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Cofely España apañou un macrocontrato da Xunta hai un ano. A detención dos seus directivos fai perigar que se remate a obra en prazo, polo que Galicia podería perder oito millóns de euros de subvencións da Unión Europea.

Las drogas emergentes explican fenómenos como el ‘balconing’

Drogas emergentes que se venden como sales de baño explican el fenómeno del ‘balconing’ en GCiencia.

Welcome to The Stay At Home Chef Cooking School! Whether you are attempting to enter the world of cooking for the first time, or simply want to get a better hold over your current pantry, this post will help get some control over the crazy and endless world of ingredients. Stocking A Pantry It can be overwhelming to stock a pantry.  There seems to be an endless smorgasbord of

I hate chopping garlic. It’s sticky, it stinks up my cutting board, stinks up my hands, and perfumes anything that comes close to it with its not-always-welcome aroma. Crushing a clove under a knife is no big deal. It stays in its jacket and travels easily from board to pot or pan. Slicing is manageable, razor-sharp blade or not, but anything beyond a very rough chop is a pain. Now, I love garlic, sautéed with greens, mellowed in soups and stews, even raw in dips and dressings. But I hate chopping garlic.

If it’s just one clove I’m dealing with, I’ve been digging the finely grated approach, using a Microplane to shave cloves into a near paste. But that still means I have to wash my board, my hands, and the Microplane—and risk my fingertips in the process. So last week I dug out the garlic press.

We didn’t have a garlic press growing up—it was mostly a garlic-powder situation. But I think my mom, who did the lion’s share of the cooking and admitted only after I started cooking professionally that she hated it, would have really appreciated one. Come to think of it, what a clever knife-free way to get kids involved in the kitchen. Along the way to becoming a professional cook, I got it in my head that garlic presses were bad, maybe even “below me.” I think it was Anthony Bourdain who said that if you use a garlic press you’d go to hell. (Hey, Tony, already going!) But once I got my hands on a good one, I realized that the thing works. And the good ones work well. Now I can’t remember why I started talking shit in the first place.

The most common garlic-press complaints include that they are “hard to clean” and they “hurt my hands.” It’s true: Those old Town Car-style models were tough to grip and required a toothpick to get out all the stuck bits. But technology and design have improved. A lot. Sturdy ones, like this gem from OXO, not only crush garlic with one squeeze, but its little nubbins press out the spent peel in one swift reverse motion. Yes, you can put a whole clove in there without peeling, I promise. The other common complaint? That garlic presses only have one job (we are typically opposed to owning uni-taskers around here). But I own a can opener, don’t I? I probably use my can opener twice a month, and I use a garlic press at least once a week. Frequency counts.

A garlic press worth using.

I haven’t used a garlic press at work with much regularity. We only have one in the BA test kitchen, and it hadn’t crossed my mind to look until last week, when I was peeling two heads for a February recipe. Come to think of it, I would be mortified if my old restaurant chef were to see me using a garlic press for my prep work. There is something decidedly un-chef-y about its convenience. But if the thing works, and achieves the same results as all the fine and frustrating knife work, why not make use of advancements that make my work and life easier?

Remember, I am generally not preparing technique-driven, refined French fare at work or at home. And my guess is neither are you. I know there are instances where the brunoise matters, but more often than not, it doesn’t. We food editors test and develop recipes that we strive to ensure are a) delicious and b) straightforward enough that readers will actually make them at home. Knife Skills is the hardest class in culinary school, and unless you work with a knife day in and day out, chances are your slicing and dicing are average. That’s OK. I’m not measuring my fine dice, and I don’t expect you to, either.

I’m not saying I use a garlic press every time I encounter a clove, but there is a time and a place for it. Whenever large quantities of finely chopped or mashed garlic are called for—say, more than two cloves—I reach for the press. Here in the BA test kitchen, we’re thinking about how you guys cook at home and how we cook at home. So if the garlic press can help get better food on the table in a more reasonable amount of time, I’m all for it.

Plus I’d rather not go home smelling like a salami.

Ready to put that garlic press to use? Here are 17 of our favorite garlicky recipes.

The post In Defense of the Garlic Press appeared first on Bon Appétit.

Poco a poco se extiende esa moda anglosajona de juntar el desayuno con la comida. Jóvenes y mayores ya piden cita durante los fines de semana en El Romero

By Kathy Benjamin  Published: October 28th, 2014  In an ad that was recently pulled from YouTube for the crime of being shitty, Subway reminded women everywhere that their ONLY option for a Halloween costume is "sexy version of literally any noun in the English language." Subway The people that thou

that costume will go down in history 

 

A ver quién es el listo capaz de poner en duda que Aberri Txarrak, más allá de la gracieta que confunde a Google y todo, es un buen nombre para un grupo: Malas Patrias, casi nada. Se trata de la nueva banda de Aitor Ibarretxe, de Lendakaris Muertos, y comparte con estos la facilidad para moverse por la vida como un elefante en una cacharrería, o como cuatro elefantes en una cristalería, o como una manada completa de elefantes locos bailando pogo sobre un campo minado. Se describen como «un punki de postal, un jebi de tapadillo, un inmigrante ilegal y un mercenario de cantautores» y relatan así la génesis de su proyecto: «Intentando invocar al espiritu de Iosu Expósito vía ouija, contactaron con Telesforo Monzón. Este les conminó a acometer una misión que solo ellos podían resolver con éxito. Eso sí, en el idioma del diablo, por si acaso… Telesforo, vía ‘ouifi’, les tarareó varias canciones en vascuence cavernícola del siglo XIX. Estas cuatro ratas de ciudad, con su nefasto euskera batua de primero de parvulitos, empezaron a adaptar el mensaje al lenguaje del siglo XXI».

El primer resultado de sus desvelos es un EP de tres canciones en las que lengua y concepto se dan de puñetazos, un nahaste-borraste semántico de resultados descacharrantes. Aquí pueden escuchar Traveloak («Helena joan da…») y aquí, Straight Ez («ez duzu ikusi nahi Espartaco…»), oportunamente subtituladas. Para insertar en el post les he reservado la composición que da título al disco, con vídeo y todo: nada menos que PNV Faxista, una acalorada protesta por la tozudez del nacionalismo vasco en defender la tecnología obsoleta. Y, si alguien se incomoda, que les mande un fax, a ser posible bilingüe.

 

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Post tags: Aberri Txarrak, lanzamientos, Lendakaris Muertos, novedades

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The True Story Behind 'Monster Mash'

If I had to name the best band in the world, currently, The Cry! would be in the thick of the conversation if not my clear #1 choice. And just when I think these Portland rock n' rollers have reached the point where they can't possibly top themselves, they proceed to go out and raise the bar. I thought the band's first album was power pop perfection, yet somehow they made an even better second album. Dangerous Game - issued early this year in Japan and Germany, is now available as a remastered American release with the addition of the best six songs from the band's out of print debut and a brand-new tune called "Last Thing That I Do". So if you've been digging The Cry! in recent years but were waiting for a domestic release of the band's music, your time has come! The band did a really fine job with the track selection - cutting just two songs from the original version of Dangerous Game and adding all those early hits (like "Modern Cinderella" and "Sleeping Alone") that made The Cry! an instant sensation back in 2011-12. And "Last Thing That I Do" (exclusive to this release) is definitely a new high point for this band - a stunning ballad with flawless harmonies and Stones-y guitar licks. I love the fact that this band continues to broaden its influences and try new things without abandoning its signature melodic sound. I can't wait for another record!

If you weren't aware that a new Cry! song even existed, check it out and enjoy. And if you're dying to own Dangerous Game: U.S. Edition (as you should be!), you can buy it off of Amazon or iTunes today!



-L.R.

https://www.facebook.com/thecrypdx
http://thecry.bandcamp.com/

El rapero compostelano amenaza en Internet la hegemonía de los grandes nombres de la música gallega como Luz Casal, Siniestro o Los Suaves

• «Hago un rap con una temática muy distinta al resto, muy noventero y estadounidense»

San Martiño Pinario. O mosteiro máis grande de Galicia. Erixido na honra de San Martiño de Dume, apóstolo dos suevos.

Denuncian que se emplee una empresa pública como «compraventa de silencios y sucias compensaciones más propias de la mafia calabresa»

Dende o 2007 residen en Galicia 135 mil persoas menos con idades entre os 16 e os 35 anos, un descenso do 20%. A evolución mantense. Antes do comezo da crise este sector de idade representaba o 24% do total da poboación, hoxe é o 19%.

Christopher Nolan se encuentra a un par de semanas de estrenar su nueva y pretenciosa película Interstellar, película con la que quiere revolucionar el género de la ciencia ficción. Nolan ya quiere dar por cerrada su etapa trabajando para los superhéroes DC. El director alcanzó la gloria con sus dos primeras películas de Batman, sin embargo su tercera aproximación al Caballero Oscuro y Man of Steel, película cuyo guión co-escribió, no tuvieron el buen recibimiento que esperaba.

Ha llegado el momento de asumir nuevos retos, por eso Christopher Nolan ha declarado lo siguiente:

“Amo a los chicos de Warner. Pero creo que ese capítulo se ha terminado para mi”.

Esto es una excelente noticia. Ya hemos mostrado muchas veces en esta web nuestro desacuerdo con el destrozo que ha hecho Nolan en el universo cinematográfico DC. Somos conscientes de que su visión de Batman es totalmente válida y legítima, pero el éxito de esta oscura trilogía ha sido un impedimento para que los señores de Warner se pusieran manos a la obra para realizar un universo cinematográfico coordinado basado en los superhéroes de la editorial DC. Mientras tanto Marvel Studios ha realizado un gran trabajo plasmando su mitología con gran acierto y mucha más alegría que las películas de Batman sin luz.

Fuente: Coming Soon

The post ¡Aleluya! Nolan ya no quiere saber nada del Universo DC appeared first on Teenage Thunder.

Cada lingua crea os seus propios espazos de significados, metáforas que saen do seu eido inicial e acaban por servirnos para explicar o mundo. En galego, o mundo rural creou moitos deses significados que pasaron á lingua xeral a través de frases feitas: mala herba, quedar para a semente, botar o carro diante dos bois… Tamén o mar, o fútbol, o boxeo, a guerra conseguiron que o seu léxico específico pasase á fraseoloxía.

Mais que facer cando o galego se ve invadido por espazos simbólicos alleos? O caso máis importante é o dos touros. Nin desde o punto de vista da antropoloxía nin do da historia, a tradición de matar touros por vicio tivo espazo relevante na nosa sociedade. Por que, entón, falarmos con termos taurinos no rexistro cotián? A causa hai que buscala no mimetismo de moitos falantes con aqueles recursos que escoitan, especialmente nos medios de comunicación. Probade a escoitar algunha vez (algunha vez que iso a longo prazo ten danos sobre a saúde) as tertulias da Radio Galega ou da TVG. Comprobaredes como empregan continuamente frases procedentes do mundo dos touros. Esta eiva no idioma (bastante pobre na maior parte deles, por certo) únese a moitas outras que padecen, desde a fonética á sintaxe.

Expresións como a touro pasado, coller o touro polos cornos, dar a volta ao ruedo, poñerlle a puntilla, entrar ao trapo, deixarse torear, gañar as dúas orellas e o rabo, pór o traxe de luces… son foráneas, empobrecedoras e impropias do galego. Úsanse unicamente por comodidade, como un automatismo que descafeina a expresión. Tamén en castelán quen abusa das frases feitas demostra pobreza léxica, certas limitacións á hora de construír un discurso xenuíno e orixinal. Que alguén na casa, conversando coa familia, intercale refráns ou referencias preconstruídas de cando en vez, é normal. É no rexistro doméstico onde baixamos o nivel de expresión. Converter unha intervención no parlamento ou na televisión nunha sucesión de frases feitas é indicador do desprezo desa persoa polo oficio que desempeña nese momento e polo que cobra.

En galego debemos intentar evitar (sen obsesionarnos, claro está) falar en termos taurinos e escoller os momentos e as oportunidades de utilizar fraseoloxía na nosa expresión. Canto máis formal sexa o noso rexistro, menos peso deben ter os bordóns no noso discurso.

Castanhas e música durante todo o dia!!!
No 8 de Novembro no C.S O Pichel haverá festas desde a 13h30 ate que o corpo ature!!
O programa completinho é:
- 13h30 Sessom vermú com o DJ HADRIH
- 14h30 Jantar de petiscos outonais
- 18h30 Magusto pequeninho da Semente Compostela com actividades para crianças
- 19h Obradoiro de Torta de Castanhas por Marie Lacassagne
- 20h30 Parolada com Xurxo Souto. “S.Martinho vs. Merlim” ou de como este tempo de castanhas e calacús guia-nos diretamente à Alta Idade Media e a luita entre a nova e a velha religiom, com Martinho de Dume como protagonista principal
- A partir das 21h30 MAGUSTO com música tradicional e ceia de petiscos de outuno.
- 22h30 CONCERTO: OS TRES TREBONS com Os Homes sem Medo
- 00h30 FOLIADA ABERTA, traz o teu instrumento e soma-te à festa!!!!

Cuando analizamos el discurso de algunas personas que dicen ser defensores de los derechos de los animales, lo habitual es que su defensa se muestre injustamente selectiva. Esto es: protegerá a los animales monos, a los animales con mayores rasgos antropomórficos o, finalmente, a los que no resulten repugnantes, agresivos, peligrosos o indomables. Al resto, que les den.

Todos matamos mosquitos (excepto los monjes budistas). Pero pocos matamos perros. Es cierto que un mosquito no es tan inteligente como un perro, pero un cerdo sí que lo es, y a pocos le duelen prendas comérselo menos a los vegetarianos convencidos. Y algunas colonias de hormigas muestran una inteligencia colectiva tan impresionante como la de una sociedad humana.

A fin de cuentas, los animales sufren de nuestros sesgos, de nuestra discriminación, de la misma forma que nuestros semejantes humanos. En definitiva, los animales también son víctimas de nuestro buenismo de índole roussoniana mezclado con una suerte de selección darwiniana que habría excitado a Hobbes.

Rasgos monos

El Teddy Bear es uno de los peluches más vendidos del mundo. Su secreto reside en que explota la geometría de un rostro infantil: ojos grandes y expresivos, carita redonda, nariz pequeña, etc. Estos rasgos suscitan ternura en cualquier observador porque coinciden con los rasgos de los seres humanos que más necesitan de nuestra ternura, compasión y cuidado: los bebés.

Es decir, que todos los animales que recuerden en algo a los bebés humanos, obtendrán una ventaja evolutiva frente a los humanos, tal y como advirtió ya en 1950 el etólogo Konrad Lorenz. Los animales que no suscitan un «oh, qué ricura» son discriminados. La única razón de que los ratones y los conejos disfruten de un mayor grado de protección humana frente a ratas y zarigüeyas, o palomas frente a cuervos, es que su fisonomía conecta con nuestra preocupación solidaria.

Este rasgo es tan poderoso que influye incluso en la severidad de los jurados humanos: suelen ser más compasivos con los acusados que tienen rasgos faciales juveniles e inocentes, como analizó el psicólogo Leslie Zebrowitz en un célebre estudio publicado en Law & Human Behavior en 1991. ¿Por qué creéis que la más famosa ONG para la conservación del medio ambiente usa como logotipo un panda de grandes ojos oscuros?

De hecho, a nivel popular fueron los rasgos monos de los animales los que cimentaron la empatía hacia ellos. Antes de que Peter Singer llegara en 1975 con su libro Liberación animal, Walt Disney ya había allanado el trabajo con Bambi; proyectando al público masivo el efecto producido en 1946 con la adaptación cinematográfica de novela El despertar, que narraba la amistad entre un joven tosco y un cervatillo huérfano.

Aparentemente inofensivos

Sin embargo, usar la baza de la ricura de un animal para propiciar su protección o el cariño que le dispensamos es un arma de doble filo. Tal y como denuncia el psicólogo cognitivo Steven Pinker en su libro Los ángeles que llevamos dentro, «la ricura es un fastidio para los biólogos de la conservación, pues da lugar a una preocupación desproporcionada por unos cuantos mamíferos carismáticos».

Además, juzgar a los animales por lo monos que son es peligroso para nuestra propia integridad. Los dibujantes de cómics, por ejemplo, explotan los rasgos que hacen adorable a un animal para convertir en adorables a sus personajes. Y lo hacen hasta niveles en los que la ricura se convierte casi en un superpoder, como ocurre con el gato de Shrek.

Por esa razón, muchos accidentes con animales tienen que ver con el hecho de que Disney nos ha dicho que eran bondadosos, y finalmente no lo eran. Sin irnos muy lejos, Mickey Mouse, el icono de la bondad de la factoría Disney, es un roedor, un animal capaz de transmitir veinte agentes patógenos: ratones y ratas han matado a más seres humanos que todas las guerras juntas.

En en el libro El pulgar del panda, del célebre biólogo evolutivo Stephen Jay Gould (si apareces en un capítulo de Los Simpson ya puedes considerarte célebre), se analiza de hecho la evolución de Mickey Mouse gráficamente, pasando de ser un personaje detestable a un icono unánime de la bondad. Hasta que en 2009, para conectar con las nuevas generaciones mucho más cañeras, estrenaron un videojuego en el que Mickey Mouse recuperaba su anatomía de antaño, es decir, la más atrevida y peligrosa, la que proporcionaba una idea menos pura de bondad.

O echemos un vistazo al caso del koala: con su aspecto abacial de osito de peluche hasta arriba de  tila es en realidad un animal francamente desagradable, como explica el periodista y escritor australiano Kenneth Cook:

Son unos bichos asquerosos, irascibles y estúpidos. Sus hábitos sociales son vergonzosos: los machos siempre andan propinando palizas a sus semejantes y robándoles las hembras. Tienen mecanismos defensivos repugnantes (te orinan). Su piel está infestada de piojos. Roncan. Su semejanza con adorables ositos de peluche es una engañifa abyecta.

También hay animales que toman prisioneros, torturan, manipulan al sexo contrario para obtener beneficios. Incluso hay animales que toman drogas, como explica neurólogo Davd J. Linden en su libro La brújula del placer:

En Gabón, en la región ecuatorial de África occidental, se han observado facoceros, elefantes, puescoespines y gorilas comiendo iboga (Tabernanthe iboga), una planta embriagante y alucinógena. Incluso hay pruebas de que los elefantes jóvenes aprenden a comer iboga observando a los adultos de su grupo social. En las tierras altas de Etiopía, las cabras se saltan a los intermediarios del café ronzando bayas de cafeto silvestre para darse un buen «chute» de cafeína.

Toda esta incomprensión sobre la verdadera naturaleza de algunos animales nace de nuestras tripas, mezclada con los continuos engaños acerca de estos que han fomentado los dibujos animados: desde que si son bonitos son bondadosos hasta que los ratones se pirran por el queso, los avestruces entierren la cabeza para ignorar el peligro o los peces tienen poca memoria. Todo mitos sin fundamento. Mitos que merece la pena reconsiderar, si queremos ser verdaderamente justos con otros seres vivos (aunque el grado de esta justicia deberá reconsiderarse continuamente, habida cuenta de lo que argumenta el psicólogo cognitivo Steven Pinker):

Muchas interacciones de los seres humanos y los animales siempre serán de suma cero. Los animales se comen las casas, las cosechas y, de vez en cuando, a los niños. Por su culpa sentimos picor y sangramos. Son portadores de enfermedades que nos martirizan y nos matan. Se matan unos a otros, incluidas especies en peligro de extinción que nos gustaría conservar. Sin su participación en experimentos, la medicina se paralizaría, y miles de millones de personas vivas y no nacidas sufrirían y morirían a causa de los ratones. Un cálculo ético que diera la misma importancia a cualquier daño padecido por cualquier ser sensible, sin preferencias por nuestra especie, nos impediría intercambiar el bienestar de los animales por un bienestar equivalente de los seres humanos.

En conclusión, si algún día conseguimos dotar de inteligencia artificial avanzada a un robot, más vale que los encargados de su diseño se concentren en proporcionarle un aspecto más parecido a R2D2 que a Terminator (de hecho, creo que la futura guerra entre humanos y máquinas propuesta por Skynet en Terminator hubiera durado mucho menos si los robots tuvieran aspecto de osito de peluche). Porque todo organismo vivo (e incluso muerto, como un peluche) está sujeto a lo que sostenía el protagonista de la novela 2012 de Brian D´Amato:

Soy de la opinión de que nada ocurre por méritos propios. Incluso cuando se trata de algo como, digamos, una versión del último recurso ante el fin del mundo, sigues dependiendo del hecho de si les caes bien o no, de qué aspecto tienes, de a qué sociedades secretas no pertenecías en New Haven y de si tu nombre termina o no en vocal. Lo típico.

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Imágenes: Shutterstock

The post Malditos animales monos appeared first on Yorokobu.

Born in Mississippi and raised in Minnesota, Sonny Knight cut his first single in 1965 with his group Little Sonny Knight & the Cymbols, when he was just 17 years old. Knight’s career in music took a few detours as he spent some time in the military, settled in California for a while, and returned to Minneapolis to work with the group Haze before quitting music in the ’80s and landing a job as a truck driver. Most folks would never guess Knight’s back story from listening to I’m Still Here, the first album from him and his new group, the Lakers; judging from the strength of his performance and the clarity and control of his instrument, it’s hard to believe this band is fronted by a man who’s 65 years old. the Lakers are comprised of younger soul fans who kick up an impressive amount of…

320 kbps | 84 MB  UL | HF | MC ** FLAC

…rhythm behind Knight, ranging from cool, Northern Soul tracks like the title tune to raucous dance numbers like “Do the Caveman” and tough proto-funk like “I’m Through with You,” with drummer Eric Foss and horn men Tony Beaderstadt, Bryan “Lumpy” Highhill, and Cole Pulice more than earning their keep on these sessions. But Knight is clearly the star of this show, and he certainly deserves the spotlight; he not only has a great voice, he works well with a band, and he’s an outstanding performer who brings these songs to life with plenty of joyous ferocity, whether he’s encouraging the crowd to boogie on “Get Up and Dance” or delivering the streetwise anti-addiction message of Rodriguez’s “Sugar Man.” Sounding like it was recorded in a sweaty club on a Saturday night, I’m Still Here demonstrates Sonny Knight is one of the best and most powerful vocalists to emerge on the retro-soul scene, and this is old-school R&B that grooves hard and sweet. Whatever Sonny Knight is doing, it’s working well for him, and this album is a treat for fans of classic R&B sounds.

To be fair to the hamster, carpeting is nature’s bathroom.

Photo via Flickr user Arbyreed

According to a National Center for Health Statistics report, women are two and a half times as likely as men to be prescribed an antidepressant. I am one such woman, so my doctor gave me SSRIs, which unfortunately caused an array of sexual side effects, the most annoying of which was that I had a tough time reaching orgasm.

So, as they say on TV, I talked to my doctor about Viagra. Instead, he prescribed me Cialis, warning me never to take the drug with poppers because amyl nitrites and boner pills mix poorly. At first, the medication sounded like a dream solution to my problems. Cialis lasts in your bloodstream longer than competitors like Viagra, which, in theory, means if you take it Friday night, you’ll still be good to go by the time you want to have morning sex on Saturday. But the Cialis hit me the wrong way: I spent the weekend with a migraine and flu-like symptoms on my bathroom floor throwing up.

After the drug had worked its way out of my body and I was able to resume normal sexual activity, I wondered why as a woman I had to try a penis pill in the first place. There are plenty of erectile-dysfunction medications on the market, but zero that treat sexual dysfunction in women. What's the deal with that?

A company called Sprout Pharmaceuticals has been developing a pill, Flibanserin, to fight what's called Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD), for years now, but its facing several roadblocks. For one thing, HSDD is no longer listed in the DSM-5, which means it doesn't technically exist according to the medical establishment. (Flibanserin fans believe it could possibly treat what's called Female Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder as well—as that condition's name suggests, that's when women don't want sex or don't like sex when they have it.)

The other difficulty facing Flibanserin is that the FDA has declined to approve the drug, a decision that Sprout President and COO Cindy Whitehead has implied is because of sexism. 

“One in ten women suffer from HSDD, and to this day they don’t have a single medical treatment,” she told me. “Sexual dysfunction is actually more common in women than it is in men and it can take a variety of different forms. It can be arousal, it can be orgasm, or it can be pain disorders. By far the most common sexual dysfunction in women is low sexual desire and that affects about a third of women.”

According to Sprout, the German company Boehringer Ingelheim discovered the drug 12 years ago. It was originally studied as an antidepressant until the drug’s potential as a sexual stimulant was discovered—just as researchers once thought of Viagra as a potential cardiovascular medicine until someone noticed it had the odd side effect of giving subjects rock-hard erections. Unlike erectile dysfunction medications, which send blood directly to the sex organ, Flibanserin works on the brain, Whitehead told me. Many antidepressants can decrease your libido by changing how the brain absorbs the neurotransmitter serotonin; Flibanserin essentially reverses that effect.

The medication has been tested on over 11,000 women and produced relatively minor side effects like dizziness, nausea, and fatigue. But the FDA declined to approve Flibanserin—a decision Sprout formally disputed in December.

At that time, Whitehead said, “the FDA approved what was the 24th drug now marketed for sexual dysfunction [in men], and it was significant because it was the first of its kind and it was studied on only 832 patients and it has serious side effects including penile rupture. Many started to think, Do we have a different risk tolerance for women?”

Whitehead sees the difficulty Flibanserin has had making it to market as an expression of latent societal sexism. “When [Boehringer Ingelheim] hit a roadblock with the FDA, they sort of threw their hands in the air and were going to walk away from all that development,” she said. “I think that was a reaction not only to difficulty in the process but also this societal reaction that is reticent to accept the biology of sex in women.”

Dr. Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz, an obstetrician and gynecologist who has been following Flibanserin’s progress for years, agrees: “It’s completely sexist. Women are sexual, and not just sexual objects, but sexual in their own right. It scares many people.”

For now, women who have problems with their sex drives will have to turn to medication intended for men, which, as I found out, can have mixed results. Gilberg-Lenz considered the research a sign of progress, but finds the FDA’s denial of Flibanserin frustrating. “There’s like no major side effects that I’m seeing,” she said. “So what is the issue? I don’t get it.”

But some women’s health organizations doubt sexism motivated the FDA’s decision, citing Flibanserin's lack of effectiveness and possible side effects.

“We like our feminist sisters who think the FDA is just being sexists and know that we have to watch for that; however, we’re also FDA watchdogs,” said Cindy Pearson, the Executive Director of the National Women’s Health Network. “Our opinion is that this time [Sprout] just hasn’t finished answering the question about what the side effects and risks are so women can make a full, informed decision.”

While the debate surrounding the FDA’s motives continues, the agency has made it clear it's paying attention to the lack of treatments for female sexual dysfunction (FSD)—it's holding a public workshop on the subject on October 27 and 28. 

Until the FDA approves a drug to combat the problem directly, aside from off-label uses of erectile dysfunction meds, testosterone will remain a common treatment for women. Various herbal remedies also exist, and some doctors tell women to try therapy. (Some doctors may feel uncomfortable discussing sex, but foreplay and sex toys, like vibrators, can also help increase blood flow to the pelvic region and increase desire and orgasms.) While we consider men’s limp dicks a physical problem and therefore dismiss possible psychological factors, women’s sexual woes have often been dismissed as psychological issues until recently, when doctors started analyzing biological causes of FSD.

“The FDA is committed to supporting the development of therapies for medical conditions related to female sexual dysfunction,” said Jeff Ventura, a spokesman for the FDA. “Additionally, the FDA has also identified female sexual dysfunction as one of 20 disease areas of high priority and focused attention.” Regarding the Flibanserin decision, he said the FDA can’t comment on any drugs that haven’t been approved.

In five to ten years, Pearson predicts the FDA will approve a product to solve FSD. “There’s a market there and that’s going to drive investment,” she said. “I think we’ll celebrate.”

Follow Sophie Saint Thomas on Twitter. 

"today we have an almost unprecedented situation...We have a lot of people...boasting of being able to tolerate everyone from every outgroup they can imagine...And we have those same people absolutely ripping into their in-groups---straight, white, male, hetero, cis, American...This is really surprising. It's a total reversal of everything we know about human psychology up to this point...people who conspicuous love their outgroups, the outer the better, and gain status by talking about how terrible their own groups are. What is going on here?" (Slate Star Codex)

Scott Alexander is the pseudonym of a psychologist who says this of his blog: "Topics on Slate Star Codex tend to center vaguely around this meta-philosophical idea of how people evaluate arguments for their beliefs, and especially whether this process is spectacularly broken in a way that may or may not doom us all. In between there's a lot of cognitive science, psychology, history, politics, medicine, religion, statistics, transhumanism, corny puns, and applied eschatology."

"Ich habe sehr gut verstanden, (...) warum der Brecht immer darauf
bestand, "Bevölkerung" zu sagen statt "Volk". Natürlich ist so eine
Losung "Wir sind eine Bevölkerung" unbrauchbar, die zündet überhaupt
nicht." - Heiner Müller

The soundtrack package for Northern Soul consists of CD1: the soundtrack itself containing all the key Northern Soul tracks from the film, CD2: an additional CD of specially chosen Northern Soul tracks compiled by “Northern Soul” director Elaine Constantine and an exclusive DVD with Elaine Constantine being interviewed about the making of the film by actor James Lance who plays top Northern Soul DJ Ray Henderson in the film.
This beautifully packaged 2CD/DVD package also come with a 20 page booklet specially written by Gareth Sweeney – co-author of the bestselling accompanying book “Northern Soul”. This will be Harmless’ key release throughout 2014 and early demand and interest are already indicating that this will be a ‘must-have’ purchase for anyone…

320 kbps | 339 MB  UL | HF | MC ** FLAC

…who is interested in British musical culture, U.S. soul music and no doubt everyone who will see the film.

Disc: 1

1. Right Track – Billy Butler
2. Back Street – Edwin Starr
3. Soul Time – Shirley Ellis
4. I Gotta Find Me Somebody – The Velvets
5. If This Is Love – The Precisions
6. Seven Day Lover – James Fountain
7. You Don’t Mean It – Towanda Barnes
8. The Night – Frankie Valli
9. I’m Com’un Home In The Morn’un – Lou Pride
10. (Just Say) You’re Wanted And Needed – Gwen Owens
11. They’ll Never Know Why – Freddy Chavez
12. Tear Stained Face – Don Varner
13. Crying Over You – Duke Browner
14. Exus Trek – Luther Ingram
15. Too Late – Larry Williams & Johnny Watson
16. Your Autumn Of Tomorrow – The Crow
17. I’m Gone – Eddie Parker
18. I Really Love You – The Tomangoes
19. This Love Starved Heart Of Mine (It’s Killing Me) – Marvin Gaye
20. Stick By Me Baby – The Salvadores
21. Time – Edwin Starr
22. Come On Train – Don Thomas
23. Lonely For You Baby – Sam Dees
24. Gone With The Wind Is My Love – Rita & The Tiaras
25. Suspicion – The Originals
26. Turning My Heartbeat Up – The MVP’s
27. Time Will Pass You By – Tobi Legend

Disc: 2

1. She’ll Come Running Back – Mel Britt
2. Little Love Affair – Patrinell Staten
3. You Don’t Love Me – Epitome Of Sound
4. I Just Can’t Live My Life (Without You Babe) – Linda Jones
5. What Good Am I Without You – Darrow Fletcher
6. I Surrender – Eddie Holman
7. I Don’t Like To Lose – The Group feat Cecil Washington
8. In Love – Tony Galla
9. I Was Born To Love You – Herbert Hunter
10. I Really Love You – Jimmy Burns
11. Blowing My Mind To Pieces – Bob Relf
12. Please Stay – The Ivories
13. The Chase Is On – Johnny Howard
14. You Left Me – The Admirations
15. Ain’t Gonna Run No More – The Royal Esquires
16. Love Slave – The Antellects
17. As Long As You Love Me (I’ll Stay) – Ronnie & Robyn
18. My Lonely Feeling – Milton James
19. Can You Win – Charlene & The Soul Serenaders
20. This Won’t Change – Lester Tipton
21. Love Factory – Eloise Laws
22. Under Your Powerful Love – Joe Tex
23. It Really Hurts Me Girl – The Carstairs
24. Hung Up On Your Love – The Montclairs
25. Baby Don’t You Weep – Edward Hamilton & The Arabians
26. The Magic Touch – Melba Moore
27. If You Ever Walked Out Of My Life – Dena Barnes