Two young designers pay homage to the surrealist with a new collaboration at “Opening Ceremony”. Opening Ceremony is one of the fashion world’s holy grails – a cult destination shop on a par with 10 Corso Como in Milan, Colette in Paris and Dover Street Market in London, with branches in LA and Tokyo.
Humberto Leon and Carol Lim had their heads in the clouds for their new collaboration with the Magritte Foundation. The duo’s favorite paintings by the surrealist adorn clothing of their own design, as well as shoes by Vans, Birkenstock, and Manolo Blanik.
“Opening Ceremony is featuring all things Belgium this year, so it was the perfect moment to celebrate the world of René Magritte,” say the designers. “We’re lifelong fans.”
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Opening Ceremony was founded in 2002 by two friends from UC Berkeley, Carol Lim and Humberto Leon, as a place to share their passions for travel, art, and fashion. Inspired by a trip to Hong Kong, the two decided to leave their jobs in corporate fashion to realize their unique dream. What began as a single store on a quiet street in downtown New York is now a global community with outposts in New York, London, and Los Angeles, a department store in Tokyo, a wholesale showroom, an in-house clothing line, a blog, an e-commerce site, a TV channel, and an annual magazine.
Do you ever throw food away prematurely? The packaging tells you it’s time to chuck it, but it still seems okay.
Confusion over food dating has led 91 percent of us to throw food away too soon according to a 2013 report from Harvard Law School and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Some foods can stay fresh well past their “expiration” dates. Here, SIX ITEMS YOU SHOULD NOT BE SO QUICK TO TOSS.
Eggs: Pay no attention to the SELL BY date on your carton – it’s meant to help retailers manage turnover and is not a measure of freshness. Eggs should keep for three to five weeks in the refrigerator.
Cereal/Granola: Boxes typically come printed with a BEST BEFOREdate, but it’s a conservative estimate set by manufacturers for peak quality. Those Cheerios can stay fresh for up to three months if you refold the inner bag tightly. I make my own granola and it keeps (if I don’t eat it beforehand) placed in a glass container in the fridge for a few months without compromising the quality or taste.
Apples: Store your favorite reds in the fridge (place them in a plastic bag; poke a few holes to allow air to circulate), and they’ll still be good to eat three weeks later.
Deli Meat: you can keep unopened packages of sandwich meat in your fridge for two weeks – even if the SELL BY date has come and gone.
Bread: ignore the BESTby or SELL BY date. Placing your loaf in the fridge can extend freshness by two weeks. I end up freezing mine and taking out what I need which can extend the life for a few months.
Milk/Cream – if you buy it in a glass bottle instead of a carton the life can be extended for at least one more week.
Also, a good way not to waste food is to not buy too much at once….but we already know that.
Marilou Bio is a French manufacturer of certified organic and natural cosmetics.
I was given some with Argan oil to try. Sometimes your skin is extra sensitive or needs a break in between using other products. I had these sitting on my shelf for weeks before giving them a try. They have a lovely smell, the packaging is cute and the prices affordable. They soak into the skin very nicely, are neither too rich nor too light so I would recommend them even though they are not easily available here in Canada.
Product Features :
For anyone who thought argan oil was strictly for moisturizing, think again. Its antioxidants help to restore skin that’s seen better days, improving elasticity, firmness and complexion through intense hydration. Known by the Moroccan Berber community as the “Tree of Life“, the Argan tree has supported the people of these arid regions and their livestock for centuries.
Ingredients:Argan oil (rich in fatty acids, vitamin E, squalene, sterols and polyphenols), Shea butter, and Beech extract.
Organic Argan Oil:Contains anti-aging properties; firming and regenerating effects thanks to the moisturizing powers. This product will help provide a more youthful look and more intensely radiant looking skin.
Based in Magog, Quebec – Neolistic Trade is an ecological and organic certified products importer – distributor & exporting agency with a great reputation for providing premium quality products and exceptional customer service.
Neolistic is devoted to holistic, non-toxic, and natural alternatives to human health.
by now you should be familiar with these luxury hair care products by Moroccanoil
Food trucks are becoming increasingly trendy on the streets of Vancouver. This was evident last Sunday (for Father’s Day) when 20 blocks were closed to traffic on Main street for Car Free Day.
Store “FRONT” window
I couldn’t believe the amount of trucks with their ethnic diversity on every block considering how many varieties of restaurants there already are on Main.
What would a street festival be like without Cotton Candy? Soooo cute!
And, like many other cities right now we’re not talking hotdog & philly cheesesteak Okay, maybe a grilled cheese but most of these provide culinary quality and some of their prices match that of going to an actual restaurant. Here are some of my photos of the ROW’s.
Vij’s IndianZe French FoodHave you ever tried Korean tacos?
Lebanese
No shortage of food
AsianWest Coast
…restaurants, street vendors and food trucks (even some of the restaurants have their own food trucks).
In tango, heaven is found through the simple gift of grace.
IN MEMORY of my dear friend and dancing buddy Jon who loved Tango so much. He will be greatly missed especially by all the women dancers and his daughter whose name happens to be Grace. He was a kind and gentle man – a true gentleman.
PiazzollaAstor Piazzolla – a major influence
Mesmerizing, sensual and intimate are just a few words you might use to describe the Tango. A dance of romance and passion, it is among the most famous genres of dance in the world and is currently enjoying a massive renaissance throughout much of Europe, South America and the USA.
In Argentina, its spiritual home, the tango is a way of life and considered as important as the samba is to Brazil or bangra dancing is to India. Music is absolutely key, essential, absolutely impossible to separate from the dance itself. It’s not just some initial inspiration; the intricacies and interplay within the music itself are the whole lifeblood of the dance.
Argentine Tango – some history: There is none. But really, The origins of Tango are obscure. There are many theories, each with its passionate advocates, but ultimately it is impossible to discover the facts because the records don’t exist. Tango sprang from the poor and the disadvantaged, in tenement blocks and on street corners, amongst people whose lives usually leave little trace in the history books. Nevertheless, we owe a great debt to the many dancers and musicians who gave shape to the Tango, though we shall never know their names. Well we do know one:
Astor Piazzolla (March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) – “In my head I had Bach and Schumann and Mozart and very little tango.”
A LEGEND:
Astor Piazzolla is best known for being the father and inventor of Tango Nuevo – a revolutionary new genre in which jazz rhythms and classical music were infused into tango. Tango Nuevo, at first, was strongly rejected in his home country Argentina, but eventually was appreciated and celebrated for the genius it was throughout the world. I happen to love Tango Nuevo the best of all the tango music.
So often music can reach much farther than any words.
Adiòs Nonino, was composed by Astor Piazzola in 1959 after his father’s death, Vicente (Nonino) Piazzolla. Monica (one of our best local tangueras) posted this one on Jon’s Facebook page.
“My first bandoneón was a gift from my father when I was eight years old. He brought it covered in a box, and I got very happy because I thought it was the roller skates I had asked for so many times. It was a letdown because instead of a pair of skates, I found an artifact I had never seen before in my life. Dad sat down, set it on my legs, and told me, ‘Astor, this is the instrument of tango. I want you to learn it.’ My first reaction was anger. Tango was that music he listened to almost every night after coming home from work. I didn’t like it.”
“To give pleasure to the old man, I clumsily tried to learn, and I was dreadfully bad” (He got better).
Of course tango is a major influence on young Piazzolla, but one must be aware that he is much more multi-faceted than that. His dad said “If you want to change the tango, you had better learn boxing, or some other martial art.”
Whilst in New York his father buys him boxing gloves and Astor decided he wants to be a boxer no less! But this “career” is sharply curtailed after losing in matches against friends Rocky Graziano and Jake La Motta. However what Piazzolla takes from this is a resilience to endure the hard and very critical world of music.
Piazzolla meets Gardel (another Legend)
They say timing is everything! It is 1933, Astor is now 12, when his father – who is a huge Carlos Gardel fan – realizes that the icon is in town. Vicente has the crazy idea to make a wood carving to pay him tribute, and asks Astor to take it to Gardel. When Astor reaches the building where Gardel is living, who does he happen to run into, but Gardel’s musical assistant Alberto Castellano, who is looking lost.
Castellano has a small disaster on his hands – a most fortuitous one for Astor! He has left his key inside the room; but our youthful Piazzolla volunteers to climb the fire escape into the penthouse, through a window, to wake the sleeping Gardel. Inside Astor mistakes the sleeping lyricist Alfredo Le Pera for Gardel and wakes him. Le Pera reacts aggressively until he realizes Astor is a boy and not a thief. Eventually, Gardel is found, who accepts the present and even gives him a signed photograph.
One thing leads to another – Gardel and the Piazzollas became good friends, enjoying the cuisine and Latin musicians that meet in the Piazzolla household, allowing Gardel to feel nostalgic for Argentina. Eventually Gardel, because of his poor English, hires Astor as his interpreter; and after seeing his musical ability, also uses him as a bandoneón player, though only in private functions. Piazzolla takes part in Gardel’s movie El Dia Que me Quieras – who according to biographers was Gardel’s favorite – playing a brief part as a newspaper boy, for $25. Piazzolla considers this movie monumental to his life.
Gardel even offers Piazzolla to accompany him in his world tour as an assistant – but Astor’s father refuses this given the fact that Astor is only a boy of 14. This is a very fortunate refusal, for Astor is replaced by Jose Corpas Moreno, who along with Gardel is killed in the plane crash of 1935, on this tour. Timing, again.
There’s so much more but I will close with this quote from Piazolla:
“I learned the tricks of the tangeros, those intuitive tricks that helped me later on. I couldn’t define them technically; they are forms of playing, forms of feeling; it’s something that comes from inside, spontaneously.”
“Satisfaction of one’s curiosity is one of the greatest sources of happiness in life” – Dr. Linus Pauling
Funny the way life works sometimes. I was reading W. Gifford-Jones MD “a collection of columns” from his book “What I Learned as a Medical Journalist which I find fascinating by the way….when I realized I was out of Vitamin C. I was also feeling under the weather and it was suggested to me that I try out a brand new product – a powder with a high concentration of Vitamin C and L-Lysine called Medi-C Plus. It sounded pretty good so I’m trying it out when I then realize that the Harvard Medical graduate’s name is on the bottle. So now I’m even more curious to know more about this product.In a revolutionary finding, based on scientific fact that should have hit the headlines of every newspaper in the world, he says this powder can both prevent and reverse atherosclerosis in coronary and other arteries to prevent heart attack – a number one killer.
I just needed Vitamin C but while we’re at it…..
“If I had the power to improve the nation’s health I’d prohibit daily TV commercials that tell us that something is wrong with us. I’d do this because Madison Avenue advertising is triggering false hopes and injuring health. We’ve reached a point where a well person is someone who hasn’t been seen by enough doctors, or had a battery of tests done. Then we could dump half of the pills in the trash.” – W. Gifford-Jones, MD (with a twist).
A condensed EXCERPT from the book: How Vitamin C and Lysine Powder can help prevent Heart Attack.
Many years ago, Dr. Linus Pauling, two-time Noble Prize winner, is ignored for reporting that large amounts of Vitamin C and Lysine are needed to prevent coronary attacks. Twenty-five years ago, Pauling reported that animals make Vitamin C while humans do not. That’s why sailors died of scurvy during long sea voyages, but the ship’s cat survived.
Vitamin C is required to manufacture healthy collagen, the glue that holds coronary cells together, just like mortar is needed for bricks. Lysine, like steel rods in concrete, makes collagen stronger. Pauling claimed that it takes a mere 10 milligrams to prevent scurvy, but several thousand to prevent heart attack.
But to take large doses of Vitamin C and Lysine requires swallowing many pills daily. It’s a tall order for those who dislike swallowing even one pill. So for several years, Gifford-Jones had been trying to find a company that would manufacture a combination of Vitamin C and Lysine powder. Now Medi-C Plus is available at health food stores.
It’s easy because the dosage for the Medi-C Plus combination is easy – one flat scoop with breakfast and the evening meal, with either water or orange juice. The only thing you can’t take it with is *Grapefruit juice.
The berry flavour doesn’t taste bad at all. I read labels – it is naturally sweetened with berry and stevia. The scoop inside is not so large that you feel you won’t go through it so quickly which is another plus factor. Helps in collagen formation, developing & maintaining bones and for teeth and gums. Nothing not to like – I’M IN! This may be my new “for life” product.
*Grapefruit juice and fresh grapefruit can interfere with the action of some prescription drugs, as well as a few non-prescription drugs. Grapefruit most commonly interacts with drugs taken for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression, anxiety, allergies, HIV, impotence, and seizures. If you’re taking medication for any of these conditions, avoid grapefruit as a snack or juice. To be on the safe side, also stay away from tangelos, which are a hybrid of tangerine and grapefruit.
**Don’t miss listening to “Transforming Health” with host Brad Kingfor the most evocative and informative up-to-the-minute interviews with leading health professionals – Live every Wednesday @ 12PM-PST/3PM-EST on VoiceAmerica.com – #1 internet radio station in North America. Here’s the link: http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1686/transforming-health
Humberto Leon and Carol Lim had their heads in the clouds for their new collaboration with the Magritte Foundation. The duo’s favorite paintings by the surrealist adorn clothing of their own design, as well as shoes by Vans, Birkenstock, and Manolo Blanik.
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