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amyscascadingtabs · 3 years

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the way you keep the world at bay for me

post-the set up, a.k.a jake taking care of hungover amy, hungover amy taking care of sad jake, and mac caring mostly about himself because he’s a baby 😌

read on ao3

Jake doesn't get a lot of sleep that night, and for once, it's not even Mac’s fault. It's not even due to the pizza parlor simulator game either, although he does play a couple of rounds when Amy's finally snoring next to him after ranting to herself about the babysitter’s club for a solid ten minutes, but not even that can fully distract him from the dull sense of doom that's made itself at home deep in his chest.

This is bad. Holt wants to see him tomorrow, and Jake knows there will be consequences. There has to be. There should be. He made a mistake, and he's going to get punished for it, and there is nothing he can do but accept his defeat. He already knows what he has to do; the nerve-wracking thing is the fact that it's still hours away, and his brain is spinning too fast for sleep.

He really wishes he could talk to Amy. She's sleeping on her stomach with her mouth open, arms straight out to the sides like she’s trying to push him out of bed, but he still can’t be mad at her. He hasn’t seen her this drunk since before she got pregnant, and he’s seriously worried about the hangover she’ll be sporting tomorrow, but he also knows she did it for him. Because they’re a team. Because she trusts him, sometimes even when it turns out he was wrong.

He wrongfully arrested someone. The sentence keeps repeating in his head, appears pasted in bold font on the inside of his eyelids if he tries to go to sleep, and displayed in luminescent letters on the ceiling of his bedroom when he gives up and opens his eyes again. He should have known better, has learned his lesson time and time again since his early days of constantly glorifying his job and letting his impulsivity get the best of him, and he still made a mistake.

He just wants someone to tell him it doesn’t make him a bad person. If only Amy wasn’t so drunk he’s scared to wake her up right now, Charles wasn’t so devotedly biased in all questions involving Jake’s role as a detective, and Mac wasn’t, well… so completely unable to grasp any of the concepts involved in the question.

Amy lets out another mighty drunken snore, and Jake hopes she will consider it a testament to his love for her that he doesn’t voice record it. He turns his head instead and picks up his phone to go back to the pizza game. Maybe just a few more virtual customers will be able to lure him to sleep.

He must have fallen asleep eventually, because when Mac does start babbling to himself over the monitor, the morning sun is shining through the windows, and Amy’s stopped snoring. She’s only moaning uncomfortably to herself now, and Jake’s guessing from her strained grimace that the headache has kicked in hard.

“I’ll get you coffee and aspirin as soon as I’ve checked on Mac,” he whispers to her with a kiss to her neck, and he thinks he sees the hint of a smile as she reaches out for him in what’s probably an attempt of a pat on the back, but ends up more of an unintentional slap to his butt. Or maybe she’s still drunk, and it is intentional. It’s hard to tell.

Mac may have no clue about what’s currently going on with Jake, but at least it’s impossible not to smile when he hauls himself up and rocks back and forth on unsteady feet in excitement over the fact that someone’s coming to get him. He greets Jake with that wide grin that shows off all of his four teeth – two up and two down, and they’ve kept everyone up at night for weeks, but they’re so pearly white and cute so maybe it was worth it – and a laugh that’s been Jake’s favorite sound on Earth since the first time he heard it.

“Good morning, bud,” Jake tells his son as he lifts him up in his arms. “What do you say we get you a bottle and mama some coffee? Hmm?”

“Bah,” Mac repeats. Jake decides to give him the benefit of the doubt and say it means he agrees on the bottle.

“Bottle, exactly. You're so smart,” he says, booping his little nose and smiling as it makes Mac giggle. “Let's try another one. Dada.”

There's a tense moment of them both just staring at each other, and then finally, his son goes,

“Bah.”

“One day,” Jake says with a sigh as he carries Mac out of the nursery. “As long as you say me first, okay? We’ll get there. We’ll practice.”

He puts Mac in the high chair while he tries his best to work the coffee machine and the bottle warmer at the same time. It's trickier than to be expected on almost no sleep, but at least he manages to pour the breast milk from the freezer bag into the bottle and not into his coffee this time. He's only made that mistake once (fine, maybe twice, and he kind of liked how sweet it tasted but he's never gonna tell anyone), but he suspects Amy's never gonna let him live it down. He gets Aspirin from the medicine cabinet while he waits, and puts a couple of slices of toast in the toaster. His own day feels already pretty much beyond saving, but at least maybe he can improve Amy's.

Though, when she stumbles out of the bedroom, still in her pajamas with her huge glasses and hair on end and looking like she's either seconds from being sick or going straight back to sleep, he worries whether she might just be beyond saving, too.

“How are you feeling?” He asks as she gives him one drained look before walking up to the couch and face-planting on it with another pained groan.

“I think I might be dead.”

“That's called a hangover, babe. I think you used to be familiar with the concept once upon a time, but I guess it's been a while.” Jake grins at Mac, who only reaches his chubby hands out for the bottle out in response. “Toast?”

“Do I have to?”

“It's going to help.”

“Fine.” Amy pushes her head off the pillow to look at Mac. “He's not drinking the milk I pumped yesterday, right?”

“I poured that out for you. I know they say moderate amounts of alcohol are fine, but, well, you were speaking British.”

“Good call,” Amy mumbles as he puts the coffee, aspirin, and toast down in front of her. “See, this is why I married you.”

Jake just hums, but he does smile to himself as he goes to grab his own cup of coffee.

“I wish I could call in sick to work today,” Amy says between bites of toast, and Jake looks up from where he’s absentmindedly brushing crumbs off the countertop while finishing his own. “My head feels like it’s going to explode.”

“I mean, you did very much go through contractions while managing an entire precinct during a blackout once. You could think about that?”

“No, this is worse than giving birth,” she states confidently, and Jake has to try very hard not to laugh. “Don’t tell my past self I said that. Or my future self if I ever give birth again.”

“Yeah.” He grimaces. “I’m pretty terrified to go, too.”

“Why?”

“Because yesterday? All of it?”

“Ohh.” Amy sighs. “Right. Maybe we should both just stay home.”

Jake’s about to tell her how much he wishes that was an option when Mac drops the finished bottle against the tray, immediately starting to twist in his seat. Jake unclasps the belt and lifts him out before he manages to rock the chair – that kid’s shockingly strong – and Mac immediately crawls away towards the walker. He doesn’t use it to move yet, but he’s been pulling himself up with it for over a month, and the anticipation is high every time he lets go with one hand only to sit back down on his booty the next second. Sometimes Jake could swear his son does it for attention. At least Mac doesn’t seem to have inherited his impulsivity, Jake thinks, and then he’s back to beating himself up in his head.

“I just don’t know why I did it,” he mutters as he sits down on the floor next to Amy’s head on the couch. She nods slowly, and Jake takes it as a sign she might actually be able to listen to him now. “I should know better, right? These are, like... the kind of mistakes I used to make. I thought I’d gotten better at this kind of stuff. Smarter. Less impulsive. Less of a bad cop. But instead I arrested and tailed an innocent man, all because I thought I had a gut feeling and thought I was being set up.” He shakes his head. “I guess that FBI jerk was right about gut feelings.”

“You’re a great detective,” Amy says without missing a beat. “A lot of the time, your gut feeling is right.”

“That doesn’t excuse it. I still shouldn’t have done it.”

“No.” Amy sighs. “You shouldn’t have.”

“It sucked.”

“Yeah. It did. But there’s nothing you can do to change it now.”

“Do you think I’m a bad person for it?” The question comes flying out of him, and Amy frowns.

“Why would I think that?”

“Because it was a shit move! And because I’m definitely gonna get suspended for it, and that’s going to lose us money. And then we’re not going to be able to save as much for Mac, or pay for his baby music class or baby gymnastics. And then he’s going to end up broke and untalented and it’ll all be my fault, and then you’ll be ashamed of me and leave me and I’ll die sad and alone in a ditch.”

“And you don’t think you’re spiraling just slightly right now?” Amy asks. The smile on her lips is one of amusement, and it humbles him, bringing him out of his cycle of self-pity.

“I don’t know. I didn’t get a ton of sleep last night.”

“I don’t think you’re a bad person,” she says, and that does make him feel a bit better. “I think you made a really stupid mistake. There's no getting away from that. I’m not happy about it. But… I know you'll take responsibility for it. That’s already a whole lot further than a lot of people care to go.”

Her fingers brush through her hair, calming him as she speaks. The hangover has made her voice a little scratchy, Jake notices when she's this close. It reminds him of mornings after long evenings out before they were parents, a time that always feels far longer ago than it was. Sometimes he thinks everything before Mac might as well be another lifetime.

“And we'll work it out if you do get suspended,” Amy continues, talking over the obnoxious melody playing from a toy Mac has found. “It's not great, of course. But we can save lots of money on daycare if you stay home with Mac. That helps.”

“Like a paternity leave,” Jake says. He does like that thought.

“Oh yeah.” Amy laughs. “You’ll be just like one of those hip Scandinavian dads who get to stay home with their kids because they live in countries where they don’t hate people for having kids. And you two can go to all of the cool classes and playdates together. You’d be the sexiest dad at baby swim class for sure.”

“Wouldn’t I also be one of the only ones?”

“Good point. Make sure to mention your wife a lot. But hey, Mac’s going to love it.”

As if wanting to confirm Amy’s point, Mac crawls over to Jake and tries to climb up on his knees to sit in his lap. He does this sometimes when he’s playing on his own; retreats to their arms for a hug or a quick cuddle, only to try and wriggle out of their grip and go back to whatever it is he’s doing in the next moment. Jake thinks it might be one of their son’s sweetest qualities. Mac rests his head against Jake’s chest, almost hugging him like that, and he wonders, not for the first time, how a person that’s not even one year of age can make every other issue in the world seem so insignificant. Even if it's just for a moment, it's a pretty damn good moment.

Fueled by the most powerful motivation of all – their son’s love and attention – Amy sits down on the floor too, patting her knees.

“You want to come to mama, Mac?”

Mac squirms for a moment in Jake's arms, and Jake lets go of him. Using the couch as support, for a second it looks like he’s almost about to take a step toward her. Both parents gasp in anticipation, and it must confuse him, because he reacts by giving Amy a shocked look and sitting right back down on his butt. Jake laughs as their son crawls away again, heading for the soft building blocks outside the playpen.

“He's such a tease.”

“He gets that from you,” Amy says, and Jake huffs in mock-offense. “Are you sure we shouldn't just stay home from work?”

Jake thinks of his upcoming meeting with Holt. He's been fearing it for so many hours now, and he's starting to wonder if the anxious anticipation might just not be worse than the meeting itself. He already knows what he has to do; the only thing left is to rip off the band-aid.

“I don't think it will make anything better if we don't.”

“Yeah.” Amy sighs, closing her eyes and leaning on his shoulder. “I love you.”

“Love you too. And you should probably shower and put on makeup unless you want everyone to know exactly how hungover you are.”

“I know you're right, and I hate it.”

Jake grins and strokes her hair before getting up from the floor. “I’ll go get Mac ready for the day.”

“Jake?” Amy calls out before he can leave for the nursery with Mac in his arms, and he turns around. Her voice is still a little hoarse.

“Yeah?”

“It's going to be okay, babe. We’ll figure it out.”

Jake brushes his fingers through Mac’s already unruly curls. He thinks of playground dates, the storytime for toddlers their library holds every Wednesday, and how much time he’ll have to make sure Mac says his name first now. Then he thinks of the bigger image; of daring to set a good example for this child, even when it's hard. If he wants the world to be a better place for his son, he's going to have to start by taking responsibility for his own actions.

“Yeah. I know.”

For the first time that day, he dares to believe it.

#my writing #b99 #b99 fic #i put / bc tumblr doesn't do line breaks anymore clearly #anyway. this is late and not my best it's been a Week but i really wanted to write something so. here is Something <3

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fatalferalfemme · 3 years

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“Avoiding friction,” the critic Rob Horning has noted, “becomes a kind of content in itself—‘readable books’; ‘listenable music’; ‘vibes’; ‘ambience,’ etc.” And this is in keeping with a generational preference for light demi-pleasures: bumps not lines; microdosing, not getting high; sugary milks made of oats; podcasts, not conversation; the simulated intimacy of ASMR. Each of life’s pleasures in small amounts.

Indeed, the figure of the debauched, decadent millennial is an elusive one. The great junkies of the last 10 years, the notorious Casanovas, who were they? What would they even do? Drink long, sticky cups of lean, sitting down in a penumbral room. Contemplate the misery of fame. Watch the evening fade away? Though I’ve moved from continent to continent and their respective artistic milieux, I never do seem to meet the crazed, visionary sensualists who’ll lead me to the edge, where I can no longer make sense of my own experiences, to ecstasy and transcendence, and finally complete doom.

..I suspect this illusion of closeness is, in part, what’s stopping us from experiencing lust. There’s a loss of distance and mystery, of both risk and reward. We cannot begin to close the gap between ourselves and another person if we don’t believe one exists.

- Rediscovering desire in a panopticon of virtual pleasures, Dean Kissick

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lceylee0826 · 3 years

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Animal Experience Station

Tells more about the research and development process of this project.

Project Description：

We inhabit the same world as animals, but humans all too often dominate their lives and impact their wellbeing immensely. Through daily observation as a city dweller, I noticed that there is far too much cruelty to animals surrounding us.

I hope that this project enables young urbal dwellers to experience the world of animals on a more intuitive level and through doing so create a new form of empathetic emotional bond with them. Whether one is the participant, or merely an onlooker, the project seeks to reduce the sense of 'otherness' that people often place on animals, as well as initiating re-consider the relation between human and animal, continuing a discourse within the field of non-anthropocentric design.

Process video https://youtu.be/tyBySdBgzs0

Inspiration：

I once saw chefs in restaurants making live octopus into dishes in front of diners and even let the diners ‘torture’ the live octopus and eat it. This restaurant in Shanghai is also very famous for this feature.

But this actually reminds me more of the performance death of animals.Humans and animals share this earth, but often treat them like this. :(

Due to this, I do some research on animal performance death in China. The truth is, this kind of news can be seen everywhere, such as hitting a sheep to death in front of diners, or eating live seafood live on a video app.

Though these news，I still remember that once I saw a live fish used as a video material in a shooting scene and was left and ‘tortured’ to death by people.

Also，I drew inspiration of two documentary. ‘Dominion’ By Chris Delforce

‘Racing Extinction’ By Louie Psihoyos

These two documentaries are very real about the harm that humans have caused to farmed animals and endangered animal. The ‘Racing Exhibition’ even predicted that ‘In the next 100 years, 50% of species will disappear. The biggest reason is because of human behavior.’

It leded me to think if we swap the position what will we feel? In that cases ,will we have a better understanding of them and emphasis with them？

In addition to second-hand research, I also conducted some first-hand research. I asked others if they would be able to empathize with animals, and the results showed that people are more inclined to empathize with pets or animals that are close in daily life (pigs/sheep). This instead reminds me of those wild animals, those animals that we rarely come into contact with.

Then，I went to Shanghai Wild Animal Zoo, where people can interact with wild animals and feed them. Now days a lot of urban residents will go here.

However， through observation, I found that as a urbal dwellers, I can only interact with these animals through cages and glass. This phenomenon gave me a deeper thinking about the relationship between urban residents and wild animals.

I also want to use this project to let people know the status of these animals.

Due to this thinking, I decide to do more research about the relationship between human and animal that I want to discuss.

Research

‘Tiger Penis Project’ By Kuang-Yi Ku

https://www.tigerpenisproject.com

I truly think this artist brought tradition Chinese views into the speculative design scene and proposed the use of emerging biotechnology to make artificial animal parts for traditional Chinese medicine. This new hybrid medicine combines Chinese and Western medicine with technology, prevents further destruction of animals and traditional culture, and provides more possibilities for the coexistence of human society and the natural environment.

‘I want delivery a dolphin’ By Ai Hasegawa

https://www.dezeen.com/2013/11/18/i-wanna-deliver-a-dolphin-synthetic-biology-concept-humans-giving-birth-to-food-by-ai-hasegawa/

‘This project approaches the problem of human reproduction in an age of overcrowding, overdevelopment and environmental crisis,’ Hasegawa said. "With potential food shortages and a population of nearly seven billion people, would a woman consider incubating and giving birth to an endangered species such as a shark, tuna or dolphin?"

This speculative and experimental design gives me a deeper thinking about the relationship between humans and animals. I also want to create a special experience to connect humans and animals. This is also about the field of non-anthropocentric design.

‘The School of Looking’ By Denis Connolly and Anne Cleary

http://www.connolly-cleary.com/Home/helmets.html

I was inspired by these artists, who mixed machine, human and animal experience together through a series of helmet designs, not only providing participant with an experience but also creating an interesting experience for on lookers.

Drawing upon this, I imagined a way of bringing people into the world of animals with a playful focus.

Through ‘Design events: on explorations of a nonanthropocentric framework in desig‘ By Li Jönsson, I found the helmet is a special form of speculative design，It's also a form of combining design and audience closer.

‘Song of the Machine’ By SuperfIux

https://superflux.in/index.php/work/song-of-the-machine/#

SuperfIux created a new type of retinal prosthesis, helping the blind to reconnect with the world. The device, in conjunction with an optogenetic retinal process, enables blind people to gain light sensitivity and therefore gain a field of vision.

My design proposal was influenced further through this work. I intend to design a wearable device that could alter our field of vision and create optical experiences which allow people to see the world through the eyes of animals.

‘Simulation is an important mechanism for empathy. Simulation is an ancient function of the human nervous system, which is of great significance in social life and individual development.’

From ‘Embodied simulation phenomena and neural mechanisms in empathy’, Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, Sun Yabin, Wang Jinyan, Luo Fei.

The above quote led me to consider whether simulation could be a design tool to connect humans and animals.

Additionally, a TED talk titled ‘How Virtual Reality Can Create the Ultimate Empathy Machine’ By Chris Milk made me reflect on the use of VR as a 'machine' to create simulation and change people's perspectives.

https://www.ted.com/talks/chris_milk_how_virtual_reality_can_create_the_ultimate_empathy_machine

Sorry for the unclear picture quality:(((((

Through this research, I decided to create a simulation visual experience for my audience to help them observe the world of animals and create a connection, with the aim of generating a deeper sense of empathy among humans for the lives on animals.

Though 134 questionnaires, I discovered that people were intensely interested in entering the world of animals. Also，after screening my survey results, I decided on the octopus, eagle, and snake as the animals I wanted to simulate the field of vision of, not only because people are curious about their vision, but also because these three animals represent the species that often be hunted from the ocean, land and the sky.

In addition，these three animals are also suffering some harm caused by humans. For example, in China we will regard snakes as important and drink liquor that made by snake. We do eat octopus raw and treat it as a pleasure. We did have some news about eagles being hunted and killed and they are on the verge of extinction.

‘RGB’ By Carnovsky

https://www.carnovsky.com/RGB.htm

The designer allows visitors to see different graphics through different colors of lighting, thus creating a visual space with a strong sense of experience.The space and the lighting have enhanced the experience.It also led me to think that use different color to change the audience visual experience.

Concept

Through all the research, I have finalized my concept. I am going to build a experience station that contain a series of wearable devices and enviroment to simulate the animal experience. Aiming to allow young urban residents to re-consider the relationship between human and animal, and pay attention to the current state of animals, finally empathize with them through a mixed experience.

Process of Helmets

The octopus can change the shape of its pupil to receive different colors of light.Theoretical source: https://octolab.tv/octopus- vision/

In the beginning, I did not deliberately decide on the shape of the helmet. I pay more attention to how to realize the conversion of visual functions, and I hope I can improve it later.

I even want people to simulate the living conditions of these animals before wearing my helmet, but later I hope that people will wear helmets to communicate and walk in this city in an playful way，I think the project seeks to reduce the sense of 'otherness' that people often place on animals, as well as initiating re-consider the relation between human and animal.

Lenses material：The lens is laser cut and spray-painted on the basis of colored acrylic to simulate the shape and color of the octopus pupil.

The angle of view of the eagle can focus and magnify a very small object with a light red color. Theoretical source:’Vision In Birds’ By Graham R Martin and Daniel Osorio

I tested the effects of magnifying glasses with different magnifications, and I finally chose a 15x magnifying glass, which does not make people feel dizzy but has a magnifying effect.

Lenses material: magnifying glass and translucent paper.

Snakes have very weak eyesight, but they can simulate images through heat sensing and through sensitive other senses.Theoretical source: ‘The Infrared ’Vision’ of Snakes’ By Eric A. Newman and Peter Hartline

Lenses material：At the beginning, I used simple graphics to experience the effects of VR, and the colors were generated according to the visual effects of thermal induction. Finally there will be a dynamic image of a snake in the VR glasses.

User Feedback

I tested these three helmets and got feedback from users and observers.

From the observers point of view, these helmets lack the feeling of three animals, and I need to add some texture and color to them.

From the user’s point of view, the helmet should be more ergonomic, and the use of lenses and helmets will not give people a sufficient sense of experience.

Because the visual effects of these three animals are quite special, I need some other products or environments to watch them in order to provide a better experience. Finally, I decided to make a series of posters.

Process of Poster and Logo

When designing the posters, I used the three primary colors of light (Red/Green/Blue) as the basis and designed patterns based on the visual characteristics of the three animals.

I also left short words on the poster in the form of a diary. For example, when visitors wear the octopus helmet, they can see different words by changing different lenses.

When visitors wear the eagle helmet, they need to use a magnifying glass to see the smaller words.

The snake poster itself has no information. But when visitors put on the snake's helmet, they can see a dynamic video with VR

Video link:https://youtu.be/tBUssmG6YjA

My helmet is mainly based on visual functions and has a role of changing perspectives. So the logo is based on the elements of ’eye’ and ’transition’.

I do some sketches and confirmed the final effect of logo

Second Prototype

Since the materials used in the previous helmet were not stiff enough, I remade it with corrugated paper.

Due to the limitation of the material, I used a better colored spray paint to decorate the helmet, but the finished product was not refined enough, so this became the second model. I pair these prototypes with posters to test the user experience, which will help me when I make the final outcome.

Process of final outcome

I re-adjusted the structure and decoration, using the three primary colors to redesign the color and pattern of the helmet. The pattern is processed in the simplest way according to the lines on the animal body, and the final outcome is performed by laser cutting.

Experience Space, September 5, 2020, Shanghai

You Can See More In Process Video, THX!

User feedback:

1. The helmet is not easy for the user to wear with its current structure, so it needs to be considered more. 2. It would be interesting to get people to interact with each other when they have a helmet on, and it could be good to develop this into a performance and walk out onto the street to get more feedback. 3. More interactive devices can be designed, not just visuals, but other senses could also be incorporated. Currently, the experience of the animal is not strong enough.

Self-refIection:

1. The experience space could be set outdoors, allowing the audience to experience the animals' preferred habitats. 2. AR/VR and other technologies can be used to enhance the visual experience of different animals. So as to give the experiencer a more real experience. 3. Considering the scope and effect of communication, a visual branding system can be designed to integrate the helmet with the packaging and website.

Bibliography:

1. ’The Elements of User Experience: User-Centered Design for the Web and Beyond’ By Garrett, J. 2. ’The VR Book: Human-Centered Design for Virtual Reality’ By Jerald, J 3. ’Cities, Semantics & Approaches to ‘WILD’ By Amartya Deb 4. ’Games As Speculative Design:Allowing Players To Consider Alternate Presents And Plausible Futures’ By Paul Coulton

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justinehudock · 2 years

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Patient zero

Patient did not suggest any special abilities nor disabilities of significance. For present discussion it is of interest to note that in the "Aussage" Test the patient gave a functional account, enumerating 100 items, 2 of which were incorrect, 98 of which the patient refused to verbally acknowledge but which were accommodatingly scratched out on the testing chambers’ blackboards with a dirty fingernail, instigating a riot in the misophonia ward, directly down the hall. Several guards are down and several more have had their ears cut off. Upon the second testing phase, aimed at determining pathological impressionability, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the patient accepted none of the invented suggestions which we proffered, indicating a high tolerance for manipulability and above average incredulousness. When she was informed of her extremely high score, the patient snorted and said only, “Yeah, right.”

Further patient back history reveals that she is one of seven children, three of whom are living, three having died in infancy, and one of whom is herself. The father had just recently died of “tuberculosis”, a vulgarity of her small southwestern home town meaning being violated to death with members of the vegetable tuber family. Patient relays that the county coroner found evidence of penetrative jícama, carrots, and, though in pickled form, Chinese artichoke that had been frozen solid and sharpened with either some kind of rock, or, more likely, a Chef'sChoice 1520 Angle Select Electric Knife Sharpener, several thousand of which had been shipped to the town’s gang system and which they had ever since been trying to unload upon the town’s private population, stuffed with drugs for a nominal upcharge, best upcharge around.

As for the patient’s mother, pregnancy with her was healthy, though the mother suffered a considerable shock when she stood on a passenger boat by the side of a man who jumped overboard and blundered his suicide when the sea beneath them was discovered to be a lightshow water simulation, part of the History of Pirates aquarium exhibit which their church group was graciously hosted by at the time.

The birth was difficult. The child weighed only 3 lbs. and the obstetrician had to root around in her mother’s cavity for nearly half an hour before finding the patient, who already displayed an immense aptitude for the game of hide-and-seek. Instruments were used, including a bullhorn, which the nurses yelled into for the patient to come out right this instant or no breast milk would be given. It was a breech presentation. That is, the patient came out hiny-first, wiggling it tauntingly in a display of pride for her insubordination.

At 2 years of age the patient was very ill with gastritis and what was said to be spinal meningitis, though the patient stated this would have been impossible as her spine had already been removed by an older male cousin who dabbled in wiccanism. She had some convulsions then. Had both walked and talked when she was about 13 months of age, three months sooner than the national average, but being three months stupider, most of her speech was virtually indistinguishable from the deranged ramblings of a Furby.

From the standpoint of general nervousness the patient was said to be one of the calmest in the family, although she was accustomed to drink five or six cups of coffee a day, and, quite bizarrely, reported often eating raw coffee beans covered with a kind of hard-shell, sweetened cocoa. None of the patient’s researchers had ever heard of this combination before, though the patient was insistent that it was common and known colloquially as “chocolate-covered coffee beans”. Even so, the patient was forcibly induced into a three-week coma upon receipt of this statement because the idea was so novel to her team. Interestingly, the hospital gift shop sells these dessert beans, and so perhaps we should concede the patient’s inducement was hasty. It is unfortunate that her report was written in pen.

Menstruation at 13 years, no irregularity. On examination we found a very well nourished and well-developed young woman of slouchy attitude, bushy eyebrows, and normal expression most of the time. Slight strabismus. Examination otherwise negative except for the fact that she is still regularly menstruating to this day at age of 22, which we note indicates an avoidance to cease menstruation.

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easyfoodnetwork · 4 years

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Iftar in Isolation

A halal butcher shop in Spain remains open during the coronavirus outbreak | Photo by Carlos Gil Andreu/Getty Images

For Ramadan this year, Muslims are doing what they can to break the fast without breaking quarantine

Last Friday, as the first day of Ramadan drew to a close, Rami Ismail prepared his iftar, the meal to end the day’s fast, at his apartment in Hilversum, the Netherlands: laban bil balah, an Egyptian-style fast-breaking drink of chilled milk with dates and cashews; Dutch uienkruier flatbread with cheese and onions; salmon over a bed of quinoa and spinach. The portion size suggested it was a dinner for one, but Ismail was about to host an iftar party. As he sat down to eat, he turned on his Nintendo Switch and set a virtual table in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

“I built a little marketplace like they have in Egypt, with a carpet, for a communal meal, and made eight seats — one for me and the seven people that would come by,” he says, describing his corner of the popular life-simulation game. Guests soon began filing in from Singapore, London, Canada, and Seattle, some bearing virtual gifts and fruit baskets. “They just wanted to make sure that a stranger wasn’t alone for iftar,” says Ismail. “It’s meant to be a communal experience; you don’t really do it alone if you can help it.”

Thank you so so so much to everyone that came out to my first @animalcrossing Iftar today. Made my first day of Ramadan really lovely <3 pic.twitter.com/6nCxeguf3c

— Rami Ismail (@tha_rami) April 24, 2020

With Ramadan arriving as social-distancing measures remain in effect across the globe, Muslims are doing what they can to foster a sense of community in quarantine. Zoom dinners and remote prayer services have been commonplace since the early weeks of the pandemic, but Ramadan poses unique challenges. For many of the world’s 2 billion Muslims, the holy month is the most social time of the year, synonymous with large gatherings, group prayers, and community service efforts. Now, as many are in isolation during Ramadan’s requisite fast from dawn to sunset, jam-packed social calendars — lively iftar parties followed by taraweeh prayer congregations at the mosque and late nights culminating in suhoor (the pre-dawn meal before the next fast) hangouts at IHOP — have been replaced by group-chat scheduling conflicts.

While Ismail is an avid game enthusiast — he’s a developer and cofounder of the Dutch independent game studio Vlambeer — he doesn’t typically observe Ramadan virtually. His hectic travel schedule normally sees him breaking fast with large groups in Indonesia, South Africa, Brazil, or India. “It’s always a fun, communal, celebratory experience for me,” he says. “It’s strange to be home in the Netherlands all month and not be able to do that.” So he tweeted an invitation to his 167,000 followers to join him in Animal Crossing for suhoor or iftar; the response was so overwhelming that he had to make a sign-up form. Ismail isn’t the only Animal Crossing fan using the game to observe Ramadan virtually — there are even simulated congregations that read the nightly taraweeh prayer together.

The next evening, as the sun began to set in New Haven, Connecticut, Omer Bajwa, his wife, Lisa, and a few friends donned masks and gloves to operate a makeshift drive-thru in the parking lot of Masjid Al Islam, a mosque in the city’s Dwight neighborhood. They handed out prepacked iftar boxes of dates, naan, and chicken curry from Ali Baba through rolled-down windows in car after car. “We all normally love the communal aspect in Ramadan — iftars are a big part of the American Muslim experience,” says Bajwa, the director of Muslim life at the Yale chaplain’s office. “There’s been a genuine anxiety leading up to Ramadan [this year], a sense of loss, people feeling bereft.”

Since many people are reliant on mosques for the nightly iftar meal, Bajwa asked his friends to pool money to feed 130 people every Saturday. “The reality of New Haven is it can be quite poor,” he says. “And we have so many Muslim-owned businesses in the restaurant industry, which is taking a huge hit — we’re trying to buy meals from them, give them business.” This first grab-and-go iftar was such a success that more donations poured in, enabling Bajwa and his friends to serve more meals this month.

Charity is one of the key components of Ramadan, and many of these same hard-hit restaurants are stepping up to serve their communities themselves. Since mid-March, Hamza Deib, owner of Brooklyn’s popular Middle Eastern restaurant Taheni, has worked with Muslims Giving Back to pass out falafels, chicken, and hummus to the homeless once a week, despite the struggles his own business faces. Now with the onset of Ramadan, Deib has increased his efforts to daily meal deliveries, while also dropping off food to a mosque and to police officers and hospital workers. “We’re not pushing our efforts to cater toward just Muslims. We’re just trying to take care of the entire city,” says Deib.

Muslims Giving Back/Facebook

Meals from Taheni, packaged to be distributed by Muslims Giving Back

Countless health care and essential workers happen to be practicing Muslims, and many of them are now fasting, too. For Dr. Uzma Syed, an infectious disease specialist and chair of a COVID-19 task force at a Long Island hospital, the last few weeks have “been an out-of-body experience — you’re in this constant feeling of being in a twilight zone.” But despite the added challenges she’s facing this Ramadan, she’s never considered not fasting. “It’s actually been fine, alhamdulillah,” she says of her first few fasts. “Fasting in itself is a practice of having resilience and willpower — it’s always been mind over matter. It’s a very spiritual time for me, very therapeutic.”

The Islamic Center at New York University, which serves 10,000 people at the university and the broader New York community, is one of many mosques across the globe that’s trying to beam the sense of spirituality that congregants crave into their living rooms. They’ve lined up a robust schedule of virtual programming, from Quranic recitations to lectures with scholars to Zoom iftars led by imam Khalid Latif, who’s also planning to offer niche iftars around interests like books and sports. In London, the nonprofit Ramadan Tent Project has also gone online, bringing its inclusive, popular Open Iftar events to people’s homes with a #MyOpenIftar pack of decorations, a trivia game, and a recipe book by chef Asma Khan of London’s acclaimed Darjeeling Express. There’s also a daily Zoom iftar with a rotating roster of speakers, and Khan plans to host a live cooking lesson later this month.

Offline, but socially distant, activities like remote potlucks — where everyone makes a dish and drops it off to other homes, letting friends enjoy the same meal at the same time — are gaining popularity. But finding the necessary ingredients to satisfy Ramadan cravings isn’t easy in the middle of a pandemic. “It’s already been like playing Tetris with your pantry — ‘We’re out of this, what can we replace that with?’ It’s been like that since the start of the pandemic,” says Brenda Abdelall, a consultant and law professor in northern Virginia, and founder of Middle Eastern food platform MidEats. Unable to go to her local Middle Eastern grocery store to stock up on her usual Ramadan supplies of lentils, fava beans, sumac, and za’atar, Abdelall has been strategizing for weeks, and in the process has become an internet-sourcing MacGyver. “It’s been tricky this Ramadan, trying to figure out how to preserve traditional foods without access to the ingredients. I had to get creative, going online to find what grocery stores sold dried fava beans — I found them on some obscure Russian website.”

Ramadan-centric, quarantine-compliant content is quickly taking over social media. You can take a fasting-friendly fitness session with a Nike trainer one day and learn how to make healthy suhoor smoothies the next on British lifestyle magazine Azeema’s Instagram feed. YouTube rounded up Ramadan content from top creators around the world, including LA-based modest-lifestyle vlogger Aysha Harun. Her “Ramadan Daily” vlogs chronicle her Ramadan decor and learning how to make the Ethiopian sambusas she grew up eating for iftar. “I do an Eid lookbook every year,” she says, referring to clothes for Eid-ul-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. “I haven’t gotten any of those requests this year, for obvious reasons.”

But going virtual has its own challenges. “How many people actually have access to the internet and know how to use it?” asks Samira Abderahman, who founded Black Iftar in Chicago in 2018. The iftar events geared toward black Muslims and their friends took off organically and were held in 11 cities last year; now, Abderahman is trying to figure out how best to take the events online. “I think about digital literacy a lot. That’s why in-person events are so beautiful — we’ve been gathering together since the beginning of time.”

This year, Black Iftar will offer virtual iftars centered around talks by Makkah Ali and Ikhlas Saleem, hosts of the podcast Identity Politics, and scholar and community sexual health educator Angelica Lindsey-Ali. “I just want to provide something beautiful, to not be the dominance of their Ramadan experience, but to assist it,” says Abderahman. “Ultimately, Ramadan is best experienced in person, and not through our phones.”

Just as people start to get into some semblance of a routine during this unnerving new take on the holy month, the next hurdle awaits at the end of Ramadan: how to commemorate Eid ul-Fitr in May, a holiday that’s usually marked by massive prayer congregations at mosques, sharing the traditional three hugs with strangers and friends alike, and a blur of brunch, lunch, and dinner parties. Ismail will likely host an open house-style Eid party on Animal Crossing, collecting “gifts” throughout the month and leaving them on his island for guests who pass through that day. But he isn’t sure what will be more difficult: fasting without friends and family, or marking a normally festive occasion in isolation. “Needing strength from the community while fasting [during Ramadan] and not having it is tough,” he says. “But Eid is a celebration — and celebrating alone is weird.”

Sarah Khan is a food and travel writer based in New York.

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A halal butcher shop in Spain remains open during the coronavirus outbreak | Photo by Carlos Gil Andreu/Getty Images

For Ramadan this year, Muslims are doing what they can to break the fast without breaking quarantine

Thank you so so so much to everyone that came out to my first @animalcrossing Iftar today. Made my first day of Ramadan really lovely <3 pic.twitter.com/6nCxeguf3c

— Rami Ismail (@tha_rami) April 24, 2020

Muslims Giving Back/Facebook

Meals from Taheni, packaged to be distributed by Muslims Giving Back

Sarah Khan is a food and travel writer based in New York.

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/2VVunff via Blogger https://ift.tt/3aTA0il

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thrivous · 4 years

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I recently wrote about two popular science fiction smart drugs. NZT-48 is the nootropic smart drug featured in the Limitless movie and TV show. And Nexus is the nanotech smart drug featured in Ramez Naam’s science fiction trilogy. In addition to NZT-48 and Nexus, many other technologically enhanced drugs have been imagined by science fiction writers.

Some science fiction smart drugs are nootropic cognitive enhancers, used by healthy adults with socially responsible goals. And others, well, aren’t used by healthy people and plainly aren't so smart. But none is your grandparent’s prescription drug. All are extraordinary, for better or worse.

Here’s my list of the top 22 smart drugs in science fiction. I’ve ranked them by ascending awesomeness, according to my own personal judgment.

22) Nexus

In the Nexus trilogy, rogue nanotech researchers develop Nexus, a drinkable and neuroactive substance. Its name comes from nanobots that colonize the brain and boost in-brain communications and coherence. The nanobots are also capable of wireless communications with other Nexus nodes in the same brain, or even in another brain. And that opens the door to telepathic communications and the fusion of single minds into group minds.

Nexus was written by Ramez Naam. The last book in the trilogy, Apex, won the Philip K. Dick award in 2015. See my previous article for more about Nexus.

21) Nanotech Mods

In Quarantine by Greg Egan, there’s a whole industry of nanotech-based nootropics (or “mods”). They permit controlling and enhancing all sorts of cognitive performance processes, including emotions. “For more than twenty years, Axon has been helping you to attain life’s riches,” a typical ad goes. “Now, we can help you to want them!”

Some mods provide users with machine-like focus. Say “goodbye” to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The main character stays focused (“primed”) on his security work all the time. But eventually otherworldly quantum effects (also triggered by a mod that acts on the quantum state of the brain) push him out of the primed state.

Mods can be compiled from software specs in nanotech labs. While the mods sold by companies like Axon are perfectly legal, of course there are labs specialized in compiling illegal mods too.

20) Mother Retrovirus

In Greg Egan’s short story “Chaff,” published in the collection Luminous, drug cartels manufacture and sell a neuroactive virus called “Mother.”

It begins when a rogue biological engineer joins El Nido de Ladrones (The Nest of Thieves), an underground biotech research center. The engineer creates an enhanced version of a virus. It reconfigures neural networks in the brain, making them hugely plastic and changeable.

The new virus allows everyone to become who they want to be. And the villain (or perhaps he isn’t a villain?) eventually unleashes the modified virus.

In a subsequent novel, Distress, Egan imagines that “El Nido de Ladrones had been H-bombed in 2035.” That’s perhaps “because some kind of ‘dangerously liberating’ neuroactive virus had been invented there.”

19) Ware Tetralogy Merge

As noted above, Ramez Naam’s Nexus nanobots are capable of wireless communications with other Nexus nodes in another brain. That opens the door to telepathic communications and the fusion of single minds into group minds. But Rudy Rucker is even more ambitious.

In the *Ware Tetralogy (Software, Wetware, Freeware, Realware), Rucker describes an addictive and very illegal drug called “Merge.” It’s able to dissolve and reorganize human tissues. And it permits the temporary fusion of not only minds, but also bodies. We first hear of Merge in the setting of an underground lab built by a rogue biochemist on the Moon.

Rucker, a child of the sixties, often mentions neuroactive drugs in his fiction. And, in general, the brain and intelligence are prominent themes throughout his work. For example, the main character Cobb Anderson receives an offer of immortality from his AI children. And some other characters capture a “brainsurfer” and encourage each other to “eat his brain.”

18) Orion’s Arm Pourmurmide

The sprawling Orion’s Arm universe has been imagined by a collective of science fiction writers and enthusiasts. In it, there’s a wide choice of nootropics and drugs, including programmable nano-drugs able to enhance or alter consciousness. There are “narco-symbionts,” which are genetically engineered symbiotic life forms that provide a regular supply of pleasure-inducing substances. And there are “ad-drugs” used for advertising, which give users a strong desire for a product.

More exotic nootropics found in the Orion’s Arm universe include Pourmurmide. It’s a nanodevice-drug that rewires the brain of the recipient to experience every situation as meaningful and filled with spiritual power.

17) NZT-48 Limitless Pill

Featured in the Limitless movie and in the Limitless TV show, NZT-48 gives users a spectacular boost to brain function. And that radically improves memory, focus, and intelligence.

For example, NZT-48 users are able to access all of their memories, including memories that had been long forgotten (apparently). They’re able to correlate all of their memories with all available information to solve any problem. And they do it, apparently out of thin air, without effort.

See my previous article for more about NZT-48.

16) Soma Brave New World

The granddaddy of science fiction smart drugs is certainly Soma. It’s featured in Brave New World (1932) by Aldous Huxley. Soma is a soothing, happiness-producing, hallucinogenic drug.

Besides calming the mind and producing feelings of well-being, Soma allows users to escape from reality. “There is always soma, delicious soma, half a gramme for a half-holiday, a gramme for a week-end, two grammes for a trip to the gorgeous East, three for a dark eternity on the moon …”

In Brave New World, authorities use Soma to keep people sedated. It’s very addictive. In a state of permanent bliss, they become uninterested in rebellion against the oppressive state. Some see parallels between Soma and addictions unofficially encouraged in contemporary society, such as mindless consumerism and overuse of social media.

15) Distress Disinhibitors

The novel Distress, by Greg Egan, features mild smart drugs called “disinhibitors” or “Ds.” They’re a substitute for alcohol, and used as a social lubricant. The main character uses Ds now and then. But he prefers not to concede “that human beings were physically incapable of communicating or relaxing without the aid of psychoactive drugs.”

14) The Red Pill and Blue Pill

In the Matrix universe, the Red and Blue pills represent an option. The red pill is the choice to perceive the world as it really is. The blue pill is the choice to hide behind a comforting delusion. We all know that Neo chooses the Red pill and accepts the burden of knowing that the world we perceive is really a simulation generated by machine overlords.

It’s worth noting that conceptually similar devices were used by Lewis Carrol in the classic, Alice in Wonderland. Remember the "drink me" potion that shrinks her, and allows her to see a new world?

13) Vurt

Vurt is featured in the science fiction novel Vurt by Jeff Noon. It’s a hallucinogenic drug that sends users into virtual, alternate worlds.

It isn’t very clear how Vurt works. But it’s ingested by sucking on a feather. And the effects of the drug are world-changing.

Vurt feathers are color-coded. And the spectrum ranges from bland to extremely powerful. Yellow Vurt feathers, illegal and difficult to find, project users into dangerous game worlds from which it may be very difficult to come back.

Vurt is a prominent feature of Noon’s fictional world. And it’s not the only drug featured in the universes created by his imagination. The author says, “I’ve invented drugs such as Vurt, Metaphorazine, Lucidity, Wave, Haze and many more.”

12) Battlestar Galactica Stims

In the Battlestar Galactica TV show, space fighters can boost alertness and attentiveness with stimulants, or “stims.” Stims work as advertised and permit space pilots to stay fully awake and focused for days. But there are still undesired side effects from being sleep deprived, such as bursts of aggressive and violent behavior.

It’s worth noting that fighter pilots in the real world often use stimulants (amphetamines) to stay alert. So this part of Battlestar Galactica may not be far from reality.

11) Substance D

Substance D is a powerful psychoactive drug imagined by legendary author Philip K. Dick. It’s featured in his novel, A Scanner Darkly. The drug is also called "Slow Death", "Death," or simply "D.”

Though Dick is acclaimed as one of the finest science fiction writers, and the novel is considered science fiction, it doesn’t include much futuristic science. Substance D is a realistic street drug. It’s very addictive, and has severe withdrawal effects.

A Scanner Darkly feels like a fictional description of the real life of real drug addicts. And it’s inspired by Dick’s own experiences. “Everything in A Scanner Darkly I actually saw," said Dick.

10) Serum 114

Serum 114 appears in A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, and adapted for film by Stanley Kubrick. Serum 114 is given to the main character, Alex, to cause an intolerance for violence, sex, and even classical music (the three things that Alex loves most).

Another drug featured in the novel and the film is Moloko Plus. It’s a milk-based cocktail laced with “vellocet” (amphetamine), “synthemesc” (synthetic mescaline), and “drencrom” (adrenochrome), among other hallucinogenic substances.

The effects of Moloko Plus are opposite to those of Serum 114. The drug makes sex and violence more pleasant. And, in the case of Alex, it also enhances classical music.

9) Neuroin Clarity

Neuroin is an illegal inhaled hallucinogen used by futuristic cop John Anderton, played by Tom Cruise in Minority Report. The film is based on a short story by Philip K. Dick, mentioned elsewhere in this article.

The name of the drug could stand for “new heroin” or “neural heroin.” People in the movie also call it “clarity.” But don’t confuse it with Thrivous Clarity! The effects of Neuroin are similar to those of heroin, and there are Neuroin addicts in the film.

8) Snow Crash

Snow Crash is a cybernetic drug consumed by Virtual Reality (VR) avatars in Neal Stephenson’s Metaverse, as featured in the novel Snow Crash. We first encounter the drug in the famous VR club, Black Sun. Its owner suffers the nasty effects of the drug in both virtual and real reality.

Snow Crash, when taken by an avatar in the VR Metaverse, impacts the real person behind the avatar. It does so through psychoactive images that affect the “human operating system” in the brain. Then we learn that Snow Crash has a real counterpart, manufactured and distributed by a billionaire who wants to dominate the world. Hiro, the samurai pizza delivery hacker, comes to the rescue.

7) White Noise Dylar

In White Noise, by Don DeLillo, the experimental drug Dylar permits overcoming the fear of death by tweaking neurotransmitters. Whether the drug really works is not clear, but the main characters in the novel are desperate to get it. Undesired side effects include “outright death, brain death, left brain death, partial paralysis, other cruel and bizarre conditions of the body and mind.”

6) Tasp and Boosterspice

Ringworld, the first Known Space novel by Larry Niven, describes a psychologically addictive device called “Tasp.” It makes people happy by remotely stimulating the pleasure centers of the brain. Tasp deprivation results in intense depression and psychosis, and eventually can induce suicide. The Known Space universe also features Boosterspice, a drug that restores or indefinitely preserves youth.

5) Robocop Nuke

Robocop 2 is a 1990 science fiction action film directed by Irvin Kershner (the first Robocop film was directed by Paul Verhoeven). In the film, a new designer drug called “Nuke” plagues Detroit. It’s a highly pleasurable and addictive narcotic developed by drug lord Cain, leader of the Nuke Cult.

Nuke provokes short intense feelings of energy and euphoria like crack cocaine. It comes in different types, with names like "Red Ramrod," "White Noise," "Blue Velvet," and "Black Thunder.” But even if someone calls it a “bath salt,” stay away!

4) Star Wars Glitterstim

In the Star Wars universe, there’s a smart drug called “Glitterstim.” It’s produced from the webs of the spice spiders found on the planet Kessel, which is controlled by the Galactic Empire.

Glitterstim gives users a temporarily heightened mental state, with telepathic abilities. Of course, there’s a catch. Glitterstim is highly addictive (even casual users can be hooked) and long term use severely damages the nervous system.

3) The Spice Melange

The Dune universe was first created by Frank Herbert. And it’s now a very popular science fiction media franchise.

In Dune, a drug called “Melange” (or “the spice”) gives users a longer lifespan, greater vitality, and heightened awareness. To some people, the spice gives even precognition abilities. Melange is addictive, and withdrawal is fatal.

The only source of the spice Melange is the desert planet Arrakis. But harvesters must be careful of the giant sandworms that populate the planet.

2) Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster

In the hilarious and endlessly fascinating universe of Douglas Adams, the Encyclopedia Galactica only briefly mentions alcohol. It’s “a colourless volatile liquid formed by the fermentation of sugars notable for its intoxicating effect on certain carbon-based life forms.” But The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy says more.

The best drink in existence is the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster. Its effect “is like having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick.” The Blaster contains alcohol and, as appropriate to a pan galactic drink, other quite exotic ingredients.

The famous Babel Fish can also be considered as a nootropic of sorts. It’s a tiny life form that takes residence in your brain and enables you to understand all languages.

1) Moon Juice

Moon Juice is a vintage science fiction smart drug, found in Fredric Brown’s What Mad Universe. This isn’t just some futuristic green tea. A drink of Moon Juice gives you pleasant, very realistic hallucinations. For example, with Moon Juice, you can visit your beloved, who is in a spaceship orbiting the Moon, without leaving your chair – no space travel required.

The Real Smart Drugs

Science fiction is cool. But the smart drugs of science fiction aren’t real – unfortunately or fortunately, as the case may be. No pill in our world, so far, can network your brain to a computer. No drug can, yet, transform your mind into superintelligence.

Despite that dose of reality, don’t be tempted to think that nootropic smart drugs exist only in science fiction. To the contrary, scientists have studied many nootropic drugs and dietary supplements. And studies suggest that healthy individuals actually can use real nootropic supplements to enhance various aspects of cognitive performance. Learn more, find examples, and see studies at the links.

Originally published at thrivous.com on December 13, 2019 at 11:14PM.

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svetlanawagner-blog · 5 years

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The gates opened and we heard cheering as people slowly filed their way in. After passing the gate, everyone headed with urgency towards the back of the park. Since we’re adults at a conference, we opted to power walk and tried to contain ourselves from going on a mad sprint.

Disney characters waved and there were food stations with a sampling of food from each land, but we couldn’t let them distract us.

After blowing through the other lands, the crowd’s pace slowed as we approached the life-sized X-Wing. Moments later, Chewbacca let out a wail as he struggled with the giant cables. We had made it to Batuu.

A big thank you to Disney and IPW for hosting our visit. All opinions are always our own. This post may contain affiliate links, where we receive a small commission on sales of the products that are linked at no additional cost to you. Read our full disclosure for more info. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Local Adventurer possible.

Last Updated: June 5, 2019

The New Disney Star Wars Land - What You Need to Know Before You Go

Let me start off by saying that our experience of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge was not the norm. During the IPW conference, Disney shut down Disneyland park to give the 6000 attendees an exclusive look at the park. We had Main Street U.S.A, Adventureland, Frontierland, New Orleans Square, Critter Country, and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge all to ourselves.

Needless to say, the majority of the group rushed to see Star Wars first. We were within the first few hundred in the park and didn’t waste any time getting to Galaxy’s Edge.

Afterwards, we chatted with a bunch of the cast members, locals who frequent the park, and as many Disney reps as possible to gather any info we could to pass along.

when does star wars land open?

These are the important dates to remember.

May 31st, 2019 – Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is open to the public. Well… sort of. Between 5/31 and 6/23 you need a reservation to enter the land. No official numbers have been released on how many spots they are allowing each day, but it’s very limited. The exception to the reservation, is if you are staying at a Disney owned hotel. They will provide you with a reservation during your stay.

Jun 24, 2019 – This is when it’s open to everyone else without a reservation. They expect the park to be at full capacity, and entrance to Galaxy’s Edge isn’t guaranteed. If you’re lucky enough to make it in, they are limiting your time to four hours. You’ll be able to queue virtually through their app so you can spend time at the rest of the park.

Entering Star Wars Land at Disneyland

There are three entrances to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. We were all routed towards the West entrance near Critter County. From here, you pass by the entrance of the unopened attraction, get a view of the X-Wing as you enter.

The South and East entrance are close together. The South comes up along the West side of Big Thunder, and takes you the Droid Depot. The East entrance comes from Fantasy Land and brings you to the Milk Stand and First Order Cargo.

No matter what entrance you come through, you’re immediately immersed in the land and all the cast members add to that by always staying in character. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge transports you to the planet of Batuu where you’ll explore the Black Spire Outpost.

More: Disneyland Food Bucket List

Second photo by @marissa.anwar

Where do I start?

There are two main attractions at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The first is the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. The second, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, is not open yet. Besides that, Oga’s Cantina , Savi’s Workshop – Handbuilt Lightsabers, and the Droid Depot have a big draw. You can also try blue and green milk at the Milk Stand, or pick up food and goodies at the marketplaces.

The attention to detail is absolutely mind-blowing. So even when you’re walking around, keep your eye out for the little things others might miss.

Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run Star Wars Ride

This is currently the biggest attraction and most memorable experience in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Before entering, you’re met with a full size replica of the Millennium Falcon. The line will take you along the backside of the Falcon and you’ll even get a peek of it from the second floor.

After the first section of the line, you enter a room where Hondo Ohnaka greets you and gives you the run down of why you’re there. The animatronics on Hondo look incredible! Afterwards, you’re put into groups of 6 and wait your turn in the Falcon’s Chess Room. We only waited 10-15 minutes to get up to this point and honestly lost track of time after that because we were geeking out and taking a bunch of photos.

The group you join has three different roles: pilots, gunners, and engineers. When they group you, they hand out the cards at random, but if you know people in your group, you can trade before starting the ride.

Pilots: One controls horizontal movement and the other controls vertical movements

Gunners: Each person controls the Falcon’s guns

Engineer: Fixes the ship and performs other misc tasks

I was a pilot and Esther was a gunner. The pilot is the most involved role since you have to steer the ship and mash buttons as instructed. I was the right pilot controlling the vertical movements and I also got the chance to put the Falcon into light speed. The gunners have buttons on the side that they mash when shooting. Neither of us did the engineer job but it looked similar. The most fun job is the pilot since you have the most to do.

The ride is a simulator ride plus a video game tutorial. Hondo gives you instructions throughout the ride and buttons light up to signal what you’re supposed to do. As a team, your job is to execute the commands as best as you can. Our team didn’t do so well… but we had fun!

Bright suns! Best ride ever land @Visit_Anaheim pic.twitter.com/IowyA3R61s

— Esther JuLee (@estherjulee) June 3, 2019

Star Wars Cantina (Oga's Cantina)

Oga’s Cantina wasn’t open during our visit. We were able to see the interior, but they weren’t serving drinks, which was such a bummer! On the plus side, we got a chance to see the interior without waiting a couple of hours.

Normally, they have drinks that range from $7 – $42. I’ve seen photos of the drinks, and they truly look out of this world. After talking with one of the locals at the bar, they told us that the wait to get inside has been roughly 2 hours. Once you get in, there’s a 45 minute limit for any of the booths or standing tables. The bar technically doesn’t have a limit, but they’ve been cycling people in and out after about an hour.

We’ll be back to try the drinks later. In the meantime, if you have any photos of your experience, send them our way. Drinks will be the same at both locations. Here’s a sampling of what they have on their menu (how many references do you get?):

Drinks with Alcohol

Bespin Fizz

Bloody Rancor

Dagobah Slug Slinger

Fuzzy Tauntaun

Jedi Mind Trick

Jet Juice

The Outer Rim

Spriran Caf

T-16 Skyhopper

Yub Nub

Non-Alcoholic Drinks

Black Spire Brew

Blue Bantha

Carbon Freeze

Cliff Dweller

Hyperdrive Punch It!

Jabba Juice

Moogan Tea

Tarine Tea

More: 39 of the Best Food at Disneyland

Build Your Own Star Wars Droid at Droid Depot OR Lightsaber at Savi's Workshop

There are two main interactive shops at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The first is the Droid Depot, where you can custom build your own droid (R-series or BB-series) starting at $100. The decor in the depot is really cool. There are conveyor belts of droid parts running along the wall and ceiling. The droids that you build will interact with elements in the land and your behavior. You can even purchase additional programming chips and accessories to add abilities to your droid. There are pre-made droids you can purchase too. Even if you decide not to purchase a droid, you can still see the process and watch other people make theirs. There’s also a life size R2D2 that you can take a photo with (and purchase).

Around the corner from the Droid Depot is an unmarked check in station where you can build your own lightsaber at Savi’s Workshop for $200. Under the guise of a scrap shop, you can only enter if you purchase a lightsaber. We didn’t do it and Jacob is still kicking himself for it. Especially since there was no wait, and on regular days, the wait can be 2+ hours. During the experience, you pick one of four options:

Peace Justice (modeled after Jedi from the Republic era)

Power Control (Sith)

Elemental Nature (harnesses the elements)

Defense (shrouded in mystery)

Each builder can bring one guest in with them. The saber comes with a carrying case and 31 inch blade.

Shopping and Food

Beyond those main attractions, there other plenty of other nooks and crannies to explore in Batuu. Even if you don’t plan on buying anything, you should still walk around to see all the different shops.

For food, Oga’s Cantina will be the biggest attraction, but check out these other spots as well:

Kat Saka’s Kettle – sweet and savory snack made with popcorn

Ronto Roasters – grilled sage and roasted pork wraps

Chef Strono “Cookie” Tuggs – exotic dishes (nicer dishes)

Milk Stand – green & blue milk

There are several shops to check out. The hard part is deciding what you want to bring home.

The Market

Resistance Supply – resistance themed items

Creature Stall – exotic creatures (puppets)

Toydarian Toymaker – artisanal toys and games

Black Spire Outfitters – get a robe or other local garb

Jewels of Bith – local goods and trinkets

Black Spire Outpost

Dok-ondar’s Den of Antiquities – collectable items

First Order Cargo – first order themed gear

Download the Play Disney Parks App

We were so excited to get photos and check out the land, that we missed out on using the app at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. After arriving to planet Batuu, the app turns into the Star Wars: Datapad where you get to find easter eggs within the land. You can interact with droids, scan crates, and translate the alien languages seen throughout Batuu. You’ll even collect digital rewards, like ship schematics, star maps, and more. This is something we’ll try next time.

Fun Facts

John Williams created original music for Galaxy’s Edge.

Orlando’s Galaxy’s Edge is exactly the same as Disneyland’s. The only difference is that they face different directions.

Orlando’s location is scheduled to open in August.

We’ve heard rumors that Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is supposed to open at both locations in August, although because it’s so technologically advanced, there may be delays.

Essential Tips

To Do

What to Pack for Your Disneyland Visit

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What's Nearby

Anaheim Packing House (2 mi N, 10 min drive, map)

Knott’s Berry Farm (6.8 mi NW, map)

Los Angeles (26.6 mi NW, map)

Best Places to Stay

Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa, Anaheim (Luxury)

Hyatt House at Anaheim Convention Center (Mid-Range)

Hotel 414, Anaheim (Budget)

More Resources

To Do

Have you visited Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge? What did you think? Any other tips we’re missing?

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“Discovery consists not of seeking new lands but in seeing with new eyes” – M. Proust

Esther + Jacob

Esther and Jacob are the founders of Local Adventurer, which is one of the top 5 blogs in the US. They believe that adventure can be found both near and far and hope to inspire others to explore locally. They explore a new city in depth every year and currently base themselves in Las Vegas

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shooktim-blog · 5 years

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On May 31, 2019 the biggest addition in Disneyland’s history finally opened to the public, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. This $1 billion new land has had fans salivating for years, promising an immersion into the world of Star Wars the likes of which has never before been seen. This week I had the very unique opportunity to visit Galaxy’s Edge twice, and today I want to share my impressions about this remarkable new addition to the Disney experience. I’ll also provide some background information and how visitors can access the world of Star Wars.

How to visit

If you want to visit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at the Disneyland Resort between May 31 and June 23, 2019, a reservation and theme park admission are required. There is no additional cost to make a reservation, but reservations are currently not available. There is one backdoor way to still get one of those coveted time slots, by staying at a Disneyland Resort hotel. After June 23, anyone with a valid theme park admission will be able to access the new land. Galaxy’s Edge will open in Walt Disney World on August 29, 2019 and while there isn’t expected to be a reservation process, the crowds will be substantial.

What is it?

This massive 14-acre new land builds on the Star Wars story but on a planet that has not been seen in the cannon. The land takes place on a far-flung planet named Batuu and the largest village, Black Spire Outpost. According to the backstory, it’s home to rogues, scoundrels, smugglers and members of the Resistance. The landscape is just as rough, with enormous rock formations that give the village its name. This is the world I excitedly walked into earlier this week.

The rides

There are two rides in Galaxy’s Edge, although only one is open at the moment, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. This simulator ride takes guests, 6 at a time, into the Millennium Falcon to run their own smuggling mission with each person assigned a different crew role. But, as I learned, it’s so much more than that.

Guests are assembled into groups of 6 – the flight crew. Each person is assigned a role for the attraction: pilots, gunners and engineers. I didn’t fully appreciate just how interactive the attraction is, but these assignments were my first clue that it was going to be an experience unlike anything else. Before it’s time for the ride, each group hangs out in the Millennium Falcon where every detail is exactly the same as in the movies. Even if you aren’t a fanatic you’ll recognize these iconic scenes. Riders are then escorted into the cockpit, told to press any button that blinks and it’s off! The ride is a simulator ride that reacts to how well each member performs their jobs. If the pilots don’t react fast enough, the Falcon crashes. If the gunners can’t zap the bad guys, then they zap you. It’s an amazing attraction and totally unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced. It’s a fantastic anchor for the land.

The second ride, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, will open later this year.

The food

Food is always an important part of the Disney experience, and that’s especially true in Galaxy’s Edge. No detail was left out of the planning for this innovative new land, and the food and drink options are I think just as important as the ride and other thematic details.

Oga’s Cantina – Without a doubt this is the star of Galaxy’s Edge and will be one of the most popular spots to visit for just about all guests. Modeled after the legendary dive bars found in the Star Wars movies it’s everything you’d expect and more. Everything offered, from the cocktails and mocktails to beer and wine were all specially created for Galaxy’s Edge and, from my experience, deliver on the promise. However, the Cantina may be more popular that Disneyland thought as the lines to get in are the longest anywhere in Galaxy’s Edge. Disney is constantly trying to improve the visitor experience in Oga’s, but since the seating is limited it’s a challenge. When I visited, everyone was directed to a central line where we registered our phone numbers to be placed in a virtual queue. Then we could experience Galaxy’s Edge as we wanted to until we received a second text indicating it was time to return to Oga’s. At that point it’s another 10-20 minute wait until you can get in. I was in the virtual queue for 85 minutes or so before I received the notification. Once inside, Disney is trying to limit guests to two drinks each, in order to cycle people through the experience. But it’s well worth the effort; the level of detail is of course out of this world.

Milk Stand – This is another one of the cult favorites that will soon take on a life of its own. Both blue and green milk are served and are fashioned after the refreshing beverages seen in the films. The Blue Milk and Green Milk sold at the Milk Stand are frozen-style beverages similar to a milkshake or smoothie. Both drinks are non-dairy blends of coconut and rice milks and Blue Milk has dragon fruit, pineapple, lime and watermelon flavors and Green Milk has Mandarin orange, passion fruit, grapefruit and orange blossom flavors. The vegan drinks have taken some people by surprise since the consistency isn’t that of milk but of a slushy, but I thought they were good. Blue was my favorite, as it has been with many other patrons.

I also took the time to order dinner at Ronto Roasters. Located next to the market stall the thing to get here is the Ronto Wrap: roasted pork and grilled sausage with peppercorn sauce and tangy slaw wrapped in pita. Paired with a chilled glass of Meiloorun Juice and I had the perfect meal.

The shops

What to buy in Galaxy’s Edge is also a surprisingly important part of the experience because, believe it or not, they’re unique experiences in their own right. You won’t find the ear-shaped bubble wands or standard Disney fare in these stores no, they’re immersive Star Wars experiences just like everything else in Galaxy’s Edge.

Lightsabers and droids – If you’ve ever wanted your own lightsaber, this is your chance. Entering into Savi’s Workshop, guests customize their very own weapon to take home, at a price of $200. For $100 you can go through a similarly personalized and bespoke experience to construct your own droid. Both experiences are just that, an experience and is about so much more than buying something. They take visitors into the world of Star Wars and I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

My budget didn’t allow for the lightsaber, but I did build my very own droid and I’m so glad I did. Walking in the first thing one notices is the assembly line full of droid parts. One you pay for the droid, either the BB or R2 style, you’re given a basket and told to pick out the parts for the droid. This is where you customize it anyway you want, using any color combinations that strike your fancy. You then take the parts over to a tech who helps you assemble and activate the droid. It’s a fun experience and bound to be a very popular one, especially since the droid then interacts with objects around Galaxy’s Edge for the duration of your visit.

The other shops in Galaxy’s Edge also bear mentioning because Disney has taken the same level of detail found throughout the land to the items available for sale. These are specially designed pieces totally unlike anything else found in Disneyland and are very creative. When I was there, the most popular one of these shops was the Creature Stall where you can pick out your very own Star Wars creature to take home; they even provide a special carrying case for them.

Overall impression

I enjoyed my experiences in Galaxy’s Edge, although I did leave feeling as if I missed something. Maybe I need to return during the day when I can see more of the details, because I had the distinct impression that I didn’t make the most out of my time there. Disney built Galaxy’s Edge so that the entire land itself is the attraction. No detail was overlooked and not once is the illusion broken. Cast members chat to guests as if it really was a planet in the Outer Rim and even the Coke bottles were specially designed. Just like anything else, Galaxy’s Edge will evolve over time and enhancements made to perfect the visitor experience. Guests too will better learn how to enjoy the new land, with each visit learning something new. Simply said though, Galaxy’s Edge truly is an amazing achievement and it’s impossible not to leave completely awestruck with the experience.

The post Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland – What The Experience is Really Like appeared first on LandLopers.

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lucajpeg · 5 years

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Aperol Spritz with Starry Night

I arrive for the interview early. I’m feeling kind of nervous, I’ve only been working for this art publication a couple of months and this guy I’m interviewing is pretty famous. I kill time outside MOMA: watch a pigeon, buy a hot dog, feel sick, throw it away, light a cigarette.

I head up to the MOMA coffee shop and buy a $9 ice tea that makes me kinda depressed. I pick a table near the middle of the room, then change my mind and move to a table by the window. He’s 10 minutes late. I open the Words With Friends app then close it again without playing any words. 20 minutes late. I take out my notebook and run through my questions, they seem okay. I hope the one about the mental asylum doesn’t piss him off. I’m sure he’s sick of ear questions, so I’ve tried to frame it differently.

45 minutes late, he swaggers into the room with the energy of someone walking into a surprise party they already knew about: “wow guys! Oh gee! For me?”. I recognize him straight away. He’s tall, with dirty blond impasto hair and a broad grin. He kind of reminds me of Mr. Peanut Butter. He’s wearing Timberlands, and a lime green LiveStrong bangle.

I wave shyly and he bounds over. I reach for a handshake but he deflects it, grabbing my waste and kissing my cheek with a “hi angel!”. I bristle. “I’m Starry, Starry Night”.

He swings his chair around and straddles it, like this:

For a second I’m knocked speechless by this wildly bold/ obnoxious gesture in a coffee shop. I take in his face. He’s strikingly handsome in an Australian-in-Bali kind of way. He looks like Thor, but not 2019 Thor like 2011 Thor. For 130 years old, he looks fresh.

Despite myself, I’m kind of affected by his blond magnetism. I drop my pen and as we both reach for it our fingers brush. My ears start burning. We glance up and lock eyes for a moment and I get a boner. His eyes are midnight blue, with swirls of pale green and flecks of bright yellow. I’m flooded with mingled lust and shame – I wish I was more put off by his wanky demeanor.

He cracks his knuckles and raises his eyebrows at me. Awkwardly, I fumble through some small talk before clearing my throat and bringing up my notebook to begin the interview. He raises a finger to shush me, then clicks his other hand at the waiter to come over.

“Do you guys have Monster?”

“No…”

“Any energy drinks?”

“No”

He looks at me and shakes his head in a “what’s with these people” way. I shrug in tepid agreement.

“I’ll have a matcha green tea”

He pulls out a fidget spinner like it’s 2017, and tells he about his ADHD (“you know Terry Bradshaw has ADHD?”).

With grim persistence I return to my questions but he seems uninterested. I ask about his permanent residency at MOMA, and the New York art scene.

“Bunch of idiots” he says dismissively, “I’m done with the whole art scene it’s just a whole lot of guys pulling on each others dicks”.

When I bring up the move from Holland to New York he sighs dramatically and tells me he’s bored.

“What I’m really keen to talk about is my acting career. Every journalist I talk to wants to ask me about art, but really I consider myself more of an actor these days”

“Yeah?” I ask, giving up on my questions and closing my book. I glance at the page: how did Van Gogh’s suicide affect how you were received in the art market?

“I’ve been acting since the 80s and still people want to bracket me as a fine artist. It’s bullshit.”

“Tell me about the movies you’ve been in”

His face lights up, and he goes off telling me in detail about all his movie appearances. He needs no input from me, and I lean back, responding with a “wow” or “oh yeah?” every couple of minutes.

“In 1972 Don McClean wrote a song about me, and that put me on the entertainment map. Then in 1999 Starry Night the movie came out. Imagine a movie named after you! It only got 4,3/10 on IMDB but they don’t know shit. Transformers got like 5/10.”

He clicks at the waiter again and orders 2 Aperol Spritz’ without asking if I want one.

“Now that I’ve worked in cinema for a long time I’m itching to move to stage. It’s more visceral, you know? But most of the shit you see on Broadway is so crumby. I’ve actually been working on my own script; I’m hoping it gets picked up soon. Not to boast, but its gold. People act like writing’s so hard but this is the first thing I’ve written and it’s fucking genius. I guess you know that, you’re a writer”

“Yeah, it’s really easy?”

“I’ve written the play with myself in mind for the lead, and I have some ideas for the rest of the cast. I’m keen to get film actors rather than stage actors. I’ve partied with a few stage actors, they’re too serious. I’d hate to work with them. I take my craft seriously, but I’m also having a good time with it, you know? Life’s short, you need to milk the now”

I smile to myself and write that line down.

“What’s your play about?”

“It’s not like anything you’ve ever seen on stage before. It’s like sci-fi meets action meets romance. It’ll be a massive production.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s set in New York in the future. The protagonist is this shy guy who works in an art gallery, but at night he’s a genius hacker working under a secret alias, Hunter X. Such a sick name. Anyway so Hunter X starts getting these weird messages on his computer, and then one day this mysterious guy shows up at his door and tells him he has to follow him. They go for a walk and the guy says something like ‘have you ever felt like you’re part of something bigger, like there’s something else going on? Well you are, and there is – you’re part of something huge’. Doesn’t that line give you shivers?!”

He grins at my excitedly and I nod.

“The guy asks if he wants to know more, and Hunter X says yes. So this dude plugs him into this weird machine and swoosh! The scene changes to this huge room full of robots. There are pods all over the walls with people in each one, plugged into the wall. It’s all really creepy. ‘What is this place?’ Hunter X asks. ‘This is reality. What you see every day is a virtual reality. The world you know, the house you live in, the job you work, it’s all a simulation’. So Hunter’s mind is fucking exploding at this point. The dude explains that the robots are using people as organic batteries, and then simulating reality to them in their pods.”

I start frowning, and am about to interject when the waiter appears.

She sits down our drinks and he picks his up. Holding a finger at the waiter not to leave he downs his drink in one, then slams down the glass and tells her to bring another one.

“Bring me a panini. Something with meat on it” He looks at me, “You hungry? Bring her one too”.

I shrug, realizing increasingly how ineffectual my responses are on this person.

“So after this totally mind-blowing opening, the play is all about them coming after the robots who run this whole system. Hunter X learns how to fight in the virtual reality world, and gets super buff. Then he meets one of the evil robot chicks and falls in love, it’s a whole thing. The wardrobe is going to be fucking future. You’ll see when it comes out, I’m sure it’ll get picked up soon. It’s gold”.

“Not to be rude, but this sounds exactly like The Matrix…”

“The what?”

“The Matrix? That Keanu Reeves movie.”

He shrugs, “Never heard of it”

“You’ve never heard of the Matrix?”

“Nah”

“It’s pretty famous”

“Whatever, this is better. You’ll see. This is gold”

Starry Night

Vincent van Gogh

Oil on canvas

74 x 92 cm

In the Museum of Modern Art permanent collection

#mitchellstut

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lazysusangallery · 5 years

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Yi Gallery Presents: Kind Of Green

On View: June 1st-11th Daily 11am-6pm Opening Reception: June 1st, 3-6pm

A group exhibition comprised of art and design works by Anne Katrine Senstad, Si Jie Loo, Jamie Martinez, and Studio Roosegaarde will be on view starting June 1st, 2019. Society is faced with climate change, pollution, rising sea levels, and massive ecologically driven migration. Many sustainable lifestyle theories advise people to “buy green,” invest in a “clean” car or only eat organic food.

But is it wise to rely on consumerism to provide a solution to the very problems it has helped create? In this interdisciplinary exhibition, artists and designers think beyond “eco” art made from recycled materials or projects that simply paint an apocalyptic scene in order to address the urgent and ongoing ecological challenges the planet is faced with.

Anne Katrine Senstad Memorial piece, The River of Migration, existed as a large outdoor light and land installation at Life is Art Foundation in 2010. The piece consisted of 72 solar-powered lights placed along a mountainside in Santa Rosa, CA. They formed a symbolic “human river” on what was historically Mexican land. Each of the 72 lights refers to a specific case where a person was brutally massacred by cartels after refusing to be used as a drug trafficker. Using light to create a memorial, Senstad illuminated the urgent migration issue with her symbolic river of light. The project honored the 72 nameless souls who died during the migration process and simultaneously spoke for all victims of migratory violence. The solar panel lights were lit from dusk till dawn, when most people cross borders illegally, and illustrated the very nature of the migratory action. The lights created a geographical mapping of the California landscape and served as a gestural, lyrical, and critical comment on migration policies, border wall politics, and the intensifying climate and political refugee crisis. Unnatural deaths of migrants are intimately connected to climate change and resource enclosures fueled by the growth of global wealth inequality. It is critical to revisit this work today as it raises awareness of the new, and more elaborate, forms of human trafficking as a global business as well as the financial structures on which it capitalizes.

Si Jie Loo Wall installation, Privilege of Taste, consists of ceramic cups and sourced coffee powders that sit on two contrasting shelves. Through her work, she visualizes the complicated relationship between choice and the illusion or lack of choice and points to the unbalanced power between labor and consumption in our society. The Malaysian coffee that Loo grew up drinking is sweet tasting and light brown. It is made from a lower grade coffee powder mixed with hot water and condensed milk. There was no comparison between tasting the powdery coffee like residue and the “fair trade” coffee, grown in exotic African countries, served by gourmet coffee shops in developed economies. During colonial times, the British took the best quality coffee for exporting. The remnant of imperial power embodied in today’s global economy continues to enable the sale of higher-end Arabica coffee so that it can be enjoyed in the UK and other powerful and developed markets. Similarly, Malaysia exports higher-grade oil and gas and imports a lower grade from abroad for local use. The majority of people in her father’s village earned their living by rubber tapping - a process that involves collecting latex from a rubber tree. When Loo was a child, her grandparents and neighbors were asleep by 8pm and were up for work at 2 am so that they could collect rubber milk for processing. Although developing nations like Malaysia are known for supplying some of the best natural resources to the developed markets, the lives of the vast majority of laborers are nowhere close to the luxurious lifestyle of the people who benefit from their labor. Today, Loo is an artist living in the western world producing what is considered to be a luxury good. While making art is laborious and sometimes soul-baring, consuming art usually takes place in a clean, pristine, and often sterile white box by a privileged minority of wealthy clients. To Loo, how we taste coffee serves as a metaphor for the profound difference between the elitist contemporary art connoisseurship and the cultural producers who supply it.

Jamie Martinez Oil painting on cotton, VR Unity Global Warming, is a direct response to the intensifying threat of climate change. An empty hot dog truck, a Chimera, a pyramid, flying parachutes, an isolated ladder, and mountains submerged by flood waters are among the elements that make up the surreal composition. Martinez’s process involves using Virtual Reality software to construct a collage of visual fragments. He then translates the VR simulation into an oil painting in order to document this new dream-like dimension that was created in the virtual world. Although a human figure is not visible in the painting, the cataclysmic scene suggests that anthropocentric activities on earth contribute to accelerated global temperature and rising sea levels, which will eventually lead to mass extinction. Actions to correct these problems must be massive and collective.

THE SMOG FREE PROJECT Is a long term campaign for clean air in which Daan Roosegaarde and his team of experts have created the world's first smog vacuum cleaner. The 7-meter tall SMOG FREE TOWER uses patented positive ionisation technology to produce smog free air in public spaces and allows people to breathe and experience clean air for free. Creating a tangible souvenir, Roosegaarde designed the SMOG FREE RING, which is comprised of compressed smog particles. Roosegaarde has been inspired by nature's gifts, such light emitting fireflies and jellyfish, from an early age. His fascination for nature and technology is reflected in his iconic works such as WATERLICHT (a virtual flood which shows the force of water), and SMART HIGHWAY (roads that charge throughout the day and glow at night). “A lot of the problems we’re facing—rising sea levels, air pollution—are, to me, an issue of bad design,” Roosegaarde tells Fortune in an interview. “We have created this current situation, now we have to design our way out of it.” To Roosegaarde, design is about setting goals for our future and creating standards to achieve that vision. The Dutch artist and entrepreneur has a name for it: ‘schoonheid’ meaning beautiful and clean. This concept takes shape in new social core values like clean air, clean water, and clean energy.

For additional information, please contact Cecilia Zhang Jalboukh at [email protected] or +1 (929) 356-6087.

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schizophreniclogan-blog · 7 years

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Journal: Day one

This blog is brand spanking new, so please ignore its emptiness. While I plan on reposting relevant material and linking to resources, this is also my personal blog, and it acts as a log of my experiences. At the moment, I’m sitting on the computer in an IRTS facility. ( Intensive residential treatment services.) I’ve been here for 30 days, following a hospitalization for a mental health relapse. My symptoms spiraled out of control on 4/20/17, which lead to roughly a week in a hospital, a stay in a crisis bed, followed by the treatment I’m receiving now. It was a rocky road to start out with, and my symptoms felt like they were spiraling out of control. They adjusted my meds a few times, and things have slowly been getting better. A week or two ago, I was deep in dissociation. Life did not feel real to me, my emotions felt flat to non-existent, and the hallucinations were keeping me from sleeping at night. Something must have kicked in, because this week started out with a slow, warm return of my usual emotions. Other residents have commented on seeing smiles on my normally expressionless face, and I’ve been thinking more clearly. My thoughts are still racing, but I feel a little more in control. Closing my eyes reminds me of just how disorganized my thoughts are, because the images spin so fast that I can’t keep up with them. As for the voices, I’m pretty lucky right now. Once my medication was changed, they calmed down a lot, and I’m only rarely hearing them late at night and in the early morning. I read in Surviving Schizophrenia (a wonderful book!) that some schizophrenics only experience voices before and after sleeping, which interested me. I’d be happy if it just stayed like this, because I’ve experienced worse off of meds. It reminds me of a video I watched at the hospital when I was first diagnosed, where a man talked about just how different he felt on and off of meds. They showed him a virtual reality experiment that was supposed to simulate hallucinations, and I remember thinking “My symptoms aren’t that bad, do I even have this illness? What if the doctor was wrong, and I’m just stressed out?” At the time, all of my senses felt super sharp, and hallucinations were rare. I only heard things on occasion, and that was when I was stressed. I didn’t realize that the illness could develop slowly, or just how much I would experience over the next year. I remember the first time that the voices presented themselves as more than a few words. I’d just woken up, was having my morning coffee, and suddenly I felt strange. “Leave your friends.” “This is pointless...” “It’s going to storm.” There were three or four voices talking at once, and a realization hit me. This wasn’t a dream. It wasn’t sleep paralysis. I was wide awake, eyes blinking, hearing something that seemed very real. Up until then, I’d been convinced that my hallucinations were hypnagogic, and that my doctor had mistaken a sleep disorder for schizophrenia. I had an excuse for everything. Those moments when I thought I could control the weather, or talk to animals telepathically? It was just a silly whim. The crippling paranoia? That could have been anxiety. The shadows I constantly saw were harder to explain, but can’t stress cause hallucinations? The racing thoughts, the word salad, the difficulty thinking? Maybe I’m just stupid. Like many schizophrenics, I found ways to write off my symptoms. It wasn’t until all of these things became daily experiences that I realized the truth, and started my research into this misunderstood mental illness. I picked up every book from the library that I could find, and started scouring the internet. I read the NAMI pamphlets lying around at the crisis center, and found that many of them had personal stories I could relate to. I started taking my meds seriously, stopped drinking, and limited both my caffeine and nicotine intake. Slowly, things started to get under control. 6/7/17- Let’s take a look at the day. I woke up late, after spending most of the night reading. There were a few voices in the early morning, but they cleared up by the time I had my soy milk and cereal. I’ve been tired all day, and found time for a three hour nap while the day staff had their weekly meeting. Because of the meeting, we only had one group in the morning, and two in the afternoon. I smoked this afternoon, and talked with my peers on the gazebo. So far, it’s been a good day. My thoughts are a bit jumbled, but I’m focusing well enough to write here. That’s something, isn’t it? My head is a little cloudy, but I haven’t been dissociating. After weeks of constant dissociation, having my emotions at a normal level and feeling grounded is almost euphoric. I’m still staring off into the distance now and then, and I’m aware of a slight flatness to my tone and facial expressions, but I’ve been socializing pretty well. My peers have been telling me they see a difference, and I feel it. It’s days like this that I live for, when things make sense, and I can articulate my thoughts. I’ve been so chatty that I feel like an annoyance, but the people around me have embraced it. A few of the other residents took their pass-time to walk with me to the nearby gas station. I didn’t go to the local 12 step meeting tonight, but I got to see one of the regulars when he came to visit a friend of mine. I got the usual hug, and he asked me what I was writing. He told me they missed me at the meeting, and I said I was feeling well enough that I might go later this week. If I keep having days like this, chances are I’ll be out socializing again. I look forward to it.

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instantdeerlover · 4 years

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Iftar in Isolation added to Google Docs

Iftar in Isolation

A halal butcher shop in Spain remains open during the coronavirus outbreak | Photo by Carlos Gil Andreu/Getty Images

For Ramadan this year, Muslims are doing what they can to break the fast without breaking quarantine

Thank you so so so much to everyone that came out to my first @animalcrossing Iftar today. Made my first day of Ramadan really lovely <3 pic.twitter.com/6nCxeguf3c

— Rami Ismail (@tha_rami) April 24, 2020

Muslims Giving Back/Facebook Meals from Taheni, packaged to be distributed by Muslims Giving Back

Sarah Khan is a food and travel writer based in New York.

via Eater - All https://www.eater.com/2020/5/1/21242084/ramadan-2020-iftar-coronavirus-virtual

Created May 1, 2020 at 10:46PM /huong sen View Google Doc Nhà hàng Hương Sen chuyên buffet hải sản cao cấp✅ Tổ chức tiệc cưới✅ Hội nghị, hội thảo✅ Tiệc lưu động✅ Sự kiện mang tầm cỡ quốc gia 52 Phố Miếu Đầm, Mễ Trì, Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội http://huongsen.vn/ 0904988999 http://huongsen.vn/to-chuc-tiec-hoi-nghi/ https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xa6sRugRZk4MDSyctcqusGYBv1lXYkrF

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healthyeating43-blog · 5 years

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9 Healthy Breakfast Ideas from Food Revolution Summit Speakers

New Post has been published on https://dietguideto.com/awesome/9-healthy-breakfast-ideas-from-food-revolution-summit-speakers/

9 Healthy Breakfast Ideas from Food Revolution Summit Speakers

What you ate for breakfast can define the tone for the entire day. But what should a healthy, nutritious breakfast look like? We asked nine Food Revolution Summit speakers to tell us what they eat for breakfast. Check out their healthy breakfast notions below!

Let’s face it, mornings can be hectic — get out of bed, get garmented, and getting yourself( and maybe children) ready for the day.

And then, there’s breakfast. This meal often becomes an afterthought. And even if you try to eat healthfully, you might turn to convenience foods, like sugary cereals, a hasty slice of toast, or breakfast tarts from your local coffee shop, to get by.

Or maybe you have time to build something more, but you’re not sure what to do. Or you venture out for breakfast, and you’re met with tons of flour, sugar, and factory-farmed meat and dairy.

So what’s a good breakfast when you want to eat foods that nourish your body — without contributing to negative outcomes, like mood disorders and chronic disease?

9 Healthy Breakfast Ideas from Plant-Powered Health Revolutionaries

We asked some of our 2019 Food Revolution Summit speakers what they feed for breakfast.

Put some of these healthy breakfast ideas into practice while listening to the interviews during the Summit, or enjoy them anytime you want to start your day off right.

The Fruit-Packed Breakfast Dr. Joel Fuhrman Eats

Joel Fuhrman, MD, is a board-certified family physician, a nutritional researcher, a six-time New York Times best-selling author, and the host of numerous wildly popular PBS specials. He serves as president of the Nutritional Research Foundation and a member of The Dr. Oz Show Medical Advisory Board. He says :P TAGEND

“[ For breakfast] I feed berries, cherries, or citrus fruits, including Meiwa kumquats, which I grow myself. I feed avocado, steel cut oats, chia, hemp, or flaxseeds, and I drink homemade plant milk, such as hemp-almond. Also, I may have an Ezekiel multigrain bread with berries and almond butter.

Did you know that eating the scalp of citrus fruits( such as kumquats — the Meiwa kumquat savor the best and is easiest to grow) protects our skin from scalp cancer almost better than anything else?

Eating scalps protect our skin — how cool! You can grow your own kumquat tree right in your living room, in the winter, if you do not live in a warm climate.”

Get fancy with your toast by making this recipe for Quick-Pickled Kumquat Avocado Toast by Floating Kitchen.

Photo Courtesy of Floating Kitchen

The Cancer-Fighting Smoothie Dr. Kristi Funk Eats for Breakfast

Kristi Funk, MD, is a board-certified breast cancer surgeon and an expert in using innovative and minimally invasive treatments that work.

She’s the co-founder of the Pink Lotus Breast Center and author of the bestseller, Breasts: The Owner’s Manual. Dr. Funk’s work and research have led her to become a powerful advocate for the utilization of a healthy diet to reduce cancer risk and thrive. She says :P TAGEND

“My go-to breakfast is my Antioxidant Smoothie. I am pretty sure it contains the most cancer-kicking compounds found in one single glass of goodness on Earth!

This blended drink combines delicious mixed berries and banana with leafy green vegetables and touches of plant-based health secrets, like flaxseed, aloe vera, amla( Indian gooseberries ), and cinnamon. You can virtually hear the cancer cells crying out,’ Oh no , not more turmeric and blueberries! ’”

Download the free Antioxidant Smoothie recipe at Dr. Funk’s website: breastmanual.com.( Scroll down on the page to find the link to download it .)

Dr. Neal Barnard’s Healthy Breakfast Ideas — For at Home or on the Go

Neal Barnard, MD, is a leader in nutrition and research. He’s the founder and president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

Dr. Barnard has written more than 80 scientific publications and 20 volumes, including the New York Times bestseller, Power Foods for the Brain, and his latest, The Vegan Starter Kit . He says :P TAGEND

“My favorite breakfast is grilled tofu topped with ginger, nutritional yeast, and soy sauce; steamed broccoli topped with Bragg Liquid Aminos( like soy sauce ); and a papaya. Nutritionally, this breakfast packs a high-protein starter( tofu ), a mineral-packed vegetable( broccoli ), and a vitamin-rich fruit( papaya ).

If I’m traveling and the choices are Denny’s or IHOP, I ask the cook to set some mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, and spinach or asparagus on the grill, along with some unbuttered rye toast. It’s like an omelet without the egg; I call it a Nomelet. It is a wonderful savor combination.”

Get Dr. Barnard’s Grilled Breakfast Tofu recipe, here.

The Nutrient-Packed and Hydrating Way Susan Benigas Starts Her Day

Susan Benigas is executive director of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, which is leading the effort to transform health and redefine healthcare. She’s also co-founder of The Plantrician Project, the International Plant-Based Nutrition Healthcare Conference, and PlantBasedDocs.com. She says :P TAGEND

“I start each and every day with at the least one or two huge glass of water! Chronic dehydration is a major health issue that’s too often dismissed. So many of the liquors that we consume are dehydrating, so it’s a misconception to think that if we’re consuming liquid, it’s hydrating — far from it! ’Drink your water’ is a prescription that cannot be underestimated!

Coupled with this is typically some fresh fruit and a fistful of walnuts. What better route to start your day than with nutrient-packed fruit, nuts, and hydrating water! When feeing out for breakfast, steel cut oats are my favorite! ”

Check out this recipe for Strawberry Banana Steel Cut Oats that includes fresh fruit and walnuts over at The Lemon Bowl.

Photo Courtesy of The Lemon Bowl

Marco Borges’ Quick and Easy Breakfast

Marco Borges is an exercise physiologist whose innovative workout and nutrition programs are helping guide hundreds of thousands of people to a healthier lifestyle.

He’s the author of the New York Times best-selling The 22 Day Revolution and The Greenprint: Plant-Based Diet, Best Body, Better World. Marco has helped thousands adopt healthier and more plant-powered lifestyles, including many celebrities, such as Jay-Z, Beyonce, and Jennifer Lopez.

“I typically begin my day with a large glass of room temperature lemon water( yes, merely lemon and water ).

My favorite breakfast( which usually happens after my workout) is a big bowl of berries with oats cooked in water and with a spoonful of almond butter over the top. It’s loaded with vitamins, nutrients, fiber, protein, and is quick and easy to make.

My second favorite is avocado toast on gluten-free, vegan bread, topped with buds, lemon juice, and smoked paprika.”

Eat breakfast like Marco with this Berry Bliss Oats Bowl from Pao’s Fit World.

Dr. Kim Williams’ Unusual Breakfast

Kim Williams, MD is the chief of cardiology at Rush University and specializes in cardiology, prevention, and cardiac imaging.

He has served as the president of the American College of Cardiology, the president of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, and the chairman of the board of directors of the Association of Black Cardiologists. He’s also the founder of the Urban Cardiology Initiative, and he’s dedicated much of their own lives to expanding healthcare access to low-income and inner-city communities.

“I actually don’t have a favorite breakfast! I have a usual breakfast: Amy’s vegan pockets at home, oatmeal with fruit on the road.

My expertise is what not to eat, and most breakfasts in this country are unhealthy to a large degree — cholesterol, fat, animal protein, juices, and refined carbs! I don’t do any of those.”

This Easy Tofu Scramble with Mushrooms recipe from Veggie Inspired simulateds the ingredients of Amy’s Tofu Scramble in a Pocket Sandwich.

Photo Courtesy of Veggie Inspired

Chris Wark’s Antioxidant-Packed Breakfast Ideas

In the morning, Summit speaker and best-selling Chris Beat Cancer writer, Chris Wark, will have either his Green Light drink or a big bowl of oatmeal.

“The Green Light drink contains a teaspoon of PHresh Greens( Superfood Powder ), a teaspoon of moringa( drumstick tree ), half a teaspoon of matcha green tea powder, a teaspoon of amla, and I squeeze an entire lemon or lime into it. Then a little splash of apple cider vinegar.

Oatmeal is oats, flax, chia, hemp seed. I do a teaspoon of turmeric powder, cinnamon, and allspice. Chopped dried apricots or figs. Fresh blueberries, blackberries, raspberries. Blackstrap molasses, date sugar, or ground dates. That’s breakfast. It’s a big bowl.

One dry cup of oatmeal, plus all these superfood fixings, has 29 grams of protein, 25 grams of fiber, about 70% of your daily magnesium, 110% of your manganese, 29% of your calcium, 48% of your iron, 20% of your potassium, 20% of your zinc, and 18% of your B6.

And with the addition of berries and spices, this little breakfast will give you more antioxidants than most people get in a week on the standard American diet.”

Check out Chris’ tricks to supercharge your oatmeal, here.

John Robbins’ Fruit and Veggie-Packed Breakfast

Here’s how 2-million-copy best-selling author and Food Revolution Network co-founder and chairwoman, John Robbins, likes to start the day :P TAGEND

“I don’t generally eat when I first get up. I’ll typically have a glass of water, or perhaps freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, and then wait an hour or so for my first real food of the day. And most days, especially if I’m home, that’s a smoothie.

We have a Vita-Mix, which is a very high-powered blender. To make the smoothie, I’ll typically put into it some kale and arugula leaves, some celery or broccoli, and plenty of frozen berries( always wild blueberries, and often raspberries or strawberries or blackberries ). If apples are in season, I might add an apple, too. Or a banana. And enough water so the concoction will mix easily.

Then, after blending, I’ll add freshly ground flax and chia seeds( which I grind each day in a dedicated coffee grinder) and mixture the whole thing a bit more, and then it’s ready to drink! You have to be careful though, with the ground flax and chia seeds. Once they’ve been blended into the smoothie, it will thicken pretty quickly. So I mix them in at the end, just before drinking.

The ingredients in my breakfast smoothies vary from season to season, but there are always greens, frozen wild blueberries, freshly ground flax and chia seeds — and some other fresh fruits and veggies that are in season, that we have around, and that I enjoy.”

Drink your fruits and veggies like John Robbins with this Kale, Blueberry, and Flax Superfood Smoothie from Becca’s Green Kitchen.

Ocean Robbins’ Super Simple Breakfast (+ Recipe)

Best-selling 31-Day Food Revolution writer and Food Revolution Network co-founder and CEO, Ocean Robbins tells us :P TAGEND

“Some people need a fill snack by 7 a. m. in order to have clarity to meet their day. Others don’t start to get hungry until midday. Every one of us has a unique metabolism, and sometimes what feels right on one day will feel very different on another day.

If you engage in a lot of athletics or physical activity, you’re more likely to need a good dose of calories in the morning. But if your body starts the day slowly, or at a desk, then you might feel better if you eat lightly.

When I feed late at night, I don’t usually wake up hungry the next morning. My stomach seems to gravitate toward having at least 12 hours off, and the clock starts ticking whenever I close up the culinary shop at night.”

Ocean differs his breakfasts a lot, but one of his favorite ways to start the day is with a blueberry chia porridge.

This refreshing porridge is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, protein, fiber, probiotics, and antioxidants. It’s portable. And it’s delicious!

Blueberry Chia Porridge Recipe

iStock.com/ los_angela

Prep Time: 20 minutes, plus 6 hours to set up

Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients :P TAGEND

6 tablespoons whole chia seeds 3 cups cold non-dairy milk or yogurt 2 tablespoons maple syrup or other sweetener( optional) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2-3 beakers fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions :P TAGEND

Place chia seeds in a large, glass food storage receptacle with a lid( mason jars run great ), and pour in milk, syrup, and vanilla. Shake or stir well and let sit for 15 minutes. Add blueberries and stir again. Put concoction in the refrigerator for at the least 6 hours, preferably overnight. Remove porridge from the refrigerator, stir well, and spoon into serve containers. Remember to chew the chia seeds well so your body assimilates their nutrients.

( Recipe excerpted from 31-Day Food Revolution: Heal Your Body, Feel Great,& Transform Your World .)

Tell us in the comments below:

What are your favorite healthy breakfast notions?

Which of these speaker’s breakfasts voices best to you?

Will you try these healthy breakfast notions while you listen to the Food Revolution Summit?

Featured Image: iStock.com/ Arx0nt

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