Author: House of Brat

Libraries are filling an affordable fitness void

libraryadvocates:

In 2014, the American Library Association found
that about 23 percent of all public libraries offered a fitness class
in the last year, while another survey from the same time learned that
37 percent of the libraries they reached out to offered yoga. More than
60 percent of North Carolina library systems offer
fitness classes. There’s a lot left to understand about how and why
librarians focusing on physical health and wellness, but the most
important thing to know is also the most obvious: The classes are
needed.

Libraries are filling an affordable fitness void

nprfreshair:

nprfreshair:

Sleep Scientist Warns Against Walking Through Life ‘In An Underslept State’

The National Sleep Foundation recommends an average of eight hours of sleep per night for adults, but sleep scientist Matthew Walker says that too many people are falling short of the mark.

“Human beings are the only species that deliberately deprive themselves of sleep for no apparent gain,” Walker says. “Many people walk through their lives in an underslept state, not realizing it.”

Walker is the director the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley. He points out that lack of sleep — defined as six hours or fewer — can have serious consequences. Sleep deficiency is associated with problems in concentration, memory and the immune system, and may even shorten lifespan.

“Every disease that is killing us in developed nations has causal and significant links to a lack of sleep,” he says. “So that classic maxim that you may [have] heard that you can sleep when you’re dead, it’s actually mortally unwise advice from a very serious standpoint.”

Walker discusses the importance of sleep — and offers strategies for getting the recommended eight hours — in his new book, Why We Sleep.

We’re rebroadcasting this interview today. Sleep tight!

we-are-europe:

Chupa Chups is a popular Spanish 🇪🇸 brand of lollipop and other confectionery sold in over 150 countries. The brand was founded in 1958 by Enric Bernat, and is currently owned by the Italian-Dutch multinational corporation Perfetti Van Melle. The name comes from the Spanish verb chupar = “to suck”. Their logo was designed by Spanish artist Salvador Dalí. Celebrities like Madonna were hired to advertise the product.

In the 80s, owing to falling birth rates, an anti-smoking slogan “Smoke Chupa Chups” was tried to attract more adult consumers. The current anti-smoking slogan is “Stop smoking, start sucking”, with their packages parodying cigarette pack designs. Some packages parody the mandatory black and white warning labels of the European Union with the notice “Sucking does not kill.”

i’ve been reading up on queen maxima and i’m fascinated by her, she’s a beautiful woman but more importantly, she’s a joyfully colourful, vibrant character despite pain she’s endured; she’s both underrated as a woman and as a royal, i hope to have one scrap of her strength one day

duchessofostergotlands:

I am a huge fan of Maxima. She’s my favourite consort to a monarch without a doubt. She definitely has a huge amount of life and energy around her. She’s the kind of person who lights up a room and changes the energy of a place when she walks in. But she’s also a deeply compassionate person who goes out of her way to support people and be a strong presence. I admire her strength so much and her ability to support those around her. 

thegodkiller:

I am Diana of Themyscira…daughter of Hippolyta…Queen of the Amazons. And your wrath upon this world is over. In the name of all that it is good in this world…I hereby complete the mission of the Amazons…by ridding this world of you…forever!

newyorker:

For a week, an iceberg as tall as the Statue of Liberty filled the villagers of Innaarsuit, Greenland, with existential dread. If a big enough part of it sloughed off, in a process known as “calving,” it would have caused a tsunami, immediately destroying the little settlement on whose shore it rested. Luckily, the iceberg continued drifting north.

Read more. 

royal-confessions:

“Dior, Givenchy (doesn’t matter if the designer is British – it’s still a French brand), Ralph Lauren and Roland Mouret…not even a year as a British royal and Meghan has probably worn more non-British brands than Kate ever did in two years. It’s funny how people would rip Kate apart when she dared wear foreign brands once even when she wears a lot of British fashion but now people are quiet when Meghan does it even more than her.“ – Submitted by Anonymous

arianagrandre:

Happy 23rd Anniversary, Clueless! (19 July 1995)

So like, right now for example. The Haitians need to come to America. But some people are all, “What about the strain on our resources?” Well it’s like when I had this garden party for my father’s birthday, right? I put R.S.V.P. ‘cause it was a sit-down dinner. But some people came that like did not R.S.V.P. I was like totally buggin’. I had to haul ass to the kitchen, redistribute the food, and squish in extra place settings. But by the end of the day it was, like, the more the merrier. And so if the government could just get to the kitchen, rearrange some things, we could certainly party with the Haitians. And in conclusion may I please remind you it does not say R.S.V.P. on the Statue of Liberty! Thank you very much.

Clueless (1995) dir. Amy Heckerling

royal-confessions:

“Weird that Meghan and Harry claimed that they were “only inviting close family and friends” yet all these random celebrities start showing up? They clearly just used that one as an excuse to try and bring more Hollywood attention to their wedding.“ – Submitted by Anonymous

“So Harry and Meghan don’t want to invite the British PM to their wedding, but they have no problem inviting George Clooney and Oprah (random celebrities that they have very little connection to)? Really shows where their priorities lie.” – Submitted by Anonymous

Please, could you explain to me how royals earn money, where do they get it from? Because I know it can’t be all from taxes so I want to know how this works. I’m sick of people saying that they take money from the citizens.

duchessofostergotlands:

mr-mrswales:

so royals get money through basically 2 main ways.. the Sovereign Grant and a Duchy

Sovereign Grant is a percentage given back to HM from the earnings of the Crown Estate from a previous year. This money goes to fund the majority of the royal family. This next year that money will be going up due to major reno work at Buckingham Palace

The Duchy of Lancaster is a private portfolio of land that was set aside to fund the monarch and his/her family

The Duchy of Cornwall is a private portfolio of land that was set aside to fund the Heir and his/her family. This is the main source of funds for Prince Charles, Camilla, William, Kate, Harry and Meghan. This funds the CH and KP households.

Note: this funding does not include the cost/source for the security/rpos. that is a whole different thing

Note #2: Royals are not allowed to take freebies and any gifts received while on “duty” are theirs to use for life but are property of the crown.

Note #3: Contrary to recent popular belief, no Meghan is not buying her own clothes, as a working, senior royals all of her expenses are covered by the Duchy of Cornwall.

if anyone wants to correct or add on, please do so

To add on a couple of points as Rosie graciously said we could:

– Rosie mentioned security isn’t included. Neither are the costs of away days or tours. When they go overseas the host country pays. When they go for a whole day to a specific area of the country- an away day as it’s called- the trip is paid for by the local council and can be very pricey (upwards of five figures).

– Also not included in the official figures the royals mention is the cost of the monarchy in the Commonwealth. The Queen is head of state in several countries but doesn’t live there so she has representatives who act on her behalf on a daily basis. These costs are met by the Commonwealth nation and are never included in figures regarding the cost of the monarchy. In previous years Canada have actually spent more on the monarchy than Brits have!

– The Duchy of Lancaster and the Duchy of Cornwall are legally considered private sources of income but should the monarchy be removed, they would return to the public and the income would go to the nation

– If the Crown Estate’s profits decrease the queen’s income is not allowed to decrease. She is not allowed to have her pay cut, essentially, and her income has risen at a rate higher than inflation. This is quite controversial against a backdrop where public sector workers are having their pay slashed by the government or where pay is increasing below the rate of inflation