Jim Paull

No, I’m not here on behalf of the evil Big Pizza lobby. According to simple math, if you’re buying multiple small pizzas instead of getting a bigger one, you’re almost always wasting money. This video breaks it down.

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Australia is on the move. The land down under is currently moving north by about 7 centimeters (2.75 inches) annually due to normal tectonic movements, and, as a result, the nation’s local coordinates are out of sync with those from the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) by over 1.5 meters...

Burning dinner has been the scourge of the home cook since the discovery of fire, but there are some vegetables that actually benefit from a little—okay, a lot—of char.

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Marge and Homer Simpsons have been weighing in on American politics for 27 seasons, and today they are making it known who the family is supporting for president in 2016. “It’s 3 a.m. and the phone’s ringing in the White House. Who do you want answering that call,” the ad...

Visitors and residents in Thailand should be aware that during the coming weekend 6-7th August the country will vote in a constitutional referendum and the distribution of alcohol has been suspended.

It is very common in Thailand to suspend alcohol sales on religious holidays, political polling days or even certain day/nighttime hours which catches many visitors by surprise.

Foreign visitors, be it business travelers or tourists, are often unfamiliar with such restrictions and might be caught in the middle of their holiday by the situation of not being able to even get a drink.

I had a reservation for the coming weekend at the Sheraton Hua Hin Resort who sent out this email today:

Welcome back to Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa and thank you for being our Platinum member. We are thrilled to host you for your upcoming visit  As the VIP & Guest Services Leader at the hotel, I would like to extend my services to you. If there is anything I can assist with prior to, during, or after your stay, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

Feel free to let us know what time can we expect you at the hotel on 07 August 2016 so we can better prepare for your arrival and refer to the Notification of the Office of the Prime Minister, advising the prohibition of alcoholic beverage sale on “a constitutional referendum vote” Day which falls on 06-07th August 2016, all hotels and resorts including restaurants are obliged to follow strictly through, yet alcoholic beverages are still served for personal consumption in In Room Dining Service (1212). We regret for inconveniences this may cause you during your time with us.

Very inconvenient for a resort and the hotel has not responded yet to the question of how the club lounge cocktail hour will be replaced. Often hotels offer a complimentary minibar to their Platinum / Club Level members but I for one don’t like to have a drink by myself in the room or on the balcony. Chances are I won’t be using this reservation and instead start my trip to Japan a few days early.

At the same time security is being taken very seriously indeed considering Thailand’s reputation of political protests and the current rule of a military junta.

The UK Government has put out this travel advice to their citizens:

Summary – a referendum on the Thai constitution is due to take place on 7 August 2016; political tensions are likely to increase leading up to and during the polls; you should avoid political gatherings and monitor the advice of local authorities and local media.

It’s hard to say what happens during the next weekend especially in Bangkok so it’s probably a good bet to follow this advice and stay clear of political gatherings.

Conclusion

Travelers staying in Thailand next week should inquire with their hotels or resorts how this mandated restriction is being handled in case it’s a priority for them. What bugs me about the email from the Sheraton is that this date must have been known for quite some time now and just today, 6 days prior to arrival they inform the guest about it. Good thing it’s a flexible reservation.

At Dim Sum Icon in Hong Kong, diners are encouraged to play with their food.

Squeeze the lactating and defecating steamed dim sum bun with coconut cream inside, made to resemble one of the popular Japanese ‘Kobitos’ characters, and you’re in for a “hilarious” experience, customers say.

But far from grossing people out, Ray Kuo, assistant manager at the restaurant, said it’s one of the most popular items on the menu.

“Actually we got a lot of good reviews from them,” Kuo said. “That is the main one they post on Facebook and Instagram.”

Another crowd-pleaser is a pooping ‘Gudetama’, the lazy yellow egg character from Japan’s Sanrio, and a cartoon turd made out of cake.

The restaurant uses Japanese animations, such as the ‘Kobitos’ by Toshitaka Nabata and ‘Gudetama,’ but switches the main theme up every few months in addition to alternating menu items.

“We don’t want the old traditional Chinese style of dim sum, so we want make it more fashionable, Kuo said, emphasizing the restaurant’s appeal to teenagers and a “younger crowd.”

Dutch exchange student, Lineke Schrigver, said she knew about the restaurants from social media before even setting foot in the city and happened to walk by it.

“I have seen it on Facebook and on Instagram already before I came to Hong Kong, but I didn’t know this was like a famous thing or anything,” Schrigver said. “I was like I want to go there.”

Schrigver said the food was “hilarious” but “really tasty.”

Taiwanese tourist, Miss Su, who had just arrived in Hong Kong said her family had first eaten at a traditional dim sum restaurant but were disappointed.

“I think it is a novelty and special so I wanted to have a try,” Su said. “And it does taste really good, cute and tasty.”

Kuo explained that everything has been cleared with the copyrights holder, with a percentage of the profits going to the animation companies.

Dim Sum Icon opened their first restaurant two years ago and their second at the end of December. They are already in negotiations to open stores in mainland China and Macau.

Here are five of the best photos that readers added to the Consumerist Flickr Pool in the last week, picked for usability in a Consumerist post or for just plain neatness.

Want to see your pictures on our site? Our Flickr pool is the place where Consumerist readers upload photos for possible use in future Consumerist posts. Just be a registered Flickr user, go here, and click “Join Group?” up on the top right. Choose your best photos, then click “send to group” on the individual images you want to add to the pool.

MUMBAI: Indian budget airline IndiGo was forced to divert an international flight on Thursday after an unruly passenger sat on the plane’s food cart before attacking another traveller, it said.

The morning flight from Dubai to Calicut, in the southern Indian state of Kerala, was diverted to Mumbai where the passenger was offloaded and handed over to police, IndiGo said in a statement.

“A little before landing, a passenger… started misbehaving with the crew. He jumped on the forward cart (which is used for food and onboard merchandise) and sat on it,” read the emailed statement.

“This passenger after stepping down from the cart, suddenly got violent and started physically abusing the other co-passenger,” it added.

The flight later landed in Calicut, also known as Kozhikode, around two hours behind schedule.

IndiGo, famed for its no-frills approach, commands almost 40 percent of India’s aviation market, the biggest share of any airline. It is the country’s only consistently profitable airline.

In May, it grounded two pilots for attempting to land their plane on a road which they mistook for a runway in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan.

After whittling down an initial list of 900 destinations, travel website TravelBird calculated the cost of spending a day at the beach at 250 coastlines around the world, looking at the average cost of sunscreen, water, beer, ice cream and lunch.

The result is the 2016 Beach Price Index, a ranking created to serve as a budgetary guideline for holidaymakers looking at booking a beach holiday.

While the beaches of Vietnam and India dominate the lower end of the list, for example, the luxurious beaches of French Polynesia and Seychelles emerged the costliest destinations, setting sun worshippers back between $55 and $60 a day for the privilege of soaking up the tropical rays.

Because on La Plage de Maui in Tahiti, a bottle of sunscreen purchased from the resort, local pharmacy or supermarket averages about $22, a bottle of beer about $8, and lunch about $25.

That compares to Cua Dai Beach, Hoi An in Vietnam, where both sun protection and beer costs about $2, and lunch $8.

The report also breaks down the daily costs of visiting what they consider to be the top surf beaches, family beaches, most romantic and most relaxing beaches for would-be visitors.

For instance, surfers headed to Tamarindo Beach in Costa Rica, ranked the top surfing destination, are advised to budget about $28 for the day, while a day at the top-ranked family beach, Tulum in Mexico, averages about $29.

Here are some of the results:

Top five most expensive beaches around the world
La Plage de Maui, Tahiti, French Polynesia
Mareto Plage Publique, Moorea, French Polynesia
Anse Vata, Noumea, New Caledonia
Anse Georgette, Praslin, Seychelles
Anse Soleil Beach, Seychelles

Top five cheapest beaches
Cua Dai Beach, Hoi An, Vietnam
Ho Coc Beach, Ho Coc, Vietnam
City Beach, Nha, Vietnam
Long Beach, Phu, Quoc, Vietnam
Varkala Beach, Kerala, India

Top five surf beaches
Tamarindo Beach, Costa Rica
Watergate Bay, Newquay, UK
Cote des Basques, Biarritz, France
Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia
Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia

Top five family beaches
Tulum Beach, Mexico
Phra Nang Beach, Ao Nang, Thailand
Coronado Beach, California, USA
Plaka Beach, Naxos, Greece
Palolem, Beach, Goa, India

Top romantic beaches
Whitehaven, Beach, Whitsunday Islands
Kailua, Hawaii, USA
La Plage de Maui, Tahiti, French Polynesia
Cayo Coco, Cuba
Ile Sainte Marie, Madagascar

– AFP Relaxnews

There was more drama surrounding the latest release of IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks hotels than previously. The process used to be very orderly.

IHG Rewards Club just dumped the list on their website very late on Sunday night US time without making them bookable, removed the list entirely early AM US time on Monday and made the hotels available for booking couple of hours later.

You can access IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks page here.

READ MORE: IHG Rewards Club Rate & Bonus Points And Miles Promotions

I thought that it would be a right time to remind readers how fast some of the hotels drop off from the list.

There were 135 hotels on the list and the following 35 were removed within the first 24 hours:

UAE

HOLIDAY INN ABU DHABI

France

HOLIDAY INN PARIS – PORTE DE CLICHY

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS MONTPELLIER – ODYSSEUM

Portugal

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS LISBON – ALFRAGIDE

Russia

HOLIDAY INN MOSCOW – SOKOLNIKI

STAYBRIDGE SUITES ST. PETERSBURG

Switzerland

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS AFFOLTERN AM ALBIS

UK

HOLIDAY INN LEAMINGTON SPA – WARWICK

Cambodia

CAMBODIA INTERCONTINENTAL PHNOM PENH

China

HOLIDAY INN HAIKOU WEST COAST

HOLIDAY INN SUITES HULUNBUIR

Japan

ANA CROWNE PLAZA KUSHIRO

HOLIDAY INN – ANA RESORT MIYAZAKI

Korea

HOLIDAY INN INCHEON SONGDO

Australia

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS SYDNEY MACQUARIE PARK

Canada

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS & SUITES HALIFAX – BEDFORD

Colombia

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS & SUITES BOGOTA ZONA FINANCIERA

United States

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS & SUITES ORO VALLEY-TUCSON NORTH

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS & SUITES JACKSON

STAYBRIDGE SUITES PALMDALE

STAYBRIDGE SUITES DENVER TECH CENTER

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS NICEVILLE-EGLIN AFB

GEORGIA CROWNE PLAZA ATLANTA SW – PEACHTREE CITY

HOLIDAY INN SAVANNAH S – I-95 GATEWAY

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS & SUITES GERMANTOWN – GAITHERSBURG

STAYBRIDGE SUITES BALTIMORE BWI AIRPORT

MASSACHUSETTS HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS & SUITES WESTFIELD

MICHIGAN STAYBRIDGE SUITES DETROIT-UTICA

STAYBRIDGE SUITES MINNEAPOLIS-BLOOMINGTON

HAMPSHIRE HOLIDAY INN SALEM (I-93 AT EXIT 2)

STAYBRIDGE SUITES NORTH BRUNSWICK

HOLIDAY INN BUFFALO-INTL AIRPORT

HOLIDAY INN HOTEL & SUITES ROCHESTER – MARKETPLACE

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS & SUITES BURLINGTON

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS & SUITES PLEASANT PRAIRIE / KENOSHA

Conclusion

Being able to get one or more PointBreaks bookings in has really become the survival of the fittest in a sense that you really need to know when the new batch is released because the most sought after properties are gone fast.

The hotels in the PointBreaks list used to linger around sometimes all the way until the end in the 2000’s.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak will get sweeping security powers on Monday amid planned protests calling for his resignation over US allegations that millions of dollars from a state fund wound up in his personal bank account.

The new National Security Council (NSC) Act, which comes into force on Aug 1, allows Najib to designate any area as a “security area”, where he can deploy forces to search any individual, vehicle or premise without a warrant. It also allows investigators to dispense with formal inquests into killings by the police or armed forces in those areas.

Najib’s ruling coalition promoted the law as a means to counter threats to security in predominantly Muslim Malaysia, which has long dealt with a fringe element of radical Islamists.

But critics say the law’s expansive powers threaten human rights and democracy in the middle-income emerging nation, and could now be used to silence critics of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) fund scandal.

“The concern among the civil society and others is because the NSC can be used against anything that the government is unhappy with,” said Wan Saiful Wan Jan, chief executive of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas), adding that it could extend to public rallies.

“It does give the PM a huge amount of power to declare emergency zones…,” he said.

No royal assent

The law was passed on the last day of the legislation session in December, surprising the opposition, as Najib came under mounting criticism over the multi-billion dollar scandal surrounding the 1MDB fund, which he founded and whose advisory council he chaired until recently.

The law was enacted without the customary royal assent from Malaysia’s king, who had asked for some changes.

Pressure on Najib to step down mounted last week after the US Justice Department filed civil lawsuits alleging that over US$3.5 billion (RM14 billion) was misappropriated from 1MDB.

The lawsuits seek to seize more than US$1 billion of assets allegedly siphoned from the fund, saying they were part of “an international conspiracy to launder money”.

The civil lawsuits do not name Najib, but refer to a high-ranking government official who received over US$700 million of the misappropriated funds. A source familiar with the investigations told Reuters the official, named as Malaysian Official 1 in the lawsuits, was Najib.

Najib, who has denied any wrongdoing, has said Malaysia will cooperate in international investigations of the 1MDB case.

The ruling party suffered unprecedented losses in the 2008 general elections and then lost the popular vote in 2013 under Najib’s leadership. The next general election must be called by 2018.

Anti-Najib rallies

The NSC is coming into force amid growing complaints about assaults on civil liberties in Malaysia.

Najib has in recent months used the colonial era Sedition Act and other draconian laws to arrest government critics, jail opposition leaders and stifle free speech by suspending media groups and blogs.

“The likelihood of the NSC being utilised in order to crack down against any act of civil movement is likely to steadily increase as maneuvering space for the PM decreases,” said Sevan Doraisamy, executive director at Suaram, a human rights NGO.

Malaysia’s opposition coalition is planning an anti-Najib rally on July 30. Pro-democracy group Bersih, whose street protests last year drew a 200,000-strong crowd, is also planning a separate rally, but has not set a date.

While rallies can still be organised under the Peaceful Assembly Act, the NSC can declare any area – a building, a street or a city – a “security area”, where protests would be disallowed.

Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said on Monday he will not allow rallies that demand Najib step down from power.

“Red Shirt” supporters from Najib’s ruling United Malays National Organisation have vowed to hold a counter-rally. They did so last September and it turned rowdy when participants breached security barricades and clashed with riot police.

“I think they (the government) are getting nervous about 1MDB and the reaction of the people,” said civil rights activist and lawyer Ambiga Sreenevasan, adding that the public was also “very nervous” about the new security law.

 

PUTRAJAYA: Seputeh MP Teresa Kok won her appeal on Tuesday against the government over her detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA) nine years ago. She was awarded RM350,000 in total damages.

The Court of Appeal ruled that the High Court had erred in law when applying a test case, in reference to Kok’s situation, in its ruling last year.

“It was clearly in error of law when the High Court applied the wrong ‘stare decisis’ principle to follow a case that’s now no longer good law,” said Justice Varghese George who read the judgment.

Other judges in the panel included Justices Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim and Zaleha Yusof.

The court also found that the allegations, namely her involvement in an “azan” (religious prayers’ call) volume protest, petition on removing Jawi signage, the SMS directing her involvement, as well as a petition on not to have the “azan” played were “stale”.

“She was arrested on September 19, 2008. But the allegations directed at her were during February that year.”

“There was no immediate action. The police did not act on her behaviour that claimed to be giving rise to a threat to the public. They only arrested her seven months later,” he said.

Justice Varghese added, “The police had failed to show they have supported the claims in conducting her arrest”.

The appeals court ordered the government to pay the DAP vice-chairman RM350,000 in general, exemplary and aggravated damages.

“Cost of RM70,000 is also to be paid to her (Kok),” said Justice Varghese.

Last year, Kok failed to challenge the government on her 2008 ISA arrest and detention. The High Court ruled that the detention was lawful.

She was also ordered to pay RM50,000 as cost.

On March 13, 2009, Kok filed the suit against the Home Minister, several police officers and the Malaysian Government. She claimed that she was wrongfully arrested and detained under the ISA.

She claimed her arrest and detention were baseless and that she had gone through severe mental stress, pain and suffering due to food poisoning and denial of her constitutional rights.

Speaking to reporters outside the court, Kok said “justice has been given to me” and it was not too late to get justice.

“This proved that I had been wrongly arrested and the allegations of the ‘azan’, petition and SMS were without basis,” she said.

The “enemies” tried to paint an anti-Islam image of the Selangor Government, she lamented.

 

Another huge sale from Timbuk2 brings a ton of their excellent bags down to hard-to-resist levels. Be sure to let us know what you pick up in the comments.

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If you can’t find the time to get to the gym every day, this under-desk elliptical lets you squeeze in some light exercise while you fill out your TPS reports. This typically sells for $170 on Amazon, and today’s $100 Gold Box deal is the best price we’ve ever seen.

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Confession: IKEA's annual catalog makes us a little weak at the knees. What are the must-haves for 2017? How will IKEA rock our world this year? We're dying to know. And while the full catalog doesn't come out for another two weeks, we got a sneak peek and we're in a sharing mood. Here are the 10 items we're eyeing.

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PETALING JAYA:  The Malaysian Film Censorship board (LPF) defended its decision to insist on a new ending for Kollywood blockbuster Kabali today, saying local cinema audiences watching a criminal regret his actions and face retribution on film, makes a nice change from what they see happening in real life. “We need gangster movies like Kabali […]

The post Censors Insisting On Criminal Retribution In Movies Because It’s Not Happening In Real Life appeared first on FMN.

You're probably familiar with concealer and foundation. But, if you are overwhelmed by the new products in the makeup aisle, consider your skin's needs. If you have dry skin and don't want the heavy coverage that a foundation gives, a tinted moisturizer might be great for you. Tinted moisturizers are hydrating enough to be used on their own or as part of a simple makeup routine and they offer enough tint to correct any color imbalance in your skin.

EditSteps

EditChoosing a Tinted Moisturizer

1. Distinguish between tinted moisturizer and foundation. Tinted moisturizer and foundation are both water-based products that contain moisturizing agents, oil, and pigment (to give some coverage). But, tinted moisturizers contain more moisturizing agents than foundation.^[1]
   
   • Depending on the makeup line, tinted moisturizers and foundations can be almost indistinguishable so you'll need to experiment with products.
2. Decide if you should use tinted moisturizer. If you have dry skin and are looking for some coverage, consider using a tinted moisturizer. The humectants and emollients in the moisturizer will add moisture to your skin and help seal it in.^[2]
   
   • Foundation is a better choice for people with oily skin who are looking for heavier coverage.
3. Choose a tinted moisturizer that matches your complexion. Try to match the tinted moisturizer shade to your face. If you're at a makeup counter, test a little on the side of your face. Or, test a little on the back of your hand. You shouldn't see any product on your skin if it blends well and matches. You should also check to see how your skin absorbs the product.^[3]
   
   • In the winter, consider using a shade that's a little darker than your your skin tone. This can add a little extra color and give you a bit of a sun-kissed look.^[4]
4. Check for sun protection. Many tinted moisturizers offer sun protection and list SPF protection. If you're not applying a separate sunscreen, you may want to find a tinted moisturizer that has an SPF of at least 30 and protects against both UVA and UVB rays.^[5][6]
   
   • Remember that the sunscreen protection from your tinted moisturizer will wear off within a few hours unless you reapply it or apply another sunscreen throughout the day.
5. Select brushes. While you can simply rub tinted moisturizer onto your face using your fingertips, using a brush may give you more control. Consider using a duo fiber brush. This brush is small with a flat head so you can stipple or blend the tint into your skin.^[7]
   
   • Using a brush can help you achieve an airbrushed makeup look.

EditApplying Your Tinted Moisturizer

1. Combine your moisturizer and foundation primer. Squirt a very small amount of untinted moisturizer and foundation primer onto your fingertips. Rub your fingertips together so that the moisturizer and foundation primer are mixed together well. Dab the mixture on your cheeks and forehead so you can easily rub it into your skin. Pat the mixture onto your chin, temples, and under eyes.^[8]
   
   
   • Let it set on your skin for about a minute before applying your tinted moisturizer.
2. Dot the tinted moisturizer on your skin. Squeeze about a pea-sized amount of tinted moisturizer onto your fingertip. Dab a bit of the tinted moisturizer on your cheeks, forehead, under your eyes and along your nose.^[9]
   
   
   • You could also put the tinted moisturizer wherever your skin appears discolored.
3. Buff the tinted moisturizer into your skin. Take your brush and use sweeping motions to spread the moisturizer into your skin. Make lots of small circular motions as you move the brush across your face.^[10]
   
   
   • It may help to hold the brush near the end so that you're not guiding its movement as much.
4. Blend in your lines. Use your brush to work the moisturizer right under your eyes, under your nose, and along your jaw line. Be sure to work the moisturizer down from your jawline to under your chin. This will prevent any makeup lines from being visible.^[11]
   
   
   • If your brush is too large to get into hard to reach places, try switching to a smaller or finer brush.
5. Apply a concealer under your eyes. Use a rounded concealer brush to dip into your creamy concealer. Apply the concealer as close to your lash line as you can. Be sure to spread the concealer into the corners of your eyes and a little past the ends of your lash lines.^[12]
   
   
   • Applying a concealer can help make your skin a uniform color that matches your tinted moisturizer.
6. Set the tinted moisturizer using a powder. To keep your tinted moisturizer in place for longer, apply a light dusting of powder over it. Dip a large powder brush into your usual powder and gently sweep it across your face. Be sure to get right under your eyes where you applied concealer.^[13]
   
   
   • Remember that depending on the powder you use, you'll probably get additional coverage or color so apply it lightly.

EditVideo

EditSources and Citations

• Videos provided by Ashley Settingiano

Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found

PETALING JAYA: Penang Mufti Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor has called for Pokemon Go to be declared “haram” (forbidden) with immediate effect.

Wan Salim was quoted saying in Sinar Harian that a study by the mufti’s department has shown that the “negatives” of the game, outweighed the “positives.”

“Therefore, we hope the National Fatwa Council will ban the game as soon as possible,” he was quoted.

Pokémon Go (stylized Pokémon GO) is a location-based augmented reality mobile game developed for iOS and Android devices.

Making use of GPS and the camera of compatible devices, the free-to-play game allows players to capture, battle and train virtual creatures called Pokemon, who appear on device screens as though in the real world.

Wan Salim said that there were numerous channels in Islam which could be used to forbid the game, such as Sadd al Dharai (Blocking the means to evil), dar’ul mafasid (closing off the means that can lead to evil), maslahah ‘ammah (for public interest), as well as others.

He said the blocking of the game will be in the name of avoiding harm, and the maintenance of public welfare.

Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar was recently reported saying that police would monitor the Pokemon Go game, to see if it poses any security threat, before deciding on whether or not to ban it.

Indonesia recently banned the popular game among its civil servants while the Shinto Shrine of Izumo-taisha in Japan, has banned visitors from playing Pokemon Go on its premises.

Singapore Communications and Information Minister Yaacob Ibrahim was also quoted saying that the game’s pros and cons needed to be studied carefully before a decision was made on it.

Football giant Manchester United has also banned its players from playing the game before matches.

DOVER: British holidaymakers spent hours sweating in their cars as 15-hour queues snaked back from the port of Dover on Sunday due to heightened entry checks by French border police.

Stationary vehicles tailed back up to 12 miles (19 kilometres) inland from Dover, on England’s southeastern tip.

The peak summer holiday getaway season and what Dover port officials said was a lack of French border control staff combined with the increased security to create the mammoth queues.

Dover is Britain’s main ferry port to continental Europe, with Calais in northeastern France 21 miles (33 kilometres) away across the Channel.

A multiple sclerosis sufferer travelling to Germany for stem cell treatment was among those forced to spend the night in their vehicles.

What should have been a straightforward journey to Dover turned into a 20-hour ordeal for 50-year-old Tanya Cudworth, who was travelling to a Frankfurt clinic.

She told the Press Association news agency that her experience was “absolutely horrendous”.

“Nineteen hours in the car has obviously aggravated my symptoms,” she said.

“During the day it was so hot and there was nowhere near enough water and at night… you couldn’t sleep because you had to keep moving forward.

“We didn’t get any water until 3 am and I saw women with babies, young families and people with pets with no water. It’s shocking that more wasn’t done to get it to people.”

‘Very miserable day’

People were advised to bring food and drink supplies, while Sikh humanitarian organisation Khalsa Aid delivered bottles of water and snacks.

“We met a lot of young families with children, mostly people going on holidays,” said founder Ravi Singh, 46.

“People didn’t know what was going on.

“People were very, very frustrated and pulling their hair out.

“It was a very miserable day for many people.”

Dover port authorities said French border control booths had been “seriously understaffed overnight”.

British border officials were drafted in to help their French colleagues.

“We recognise the security pressures that French law enforcement organisations are under at Dover,” said a British government spokeswoman.

“There has been extraordinary disruption in the Dover area today but safety is paramount.”

Highways England, which runs the road network, said the delays were due to “heightened security checks to keep the travelling public safe following the recent attacks in France”.

By 5 pm (1600 GMT) Sunday, the local Kent Police force said traffic had returned to normal levels, with delays down to around 30 minutes.

Xavier Czerwinski, a senior official from the Pas-de-Calais area, said: “The situation is exceptional because it’s the weekend when Britons make the great getaway to the continent.

“Given the European context and the prolonged state of emergency, officers are obliged to check every vehicle rigorously.”

The Independent online newspaper said the queues “may be the first sign of what it means to live outside the European Union”.

“The snakes of traffic outside Dover are a reminder that we cannot expect life to carry on as normal after Brexit,” its editorial said.

Rapid Eye Movement (REM) is a stage of sleep where your brain is very active and prone to dreaming. During REM sleep, your eyes actually make rapid movements. The amount of REM sleep you get may depend upon age and other factors, with infants spending 50 percent of time in REM and adults spending closer to 20 percent.^[1] Increased REM sleep has been shown to improve your memory recall and your overall mental abilities.^[2] You may also experience vivid dreams when you are in REM stage of your sleep cycle and may want to prolong your dreams at night.

EditSteps

EditAdjusting Your Sleep Habits

1. Understand the stages of sleep. There are four stages of sleep, with the fourth and final stage being REM sleep. In order to get more REM sleep, you need to gradually allow your mind and body to go through the first three stages of sleep. Maintaining a regular sleep schedule and healthy sleep habits will help you do this.^[3]
   
   • Stage N1: This is when you are transitioning into sleep and lasts about five minutes. Your eyes will move slower under your eyelids, and your muscle activity will slow down but you can be easily awakened by a noise or a sound.
   • Stage N2: This is the first stage of true sleep and lasts 10–25 minutes. Your eye movement will stop completely, your heart rate will slow and your body temperature will decrease.
   • Stage N3: This is the beginning of deep sleep, during which you are hard to wake up and if you are woken up, you will often feel groggy or disoriented for a few minutes. In this stage, your brain waves are very slow and blood flow is directed away from your brain to your muscles, which restores physical energy in your body.
   • Stage N4: The final stage of sleep is REM sleep, or dream sleeping. This occurs about 70 to 90 minutes after falling asleep. You will likely experience rapid eye movement, shallow breathing, and your heart rate and blood pressure may increase. During this stage, your arms and legs are also paralyzed.
   • Keep in mind that during the night, your sleep follows a pattern, moving back and forth between deep sleep and REM sleep. Each cycle lasts about 90 minutes and repeats four to six times during the night. As the night progresses, the amount of time you spend in each stage changes. Most deep sleep occurs in the first half of the night. Later in the night your REM sleep stages become longer.
2. Maintain a regular sleep schedule. Create a sleep schedule where you wake up and go to sleep at the same time everyday, even on weekends or days off. Sleep requirements vary from person to person, but on average, you should be getting between seven to nine hours of sleep. Having a regular sleep schedule will allow you to experience REM sleep more often, as you will cycle between the stages of sleep several times throughout the night during a full seven to nine hour sleep^[4]
   
   • Some people think getting just one less hour of sleep won’t affect their daily functioning or that they can make up for lack of sleep on the weekend or a day off, but unfortunately it doesn't work that way. Any changes or shifts in your regular sleep schedule will only have a negative effect on your sleeping habits and could lead to less deep sleep or REM sleep.^[5]
   • It’s a myth that your body adjusts quickly to different sleep schedules. While most people can reset their biological clock, this can only be done by timed cues, and even then, only by one to two hours per day at best. Keep in mind it can take more than a week for your body’s internal clock to adjust to traveling across several time zones or to switching to the night shift.
3. Turn off all electronics and distractions a few hours before bed. Shut off your television, smartphone, tablet, and computer or, even better, keep all electronics out of your bedroom completely. The type of light these screens emit can stimulate your brain, suppress the production of melatonin (which encourages REM sleep), and interfere with your body’s internal clock.^[6]
   
   • Another option is to shut down your computer on a schedule. This will automatically sleep your machine and prevent you from working on your computer too late or too close to your bedtime. There are sleep features on both PCs and Macs that you can activate. As well, if you want your computer to be ready to go in the morning, once you wake up, you can schedule a startup time too.
4. Keep your bedroom dark, cool, and quiet. Use heavy curtains or shades to block the light from windows. Cover any electronic displays, like tvs or computers so the light does not glow in the room. You can also use a sleep mask to cover your eyes and create a dark space that will help you sleep.^[7]
   
   • If you have difficulty sleeping due to loud noises outside your window or a loud sleep partner, consider investing in good earplugs, or a noise machine.
5. Don’t consume caffeine or alcohol four to six hours before your bedtime. About half the caffeine you consume at 7 pm is still in your body at 11 pm. Caffeine is a known stimulant that can suppress your REM sleep and can be found in coffee, chocolate, soft drinks, non-herbal teas, diet drugs, and some pain relievers. Limit how many cups of coffee you have several hours before bed, or try to eliminate caffeine from your diet all together.^[8]
   
   • Alcohol also prevents deep sleep and REM sleep. It will keep you in the lighter stages of sleep, causing you to possibly wake up easily and have a harder time falling back asleep. Avoid consuming alcohol several hours before bed to improve your chances of having REM sleep.^[9]
6. Try to go to bed sleep 30 minutes earlier than usual. Your REM sleep stages are longer in the morning, so try to prolong your REM sleep by adding an extra 30 minutes of sleep. Adjust your bedtime so you go to sleep 30 minutes earlier than usual and then maintain this adjustment in your sleep schedule by doing this every night.^[10]
   
   • Always be consistent with adjustments to your sleep schedule, as you will need to get enough of each stage of sleep, especially deep sleep, to improve your REM sleep. If you do not get enough deep sleep at night, your body may try to make up for it the next night, thereby reducing the amount of REM sleep you experience.

EditUsing Medication and Exercise

1. Ask your doctor about melatonin for improved REM sleep. Recent studies have shown that taking melatonin supplements, about 3 mg a day, can increase your REM sleep and help you stay in the REM stage of your sleep cycling for a longer period of time. Your doctor can recommend a melatonin supplement, usually in pill form, as well as the prescribed dosage for your body type.^[11]
   
   • Melatonin is also recommended for the elderly and people who work late shifts at night, as it can help to normalize your sleep cycle and be beneficial for your health overall.
2. Be wary of over-the-counter medications that can lead to suppressed REM sleep. Many of the side effects of these drugs can have adverse effects on your sleep patterns and daytime alertness. Common medications that can disturb your REM sleep include:^[12]
   
   • Nasal decongestants.
   • Aspirin and other headache medications.
   • Pain relievers that contain caffeine.
   • Cold and allergy medications containing an antihistamine.
   • Certain diet pills and antidepressants.
   • If you are taking any of these medications, try to reduce your dosage. Or research alternative methods to treat these issues so you can stop taking these over-the-counter medications.
3. Commit to exercising at least 20 to 30 minutes a day. Daily exercise is proven to help people sleep and can help you stay in the REM stage of sleep longer. But a workout too close to bedtime might interfere with your sleep schedule. Try to get daily exercise about five to six hours before bedtime.^[13]
   

EditRelated wikiHows

• Get to Sleep and Feel Refreshed in the Morning
• Know How Much Sleep You Need
• Control Your Own Sleep Cycles
• Sleep Longer

EditSources and Citations

Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found

KUANTAN: Pilgrims to Mecca have been urged to be sincere and not hide their illnesses or state of health from the Tabung Haji management before departing for the Holy Land.

A member of the pilgrims fund board, Abdul Shukor Husin, said the question of health could not be taken lightly because performing the fifth tenet of Islam called for physical, mental and spiritual strength.

Furthermore, 22,320 haj pilgrims this year were expected to face hot weather up to 50 degrees celsius which could possibly lead to a heat stroke, he said.

“Whatever sicknesses even if it is fever, please be sincere with us. There are pilgrims who like to delay in informing (about their ailments) as they fear that their opportunity to perform the religious rituals will be affected if the Tabung Haji comes to know about it,” he said.

If you’re not from the northeastern United States, “Wawa” may mean nothing to you. Know this: this chain of stores makes some of the best sandwiches you’ll ever eat, and has a passionate, devoted following. If you love their hoagies as much as I do, here’s how you can get those flavors at home.

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IMMOKALEE: Armed with an orange staple gun and dozens of burlap squares entwined with ratty green roots, Mike Kane wades hip-deep into the swamp to restore what generations of thieves have stolen.

The ghost orchid.

Once abundant in the Florida Everglades, experts say fewer than 2,000 ghost orchids (Dendrophylax lindenii) are left in the state, where it is considered an endangered plant. Cuba has some too, but just how many is unknown.

Poaching, urbanization and pesticide pollution — which cuts down on insect pollinators — are among the ghost orchid’s top threats, according to Kane, a professor of environmental horticulture at the University of Florida.

“We are losing these,” said Kane, who is leading the first project of its kind to repopulate the swamps with these orchids.

He and his graduate students grow ghost orchids from genetically diverse seeds in their northern Florida lab.

After the plants have grown for a few years, they take them to a secluded location deep inside the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge in the southern part of the state.

This tranquil spot, known as McBride’s Pond, lies under a shady canopy of pop ash, pond apple and cypress trees.

“The public cannot come in and poach and they cannot disrupt our experiments,” said Jameson Coopman, a graduate student in Kane’s lab.

The two men take turns stapling the burlap — not the roots — onto the tree trunks, as an alligator quietly suns itself nearby and swallowtail butterflies swoop overhead.

The burlap will decompose, but the orchid’s spider-like roots will hug the bark and hopefully, make the tree its new home.

“We give it a quick mist when we are done,” said Coopman.

“We don’t help the plant any further and it does the rest.”

This year, they planted 160.

Last year, it was 80. Kane recalled high-fiving in the swamp with his then graduate student, Nguyen Hoang of Vietnam, when they returned a few weeks after planting and discovered that most had survived.

“They were doing so well. It was incredible. We were really surprised.”

Kane’s lab has also seen some unusual success with botanists managing to coax ghost orchids to bloom in the space of three years. In the wild, they can take 16 years or more, if they ever flower at all.

Target for thieves

The ghost orchid, often targeted by poachers, rose to pop culture fame with the book, “The Orchid Thief,” and its movie version, “Adaptation,” starring Nicolas Cage and Meryl Streep.

Orchid enthusiasts are romanced by the leafless flower’s erotic appearance, its pure white hue, and the way it dances in the wind.

The bloom emerges just once a year, usually for a week or so in June or July.

It has one known pollinator, the giant sphinx moth.

The ghost orchid is tough to grow and even tougher to keep alive, especially when ripped from its natural environment.

“The reason they are almost extinct is that years ago, people took them out of the forest, they took them down from the trees and sent them around to other parts of the country to grow as houseplants,” said Carl Lewis, director of the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden in Miami.

Lewis is leading another restoration effort known as the Million Orchid Project.

The five-year plan aims to re-establish eight different kinds of rare orchids, including the ghost orchid, throughout urban spaces in south Florida.

“There were so many of them taken away that now we have hardly any of them left,” said Lewis, who is cloning ghost orchids in his lab.

“Imagine if we could get these orchids growing in the tree canopy above a busy, functioning city,” he added.

“Our goal is to get so many out in the community that people will just appreciate them, and anyone interested in stealing them will have so many orchids around that there will be no point.”

Future threats

Elsewhere in the Florida Everglades, biologist Mike Owen keeps close tabs on 120 of the 380 ghost orchids that have been observed in the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park.

He says he likes them because they are the “underdogs” of the flower world, like Cinderella, whose time at the ball was so fleeting, or the bug-eyed American comedian Rodney Dangerfield, who was popular in the 1980s.

“It just gets no respect,” Owen said with a grin, echoing Dangerfield’s signature punchline.

“But then for about 10 days, it steals the show.”

In the past 15 years, Owen has noticed nine were stolen. Add that to another two dozen or so that died of apparently natural causes, and he sees trouble ahead for this fragile flower.

“If you take a ghost orchid out of its native habitat, it will die,” said Owen.

“And people know this. But somebody must be offering some money for a ghost orchid flower.”

Owen and his colleagues are compiling a list of all the known ghost orchids in the region. Perhaps one day, this data will support a petition to get federal endangered species protection for the ghost orchid, he said.

“Then, the laws are a lot tighter. The fines are a lot larger too.”

Owen is also concerned about an Asian pest known as the emerald ash borer which is spreading in the United States, and might someday make it to south Florida.

“It kills all the ash trees,” including the type that ghost orchids prefer as their hosts, known as pop ash, said Owen.

“If we lose the pop ash, we are going to lose about 80 percent of our ghost orchids.”

Scientists who seek to preserve this rare orchid say it’s about more than just a flower.

“Orchids are the first line indicators of environmental change,” said Kane.

“Understanding how they grow, how to reintroduce them, is a very important foundation for conservation.”

Here are six of the best photos that readers added to the Consumerist Flickr Pool in the last week, picked for usability in a Consumerist post or for just plain neatness.

Want to see your pictures on our site? Our Flickr pool is the place where Consumerist readers upload photos for possible use in future Consumerist posts. Just be a registered Flickr user, go here, and click “Join Group?” up on the top right. Choose your best photos, then click “send to group” on the individual images you want to add to the pool.

Depending on the passport you hold, it can be a breeze to visit another country, or it can be a maddening process that takes months of paperwork , clearance, visits to consulates or embassies, and the risk of getting denied anyway. Passport Map can help you figure out what you’re in for before you plan a trip.

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Funai Electric Company, the last remaining Japanese manufacturer of VCR devices — sold under various brand names, such as Sanyo in North America — has announced an end to production this summer. The manufacturer reported sales of 750,0000 video recorders worldwide in 2015. This latest nail in the coffin for the VCR spells the end of a technological era spanning over 40 years.

Philips and Sony presented their first reel-to-reel videotape recorders in the 1960s. The first home devices followed in the 1970s, showcased at the CES technology show. Over the years, several formats sprung up to compete in the consumer market, such as Sony’s Betamax and the widely adopted VHS (Video Home System) format developed by JVC. This was officially launched in 1976, with the first compatible video recorders released in Japan before rolling out worldwide.

VHS cassettes could record between 30 minutes and five hours of video footage such as TV shows. Over time, VCR recorders were even capable of doubling this capacity, recording up to 10 hours of video on one cassette.

Although considered better quality among specialists, Betamax never managed to rival the VHS format, which offered higher-capacity and lower-cost cassettes. At the end of 2015, Sony announced it would stop selling Betamax cassettes commercially this year. Its last VCR devices date back to 2002. Funai has been making VHS recorders since 1983.

The DVD, which launched in 1996, followed by the Blu-ray in 2003, has now definitively overtaken the VHS. However, the VCR still holds a strong place the world’s collective memory as the first means of recording video for home users. Although the device has been obsolete for several years, the death of the VCR still marks the end of an era.

– AFP Relaxnews

Donald Trump announced his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination by saying the United States needed a leader who had written “The Art of the Deal” — but his ghostwriter said he’s uniquely and disastrously unqualified for the job. Tony Schwartz, who earned a...

This is the kind of salad that can be tossed together at a moment's notice. Filled with good things like chickpeas and cherry tomatoes, it's simple yet still incredibly hearty and satisfying. Enjoy it as a light dinner, or pack it up for lunch and you might even think twice about ditching it for pizza.

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Another winner of an ad from Hillary Clinton.

Source: The Hill

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton released a new web video featuring the same man who appeared in a similar ad in 1964 and is now making a case against Clinton's likely general election rival, Donald Trump.

The 60-second video, titled "Confessions of a Republican II," is a spin-off of an ad featuring Bill Bogert expressing concerns about then-Republican nominee Barry Goldwater.

The ad features many of the same points raised in 1964, but also criticizes Trump's campaign.

"I was a Republican who voted for Eisenhower and Nixon. My father was a Republican, his father was. The whole family was," Bogert says in the new ad.

"But Donald Trump. He's a different kind of man, this man scares me."

Bogert then slams Trump for saying the country needs unpredictability when it comes to using nuclear weapons.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Bogert asks.

"When a man says that, he sounds a lot like a threat to humanity."