Month: March 2019

Sometimes you just want simple homemade chocolate chip cookies. I get it. Mix a few ingredients together in a bowl, plop them on a cookie sheet, bake, then eat. Well my friend, these are the cookies for you. In my cookbook I actually have two chocolate chip cookie recipes. One is this Simple Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, for the straight to the point (mouth) people, and then another one that is a little more labor intensive, but results in the best, most perfect Soft Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies you’ve ever had in your entire life. Fun fact: that Soft Batch Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe took about 20 times to get just right. Worth it. These Simple Chocolate Chip Cookies are a strong second and even better they take like 3 seconds to whip up.

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I don’t know about you but, I love cookies. I mean like, LOVE cookies. Like sometimes I just walk down the cookie aisle at the grocery store and have wonderful daydreams about stuffing my face. One day I’m going to just go crazy. I’m going to buy every single flavor of Oreo cookie that they make and then sit and eat each one of them and then rank them in order of which flavor I like best. You know, for scientific purposes. It’s a study in flavor. I would do it for Cookieology research everywhere. It’s going to be fantastic. After I wipe the crumbs off my face and my shirt, and drink a gallon of milk, I’m going to make the famous Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe that was featured in the New York Times, only I’m going to make it with browned butter instead of regular. Then I will eat all of those too and call it a day.

So until that fantasy day arrives. I’ll just make these. I would just grab some Cappellos cookie dough because that’s super easy and I love them too, but no matter how hard I try, they never make it to the oven. I just end up eating the raw cookie dough. Because…cookie dough. One time I even turned on the oven and lined a baking sheet with parchment paper, with every single intention of baking them, but then I just stood there and ate the dough while I was waiting for the oven to pre-heat. #vanessaproblems

So besides cookies and Oreo fantasies, life is good. Still working on my super sweet snowboarding skills and I just discovered Snapchat. I know, so late to the party. I hated Snapchat forever because it’s not very user friendly and you pretty much need an 18 year old to explain it to you. I feel like I’m way more tech savvy than stooping to those levels so I just said F it. Then one of my co-workers who is well over the age of 18 showed me the ropes and I was like, fine, I’ll download it (insert eye roll here), and now I love it. I want to add more friends though because now I need to know what everyone is doing, all hours of the day. I also like Snapchat because if you have to obligatorily add someone as a friend, you never have to look at their Story if you don’t want to and see their kids or pets that you don’t care about, like you do on Facebook. I want to delete Facebook until the election is over. We get it…Also I like Snapchat because it doesn’t have to look pretty like on Instagram. Everyone on Insta is so artsy! Which, honestly I love, but it’s hard keeping up with it. Snapchat is like Instagram’s ugly cousin. Don’t tell Snapchat I said that. You should make these cookies and then Snapchat them.

Simple Chocolate Chip Cookies

2016-03-24 18:30:31

Yields 18

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Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

10 min

Total Time

20 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

10 min

Total Time

20 min

Ingredients

1. 2 cups (184 g) sifted fine-ground blanched almond flour
2. 1 teaspoon baking soda
3. ½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
4. ⅓ cup (80 ml) raw honey
5. ¼ cup (60 ml) melted coconut oil
6. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
7. 1 large egg, room temperature
8. 1 cup (7 ounces/200 g) chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats; set aside. (Note: If you’re working with one baking sheet, allow to completely cool between batches.)
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir together using a fork until well combined.
3. In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine the honey, coconut oil, vanilla, and egg. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Add the honey mixture to the almond flour mixture and beat on low speed until combined.
4. Stir in chocolate chips. Use a small cookie scoop to transfer the dough evenly onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches (5 cm) apart or 9 cookies per baking sheet. If using one baking sheet, keep remaining uncooked dough refrigerated until ready to bake.
5. Bake each sheet separately on the middle rack at 350°F (177°C) for 7 to 10 minutes or until the tops and edges are lightly browned. Once the cookies are done, remove the parchment or baking mat from the baking sheet and let cookies cool slightly before using a spatula to transfer them to a cooling rack. Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Notes

1. Make the cookie dough now and bake later! Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, shape it into a log, then throw it in the freezer. When the cookie urge strikes, remove from the freezer and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes, cut into ¾-inch (2-cm)-thick slices and bake a few cookies at a time or the entire batch.

Clean Eating with a Dirty Mind http://cleaneatingwithadirtymind.com/

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A lot of modern stress comes from the mistaken belief that we should always be working on a better version of ourselves, always looking for greater success. 

In all ten directions of the universe, there is only one truth.

When we see clearly, the great teachings are the same.

What can ever be lost? What can be attained?

If we attain something, it was there from the beginning of time.

If we lose something, it is hiding somewhere near us.

Ryokan, 1758–1831, Zen Monk and poet

Neurodiversity is a radical social movement challenging the notion of what’s normal and what’s a disorder. What better place to explore neurodiversity than in the arts and theatre—we hear from actors on the autism spectrum and a synesthete using her perceptions of colour and music to create art.

The best dessert I’ve ever had in my entire life was blessed with a scoop of Blackberry Cabernet Sorbet on top of it. I’ll never forget it as long as I live. There used to be this little Italian bistro in Downtown San Jose, CA called Stratta Grill and Bar. They had the BEST food there. It was a quaint little bistro with made from scratch ravioli, gnocchi and of course, the most incredible dessert. It was an intimate place with dim mood lighting, and a little candle on every table. These were the days before iPhones, Facebook, people getting offended by everything, and Donald Trump was still just a businessman with a bad tan and weird hair, he hadn’t even fired anyone on national TV yet.

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It was the early aughts and it was the first time in my life that I’d ever been really on my own. I had a little one bedroom apartment on 10th and San Fernando with original hardwood floors and a gas range. It was almost more Melrose Place than Melrose Place. I went to look at the apartment for the first time in the dark. The electricity had been shut off since it was vacant, and like I mentioned before, there were no cell phones with flashlight apps. The ambient light from the street lights would have to do. I fell in love with the arched doorways and windows immediately and even though I had no idea what color the floor tiles were in the kitchen or bathroom, I signed the lease and wrote a check for the deposit on the spot. Man I loved that apartment. I had a terrible parking space, the laundry was three floors down in the super creepy basement, I had a strong suspicion that there was a dead rat rotting behind my closet wall and the apartment would always smell funny after it rained, but it was the best place I’d ever lived up to that point. It was a great time to be alive. I was in my early 20’s after all. The world was my oyster.

So this dessert with the Blackberry Cabernet Sorbet on top was simple enough in theory. It was a Molten Chocolate Lava Cake cooked to perfection, graced with a single scoop of Blackberry Cabernet Sorbet on top. At first glance the dessert wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. I mean it was beautiful because I knew what warm gooey chocolate center awaited me. It looked simplistic and to the point, but nothing could have prepared me for that first bite. In that moment, the Heaven’s and the Earth collided. It was like pure joy, bliss, and awe all blended into one emotion. It was like there had never been a human tragedy that had ever existed in the entire history of time. The Holocaust and 9/11 had never happened and the world was alive and flowing in perfect harmony. I’m not exaggerating. So I took another bite and another. I don’t think I even spoke the entire time I was eating. I savored every spoonful and dissected the different flavor complexities like I was writing an article in a scientific journal on the subject. I just wanted to enjoy every second of the experience. I wanted to imprint the melding of warm chocolate cake and cold tart sorbet on my tongue for all eternity. This was every single human experience in one single bite.

Little did I know in that moment, but this dessert would set the standard for all desserts to come for the rest of my life. You may think that’s a lot of pressure for one little dessert, but it’s stood the test of time. To the best of my ability I have tried to recreate this dessert in a healthier way. My Molten Chocolate Lava cake is gluten-free, grain-free, and refined sugar free, and this sorbet uses real ingredients to bring the color, flavor, and texture of it to life. Sure, if I had some white flour and sugar, I could probably re-create the dessert more true to memory, but this version will do just fine. Until this dessert and I meet again in Heaven, this is all I have.

Blackberry Cabernet Sorbet

2016-03-24 19:13:50

Yields 1

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Prep Time

5 min

Total Time

1 hr 30 min

Prep Time

5 min

Total Time

1 hr 30 min

Ingredients

1. 2 (6-ounce/170-g) cartons fresh blackberries
2. 1 cup (240 ml) cabernet sauvignon
3. 1 cup (240 ml) water
4. ½ cup (65 g) maple sugar
5. 2 tablespoons raw honey
6. 2 teaspoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
7. ¼ cup (33 g) fresh raspberries (optional)
8. Special equipment: Ice cream maker

Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients in the pitcher of a blender. Cover with the lid and puree until well blended and combined. Pour the mixture over a fine-mesh sieve into a medium-sized mixing bowl. The sieve will catch any seeds. Press plastic wrap onto the surface of the mixture and place in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours or until cool. Alternately you can place in the freezer for 30 minutes or until cool.
2. Pour the cooled mixture into the bowl of an ice cream maker and churn it, following the manufacturer’s instructions. If you want firmer ice cream, transfer the ice cream to a container, cover, and place in the freezer for 30 minutes or until the desired firmness is reached. Store in a covered container for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

1. I like to include raspberries in this sorbet because it brightens the color and adds a subtle tartness that I love, to even out the sweetness of the blackberries. They are completely optional. I also recommend using fresh instead of frozen berries because the frozen ones will make the texture more like a smoothie, which may not work well in your ice cream maker. Another option for frozen berries would be to let them thaw and drain any excess juices or water.
2. To enjoy on a cone you can buy a gluten-free brand like Goldbaum’s or Let’s Do . . . Gluten-Free Sugar Cones. You can also make your own!

Clean Eating with a Dirty Mind http://cleaneatingwithadirtymind.com/

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The recent revolution in technology allows us to peer into the mind as never before—says Dr. Hannah Critchlow. She’s explored what neuroscience can tell us about consciousness, free will, and fate. she’s also investigated the neuroscience leadership to build a more ethical, altruistic work environment.

Raising children is the ultimate mindfulness practice. And now researchers are trying to figure out whether mindful parenting may affect teen behavior. A recent study looked at if mindfulness instruction might lead to changes in parenting strategies, parent-teen relationships, and problem behaviors like aggression.

Researchers had a group of parents participate in the Mindfulness-Enhanced Strengthening Families Program as part of a longitudinal, randomized-controlled trial published in Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research. After training, parents were more positive and shared better relationships with their teens. Additionally, the researchers made an interesting observation: adolescents of mindful fathers were also less aggressive.

“Changes in positive parenting strategies can enhance relationships at a time when parent-child interactions typically increase in conflict,” said the study’s lead author, Doug Coatsworth, Ph.D., Professor and Director of the Applied Developmental Science Program at Colorado State University.  “Mindful parenting is a set of skills and ways of approaching parenting tasks that changes over time—meaning that interventions that effectively target these skills can influence the way that parents parent with attention, acceptance, emotional attunement, and compassion.”

Mindful parenting programs—those designed to incorporate mindfulness-based principles and practices with traditional parenting skills—are increasing in popularity, but we know little about their effectiveness compared to typical parenting instruction for navigating an evolving parent-teen relationship during this period of life.

Mindful Moms and Dads Score Differently

In this study, the authors wanted to see if parents would become more mindful over time, whether mothers and fathers parented differently, and if parenting practices were related to better teen adjustment. The researchers asked 432 families of 6^th and 7^th grade students to attend either a mindful parenting program (the Mindfulness-Enhanced Strengthening Families Program), typical parenting instruction (the Strengthening Families Program: For Parents and Youth 10-14), or to read two parenting booklets.

The Mindfulness-Enhanced Strengthening Families Program is based on the Strengthening Families Program. For both, parents and youths attend different groups where they focus on how to improve communication and strengthen parent-teen relationships. They then join up and learn skills together. The mindfulness-enhanced version emphasizes listening with full attention and learning to avoid knee-jerk reactions to unpleasant behaviors.

There are very few studies that explore mom’s and dad’s parenting skills separately. Since moms and dads play unique roles in children’s lives, researchers also wanted to see if changes in mom’s and dad’s behavior impacted kids differently.

Fathers who received mindful parenting instruction showed an increase in their emotional awareness of their children over time, whereas those without mindfulness instruction did not.

Strong links were found between mindful parenting, positive parenting practices, and positive parent-teen relationships for both mothers and fathers. This means more mindful moms and dads parented more positively and had better relationships with their teenagers. But there were several interesting differences.

Increases in mindful parenting were tied to less teen aggression, but only for dads. Fathers also showed greater gains in mindful parenting scores regardless of which parenting group they attended, but mothers did not. “This might mean that fathers benefit most by learning about an accepting, emotionally aware, and attuned approach to parenting,” says Coatsworth.

An important part of the study is that changes in mindful and positive parenting were looked at over the span of a year. This allowed researchers to gauge which impacts of the trainings persisted. They found that fathers who received mindful parenting instruction showed an increase in their emotional awareness of their children over time, whereas those without mindfulness instruction did not. Once again, these changes were not observed for mothers.

Other studies have also found that, in general, mothers tend to report more mindful parenting than fathers. Authors of the present study suggest that this may be because mothers may have a greater tendency to connect with their children in the present moment and be more emotionally attuned than fathers.

Parenting with Presence

There have been studies in that past suggesting that mindful parents tend toward more positive parenting strategies like using clear instructions, praising good behaviors, showing affection and warmth, and communicating effectively. Mindful parents also demonstrate fewer signs of negative parenting such as being angry, hostile, coercive, and intrusive. They also share more positive parent-child relationships, healthier interactions, and better child adjustment.

“The biggest thing that a parent can do to be more mindful is to pay careful attention to what their child is saying and doing, but also to their own reactions. Careful attention often stops parent’s automatic reactions, allows them a moment to calm themselves physiologically and mentally, and to be more present for their child.”—Doug Coatsworth, Ph.D., lead study author

This study’s authors say it’s a parent’s ability to notice their own reactions to what their child is saying and doing—and avoid knee-jerk emotional reaction that is key.

“The biggest thing that a parent can do to be more mindful is to pay careful attention to what their child is saying and doing, but also to their own reactions,” Coatsworth said. “Careful attention often stops parent’s automatic reactions, allows them a moment to calm themselves physiologically and mentally, and to be more present for their child.”

The post Teens Win When Parents Practice Mindfulness appeared first on Mindful.

Update 5: South African carrier Comair has become the latest airline to ground its 737 MAX 8s.

After facing criticism for saying it would keep its Boeing 737 MAX 8 in operation (the airline just received delivery of its first 737 MAX late last month), it has apparently decided to temporarily not schedule flights using the plane. It’s reportedly in talks with Boeing.

Here is the statement the airline released a few hours ago saying it would continue to monitor the investigation into the Ethiopian Airlines crash.

Our sympathies are with those affected by the heartbreaking tragedy of the Ethiopian Airlines flight. Comair will continue to monitor the various investigations by the relevant authorities and are in close contact with both Boeing and the SACAA regarding the MAX 8 Aircraft. pic.twitter.com/3iEWGzxMqc

— kulula (@kulula) March 11, 2019

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Update 4: The FAA, which is monitoring the investigation into the crash of Ethiopian Air flight ET302, is now looking into an incident involving another Boeing 737, which is a generation prior to the 737 MAX, after United Airlines flight 1168 reported engine trouble during a turbulent landing in Houston. The flight declared an emergency as it was coming in for a landing when it suddenly began experiencing engine trouble.

Here’s more from the AP:

Flight 1168 was carrying 174 passengers and six crew members when engine trouble began late Sunday as the plane neared George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. The Boeing 737-900 was traveling from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
One passenger told Houston media outlets that he heard a loud bang, felt a strong vibration and saw a flash of light.

Another passenger says he saw flames coming from the engine, but a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman says emergency responders found no evidence of fire or smoke.

The FAA has been in contact with the State Department following the Ethiopian Air crash, and plans to join National Transportation Safety Board in assisting Ethiopian authorities in investigation of crash. The union said flight attendants working for American Air won’t be compelled to work on the 737s if they feel “unsafe”.

Meanwhile, a former FAA official warned during an appearance on CNN that travelers should be wary about flying on 737 MAX 8s.

"I've never, ever done this. I've never said that, 'hey, it's unsafe to fly a particular model' but in this case, I'm going to have to go there… So yeah I would watch for that airplane," – fmr. FAA Safety Inspector @David_Soucie on the Boeing 737 MAX 8. https://t.co/PgcNELgjxm pic.twitter.com/qGKSt4WCru

— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) March 11, 2019

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Update 3: The flight attendants union has asked the FAA to investigate the Boeing 737 MAX 8, saying it’s important to address these safety concerns after the second crash in 5 months.

• *FLIGHT ATTENDANTS UNION ASKS FAA TO INVESTIGATE BOEING 737 MAX
• *ASSN OF FLIGHT ATTENDANTS SEEKS ACTION AFTER SECOND MAX CRASH
• *AFA: VITAL TO ADDRESS CREW, PASSENGER CONCERNS AFTER MAX CRASH

* * *

Update 2: Boeing fell to its lows of the session after the open, with shares of the aerospace company and Dow component down 13%, its largest intraday drop since 2001. Concerns about the safety of Boeing’s 737 MAX 8 are weighing on shares of airlines and Boeing suppliers more broadly as well.

Boeing has almost single-handedly dragged the Dow deep into the red, with Dow futures down 270 points while the S&P and Nasdaq remained in positive territory.

* * *

Update: Indonesia’s Transport Ministry will order the temporary grounding of all 737s while it carries out safety inspections, Reuters reported.

Reuters: #Indonesia's transport ministry says to temporarily ground #Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft while it undertakes inspections

— Vincent Lee (@Rover829) March 11, 2019

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In a sign that more details about the crash could soon be known, Ethiopian State TV says it has recovered both ‘black boxes’ from flight ET302, which contains important data that could shed some light on what caused the crash. Included in the data is a cockpit recording which could shed some light on what pilots were saying and doing in the plane’s final moments.

Reuters: #Ethiopia State TV says black box from #EthiopianAirlines flight that crashed Sunday has been recovered

— Vincent Lee (@Rover829) March 11, 2019

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This could be the first major breakthrough in the investigation, and could reveal whether reported “abrupt dives” due to faults in the plane’s flight-monitoring system, which was suspected of causing the Lion Air crash, were to blame.

As of 8:50 am ET, Boeing shares had dropped 11% in premarket to their lowest level of the day, dragging Dow futures down with them.

With Boeing headed for its biggest drop in at least eleven years, Dow futures are down 200 points while the S&P and Nasdaq look set for a higher open.

* * *

Boeing ADRs traded on Germany’s Tradegate exchange in Stuttgart slumped more than 9% early Monday as Chinese and Ethiopian airlines grounded their fleets of Boeing 737 MAX 8s as experts question the plane’s safety after an unprecedented series of crashes. Meanwhile, Boeing opened more than 10% lower in the US premarket, weighing heavily on Dow futures, which were off by triple digits.

While some airlines opted not to ground their fleets following Sunday’s devastating crash, where an Ethiopian Airlines flight dropped out of the sky six minutes after takeoff, killing everyone on board – including nearly 160 passengers and crew (including 8 Americans) – the fact that the Ethiopian Air crash happened so soon after a similar crash involving a 737 operated by Indonesia’s Lion Air has raised questions about the model’s safety.

On Monday (local time, late Sunday in New York), China’s Civil Aviation Administration of China said all Chinese airlines must suspend their use of the 737 MAX 8 by 10 am London Time.

The CAAC said flights would not resume until Boeing had proven that no design flaw contributed to the crashes. China’s regulator said it would notify airlines as to when flights could resume, after it has heard back from Boeing and the FAA.

“Given that two accidents both involved newly delivered Boeing 737-8 planes and happened during take-off phase, they have some degree of similarity,” the CAAC said. It added that it has a “zero tolerance” policy for safety risks.

Chinese airlines have a total of 96 737 MAX 8 jets in service, the state company regulator said on Weibo, including Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Hainan Airlines.

Meanwhile, after initially insisting that its fleet of 737s would remain in the air, Ethiopian Airlines backtracked on Monday and grounded its 737s until further notice as an “extra safety precaution.” The investigation into Sunday’s crash is just getting started, while the probe into the Lion Air crash has yet to produce a conclusive finding.

Cayman Airlines, the British overseas carrier, said it would ground its 737s, though most of the major airlines around the world have not grounded their planes.

Here’s a breakdown of 737 orders/deliveries showing which airlines are most reliant on the narrow-body jet (No. 1 is US-based Southwest), courtesy of Bloomberg:

Flight ET302, the Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed on Sunday, was the second 737 MAX 8 to suddenly crash, killing everybody on board, within five months. In late October, the crew of a Lion Air flight reported technical problems with the plane before it suddenly dropped into the Java Sea off the coast of Indonesia. The two crashes were eerily similar, in that both occurred just minutes after taking off.

The 737 line is Boeing’s cash cow, and the aerospace company has roughly 5,000 737s on back order – so making material redesigns for safety purposes could be hugely problematic for the company’s production, and possibly lead to a flurry of cancelled orders. Already, 350 of the planes are in service around the world.

By Tyler Durden / Republished with permission / Zero Hedge

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This week, hundreds of protesters joined the 17th week of Yellow Vest demonstrations in the French village of Tarbes, as tens of thousands more marched throughout the country. During the demonstrations in Tarbes, a group of protesters began shouting that they were planning to march on a nearby Masonic temple.

A crowd of protesters used a battering ram to break through the heavy door of the lodge, as others pelted rocks at the building. Protesters destroyed everything in sight, overturning furniture and destroying expensive art after breaking into the building.

À #Tarbes, des #Giletsjaunes saccagent le temple des Francs-Maçons … https://t.co/teXKEcy1ah pic.twitter.com/hPI3Sk9inV

— Ulysse Paris (@ulyssepariser) March 10, 2019

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French officials immediately condemned the attack with some going so far as to call it a hate crime.

France’s Interior Minister Christophe Castaner suggested that the attacks were related to anti-semitism.

“After the Jews, the Freemasons. When stupidity encounters intolerance, it is the worst.”

Castaner went on to accuse the Yellow Vest protesters of having “no other project than hatred.”

Après les juifs, les francs-maçons…

Quand la bêtise rivalise avec l’intolérance la plus crasse.

Je salue l’intervention rapide de la @PoliceNationale qui a mis fin aux exactions de ces individus qui n’ont d’autre projet que la haine.

Ne lâchons rien.https://t.co/ytr2YGqfZ0

— Christophe Castaner (@CCastaner) March 10, 2019

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However, despite accusations of anti-semitism, there was no indication that the protesters were affiliated with neo-nazi or white supremacist groups.

In a press release, the Grande Loge Mixte de France called the vandalism “unspeakable acts that are part of a context of surreptitious threats and hate speech against Freemasons”.

“The fight must be even more ardent against all that contributes to erode the social pact: questioning values and republican principles, social regressions, precariousness, withdrawal and communitarian drifts,” the statement continued.

A lodge representative told reporters that they will be taking extra security measures to prevent break-ins from occurring in the future.

“I can only denounce this degradation. We’ve had projectiles already, but this is the first time anyone has come back to vandalize. There is material damage, degraded furniture, broken windows, the sound system torn off, theft, breakage, traces of black paint. We will have to secure our premises more importantly,” he said.

Below is a video taken at the scene showing the extent of the damage:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6SUSSlh5co?feature=oembed&w=750&h=422]

Yellow Vest protesters have not been afraid to take drastic measures against the government. Not long after the protests began, the BBC reported that protesters had destroyed more than half of the speed tracking cameras in France. As The Mind Unleashed reported last week, some protesters have even been hurling home-made “poo bombs” at police during recent demonstrations.

Demonstrations have reduced in size from the early protests, where over 300,000 people marched, with recent numbers falling below 50,000. The lower attendance is likely the result of infighting between protesters who are having a hard time agreeing on policy demands thanks to the diversity of the movement and its ability to attract people from both the left and the right.

Eleven people have died since the protests began, with most having died at the hands of police.

The post Yellow Vest Protesters Vandalize Masonic Lodge After Breaking Door With Battering Ram appeared first on The Mind Unleashed.

“All politics are personal and depend on trust” ~ Joe Biden Embracing Politics as Part of the Resolution by Crystal Presence     As politics takes center stage, we wonder how to get clarity with so much chaos happening in our world today. Embracing this time of history as a doorway to bringing forth a new context of living. Asking ourselves to stand fast, trust and focus on the divine intention and purpose of our country, in living freedom and wellbeing for all. Things we can do and focus on to be part of embracing politics and being part of the resolution. As the very fabric of our society is being rewoven, we ponder the issues of how to bring forth a free, safe and abundant world for all. As politics takes center stage, we wonder how to get clarity with so much chaos, fear, distraction, and polarization happening in our world today. Politics is the means of connection, interaction, and decision making for acting on this extraordinary task. What if we embrace this time of perturbation as a doorway to bringing forth a new context of living? What if we stand fast to trust and focus on the divine intention and purpose of our country, in living freedom and wellbeing for all. As we ask ourselves these questions, we can focus on… 1. Envisioning new possibilities. Changing beliefs and perspectives about the nature of politics. Shifting our thinking that politics is about competing for power, over-coming or succumbing. Asking the question what the nature of experiencing politics as a beneficial, dynamic and empowering way to serve our world is?   2. Creating a new story. Barbara Mark Hubbard, the author of Conscious Evolution, refers to this time in history as a birthing of a new humanity. A time of…

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