One of the quiet joys of being a restaurant pastry chef is that you arrive early, typically before anyone else, probably just an hour or two after the last of the line cooks are done scrubbing and sanitizing the splashbacks and lowboys. The room invariably still smells like degreaser and leftover wine, no matter how immaculate. That is, at least until you pop your first espresso shot, then a third and a fourth. Here you make yourself a kind of force field. You get to take time to enjoy the kind of inspiration that being alone in a giant kitchen full of your tools and favorite recipes might bring.

On those mornings, I would use my early arrival as a chance to thumb through my cookbooks. Some of these books were by renowned pastry chefs, but a majority were castoffs from rummage sales and free bins at the library. They were full of recipes that people once exchanged verbally before eventually typing them up and binding them with plastic spirals. In these volumes, I found inspiration and personal stories and often scrap papers with handwritten recipes tucked among the pages.

Then I would get to work on my own recipes. I would roll out a dozen or two pie shells to pop in a freezer and begin my near-daily dance with buttermilk chess pies, where I would be at the center of a carefully choreographed performance of whisking, filling, baking, rotating, cooling.

While it was a very simple recipe, I had, without knowing it, created quite an art of the thing. Timing was essential: never missing a step, never letting my timer outsmart my sense of smell, never letting a young baker crack the door too soon to check the wiggle. I aimed for nothing less than a particular type of perfection with that pie. I knew it, and it knew me. It wasnt quite right unless the crackle appeared on top, the edges were flaky and tender and the bottom was both crisp and soft.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit andlog intoyour Times account, orsubscribefor all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?Log in.

Want all of The Times?Subscribe.

Read the original:

The Pie Ill Never Shut Up About - The New York Times

The City of Fontana will be offering a Flow Yoga class beginning April 1.

The class will take place on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 to 10 a.m. at the Jessie Turner Center, 15556 Summit Avenue.

Participants must bring their own mat and then get ready to stretch, breathe, and find their inner Zen.

For more information, call (909) 349-6900 or visit Recreation.FontanaCA.gov.

Follow this link:
Flow Yoga class is offered by City of Fontana - Fontana Herald-News

Telegram: t.me/hopiumcommunity

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hopiumdefi

Humanity, interfaith ministry, beliefs, integral theory, moments of peace, Christianity and Buddhism, faith definitions, trans-rational spirituality, and thoughts about God. Those were some of the topics broached in my ten most-read articles of 2022. Below you will find a quick summary of each and links to the original articles.

In this article from 2018, I explain the pre/trans fallacy and how people can transcend and include rationality when they approach the topic of spirituality. Instead of abandoning reason altogetheras some have suggestedit is possible to push to the limits of the intellect and transcend it. In that way, spirituality meets rational criteria before we enter into the unknown or unknowable.

Read the full article

When people are unfamiliar with terms, they often use them interchangeably. I offered simple definitions of each term in this article and gave examples. In short, intrafaith means within a faith, interfaith means among or between faiths, multifaith means many faiths, and interspirituality means exploring the connection.

Read the full article

Published just before Christmas 2022, this article made it into the top ten. Extracted from The Little Book of Oneness and Goodness, the quotes come from various sources, including Swami Prabhavananda, Martin Luther, Ibn-al-Arabi, Alcoholics Anonymous, Meister Eckhart, Guru Nanak, Kabir and more. The goal was to offer a variety of perspectives. Based on the response, it seems to have worked.

Read all the quotes

The idea for this article started with a simple observation. In the West, many people view Buddhism as a philosophy rather than a religion and use it to become more peaceful and compassionate. My question was: What if we viewed Christianity in the same way? Many readers seem to resonate with this idea since the article was the 7th most read of 2022.

Read the full article

Written in 2018, this article seems to have become another perennial favorite. In it, I write about the difference between the personal and trans-personal concepts of God and use Huston Smiths concept about idolatryreducing God to something less than Godto explain the limitations of simple definitions while also underlining the importance of creating a personal relationship to that which we perceive as God.

Read the full article

I was delighted to see this article climb so high on the top ten list. At the beginning of 2022, I planned to write a short book, Creating Moments of Peace, but I decided to share the central ideas for free on my publication instead. The seven metaphorsanchor, bandwidth, steering wheel, instinct, weather, current and toweroffer readers several ways to view moments of peace in their lives, encouraging both additions and ownership.

Read the full article

This is the longest essay I have posted on my publication. Extracted from my 2019 memoir, Spiritual in My Own Way, the article details my seven-year obsession with integral theory and how it changed my life. As I warned at the beginning of the article, a stretched mind will return to its original form, so dont go down this rabbit hole unless you are ready to have your mind expanded.

Read the full article

Studying the worlds religions prepared me well for the times we are living in. It helped me understand the uniquely human desire to hold beliefs and values close to the heart. Understanding why people would do that becomes doubly important in a post-truth world. Since this article was the third most read in 2022, it looks like many readers were looking for similar answers and used my piece to explore one aspect of a larger puzzle.

Read the full article

This article must appear in search results when people look for the definition because it has remained one of the most read articles in this publication since it was published in 2018. In the article, I offer a definition and three examples of how interfaith ministers serve their communities.

Read the full article

I used the Dalai Lama and Mr. Rogers as examples of people who are deeply informed by their faith yet lead with their humanity. It makes me tremendously happy to see that this article was catapulted to the top of the list. Despite all the talk of division and hate, there are a lot of people in the world who are working to make it better. Seeing that readers are interested in that work warms my heart.

Read the full article

Thanks for reading in 2022. I look forward to providing you with interesting content in 2023.

Happy New Year!

Gudjon BergmannAuthor, Coach, and Mindfulness Teacher

Recommended books:

Picture: CC0 License

Read the original post:
The Ten Most Read Articles of 2022: Interspirituality for the Modern ... - Patheos

Neena Gupta in her autobiography, Sach Kahun Toh, has revealed that she briefly married at a young age. She separated from her first husband within a year.

Neena Gupta has made several revelations in her autobiography, one of which was about marrying a young man named Amlan Kusum Ghose. The actor revealed that he was a student at IIT while Neena was pursuing her masters in Sanskrit.

As reported by Zoom, Neena opened up about the relationship and said, "Amlan and I would meet in secret on campus, his hostel or near my house. His parents lived in another city but his grandfather lived in my lane so he would spend festivals and holidays in WEA." The couple's relationship became public after Neena's friend blabbered about it in front of her parents. However, that did not come in the way of Neena and Amlan's relationship. Eventually, to get permission to visit Srinagar with Amlan, Neena actually got married to him.

But the couple realised they were not meant for each other. "Amlan viewed things differently. Given the times and our upbringing, I think he had always assumed that I would eventually settle down and focus on our family. But I had become a bit too ambitious and didnt see myself ever being a regular housewife. I wanted more from life, and the more theatre I did, the clearer my path became," she said.

"During the short time, Amlan and I were married, we never quarrelled much. Not about our daily lives, the way our house was run or about my studies and career. We were both very, very young when we dove into marriage, but to this day, I dont have a harsh thing to say about him," she added. They eventually separated within a year.

Also read: Neena Gupta recalls 'traumatic' incident where burning man charged towards her and baby Masaba: 'Behen madad karo'

Neena has been married to Vivek Mehra for nearly 13 years now. Neena also has a daughter Masaba, with former West Indies cricketer Vivian Richards.

PUBLISHED ON JUN 15, 2021 02:07 PM IST

Neena Gupta revealed in her autobiography Sach Kahun Toh that her good friend Satish Kaushik offered to marry her when she was pregnant with daughter Masaba.

PTI |

UPDATED ON JUN 15, 2021 01:00 PM IST

During the course of her writing the book, Sach Kahun Toh, in Mukteshwar, Uttarakhand, where she stayed throughout the second wave of the pandemic actor Neena Gupta realised how she has 'been alone most of my younger years, my prime years, without a lover or a husband'

Read more:

Neena Gupta tells all about failed first marriage that lasted less than a year: 'I became too ambitious' - Hindustan Times

dnaPower Inc, a biotechnology company that offers DNA testing for health and wellness, announces their partnership with Inagene Diagnostics. Inagene Diagnostics is a DNA testing company that uses genetic information to predict response to medications commonly used to treat pain and mental health conditions. These two Canadian DNA testing companies have joined forces to crack the code on personalized healthcare, empowering people to take control of their health and live their best lives.

dnaPower is committed to helping people make better data-driven decisions about their day to day health using genetics. We are delighted to be partnering with Inagene, a strong female-led, Canadian DNA company to include their pharmacogenetic testing.In addition to providing tailored health solutions for your diet, exercise and lifestyle, we can now add the ability to identify the medications best suited for your body to keep you safe and get the best health outcome. Dr. Lois Nahirney, CEO, dnaPower Inc.

Through their partnership, dnaPower and Inagene offer a suite of tailored health solutions for anyone looking to maximize insights to optimize their health. Comprehensive DNA testing is available for preventative health and medical treatment optimization. Personalized insights include tailored diet, exercise, lifestyle recommendations, and medications to optimize ones treatment plan based on their genetic information. Together, these powerful genetic insights act as a biological roadmap to help individuals navigate their best health.

Advancements in technology have opened up a world of opportunities to personalized healthcare in ways never seen before. There is no one size fits all solution when it comes to health. Unique genes can respond differently to foods, types of exercise, and medications. Spending years through trial and error to find the best diet, exercise, and medication is a way of the past. Individuals can now enjoy the ability to take control of their health without the guesswork through genetic testing.

We are excited and proud to partner withdnaPower another leading-edge Canadian company! Our teams care deeply about helping clients and are passionate about bringing innovation and personalized medicine to consumers. Helping individuals and their healthcare providers determine which drug and dose will work best, with less trial and error, is just part of the equation; the opportunity to learn what diet and exercise regimen works best for you, further enhances the client experience. Nancy White, CEO, Inagene Diagnostics.

To celebrate their partnership, dnaPower and Inagene are offering a combined special on their DNA tests. The Ultimate Insights Package includes the suite of dnaPower and Inagene DNA tests at the incredible price of $648 (retail value $1495). See this special offer.

Together, dnaPower and Inagene are passionate about empowering individuals to control their health with genetic testing, sharing a unified principle that knowledge is power.

About Inagene Diagnostics

With over two decades of experience in genetic research and diagnostics, combined with over 30 years of commercial health experience, Inagene has witnessed and been a part of the growing technology that now makes personalized healthcare possible. Inagene believes patients are not simply seeking more information, but practical and individualized information they can use to help make the best decisions about their health. Inagene Personalized InsightsTM makes it easy for patients and health care practitioners to navigate to the safest and most effective treatment options for medications used for pain and mental health conditions, and steer clear of those that arent.

About dnaPower Inc

dnaPower was one of the first in the world to offer DNA health testing, launching in 2008. They saw enormous potential for new DNA technology to help support peoples health and wellness, particularly in diet and fitness. dnaPower was a pioneer in applying leading-edge gene research to develop targeted gene panels. Since then, they have been providing personalized testing and professional support to help people like you make better, data-driven decisions about your health. With years of experience, dnaPower provides clear results and specific recommendations to help you take proactive and positive action for your unique body.

Read more from the original source:
Cracking the code to live your best life: Canadian DNA testing companies, dnaPower and Inagene, partner to unlock true personalized health through...

Call of Duty: Black Ops - Cold War is a direct sequel to the first Black Ops, though like Black Ops 2, it won't be entirely linear. At Gamescom's Opening Night Live today, RavenSoftware'sDanVondrak said that "player choice and player freedom" will drive the campaign of Black Ops - Cold War.

That freedom includes creating a character and completing (or not completing) optional objectives. There will also be "player choice moments" throughout the campaign.

"Some of those choices earlier in the game, and some towards the end, will actually shape the ending of the narrative, of the campaign," said Vondrak, who confirmed that he meant there will be multiple endings to Cold War, like there were in Black Ops 2.

We also saw a new trailer (embedded at the top of this article) which features a rosy-cheeked Ronald Reagan giving the OK to an illegal CIA operation. As Morgan mentioned in his preview yesterday, it's true that the real Reagan administration was involved in illegal CIA operations, but what the game presents as freedom fighting was actually the illegal funding of war crimes in Nicaragua by selling weapons to Iran's Khomeini government, and that just scratches the surface. I typically expect a little more self-awareness from Call of Dutynot much, maybe, but a little more. (Then again, Oliver North himself was in Black Ops 2, so I might've just been fooling myself.)

Black Ops - Cold War will be out on November 13.

See the original post:
Call of Duty: Black Ops - Cold War will have multiple endings - PC Gamer

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

MILWAUKEE -- An idea from a Milwaukee business owner hit hard by the pandemic is growing, looking for ways to celebrate Juneteenth throughvegansoul food.

Juneteenth is formally recognized as June 19, marking the emancipation of the last remaining slaves in the U.S. and a celebration of African American culture. But celebrations are stretching all week long in Milwaukee. At Alice's Garden near 21st and North, one event aims for the soul.

"Create menus that honor the heritage and culture of African American people," said Zakiya Courtney, owner of Vegan Soul.

Courtney has been a personal chef and caterer for years, running Vegan Soul out of her kitchen. The coronavirus hit her business hard.

"It stopped. This is my first event that I've had. My business totally stopped," Courtney said.

But, featuring some ingredients grown right in the community garden, a sold out pop-up soul food restaurant is showing Courtney what the pandemic has returned to us.

"Just being able to sit down at a table and talk with your family -- what their day has been like. What their world has been like...goals, plans...all those discussions take place at the table and usually over food," said Courtney.

Also important, customers are there to support a local black business owner. It's an appreciation and celebration Courtney will extend beyond Juneteenth.

"When people choose to support businesses like mine, they are contributing to the community," Courtney said.

In case you are wondering how Courtney makes ribs -- a soul food staple -- vegan, she says she uses gluten as a meat alternative.

43.058620 -87.938210

Visit link:

Contributing to the community: Milwaukee business brings vegan twist to Juneteenth celebrations - WITI FOX 6 Milwaukee

The Coronavirus pandemic has turned the world upside down, only to be eclipsed by nationwide protesting over social injustice and the call for sweeping social and political change. But as everyone's attentionhas shifted from the disease to the protests, COVID-19 is still raging on and cases are still rising in states across the south, impacting African American communities and Black counties at disproportionate rates.

From the start, COVID-19 has been an unequal killer, posing a greater danger to Black communities than otherracial groups.Disproportionately, Black counties account for over half of coronavirus cases in the U.S., and nearly 60% of deaths, a recentstudy found.

While existing health disparities have been one factor, poor eating habits among African Americansis another, and one doctor says that this can be effectedthrough dietary changes.

"Adopting a lifestyle such as a plant-based approach to eatingcan be truly life-saving," saysDr. Millard D.Collins, Interim Chair and Associate Professor of Family & Community Medicine at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN. Meharry is the nation's oldest historically Black academic health science institution and prides itself on producing physicians, dentists, and researchers that serve poororunderserved patients, primarily African Americans. Nashville is still treating a steady streamofCOVID-19 cases.

In a recent interview, no lesser nutritional leading light than T. Colin Campbell found that plant-based eating had a "significant" impact on the ability to create antibodies to a virus, in the case of his study it was against Hepatitis B, but he points out that the commonalities in how the body creates antibodies apply to all viruses. So the importance of a healthy plant-based diet to fight the coronavirus as well as to prevent disease and reverse symptoms can't be overstated right now.

Dr. Collins points out that the Black community suffersfrom America's silent killers: Heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.A diet rich in meat and processed food has been linked to diabetes, heart disease, and an increased risk of some cancers, studies have found. Plant-based eating has been tied to lowering the risk of those diseases and premature death of all causes.

There is already a sweeping trend to reverse this: The fastest-growing demographic among plant-based eating is, in fact, African Americans, according to a study published earlier this year. Plant-based meals, primarily derivedfromvegetables, fruits, (frozen and or fresh), grains, like rice and beans, nuts and seeds have been shown in dozens ofstudies to bean effective way to lower risk of type 2 diabetes, reverse symptoms of heart disease, lose weight, and build the immune system to help fight against infectious diseases, like COVID-19.

Dr. Collins says it is crucial to adopt a healthy lifestyle now. Read on for his best advice regarding how to protect yourself from disease, now and later. The Beet's interview with him:

Dr. Collins: Healthy lifestyles should be practiced at all times, but during times of attack, it is even more of an essential practice that should be embodied by all people.

Pertaining to the African Americans plight, we have the worst health outcomes, compared to any other ethnicity, and the mortality associated with COVID-19 is directly proportional to this reality. It is well documented the impact of a plant-based diet on obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and more, which all can lead to cardiovascular (heart) and cerebrovascular (brain) compromise. And we know how healthy plant-based eating can positively affect the body. Adopting a lifestyle such as [a healthy plant-based approach] can be truly lifesaving.

Dr. Collins: Great question. I am not sure if we can decrease COVID-19 cases among African Americans since... distancing practices predicate ones infection with this disease. However, we can adopt this lifestyle as a means to improve the co-morbid conditions that may already be presentfor e.g. heart disease, lung disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancerthus strengthening ones immune system and chances of survival in the event that a person becomes infected.

Dr. Collins: Your presumption is correct, in that veganism is indeed a lifestyle and foods are more available than one may think. I think the critical step in this is to put the word out and challenge African Americans to take matters into their own hands and learn the ways of veganism.

It is always challenging to adopt something new and make it sustainable. Articles such as this are a great first step. Lastly, the adoption of a plant-based diet can do wonders to boost the immune system, improve energy, and improve chronic diseases mentioned earlier, thus, it can save lives.

But it is critical to not confine such an approach just in response to COVID-19. Health outcomes of African Americans need attention, and we must not miss this teaching moment the pandemic has provided to promote this strategy to our people. It can mean the difference between life and death.

Go here to read the rest:

In Light of COVID-19 This Doctor Tells Black Patients: Eat Vegan - The Beet

During a Twitch stream, xQc was temporarily granted the title of Grandmaster while playing online blitz matches on chess.com.

During a Twitch stream, xQc was granted the title of Grandmaster while playing online blitz matches on chess.com. The promotion was quite shocking as the coveted "GM" rank is only held by an elite few. On that note, xQcwas only sitting at a 589 rating, typical for chess beginners. For perspective, actual chess Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamurahas a 3214 blitz ranking currently number 1 on the leaderboards.

Overall, the chess community has proventhat they are more than ready to deal with the new attention that Twitch has driven the sport. The streamer's sudden promotion was likely alighthearted prankset upby chess.com admins, especially considering that xQcis fairly new to the sport and only playing for fun. Additionally, chess.com even added xQc to their list of Grandmasterson a separate page only to be eventually removed after the fun died down.

Certain chess personalities emerged as vocal opponents tothe recent attention Hikaru and xQc generated through their collaboration. Nevertheless,many of these "chess elitists" have come around. Ben Finegold recently made amends for his earlier insults, apologizing to xQc fansand showing some respectable sportsmanship. Oh, and the powerhouse known as Magnus Carlsen is starting to warm up to the platform.

Sources: Twitch, Chess.com

NEXT: Chess Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura Is Demolishing Opponents On Twitch

Speedrunner Breaks Super Mario 64 Previous World Record In Emotional Stream With Family

Andrew Penney is a writer for TheGamer. A bit of musical expatriate, he studied musicology and trumpet performance in college, but found his love for writing about gaming and streaming too alluring to stay away from. Some of his favorite games include Homeworld, Warcraft III, Starcraft 2, Apex Legends, Katana Zero, and Bastion. When not hunched over a keyboard furiously typing, you'd likely find him engulfed in anime or Apex avoiding the sun entirely.

Visit link:

Chess.com Jokingly Promoted xQc To Grandmaster | TheGamer - TheGamer