#but from the plaque it was in use for 90 years so it clearly worked well as a spinning wheel

[milkweedman]

Was dragged to a tiny local museum so my sister could flirt with the museum director, but they had some really nice handwoven rugs.

And also a spinning wheel (?) that perplexed me. The flyer is on the wrong way around, for a start, and it's really hard to tell how the treadle and footman were supposed to be positioned (that triangular bit on the side was definitely attached either as the treadle or as part of it, judging by the remnants of the leather straps. Mostly I'm dubious because I couldnt tell if the orifice actually went anywhere, but it didnt look like it did. So I think it might have been a spinning wheel shaped object, but im not sure at all. Didnt get good pictures of it, sorry. It also wasnt labeled at all. Given how the pictures are I doubt theres enough for anyone else to go on but if you have thoughts on it i'd love to hear em !

God, the rugs though. Loved the rugs. Need rugs now.

[dream-a-little-bigger-x]

Halloween Prank Gone Wrong | Luke Patterson

Request: hi! firstly i love your series & imagines! they are so wonderful! <3 okay secondly can i request a luke patterson x reader where reader is friends with julie and it’s Halloween so Julie decides to prank reader with an ouija board and has the boys behind everything but reader can see them? sorry if this doesn’t make sense ):

Pairing: Luke Patterson x reader, JATP x reader, Julie x Flynn x Reader

Warnings: Use of OUIJA board

Words: 2,239

Songs used: Time Warp - Glee Cast Version 

Y/N: Your name Y/L/N: Your last name Y/M/N: Your mother’s name

You and Julie have been friends since you were both in diapers, along with Carrie. The three of you used to be inseparable, and then even Flynn joined your Squad in Middle School. People used to call you the Los Feliz Four. Then came the worst year of your squad’s year. Julie lost her mom and with it, her love and connection to music, one of the many things that connected the Los Feliz Four. Carrie stopped hanging out with Julie after a humongous fight, and when Flynn picks Julie’s side, you’re stuck between the two fires. You love Julie with all your heart and help her wherever she needs it, but you also still hang out every now and then with Carrie. Though the drama in Dirty Candy sometimes gets a little much. 

On the day of the spirit assembly, you’re on the sidelines, cheering on Dirty Candy and Julie herself when she takes her spot behind the keyboard, starting a song you don’t know. Her voice echoes through the gym, capturing every student’s attention. Even more so when a band flashes onto the stage, joining her into the song. You have to blink a couple of times, to make sure you’re really seeing things correctly. These are three of four boys from Sunset Curve. Your mother used to be the biggest fan of their music back in the 90’s and showed you all of their work. She even told you about Bobby, who now goes by the name of Trevor Wilson and how he used to be part of the band as well. You never told Carrie what you knew. But seeing the boys up there, knowing they died, only means one thing. These are ghosts. The ghosts of a 90’s band. You can’t help but jam along with them, though the song is completely unfamiliar to you. And, once the song is over, you can still see the boys on the side of the stage, talking amongst each other whilst Julie explains the hologram-thing. You witness the dark-haired boy run up the steps and shake his booty, checking if no one can see them. You’re somewhere at the back of the crowd, hidden behind the tallest guy in your class. He can’t see you, but you can see him. You have to ask Julie what’s going on. There needs to be an explanation to this. You don’t know how to tell her you know. It might be weird to just go up there and tell her ‘hey! I know about your ghost band!’. Besides, how fun would it be to know about her secret and catch her in each lie she comes up with as an excuse for their behavior? You hold it out until October. Halloween, to be exact. It’s been hard, trying to keep this from Julie, but it has been fun seeing the boys squirm whenever you looked straight into their eyes as if you could see them. The hardest part was trying not to laugh whenever they said something dumb or funny, but you just about managed. You managed enough for Julie to believe you didn’t know about her ghost band and to come up with a scheme to prank you this Halloween. You didn’t know, at first, since she just asked to hang out on Halloween, watch some horror films and just enjoy the holiday you both loved so much, along with Flynn. The three of you had decided to dress up for your little get together. Dressed as Bubbles from the Powerpuff Girls, you make your way to Julie’s garage. To no surprise, finding the boys there too, along with Flynn -- dressed as Buttercup -- and Julie -- dressed as Blossom. “Hey,” you greet as your eyes land on the Ouija Board, surrounded by dozens of candles. “Playing a game, are we?” You already have a hunch what’s going to happen, but decide to play along anyway. “Yes! No better moment than Halloween to break this bad boy out, right?” Flynn exclaims as she sits down on the floor at the coffee table where Julie had set up the board. “Sure,” you agree with a shrug before taking a red cup from Julie. She’d gone all out with decorating the studio with cobwebs and pumpkins and skeletons. She really went to town, even on the beverages and snacks. All of them Halloween-themed. “Are we ready?” Julie asks ominously whilst sitting down next to Flynn and extending her arms, so they’re resting on the plaque in the middle of the board. You bite your bottom lip, trying your hardest not to start laughing at your best friends, and sit down with them. The three boys surround you, placing their hands onto the plaque at the same time you and Flynn do. “It’s really important you keep your hands on the plaque at all times,” Julie warns you and Flynn. It’s really hard to concentrate on the board and not on the extremely cute guy on the opposite side of the table, staring at you with a grin on his face. “Let’s do this,” you state, your eyes flicking from Julie to Flynn, stopping briefly at the lead singer of Sunset Curve. You catch a flicker of confusion in his eyes, but decide to ignore it and focus on Julie and Flynn for now. “O Fortuna, Velut luna, Statu variabilis, Semper crescis, Aut decrescis; Vita detestabilis.” You furrow your eyebrows at Julie’s sudden outburst in Latin. You don’t need much to recognize it though. That’s from O Fortuna by Carmina Burana. The most famous choral number in existence. You feel a little offended Julie thinks you wouldn’t know that. “Are you ghosts out there?” she asks in a menacing voice, trying to build up the tension. You can feel the boy next to you go through you with his shoulder as he pushes against the plaque to slide it over to the ‘yes’. You press your lips together to keep you from laughter, your eyes widening in fake shock. “Who are you?” you ask as you look into the lead singer's eyes, pretending to look ahead into the abyss. The boy now leans forward and starts moving the plaque to the L, then U-K-E. You glance at Julie and Flynn, who exchange glances too. “Were you in a band?” Luke’s eyes widen at this, frantically glancing at his best friends in need of help. The blond one, who’s sitting next to Flynn, cocks his head to the stereo before getting up from his spot and moving to the corner. He presses the play button, a song you recognize as Now or Never by their very own band. You nod your head, impressed by the lengths these boys are going to keep up this prank. “Hey, Luke,” you’re still looking at him instead of Julie or Flynn. “Are your bandmates here too?” “Bro, she knows,” Luke scoffs, which makes you burst out laughing. You can’t handle it anymore. The disappointment in Luke’s face is just too much. “I’m sorry guys, but I can literally see you…” you tell the three guys, leaving them and your two best friends in complete and utter shock, laced with a bit of disgruntlement over their prank failing. “My mother used to be a really big fan of yours. She showed me all of your music and told me about Bobby-slash-Trevor.” Julie’s head snaps up at this. “You knew?” she asks, eyes wide and bewildered at this new information. “Yeah, I never told you or Carrie because one, I didn’t think it mattered, and two, there must be a reason why Bobby hasn’t told his own daughter about his past band.” You shrug, letting your eyes dart over to the boys again. They’re all sat on the floor, frozen in shock. “How do you see us?” the darker-haired boy with the rosy cheeks asks. “I guess my mother being such a fan of Sunset Curve gives me a connection to all of you?” you offer them your best guess. Luke’s eyes widen, clearly realizing something as he gets up from the floor to start pacing the garage. “What’s her name?” he asks, remembering one girl he had a real connection with. “Y/M/N.” He visibly swallows a lump in his throat, and scratches the back of his head awkwardly. “Yeah… Let’s say I know her very well…” Your mind immediately jumps to a conclusion that leaves you a little weirded out. “Remember that one girl our age at the book club we played at?” He directs this question to the boys. “Right! She was the daughter of the hostess!” the brunette, who you’re guessing is Reggie by the way he expresses himself, remembers. “No, you didn’t!” His eyes widen at the sudden realization, he then turns to you. “You’re her daughter?!” You nod your head slowly, trying to comprehend what’s happening. “It doesn’t matter who Luke had a special connection with,” Julie interrupts, “Why didn’t you say anything? It killed me not telling you!” You shrug your shoulders. “I guess I thought it would’ve been weird to just come up to you and say ‘yo, Jules, I can see your ghost band!’ Besides, it was fun seeing these boys squirm whenever I looked at them a little too long.” Your lip turns upwards on one side. “I knew you saw me!” The blonde guy narrows his eyes at you. So, that must be Drama Queen Alex… “Can we just drop it and enjoy the rest of our night together?” you exclaim, raising your hands in defense for ever lying to your best friends. “I heard…” you start, glancing at all three of the boys, “You guys are very good at jamming whatever song is thrown at you.” “Yes! Please! Sing! So I’m not the only one not seeing you!” Flynn groans in frustration, walking through Luke, not realizing he’d gotten up from his seat earlier. “I just stepped through someone, didn’t I?” Julie and you simply nod your head, amused smiles stifled. Luke and Reggie grab their instruments whilst Alex makes his way behind his drum kit. “Y’all know Time Warp, from the Rocky Horror Picture Show?” you ask. As an answer, Alex counts all of you in before the band starts playing and Luke’s voice fills the studio.  “It's astounding, time is fleeting Madness takes its toll But listen closely,” You, having received a microphone from Julie, walk over to the lead singer your mother had a fling with once -- apparently -- and chime into the song.   “Not for very much longer” “I've got to keep control” He shoots you a wink before changing to his head voice to go into the chorus. “I remember doing the time warp Drinking those moments when The blackness would hit me And the void would be calling” Then, all of you join into the post-chorus together, singing at the top of your lungs. “Let's do the time warp again Let's do the time warp again” Reggie then takes the next part whilst all three girls do the choreography from the musical, and alternating lines with Reggie. “It's just a jump to the left” “And then a step to the right” “put your hands on your hips” “You bring your knees in tight But it's the pelvic thrust That really drives you insane Let's do the time warp again! Let's do the time warp again!” You dance your way to Reggie whilst taking the next verse, all while Julie’s behind the keyboard, getting some melodic notes into the jam. “It's so dreamy, oh fantasy free me So you can't see me, no not at all In another dimension, with voyeuristic intentions Well-secluded, I see all” Reggie looks into your eyes as he uses his best seductive voice to sing the next line. “With a bit of a mind flip” And then you imitate that tone on your next line. “You're into the time slip” “And nothing can ever be the same” Flynn then takes the next line, dancing in front of Alex’s drum kit, facing him with a wide smile on her face. She’s glad she can see the boys now too. It makes her feel a little less left out. “You're spaced out on sensation” Alex then sings one line before the rest of you join in again for the chorus. “Like you're under sedation” “Let's do the time warp again! Let's do the time warp again!” “It's just a jump to the left” “And then a step to the right” “put your hands on your hips” “You bring your knees in tight But it's the pelvic thrust That really drives you insane Let's do the time warp again! Let's do the time warp again!” The boys play their last chords or hit their last cymbals while Julie plays her last note. All six of you giggling like crazy, oozing happiness and contentment. This is probably the craziest and most fun you’d ever had on Halloween. “Oh, man!” Flynn whines, a pout on her face. You don’t know why at first, but then remember she can’t see the boys like you and Julie can, which sends all of you into a fit of laughter. If your life is going to be this fun and crazy with these boys in your life, you’d never want to die. Or maybe you would, if that meant spending even more time with them. 

Taglist: @hannahhistorian92 @marinettepotterandplagg @thequirkybookaholic @bookdealer5 @tenaciousperfectionunknown @hemmingsness @iainttakingshitfromnobody @ifilwtmfc @angryknightstatesmantrash @kiss-themoongoodbye @rudysbay @thedarkqueenofavalon @caitsymichelle13

[steve0discusses]

S5 Ep13: How to Get Away With Cheating in the Card Olympics

It’s been a little while since Pegasus made a card that screwed us years after it was developed...and so it’s time for it to happen again. Good ol Pegasus, screwing us all and not even knowing he’s doing it.

First off, it took me until this episode to realize that Leon and Zigfried are German and Leon is playing a Grimm Brother’s deck. I guess I didn’t notice before now because Leon was hiding his identity. But now that I know his deck is because he’s just German it’s like...well OK. That’s kind of cute. Better than that time they had the American play a deck filled with guns.

And that actually...fully explains why they are all dressed old timey. I didn’t pick up on it until just now...they’re referencing old ass fairy tales. But wtv, I still like my reaching theories of why Zigfried dresses like...that.

PS, my twitter just notified me that lots of people are getting a ‘Hime Haircut’, which is exactly the doo that Zigfried wears this season with the cropped side bangs. And like...are we sure? I see Kpop wearing it and Tik Tok kids wearing wigs but...I have yet to see a Hime in the wild. Course I haven’t gone outside in like a year so...maybe tens of thousands of people really did do a Hime Haircut during the Quarantine.

But, damn it, I decided to look at some photos, and a bunch of them looked pretty bad, but a couple looked pretty dope, and now I’m a little bit tempted to get a Hime...but I feel like it took a decade to get out of my bangs phase and like...Do I need two layers of bangs? I have naturally straight hair, I could do this, this haircut was made for me, but...

I just don’t know if I should get a haircut that looks like I’m an anime cosplayer when I can’t back it up. Nope. Cannot get this haircut. I know this haircut was made for teenagers or artists in their 30′s, and literally no one else, but no, this will be a mistake just like the side bangs I gave myself in 2006.

(looks over at scissors)

(read more under the cut)

(get it? Cut?)

Leon recalls that his brother very nicely gave him a card, and he’s so excited to finally do any activity involving his crazy ass family, that he just blindly does it.

This entire episode is about Yami not doing a hellscape when he witnesses cheating, and like...it is S5...it’s been a little while since anyone’s done a real good cheat on him, and he opened the door to darkness, and they got devoured by their own Tamagachi. It’s been a while.

And like the curse of Episode 13 was just a theory I had--but this particular Episode 13 is probably the most tame of all the 13′s (and yet, the most un-tame of this arc, which is a pretty chill arc, overall)

Yet...while this episode still fits in with their universe because the Kaiba’s are very proud so they can’t admit their duel disk has a flaw and therefore can’t forfeit the game, it kind of stretches the imagination a bit for the sake of the plot. Straight up we have a LOT of characters in this arc and they all just stood there and watched it happened.

It could have been also because this is like...televised...that no one wants to start throwing this little boy off the nearest blimp. I just wish that was addressed in the episode, other than “listen...Kaiba must allow this card to be played...or all his Duel Disks are lies.”

His Duel Disk almost caused the end of planet Earth a few weeks back, so I think it’s fine. I think this is a negligible problem to have when your disk shoots projectiles out of each end and has sharp folding edges in the shape of a blade--almost attempting to slice your face off every time you wave that thing around.

Yes, he’s trying to restore his reputation after the whole Dartz thing...but this is like...not that bad in the scale of things that have happened in the past several seasons. Maybe it’s just the last straw that broke the camels back here? One thing too far--’your disk played a broke card, Kaiba, I am pulling my investments and I refuse to go to your theme parks. I was here when you blew up that island. I was here when your company was literally bought out by the illluminati...but if that duel disk can’t play cards correctly--we’re done here.’ And TBH...that’s a very Yugioh mentality to have.

Like remember that time that Elon musk threw a brick at one of his new weird looking cars and the windshield cracked? But he was like “Oh...that was just a...listen the windshields don’t shatter, you saw nothing.” and still released the car anyway? Was kind of reminded of that.

Now...he didn’t actually go into the Dev room, we’ll go into how the hell he got this card, but first, a visit to the Kaiba Dev room.

OOOOOOooooooooh

That’s so bright!

It reminds me of how in the 90′s, the only real thing I knew to do on my computer was change the colors of the UI, so I just used the ugliest ass UI known to man for my family’s computers. I hope these computers have a mouse that leaves a tail behind and I hope that mouse is in the shape of a flying sparkling dragon.

Anyway, Duke speaks what’s on our minds:

Meanwhile, Pegasus, watching this happen over a glass of wine from inside his bathtub at Castle Pegasus, takes one very long sip while sinking into a pile of bubbles.

Seto at first is like “I literally own this tournament so thanks for losing? I don’t know why you threw it out into the trash but thanks?” But Zigfried pressured him so hard that everyone on Earth would judge his ass, and tried so hard to change the definition of what cheating even is, that Seto relented almost as if to shut Zigfried the hell up.

Zigfried explained that, technically, it’s still reads as a legal card on the disk and isn’t reaaally against the rules. Even though the rules say it’s against the rules--what are rules anyway?

Thankfully we have the King of “I dictate what the rules are AKA the rules of the universe, which I would show you, I just don’t feel like it right now, and I’m a little worried about opening that Pandora’s box, but I clearly know the rules of this card game, as stated on this Home Depot plaque that Seto gave me after I won the last tourney.”

Leon gets pretty upset about this--not so much screwing Seto Kaiba, but over the fact his brother stole his only chance at trying to beat Yugi Muto fair and square. So, trying to retain what little card honor he has left, Leon tries to self sabotage so everyone can just go the hell home.

OK so...do you think he put a floppy disk into the paper card? Like straight up how did he do that? Feel free to post your theories because like...how do you hack a paper card? Like do we even have a canon explanation of what these cards are or what they are made out of and how they theoretically work?

Anyway, now that they’ve spent a good portion of this episode discussing if this card should or should not be played, and the ethics and philosophy surrounding that, we find out that none of this matters because Zigfried was actually just stalling.

(He hacked the card so it had a virus like straight up how did he DO that without making a new card?)

Huh.

Y’all, what if I could just delete Google?

Can you imagine?

Like I know this is a kid’s show so it follows kid’s show logic and I will absolutely allow this ridiculous master plan and I will not question it, but think with me for a sec:

What if you could just delete Disney?

Damn. That’s some Y2K scare tactics propaganda right there. That’s some good YA dystopian fiction stuff.

Yo is Zigfried the good guy? He’s not, but if this were a YA novel he would be, right? Good on him.

I...do not know how the logic in Zigfried’s brain works, but if someone deleted all the files in my collaborators company and showed up at my front door and was like “I heard you were looking for a new collaborator?” I’d stick him face first into a blank paper card.

Which is, logically, the next step to Zigfried’s plan that no one has bothered to tell him yet. You just don’t mess with Pegasus, especially after all the stuff he went though with getting murdered by Mai, and Dartz showing up, he’d be so pissed right now. He might not be technically magical anymore--but it’s clear after last season that he’s still magical enough. This is a man who’s let out into the wild maybe a couple of scary cards--but hell knows how many are buried in his huge ass castle just waiting to do a murder.

This is just Zigfried hassling a hornet and the hornets nest is like...right there.

And so next episode we are going to...destroy the card? Hell, next episode might be entirely a card game and I might only have 2 caps.

Anyway, just letting you know that I typed this last night, and then had dreams that I got a Hime Haircut and hella loved it, woke up at 5:30 AM thinking about that haircut, and have since been just...

...I mean I shouldn’t do it...I cannot give myself unironic Von Schroeder hair...

...

...but what if it’s dope though?

(and here’s the link to read these from the beginning in chrono order from S1. Wish I categorized in seasons but alas I did not have that forsight back when I thought there were only 3 seasons of Yugioh total. I have since learned.)

https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yugioh/chrono

[pinkysfaultorbrainsfault]

pinky and the brain - s1e5a: where no mouse has gone before

the blood test went okay! i’m still fucking exhausted but i’m pulling through. hopefully when the results come through it’ll be something tame yet treatable.

episode summary: upon learning of a human plot to communicate with aliens from a nearby planet, brain attempts to convince them that he is earth’s leader.

the rundown:

the mice are floating around.

did i need to cap all of those images? no. i probably only needed the last one, honestly. was it funnier? absolutely. so that’s what y’all get.

brain is upside down now.

“look, brain!” cries pinky. “i’m experiencing total weightlessness!”

bonk.

they’re in an anti gravity chamber, for reasons that have not been elaborated upon. they just sort of merrily bump into each other in there until someone lets them out.

bonk.

bonk.

ow. if pinky could die, that would probably be it for his spine. brain looks more like his alarm has just gone off and he really doesn’t want to get up, but god damn it, he has a 9am on tuesdays.

gromp.

“these experiments are degrading.”

“narf! i think they’re fun, brain! i can’t wait for the next ride!”

“that is because you have no dignity.”

but it’s okay. this man in terrifying sunglasses has come to rescue the boys. air mice nyoom is over.

as he takes them back to wherever, brain spots something of interest.

IT’S A DVD. HOW ANTIQUATED. but no, he’s more concerned about whatever it is this dude is polishing.

“did you see that plaque, pinky?” brain asks, and then does... this. for some reason. i don’t know. maybe i paused at a weird time. this is, uh, not a good moment, brain. there are people here.

“poit. he really ought to floss more often.”

this, at the very least, is enough to get brain to stick his ass out slightly less, and as they get lowered into fun little chairs,

he explains to pinky that the plaque "displays representations of man, woman, and the rudiments of earth’s most sophisticated science.”

see! there are the sciences right there. all sciences can be narrowed down to a bunch of dots and pi.

so then they get put in the promare spinny machine for their crimes.

sunglasses man leaves. he has done his duty for bill and country.

completely unbothered by the prospect of fueling the promepolis warp drive, brain explains to pinky that said plaque is being “sent on a probe to the outermost extremities of the galaxy, along with a disk showing earth’s arts and music.” unfortunately, this show is set in the 90s, so it’s a miracle this episode actually happened and the aliens didn’t just listen to a couple seconds of bjork and then decide to call the whole thing off.

meanwhile, the scientist turns the spinny mode up a bit.

“if the aliens look upon it, they will learn everything they need to know about the dominant species on earth!”

“naaarf. too bad there isn’t a picture of you on there, brain!”

“exactly,” says brain, who can somehow still manage a coherent sentence. “are you pondering what i’m pondering?”

“i think so, brain! but pants with horizontal stripes make me look chubby!”

awful. brain somehow manages to convey that if he puts a picture of himself on the plaque, then the aliens will recognise him as earth’s leader.

unfortunately, most of his lower half appears to be significantly broken, so he may need some assistance.

the episode cuts straight from spinny machine to the next scene, so i’m not entirely sure how long afterwards it takes place. i assume at the very least they both had a nap first, but anyway, now the mice are here and significantly less broken, and brain is standing in front of an engraving of himself and saying voila.

“voila.”

not only has he carved himself into the plaque, he’s also carved the human figures out entirely. impressive stuff, considering that tool is bigger than him.

pinky thinks it’s marvellous!

“but who is it?”

bonk.

it gets worse. brain explains that he has “slightly altered the great art masterpieces” to enhance his own importance as earth’s leader.

slightly.

“oh, this is my favourite one, brain!”

“......how did that get in there.”

undeterred, brain switches over to some samples of The World’s Great Works Of Classical Music.

BRAIN’S THE LEADEEEEEEEEEEER BRAIN’S THE LEAAAADEEEEER

he’s even included some examples of america’s contribution to the fine arts!

ROCK. AND ROLL.

A WOP BOP A LOO BOP A LOP BAM BRAIN. let it be known that little richard was actually white and dubiously canadian.

/s

anyway brain wants them to swap his disk and plaque with the real disk and plaque, so they set off to do that.

“but brain, what about ballet? aren’t you going to give them a sample of the ballet?”

“the aliens aren’t going to care about ballet, pinky.”

or perhaps he was just too embarrassed to edit his face onto the ballets russe. it’s okay brain. we love you even if your short legs make your sissones lackluster.

time for Big Rocket.

they’re stopped at the gates, of course.

fear not! it’s only famous jet propulsion scientist wernher von brain from the braun institute in baun.

and wernher von pinky!!! from the mink institute in pink!!!

brain looks at pinky like he’s just said something stupid, and chooses to ignore the fact that wernher van braun had been dead twenty years before this cartoon takes place. very smart, brain. much genius.

still, it works on this guy.

“from now on, pinky, whatever anyone asks you, just say ‘ja’ or ‘nein’.”

BUT NEVER MIND THAT.

IT’S TIME FOR BIG ROCKET.

brain screws his custom Mouse Plaque onto the base of the rocket. he also sticks his ass out again as he does it, because he is clearly having one of those days.

pinky watches as the countdown progresses slowly, from ten-nine-eight-seven-six-five-four-three-stand by for emission.

“did you hear the countdown, pinky?”

“ja!”

“what number are they down to?”

“nien!”

“nine???”

“ja!”

“excellent, plenty of time.”

<does a gay little run into the distance>

(he did not, in fact, have plenty of time.)

“didn’t you tell me they were down to nine, pinky?”

“ja! nien! poit!”

there’s your answer, i guess.

but it’s fine! brain’s picture is on the rocket, as well as his cultural erasure of little richard, so surely nothing can go wrong now!

look at it nyooming around in space. how cute.

conclusion:

ALIENS LAND ON EARTH.

news man witters on about this being the GREATEST MOMENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD as various politicians and news organisations congregate to say hi to the aliens. they are from firnobulax, and they want to meet earth’s leader!

here they come now!

squelch.

the aliens politely request to be taken to earth’s leader.

“he means me,” says bill, wriggling himself to the front of the line. “i can feel his pain.”

):

the other world leaders don’t seem too sure about this.

including... this guy. who is definitely supposed to be british (”oh, really, old chap, i think he means me”) but i. definitely do not recognise him. who are you??? what did you do to the queen??????? give liz back right now you bureaucrat, or the entirety of england will throw hands.

the aliens care not for this.

so they kind of explode everyone in the venue, as you do.

the politicians watch in horror as the aliens fly right past them, to this innocent looking soap box right at the back.

the inhabitants of which came prepared. very cute.

“you are the earth creature known as. brain?”

“yes!”

“i am the leader of this planet!! ruler of all i survey!!!!!”

good for you! (:

“narf. and he really isn’t just a laboratory mouse trying to take over the world.”

brain will handle this from here, thank you.

the aliens are satisfied, at least. they give pinky a little pat on the head for all his narfs (he speaks excellent firnobulax, don’t you know, narf poit egad) and take the mice away to CELEBRATE THEIR GLORY.

it doesn’t look very comfortable, but neither of them seem to mind.

“at last, pinky! we are finally appreciated!”

“what does it feel like..........”

anyway, the spaceship full of mice flies away. brain regails the firnobulaxians with tales of how he invented electricity.

“but brain. wasn’t that ben franklin?”

bonk.

brain realises mid bonk that this probably looks very suspicious, so he convinces the aliens that this is a gesture of respect on earth.

it goes about as well as one would think it would.

“you mean all those years, you were just showing me respect! i’m touched!”

“yes, you certainly are.”

luckily, they make it back to firnobulax without too much trouble.

there’s a parade and everything. the crowd cheers “narf! poit! brain!” as they’re carried through the street, which is probably a sequence of words that brain is very used to hearing.

i don’t know what these things are, but they’re scary.

they make it to brain’s “domicile” soon enough, which is a big fancy room with a chair in it.

there’s only one chair, which is sad, but hopefully that can be mitigated. brain settles himself down triumphantly.

“from now on, pinky,” he says, “everything will be different.”

which is a good time for bars to fall down over one of the windows.

donk.

the mice look on, horrified,

as it continues around the rest of the room.

and the door, too, for good measure.

“egad, brain!” cries pinky. “they’ve locked us in!”

“yes, pinky.”

“yes.”

awww. ):

as pinky attempts to break the bars, brain wanders off back to his little chair, incredibly despondantly.

he has to prepare for tomorrow night.

“why, brain? what are we going to do tomorrow night?”

“same thing we do every night, pinky. try to take over firnobulax.”

hmmmmm.

man. i just. the plan actually worked, is the thing. it did exactly what brain intended it to. and how could he have known that firnobulax wanted to kidnap the leader of earth for scientific purposes? maybe if they’d been upfront with their intent, we would have had an excuse to send some dictators into space. go figure.

but never mind.

brain: 6 pinky: 7 outside influence: 13

“ooooo, i don’t know, brain. i once saw a group of japanese tourists absolutely melt at the final scene of giselle.”

[yourhealthandfitness-world]

Nine surprising ‘superdrinks’ to recharge your health – from weight loss aid to fruit juice that boosts your sex life

FORGET superfoods, now it’s all about what you are drinking.

Scientists recently discovered tea is a superdrink which can help a whole raft of ailments.

Want to nail a tough pub quiz? Guzzle some hot cocoa to get your brain workingCredit

A cuppa can fight cancer, cut heart disease and lower your risk of dementia, say the US Tea Council.

The US Tea Council’s Dr Taylor Wallace said: “This bountiful beverage is one which people can easily add to better their diet and create a healthier and longer life.”

Earlier this year the University of Birmingham reported hot cocoa can make you smarter.

So boil the kettle and get ready to find out the superdrinks you should be sipping.

Hot cocoa - Makes you smarter

Hot chocolate could make you better in a pub quiz, according to scientists.

Cocoa contains plenty of the nutrient flavanols which boosts oxygen in the brain.

This heightens your ability to think clearly and complete tasks well says the University of Birmingham.

But for this to work it has to be hot cocoa rather than any processed alternative.

Coffee - Lowers diabetes risk

A coffee doesn’t just make you feel bright eyed and bushy tailed.

It can also lower your chances of developing type 2 diabetes according to Harvard University.

Their study found people who had one extra cup of coffee a day had an 11 per cent lower risk of getting type 2 diabetes.

But if you already have the disease, they warned, coffee could have the adverse effect and make things worse.

Red wine - Treat endometriosis symptoms

A full bodied red is exceptionally good for easing the pain of endometriosis, according to scientists.

The skin of red grapes used to make the wine contains a compound called resveratrol.

The plant-based compound has been shown to reduce inflammation and as a result pelvic pain.

But other studies show too much booze could result in breast cancer.

Whisky - Good for your heart

A nip of whiskey can warm you up and also reduce your risk of heart failure.

A study led by the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen says a small amount of whisky a week is actually good for your heart.

A single malt contains the highest amount of antioxidants which prevent the build up of plaque in blood vessels.

But the story caveats that a maximum of seven small glasses of whisky should be drunk a week.

Cola - Helps digestion

Got a tummy ache? A glug of cola might sort you out.

Scientists are using coca cola to treat painful condition gastric phytobezoar, according to a report in the Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

The illness can cause a bowel obstruction if not treated - sometimes resulting in surgery.

But research has shown in 90 per cent of cases cola will do the job too by breaking down blockages.

Watermelon juice - Improves your sex life

If you aim to please the ladies, downing some watermelon might be the answer.

Juice containing the fruit contains L-citrulline which can apparently give you a boost down below.

The amino acid converts into nitric oxide which boosts your blood flow. Scientists found this makes your manhood, er, harder.

Water - helps lose weight

Yes, it’s not exactly a revelation but water is probably the best drink you can glug.

Drinking water helps you burn up to a third more calories for an hour, according to a 2009 US study.

A Californian study from 2008 showed women who drink an extra litre of water a day burn up to 4.4lbs over the course of a year without any other changes to their diet.

Cherry juice - good for memory

A glass of cherry juice every day can help keep your brain healthy into old age.

A study by the University of Delaware found people between 65 and 73 who drank a glass every day for 12 weeks saw benefits.

The study participants were given a memory test and those who drank the juice rather than a placebo had higher scores.

Vodka - prevents blood clots

As well as being an antiseptic, vodka turns out to be great for your circulation.

A shot can increase blood-flow and circulation in your body which can prevent dangerous clots.

It has also been shown to lower cholesterol.

But drinking too much can lead to a fatty liver so best in moderation.

Bovril - good for pregnancy

It might not be one of your pregnancy cravings but Bovril contains nutrients essential when expecting.

One serving contains a fifth of the daily recommended dose of folic acid, according to the Daily Mail.

The NHS recommends pregnant women take a 400 microgram supplement of folic acid every day to prevent birth defects.

Follow and Like for more useful content like this**

[aion-rsa]

WandaVision: How Monica Rambeau Fits in the MCU

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This article contains WandaVision spoilers.

Monica Rambeau has officially arrived in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She first appeared as a kid in 2017’s Captain Marvel and Teyonah Parris’s adult iteration of her has been in most episodes of WandaVision so far, but it wasn’t until the fourth episode, “We Interrupt this Program,” viewers finally got a chance to see adult Monica as “herself” (rather than her sitcom alter ego of “Geraldine”) and learn her backstory. 

Since then, we’ve caught more glimpses into her mysterious role within the MCU. Parris’s Monica is an excellent rendition of the character, and WandaVision is littered with small details about the character that set her up as a major player moving forward with the next phase of the MCU.

Monica’s Return

WandaVision episode 4 opens with Monica reassembling five years after Thanos snapped his fingers, presumably at the same moment in Avengers: Endgame when the heroes made their triumphant return. As Monica pieces back together, snatches of memories play, mostly her mother talking about not wanting to leave her, perhaps to go out on missions. In a bit of foreshadowing, child Monica says that maybe she’ll build a spaceship and talks about wanting to be an aircraft pilot.

The last voice Monica hears before she comes to is Carol Danvers, first saying “when they were giving out kids, they gave her the toughest one,” and then calling her “Lt. Trouble,” the childhood nickname her Auntie Carol used to call her. It’s a detail that Captain Marvel pulled from Carol’s relationship to a precocious neighborhood kid in the comics and applied to Monica. It also signifies just how much Carol means to Monica, that the voices that tether her to Earth and help bring her back are hers and her mother. Hopefully, it also means that Captain Marvel had at least been coming back to Earth for the occasional visit between the ‘90s and Endgame, to help keep that connection so strong (although Monica’s reaction to the mention of Captain Marvel’s name in episode 5 may indicate otherwise…but we’ll get to that in a minute).

Monica and Captain Marvel

It’s also a reminder that Maria and Monica were on their own. Those years during Monica’s childhood when Carol disappeared, before the events of Captain Marvel, certainly hit them hard. It’s unclear what happened after Captain Marvel, but if Carol dipped out to space and Maria was busy defending Earth, Monica would have had a lonely childhood. Either way, her relationship to her mother is an important one, and seeing Monica realize she has missed the last few years of her mother’s life is heartbreaking. The entire hospital sequence is a moving scene of deeply human panic, with dozens of regular people just like Monica trying to figure out what happened to them and where their loved ones are.

The fifth episode, (the meta “On a Very Special Episode…”), might shed a bit more light on the post-Captain Marvel years and highlights a possible rift between Monica and Carol. While brainstorming with Agent Jimmy Woo and Dr. Darcy Lewis, Monica gave voice to an oft-cited fan theory that Wanda nearly took Thanos down singlehandedly, adding that nobody else came close. Agent Woo responds that Captain Marvel came close and Darcy asks about her powers originating from an infinity stone, too. Monica gives Woo a glare and icy silence, and tells Darcy, “We are not talking about her, we are talking about Wanda,” clearly eager to move on. Whatever happened between them, it wasn’t good. 

Perhaps Carol spent too much time off in space? She might have also been the one calling Maria away on missions during Monica’s childhood, which we heard as memories in the opening of episode four.

What Are Monica Rambeau’s Powers?

We now know that Maria built SWORD “from the ground up” after the events of Captain Marvel. During that movie, Monica met aliens and talked about wanting to learn to fly like Carol – as in, out to space, and on her own, without a plane. Both Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau are capable of unassisted space flight in the comics. Their powers are related, in that both can command energy to a degree. In fact, at one point Carol absorbed Monica so they could combine their powers, something they both found embarrassing and decided never to speak of again.

At some point Monica will likely get a power-up that will bring about her ability to control and even become any form of energy within the electromagnetic spectrum. In the comics, she gained her powers after she was exposed to extra-dimensional energy, when she was trying to stop a powerful weapon from being created. Considering that the onscreen version of SWORD changes the name from Sentient World Observation and Response Department to Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division, she’ll likely have plenty of chances for that, especially with Monica bristling when Director Tyler Hayward tells her SWORD is now in the weapons creation game.

In the meantime, Monica clearly went out and learned to fly like her mother, becoming a US Air Force pilot and then joining the astronaut training program that she references to Tyler when she first returns to SWORD. Until her powers manifest, that still leaves plenty of room for Monica and Carol to reunite in space or virtually anywhere else in the galaxy in Captain Marvel 2, which is slated to include Parris as Monica Rambeau.

Does Monica Have Powers Yet?

During Monica’s medical appointment in episode 5, her scans come back blank and they need to re-send her blood to the lab. The all-white scans look like they could be overexposed, a hint that Monica already has her powers, or at least a latent version of them. On the other hand, later on in the episode we hear that there are high levels of radiation present at the perimeter. Perhaps Wanda’s Hex boundary is messing with the machinery. 

However, there’s another possibility WandaVision has set up, one that hews a bit closer to Monica’s comics origin. Monica could gain her powers by trying to stop Tyler Hayward from using a new super weapon against Wanda. With the drone incident in episode 5, it’s clear that Tyler escalates situations while Monica believes that Wanda isn’t intentionally harming anyone – and might even relate to her enormous grief over the loss of a loved one, as Monica remembered seeing her mother’s plaque while under Wanda’s control.  

Monica mentioned photons among other specifications for a mobile fallout shelter that would be safe from Wanda’s powers and/or the Hex. Tyler has already shown a penchant for adapting observation for more violent means, so it’s not hard to imagine he’d use Monica, Darcy, and that unnamed aerospace engineer’s research to create a weapon on the side and catch Monica in the crossfire. 

Photon

Maria Rambeau is appropriately memorialized in the halls of Sword HQ with a plaque bearing her call sign, “Photon,” which we learned during Captain Marvel. Comics readers will recognize that as one of her daughter’s many costumed aliases. That begs the question – when Monica eventually powers up, will she take on the name Photon as an homage to her mother, or will we learn that she has another one of her comic aliases as a call sign like Pulsar or Spectrum, letting this stand on its own as an easter egg?

Of course, Monica’s most famous alias, other than Photon, is Captain Marvel. It’s probably no mistake here that she’s reached the rank of captain so throughout episode four, people refer to her as Captain Rambeau. In the Marvel Comics timeline, Monica was actually Captain Marvel before Carol – a fact she didn’t let her friend forget, ribbing her for not calling to ask for permission first before taking up the mantle.

WandaVision has made sure to reference these various names plenty. In episode 5, Agent Woo came to greet Monica saying, “Mighty glad to have you back, Captain,” referencing the Mighty Avengers, a line-up Monica joined as Spectrum, her historic role as the first woman to take up the Captain Marvel name, and the “Mighty Captain Marvel” moniker of her surrogate aunt, Carol Danvers.

Will Monica Take Over SWORD?

Mysterious director Tyler Hayward seems pretty apologetic about the fact that he’s running SWORD, a job he seems to know he doesn’t deserve, though it doesn’t stop him from using his post to shift the organization’s trajectory toward the sinister. It’s clear that if she hadn’t been blipped, Monica would be running SWORD, but if Marvel wants to populate Phase 4 with more cool, powerful interconnected women heroes, she’s not the only candidate for the job.

The comics iteration of SWORD has recently been led by Abigail Brand, a green-haired half-alien half-mutant who also has a history of working with Captain Marvel to defend the Earth from extraterrestrial threats. She’s competent as hell and bringing Brand in to run SWORD would keep Monica at liberty for more free-wheeling adventures while bringing another interesting woman out of the pages and onto the screen.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Whatever happens next with Monica Rambeau on WandaVision or elsewhere, the MCU has successfully captured what has made so many readers fall in love with the character over the years and translated it to the screen. Hopefully they will continue to feature her and dig into her story. 

The post WandaVision: How Monica Rambeau Fits in the MCU appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3rAoHnW

[random-notes-and-jottings]

Following the toppling of the statue of Edward Colston in Bristol (and the daubing of slogans on the Cenotaph in Whitehall and the plinth of Churchill’s statue in Parliament Square), there have been an awful lot of poorly-argued positions flying around. One such is James O’Brien’s tweet which asserts, “Your view of the statue is your view of slavery”. Even given the limited character-count of Twitter, that is a very poor imitation of an argument. It plays well to the adoring gallery, but it’s no more coherent than “Your view of Boris Johnson is your view of people from New York,” or, “Your view of Priti Patel is your view of British Asian women”.

Those who have condemned the toppling of the statue have tended to rely on an equally poor counter-assertion: “It’s part of our history”. That is true, but it’s not an argument in itself, or perhaps not in the sense that its proponents think. Jimmy Savile is part of our recent popular history. Many of us grew up watching him on TV, and though we always suspected he was a bit of a weirdo, he was generally admired for his charity work, and plaques (and at least one statue) were put up in his honour. However, no one would now justify any public memorial to a man whom we know to have been a paedophile and a rapist. The same would go for any public memorials of Hitler. But should, say, Francisco Franco be similarly vilified? In the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca there are dozens of bas-relief roundels depicting rulers of Spain and the one of Franco was removed in 2017. And yet not one of the others (mainly monarchs from Felipe V to Alfonso XI) would pass any current ‘woke approval test’, largely because none of them lived in the 21st century. Franco’s ‘monument’ may have been removed, but the almost 40 years that he ruled Spain is thereby not magically excised. We cannot change the past. It remains a reality of history, to be debated, examined, recalled, abjured and/or celebrated. Few, if any, historical figures are irredeemably evil or faultlessly saintly.

So there is a tension between contemporary approval and “he’s just part of our history”, and no tweet is capable of resolving that tension in a couple of snappy sentences. I say “he” by the way, because very few non-royal statues are of women, and most that are are recent and therefore more likely to meet with contemporary approval. But even here there are controversies. There is a statue of Margaret Sanger (founder of Planned Parenthood) in the Smithsonian. She’s one of Hillary Clinton’s heroines and, thanks to the Planned Parenthood connection, a ‘woke’ liberal heroine. Yet she was also a proponent of race-based eugenics. In some cities in the United States, up to 5 times as many black women have abortions as white women. Surely, even the most ‘pro-choice’ person cannot think that such a racial disparity is something to celebrate?

Then we hear from Professor David Olusoga, a TV film-maker who tells us that statues are “not about history, but adoration” (and, by implication, approval). That is clearly nonsense, though an attempt at a pithy aphorism that will ensure the maximum media appearances. “Admiration” perhaps, but not “adoration” (and, moreover, “admiration” at the time of erection, not for posterity). Catholics and Hindus are usually those accused of ‘worshipping’ statues. I cannot speak for Hindus, but no Catholic ought to be ‘worshipping’ or, to use Olusoga’s term, ‘adoring’, a statue. A statue is a symbol or a token of the thing represented. 90% of the statues in a Catholic church are of the Virgin Mary and various saints, and none of them is to be worshipped — neither the statues nor the people they represent.

Even when it comes to representations of Christ himself, he is most often depicted nailed to a cross. We do not remind ourselves of the way in which Jesus was tortured and the sufferings he endured during his execution because we celebrate or approve of those sufferings. Rather, the cross stands as a reminder of what human beings are capable of — that when we meet perfect love, we are wont to destroy it. The crucifix is both a representation of perfect love and of human evil. It sustains millions in their prayer precisely because it is both. It demands reflection and meditation. Similarly, the fact that Auschwitz has not been bulldozed points to a similar idea — it is an image of something horrible, but what it represents should never be forgotten, even after the WWII generation are all long dead. And then there are the tombs and portraits of people in churches (particularly those dating from before the Reformation) — not honours given to saints, but plaintive pleas of the deceased for the living to pray for them, because they were aware of their own sin in life and believed they would need those prayers to have any hope for heaven. They were about humility, not pride.

Statues and memorials, then, are not straightforward, semiotically speaking. There is a strong case for having Colston’s statue removed to a museum (as the Hungarians did with all their Soviet era statues) or to a less prominent place, or even for its scrapping, certainly, but it does not follow that it stood as a ‘celebration’ of slavery, or its existence suggested that the people of Bristol are (nowadays) enthusiastic slavers. It might have been different if people were still bringing flowers and garlands, but that was not — as far as I know — the case. One annual protest which did take place around Edward Colston’s statue was the placing of figures of human bodies around the plinth, with labels like “domestic servants”, “sex workers”, “farm workers” and so on, reminding people that slavery still exists in this country. Colston’s statue had thus become, not the celebration of slavery that O’Brien thinks it was, but a rallying point for those who work to eradicate slavery in our own time.

Anti-Slavery Day 2018

Edward Colston is an easy target, because no one would defend slavery (pace O’Brien); but he was also a philanthropist, which is why he got a statue in the first place (1895 in fact). Should the wealthy, cosmopolitan, liberal city of Bristol be allowed to forget that it grew rich and successful partly as a result of the exploitation of human beings? Tearing down a statue doesn’t alter the fact, any more than a slave-owner giving money to charity alters the fact that his money came from slavery. One could argue that such an unhappy period of its history should be, visibly and palpably, on Bristol’s conscience; it shouldn’t be forgotten or erased (because it can’t be erased: even if you demolished Colston Girls’ School and all the other public buildings he endowed). He existed. He helped create modern Bristol. As they say, ‘Deal with it’.

Aside from a tangential contribution to parliamentary sovereignty, I do not ‘adore’ Cromwell in any way. He was a small-minded, anti-Catholic thug. But I cannot erase the fact that he ruled Britain for 5 miserable years, nor can I alter the fact that many still do admire and even ‘adore’ him. But the reason why a statue is erected is not necessarily the reason why a statue should be left in place. No one now worships Graeco-Roman deities, yet we do not crush their statues for hardcore. No one worships Bel or Baalshamin and yet most were appalled by the destruction of their temples in Palmyra by ISIS. The reason that statues are “our history” is precisely that they were erecting “in history”. They are snapshots of history. People in Bristol in 1895 deemed it seemly and fitting to erect a statue to Edward Colson. We would not do so now, but they did then. Perhaps even ten years later they would not have done so. People in the present are not bound by history, because we live in the present, but we cannot erase history, however much we might wish that the past had been better or different.

Let’s say that you are a teacher in Bristol and you have a young and thoughtful class of children (say, Year 7 or 8) with whom you wanted to examine the transatlantic slave trade and Bristol’s part in it. At the moment you have statues and the names of streets and buildings to go out and explore — in other words you have some actual history. It would be a similar story in most of Britain (think of Bold Street in Liverpool or Buchanan Street in Glasgow, etc.). Do we really imagine that the presence of a few 100+ year old statues and street names are going to make kids into racist apologists for slavery, or might the effect be rather different? We have heard, quite rightly, voices urging Britain to “confront” its dark past with respect to slavery. Seeking to “erase” the visible legacy of slavery might not be the best way of going about this, however painful those signs are.

There are also the empty comparisons with the toppling of the statues of Saddam in 2002-03, or Lenin in 1991-92, or the destruction of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The difference is surely clear. None of those Iraqis, Russians or East Germans had previously had any democratic means of getting rid of those statues or structures because they were symbols of oppression imposed upon them. Had Colston’s statue in Bristol been universally hated and become an issue in local elections then it could not have remained (Bristol has a black mayor, after all, who can hardly have been ignorant of the connection). It seems that it just wasn’t a major issue for people (which is an issue in itself). Olusoga’s (and some Labour MPs’) view that tearing down statues “IS history” is true, but not a justification. A year ago most people (Labour and Cons) wanted rid of Theresa May, and yet because we knew we had the means to bring this about (a vote of NC, General Election, etc.) we could not have justified sending a mob to Downing Street to remove her. If we were living under an absolute monarchy which still traded African slaves, then tossing Colston into the river would have been a political act, rather than a student jape. It’s worth remembering, too, that although the transatlantic slave-trade ended long ago, we live in a world in which more people are enslaved than at any point in its history. The countries with most slaves are China, India, Pakistan, followed by the Middle East, North Africa and the Sahara region. Protestors against the horrors of slavery should also be demonstrating outside the Mauritanian Embassy on Vauxhall Bridge Road. If we are to ‘never forget’ and ‘learn the lessons’ of slavery, should we not be standing in solidarity with Albanians and the Vietnamese who are the 2nd and 3rd largest groups enslaved in the UK? (And indeed British citizens, black and white, who recently took the No. 1 spot?)

When Britain abolished slavery in 1833 (and she would be criticised now for compensating owners yet not ex-slaves) the government borrowed 40% of the national budget* to do so. That debt was only finally paid off in 2015. In the view of Guardian journalists this was a shameful act and little more than ‘blood money’ (and some on Twitter have suggested that British tax-payers were still “paying slave owners” until 2015), but in the US let’s remember it took a civil war and 600,000 deaths to free slaves there. However differently we think Britain should have acted in 1833, the fact is that the Slavery Abolition Act incurred a significant financial cost. For a country to take on a debt so large that it would take 183 years to repay suggests, surely, an admirable commitment to the belief that all human beings ought to be free?

* £20m in 1833 would be approximately £16.5bn in 2013 wage terms. As 5% of GDP would mean £100bn (in 2016). The Treasury’s statement is here.

[visariga-blog]

Neighborhood #15: Bieriņi

Name: Bieriņi Meaning: Latvian version of “Behrens,” the name of the German family that owned the old manor Area: 4.27 km2 (31st) 2014 Population: 9443 (22nd) 2008 Population density: 2016 people/km2 (25th) Distance from Riga Central Station by public transit: 21 minutes Public transit lines: #7, #10, #25, #55, #56 busses Places of interest: Mārupītes dabas parks, statue park,  Where to eat: Picerija Ansamblis, 38 Robežu iela Date of visit: May 7th, 2017

Though maligned to the point of cliché in art and music over the past few decades, suburban sprawl is still an inescapable part of middle-class life outside of most American cities. Originally built in the 1950s on the territory of former farmland in order to give more “breathing space” to affluent young families looking to escape “blighted” cities, these endless seas of similar-looking single-family houses have become an cultural icon of the United States and are featured in countless films and TV shows.

While this kind sprawl doesn’t quite exist in Latvia in the same form, something a bit similar can be found in towns outside of Rīga and in periphery neighborhoods such as Bieriņi, the area we visited all the way back in early May. Though technically a neighborhood of Rīga, Bieriņi is almost indistinguishable to most residents from the nearby town of Mārupe.

From above it's easy to see that most of the neighborhood is a fairly large and standard grid, full mostly of detached and semi-detached houses. The main geographic feature of the neighborhood is the Mārupīte stream which roughly cuts the neighborhood in half. The northern boundaries of K.  Ulmaņa gatve and Rīga-Tukums railroad and eastern boundary of the Rīga-Jelgava railroad are perfectly logical, but the eastern and southern borders are a bit more interesting. While the map above shows an identical street grid system virtually indistinguishable between the Mārupe and Rīga sides of the border, you can clearly see from the satellite image below that the houses become less dense almost immediately on the Mārupe side.

It was a bit hard to decide where to start, so we decided to try to enter the neighborhood in the “horn” at the very top where the railroads fork off between their respective destinations of Jelgava and Tukums. Although it technically isn't part of Bieriņi, we decided to take the train to Torņakalns station just north of this point and walk a few short minutes along the tracks the get there. When we got off the train, we were met by Konstantin who would be joining us again as he had in Āgenskalns. Luckily, the weather was leaps and bounds an improvement over that day a month earlier.

We tried entering via a path that you can just barely see in the above picture that led from the road to the “horn,” but as soon as we got there, it became clear that it was strictly private property and that the path was only meant for people who lived or worked there. Instead, we walked a bit along the road you can see to the left until we got to Altonavas iela and were able to cross the tracks there. 

At the Altonavas iela crossing we were surprised to find some modern paintings hung on the wooden fencing. There was no information about who or where they came from, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were related to one of the art schools in the area. The tracks we crossed over continue on to Jelgava in the south of the country, and some dandelions were just popping up through the gravel.

We took a left onto Ārlavas iela, which seemed to be the main road through this very northern tip of the neighborhood. There was a wide assortment of brick and wooden houses no taller than two or three stories. While many houses in Latvia have signs warning about a “nikns suns” (ferocious dog), there was one here that warned that theirs was “nenormāls,” which can translate to either “abnormal” or “insane.” This area seemed quite calm without a massive amount of traffic, although cars did pass us by regularly.

At the corner of Robežu iela we found a small grocery store across the street from a cool multi-functional building that looked a bit like a small palace. We grabbed a few novelty ice creams from the store and found a small dog hanging out with the shopkeepers. We then continued on a bit further and came to a bridge that carried K. Ulmaņa gatve, the northwest boundary of the neighborhood. From now on, we would be in the main part of Bieriņi south of the major roadway.

From here we followed Tēriņu iela southeast, passing still mostly residential houses and a few small businesses. We took a small detour right onto Ģimnastikas iela and then left onto Ojāra Vācieša and then back onto Tēriņu iela again, following somewhat of an right triangle. This brought us by a forest that was part of the Mārupīte nature park that we would visit a bit later, where leaves were blooming everywhere. Building houses that looked like castles seems to have been all the rage here at one point in the not-so-distant past.

After a few minutes we came to the intersection with Ceres iela, which to the left of where we were is a fairly major road that goes on to cross the railroad tracks to cross through Atgāzene next to the campus of Biznesa augstskola "Turība." To the right, however, the road is much narrower and full of the small houses which led me to characterize the neighborhood as Rīga's version of suburban sprawl earlier in the article. We followed Ceres iela for a kilometer or so, passing by houses in mostly very good condition.

Although we had already seen a few of these “Man Te Patīk (I like it here) Bieriņi” stickers in some other places during out walk so far, this mailbox was the best example since there were so many of them in different colors. The sticker that says “Kaimiņš kaimiņu sargā” means that “neighbors protect neighbors,” and “droša apkaime” means “safe neighborhood.” There were also two stickers that seem to have been given to participants in the neighborhood's yearly clean-up event that happens throughout the county in spring. This is the kind of suburban patriotism that can be found all throughout America but is more rare in Latvia, especially a neighborhood of Rīga. According to a colleague who has lived in the neighborhood her entire life, this sense of camaraderie really does exist here, and neighbors come together for different events throughout the year such as flea markets, a race down the Mārupīte river, and the clean-up day. She told me that people will sometimes say “es braucu uz Rīgu” (I'm going to Riga) when they need to do shopping in the center, as if it was a faraway place and not the city they were currently in. She also said that, as the stickers suggested, that neighbors really do keep an eye on each other. Although she knew some people who have moved in more recently, many of her neighbors had too lived in the neighborhood their entire lives and knew each other quite well.

We continued down Ceres iela, passing by what we later found out was a massive buddhism and yoga training complex called the “Dipika Yoga School.” The grounds of the facility were absolute gorgeous, with a few small canals and buildings in a vague east asian style. You can find out more about the school here. When we got to Dauguļu iela we took a right and headed north until we came to the Mārupīte river. We didn't go any further north, but we could clearly see one of the towers of Panorama Plaza in Pleskodale off in the distance.

So far, since crossing the train tracks, our path had gone like this:

Along the Mārupīte is a nature trail that extends all the way from the town of Mārupe to the neighborhood of Torņakalns. According to Mārupe's town website, the entire path (meant mostly for cyclists) is 14.2 km long, although a significant portion of this distance is backtracking as can be seen on the map below:

The portion that we walked was very well-maintained and we were unsurprisingly passed by quite a few bikers on this beautiful spring day. The path was mostly either paved with asphalt or well-kept dirt.

According to one sign, the track would be closed on Thursdays from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM due to a series of bike races. It said that more information could be found at ritenvasara.lv, although most of the information seems to be gone at this point.

When we got to the junction with Codes iela we decided to leave the path for a while and explore the neighborhood's famous “Akmensdārzs” (stone garden). On Ceres iela just across from the garden was a house that had quite a collection of vintage trucks and farming equipment. My colleague who has lived here her entire life told me that this kind of countryside scene is not uncommon here, with some of here neighbors keeping chickens in their backyard even to this day and other neighbors having goats in the backyard in the past.

In the 1970s, sculptor Indulis Ranka got permission from the Soviet government to set up both a stone sculpture exhibition park as well as a workshop to help familiarize people with stone processing. This project ended in the 90s when people began to reclaim the land that had been taken away by the soviet government, but the statues still remain and Indulis Ranka continued working here until his death just a few months ago in April. There is currently a community effort to try to reach out to the different artists who made the statues here to be able to create informational plaques that inform visitors who made each statue and what they meant, but many of them are still a mystery as of now.

We continued along the beautiful Mārupīte trail, coming across a wooden fence with some interesting graffiti and then crossed the Mārupīte via a fairly new-looking metal bridge that was inscribed with lyrics from various mid-2000s alternative rock songs. Here was a portion of the trail that no longer went along the river, so we had to cross through a section of more residential houses to get to the next section of the trail.

Our route along the trail, through the statue park, and to the final section of the nature path looked a bit like this:

The final section of the nature path brought us past a very modern housing unit, under the bridge of Ulmaņa gatve, and the grounds of Rīgas angļu ģimnāzija, a high school that was founded in 1919 and since the early 90s has offered an intensive English language program. It wasn't long before we came to the end of Bieriņi's territory at the train tracks to Tukums and the border of Āgenskalns. On the other side of the tracks was one of the only areas of Āgenskalns that we hadn't explored during our visit there. As we got there, a freight train was just passing by and heading towards the city center.

After backtracking a brief distance to Ulmaņa gatve, we had a decision to make: continue on to explore the northwest third of the neighborhood that bordered Pleskodale, or get some food and call it a day. In the end we doubted that we were going to find much different from what we had already seen, so we elected to walk along Ulmaņa gatve back towards Tēriņu iela and check out a pizzeria called “Ansamblis” that we had passed by earlier. This ended up being a fantastic decision, since at Ansamblis we found by far the tastiest pizza I have yet found in Rīga. Everything was perfect: the dough was just thick enough and not undercooked or crunchy, and the sauce they used wasn't ketchup in disguise as is the overly sweet “tomato sauce” that's used in many other pizza places throughout the city. The pizzeria also seems to be a supporter of local music, with concerts happening inside from time to time and various CDs and merchandise for sale. There's not much I can really say other than if you live in Rīga, like pizza, and aren't too lazy to leave the center of town, you absolutely need to come check this place out. None of us tried the burgers, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were as delicious as well.

And... that was it for us for the day. There was of course more that we hadn't seen, but it was getting a bit late and all of us were tired. We decided to exit the neighborhood across the tracks and walk to Āgenskalns where there were far more public transit options than there were here.

It's easy to understand why residents of Bieriņi seem to be so patriotic about their part of the city away from the city. It's worth taking the train or bus ride out here to check out the pizza at Ansamblis alone, but it'd be well worth your time to walk or bike along the path to Mārupe as well and to stop off at the stone garden too.

A few random observations:

Although we didn't know this all the way back in May, 2017 would turn out to be the coldest Latvian summer of the 21st century so far. We finally had a few days of weather that reached 30° or so by the end of the summer, but by now summer weather is already a distant memory.

I found out later that the Dominican Sisters of Bethany, a Catholic Order that originates in France, operates a convent in the part of Bieriņi that we didn't visit. The order was founded in the 1860s, and they've been working in Latvia since 1995.

According to my acquaintance who has been living in the neighborhood for her entire life, a number of well-known Latvian authors, artists, and playwrights have lived in the neighborhood throughout its history.

We didn't know it at the time (and unfortunately therefore didn't take any photographs), but we passed by the original manor building as we walked along the river. It is a brown wooden house, and has been restored by the original owners in last decade or so. I found a picture here, taken from ambermarks.com:

And that's it for now. Since May, we have also visited Bišumuiža and Katlakalns, which I will try to write about as soon as possible. Until next time, try to enjoy the last few days of relatively warm weather before the dark times set in.

Nākamā Pietura: Bišumuiža!

[juniorformulamotorsport]

Friday, 12th July 2019 – Porto, Day 2

Friday morning saw Lynne creak into action rather late, but in good time for our first activity of the day. I’d already been out to try and purchase some yogurt for her because she insists it’s needed to kick start her digestion. I’d found a lot of lovely buildings, but despite Google Maps insisting there was a supermarket at the destination it had sent me to, there really wasn’t. I’d given up and returned to the Intercontinental where the staff in the restaurant let me have a yogurt for free (we were on a room only booking so breakfast was meant to be €25 per person which was part of the reason I’d gone out to hunt for fermented dairy products – we didn’t actually want breakfast proper because of our plans for the day).

We had always intended to skip breakfast because we were booked on a food tour of Porto, starting at 10:00 and lasting around 3.5 hours. Our experience of food tours so far (in Helsinki and Krakow) had taught us that it’s best to arrive hungry for this sort of endeavour. This one, the Vintage Food Tour, with the lovely and very knowledgeable Maria from Taste Porto would prove to be no exception. First, however, we’d ordered a pair of Porto cards, including the Andante card that gives you access to Porto’s public transport network. The cost was €33 each for four days so it wasn’t exactly expensive even if we didn’t use it in all the places it was valid (which wouldn’t be possible in 4 days unless you rushed in and out of everywhere and I’d rather not do that, unlike some people).

First we walked up to the cathedral where, after a couple of false starts, we finally located the Tourist Information office, and were soon in possession of the cards as well as a very useful city map.

From there we walked back down the hill to get to our rendezvous point. We met over by the Mercado do Bolhão (which apparently means big bubble because it’s on the site of a small creek that’s now underground, and that used to produce lots of bubbles). The neoclassic building that’s on the site now was built in 1914 and provides the main market in town. It’s currently undergoing a full refurbishment, and most of the traders have been moved to a massive all nearby for the duration while the art deco building is restored to its former glory. It had apparently fallen into a bit of a state of disrepair, but a massive grant from the EU coupled with local money means it will stage a come back. When it does I’d like to see it because I’m sure it will be glorious once again. It’s been classified as a Property of Patrimonial Interest since 2006, and a Monument of Public Interest since 2013. They started the work in 2018 and it’s supposed to be complete in 2020. The traders are apparently looking forward to returning because they’ll be back in the open in the courtyard area after 2 years inside. Work does seem to be progressing nicely, at least from the outside…

After the 8 of us on the tour had introduced ourselves to each other Maria walked us to the first destination on the tour, the Mercearia do Bolhão, an utterly wonderful old-style grocery shop selling food and drink, but also with a small household cleaning section. There’s a bakery section as well but that’s been moved to a second building a handful of doors down.

Inside we were presented with a selection of local goodies, including a lovely selection of cheese, crackers, quince paste and a local sausage. We nibbled our way through these (Maria told us she’d be disappointed if we didn’t eat everything and explained that the locals have very big appetites). The cheese was especially good, made with milk from cows, goats and sheep. It was soft, creamy and had a slightly pungent finish where you could clearly detect the goat’s milk flavour. The crackers were slightly sweet with a good crunch, and the quince paste was grainier than the sort I’m used to, but went perfectly with the cheese. Apparently having both together is known as Romeo and Juliet!

From here we walked towards the famous Porto café, the Majestic Café, which is a terrific looking place complete with smartly-uniformed waiters. It’s also a complete tourist trap, and charges around €5 a coffee. The locals don’t go there, and as this was a tour to show us where the locals do go, Maria walked us along to the second café owned by the same people, the Guarany Café, close to our hotel on the Avenida dos Aliados. Here coffee costs around €1, and breakfast is €15 instead of €30. We sat down and had a coffee each, a very strong but smooth blend, preferred by the locals. The café itself is also lovely, but has the advantage of not being rammed with tourists. Apparently there are a number of regulars including a local poet in his 90s know who comes in every morning for a coffee and to read the newspapers. Apparently the original owners made their money in Brazil and then returned in the 1930s to open this café. Its website also provides a good example of something we would continue to experience all the time we were in Porto, with translations into English having quite obviously never been anywhere near a native English speaker before being committed to print/the internet. It was enough to make my inner editor weep!

Fortified by coffee, our next stop was at the magnificent São Bento station, where we had a brief run through the history of Porto and of Portugal and an opportunity to admire the 20,000 tiles that make up the decoration of the main hall. The station is the main starting point for train journeys through the Douro valley, and it is also the terminus of a number of local lines. Like our hotel, it too was once a convent, with the last nun only dying a number of years after the first train service ran! The tiles date from 1905–1916, and depict scenes from Portugal’s history, including the entry into Porto of King John I and Philippa of Lancaster to celebrate their wedding. There are also scenes of local life, including a cattle fair and a pilgrim camp (Porto is on one of the many routes to Santiago de Compostela and thus sees a lot of pilgrims walking the path even now – we saw quite a few walkers with the pilgrim sign of a scallop shell hanging from their rucksacks), along with scenes showing vineyards, the grape harvest, wine shipment down the Douro and work in a watermill. As Maria pointed out, all the work seems to be being done by the women.

From the station we headed up the hill back towards the cathedral where we stopped off at a shop selling canned fish. This was not the madly touristic version either, but rather somewhere very civilised that is run by the associated of tinned fish producers with intent to promote their products. There was a table waiting for us in Loja das Conservas (other branches are available, including in Macau, which I wish I’d known sooner), with a bottle of wine, crackers and two different types of tinned fish to try, one the obvious sardines, the other needlefish. Both were very tasty indeed, once I’d recovered from trying a drop or two of the chilli sauce known as “the bastard” and my tongue stopped throbbing! In addition to hundreds of different types of fish in tins, with all sorts of sauces, they also sell some purely fun things including these dangly sardines, and I’d really recommend a visit. We were all given a 5% discount voucher to use in the shop, and Lynne and I decided we’d come back later and collect some supplies. The vinho verde served alongside the fish was also very good.

From here we went to Ö Tascö, a very modern looking restaurant in what we were now beginning to realise was the standard Porto building with a very narrow facade at the front but that go back for forever, very much like Belgian buildings. I asked if it was for the same reason (the wider the building the more tax you paid) and was told that yes, that was indeed the case. Here we were offered more wine along with some petischos, salt cod fritters and some Alheira sausages, apparently also known as Jewish sausages. These are sausages made of meat (veal, duck, chicken quail or rabbit) and bread, usually along with alho (garlic) which is where the name comes from. Apparently they were invented by the Jews of Portugal in 1497 when they were given a choice between being expelled from the country or converting to Christianity. The conversos who secretly retained their beliefs avoided eating pork but where at risk because they didn’t have sausages (containing pork) hanging up in their smokehouses and so, to avoid the Inquisition noticing, they started making sausages from other meats. They are tasty, with a texture that’s very mushy, and are very filling. The cod fritters were a model of lightness in comparison!

After a second glass of wine the conversation was very animated, and we all seemed to be getting on very well. We were in even better form by the time we reached Taxca, a pub rather than a restaurant, where we drank an espadal wine, a sparkling, light rose, kept in a cask and served from a pump and produced in the vinho verde region. With it we had a typical snack, a hefty serving of presunto ham in a bread roll. Maria reckoned this was the sort of place she and her friends would come to at the start of a night out to get things off to a good start. The hams are hanging up above the bar, and the menu is a pair of metal plaques with the words cut out of them, fastened to the wall. Presumably it doesn’t change very often!

  Now we were full of food we were ready for the final stage of the tour. Stopping off at a bakery for some sweet treats, we headed on to a port and wine shop, Touriga (named after one of the many grapes used to make port), where we would have a short session on port, and a tasting of three different ports along with the treats. We had the good fortune to try a 10-year old white, a 2013 late bottled vintage, and a 10-year old tawny.

The went perfectly with the sweets, a tiny almond tart, and a sticky brigadeiro (a Brazilian ball of chocolate and condensed milk and butter formed into a ball and coated in chocolate sprinkles). And half an hour later we realised that a) we were going to have to buy some port and b) we weren’t going to make it to our scheduled tasting at Graham’s port house by 14:15 because it was 14:15 and we’d gone way over the scheduled time. We didn’t care; we’d been having fun. We cared even less when Maria called Graham’s and rescheduled it for us for the following day. She apologised for the overrun, but we’d really enjoyed it and really, really wouldn’t have wanted to rush off.

Before we left the shop we ordered a case of the wines we’d tried (6 of the white, 6 of the tawny) and arranged to have them shipped home for a very reasonable extra €37. The American on the tour were disappointed to find they’d have to pay €173 to ship 12 bottles and instead planned to bury them in their suitcases. I do hope it all survives the trip back to Michigan. Ours arrived 6 days later, safely packed, and with a lovely note thanking us for supporting small wine producers. I suggest the pleasure will be all ours! We’d had a fabulous food tour, and I could see why the Guardian ranked Taste Porto’s tours as among the best anywhere.

It was now around 3pm. We dropped some things off at the hotel, and then decided it was too stick to do anything productive so we’d join a bus tour to take a look at the Atlantic coast. It was a hop on hop off tour but we couldn’t raise the energy to hop off so we stayed put on the top level, letting the breeze cool us off, and watching the world go by. I do have to say that I’ve been on better tours with the same company. The commentary was almost inaudible even with the volume turned up full blast, and had clearly been read by someone with only a passing familiarity with English. It was, however, also considerably cheaper than in most European countries at €15 for 2 days. And we got to sit down for an hour or so, which was by now very welcome!

At the end of the tour we hopped off and went and peered into the MacDonalds, to see if we’d been told the truth. We most certainly had!

I’m pretty sure there are no MacDonalds anywhere else that are quite so spectacular on the inside…

Or the outside! We didn’t need any prompting not to stay though. Maria had recommended a gelateria close by, and as it was a sticky day we figured what the hell, we’d have one and then go back to the hotel to get cleaned up before dinner. The 1927 Gelateria Portuense is brilliant. It’s a tiny place, tucked away down a sidestreet, and it serves the most fabulous gelato. By the time we got there, they’d started to run out of several flavours, but they still had the pistachio left, enough for a single portion, so Lynne had that and I had the mango, and we swapped spoonfuls. It was definitely among the best ice cream or gelato I’ve ever eaten. They also do a tasting selecton where you can have 6 small tubs of different flavours for €7 which seemed like a bargain for that quality level.

Now decidedly sticky as well as sweaty we retreated back to the hotel for a pre-dinner shower and a drink before going out for dinner (we had a bottle of the white port from the tour to hand and intended to enjoy it).

Travel 2019 – Porto, Day 2 Friday, 12th July 2019 - Porto, Day 2 Friday morning saw Lynne creak into action rather late, but in good time for our first activity of the day.

[hello-houria]

A few secrets approximately enamel whitening Inside the last 10 years the sphere of tooth whitening, each in the dental office and at home, has changed immensely. Basically, there are two distinct strategies to get whiter enamel: dental (in-office) whitening, and an at home treatment. Discover some secrets about enamel whitening that your dentist hopes i will in no way let you know! Technique #1: dental (in-office) teeth whitening I can inform you from first-hand enjoy, dentists love the patient who wants to have a enamel whitening procedure in the dental office. Back inside the early '90's there was only one option to be had. Your dentist might make molds of your tooth, send them off to a lab, and in 5-10 days receive lower back your custom fitted tooth whitening mouthpiece. Then you definitely might sit down within the dental chair for 1-2 hours, with these plastic tooth whitening molds full of peroxide (at a totally low attention) pressed in opposition to your enamel and gums. 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You could even do the pinnacle and backside arch separately for consolation if you decide on. After that...You'll have a surprisingly whiter smile - guaranteed! More Themes  HERE

http://www.beautywomensface.tk/2019/11/secrets-approximately-enamel-whitening.html

[jacewilliams1]

A Tri Pacer is not an Alaska bush plane

It was a really lousy Sunday morning, weather-wise, when our telephone rang with an alarming insistence. The caller was a tearful Peggy Brown, the wife of my good friend George Brown. A little tangent is in order here…

George Brown was the owner of a local fast food place named The Lucky Wishbone. George’s little restaurant was already a landmark in Anchorage, Alaska, in 1961. Fifty years later, George still went to work there early each day, and put in a full day working right alongside his other employees. He died last year at 96, but he flew his own Cessna 180 on wheels, skis, and floats well into his 90s. In short, George was a piece of work. As an architect, I designed a home for George and his family. He lived in it until his death.

George Brown worked in his restaurant well into his 90s.

George flew “the hump” in the old US Army AC-46s and B-24s during WWII; and he was for many, many years a skeet and trap shooter of national acclaim. But back to this tale…

Between sobs, Peggy told me that George had taken their little two-place Piper out the day before to scout out some new duck hunting sites. She knew that he had planned to cross Turnagain Arm and poke around at the many lakes that lay close to the coastal mud flats there. I knew it was a truly great place to hunt waterfowl, but it was quite far from George’s usual stomping grounds across Cook Inlet and perhaps 30 miles to the west.

George had flown out at mid-morning the day before, and should have long ago returned to Anchorage. With snow and a very low overcast, Peggy had reason to worry, I suppose. Of course, George was no newcomer to such flying conditions, but it was indeed unusual that he hadn’t yet returned.

I promised Peggy that I would saddle up and go have a look for her missing hubby; and that I’d call her with any news as soon as I got back. The weather was bad enough that I knew I’d need additional eyes for the search, so I called Bill “Sugarfoot” Shirley and Bob Farmer, both friends of George. I’d meet them at the Piper distributor at Merrill Field, where I planned to rent an airplane for the search.

The only plane available to me was a wheel-mounted Piper Tri-Pacer, certainly not the best of all bush planes! Still, it was a flying machine and I took it. After a careful pre-flight, and having topped the tanks, we boarded and looked at the very discouraging weather around us. A Special VFR (Zone Departure) would get us away from Merrill Field, but we got only six miles, where we landed again at Anchorage International Airport to lay in a little pie and coffee while waiting for just a little break in the weather. After about half an hour, we got that break and took off before the weather could come down on us again.

While climbing for the usual 2,000 AGL for the Turnagain Arm crossing, we slammed into the overcast in no uncertain terms. The little Tri-Pacerhad an altimeter, rate of climb, directional gyro, and the usual gaggle of basic instruments, so I made most of the crossing in the white and on the few gauges available to us. After making the 15-mile crossing, I throttled back and descended to see if I could find any visibility at all below the overcast. The heavy snow didn’t help, but we broke out at about 500 feet to a reasonable sight picture of the world below.

It was all white on white, of course, but it wasn’t quite a whiteout, so we were in tall cotton for our search. And it didn’t take long to find George’s Piper, tipped up on its nose and with no one around. George’s landing hadn’t resulted in anything that looked life threatening, but I couldn’t tell that from the air. I set up for a landing near his plane.

The landing was a short one, of course, given the two-feet-deep snow cover. We all piled out and began reading the signs around the plane. Clearly, George had fallen victim to the deep snow. It was also clear that another plane had landed near him, picked him up, and flown away. Since Peggy had called me, I had to presume that the pilot who picked up George had taken him to nearby Kenai, farther south on the Kenai Peninsula. Well, at least I could now call George’s nervous wife with the good news about his health.

A Tri Pacer is nobody’s idea of a bush plane.

We again loaded aboard the Tri-Pacer and I torched off the little engine. Taxiing took almost full throttle, and there was no way in which the plane would take off with the pilot and two passengers. We were now stuck on George’s choice of lakes. I suspected that we might have made the takeoff with a Piper Pacer, but with a nose gear poking down up front, there was no way we were leaving that small lake in our small, four-place tricycle-geared flying machine. I starved the engine out and we all stepped down to the snow-covered lake.

It was less than 15 minutes later that we heard an approaching aircraft. We looked down the lake toward the south and, sure enough, there came a ski-equipped Piper Super Cub, already letting down for a landing on our lake. When it had slid to a stop, the engine was shut down and the pilot opened the bi-parting door and stepped down to the snow-covered lake. I immediately recognized Andy Anderson, one of Alaska’s best known pilots. Andy would save my bacon once again in a few more years when I had flopped a wheel-equipped Cessna 170A over onto its back in deep snow at the Mills Creek Mine strip up near Mt. Denali.

It seems that Andy had seen George’s airplane tipped up on its nose at the northeast corner of the small lake. He had stopped to investigate the situation and had found George, needful of a lift out of the little unnamed lake. Andy had flown George back to Kenai, where he would wait for commercial flight back to Anchorage.

Andy loaded my two passengers into the single back seat of his Super Cub and lit out for Kenai once more. After takeoff, I’d follow them south and pick up the pair of them at Kenai for the return flight to Merrill Field.

With the two passengers now gone, powering the Tri-Pacer off the small lake was anticlimactic, and I was soon letting down to a landing on the Kenai airport. The days in that part of Alaska are still pretty short, and it was full dark when I loaded the two into the little Piper for our return trip to Merrill Field. About 15 minutes out of Kenai, and cruising at 2,000 ft. AGL, I noticed the visibility becoming somewhat hazy. I hit the landing lights and, sure enough, it was snowing pretty heavily again. I turned off the landing lights and, in only another minute or two, I noticed the heavy glow around the running lights. The closer I got to Anchorage, the harder it snowed. This was no place for a guy banging around up there without a full panel, so I turned back toward Kenai again. We would find motel accommodations until the following morning.

After arriving back in Anchorage the following day, I immediately called Peggy Brown, who told me that George had already made it home and was even then working again at The Lucky Wishbone. George would later mount his bent propeller on a wooden plaque and hang it on his restaurant’s wall. It was there for many years.

The post A Tri Pacer is not an Alaska bush plane appeared first on Air Facts Journal.

from Engineering Blog https://airfactsjournal.com/2019/02/a-tri-pacer-is-not-an-alaska-bush-plane/

[kristinsimmons]

Vitamin K2 Benefits for Dental Health

Dental tradition teaches us that calcium is the most important nutrient for strong bones and teeth, and i’s the reason school cafeterias across the country serve up milk by the case. Yet calcium, alone, isn’t enough to ensure dental health. It is Vitamin K2, working synergistically with calcium and other minerals, that is most responsible for preventing cavities and even reversing some pre-existing cavities.

Vitamin K2 and Activator X

In 1939, famed dentist Weston A. Price published a body of research that provided a foundation for the future of preventative dental care and, in truth, a guide to optimal health overall. (1)

For years, Price had studied primitive groups around the world that enjoyed long lifespans, minimal disease occurrence, and very few incidences of cavities or gum disease. And this was the case even though those cultures had no exposure to the Western world and its modern “advancements”. Shockingly, many of the people Price documented had never heard of a toothbrush.

Yet one pattern arose in Price’s research: Those cultures commonly ate foods high in a compound that Price had no name for, prompting him to call it “activator X.”

Once Price realized the impact of activator X on dental health, he abandoned nearly all conventional dental procedures in favor of a system of dietary recommendations. And he found that those recommendations led to straight, healthy, cavity-free teeth in most cases.

While we aren’t certain what Activator X was, the best guess within the scientific community is that Price was generally referring to Vitamin K2. (More specifically, science leans toward the fact that K2 is most powerful when operating synergistically with vitamins A and D3.)

So what makes Vitamin K2 different from Vitamin K1?

Well, it wasn’t until 1975 that Harvard researchers realized that Vitamin K2 wasn’t just a different version of vitamin K1 with the same benefits. On the contrary, they discovered the protein osteocalcin, which is dependent upon Vitamin K2 for activation. Once activated, osteocalcin pulls calcium from the bloodstream into your bones and teeth to keep them strong and disease-free. (2) Vitamin K1 doesn’t have the ability to activate that process.

With a new focus on vitamin K2 and its specific benefits, it would make sense for doctors and dentists to promote it as a vital nutrient and encourage people to get more of it in their diets. But that just wasn’t the case.

In 2007, 68 years after Price published the incredible benefits of Activator X, researchers finally realized that most people in modern society are deficient in Vitamin K2. (3) The ramifications of this are huge, as scientists believe that Vitamin K2 may have the potential to reverse the heart disease and diabetes epidemics.

And, of course, without Vitamin K2, it is nearly impossible to achieve optimal oral and dental health.

What most people get wrong about oral and dental health

For years, the focus of oral health has centered around calcium and vitamin D3. Both of these nutrients are important—calcium is the basic building block for our teeth and necessary for reversing cavities naturally. (4) Vitamin D3, meanwhile, is a fat-soluble vitamin that functions somewhat like a hormone. And your body needs D3 in order to balance minerals and absorb the calcium you consume. (5)

Up to 90 percent of the population is deficient in vitamin D, which leads many people to assume that the best way to protect bones and teeth is to increase intake of these nutrients. (6) For example, calcium supplementation has long been a go-to remedy for preventing osteoporosis, which is classically associated with calcium deficiency.

But we’ve learned that supplementing with calcium on its own tends to cause an increase in heart-disease causing plaque. (7) So what’s the problem here? And why is the remedy for one problem causing another, potentially more dangerous one?

The issue is that focusing on calcium by itself can’t achieve desired results, like stronger bones and healthy teeth. Yes, you need vitamin D3 for balance and absorption, but even those two nutrients together don’t provide a complete solution.

Without Vitamin K2, the body’s calcium is misdirected and may not end up in bones and teeth where it’s actually needed. Instead, it may travel to arteries where it calcifies and leads to heart disease.

Vitamins D3 and K2 work synergistically to carry and deposit calcium to your teeth and bones where it can be properly absorbed. And when one part of that system is out of whack, the whole process becomes disrupted—which can lead to poor dental health, even when you’re brushing and flossing regularly.

Too little calcium? Your teeth will be subject to faster demineralization, which can lead to cavities. Additionally, calcium deficiency during pregnancy can result in malformed or weakened teeth in the developing fetus. (8) Not getting enough D3? Calcium won’t be properly absorbed, and you can also expect more risk for gum disease (which, by the way, is linked very closely with the development of type 2 diabetes). (9)

And what happens when there’s a Vitamin K2 deficiency? To understand the impact, let’s take a closer look at how Vitamin K2 works and what it does.

What is vitamin K2?

Like vitamin D3, Vitamin K2 is a fat-soluble vitamin. It is produced in small amounts by healthy intestinal bacteria, but it must be primarily gained from the diet, whether via or supplements. And because we are still in the early stages of recognized research on K2 supplementation, there is no recommended daily intake at present.

That said, like naturopathic doctor Kate Rheaume-Bleue, I believe Vitamin K2 to be an essential vitamin as much as any other. Rheaume-Bleue succinctly describes the role of Vitamin K2 in her book, Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox: (10)

“Vitamin K2 funnels calcium into bones to strengthen mineral density and fight fractures while it prevents and even removes dangerous arterial calcification. Along the way it has beneficial effects for almost every major health concern of our time, including diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, infertility, tooth decay, and growing healthy children.”

Vitamin K2 is essential because of the proteins its activates. Although vitamin D transports valuable calcium to the bloodstream, it doesn’t determine where it goes after that. Instead, that responsibility falls on the K2-dependent matrix gla protein (MGP). MGP finds calcium in soft tissues (including arteries and veins), and osteocalcin directs it to teeth and bones.

Various types of Vitamin K2 exist, some synthetic and others naturally occurring. Most commonly studied is MK4, a synthetic Vitamin K2 compound with a short half-life. That means that when in supplement form, you have to take it three times a day to reap its benefits.

MK7, however, is derived from natto (a Japanese, fermented soy food). It is both a naturally-occurring form of Vitamin K2, and it has a longer half-life than MK4. (More on this later). (10)

Vitamin K2 benefits

Here’s a more thorough explanation of the benefits of Vitamin K2:

1. Builds New Dentin

Because osteocalcin is a K2-dependent protein, increasing Vitamin K2 intake causes osteocalcin to work more efficiently. (11) When osteocalcin is activated by K2, it causes the growth of fresh dentin (calcified tissue that underlies the enamel layer of teeth), and when new dentin grows, cavities are less likely to form. (12, 13) (Note that this process also requires vitamins A and D.) (14)

2. Slows Tooth Degradation

Similarly to how it impacts bones, it is believed that Vitamin K2 helps to slow the rate of tooth loss that occurs with age. In fact, when it comes to bone, K2 has been observed to actually increase bone mass. (15)

3. Leads to Normal Facial Structure

One of the most striking findings that Weston A. Price documented during his travels was the difference in face and jaw structure of those exposed to Western diets as compared to those subsisting entirely on a traditional diet. (1)

As Rheaume-Bleue explains, Vitamin K2 is extremely important during fetal development. When mothers don’t consume enough of this vitamin, the nasal cartilage of the fetus is calcified too early and can lead to undergrowth of the bottom third of the face. This condition is considered extremely rare and is known as maxillonasal dysplasia or “Binder’s syndrome.” (16)

But while the most advanced stages of this condition are rare, you probably see less severe cases every day. Have you ever noticed a child with teeth that clearly don’t fit in their oral cavity, leading to misshapen or displaced teeth? That’s caused by Vitamin K2 deficiency during fetal development.

Price saw it happen to children born to mothers who had previously birthed children with perfect teeth and facial structures. If women were exposed to a K2-deficient Western diet between births, the younger children suffered developmentally. The reverse, however, was also true. Once back on a traditional diet, mothers gave birth to children with properly formed faces and jaws, who were able to grow straight, strong teeth. (1)

The impact of the Western diet on facial development is one reason I believe modern dentistry has had to turn to so many external mechanisms like braces, bridges, and the removal of wisdom teeth. But there is an alternative.

4. Kills Cavity-Causing Bacteria

One key factor in cavity formation is the disruption of the oral microbiome.

The mouth is full of trillions of bacteria at any time, and it’s the healthy bacteria that help to beat bad breath and stop cavities from forming. Unfortunately, it’s very common for bad bacteria to proliferate and crowd the good ones out. When this happens, harmful bacteria can lead to cavities, gum disease, and other issues.

To illustrate the impact of Vitamin K2 on the oral microbiome, Price repeatedly conducted a simple experiment. He treated patients with a butter oil very rich in Vitamin K2 and found that the cavity-promoting bacteria was decreased by up to 95 percent, sometimes going away altogether. (1)

5. Promotes Overall Health

As I’ve mentioned, Vitamin K2 interacts with a vast number of bodily processes. And because what happens in the mouth happens in the body, it’s not surprising to know that Vitamin K2 can support total-body health.

Other Vitamin K2 benefits that are not related to the oral cavity include:

Heart Disease: To date, Vitamin K2 is the only known nutrient that can not only protect from but also reverse plaque buildup in the arteries. (17) This makes it a vastly important part of a heart-healthy diet and supplement plan, provided you also get plenty of vitamin D and calcium.

Osteoporosis: Now that scientists have resolved the “paradox” of supplemental calcium leading to heart disease, they have naturally discovered that K2 plays an important role in the prevention of osteoporosis. Vitamin K2 allows the transport of calcium out of the bloodstream and into the bones (10), and more specifically, MK7 seems to be able to counteract the loss of bone density that’s common in menopause. (18)

Alzheimer’s: Even though Vitamin K2 doesn’t act like a traditional antioxidant, it has a unique ability to reduce or prevent oxidative stress in the brain. (19) This stress is one of the causes of Alzheimer’s disease, a disease very closely related to bone loss in osteoporosis, as well as insulin resistance in diabetes.

Diabetes: One of the major discoveries in 2007 regarding Vitamin K2 involved its impact on insulin sensitivity. Activation of osteocalcin in the bones can actually improve glucose tolerance, suggesting it can help to prevent type 2 diabetes. (20)

Healthy Veins: Although vitamin K1 plays a major role in blood flow, K2 helps to activate MGP, which often collects in varicose veins. By activating this protein, K2 can support the reduction or prevention of varicose veins and related thrombosis problems. (10)

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Research has found that Vitamin K2 helps prevent the growth of damaged cells and joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis. (21, 22)

Cancer: People who consume the highest amounts of K2 have a lower risk for all types of cancer. They are also less likely to die from cancer should they contract it. (23) The impact of this has been specifically observed with leukemia, prostate, lung, and liver cancers. (24, 25, 26, 27)

Kidney Disease: Having less-than-optimal K2 and vitamin D levels are associated with a higher risk of kidney disease. (28)

Fertility: Observed both by Price in the 1930s and in more recent research, Vitamin K2 impacts fertility (for both men and women) and subsequent labor. (10)

The Difference Between K2 and K1

It’s important to note that the benefits just mentioned are specific to Vitamin K2—and that there are major differences between vitamins K2 and K1.

Found in leafy greens like kale, vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) also activates proteins, but the proteins it activates are those responsible for blood clotting. As a result, a common sign of vitamin K1 deficiency is the failure of the blood to clot properly.

Unlike vegetable-based K1, K2 is found primarily in animal fats and natto, which is the only vegan option for K2 consumption.

K1 is converted to K2 via an important enzyme, and it’s one that humans don’t possess. So while humans and animals alike consume K1 for leafy greens, animals are then able to transform the K1 into K2 and reap additional benefits.

Vitamin K2 is produced in a healthy human gut, but the process is much less efficient than that of animals like cows and chickens. This explains why getting Vitamin K2 from animal sources is best, as they’ve done the converting for us.

K2 Deficiency Signs and Symptoms

Unlike those of vitamin K1, signs and symptoms of a K2 deficiency are often harder to spot. A K2 deficiency is also difficult for a doctor to detect, as K2-specific blood tests aren’t available in most medical practices.

That said, you may be deficient in Vitamin K2 if you: (29)

Are vegan and don’t eat natto

Experience plaque buildup in arteries

Develop kidney stones

Frequently get cavities

Are insulin resistant

Have varicose veins

How to get more K2

The best way to get more Vitamin K2 is through your diet. In 3.5-ounce portions, the highest Vitamin K2 foods are: (10)

Natto—1103.4 micrograms

Goose liver pate—369 micrograms

Hard cheeses—76.3 micrograms

Soft cheeses—56.5 micrograms

Goose leg—31 micrograms

Egg yolk—15.5 micrograms

Butter—15 micrograms

Chicken liver (raw)—14.1 micrograms

Chicken liver (pan-fried)—12.6 micrograms

Cheddar cheese—10.2 micrograms

Depending on the availability of these foods (and your willingness to acquire the unique taste of natto), you may also consider taking a Vitamin K2 supplement. I would recommend this particularly to those at risk of the diseases impacted by K2, as well as anyone unable to eat foods like the ones listed above.

As I mentioned, there are two forms of K2 available in supplement form. I will always suggest sticking with MK7 over MK4, as MK7 only has to be taken once a day and can be taken in much smaller quantities than its counterpart. Additionally, MK4 is easily found in eggs, while MK7 is more difficult to source from food.

Vitamin K2 dosage should be somewhere between 90-120 micrograms daily in MK7 form for most adults. There is no upper limit of Vitamin K2 known to be toxic (unlike the other fat-soluble vitamins), so that number is a general rule but can be exceeded safely.

Children generally shouldn’t need as high of a dose because they’re physically smaller, so I would stick to around 45-50 micrograms daily for kids.

More good news exists for people on medications like warfarin, who typically have to avoid vitamin K foods. Unlike vitamin K1, K2 isn’t necessary to avoid when taking blood thinners. In fact, taking up to 50 micrograms of Vitamin K2 in MK7 form counteracts the medication’s side effects without stopping it from working properly. (30)

Final Thoughts on K2

Originally discovered in 1939 by dentist Weston A. Price but only recognized in much later years as the important nutrient it is, K2 is a form of vitamin K that plays an essential role in dental health, bone formation, and the prevention of heart disease and other conditions.

In 2007, a study was published that determined most people in modern society are deficient in K2. This has a massive impact on oral health, as vitamin K can help to build new dentin, slow tooth degradation, lead to more normal facial and jaw structure, and kill cavity-causing bacteria.

Vitamin K2 is produced naturally in the gut—but the process isn’t extremely efficient, especially when the gut isn’t healthy. As a result, K2 must be primarily gained from diet. So to increase your intake, try K2-rich foods like natto (the only vegan option), goose liver pate, hard and soft cheeses, goose leg, egg yolks, butter, chicken liver and cheddar cheese.

Although it’s a fat-soluble vitamin, there is no upper limit of safety for Vitamin K2 supplements. I typically recommend 90-120 micrograms daily for people who may be deficient in K2.

It’s also important to reiterate that we are not 100% certain that Weston Price’s Activator X is vitamin K2. We do understand the benefits of vitamin K2, which is why I highly recommend adding more of it to your diet. But I also advise consuming a balanced diet that is rich in other nutrients as well, including vitamins D3 and A, and minerals like calcium and magnesium.

Who knows—they may have been part of the Activator X as well.

The post Vitamin K2 Benefits for Dental Health appeared first on Ask the Dentist.

Vitamin K2 Benefits for Dental Health published first on https://wittooth.tumblr.com/

[dentalinfotoday]

Dental tradition teaches us that calcium is the most important nutrient for strong bones and teeth, and i’s the reason school cafeterias across the country serve up milk by the case. Yet calcium, alone, isn’t enough to ensure dental health. It is Vitamin K2, working synergistically with calcium and other minerals, that is most responsible for preventing cavities and even reversing some pre-existing cavities.

Vitamin K2 and Activator X

In 1939, famed dentist Weston A. Price published a body of research that provided a foundation for the future of preventative dental care and, in truth, a guide to optimal health overall. (1)

For years, Price had studied primitive groups around the world that enjoyed long lifespans, minimal disease occurrence, and very few incidences of cavities or gum disease. And this was the case even though those cultures had no exposure to the Western world and its modern “advancements”. Shockingly, many of the people Price documented had never heard of a toothbrush.

Yet one pattern arose in Price’s research: Those cultures commonly ate foods high in a compound that Price had no name for, prompting him to call it “activator X.”

Once Price realized the impact of activator X on dental health, he abandoned nearly all conventional dental procedures in favor of a system of dietary recommendations. And he found that those recommendations led to straight, healthy, cavity-free teeth in most cases.

While we aren’t certain what Activator X was, the best guess within the scientific community is that Price was generally referring to Vitamin K2. (More specifically, science leans toward the fact that K2 is most powerful when operating synergistically with vitamins A and D3.)

So what makes Vitamin K2 different from Vitamin K1?

Well, it wasn’t until 1975 that Harvard researchers realized that Vitamin K2 wasn’t just a different version of vitamin K1 with the same benefits. On the contrary, they discovered the protein osteocalcin, which is dependent upon Vitamin K2 for activation. Once activated, osteocalcin pulls calcium from the bloodstream into your bones and teeth to keep them strong and disease-free. (2) Vitamin K1 doesn’t have the ability to activate that process.

With a new focus on vitamin K2 and its specific benefits, it would make sense for doctors and dentists to promote it as a vital nutrient and encourage people to get more of it in their diets. But that just wasn’t the case.

In 2007, 68 years after Price published the incredible benefits of Activator X, researchers finally realized that most people in modern society are deficient in Vitamin K2. (3) The ramifications of this are huge, as scientists believe that Vitamin K2 may have the potential to reverse the heart disease and diabetes epidemics.

And, of course, without Vitamin K2, it is nearly impossible to achieve optimal oral and dental health.

What most people get wrong about oral and dental health

For years, the focus of oral health has centered around calcium and vitamin D3. Both of these nutrients are important—calcium is the basic building block for our teeth and necessary for reversing cavities naturally. (4) Vitamin D3, meanwhile, is a fat-soluble vitamin that functions somewhat like a hormone. And your body needs D3 in order to balance minerals and absorb the calcium you consume. (5)

Up to 90 percent of the population is deficient in vitamin D, which leads many people to assume that the best way to protect bones and teeth is to increase intake of these nutrients. (6) For example, calcium supplementation has long been a go-to remedy for preventing osteoporosis, which is classically associated with calcium deficiency.

But we’ve learned that supplementing with calcium on its own tends to cause an increase in heart-disease causing plaque. (7) So what’s the problem here? And why is the remedy for one problem causing another, potentially more dangerous one?

The issue is that focusing on calcium by itself can’t achieve desired results, like stronger bones and healthy teeth. Yes, you need vitamin D3 for balance and absorption, but even those two nutrients together don’t provide a complete solution.

Without Vitamin K2, the body’s calcium is misdirected and may not end up in bones and teeth where it’s actually needed. Instead, it may travel to arteries where it calcifies and leads to heart disease.

Vitamins D3 and K2 work synergistically to carry and deposit calcium to your teeth and bones where it can be properly absorbed. And when one part of that system is out of whack, the whole process becomes disrupted—which can lead to poor dental health, even when you’re brushing and flossing regularly.

Too little calcium? Your teeth will be subject to faster demineralization, which can lead to cavities. Additionally, calcium deficiency during pregnancy can result in malformed or weakened teeth in the developing fetus. (8) Not getting enough D3? Calcium won’t be properly absorbed, and you can also expect more risk for gum disease (which, by the way, is linked very closely with the development of type 2 diabetes). (9)

And what happens when there’s a Vitamin K2 deficiency? To understand the impact, let’s take a closer look at how Vitamin K2 works and what it does.

What is vitamin K2?

Like vitamin D3, Vitamin K2 is a fat-soluble vitamin. It is produced in small amounts by healthy intestinal bacteria, but it must be primarily gained from the diet, whether via or supplements. And because we are still in the early stages of recognized research on K2 supplementation, there is no recommended daily intake at present.

That said, like naturopathic doctor Kate Rheaume-Bleue, I believe Vitamin K2 to be an essential vitamin as much as any other. Rheaume-Bleue succinctly describes the role of Vitamin K2 in her book, Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox: (10)

“Vitamin K2 funnels calcium into bones to strengthen mineral density and fight fractures while it prevents and even removes dangerous arterial calcification. Along the way it has beneficial effects for almost every major health concern of our time, including diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, infertility, tooth decay, and growing healthy children.”

Vitamin K2 is essential because of the proteins its activates. Although vitamin D transports valuable calcium to the bloodstream, it doesn’t determine where it goes after that. Instead, that responsibility falls on the K2-dependent matrix gla protein (MGP). MGP finds calcium in soft tissues (including arteries and veins), and osteocalcin directs it to teeth and bones.

Various types of Vitamin K2 exist, some synthetic and others naturally occurring. Most commonly studied is MK4, a synthetic Vitamin K2 compound with a short half-life. That means that when in supplement form, you have to take it three times a day to reap its benefits.

MK7, however, is derived from natto (a Japanese, fermented soy food). It is both a naturally-occurring form of Vitamin K2, and it has a longer half-life than MK4. (More on this later). (10)

Vitamin K2 benefits

Here’s a more thorough explanation of the benefits of Vitamin K2:

1. Builds New Dentin

Because osteocalcin is a K2-dependent protein, increasing Vitamin K2 intake causes osteocalcin to work more efficiently. (11) When osteocalcin is activated by K2, it causes the growth of fresh dentin (calcified tissue that underlies the enamel layer of teeth), and when new dentin grows, cavities are less likely to form. (12, 13) (Note that this process also requires vitamins A and D.) (14)

2. Slows Tooth Degradation

Similarly to how it impacts bones, it is believed that Vitamin K2 helps to slow the rate of tooth loss that occurs with age. In fact, when it comes to bone, K2 has been observed to actually increase bone mass. (15)

3. Leads to Normal Facial Structure

One of the most striking findings that Weston A. Price documented during his travels was the difference in face and jaw structure of those exposed to Western diets as compared to those subsisting entirely on a traditional diet. (1)

As Rheaume-Bleue explains, Vitamin K2 is extremely important during fetal development. When mothers don’t consume enough of this vitamin, the nasal cartilage of the fetus is calcified too early and can lead to undergrowth of the bottom third of the face. This condition is considered extremely rare and is known as maxillonasal dysplasia or “Binder’s syndrome.” (16)

But while the most advanced stages of this condition are rare, you probably see less severe cases every day. Have you ever noticed a child with teeth that clearly don’t fit in their oral cavity, leading to misshapen or displaced teeth? That’s caused by Vitamin K2 deficiency during fetal development.

Price saw it happen to children born to mothers who had previously birthed children with perfect teeth and facial structures. If women were exposed to a K2-deficient Western diet between births, the younger children suffered developmentally. The reverse, however, was also true. Once back on a traditional diet, mothers gave birth to children with properly formed faces and jaws, who were able to grow straight, strong teeth. (1)

The impact of the Western diet on facial development is one reason I believe modern dentistry has had to turn to so many external mechanisms like braces, bridges, and the removal of wisdom teeth. But there is an alternative.

4. Kills Cavity-Causing Bacteria

One key factor in cavity formation is the disruption of the oral microbiome.

The mouth is full of trillions of bacteria at any time, and it’s the healthy bacteria that help to beat bad breath and stop cavities from forming. Unfortunately, it’s very common for bad bacteria to proliferate and crowd the good ones out. When this happens, harmful bacteria can lead to cavities, gum disease, and other issues.

To illustrate the impact of Vitamin K2 on the oral microbiome, Price repeatedly conducted a simple experiment. He treated patients with a butter oil very rich in Vitamin K2 and found that the cavity-promoting bacteria was decreased by up to 95 percent, sometimes going away altogether. (1)

5. Promotes Overall Health

As I’ve mentioned, Vitamin K2 interacts with a vast number of bodily processes. And because what happens in the mouth happens in the body, it’s not surprising to know that Vitamin K2 can support total-body health.

Other Vitamin K2 benefits that are not related to the oral cavity include:

Heart Disease: To date, Vitamin K2 is the only known nutrient that can not only protect from but also reverse plaque buildup in the arteries. (17) This makes it a vastly important part of a heart-healthy diet and supplement plan, provided you also get plenty of vitamin D and calcium.

Osteoporosis: Now that scientists have resolved the “paradox” of supplemental calcium leading to heart disease, they have naturally discovered that K2 plays an important role in the prevention of osteoporosis. Vitamin K2 allows the transport of calcium out of the bloodstream and into the bones (10), and more specifically, MK7 seems to be able to counteract the loss of bone density that’s common in menopause. (18)

Alzheimer’s: Even though Vitamin K2 doesn’t act like a traditional antioxidant, it has a unique ability to reduce or prevent oxidative stress in the brain. (19) This stress is one of the causes of Alzheimer’s disease, a disease very closely related to bone loss in osteoporosis, as well as insulin resistance in diabetes.

Diabetes: One of the major discoveries in 2007 regarding Vitamin K2 involved its impact on insulin sensitivity. Activation of osteocalcin in the bones can actually improve glucose tolerance, suggesting it can help to prevent type 2 diabetes. (20)

Healthy Veins: Although vitamin K1 plays a major role in blood flow, K2 helps to activate MGP, which often collects in varicose veins. By activating this protein, K2 can support the reduction or prevention of varicose veins and related thrombosis problems. (10)

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Research has found that Vitamin K2 helps prevent the growth of damaged cells and joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis. (21, 22)

Cancer: People who consume the highest amounts of K2 have a lower risk for all types of cancer. They are also less likely to die from cancer should they contract it. (23) The impact of this has been specifically observed with leukemia, prostate, lung, and liver cancers. (24, 25, 26, 27)

Kidney Disease: Having less-than-optimal K2 and vitamin D levels are associated with a higher risk of kidney disease. (28)

Fertility: Observed both by Price in the 1930s and in more recent research, Vitamin K2 impacts fertility (for both men and women) and subsequent labor. (10)

The Difference Between K2 and K1

It’s important to note that the benefits just mentioned are specific to Vitamin K2—and that there are major differences between vitamins K2 and K1.

Found in leafy greens like kale, vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) also activates proteins, but the proteins it activates are those responsible for blood clotting. As a result, a common sign of vitamin K1 deficiency is the failure of the blood to clot properly.

Unlike vegetable-based K1, K2 is found primarily in animal fats and natto, which is the only vegan option for K2 consumption.

K1 is converted to K2 via an important enzyme, and it’s one that humans don’t possess. So while humans and animals alike consume K1 for leafy greens, animals are then able to transform the K1 into K2 and reap additional benefits.

Vitamin K2 is produced in a healthy human gut, but the process is much less efficient than that of animals like cows and chickens. This explains why getting Vitamin K2 from animal sources is best, as they’ve done the converting for us.

K2 Deficiency Signs and Symptoms

Unlike those of vitamin K1, signs and symptoms of a K2 deficiency are often harder to spot. A K2 deficiency is also difficult for a doctor to detect, as K2-specific blood tests aren’t available in most medical practices.

That said, you may be deficient in Vitamin K2 if you: (29)

Are vegan and don’t eat natto

Experience plaque buildup in arteries

Develop kidney stones

Frequently get cavities

Are insulin resistant

Have varicose veins

How to get more K2

The best way to get more Vitamin K2 is through your diet. In 3.5-ounce portions, the highest Vitamin K2 foods are: (10)

Natto—1103.4 micrograms

Goose liver pate—369 micrograms

Hard cheeses—76.3 micrograms

Soft cheeses—56.5 micrograms

Goose leg—31 micrograms

Egg yolk—15.5 micrograms

Butter—15 micrograms

Chicken liver (raw)—14.1 micrograms

Chicken liver (pan-fried)—12.6 micrograms

Cheddar cheese—10.2 micrograms

Depending on the availability of these foods (and your willingness to acquire the unique taste of natto), you may also consider taking a Vitamin K2 supplement. I would recommend this particularly to those at risk of the diseases impacted by K2, as well as anyone unable to eat foods like the ones listed above.

As I mentioned, there are two forms of K2 available in supplement form. I will always suggest sticking with MK7 over MK4, as MK7 only has to be taken once a day and can be taken in much smaller quantities than its counterpart. Additionally, MK4 is easily found in eggs, while MK7 is more difficult to source from food.

Vitamin K2 dosage should be somewhere between 90-120 micrograms daily in MK7 form for most adults. There is no upper limit of Vitamin K2 known to be toxic (unlike the other fat-soluble vitamins), so that number is a general rule but can be exceeded safely.

Children generally shouldn’t need as high of a dose because they’re physically smaller, so I would stick to around 45-50 micrograms daily for kids.

More good news exists for people on medications like warfarin, who typically have to avoid vitamin K foods. Unlike vitamin K1, K2 isn’t necessary to avoid when taking blood thinners. In fact, taking up to 50 micrograms of Vitamin K2 in MK7 form counteracts the medication’s side effects without stopping it from working properly. (30)

Final Thoughts on K2

Originally discovered in 1939 by dentist Weston A. Price but only recognized in much later years as the important nutrient it is, K2 is a form of vitamin K that plays an essential role in dental health, bone formation, and the prevention of heart disease and other conditions.

In 2007, a study was published that determined most people in modern society are deficient in K2. This has a massive impact on oral health, as vitamin K can help to build new dentin, slow tooth degradation, lead to more normal facial and jaw structure, and kill cavity-causing bacteria.

Vitamin K2 is produced naturally in the gut—but the process isn’t extremely efficient, especially when the gut isn’t healthy. As a result, K2 must be primarily gained from diet. So to increase your intake, try K2-rich foods like natto (the only vegan option), goose liver pate, hard and soft cheeses, goose leg, egg yolks, butter, chicken liver and cheddar cheese.

Although it’s a fat-soluble vitamin, there is no upper limit of safety for Vitamin K2 supplements. I typically recommend 90-120 micrograms daily for people who may be deficient in K2.

It’s also important to reiterate that we are not 100% certain that Weston Price’s Activator X is vitamin K2. We do understand the benefits of vitamin K2, which is why I highly recommend adding more of it to your diet. But I also advise consuming a balanced diet that is rich in other nutrients as well, including vitamins D3 and A, and minerals like calcium and magnesium.

Who knows—they may have been part of the Activator X as well.

The post Vitamin K2 Benefits for Dental Health appeared first on Ask the Dentist.

from Ask the Dentist https://askthedentist.com/vitamin-k2-benefits/

[visualculturist]

O[h] Canada - TO

Who knew that Montreal and Toronto are the last of the great American 19th century [pre-car, pre-A/C] cities? I’ve always given that distinction to Chicago, but each of them is more like Chicago than even Milwaukee  or Cleveland  

Visiting the two places consecutively really feeds my compulsive need to compare and rank all things - maybe most particularly cities, which of course are all considered in comparison to Chicago.

The city seems to have grown upward and outward from the old port - which is still quite active. By the late 19th century, the “center” of the CBD was clearly the Municipal Building [City Hall} complex, 

a wonderful Romanesque Revival colossus with glorious decoration - stone carved - not terra cotta. 

The interior [I unfortunately didn’t photograph it] looks pretty much untouched - all marble. A great detail: the plaque on the front of the building attests that construction began in 1893, “the 35th year in the reign of her gracious majesty Queen Victoria.”

Toronto is roughly the same age as Chicago - incorporated in 1834. Like Chicago, it developed as a port and as a rail hub in the mid 19th century. Unlike Chicago, however, it never had a great fire, so many interesting buildings from the 1860s and 1870s survive. There’s some great stuff down by the St. Lawrence Market in what they call Old Toronto. 

And don’t you think every city should have a Flatiron building? 

You have to love La Temple De La Renomme du Hockey - built originally as the Bank of Montreal

There’s a nicely preserved distillery district from the early 19th c

   The advent of tall buildings - skyscrapers - coincided with the development of steel frame construction techniques. Chicago, of course, is famous for its early - 1880s and 90s - examples. Oddly, I saw almost no tall buildings - i.e. 12 stories or more - that appeared to date from before World War I. The sole exception: 

the 1909/ 1910 Lumsden building - a 10 story steel framed structure with a very unusual concrete curtain wall - not just because of the material but the unusually quality of the detailing - kind of a stylized ur-Deco 

I think more typical of the era is the Confederation Life Insurance company building of 1892

I always think it’s so very affected and stuffy when architecture writers use the term “pile” to describe a big old place, but it fits here. I spotted a number of similar buildings. I am guessing this reflects the level of sophistication and density the city possessed at the time - decades behind its American counterparts. 

I particularly like this Chicago school influenced work designed by a local architecture firm from 1899 through about 1912 with great terra cotta decoration

And of course the provincial Parliament site is truly grand and reminds me of HH Richardson’s hospital for the insane in Buffalo.

These buildings seem to be in reasonably good states of preservation - my research discovered the Confederation Life building was renovated in the 1990s. Other buildings of its ilk haven’t been as fortunate. 

The whole preservation issue is an interesting one. We take it for granted at this point that preservation of a city’s architectural past is a pretty sacred value, but what I realize is how endemic that attitude is to the US in general and Chicago specifically. [Residential teardown and McMansion replacements are a completely separate issue.] But really, since Penn Station in NY and the Chicago Stock Exchange in Chicago, the respectful preservation and rehabilitation of important historic structures has really been a driving factor in late 20th c urbanism. The American Bicentennial played a major role in emphasizing the significance of historic character to a city’s viability. I am thinking that Canada did not benefit from this kind of patriotic fervor. 

From what I can tell, preservation of historic buildings in Toronto in the post WW2 era has been slapdash for the most part and the triumphs are most likely the result of sheer neglect.  Let’s start with the number of buildings where I am guessing that whatever preservationist fervor there was exerted enough influence to save certain exteriors but I saw an awful lot of 19th century buildings that  had really idiotic late 20th century additions - like a three story building that would have an 8-10 story tower built above it. 

Clearly a what were they thinking moment.

Another ridiculous example, in Yorkville: 

Truly unfortunate. 

But while most of these mashups are really idiotic, a couple are kind of interesting - like this one, also in Yorkville, where they incorporated a few small scale retail buildings on Yonge Street with a warehouse structure on the cross street with a striking neo-modernist residential tower

I also quite like the tower itself.

I found a number of interesting MCM buildings. Of course there is Toronto Dominion Center, the famous urban complex designed by Mies van der Rohe. I really liked this minimal Bell Canada building on Adelaide with a beautiful tile installation that I haven’t been able to find out anything about.

 I discovered a number of buildings that look like they’re right out of the SOM portolio from the fifties and sixties. Most of them, regrettably, have been “updated” at the street level. But here are two exceptions:

This homage to the Inland Steel building, which fronts on both Yonge and Victoria Street; 

The Victoria Street entrance seems to be all original to 1960 or so 

Similarly, the 111 Richmond Street West building, which I would have suspected was a Gordon Bunshaft design, is actually from the drawing board [this was pre-CADD] of Canadian architect Peter Dickinson 

 A recent addition to the east is quite well done, and the best part is that the 1960 lobby interior appears to be completely intact. 

But mostly I was taken with all the splashy stuff from the last 15-20 years. I know a lot of sophisticated observers are tired of Frank Gehry, but his re-imagining of the Art Gallery of Ontario is among his most emblematic projects, and maybe my personal favorite of all I’ve seen personally [disclaimer: I haven’t been to Bilbao] 

I was knocked out by this student center at Ryerson University, designed by Canadians. Maybe not surprisingly, I saw a lot of the most innovative architecture at the universities in town. Ryerson and University of Toronto are both downtown, and add richly to the architectural mix.

I loved this sculpturally faced poured concrete Medical Sciences building at U Toronto from the sixties I guess- haven’t been able to find out much about it

The British architects Foster and Partners designed the futuristic Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy building, completed in 2001

Similarly arresting is the 2005 Terence Donnelley Centre down the block, designed by Architects Alliance and a German firm, Behnish Arkitekten.

Also, the amazing OCAD University Sharpe Center, completed in 2004. Designed by the British architect Will Alsop, who died in May of 2018 

Back on the non-academic front, the gilded Royal Bank of Canada [c.2005] - is almost Tru*p-like in its glitzed out non-Canadian-ness

Finally, the Tableau Condominiums on Peter Street is just one of seemingly dozens of super-stylish tall buildings of very recent vintage. The architectural design is dynamic but I have rarely seen an artwork - from Canadian Shane Dark - that is so well integrated with the architecture [the Canadian firm Wallman Architects]

.

But wait there’s more, although I don’t have the pics to prove it. For one thing, Toronto has a lakefront, but it’s sort of hard to get to. I did have a great time biking out to the lakefront on a hot muggy day, but as a Chicagoan I was disappointed to note how disconnected the city seems from its shoreline. 

I rode out to the scenic Tommy Thompson Park, which extends into the lake on a long spit of land, but the “beaches” are all rocky. Apparently you have to go out to the the eastern suburbs to find sandy bathing beaches. 

Which I will have to do on my next trip there. In the meantime, I am on to Montreal. 

[twoguystrybbq-blog]

LC’s Bar-B-Q

Ben:

We went to LC’s on a friend’s suggestion. I had never heard of the place, but since we’re in the business of trying every single barbecue joint in Kansas City and then some, we’ll go anywhere and everywhere that’s suggested. I’ll be honest -- because I had never heard of LC’s before, I didn’t go in with high expectations. When I told Leo that’s where I wanted to go, he told me he had tried LC’s previously and was… underwhelmed.

Uh-oh. Would this be our first outing to not receive a “must go” grade? Here’s the thing about me: I hate giving negative feedback. I once almost got a tattoo I didn’t like because I didn’t want to tell the artist to re-do it (thankfully, I spoke up before ink hit skin). I’m terrible at break ups. I’d rather be in an unhappy relationship for a solid couple years before I have to tell someone “this isn’t working.” That’s how much I hate giving negative feedback. Needless to say, I was nervous what I’d think about LC’s and subsequently have to write.

Leo drove us to LC’s on a rainy Thursday at lunch. For me, the lunch was a welcome escape from my home office; for Leo, a hearty lunch before he heads out for a weekend of binge drinking and debauchery (at least I assume he was debaucherous).

LC’s is in a small, unassuming building in what feels like the middle of nowhere. In fact, it sits at the fork of two roads, and it sits alone -- no other neighboring businesses or homes around. If you don’t look closely, you may assume LC’s is just a bar that only has 8 regular patrons, all men over 50 that speak exclusively in grunts and football terms. From the outside, LC’s doesn’t exactly scream “world class barbecue.”

But inside, LC’s was bumping. It wasn’t bumping like the club on a Friday night, but more like your mom’s kitchen at a family reunion. There was a short line -- maybe 12 people -- and every table was full. Most people seemed like regulars, just locals on lunch break. No barbecue tourists here (other than us, of course).

The space also felt lived in. The menu on the wall was a faded yellow with years of meat air wafting over it. I’m pretty sure a handful of stuffed fish adorned the fall wall. In the corner were the all important barbecue plaques and magazine article cut-outs -- a good sign in Kansas City. Before I had ever tried LC’s food, I felt like I had an authentic experience; LC’s is a true Kansas City barbecue joint and isn’t trying to be anything else.

LC’s smoker is right behind the counter -- a glorious meat cave I peeked into every time someone placed a new order. The thing looked like it hadn’t stopped barbecuing meats to perfection since the Reagan presidency.

After plenty of indecision and over-thinking, I ordered just what I was craving: a half pound of ham with bread, fried okra… and… could I get a little bit of sausage? “You can get an order of sausage.” Great, throw a full order of sausage on that order; it’s bulking season somewhere. Leo went with a much more reasonable order of a sandwich with fries.

Like any good barbecue, our food came right away. My order took up about half the table, but I’m not ashamed as long as I consider myself a “food blogger.” Immediately, the sauce sticks out as one of the best I’ve ever had. Both Leo and I comment on the sauce. It’s not unique like Slap’s, but pure Kansas City style -- sweet and tangy, a little on the thick side, and all deliciousness. Seriously, this sauce should replace milk as the choice liquid for cereal. Instead of honey, I want to put this sauce in my evening tea. Maybe order my iced coffee with a few glugs of LC’s original sauce. It’s that good.

And as I’d find out the next day, we weren’t alone in our love for LC’s sauce. It’s bottled and sold around town in grocery stores or shipped nationwide.

The ham was good but not spectacular. Part of that is on my order; barbecue ham isn’t exactly a staple, and it’s hard for the meat to really shine. The fried okra was everything I wanted.

The sausage, for me, was the star of the meal. First off, and “order” of sausage is a full, massive sausage link doused in original sauce served with a couple slices of white bread. This could have been my lunch all on its own. I assume the sausage was mixed and made in-house, and it was spectacular. It’s not smooth on the outside like, say, a bratwurst, but has the consistency of of a breakfast sausage. All-too-often at bbq joints, the sausage has an overpowering taste, one that doesn’t mesh well with the sauce. This wasn’t at all the case with LC’s sausage, which was clearly made to be paired with that crack-like sauce.

I ate LC’s like I do any outstanding barbecue -- like the world was ending in 5 minutes. Although I’m skinny, this is a pure fatboy technique. I eat so fast my stomach doesn’t have time to tell my brain to stop eating. I stuffed and stuffed and stuffed. Ultimately, I couldn’t finish my entire meal (which I’d conservatively estimate as 2 pounds of food) all in one sitting. Oh well, sausage and meat sweats for breakfast.

On our way out of LC’s, we looked closer at the plaques and magazine articles. As it turns out, the fact that I hadn’t heard of LC’s was more a fault of mine than anything else. It’s won countless awards, and at least one writer has christened it a place you have to visit before you die. Good, good, I’ll sleep easy tonight.

LC’s is a place you should take someone to give them a truly authentic Kansas City barbecue experience. Nothing at LC’s feels inauthentic; they simply serve world class barbecue and trust in that. For me, LC’s is a must go. The portions are huge, the sausage is outstanding, and the sauce is unforgettable.

Verdict: Must Go.

Leo:

I am so glad to admit this, but I was wrong about LC’s, so very, very wrong.  I had gone to LC’s as a law student some 10 years ago and, for whatever reason, remember not really being impressed.  Nothing stood out about the experience and I hadn’t been back.  So, when Ben suggested that it be the next BBQ joint we hit up, I said sure, but don’t get your hopes up.  But I was about to find out just how high our hopes should have been.

Ben drove over to my place and then I drove down to LC’s.  For the first time, it was raining outside, which was nice because it cooled everything off a bit and gave us a break from the 90+ degree days we had been enduring.  We were going around noon, so I was a little worried that we wouldn’t be able to find parking and that the line would be too long.  We were going to lunch on a weekday (oh, yeah, it was a Thursday) because I was going down to the Lake of the Ozarks for a lawyers’ education conference and had to head out after lunch.  As it turned out, there was a parking spot right out front.  

We jumped out of the car and ran in out of the rain.  Ahhhhhh, I will never tire of walking into barbeque restaurants and smelling that smoky tang of cooking meats.  For the first time, we had a wait, too.  It was a pleasant amount of time, though, and allowed Ben and me to catch up on each other’s lives (nothing had changed in my life, though he had been on a date!).  We also passed one of those tattoo machines where you could put in a couple quarters and get back a glorious tattoo.  My favorite, which I would have gotten if I’d had the quarters, was a tattoo of a pig surrounded by the words “Don’t go bacon my heart,” which I continued to sing throughout the rest of the meal (I won’t go bacon your heart)!  

Standing in line that long gave us a chance to watch the cooks serve up the barbeque to others.  This was done by opening a huge, cast metal oven and pulling out large chunks of pre-cooked meat (Ben has pictures of the “oven o’ meats”).  This had me salivating and I decided to get quite a bit of food, though surprisingly, not as much as Ben.  I ordered the combo meat sandwich with turkey and brisket, with fries and an extra side of beans.  I didn’t hear what Ben ordered as I went over to the cooler to grab a Bud Light.  By the time I got back, my food was ready.

Stacked high (and I’m talking four or five inches high, almost too big to bite into) was a sandwich with the bottom half turkey and the top half brisket.  The fries looked like they were cut right out of a potato before they were tossed in the deep fryer.  And I could see chunks of meat floating in the baked beans.  I was starting to suspect that I may have been under a misimpression about LC’s barbeque.  

I squirted a healthy amount of sauce onto my plate.  Again, like Slap’s, the sauce was a little more watery.  I sopped up some of the sauce with a fry and tasted.  Tres magnifique!  For me, it was the perfect blend of sweet and tangy, not too sweet and not too tart, just right.  But don’t think it was the “baby bear” of sauces because it was dynamite: I think I used ¼ of a bottle just with my fries and sopped up the rest with my sandwich.  Before I could dig into the rest of my meal, though, Ben came over with his food.  He had a huge plate of ham.  Then, came the biggest sausage that I’ve seen.  It was about a foot-long and two inches in diameter.  Last, came a giant carton of fried okra.  “Jeez, Ben, hungry much,” I asked.  “Yeah,” Ben said, “but I wanted to try the sausage and you can’t order just a bit.”  I’ll let Ben tell you more, but it was a testament to me of how good the food was that Ben finished all of the meat and most of the okra!  (He let me try the sausage, too, and it was superb, like breakfast sausage coated in a sweet, tangy barbeque crust).

Then, I turned on my sandwich.  The bottom layer of the sandwich had sopped up all of the excess sauce from the fries.  My hands got covered in barbeque, but I could have cared less.  As I bit into the sandwich, all the flavors of the brisket and the turkey and the sauce mixed together to create magic.  Before I could realize it, I’d wolfed down almost the whole thing.  “Whoa, Leonard,” I thought to myself, “better save some of that to savor!”

The prize of the meal, though, were the beans.  It was that perfect sauce, mixed with chunks of meat, and perfectly cooked beans.  It was so good I almost ordered another cup! I only didn’t because I had a long drive coming up and I didn’t want to be so full that I fell asleep.  I gave Ben some of the beans and he nodded and grunted, echoing my assessment.  

In between bites, we did manage some conversation.  Ben mentioned that he thought LC’s reminded him of Texas barbeque, but neither of us were really sure of what that meant.  So, we decided, after we go to a couple more restaurants, we would start up a podcast or a video blog to have guests on to talk about different types of barbeque (hopefully some of the cooks from the restaurants that we’ve already visited!).  Maybe they can tell me why some sauces are thick and some are more watery?  Anyway, get yo’self excited!

As Ben got a to-go box for his okra, I reflected on how delicious it was to be wrong!  I hope that you are hungry and, if you are, why don’t you go check out LC’s for lunch or dinner (or lunch and dinner ☺)!  

Verdict: Must Go.

[bobdelseynv]

The Top 5 Camu Camu Powders of 2017

Camu camu is a small fruit grown in the rainforests of Peru and Brazil that resembles a cherry and is light orange in color. It’s packed with vitamin C and is a powerful antioxidant. 

Health experts say that this superfruit can help with viral issues such as cold sores, shingles, herpes simplex 1, and even the common cold. It is also commonly used as a natural energy booster.

What is so special about this trendy superfruit? We’ll cover this, along with the benefits, side effects, and recommended dosage instructions. But first, we’ve ranked the top camu camu powders according to price, product quality, and customer reviews.

So what’s the best camu camu powder on the market?

1- Feel Good Organics Camu Camu Powder

Lowest price on Amazon

Straight out of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. That’s where Feel Good Organics harvests their camu camu berries for this authentic, premium organic powder.

They take pride in their non-GMO, gluten-free, 100% raw organic powder imported from Brazil with no additives – something you don’t see too often in the powdered supplement industry.

The Feel Good Organics company stands behind their product. That’s why they offer a “love it or your money back” policy. Here’s what the company has to say about it:

“If you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase of our Camu Camu for any reason, just email us and we’ll refund your order in full, no questions asked!”

 Comes in a premium quality storage bag with a resealable zipper, 5-layer structure with foil lining, rounded corners, and a tear notch for easy opening.

Serving size: 1 tsp – about 39 servings in the bag.

Buy Feel Good Organics Camu on Amazon

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2- Madre Nature Organic Camu Camu

Lowest price on Amazon

Premium organic camu camu powder, this time from the rainforests of Peru.

Madre Nature is all about natural concentrated vitamin C – here’s what the manufacturer has to say about it:

“The Camu Camu berry is the most potent known source of vitamin C in the world. 1 teaspoon of Camu Camu powder contains 10 times more vitamin C than an orange.”

The camu camu they use is harvested, processed, and packaged in Peru to support the growers and local economy where camu camu originates. The company also donates $2 per bag to local charity efforts in Peru, specifically targeting programs that address child poverty, hunger, and homelessness.

This particular camu camu powder isn’t freeze dried, but rather the berries are dried at a lower temperature not exceeding 110F.

This product is 100% certified organic, non-GMO, raw, gluten-free, and vegan.

Serving size: 1 tsp – about 45 servings in the bag altogether.

Buy Madre Nature Camu on Amazon

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3- Maju Superfoods Camu Camu Powder

Lowest price on Amazon

The nutrients in the camu camu powder is carefully protected and preserved with a temperature-controlled vacuum seal.

Here’s what the manufacturer has to say about their product that separates it from their competition:

“Get your daily dose of vitamin C from one serving for an energy boost. Try adding some to your morning and see if you notice the difference. Easily scoop it and great for cooking – baked treats such as bread or cookies, or mix it in to your breakfast smoothie for a vitamin C boost.”

Serving size: 1 tsp – about 39 total servings in the tub.

Buy Maju Superfoods Camu on Amazon

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4- Sunfood Raw Camu Camu Powder

Lowest price on Amazon

One of the most expensive camu camu powders sold on Amazon, the Sunfood company is all about premium quality.

Their mission statement says “At Sunfood we are on a quest to help you discover the healing, energy and longevity power within you.  We do this through education and the most nutrient dense superfoods on the planet.”

Their certified organic raw camu camu powder is no exception.

Caution / Allergen Statement: Packaged in a gluten-free facility. May contain traces of tree nuts and peanuts.

Serving size: 1 tsp – about 33 servings total in the bag.

Buy Sunfood Raw Camu on Amazon

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5- Peruvian Naturals Camu Camu

Lowest price on Amazon

Are you the type that would rather just take a capsule instead of dealing with scooping powder? This might be the camu camu supplement for you.

Peruvian Naturals offers capsules packed with 500 mg of USDA certified organic camu camu berry – no artificial colors, flavors, or anything else added.

Not the cheapest camu camu product on the market, but you pay for the convenience and portability of capsules.

Suggested use: 1-3 capsules daily. Do not exceed 5 capsules in a day. 90 total in the bottle.

Buy Peruvian Naturals Camu on Amazon

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What is camu camu?

The camu camu berry grows in flooded areas in the Amazon rainforest in the countries of Peru, Colombia, Brazil, and Venezuela.

The large berries grown on a shrub and resemble cherries. It is one of the most abundant sources of Vitamin C we have access to. One serving of camu camu berry contains 60 times more Vitamin C than an orange.

The berry is rich in antioxidants, and it is also a great source of calcium, protein, potassium, amino acids, beta carotene, and several phytochemicals. Many consider it to be more nutritious than the current superfruit in the US, the Acai Berry.

Native Amazonian Indians used Camu Camu Berries for hundreds of years. It was not used as a food source due to its sour taste. Instead, the berries were used for their medicinal purposes. They would often mix the berries with milk and sugar so that they could be used in jams and jellies.

Traditionally, camu camu berries were harvested directly on the river, where locals would pull them from the shrubs while inside their canoes. Due to the rise in popularity of the superfruit in recent years, over-harvesting has become an issue.

Before it entered the global market, camu camu was used by locals in the Amazon rainforest as fish bait. Today, efforts are ongoing to farm the trees in areas such as Brazil and Peru so that camu camu is more sustainable.

How does camu camu powder work?

The camu camu berry is a powerful dietary supplement because of the many vitamins and nutrients it contains.

Here are some of the ingredients found in this superfruit and why they are so important:

Vitamin C

The Camu Camu Berry outranks the long-time Vitamin C leader, the orange, when it comes to the amount of this powerful antioxidant it contains. Just a teaspoon of camu camu powder has 1180% of your recommended daily amount of Vitamin C. This vitamin is vital for our immune system and can also help improve gum health.

Potassium

One of the best ways to get the potassium you need each day to take a camu camu supplement. We require potassium for the healthy function of our heart and kidneys. It is also useful with treating restlessness and a lack of energy. There are 71.1mg of potassium found in every 100g of camu camu powder.

Valine

Valine is an essential amino acid, which means that our bodies do not produce it. Therefore, we must get valine from the foods that we eat. If you don’t get enough of this amino acid in your everyday diet, taking camu camu can help.

Valine is known to promote a strong nervous system and to help with cognitive function. It can also be useful for those who are strength training as it helps prevent muscle breakdown.

Flavonoids

Flavonoids are compounds found in various plants. Along with helping give fruits and vegetables their signature colors, flavonoids also work in the body as antioxidants while neutralizing free radicals. Camu camu berries contain several different flavonoids.

Leucine

Leucine is another essential amino acid found in camu camu berries that our body requires to stay healthy. It helps to improve the growth of muscle and bone tissue. Leucine also helps with production and recovery of growth hormones.

Serine

Camu Camu berries contain even more essential amino acids such as Serine. This ingredient is essential for healthy digestion because it helps to break down the bonds in protein and polypeptides so that our bodies may use them,

Ellagic Acid

This acid with antioxidant properties has anti-cancer effects, however little research has been conducted so far. Additional studies on ellagic acid show that it can also has anti-diabetes effects as well.

Gallic Acid

This acid found in camu camu berries has shown to have anti-fungal and anti-viral properties. It is also a useful antioxidant.

What are the benefits of camu camu?

With so many powerful ingredients, its easy to see why Camu Camu is gaining so much attention among health experts. Here are a few of the benefits we’ve learned about so far that you can receive by adding camu camu berry to your diet:

Improves Focus and Memory

While the antioxidants in this fruit may help give your immune system a much-needed boost, studies have shown that camu camu can also help us to focus, concentrate on our tasks, and think clearly. The large amount of Vitamin C can actually help to clear out plaque build-up in the cognitive pathways.

This build-up is often caused by stress and free radicals, and can leave us feeling foggy throughout the day. This discovery has also led to us finding out that the berry could be responsible for preventing cognitive disorders such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. By taking a camu camu supplement, you can help to give your brain a boost so that you can focus on your daily work tasks.

It Could Help Prevent Certain Types of Cancer

It seems that with every new superfood discovery, experts try to find a way for it to help rid the world of cancer. Sometimes we get lucky and find an herb or extract that shows promise, like the camu camu berry.

The antioxidant compounds that are inside this fruit are considered a possible natural remedy for certain types of cancer [1]. More research needs to be performed, however it could mean great news for cancer patients in the future.

Improves Mood

Camu Camu berries can have a soothing effect on the body and work almost like a sedative when taken. This can help you to balance out mood swings or deal with issues such as anxiety or depression in a natural way.

While we aren’t exactly sure how the berry helps to improve our mood, it could be due to the high levels of vitamins and magnesium it contains. These ingredients can help to reduce inflammation throughout the body and calm down our overall system [2].

Improves Cardiovascular and Dental Health

The antioxidants and antiviral functions of camu camu can help promote healthy gums and fight against gingivitis. Research has shown that supplements that are high in antioxidants like camu camu can help block free radicals which can cause inflammatory issues and other periodontal health problems.

Also, having healthy gums is important since dental care can be directly linked to cardiovascular health [3].

Helps to Tone Muscles

The blend of vitamins and nutrients in camu camu along with organic compounds and amino acids make it an excellent health food that assists with the growth of healthy muscles.

If you are interested in giving your metabolism a boost and improve your muscle tone at the same time, adding this supplement to your daily regimen could do the trick [4].

Slows the Aging Process

There are several studies that show how well camu camu berries are in terms of eliminating the early signs of aging. With the large amount of antioxidants the berries contain, a single serving can help to lower the amount of oxidative stress your body is exposed to [5].

And this can help reduce the appearance of wrinkles or crow’s feet while it also gives you younger looking, glowing skin.

What are the side effects of camu camu?

While there have not been many studies conducted on the fruit, there are not any known side effects associated with it. The berry contains a high amount of Vitamin C, and when taken in copious amounts, this vitamin can cause gastrointestinal issues.

This can include upset stomach, diarrhea and vomiting. It is also possible for individuals who take too much Vitamin C to experience kidney damage. Anyone who has a history of stomach ulcers or kidney issues should use caution when taking a supplement that is high in Vitamin C.

Research has shown that camu camu could interfere with some chemotherapy treatments. Always consult with your physician before you take this or any other supplement when receiving chemo, or if you have any other serious health condition.

How do you take camu camu powder?

Because of its strong, sour taste, camu camu supplements are typically taken in powder form or capsule.

The powder can be sprinkled on various foods or added to shakes and smoothies. You can usually find the powder or capsule supplement at health food stores or pharmacies. Because of its anti-aging effects, camu camu berry has also been used in beauty products such as facial masks.

Recap

Camu Camu Berry is a small, tart fruit found in the Amazon rainforests. It is considered a superfruit since it contains such as high amount of Vitamin C, as well as various essential amino acids.

Along with Vitamin C, camu camu berries also contain Potassium, Leucine, and useful Flavonoids. The antioxidants found in camu camu can help with reliving stress, heart health, oral health, and reduce the early signs of aging. Because of its strong tart taste, camu camu supplements are available in powder form or capsules.

There are no known side effects to taking camu camu, however because of its high Vitamin C content, those who are prone to ulcers or digestive issues should use caution when taking the supplement.

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