mealy wrist with a still-ticking watch, an arm that doesn’t stop there …

The two bodies are soon bunched into the middle of his boat, weighing it down, and he’s speeding back to shore.

Less classic about the scene in our case is that this particular fisherman went looking for them directly, rather than finding them by guileless accident while actually fishing for, say, fish.

This is his racket: he hauls up what we cast off, gone soft and slimy in Dead Sir, and brings it back to Dodge City to sell.

Guilty abandoners and regretful onetime stewards that we are, we buy it back every time.

He doesn’t sell any other type of fish. Anyone into that kind of thing around here belongs in a grocery store several towns away.

When he brings them in they look like Joseph Beuys in Siberia, wrapped in wolf-fat and fur, or by wolves in man-fat and skin, depending on your version. I’ll always remember where and who I was when I first got told about Beuys going down in his fighter jet or bomber or scout plane over the ice flats or steppe or tundra, in WWII I believe, and being nurtured there in the wild for a good decade by wolves before returning to Germany as a kind of transhuman maniac superhero to take the Art World by storm.

Which is not to say that Face & Star Simpson are galvanized on this level; just that their blocks of fat are similar (that’s where I got the idea).

The fat is translucent, like aspic, so the inward-warping bodies can be observed, in some slow rotation, a churn. I stop in to check them out. I wonder if the material has grown out of their bodies in autoimmune response to the Dead Sir environment, or accreted from that environment onto them, like simple pond scum.

They sit in the shop a few days and nights, on ice and sprayed with the fish-mist hose every hour, but, still …

They start to stink and then it’s someone’s idea to invite them to Thanksgiving. “They’re all alone,” is the reasoning, common enough this time of year.

There’s agreement in town.

So the call to the fisherman is made and Face & Star Simpson are ordered up, either as guests or as entrees.

THIS TIME LAST YEAR I lived in a house, but now that I’m back at the Hotel, the Function Room downstairs is home to the only dinner I’m likely to find out about.

Various guests — Big Pharmakos, Professor Dalton, the Silent Professor, Gottfried Benn, whoever else — arrive in stages, the best ones toward the middle.

Amongst us is the baby sired by Stokoe Drifter in that old guy Murph’s protruding intestine a few weeks back. Some stand-in parent types bring it in, done up in a onesie, and let us know they’ve named it Ferttle.

We lean our heads into the baby’s POV, trying not to telegraph our disgust at its Origin Scene, since, we know, the facts of one’s parentage are no one’s fault.

Ferttle, at this point, may be the Only Child in Dodge City. I forget what happened to the last one.

We all sit, palming nuts and sesame sticks, beers, waiting for the two Dead-Sir-flavored-fat-blocks to arrive.

I don’t know if I should admit to this group that Face & Star Simpson started out as characters of mine, sideliners in what was and is maybe still known as ANGEL HOUSE.

A bout of thinking, another beer, some olives, and I’ve decided not to. Let someone else or the world at large claim them.

THEY ARRIVE. Someone signs the fisherman’s order sheet, scanning us with one eye to gauge by expression who’s likely to help split the bill.

I couldn’t guess what they cost, a lot or a little.

The fisherman, in his baseball cap and windbreaker, looks glad to be rid of them. He leaves in a hurry to get on with his (I’m guessing) other, tamer plans.

The Hotel staff brings in the standard Thanksgiving set, turkey and all, but the twin blocks of fat in the corner, sitting on metal ice-sculpture stands, dominate our attention.

They dominate mine anyway — enough that I can’t speak for anyone else.

I have no other appetite.

So, though I would’ve been happy not to be the first, I take up a plastic butter knife and a paper plate from the buffet table and go over to the blocks and invite a little of each onto my plate.

The slices look like those thick jiggly rice-pasta rolls you get at Dim Sum, or used to get.

They even have reddish brown roast-porklike flecks worked in.

I taste one and then the other.

It’s warm and salty, a little bloody, a little rank.

I swoon.

Others file in behind me and start slicing as well, powerless before my example.

Soon they’re swooning too. We all are.

The blocks shrink inward toward their centers; everyone stumbles around, lips greasy, jaws and gullets working hard and automatic in gross ritual.

I see someone shoving spoonfuls of it down Ferttle’s throat. The baby wails for more.

In the hustle for seconds and thirds, there is no pause for wine.

BY THE TIME IT’S OVER, we are passed out on the Function Room carpeting, the cleaning staff waiting by the door, perhaps unsure as to what they’re looking at.

Through one eye I fight to keep open, I watch the two exposed bodies stand up from their globular casing, bits of it still sticking to them. They waver on their feet, look about to tip over, and then right themselves, somehow strengthened.

They don’t look fully awake, but they zero in on the table and walk over to it, running their hands through the buffet spread.

Hands is an overstatement: the ends of their arms are worn down to tips or caps, and the arms themselves are just lengths of generic fleshy material, like hose or tubing cut from an endless roll at a hardware store.

Dead Sir has worn them so similar I can’t tell which was which, not even along M/F lines. They could be clones. Their faces have been smoothed over, hair and eyes washed away, skin pulled taut over bones that look hollow and soft, genitals rounded out to geometric templates.

After prowling a few times around the table, they plop into adjacent chairs and haul over the cold turkey and mashed sweet potatoes by pulling the tablecloth.

The forms that were once Face & Star Simpson fall to chewing and swallowing, thighs and wings, rolls and mugs of wine.

The buffet spread diminishes. They don’t look ravenous, but they eat steadily for a long time, their sides bulging outward.

They are characters in the most basic sense now, undeveloped, free for any story that’ll have them. My stomach boils the fat down to a narcotizing punch and I pass out to the image of them splitting a pumpkin pie.

Now that Blut Branson is hard at work on his novel down in the time capsule we buried him in, everyone in town is summoning their shit back together.

Big Pharmakos announces his plans to rebuild his menagerie.

“Remember,” he starts in, “I’m still this town’s main pimp.”

To tell the truth, I’d forgotten. Or just about.

He’d been into various things in the time-peaks and -troughs of the past however long.

“I did the Silent Room for a while,” he fills us in like we’ve all been under sedation for years and years and no one thought we’d ever wake up, “but all who ever came was the Silent Professor, and no one liked not knowing what his deal was.”

The answer to the question “What was The Silent Room?” would have been found in the grassy shadows at the far back of the party tent implied by the word “Brothel,” so to speak. It was as far from being that as something could be while not being closer to being anything else.

The main thing was the Silence. That meant no talking, no giggling, japing, carousing, gaffing, singing, bellowing, belching, etc. No noise or sound of any kind. You came in, paid for your person, and off you went, across rubberized noise-canceling floorboards.

No surprise, I’m thinking, that the Silent Professor was the only taker.

“I had a few good employees,” Big Pharmakos continues, addressing what he seems to take as a group of people although, far as I can tell, it’s only me.

“But they all said the same thing. They said, ‘The Silent Professor comes into the rooms with us and just sits there, totally Silent, not moving, not looking at us, certainly not touching us … but, soon enough, we start to feel weird. Like something isn’t right, maybe physically, maybe in some other way. Like we’ve woken up wrong from naps that went on too long, you know, and we can’t tell how long we’ve been asleep or even how awake we are now, whether it’s as awake as we’re going to get or if it’s still low down on the scale of waking up, and we have a lot more still to look forward to, or to fear … ”

Then the Silent Professor would rub himself down, head to toe, with Purell (from a bottle in his suit pocket, although there was a free dispenser on the wall), then leave.

“They claimed,” here Big Pharmakos lowers his voice, “that he had something Noboru Wataya-ish about him, the whole way he made them feel in there, the whole deal he put them through after he’d paid up front to do whatever he wanted.”

There’s a collective shudder and then some, what you might call, finger food comes our way.

The curtains draw tight. The lights go down.

“Shh,” says Big Pharmakos. “Moving on … ”

I start to feel weird and don’t know why until I allow myself to suspect that the Silent Professor is behind me.

I feel confirmed in grounding what I’d hoped would not remain groundless.

The screen lights up.

There are no trailers.

After the opening salvo a title lets us know we’re watching “Dispatch From a Bag of Mucus Lost Somewhere in California.”

Whether it’s a short film or a feature I cannot yet say.

It’s images of animals being crushed in the shower.

They’re in there showering — like geese, giraffes, lizards, voles — until, all of a sudden or on cue, Big Pharmakos (or an actor portraying his better self) busts in with two big hands and a heart pumping blood and smashes the little things against the soapy tiles on the side farthest from the spigot.

It’s not as gruesome as you’d expect. He cracks them only until a nice seam opens up and then he peels their skins or shells away to reveal not gory viscera but a smaller, younger, healthier version of the same animal inside.

These renewed animals he collects in a pen. They look away from one another; it’s like they know where this is going.

It becomes clear that the film is an advertisement, or more like an informercial, for Big Pharmakos’ new venture.

The voiceover:

I won’t quote it verbatim, but it basically explains that he’s been collecting the youngest, lithest versions of all possible animals, two of each — the Ark references are neither egregious nor subtle — and is planning to put them on offer to the citizenry in what he euphemistically terms the Dodge City Latter-Day Petting Zoo.

At this Petting Zoo, customers are invited to do what they please with one animal of the pair while the other watches, in sympathy or in terror, according to personal taste.

COMING SOON! it concludes, atop a montage of showering animals, now in the shower stalls at the Petting Zoo, as if to imply that the flow of customers has already begun.

“Any questions?” Big Pharmakos asks.

“Yeah, where are the sloughed parts? You know, the old skins. You scrape ’em out of the shower or just leave ’em around or what? That’s the shit I dig.”

I picture these skins breeding slowly in a landfill along the strip of highway between Springfield, MA and Hartford, CT.

I miss Big Pharmakos’ actual answer.

“Any other questions?” he asks.

“Yeah, what’s with the title? Where was this ‘Bag of Mucus’ we were all waiting for?”

“A concession to the director.”

One eye looks a little wistful, a little wry. The other scans the audience, like what wiseass just asked me that?


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Peasant Feeding a Colt
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Creative Commons License

Peasant Feeding a Colt

Description Provenance Inscription Credit
Description Heicke was an animal and landscape painter and lithographer, born in Vienna in 1811. He studied at the art academy in that city from 1824 to 1831. After 1842 he undertook numerous sketching tours, traveling to Italy, Hungary and the Middle East. This watercolor is likely based on a scene he witnessed on one of these journeys, perhaps in Hungary. The man feeding the colt is dressed in traditional costume.
Provenance William T. Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1894, by inheritance; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Inscriptions [Signature] Lower left: J. Heicke
Credit Acquired by William T. Walters

Download Image Add to Collection Creative Commons License

ca. 1850
watercolor on paper
(Painting & Drawing)
Accession Number
H: 11 15/16 x W: 9 1/4 in. (30.4 x 23.5 cm)
Location Within Museum
Not On View

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David Huffman

Artadia Awardee

David Huffman makes paintings that stage allegories of experiences he believes are common to many people of minority ethnic background in America.  Huffman–not wanting to voice political protest overtly and inspired by comics, toys, and other popular art over traditional art symbolism–invented a crew of astronauts he calls “Traumabots” that in their early incarnations wore the rigid grins of minstrels. On their missions they searched for the inward and outward making of identity taken from them by their experience of racist society on Earth. Throughout his work, Huffman has toyed with his figures’ skin tones, which often seem to owe as much to the need to unify a painting formally as to inject a topical reference. He admits that his work owes more to formalists, such as Terry Winters and Cy Twombly, than to any artist devoted to social content.


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By Armand Cabrera

The type of painting I create is about light falling across the surface of an object. Therefore, I am reluctant to separate painting into different subject matter. Whether you are painting a nose or a tree, you are still applying a small, flat brushstroke of color and Value onto your painting surface. If you get the shape right and the value and color right, your painting will be correct.

Avoid focusing on “things” and concentrate on “shapes”.

That said…it is worth noting that there are aspects of certain subjects that bear paying closer attention. Painting the sea from life can be challenging. A beach or coastal setting can be windy, foggy, hot or cold. On a sunny day, staring at the bright sea foam can be blinding, making it difficult to judge values. The constant motion of the water forces a more thoughtful approach to design and composition.

When painting water, remember its three aspects; motion, reflectivity and transparency.

Good design will allow one of these aspects to dominate the idea with the other two playing subordinate roles. When painting the sea, the motif also determines how you paint the water. A high vantage point calls for less detail because of the large amount of area portrayed.

In order to make something look larger, you must paint less detail.

The ocean is no exception. Painting waves on a large expanse of ocean diminishes its relative size. When including coastal elements, such as cliffs or rocks, it is essential to get the size relationships correct to maintain a sense of scale.

Water has form; it occupies a three dimensional space and has weight. A cubic yard of sea water weighs close to a ton (2000lbs). Even though water changes its shape, you must still paint the light falling across its form. You should also attempt to capture its volume. People often paint seascapes as if the water has no weight or volume. The waves seem to float and the sea foam looks as light as clouds. To avoid this, mass the shapes together in much the same way you would the leaves of a tree or the grass in a field. To paint water accurately, you must paint its weight. This is what conveys its power…and results in a successful painting.

  1. Concise but clear advice in this post. There’s a good chance I will actually remember ‘less detail = larger’. Also appreciate the previous post showing a painting in sequence. Thanks for the quality content. Regards.

  2. Some very good pointers and tips. Will keep in mind ,thanks for sharing. Take care.

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The Strength of Value

Armand Cabrera

In an older post I talked about values and how important they are to the success of a painting. The arrangement and design of your values are the underlying strength for most successful pictorial compositions.

Good value foundations in your picture do more than make a strong painting; they provide a secure framework for experimentation with the other aspects of your creativity. It is the cornerstone for the complexities of brushwork, paint calligraphy, edges, motif and the other components of color. A strong  value foundation frees you from subject, allowing a more personal vision and expression to emerge in your art. It is the anchor to help you explore away from convention and cliché.

This Bob Kuhn painting exemplifies the idea of value as foundation for exploration of mood. This piece is a powerful image in black and white. The design and spotlighting of the animals, coupled with the de-emphasis of the background set the pictorial stage perfectly.

A strong value plan makes color choices easier. Good color comes from good value, and when you are careful in your value selection for a painting, the hue can be almost anything. By deciding the value plan first, the saturation for your hue choice is also easier, since only certain colors can retain their full saturation at any given spot on the value scale.

By isolating the value component of your design; you open color to be used for other aspects of your image and strengthen it in a more controlled way. Once value is established, color becomes freed up and can be used to explore mood (influential) and emotion (experiential) as another part of the unifying idea to strengthen your work.

Here is the same image; it is even more powerful in color. He has chosen to show the killing of this bull by altering the normal color of the background, the connections to his color choice are powerful for the viewer; its impact immediate, believable and emotional. A normal treatment of the environment would have created a lesser painting.

Painting by Robert Kuhn and the image copyright is held by the Robert Kuhn estate.

4 thoughts on “The Strength of Value

  1. Excellent post Armand. I have found everything you mentioned to be true during my practices. There have been so many times I couldn't get a color right, and in reality this was because I didn't have the value right.

    This Kuhn painting has some nice geometric design going on as well.

  2. Jeremy,

    Thanks, It is something I still have to check all the time myself.
    Too much focus on color hue and saturation while ignoring value can really hurt a painting.

    Bob Kuhn was a genius of design and color, add to that most of his paintings are created in acrylics.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Bob was a great artist and master of his craft. With his knowledge of anatomy, design and use of color
    he was an artist without peer.

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European Arthouse Cinema Day 2021

The European Arthouse Cinema Day is the first joint international activity of cinema exhibitors to promote European films and boost the cinema experience in collaboration with the distributors, producers and right holders. The 6th edition will take place on Sunday 14th November 2021 and is organised by the CICAE and its national associations members in partnership with Europa Cinemas.

The initiative brings the participant cinemas the opportunity to actively highlight their identity and display their European focus in terms of their programming dedicated to European films and activities in the areas of promotion and innovation, aiming at increasing audiences and circulation for these films.

The European Arthouse Cinema Day aims to become an essential cinematographic rendezvous for the audience each autumn increasing the importance and visibility of art cinemas, the work they do for film diversity and to valorise them as meeting points in local communities and their everyday commitment to championing demanding and original programming for all audiences.

Participant cinemas have complete freedom to participate at any level and to create their own programme on the condition that it includes European films. First promotional materials and some ideas or suggestions for your programme will be available in September in the download area.

Registrations for the 2021 edition are now open.


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4 inch Mini Round Wooden Embroidery Hoops Bulk Wholesale 12 Pieces

Art Cove

4 inch embroidery hoops bulk wholesale 3/8 inches wide 12 pieces per package. 4 embroidery hoops bulk are perfect for hand embroidery projects, quilting, sewing, cross stitching, ribbon, crewel, candle wicking and much more! These embroidery hoops bulk are inexpensive, lightweight and durable. They have a sanded smooth finish that makes them a joy to handle! Bulk embroidery hoops make sure your fabric is tightly secured before you start your embroidery or cross stitch. Each wood embroidery hoops bulk have metal “L" brackets with a brass screw for tightening. The L brackets to allow you to work with any desired fabric thickness and provide even tension on all fabric edges. Many of our customers use these embroidery hoops for frames. We carry mini embroidery hoops bulk 3 inch embroidery hoops are the smallest size we carry. We carry a large selection of embroidery hoops wooden and sell bulk wholesale to customers who need larger quantities. We also carry these embroidery hoops wood bulk wholesale in sizes 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,12 and 14 inches


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Jalal Vafaei

born  in Hamadan in 1982.

Jalal  began working in the cinema in 2009,

After working in various projects  as an assistant director  he become interested in film editing and continued my cinematic activities by editing a few documentary films.

01 “The White Meadows 2009” directed by Mohammad Rasoulof (as assistant director)

02 “Gesher 2010” directed by Vahid Vakilifar (as assistant custome designer)

03 “Fat Shaker 2013” directed by Mohammad Shirvani (as assistant director and underwater cameraman)

04 “Dim 2014″ directed by Adel Zamani (as editor)

05″nonplus 2015” directed by Shima Khalili (as editor)

Director’s Filmography:

” Anticlockwise “2019 the first film as a director and producer.

Jalal Vafaei's


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Did you ever think of your first internship?

How will you find your first internship and what you will look up to?
These questions are quite challenging. As it is your first internship, you are not very clear about it. There are several factors to look into before making a choice. Remember that you are doing an internship to get experience and not for the sake of doing it. Your first internship is your first step towards your passion or goal. Therefore, make sure that you are taking it up carefully. If you are having a doubt then we at the Collegebol platform are always there for a rescue. We have 5 suggestions for you to analyze as to what you should look for when it’s your first internship.

  • List down the companies: If you are looking forward to joining specific companies then you should make a list of all those companies. There is no point in applying vaguely to companies that will not satisfy your footsteps. Rather, you must know what exactly you are looking for, and accordingly, you can choose companies to apply for internships.
  • Your interest: Say if you are an accountant student and if you get an offer from a legal company to manage their admin part; would you like to take it up? The answer is NO. Therefore wisdom is looking for companies that serve your area of interest. When you apply for the internship, you must specify the role that you wish to take up. There has to be clarity in your mind about the job role that you prefer.
  • Gear up for the interview: When you have applied for the internship then there are chances that you will get a call for the interview. If you have not got a call or a message then you can initiate the conversation by mailing or calling them. Once you are called for the interview; you should see to it that you are well prepared. The interviewers will not expect you to bluff there. Hence you should keep it real as you also know that you do not have enough experience.
  • Be honest: Honesty is the key. Be sure to communicate well. Your first impression is enough to bag you for your first internship. Your body language and your voice tone will help you achieve it. Let them know that the internship is important for you not in terms of money but learning. When they give you’re the opportunity to ask questions, ask them the right one.
  • Follow up: You must ask them that by what time they will get back to you. If you have not heard from them few days after the interview then do not hesitate to give them a callback.  Your first step towards them may give you the opportunity.
Also read  5 tips to become a Photojournalist

Your first internship is very important. At times, smart and hard-working interns turn to full-time employees. Your dream of working with your passion and at your dream place may turn true. Hence, keep no stone unturned in doing so.

Have some more questions? Get in touch with the experts on our team. We are happy to help you.

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9 Best Baby Food Makers In 2021

Best Baby Food Makers
Best Baby Food Makers

Best baby food makers allow you to make any food tasty to kids and also children. As soon as your baby is older than six months and is ready for solid food, this food appliance nearly becomes a requirement. Read this article if you plan to obtain a baby mixer to blend fresh purees for your infant but do not understand where to begin!

9 Best Baby Food Makers

1. Kalorik Baby Food Maker

  • You can utilize multi-purpose baby food make for steaming, home heating, thawing, and mixing food. It can additionally decontaminate baby pacifiers.
  • A single food processing bowl can be made use of for all the functions. Blend a food item quickly after steaming it, without having to transfer it to an additional container.
  • The flexible steel blades with an effective electric motor can mix all types of food, including fruits, vegetables, and meat.
  • Defrost a frozen food thing right in the food handling bowl before steaming and also blending it.
  • The product ships with a pacifier stand to decontaminate pacifiers in the dish.

2. Nuby Mighty Blender

  • It features two blades: one for blending fruits & veggies while another for milling cereals to make gruel.
  • There is a big batch bowl to make significant amounts of baby food. You likewise obtain a tiny, solitary batch dish when you intend to make just one serving of the food.
  • The powerful motor, as well as blades, enable you to make very fine purees for infants, in addition to rugged food for older infants and also kids.
  • A cleaner basket lets you steam veggies and fruits in a microwave before refining them in the food maker.
  • The item ships have several accessories such as a measuring cup, spatula, two long feeding spoons, six food storage space cups, and a freezing tray with six storage space slots.

3. Munchkin Baby Food Grinder

  • It is a simple, easy-to-use baby food grinder that turns more relaxed food into purees without the demand for electrical power or batteries.
  • Put cooked fruits, veggies, or meat into the handling dish and turn the hand crank to grind the food right into a puree.
  • The small layout makes the food maker very portable.
  • Easy-to-clean layout. It is safe to clean on the top shelf of a dishwasher.
  • It consists of non-toxic, BPA-free plastic. It does not include phthalates, Latex, and also PVC.

4. QOOC Mini Baby Food Maker

  • It has a cpu for baby food, with four features: steaming, mixing, heating, and defrosting.
  • An accuracy blade and a practical yet silent electric motor blend smooth purees that the baby will enjoy.
  • A single processing dish can be made use of for all features.
  • The water storage tank gets constructed from stainless steel as well as immune to scaling. Plastic is BPA, lead, and also phthalate-free.
  • Auto-shutdown feature quits the steaming procedure when there is no water in the storage tank. If the processing dish gets not positioned correctly, the safety lock feature prevents water from boiling.
  • It ships with useful devices such as a gauging mug, steaming spatula, cup, and cleaning brush.

5. Maxkare Baby Food Maker

  • It is a multi-purpose baby food maker that you can utilize for various features, from steaming to mixing, using a single handling dish.
  • The food-handling dish gets designed to give even home heating and cooking of the food put within.
  • A detachable basket goes within the main bowl, thus making steaming convenient.
  • The blades mix food into various appearances, from thin purees for infants to rugged food for older kids.
  • All the materials utilized by this food maker are FDA-approved and are without BPA, lead, and phthalate.

6. Baby Brezza Glass Baby Food Maker

  • It has three-in-one functions: vapor, blend, and also heavy steam & mix. You can set the food maker to mix automatically after steaming.
  • One handling bowl for all functions eliminates the requirement to move food. The bowl gets from glass.
  • It has an extensive four cup capability as well as prepares baby food in merely 10 minutes.
  • It has simple controls and an easy-to-remove water storage tank for re-filling.
  • Since the main bowl is from glass, it is naturally without BPA and also phthalate.

7. Infanso Baby Food Maker

  • The food maker has all the characteristics for processing baby food: steaming, manually controlled slicing, blending, and auto-stirring.
  • Fill the primary dish with water, and also press the auto-clean switch. The food maker rinses itself immediately.
  • Blades let you mix a wide variety of foods. You can blend smooth purees to crude food for older toddlers and babies.
  • A safety and security lock attribute prevents the food processing bowl from working if the lid is not put correctly.
  • The food-handling bowl and the blade are dishwashing machine safe. The materials do not consist of BPA, phthalate, as well as lead.
  • An electronic control panel provides information about the features, with controls for all the features.

8. Mliter All-in-one Baby Food Maker

  • Five-in-one functions: steaming, decontaminating, blending, defrosting, and also reheating.
  • It processes a variety of foods, including fruits, veggies, and meat.
  • Digital touch controls with an LCD that provides all the essential information about the food maker’s functions.
  • A water container window makes it practical to check the water quantity within the water tank.
  • A safety lock attribute prevents the tool from working if the dish is not appropriately set. When there’s no water in the tank, the steamer shuts down instantly.
  • The food-making bowl and also blades are dishwasher safe. The water tank gets constructed from stainless steel, and it is rust-proof.
  • It is from FDA-approved products that do not contain BPA, phthalate, as well as lead.

9. Elebebe Baby Food Maker

  • Multi-purpose features. A different steaming basket lets you steam the food generally bowl.
  • You can heavy steam a wide variety of foods consisting of apples and potatoes.
  • The blade can blend food to a smooth puree or thick, coarse food. Easy-to-clean as well as maintain design.
  • Products free of BPA, phthalate, and also lead.

Find here a baby food maker-related article – Best Baby Food Makers Evaluations.


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Black & London taxi graphic cover

$ 68.50
White dotted with corall colibri cover
white checked & striped cover
mint green & blue cat cover
Yellow & three women cover
Yellowish & man with fox cover
Black & London taxi graphic cover
Black & two red wolves cover
Black & girl in mask cover
Black & sunglasses cover
Black & London phone graphic cover
Bronze & green geometrical cover
Bronze & rococo cover
Bronze & multicoloured geometric cover
Bronze & multicoloured keys cover
Bronze & orange-red bird cover
Bronze & black haired girl cover
Black dotted with Dalmata fur cover
Yellow dotted with ocelot cover
Black dotted with red fur cover
Black stitched with gray fur cover
Small messenger, bunny printed cover
Size chart (cm)
Size Height Width Length
32 x 30 x 10 cm 30 10 32


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Projects > STILLWATER: Performance Art Library and Refuge

Stillwater: Performance Art Library and Refuge, Michael Barrett, Performance Art History, Montana, Stillwater
STILLWATER: Performance Art Library and Refuge (Refuge/Sustainable living model)
Refuge and sustainable living model

I hope you will join us at STILLWATER: Performance Art Library and Refuge.

STILLWATER: Performance Art Library and Refuge is a collaborative, interdisciplinary arts education project bringing together researchers, educators, historians, and artists to pilot new approaches to performance art and conservation. The initiative was developed by Michael Barrett, Ph.D. (ABD), and aims to embrace diversity and preserve natural landscapes in all their forms. Nestled in the picturesque foothills of the Beartooth Mountains, the 10.5-acre art library and refuge is located along the Stillwater River, approximately 125 miles north of Yellowstone National Park, 45 miles west of Billings, Montana, and 8 miles from the nearest town of Columbus. It seeks to be an inclusive community that cultivates an open, enlightened, and horizontal way of being within South Central Montana, and beyond.

STILLWATER is a fiscally sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a not-for-profit arts service organization based in New York and is funded solely through generous donations from people like you. Fractured Atlas receives funding and in-kind donations on behalf of the library and refuge, and provides oversight to ensure that grant funds are used in accordance with grant agreements.

STILLWATER is remote, rough, and functions off the grid in a rural environment. Much like an art museum or archive, the research center performs as a supplement to higher education, university studios, and classrooms, to advance arts-based educational research, mentoring, and alternative land management. STILLWATER is situated among an international network for arts-based educational research, data collection, teaching collection, research database, preservation, and social justice.

STILLWATER facilities include a network of eco-friendly tiny homes and roundhouses designed with repurposed materials and alternative straw bale architecture. The small collection of habitable art installations serve as more than just a collection of text, art gallery, or studio. The library and refuge also serve as a safe place and beacon of tolerance, healing, and independence.

When needed, researchers often assume the role of caregivers, develop flexible arts-based research schedules, are available outside of the constructs of traditional business hours, and serve as hosts, mentors, or leaders. Researchers may, at times, present educational workshops, oversee community outreach programs, and contribute to inclusive curricula.
Examples include but are not limited to:
• Natural and cultural history observations.
• Contribute to the library by documenting additions to arts-based educational literature, cultural sites, and landscape features.
• Assist the reserve in determining the need for resources.
• Represent STILLWATER to the general public regarding the preserved landscape, art library, and residency program.
• Lead groups of artists and mentors in the field or direct the physical aspects of their investigations.
• Guide members of the public during outreach events such as art workshops and tours.
• Support on-site fundraising and donor relations efforts.

The extreme living and performance conditions require a hardcore level of personal integrity, including the capacity to nurture awareness among rural communities, research colleagues, and international artists. Unexpected storms, animals, avalanches, floods, wildfires, and road closures can result in isolation for lengthened periods of time. Of crucial importance is an elevated consciousness of well-being for oneself and the community, as this is vital when living and learning in a location far from emergency services or medical aid.

The residency program provides guests with space and the necessary infrastructure for investigating the parameters of performance art. The opportunity functions as a laboratory for experimentation with any medium in relationship to the topic. Guests are encouraged to perform collective research, including drawing of parallels between current performance and local cultural practices and attempt to locate them within historic, economic, sociopolitical, and aesthetic contexts. Presentations of work provide a springboard for discussion of theory, practical application, and critical thinking, in both historical and contemporary terms.

Significant questions and innovative solutions are often required during the unique residencies at STILLWATER: Performance Art Library and Refuge. The challenges often include a measure of difficulty that entails multiple people's services, and the use of site-specific/alternative materials to develop space necessary for being in the world. Affection for and support of inclusive community development, arts-based education, and land preservation are required. Research and residency positions for 2021-2022 are currently open, and inquiries are accepted on a rolling basis.

1. Survival Camp - A hardcore two-week performance art experience in the Northern Rocky Mountain Region of Montana. The curriculum includes but is not limited to field cooking, constructing shelter, water harvesting, alternative gardening, fire sciences, and eco-friendly land management.

2. Trading Post - A seasonal effort at sustaining a community of artists, homesteaders, and people in need or isolation. The concept is centered around bartering and a pay-what-you-can system. The available goods are at a minimum and include basic survival supplies such as water, toilet paper, ice, firewood, propane, etc.

3. Art Raft - A build-your-own raft and seven-mile parade experience down the Stillwater River.

Invitations and support letters for visa and grant applications are available upon request. Contact Barrett via email for more information.

Thank you! Please contact Michael Barrett, Ph.D. (ABD) via email for more information about how you can help support the arts initiative. Your generosity is very much appreciated and needed. Cheers!


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অসমীয়া ৱিকিপিডিয়াৰ পৰা
নেভিগেশ্যনলৈ যাওক সন্ধানলৈ যাওক

I am the chai-guy.

I am also interested in developing the Assamese Wikipedia.

Current projects[সম্পাদনা কৰক]

The Assamese localization is not complete on Wikipedia yet. Here are some issues I am working on.

Collation[সম্পাদনা কৰক]

Currently, Assamese is not sorted correctly on Wikipedia (and I suspect in many other platforms too). It follows the Unicode order of code points. I have created a test page to check the current status of collation here: User:Chaipau/CollationTest (in progress)

Awards[সম্পাদনা কৰক]

Goldenwiki 2.png Golden Barnstar
With much pleasure I award this Golden barnstar for the excellent efforts you are putting in to build a strong community for Assamese wikipedia. Keep up the good work. Wish you and Assamese wiki community all the best. --Shiju Alex (WMF) 10:14, 21 ফেব্ৰুৱাৰী 2012 (UTC)


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Monday, September 5, 2011

Just My Type

Hi there! I am sorry things have been so quiet here. Just taking it a bit easy I guess.

Today is a chilly, rainy day here in Pittsburgh and it was a perfect opportunity to spend a little time in my crafty studio. So I made a card for this week's Play Date Cafe Challenge. Here is this week's color story:

And here is the card I made. I have to send a smile to both Andrea and Chupa for this.. we all were on the same wavelength this week!

I also used this week's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge, but you'll see more from me in regards to that later this week. :)

The text images are from Text It and PTI's Background Basics: Newsprint. I thought it would be fun to combine different types of type! ;) The typewriter stamp and sentiment are both from MFT's Just My Type set.

And in other crafty news, a Hobby Lobby opened up in Pittsburgh this weekend! It is our first Hobby Lobby store.. I've been to others in other states and I've wished for one here. I didn't waste any time in getting there either - and it was a huge store! I picked up all kinds of goodies... Labels 18 Nesties, Five & Dime patterned paper from October Afternoon, and this! Houndstooth patterned felt!

Isn't it dreamy? I also picked up another piece that looks like tooled leather. I can't wait to go back and see what other goodies I can find.

Thanks for your visit!

STAMPS: Text It - Waltzingmouse Stamps; Background Basics: Newsprint - Papertrey Ink; Just My Type - My Favorite Things
CARDSTOCK: Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler - Stampin' Up!; Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink
INK: Jet Black Archival Ink, Old Paper Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Just My Type die - My Favorite Things; Polka Dots Embossing Folder - ProvoCraft; Circle Punch - Marvy; Sewing Machine; Button

  1. It's always good take it easy, Anya! This creation is absolutely lovely! LOVE all that texty goodness and the way you've played with circles between the buttons and your circle-embossed, cardstock spheres. Fabulous design! Oh! And I, too, LOVE Hobby Lobby! Can't wait to see what other treasures you find ;). Thanks so much for playing along with us this week at The Play Date Cafe!

  2. What a great card! Isn't Hobby Lobby just FULL of fun stuff! The felt is super :)

  3. Lucky you, getting a Hobby Lobby! I've visited them before (way before my card-making addiction, though) in Texas. Now, you're only in Pittsburgh, and I'm over here near Philly -- could you send a store our way?? ;)

    Your card is neat, Anya! You always do a wonderful design. :) Thanks for sharing your creativity with us at The Play Date CAfe!

  4. Fantastic card, Anya! Red and black, one of my favorite color combos!

    You are going to love Hobby Lobby. It's so much fun browsing through the whole store! And don't forget the coupons, in print and online.

  5. WOW!!! AMAZING work Anya!!! That felt looks FAB!!! THanks so much for joining us again at The Play Date CAfe :)

  6. That's a pretty typewriter image and card! Very beautiful red splash!

Thank you for stopping by - I love to hear from you!


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At work I can set my status to things like ‘Away From Desk’ or ‘Available’ or ‘Project’. It’s basically a way to let the bosses know what I’m doing at any point during the day and to control when phone calls can be routed to me.

Recently we got a new feature on our phone system…The ability to set your status, then type a note that describes exactly what you’re doing. The best part is that the note is then displayed next to your status for the whole company to see.

I’m sure you all know where I’m going with this.

I was just having a conversation with another coworker regarding this new feature. I was telling him that whenever I put myself in ‘Away From Desk’ I’m tempted to make my status note ‘Gotta pee’ or ‘I drank a lot of coffee’, regardless of what I’m actually doing. Of course, he couldn’t just leave it at that. He suggested ‘Dropping a deuce’.  Other people got involved and the list of possible status notes ended up including:

Dropping the kids off at the pool

Doing a crossword

Pinching off a loaf

Dropping a bomb

Fumigating the bathroom

Deep knee bends

Making room for desert

Putting the ol’ eight-ball in the hole

(I didn’t understand a couple of them, either…)

So a simple comment about our new status messages lead to a discussion about pooping.  I’d say that’s definitely a work-appropriate topic.


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Fiji’s covid navy cluster still rises as nation records 28 new cases

Voreqe Bainimarama
Fiji PM Voreqe Bainimarama visiting the covid-19 testing facility in Suva when it opened in April. Image: Facebook/Fiji govt

RNZ Pacific

Fijian authorities have confirmed 28 new cases of Covid-19, taking the total number of active cases to 349.

The Ministry of Health said last night that 23 of the latest count were linked to existing clusters with 16 of them from the Navy, two from Nawaka, Nadi – one from the main hospital in the capital Suva and four from the anti-corruption commission.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong reassured the public that new cases were not military or health care workers currently engaged in community surveillance and testing.

The remaining cases include three close contacts of a case under investigation from Caubati near Suva that was announced on on Tuesday.

One case is under investigation with no known links to other cases at this stage, Dr Fong said.

The other case from Navosai, Narere was tested at the Valelevu Health Centre in Nasinu with symptoms, and an investigation is underway into any links between this case and other cases.

Dr Fong said the Colonial War Memorial (CWMH) Hospital in the capital Suva continued to operate as authorities analyse how best to secure the facility and still provide medical services to the 300,000 members of Fiji’s population it services.

Extensive swabbing
He said extensive swabbing was conducted at the hospital, and had revealed over a dozen positive cases.

“We are still in the process of evaluating the data, and the results of testing will determine the best way to secure CWMH while continuing to safely provide medical services to Fijians who access health services at the hospital,” he said.

“While emergency services, inpatient paediatrics and obstetrics services continue at CWMH, the hospital has shut down outpatient and special outpatient services as well as the Acute Medical Ward, Acute Surgical Ward and the paying wards; Beqa and ANZ.

“The Maternity Ward and Children’s Wing have developed stringent screening areas in the Antenatal Clinic area and the Children’s Outpatient Department for patients requiring urgent admission.

“All access to and from other parts of the hospital has been closed off to the Maternity and Children’s Wing. CWMH contingency plans for emergency scenarios have been finalised.”

The nearest major hospital on Viti Levu is in Lautoka, four hours away by road.

“We want to reassure the public that all the medical and security forces who have turned positive are not part of the public health team directly engaging the public in our containment and community surveillance programs.”

Navy cluster fastest-growing
The ministry said more than 300 people in Fiji were carrying the Delta variant, first detected in India, and one of the fastest rising clusters was the naval division.

The navy cluster began when an officer contracted the virus at a funeral and later infected members off his ship.

This cluster continues to grow with 31 more cases this week alone, and concerns have been raised over one of the new cases announced earlier from Lami Town near the capital, which had previously been covid-19 free and is located outside of the containment zone.

Lami is now the start of a large containment zone which stretches through the capital Suva, through Nasinu and Nausori towns. That area is home to 300,000 people.

In the Western Division, Nadi Town and Lautoka City have also become one large containment zone.

Earlier, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said that areas with known covid cases (red zones) would become small containment areas where government teams could operate.

“We simply must be able to contain this virus without shutting down large parts of the country again.

‘Stop it in its tracks’
“We have accumulated a lot of knowledge about how this virus is spreading in our country and are going to put that knowledge to work not just to stop it in its tracks but also to recommence economic activity.

“From now the establishment of specific locked areas and teams made up of the ministry of health and medical services, RFMF and Fiji Police sweeping across suburbs and localities in high risk zones screening and swabbing will be a major part of the targeted surgical approach.”

Dr Fong said the increase in cases highlights the point: ‘no country is safe until every country is safe’ and he said for Fiji, “nowhere was safe until everywhere was safe.”

In response to community antagonism particularly after previously Covid-19 towns were reopened, Dr Fong said there was no “us against them” and said not having cases was not indication people were safe.

Contact tracing underway in Fiji.
Contact tracing underway in Fiji. Image: Facebook/Fiji govt

On Wednesday, a high chief in Nadi criticised the Health Ministry’s decision to relocate people in quarantine to their province from the Central Division.

The ministry had said last week that primary or close contacts of cases that tested negative on their entry and fourth-day tests were to serve the rest of their 14-day quarantine in Nadi.

However, since the local transmission of covid-19 cases began from a quarantine facility in Nadi, Tui Nadi Ratu Vuniyani Navuniuci said there was no guarantee another quarantine facility breach would not occur.

‘Not Suva against Nadi’
But Dr Fong said: “it is not Suva against Nadi or other parts of Fiji. We are all in this together and we must combine our resources to stop the virus where we know it is spreading.”

“In the same vein, as our operations move on we will need to create more quarantine and isolation facilities. I ask that the general public help us by accepting these facilities in or near their communities and understand that these facilities are safe.

“They are carefully controlled and pose no danger. Quarantine and isolation facilities are a necessary part of our battle to be covid-contained, and we need them.”

Dr Fong said the ministry’s strategy was unchanged and was focussed on finding the active cases, locate their contacts and reduce the unnecessary movement within the containment zones – with the emphasis on covid-safe behaviour.

“Our capacity to stop this virus is really in the hands of every Fijian. It only works if the people act with extreme caution and follow the recommended protocols.”

Fiji has recorded 536 cases since March 2020, 466 from the current outbreak which began in April while 349 patients remain infected with covid-19.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

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text:
an NFSA website

All titles in the ‘Melodrama’ genre

37 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year

The Alice television program – 2004

A disparate group of people are heading for the outback to watch a solar eclipse. Strange things begin to happen as their fates entwine.

Australia feature film – 2008

Three outsiders – an aristocrat, a stockman and a vulnerable child – are set against the malevolent forces of greedy neighbours, a world war and assimilationist policy.

Bellbird television program – 1970

Australia’s first successful national weekly serial, dealing with the lives and loves of ordinary people in a small country town.

Bit of Black Business – Too Late short film – 2007

Ben arrives home late to find his wife not talking to him and his son ignoring him. His pleas for forgiveness fall on deaf ears, and he uncovers a shocking truth.

The Breaking of the Drought feature film – 1920

An outback family faces ruin through drought and a son corrupted by life in the big city.

Brother short film – 1999

The biography of a brother, his cigarette butts, asthma and head lice.

Careful He Might Hear You feature film – 1983

In Sydney in the 1930s, two sisters fight for custody of a six-year-old boy.

The Cheaters (silent) feature film – 1929

Paula Marsh decides to end her career as a thief after falling in love with Lee Travers, son of a wealthy businessman.

The Cheaters (sound version) feature film – 1931

Paula Marsh decides to end her career as a thief after falling in love with Lee Travers, son of a wealthy businessman.

The Combination feature film – 2009

After serving a jail term a young Lebanese Australian man struggles to stop his wild younger brother from making the mistakes that he made.

Cousin short film – 1998

The biography of a cousin, his special arm, pet rocks and shopping trolley.

The Dirtwater Dynasty television program – 1988

In this 1980s epic production from the Kennedy Miller stable, Richard Eastwick, born in a London slum, dreams of establishing a family dynasty.

The Far Paradise feature film – 1928

Despite their love for each other, family loyalties keep Cherry Carson and Peter Lawton apart until Cherry learns the truth about her father’s past.

For the Honour of Australia feature film – 1916

War melodrama about two brothers in 1915: one joins the navy, the other discovers a German spy ring in Australia and is saved after the Sydney batters the Emden.

For the Term of His Natural Life feature film – 1927

The use of locations, particularly Port Arthur, is probably the film’s strongest asset, lending both veracity and visual impact. The other real strength of the film is its confident use of special effects.

The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant television program – 2004

An epic period adventure, full of swash and buckle, sweeping landscapes, high seas and romance.

Into the Straight feature film – 1949

Australian horse breeder WJ Curzon hires British trainer Hugh Duncan and his playboy son Paul. Father and son are both attracted to JW’s daughter, June.

La Poule aux Oeufs d’Or short film – 1905

A fable of wealth and greed leads to disaster for a farmer and his wife. The Corrick family entertainers incorporated this early French film into their touring show.

Lovers and Luggers feature film – 1937

This entertaining film is packed with action, romance and comedy — the cocktail Ken G Hall’s usually offers — but also sophistication.

Lucinda Brayford television program – 1980

Wendy Hughes, Sam Neill, Carol Burns and Barry Quin feature in the saga of an Australian heiress who marries into British aristocracy.

The Man from Kangaroo feature film – 1919

John Harland, a bush parson, is dismissed from his job for teaching children how to box. Harland moves to another town, where he combats ruffians and rescues his girlfriend from a forced marriage.

McLeod’s Daughters television program – 1996

The McLeod’s Daughters telemovie about independent women running a rural Australian property inspired the later successful TV series.

More Winners – The Journey television program – 1990

On an isolated Tasmanian mountain, 12-year-old Ada lives with her wealthy father Justus. Housekeeper Martha is plotting to secure the family fortune for herself.

Romeo + Juliet feature film – 1996

Baz Luhrmann’s radical update of Romeo + Juliet boldly shattered conventional wisdom that said Shakespeare as he wrote it would never appeal to a mass audience.

The Shiralee television program – 1987

This miniseries was made during the golden decade of television drama. Its magic lies in the chemistry of Bryan Brown and Rebecca Smart.

Shirley Thompson versus the Aliens feature film – 1972

Maverick filmmaker Jim Sharman’s first film is unique – an engaging potpourri of sci-fi, rock’n'roll, anarchic comedy and psychological drama.

The Silence of Dean Maitland feature film – 1934

Renowned filmmaker Ken G Hall was concerned that this film would incite religious anger, but it was a smash hit instead.

The Squatter’s Daughter feature film – 1933

Flammable nitrate film fed the fires in the spectacular bushfire finale to Ken G Hall’s The Squatter’s Daughter. The fires rapidly got out of control during filming but no one was hurt.

The Sullivans – On the Brink of War television program – 1976

The first four episodes of the long-running hit series cover the period leading up to the declaration of the Second World War in Australia on 3 September 1939.

Sunshine Sally feature film – 1922

The working-class Sally falls in love with the adopted son of wealthy parents from whom she was kidnapped as a child.

Tall Timbers feature film – 1937

The finale, in which a whole hillside of trees are felled, was shot as a miniature in the studio after repeated attempts on location.

Thoroughbred feature film – 1936

The ending of this film led to allegations of plagiarism, because it was almost identical to the 1934 film, Broadway Bill.

Those Who Love feature film – 1926

Barry Manton marries Lola Quayle, a dancer from a humble background. Lola faces an uphill battle for acceptance from Barry’s wealthy parents.

Uncle short film – 1996

The biography of a humble man, his lemon tree, chihuahua and crumpets.

Winner Take All – Downside Risk television program – 1982

An ABC TV series about the fast-paced world of big business, Winner Take All is an early ‘80s time capsule.

The Woman Suffers feature film – 1918

This has been called ‘Australia’s first feminist feature’ but many of its female characters are ruined by men, a common theme in melodrama.

A World to Conquer short film – 1956

In this amateur science-fiction short, an alien surveillance camera lands in a man’s backyard, but his wife does not believe him.


text: Alexandra Gătej received a bachelor’s degree in Economics at the Wharton University, USA. She also has a degree in cybernetics from the Cybernetics Department of the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies. In 2011 Mrs. Alexandra Gătej was elected President of AmCham for two terms by a representative part of the business environment in Romania, acknowledging her qualities as a business interlocutor, but also making her one of the most important voices heard by the Romanian administration in their dialogue with other stakeholders. Alexandra Gătej is today the CEO of public affairs at Maldon&Wat, uniquely positioned to combine a profound business experience with high level exposure to the public administration in Romania gathered during her mandate as Economic Advisor for the President of Romania (2009 – 2010), as well as during her serving as Chairman for Unilever South Central Europe (2004-2009).


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Home Advice The Active Man’s Gift Guide for Perfect Christmas Presents

The Active Man’s Gift Guide for Perfect Christmas Presents

The questions have already begun from the important people in my life – what do you want for Christmas?  It’s always hard each year for people to buy for me because I have such a busy life and spend so much time travelling so I don’t have a house full of gadgets and equipment.  But there are things that I would use and appreciate so if you are searching for the perfect gift for someone like me, here is some inspiration.

20161129 192155 1024x576 - The Active Man's Gift Guide for Perfect Christmas Presents

Keeping time

While many of us use our smartphones to keep time, I still think you can’t go past a good watch.  Casio is one of the classic names in watchmaking and this year they have released two new models that I would love to own because they have the kind of features that I would use.

The Casio EDIFICE EQB500 is a connected watch with bluetooth for when you travel to another time zone as it simultaneously displays your current and home times – you never accidentally ring someone at 3am with this watch!  It allows you to keep accurate timekeeping regardless where you visit and uses Bluetooth technology to connect to the Casio app via your smartphone.  Another huge benefit is that it charges through solar power and has a battery life of seven months, so there’s little risk it will run out when you are far away from a replacement battery shop.  Impressive additional features are the power save mode, phone finder function, a 3D dial and water resistance up to 100 meters.

watch 1024x576 - The Active Man's Gift Guide for Perfect Christmas Presents

Where to buy: Fred Meyer Jewelers

Price: $380.00

The other model that has caught my eye is the EDIFICE EQB600 that makes use of the 3D Globe Dial.  This means it rotates one a day with the movement of the Earth so the wearer can see the time where they are and also in their home city.  This connected watch also makes use of the Casino Mobile Link Technology that pairs it with a smartphone through the dedicated app and ensures that time zone information is always accurate, adjusting alarms and even correcting for daylight savings.  It too uses solar power for batter charging and is water resistant up to 100 meters.

Keeping fit

When you travel a lot, fitness sometimes is something that takes a backseat.  It usually comes into focus when training for an event or perhaps when you realize that you have over indulged.  A good quality fitness tracker is something I would definitely buy but sometimes the current products are a bit limited.

Wearable Wellness Tracker

The Wearable Wellness Tracker from Spire offers more than just a step count or a sleep tally – it is a trainer for mindful living and uses a variety of measurements to hep suggests alterations to life to assist with stress management and mindfulness in addition to being an activity tracker.  It can help suggest breathing exercises and meditation routines to allow you to become more focused while also getting the most from your activity.  It even learns to prepare for stressful events and helps you take steps to counter them.  it is integrated with the Apple Health App and can work with Apple Watch.

If this sounds like the perfect present for the active man in your life, click this link to receive an exclusive $10 voucher.

20161129 193151 1024x576 - The Active Man's Gift Guide for Perfect Christmas Presents

Where to buy: Spire

Price: $99.95 ($10 off when you purchase Spire at the link above)

2(X)IST Men’s Activewear – Mesh Short & Tank

When I do get myself organized to do activity, then wearing the right gear is an important step.  The Mesh Short and Tank from 2(X)IST Men’s Activewear is a great way to stop sweat building up against the skin and causing discomfort.  The moisture wicking design of the fabric used in these clothes can be game changing for your performance but are also supportive and comfortable to wear when relaxing so great even for those who don’t undertake any specific activity.

2xist 1024x683 - The Active Man's Gift Guide for Perfect Christmas Presents

Where to Buy: 2xist

Price: Depends on item

Keeping stylish

At one time, men’s grooming products were a bit limited but the modern man likes to smell nice, have nice skin and styled hair.  Old Spice is a brand that has been around for some 80 years and have moved with the times in terms of the products that they offer.  These also make great stocking stuffers.

Hair pomade

Old Spice offer a number of hair products including their pomade, paste and putty that allow guys to style their hair as they prefer.  Offering moderate hold and a low shine finish, the Pomade styles hair but allows it to be easily reworked if the occasion requires it.

20161129 192438 1024x576 - The Active Man's Gift Guide for Perfect Christmas Presents

Sweat Defense

Regardless of the activity (or inactivity), our bodies still sweat and therefore having a good product to defend against this is something every guy wants for Christmas.  The Sweat Defense Anti-Perspirant from Old Spice is one of the top products for longer and stronger sweat protection, keeping you comfortable and dry all day long.

In fact, the figures don’t lie – it gives 20% better performance versus similar products and delivers a 66% reduction in sweat.  It uses the brand’s BCD technology to lock away bad odors and comes in several new scents including Lasting Legend and Extra Fresh so there is a scent to suit all tastes.

Where to buy: Old Spice

Price: Depends on item

Buy those Christmas gifts for guys like me can be tricky, I know, but by going with quality brands and innovative products that offer the facilities and features that we use, you will be sure to have a hit.  But whatever you give, the gift is always appreciated, as is your love and affection.  Have a great Christmas!

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Home Health Liquid Edibles – Drinks and Food Infused with CBD

Liquid Edibles – Drinks and Food Infused with CBD

Liquid Edibles – Drinks and Food Infused with CBD
Photo by Justin Aikin on Unsplash

Many players in the food industry have been caught up in the CBD buzz and for a good reason. CBD has many health benefits when infused in foods and drinks. Greenwave Advisors predict that by the end of 2021, foods infused with CBD may become a three-billion dollar industry. The trend shows that the CBD foods and drinks industry can grow by about $200 billion annually.

CBD enthusiasts believe it can help with various situations, including behavioral issues, joint pain, sleep disorders, and stress, among others. Feel like you want to spike your food with CBD? Here’s what to know about CBD before infusing it into your drink and food

What is CBD?

CBD stands for Cannabidiol. It is one of the compounds that the cannabis plant contains. CBD is nonintoxicating, contrary to the general belief that it is as intoxicating as marijuana. CBD is usually extracted from cannabis in oil form, often called Cannabidiol oil or simply CBD oil.

CBD is a tetrahydrocannabinol product that humans have used for several years. Apart from ingesting CBD oil, people have found creative ways of consuming this compound, such as infusing it in foods and drinks. Research is also ongoing to develop CBD cosmetics and CBD drugs to manage some health problems.

Another popular cannabinoid is THC, though it’s not prevalent in the food and drinks industry because it has psychoactive effects.

Will it make me high?

crystalweed cannabis nFumIdf3IHE unsplash 1024x683 - Liquid Edibles – Drinks and Food Infused with CBD
Photo by CRYSTALWEED cannabis on Unsplash

The short answer is ‘No.’ CBD only has calming effects associated with the use of marijuana. CBD lacks THC, meaning it has no psychoactive effects. You won’t feel high after consuming CBD in any form. It is the THC in cannabis makes it to cause hallucinations and the ‘high’ feeling. The calming effect of CBD makes it suitable for use to relieve stress, insomnia, and other behavioral issues.

Many preliminary studies on how CBD affects humans have shown that this product works best to manage insomnia and anxiety. Some other independent studies have also shown that it has anti-depressant, antipsychoactive, anti-catabolic, and anti-inflammatory qualities.

FDA regulation of CBD

The US FDA approved Cannabidiol products. However, a lot of research is still going on to back this decision. FDA forbids manufacturers from adding drugs to foods and drinks, though there are exceptions in some states. For example, in New York, the federal authorities have banned the addition of Cannabidiol into food and beverages. Before you infuse CBD into foods and drinks, find out whether it is allowed in your state. In the UK,
CBD is legal, provided it is extracted from the cannabis plant and doesn’t contain more than 0.2% THC.

Benefits of CBD oil

CBD isn’t like the many health supplements that science busts almost daily. Scientific studies show that CBD is effective in many health applications. Those who’ve used this product also testify about its efficacy. Here are some undisputed benefits of CBD.

Can Help With Seizures

FDA approved the use of CBD-based drug EPIDIOLEX® to combat seizures in 2018. however, this drug should not be used by children below two years. Many people who have used CBD against seizures have also testified that it’s effective.

CBD As a Painkiller

CBD can be used as an alternative to the many painkillers in the market today. It works magic when it comes to pain management. CBD reduces inflammation and pain by acting on the many cannabinoid receptors found nearly everywhere in the human body. CBD can treat chronic pains that result from fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, HIV, or arthritis.

Some studies have shown that when you each CBD infused foods/drinks, your chances of developing diabetes will be lower. One study conducted on some mice showed that a group of mice that consumed CBD were less likely to develop diabetes than their counterparts that never took CBD. Other conditions that CBD can help with include:

  • Schizophrenia
  • Appetite and Nausea
  • Substance Abuse Disorders
  • Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Neurodegenerative Diseases
  • Bone Health
  • Heart Health
  • Antibacterial Activity
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease
  • Autoimmunity and Inflammation conditions

How To Infuse CBD in Your Drinks and Food

crystalweed cannabis rLR4smahG2Q unsplash 1024x683 - Liquid Edibles – Drinks and Food Infused with CBD
Photo by CRYSTALWEED cannabis on Unsplash

CBD is safe to use, and it’s upon you to find the most creative ways to infuse it into your foods and drinks. Any CBD oil that you use should be sourced from a reliable supplier. That’s the only way you can be sure it’s of the highest quality.

If you had never used CBD before, start small. You can begin by using a small amount of CBD oil in cooking. CBD works well with recipes containing some fat (butter, oil, etc.).

Add just a few drops of the oil to your baking, butter, coconut oil, smoothies, or salad dressings. The most significant advantage of CBD oil is that it can be added to nearly all recipes. However, it’s not supposed to be heated directly. Overheating will reduce its effectiveness.

Use water-soluble CBD when adding to drinks; otherwise, the CBD oil will come to the surface and not be infused.

Many researchers have proved that CBD is safe to use and has no diverse side effects. It has many health benefits which you can enjoy by using it correctly. Adding this product to your foods and drinks is the best way to use it. CBD won’t make you feel high because it lacks THC. This means CBD doesn’t lead to addiction. When you are buying CBD or its related products, do so only from reliable and trusted suppliers. There and many fraudulent suppliers that are only after your hard-earned money but will give you substandard CBD.

Featured Photo by Justin Aikin on Unsplash

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