This article was created in partnership with Hey Bud Skincare. Editors hand-pick every product that we feature; when you purchase through links on our site, we earn an affiliate commission.

Anyone who's been within five feet of me recently has had the absolute pleasure of hearing me complain about my stress acne. About a month ago, I began an arduous move from Boston to New York City, and, having moved around frequently during my adult life, I knew exactly what that transition meant for my skin: Lots of stubborn blemishes on my cheeks, forehead, and chin that take ages to go away and result in hyperpigmentation. At first, I resigned myself to this inevitability, and when I received Hey Bud Skincare's Glow Up Bundle, I thought, "Why not? These products can't possibly make my skin any worse." Lo and behold, they did not make it worsethey made it unbelievably better.

Hey Bud is a vegan, organ, cruelty-free, and gluten-free brand whose products are based in hemp oil, which is derived from the cannabis sativa plant. The brand promises that its products help smooth aging skin and control oil production without stripping skin of its moisture. In short, hemp-based skincare is meant to be the ideal cure-all for combination skin like mine, because it seeks restore balance by moisturizing dry spots and curbing the excess sebum production that results in acne.

Filled with tentative hope, I started by trying the Daily Hemp Gel Cleanser. The lightweight formula definitely made my face feel clean and relieved of its greasiness, particularly after coming back from a workout, but I also didn't feel too dry in the way I sometimes do after using products heavy in salicylic acid. Similarly, the Hemp Moisturizer felt light and dried matte on my face, but also provided substantial moisture.

The next product in the bundleand the one I was most nervous about tryingwas the face oil. Being that I tend to break out when I'm stressed, I didn't want to add any more oil to my skin, but I also know that ultra-dry skin can worsen breakouts by causing skin to ramp up oil production. Plus, the spot treatment I'd been using on my zits was starting to make certain areas of my skin flake, so I needed a moisture boost fast.

The face oil was a perfect option. It's rich enough to feel luxurious and heavily moisturizing, as intended, but it also doesn't make me look shiny or leave residue on my pillow when I go to bed. Personally, I like it best for use at night, as a follow-up to the thick Hemp Clay Mask.

Speaking of the mask, it is very much a clay mask in that it's thick, creamy, and oil-reducing. I recommend ensuring that your face is nice and moisturized before using the mask, or your skin will sting, but when your face (or back, or chest, or anywhere) is feeling particularly oily, this mask is an excellent option. I felt like I was giving my skin a fresh, clean new start after wiping it off. The mask also comes with a cute little brush so that I don't have to poke at my face with my fingers when I apply the formula once a week.

After using these products for about two weeks, I've noticed a huge difference in my skin. This was the only part of my skincare routine that I changed, so I can say with confidence that these products are responsible for the intense relief I feel now and for the significant decrease in the amount of concealer I have to put on in the mornings. Now that Hey Bud has rid me of my acne, I just need them to market a product that makes moving less stressful, but I've yet to hear back from the brand on that.

Below, check out a few more Hey Bud products that'll have me moving into my new crib with confidence.

This headband is such a cute way to keep the baby hairs out of your face while you're treating yourself to a facial.

This serum promises to keep sebum production under control, making it perfect for those with oily or acne-prone skin.

This firming rolling is always so cool to the touch and is such a refreshing, luxurious way to start the day.

This serum is perfect for those looking to combat signs of aging and revive tired skin.

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This Line of Vegan Products Single-Handedly Cured My Stress Acne - Marie Claire

April 20, 2022

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Dolma Vegan Fragrances of the UK is one of the oldest 100% vegan and cruelty-free makers of perfumes and aftershaves and has been operational since 1982 as one of the very first vegan perfumes on the market.

Theres no reason why customers cant have a fragrance that both aligns with their values

Founder Jim Payne was a vegan, Buddhist and chemist who saw the gap in the perfume market and started experimenting with essential oils. He sold the company in 2015 to the current owners who updated the line and added four new womens fragrances last year.

Dolma fragrances do not contain parabens, palm oil or phthalates. The companys ethics focus on honesty and transparency regarding the ingredients in its womens perfumes and mens aftershave and the company also takes part in several sustainability initiatives such as planting a tree for each purchase and using 100% recyclable materials in its products and packaging.

General Manager Sharon Beecham says: When we took over Dolma, we decided to reformulate and update some of the lines and create four new womens fragrances that could compete with the name brands people know and love. Theres no reason why customers cant have a fragrance that both aligns with their values and is something they love to wear every day. Our customers feel good about their purchase and we are thrilled we can provide high quality, sustainable fragrances.

All of our own-brand cosmetic and personal care products are approved under the Cruelty-Free International Leaping Bunny programme, the internationally recognisable gold standard for cruelty-free products. All of our ingredients are sustainable and we try to do our part to lessen the impact of the planet with recyclable materials, adds Beecham.

Head to http://www.dolma-perfumes.co.uk to find out more.

Continued here:

Dolma Vegan Fragrances Celebrates 40 Years of Business - vegconomist - the vegan business magazine

Read the Bhagavad Gita online with profound and easy-to-understand commentary by Swami Mukundananda. Unravel the philosophy of life and the spiritual essence of the Bhagavad Gita in the most practical and systematic way.

In this authoritative commentary, Swami Mukundananda reveals the original meanings of the verses with crystal clear explanations and perfect logic. Adopting a comprehensive and holistic approach not attempted hitherto, he intersperses his purports with illustrative stories and real-life examples to make the teachings easy to comprehend and implement in everyday living.

He masterly quotes from all the Vedic scriptures and many other sacred texts, opening up a panoramic view to help us see through the window of the Bhagavad Gita, the whole Absolute Truth.

Unable to deal with the immediate problem at hand, Arjun approached Shree Krishna for a palliative to overcome the anguish he was experiencing. Shree Krishna did not just advise him on his immediate problem, but digressed to give a profound discourse on the philosophy of life. Hence, the purpose of the Bhagavad Gita, above everything else, is to impart Brahma Vidya, the science of God-realization.

The Bhagavad Gita is not content with providing a lofty philosophical understanding; it also describes clear-cut techniques for implementing its spiritual precepts for everyday life. These techniques of applying the science of spirituality in our lives are termed Yog. Hence, the Bhagavad Gita is also called Yog Shastra, meaning, the scripture that teaches the practice of Yog.

Inexperienced spiritual practitioners often separate spirituality from temporal life; some look on beatitude as something to be attained in the hereafter. But the Bhagavad Gita makes no such distinction, and aims at the consecration of every aspect of human life in this world itself. Thus, all its eighteen chapters are designated as different types of Yog, since they deal with methodologies for the application of spiritual knowledge to practical life.

See more here:

Bhagavad Gita, The Song of God Swami Mukundananda

As an ancient Indian scripture, Bhagavad Gita provides many ways to explore contemporary management concepts, conflicts, dilemmas, and trade-offs in business, according to IIM-A.

April 20, 2022 / 01:41 PM IST

Its not a temple, matha, or spiritual conference, but one of the top B-schools in India that has produced hundreds of chief executive officers (CEOs) and entrepreneurs.

The elite Indian Institute of Management at Ahmedabad (IIM-A) is going to teach a course titled Understanding Bhagavad Gita- A Journey towards Leadership Excellence. The 10-day online course will be rolled out in May to offer leadership lessons, conflict resolution, ethics, self-management and business acumens derived from the scripture.

The course is designed with at least five objectives and learning outcomes: one, gain insights into ethics and values to promote meaningful impacton organisations; two, develop insights into how to make effective choices; three, strengthen concepts of contemporary management and value-based leadership;four,develop an understanding about leadership excellence; andfive, acquire insights about how to lead a life with excellence and happiness.

As an ancient Indian scripture, it provides many ways to explore contemporary management concepts, conflicts, dilemmas, and trade-offs in business. Lessons from Bhagavad Gita suggest powerful ways to promote management practices that are consistent with the business model and yet ethical, IIM-A said.

This course is focused on early reflections on those learnings. The course will also enable participants to develop competence to face challenging times in their career with aplomb and confidence. The programme aims to sensitise them on ways to develop themselves into effective leaders in the corporate world, it added.

Download your money calendar for 2022-23 here and keep your dates with your moneybox, investments, taxes

Prashant K Nanda is an Associate Editor at Moneycontrol .

Read more here:

IIM-A rolling out Bhagavad Gita course aimed at helping execs navigate dilemmas and trade-offs in business - Moneycontrol

Our own inequities keep us bound to an Earthly concept of life. They bind us to the cycle of repeated birth and death

In time of war, do you choose God or Gods army?

In the Indian epic Mahabharata, the supreme personality of Godhead, Krishna, offers this choice to Duryodhana and Arjuna. These two cousins contested each otherss dominion over their ancestral lands.

Arjuna and his brothers, the Pandus, tried various forms of diplomacy to avoid a fratricidal war, but Duryodhana remained adamant. He would not give his cousins enough land to sick a pin in.When all diplomacy failed, the Pandus determined they should resolve the conflict through combat.

Arjuna and Duryodhana approached Krishna at the same time. Krishna told them he would not personally fight in the battle, but would offer his army to one side and himself as an advisor to the other side. Duryodhana quickly chose Krishnas army. Just as quickly, Arjua chose to have Khrisna as his personal advisor and chariot driver.

At the onset of the battle, Arjuna asked Krishna to advance the chariot between the phalanxes of the two great armies. The conversation that ensued between Arjuna and Krishna forms the Bhagavad-Gita (BG). When he looked across to his adversaries, he saw cousins, uncles and teachers that held positions worthy of respect.

Out of an overwhelming sense of compassion, Arjuna told Krishna it would be better to detach himself from the conflict and live the life of a mendicant.

Arjuna told Krishna, I will not fight.

Krishna advised Arjuna, While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead,(BG 2.11).

Krishna goes on to differentiate between the inevitability of death for the body, including bodily relations, and the immortality of the soul, the self slays not nor is slain.

All those present on the battlefield would perish, with the exception of Arjuna and his brothers. The combatants would not be the cause of anyones death, only instruments. As such, they are bound by duties and obligations and propelled by their egos to act out their destines as if they were someone in a dream. The real cause of death is the time factor.

Each and every one of us face this same inevitable cause of our demise. Just as we were destined to take birth in this world, we are destined to die. Both birth and death are symptoms of the time factor.

Time I am, destroyer of the worlds, and I have come to engage all people. With the exception of you [the Pandavas], all the soldiers here on both sides will be slain, (BG 11.32). Time is the universal cause of death. Old age, bodily injuries and various forms of illness are just symptoms of that time factor.

We face the same decision as Duryodhana and Arjuna. We can choose between Gods army which includes doctors, hospitals and progressions of health care, the church, various rituals rites, teachers as well as armies and their strategies or we can choose God himself who will instruct each of us through the heart.

When we choose to foster our most imitate connection with God then we can receive instructions from Him. He can guide us as the super soul from within the heart. After instructing Arjuna, Krishna tells him, I have explained to you the most confidential of all knowledge. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do, (BG 18.63).

Free will enables us to choose between God and his energies. His armies, their celestial armour and weapons are just manifestations of that energy. God does not have a need for us to choose him. He is fully satisfied within himself. Choosing God is solely for our benefit.

We have a complex network of desires, doubts and misgivings curtained over our hearts. This shading obscures us from recognizing directives and activities in our own best interest. By choosing to serve ourselves and satisfy personal objectives we devise plans and schemes that estrange us from our own best interest.

Our own inequities keep us bound to an Earthly concept of life. They bind us to the cycle of repeated birth and death.

For this reason, in his concluding instruction of Bhagavad Gita Krishna tells Arjuna, Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear,(BG 18.66). Surrender, Not Gods might or greatness is the ultimate shelter and principle of religion.

When we surrender unto God, we find peace by aligning our will with his. All adversity we face is presented to us by his grace. When we try to overcome our lives struggles through his armies we inevitably face setbacks, frustrations and ultimate failure.

When we try to overcome these struggles through aligning our desires and will with him, we are ultimately victorious.

Harold Meier lived in Taiwan for over 20 years. He worked as an aircraft maintenance technical instructor and quality manager with Lufthansa Technical Training. During his time there he studied eastern religions, primarily Vedantism, and became an active member of the Hare Krishna community. Meier holds a masters degree in educational practices. He repatriated back to Canada with his family four years ago. Currently, Meier is working in the social services sector.KTW welcomes submissions to its Faith page. Columns should be between 600 and 800 words in length and can be emailed to editor@kamloopsthisweek.com. Please include a very short bio and a photo.

Read more from the original source:

Faith: Choosing God over God's army - Kamloops This Week

Dr. Binaya Bhusan Jena

Today is the International Mother Earth Day. First celebrated on 22nd April 1970, a time when environmental protection was not yet a priority of the national and international political & policy agenda. However, the General Assembly of the United Nations declared Earth Day as International Mother Earth Day in December 2009, almost after 40 years of the first celebration of Earth Day.

It may be true that were better off today in material living standards and have made remarkable progress in science & technology and have enough food to eat. But this has come at a huge environmental cost. Since 1970, according to an estimate of the World Wildlife Funds Living Planet, the wildlife population has declined by 40 percent. It was reported by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, that there are 37,480 species threatened with extinction. In India, we have around 200 species that are identified as critically endangered that includes animals and plants. We are literally destroying the ocean, the ecosystem and her biological richness and altering the oceans chemical makeup with greenhouse gas and pollution, particularly plastic pollution, and have already created hundreds of dead zones threatening the marine bio-diverse ecosystem including the coral reefs. Hundreds of marine species including turtles and birds die from consumption of plastics and the rising carbon emissions are making the oceans more acidic, weakening its ability to sustain life both underwater and on land. As per a survey conducted by WWF, 88 percent of marine species are harmed by serious plastic contamination in the water, and more than half of the worlds marine species do stand on the brink of extinction by 2100.

Our rainforests that capture vast amounts of carbon, aid cloud formation, protect against desertification, contain the majority of terrestrial life on earth and provide a huge assortment of life-saving medicines continue to vanish at staggering rates. It dose not just stop there. According to the UN, Seven billion people will suffer from water scarcity by 2050. Thirty Indian cities, including Mumbai, Jaipur, Kolkata, Amritsar and Kozhikode could dramatically face severe water crisis unless urgent action is taken to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Since 1970, we have seen several declarations that address climate change. However, the situation has gone from bad to worse in the last five decades. Biodiversity and bio-abundance continue to decline and unless large-scale actions are taken on war footing, we might face devastating environmental and climate-related consequences.

There is an urgent need to recall the wisdom of our ancestors. While the mainstream Western philosophy sees nature as mere resources for human consumption, we see nature-human relation in the light of a mother-child relation. The verses of the Vedas reveal profound reverence towards Mother Earth. The Bhagavad Gita tells us that a life without contribution toward the preservation of ecology is a life of sin and a life without purpose or use. The Upanishad says, tat sristva ta devanu pravisat(after creating the universe, the Creator entered into every object created). That is why they always worshiped the pancha mahabhutas, mountains, rivers, animals, and birds, as they had understood the interdependence. The concept of Mother Earth advocated in the Vedas, particularly in Bhoomisukta, is inimitable. The Hindu Declaration on Climate Change, presented in December 2009 at the Parliament of the Worlds Religions in Australia, reminded the world of the symbiotic relationship between the Earth and the Human. Mata Bhumi Putro aham Prithivyah! Earth is my mother, I am her son! Atharva Veda, 12-1-12.

The theme for International Mother Earth Day 2022 is Invest in our Planet. Question is, how do we invest and what do we invest? We can no longer sit idle and keep complaining about governments and industries that are yet to find an effective roadmap for addressing the environmental challenges the planet is facing. We are at a horrifying stage for our own existence and for the existence of all other forms of life that depends on this earth. Our behavior continues to be like the fabled woodcutter who is cutting the branch of a tree on which he is sitting. The menace of environmental crisis is gradually approaching a point of no return. So, if we really want to invest in our planet, we have to raise the collective and individual consciousness about the environmental impact. Recall the third Avtar of Lord Vishnu, the Varaha Avtar, wherein he appeared as a wild boar to save Mother Earth from the clutches of a demon named Hiranyaksha. Let us invoke the Varaha Avtar of Lord Vishnu, already present inside us, to reappear and save our Mother Earth.

Dr. Jena is a Professor and practitioner of sustainable fashion at National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Bhubaneswar, known for his concept and model of Farm to Fashion.

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International Mother Earth Day: Time for Recalling Vedic Wisdom | Odisha Special - Ommcom News

The hijab ban and several other controversies in Karnataka state have compromised Bengaluru's status as India's Silicon Valley.

Pack your bags and move to Hyderabad, Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao wrote on Twitter in response to a Bengaluru-based entrepreneur who complained about the Indian city's crumbling infrastructure.

Rao, the information technology minister for Telangana state, where Hyderabad is located, was making a larger point that did not go unnoticed.

Though long favoured for its moderate climate and cosmopolitan character, many fear that Bengaluru with its cherry blossom-lined boulevards is losing much of its sheen.

What the minister tweeted only amplified the suspicion that many nursed in private, but few dared to air in public.

Considered Indias Silicon Valley, Bengaluru serves as the capital of Karnataka state and hosts thousands of information technology companies. In fact, global tech giants such as Infosys and Wipro were founded in the city of 10 million, which accounts for more than 60 percent of the provinces revenue.

The city has always attracted the best, both in terms of investments and intellect. It currently boasts some 13,000 technology start-ups, and about 40 percent of Indias unicorns unlisted companies valued at more than a billion dollars each.

But the rush has also meant the city is rapidly becoming unlivable. Civic amenities are proving inadequate, while traffic has virtually choked. A one-way trip to the airport during rush hour could take as long as three hours.

For many, even more suffocating is the rising religious strife that is threatening Bengaluru.

Prime Minister Narendra Modis Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rules Karnataka and considers it to be a vital springboard for eventually expanding its footprint in the other four southern states.

Karnataka, therefore, has become a kind of a Hindu nationalism laboratory,where the BJP has been experimenting with bringing about larger Hindu consolidation through means of religious rhetoric and communal provocations.

Muslims account for no less than 12 percent of Karnatakas population. But the BJP sees the support of the overwhelming number of Hindus as crucial for its electoral success.

For drumming up Hindu support, right-wing Hindu activists aligned with the BJP have been on overdrive to deepen the Hindu-Muslim divide and stoke hatred.

Virtually endless episodes of orchestrated indignations are ratcheting up tensions.

First, some months ago, Hindu mobs took exception to Muslim girls wearing hijab the Muslim headscarf while attending schools. The hijab, they claimed, went against Indias secular principles and also violated the school dress code.

The state high court upheld the ban. But then the mobs picked up one more issue to become outraged over. And then another.

Activists seeking to establish Hindutva, or the primacy of Hindus, have launched an angry, abusive campaign against Halal the process that certifies products, including meat, as being compliant with Islamic practices.

At the receiving end are mostly Muslim meat traders. Several in Bengaluru have had their shops raided and vandalised.

The mobs are having a virtually free run, with the Karnataka government headed by chief minister Basavaraj Bommai paying only lip service to the cause of religious peace and harmony.

Many say the government itself has been complicit in instilling the fear of a tightening siege among the minorities.

Last year, it banned the trade and slaughter of cows traditionally associated with Muslims. The government is now working to include the Hindu holy book Bhagavad Gita in the school curriculum.

All these and more have emboldened supporters of Hindutva, who have now moved on to their next targets.

Muslim traders have been physically barred from setting up shops in temple fairs, something that they have done for generations. Muslim mango sellers are the newest targets of the Hindutva mob, who have now reportedly set their sights on cleansing the fruit trade.

The rising hatred disturbs the calm and tranquillity that are essential for businesses to prosper, and captains of the corporate world are alarmed.

Kiran Majumdar Shaw, the chairperson of Biocon a leading biotechnology firm was among the first to speak out.

Karnataka has always forged inclusive economic development and we must not allow such communal exclusion@BSBommai please resolve this growing religious divide, she tweeted a couple of days ago, tagging the chief minister.

Being a very important voice, BJP politicians promptly responded and assured her that no damage would be allowed to the states business environment.

But it is unlikely that the damage already done to the dignity and right to livelihood of Karnatakas Muslims can be repaired.

It will also be equally difficult to repair the dent in Bengalurus reputation.

The citys loss, Telangana minister Rama Rao calculates, will be beneficial to Hyderabad.

Home to mega defence and aerospace industries, Telanganas state capital has assiduously nursed its ambitions of replacing Bengaluru as Indias IT hub.

Now that chinks have surfaced in Bengalurus armour, Hyderabad or more appropriately, its IT minister has moved in for the kill.

In luring entrepreneurs, like the one who complained over unlivable Bengaluru, to move to Hyderabad, Rama Rao is offering several incentives.

We have better physical infrastructure & equally good social infrastructure. Our airport is one of the best and getting in and out of the city is a breeze. More importantly, our governments focus is on the 3-I Mantra: innovation, infrastructure & inclusive growth, Rama Rao said in his tweet.

His sales pitch for Hyderabad elicited a strong response from a senior opposition politician of Karnataka. My friend, I accept your challenge, tweeted Doddalahalli Kempegowda Shivakumar, the state Congress president.

By the end of 2023, with the Congress back in power in Karnataka, we will restore the glory of Bengaluru as Indias best city, he added.

Ironically, Karnatakas own information technology minister seemed unfazed by the veritable storm over the challenge to Bengalurus coveted status.

We are competing globally, insisted Chikkakalya Narayanappa Ashwath Narayan, choosing to ignore the challenge from Hyderabad, some 550 kilometres away.

Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints and editorial policies of TRT World.

We welcome all pitches and submissions to TRT World Opinion please send them via email, to opinion.editorial@trtworld.com

Source: TRT World

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A tale of two cities: The rippling effects of Islamophobia in Modis India - TRT World

SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...

AEW HITS & MISSES

C.M. Punk Defeated Dustin Rhodes HIT

The show opened with a match that oozed big fight feel, and largely delivered. Dustin and Punk showcased great chemistry in their first outing together, and I hope its not the last time.

The match had good pacing, but definitely slumped towards the ending, and thats what makes this match good, when it couldve been great. The story of Dustin battling through a knee injury worked well, but the ending was pretty clunky. The emotion flowed out of both men when the match ended. This may not have had the emotional catharsis as Dustin and Cody Rhodes match at Double or Nothing 2019, but it was a fun and great way to start the show.

Post Match Angle with Hangman Adam Page HIT

This was played incredibly smart. AEW knows they wont be able to make fans cheer Page and boo Punk, so they gave viewers the subtle cue through the entrance tunnels that both men are equal. Neither is face and neither is heel. Page can come out of the face tunnel, and Punk will leave through it. Letting fans cheer and boo as they please takes the pressure off of Page to try and out duel Punk on the stick, and hopefully lets him stay relaxed enough to channel and showcase that same fire game exuded before the Texas Death Match with Adam Cole.

Wardlow/Smart Mark Sterling Segment HIT

This was a fun segment. Its still showing how dangerous Wardlow is by treating him like Hannibal Lecter, while allowing Sterling to heel it up. Wardlows calm and borderline cocky response played perfectly against Sterling.

Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson and Wheeler Yuta Defeated Brock Anderson, Dante Martin and Lee Moriarty MAJOR HIT

The Combat Club of Blackpool is so much fun to watch. The idea of team chemistry forged in blood is a fun concept and what makes the Blackpool Combat Club unique, rather than being a blind carbon copy of every other tough guy faction in wrestling.

BCC did a great job of showcasing their opponents. This match did more for Brock Anderson than anything before. Dante Martin reminded fans why hes there with incredible feats of agility, and Moriarty was on his game. Nothing they did though was enough, and the squash was complete with a Paradigm Shift to Dante Martin.

Undisputed Elite Segment MINOR HIT

This was a deceptively interesting segment. Cole showed a much more serious tone than in previous AEW backstage segments featuring him, ReDRagon and the Young Bucks. OReilly did an inspired job of trying to mend the fences with the Bucks. The idea of an open 10-man tag match issomething, but hopefully it leads to an interesting combination of performers across from the Undisputed Elite. Cole stating he has business to attend to is a small but very welcome touch in continuity for later in the show.

Samoa Joe/Jay Lethal/Sonjay Dutt/Satnam Singh MINOR HIT

This was fine. This did a good job of helping rewrite AEWs history to forget the lights off intro for Satnam Singh never happened. Joe calling Satnam Titan and Giant really put over how big of a threat Singh can be. Dutt and Lethal did a good job of putting Singh over and furthering the issues with Joe.

Tony Khans HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT MAJOR HIT

Sometimes it doesnt matter if a secret is the worst kept one in the room, C.M. Punk debuting in AEW can show those kinds of secrets can still be a blast. Limiting Khans involvement to hype man was smart, and featuring Cole was intelligent, as hes one of several performers on the roster who have been stars in AEW/NJPW/ROH, but makes sense with the ties to White. Cole vs. Ishii is an incredible treat to fans or AEW Rampage, and White shined on the mic vs his tepid introduction a few weeks back. White seemed to hint at a match at Forbidden Door with Kenny Omega. Sign me up!

Jade Cargill/Red Velvet/Kiera Hogan/Smart Mark Sterling Segment MINOR MISS

This didnt hit with me. Cargill continuing her angle underestimating Marina Shafir is fine, but everyone else felt so awkward in comparison. In a weird way this is a sign of Jades growth as a performer. Shes gaining the confidence to be able to pull off her character so effortlessly.

Wardlow Defeated The Butcher HIT

MJF and Shawn Spears did an excellent job setting the tone for this match. The heat was palpable with the crowd as Friedman forced Wardlow to come out as if he were participating in a Lights Out match back when AEW cared about the presentation for their Lights Out matches. Wardlow came out to no music, but a flurry of a fanfare. Roberts did his best to keep his energy up with no music to play off of, and it all worked. Wardlow looked like a big deal against The Butcher, while essentially keeping the same formula that AEW has used for months to build him up. Butcher stood basically no chance, succumbing to a Bittersweet Powerbomb Symphony in short order. The looks on Spears and Friedmans faces is what I imagine Dr. Robert Oppenheimer had on his face as he was reminded of the Bhagavad Gita following the first nuclear bomb test. Wardlow has become death, the destroyer of worlds.

Eddie Kingston Segment MINOR HIT

Not much to this, but it didnt need much. Kingston uses his intensity and facial cues to say more than his words needed to. Kingston vs. Daniel Garcia will be fun, as will the build towards Kingston and Jericho.

Kyle OReilly Defeated Jungle Boy MINOR HIT

Good match between OReilly and Jungle Boy. Boy didnt get to be as flippy as he normally does and instead tried to play more into Kyles style, and that ultimately came back to bite him. Quality storytelling and quality action in the ring.

MJF Segment MINOR HIT

To me the Wardlow/MJF storyline still feels like a copy of every other story MJF has done in AEW, but playing off of Jake Roberts and letting Lance Archer come off his hinges is a good way of keeping the concept fresh. Treating Wardlow like hes the protagonist of a wrestling games story mode and giving him a clear progression in difficulty of opponent is quite fun.

Hook Defeated Anthony Henry HIT

It was never going to be a question of how much the crowd was going to be behind Hook in his Dynamite debut, but he had one of the bigger pops of the night. Hook did well in his debut, and showed a progression in his learning. From what I remember from his past matches, he ran the ropes more effectively and incorporated more striking into his repertoire. Hook put away Anthony Henry quickly, which lead to

Post Match Angle with Danhausen MAJOR HIT

My god. When Danhausen started talking, the arena exploded. The crowd got really into what he was saying, and when Mr. Hausen proposed a match between him and Hook, the crowd got even louder, and to my ear came close to matching the pop for CM Punk. Its strange, and some people wont like it, but some people will hear that crowd response and think this is a big deal. Im very intrigued to see how this goes.

Scorpio Sky/Frankie Kazarian Segment MINOR MISS

Short segment setting up Sky interfering in a Guevara promo later in the evening, but Kazarian was incredibly wooden in this segment which dragged it down a bit.

Thunder Rosa Video Segment MINOR HIT

Nothing major to this. Just confirming the program with Nyla Rose is over and Rosa is in need of an opponent for Double or Nothing. A challenger will likely come forward next week.

Sammy Guevara/Scorpio Sky Segment MINOR HIT

This segment was head scratching. Certainly felt like Guevara was attempting to play into a heel personality with the pimp jacket, having Tay cosplay as Olivia Newton-John from the end of Grease, and acknowledging the boos, but trying to pivot mid segment to genuine appreciation for fans was weak. Guevara attempting to play both sides is keeping him from being good at either.

Page and Lambert were on fire tonight, and their work on the mic was great. Guevara challenging Sky to a ladder match seems odd, as Sky has previously won a Face of the Revolution ladder match. I get that theyve both won ladder matches, but Guevara beat Cody. Sky beat five other guys. That math doesnt seem to favor Guevara.

House of Black Video Segment MISS

The production and delivery was excellent and captivating. I just couldnt understand if the House of Black was still talking about Fuego Del Sol or if theyve moved on to a new target.

Dr. Britt Baker Defeated Danielle Kamela MINOR MISS

I blinked and this match was over. Theres squashes, and then theres squashes. The performers cant help that this match mainly happened during a commercial break, but that fact feels like a slap in the face. Id rather remove this match (or something else) from the show and have it air some other time.

Post Match Promo MISS

This was just bad. Baker already has a very breathy delivery for her promos, but being immediately after a match really made it worse. The delivery on her lines were horrible and none of the jokes really landed well. It was cool to have Harris and Friermufh out there, but theres not much else to like about this.

Serena Deeb/Hikaru Shida Video Segment MINOR MISS

Fine enough video segment, but its felt like the Deeb/Shida feud has gone on forever now and each match is the last one. Theyre very fun to watch, but Ill believe their word when I have a reason to.

Darby Allin Defeated Andrade El Idolo MINOR MISS

This was fine, but just fine. I dont feel like this had anything I havent seen before, and thats not what I want from Sting, and certainly not what I want from Allin and Andrade. The beats of the match all felt familiar, Sting doing a crazy spot felt familiar. The only thing that felt fresh was Jose the assistant running out and tearing his shirt off, which turned the freshness down to rotten pretty quick. The Hardys deletion salute also felt weird, and it looked like Jeff tore a labrum doing that so lets stop while were ahead.

Overall MINOR MISS

Theres definitely some stuff to like in this episode of Dynamite but the show felt too stuffed and too hectic. Too many segments had logistical issues and just felt like they sacrificed tightness in segments for cramming as much into the show as they could. Next weeks card is shaping up to be loaded, but lets hope that its not overloaded.

CATCH-UP: HEYDORNS NXT 2.0 RECEIPT 4/19: Bron Breakker and Joe Gacy miss with silly vignettes

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AEW DYNAMITE HITS & MISSES 4/20: Punk and Rhodes hit, Baker misses on the mic, more - PWTorch

Far-right talking heads like Tucker Carlson love bemoaning the state of masculinity, as measured by their very narrow and stereotypical lens, as though it is in some sort of crisis. To that end, Carlson recently humored the internet (and world?) by offering up a wellness solution for this so-called crisis in his "Tucker Carlson Original" documentary, title "The End of Men." And Carlson's prescription, to stop the death spiral of the American man, was something called "testicle tanning."

"The solutions are actually really simple," fitness professional Andrew McGovern told Carlson. "Red-light therapytesticle tanninghas massive benefits."

Testicle tanning, more formally known as red-light therapy for testosterone, involves exposing one's scrotum to infrared light; this, supposedly, increases testosterone levels. Trailers for Carlson's documentary feature multiple images of a naked white man appearing to plug his testicles into some sort of infrared light device. As his bottom half lights up, the man's arms slowly raise, indicating some sort of victory or enlightenment has been achieved. Presumably with the help of testicle tanning.

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"Half the viewers right now are like, 'What?! Testicle tanning, that's crazy!'" Carlson responded. "But my view is: Okay, testosterone levels have crashed and nobody says anything about it, that's crazy, so why is it crazy to seek solutions?"

This isn't the first time the idea of testicle tanning has entered the public discourse. In 2015, former Major League Baseball player Gabe Kaplermade headlinesfor promoting testicle tanning as a solution to Vitamin D deficiencies in men. "If you want to be your strongest, get some sun on your boys. And by boys, I mean your testicles," Kapler said.

"Half the viewers right now are like, 'What?! Testicle tanning, that's crazy!'" Carlson responded. "But my view is: Okay, testosterone levels have crashed and nobody says anything about it, that's crazy, so why is it crazy to seek solutions?"

In 2017, self-proclaimed "biohacker" Ben Greenfield wrotein Men's Health magazine about his experience trying red-light therapy on his testicles to increase his testosterone levels. After, Greenfield claimed to have "never felt better."

But despite these anecdotes, there has been little written about whether this is actually a therapy that many people are doing or, if there is there any scientific evidence to suggest it works. A related trend, ofperineum sunning, was briefly a wellness trend in 2019 and 2020. Yet in my research, I could find no spas that offered the testicle tanning service. Indeed, in 2020,Inverse reportedthat it is more of an "at-home treatment" rather than something being offered as a service.

In any case, those interested in testicle tanning can purchase in-home devices such as light beds, lamps, lasers, and infrared saunas, which range in price from hundreds to thousands of dollars. In 2019, researchers estimated that the global light therapy market was expected to surpass $1 billion by 2025, though light therapymostly includes non-testicle related treatments for things like eczema and psoriasis.

The greatest irony behind the testicle tanning fad, however, is that it seems to do the opposite of what boosters like Tucker Carlson say that it does. Indeed, urologists do not recommend red-light therapy to boost testosterone, noting exposure of infrared light can negatively affect a male's testicles and may actually lower testosterone levels.

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"Any extreme chronic exposure can prove harmful for the testes leading to decreased testosterone, decreased sperm counts and subsequent infertility," reproductive urologist Dr. Ranjith Ramasamy told Salon via email. "However, the true efficacy of testes-focused light therapy in improving testosterone levels is currently unknown and not backed by the scientific literature."

Ramasamy said that there have been some studies to show that red-light therapy can improve the destruction of cells on a person's skin. Indeed, it is sometimes used to treat wrinkles, redness, acne, scars and other signs of aging. But "the true effectiveness of this therapeutic modality remains unknown," Ramasamy notes.

Advocates of the therapy often point to one study from researchers at the University of Siena in Italy from 2016 who claimed that "bright light increases testosterone levels and leads to greater sexual satisfaction in men with low sexual desire." Professor Andrea Fagiolini recruited 38 men who had been diagnosed with hypoactive sexual desire disorder or sexual arousal disorder, both conditions that are characterized by a lack of interest in sex.

Fagiolini divided the study participants into two groups, one of which received treatment with a specially adapted light box and the other which received a placebo. Both groups received an hour of treatment from a light box for two weeks. The researchers claimed there were significant differences in the groups, with increased testosterone levels in the group exposed to a light box, but they recognized the study was small and thus they couldn't "recommend this as a clinical treatment." Notably, the study wasn't published in a peer-reviewed journal, and participants' testicles were directly exposed to the light.

Ramasamy added that too much sunlight could negatively affect male testicles, too, and lead to decreased sperm count and "intratesticular testosterone levels."

"This study fails to mention that the men in this study were likely suffering from hypogonadism given the low testosterone level and presence of symptoms (in this case low sex drive or libido)," Ramasamy told Salon. "Testosterone levels are very dependent on quantity and quality of sleep and the use of aids to optimize such as light therapy could theoretically increase endogenous testosterone production," Ramasamy said, adding that this study doesn't indicate that light therapy focused on the testicles specifically could increase testosterone.

"Previous studies examining the use of light therapy focused on the testicles have often been done in men suffering from fertility issues such as azoospermia or asthenozoospermia with no indication or studies supporting its use in healthy men," Ramasamy continued. "The few studies demonstrating the use of red-light in increase testosterone levels have been done in animal subjects which are very imperfect models of humans and do not fully represent our own physiology."

Ramasamy added that too much sunlight could negatively affect male testicles, too, and lead to decreased sperm count and "intratesticular testosterone levels."

"The testicles are vital organs responsible for producing the majority of testosterone and source of sperm, both of which are essential for maintaining fertility," Ramasamy said. "Normally the testicles prefer to be in a slightly cooler environment than the core body temperature which is one of the reasons they move in response to local temperature."

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Tucker Carlson hawks testicle tanning to boost testosterone. Experts say it may do the opposite - Salon

Robert Eggers isnt one for brightness, but the brooding images he favors are more than a matter of photography. They evoke darkness in the human soul. In his startling 2015 debut feature, The Witch, a fanatically religious farmer in 17th-century New England inflicts his obsession with sin on his loved ones like a plague. In the filmmakers 2019 The Lighthouse, an enthrallingand funnynightmare fantasy set a couple of centuries later, a veteran lighthouse keeper and his young assistant struggle toward symbolic and literal enlightenment on a desolate island off the coast of Maine while driving each other crazy. Yet neither film fully prepares us for The Northman, a Viking action extravaganza that begins in A.D. 895, depicts battles and rituals of surpassing ghastliness, andlove it or leave itconstitutes a horror classic.

Loving it is not the issue, of coursethe level of amputating, eviscerating, decapitating violence transcends good nasty fun. The challenge is taking it in, watching it without averting your eyesI cant say mine stayed fixed on the screenand seeing it for what it is, a tumultuous, graphically gorgeous entertainment for our time as well as an ineffably somber meditation on our species seemingly inexhaustible reservoir of savagery.

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The Northman Review: Good Lore and Gore Galore - The Wall Street Journal