Japan old pics

A torii gate stands over the streets of Yenoshima.

Circa 1880-1890.New York Public Library

2 of 51

A thick bamboo grove towers above the heads of a band of travelers.

Kyoto. Circa 1880-1890.New York Public Library

3 of 51

A Buddhist warrior monk, wearing his clerical robes over his armor.

Tokyo. 1895.Wikimedia Commons

https://allthatsinteresting.com/imperial-japan?utm_campaign=twitterpdult&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social#3

A Buddhist warrior monk, wearing his clerical robes over his armor.

Tokyo. 1895.

Wikimedia Commons







Link: https://allthatsinteresting.com/imperial-japan?utm_campaign=twitterpdult&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social#3

Renée Flemming: Franz Schubert - Three Songs for Orchestra and Soprano (...

Renée Flemming: Franz Schubert - Three Songs for Orchestra and Soprano 

https://youtu.be/YP1HS1_ZCLk

Wynton Marsalis Eric Clapton Taj Mahal Just A Closer Walk With Thee

  

Wynton Marsalis  Eric Clapton Taj Mahal 

 Just A Closer Walk With Thee 

Link: https://youtu.be/q5krFNUMQHI

Odetta - Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child

  

Odetta - Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child

https://youtu.be/ZXg9UFUXFXU

i shall not be moved - Mississippi John Hurt

  

I shall not be moved - Mississippi John Hurt

https://youtu.be/tLc8YeXP8FY

Big Mama Thornton 1970 - This Train

  

Big Mama Thornton 1970 

https://youtu.be/IJlBo5KJ3b4

Odetta - Battle Hymn Of The Republic

Odetta - Battle Hymn Of The Republic

https://youtu.be/4VsE9T4Sr30

Solidarity Forever (Pete Seeger)

  

Solidarity Forever (Pete Seeger)

The More Things Change, The More They Remain The Same. 

(The phrase was coined by French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, “plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.)

Link: https://youtu.be/pCnEAH5wCzo

Odetta All the Pretty Little Horses

   

Odetta All the Pretty Little Horses

https://youtu.be/C7QXidR_Aks

Review: Kathleen Battle Returns to the Met After 22 Years. It Was Worth the Wait.

Kathleen Battle, center, performing a concert of spirituals at the Metropolitan Opera.Credit...Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera



Review: Kathleen Battle Returns to the Met After 22 Years. It Was Worth the Wait.

By Anthony Tommasini
Nov. 14, 2016








After the bitterness of the soprano Kathleen Battle’s rift with the Metropolitan Opera in 1994, it looked as if she would never return to the company’s stage. That year, Joseph Volpe, then the Met’s general manager, in an extraordinarily blunt statement, dismissed her from a production of Donizetti’s “La Fille du Régiment” for “unprofessional actions” during rehearsals that were “profoundly detrimental” to artistic collaborations among cast members. She was dropped from the Met’s roster for good, it seemed.

But on Sunday, at the invitation of the current general manager, Peter Gelb, Ms. Battle was back, not for an opera production (soon after that 1994 incident she turned her attention to recitals) but for a special concert program she has been presenting in various cities in recent years, titled “Kathleen Battle: Underground Railroad — A Spiritual Journey.” The house was sold out. Audience members who had waited 22 years to hear her at the Met had to wait a little longer on Sunday, because the concert started 40 minutes late. It was worth the delay.

Performing with an impressive choir called Voices of the Underground Railroad, two fine pianists and some special guests (including Wynton Marsalis), Ms. Battle, 68, sang with remarkable freshness and beauty. Even at the height of her operatic career, her voice was a light lyric soprano, ideal for roles like Strauss’s Sophie and Mozart’s Susanna. Yet during those years she sang with such focus and bloom that her sound had penetrating richness and radiant presence.




For much of this recital on Sunday her singing had these same special qualities. There were some breathy passages and slight signs of strain. But for the most part she sounded wonderful, especially in her lovely high range. In the spirituals “Lord, How Come Me Here?” and “Let Us Break Bread Together,” among many others, she sent high phrases soaring and sang with ethereal elegance.

Ms. Battle and Luciano Pavarotti in Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore” at the Met in 1991.Credit...via Metropolitan Opera Archive

https://youtu.be/msSyBPLe4xs



Her dismissal from the Met was arguably justified by well-reported instances of disruptive and petulant behavior. She had similarly strained relationships with other companies. Yet, during this recital I kept thinking about what a sad loss her absence has been to opera lovers in New York and around the world.

When this concert was announced in April, Ms. Battle said that the program “brings together my musical background and my cultural heritage.” Born in Portsmouth, Ohio, the youngest of seven children, she became active as a child in the music of her African Methodist Episcopal church. After her training at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, she began teaching music in grade school. But she was discovered by the conductor Thomas Schippers, who brought her to the attention of James Levine, who became a dedicated mentor.

These spirituals clearly touch her deeply. The focus of the program was the Underground Railroad, the secret network of “conductors” and “pilots” who, at enormous risk, helped thousands of slaves in the South find safe havens and nighttime routes to freedom in the North. Interspersed between the performances of two dozen spirituals by Ms. Battle and the 34-voice choir (conducted by Stephanie Fisher and Rachel Blackburn), there were readings by Jussie Smollett (who acted as narrator) and some choir members of words by Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights giants. The great actress Cicely Tyson, 91, riveted the audience with an excerpt from a speech by the slave-born abolitionist Sojourner Truth.

The jazz-infused arrangements of the spirituals were played vibrantly by the stylish pianist Joel A. Martin and, in some pieces, the pianist Cyrus Chestnut. Though many arrangements gave solo opportunities to outstanding singers from the choir, Ms. Battle, of course, was the star. I was especially moved by the spirituals when she sang with just the piano, like “City Called Heaven,” in which she conveyed a poignant mix of longing for the promised city, sadness and childlike innocence.


Ms. Battle remains a prima donna to her core. Her performances were sometimes marred by mannerisms and quirks. Like the schoolteacher she once was, she would hold up a hand to quiet down her pianist, or mouth words to the chorus or, in a couple of strange moments, direct silent gestures to people in the audience.

Muffling the Roar of the Crowd


But this long program, with five encores, was her day, her return. And, given that audiences at the Met are almost always overwhelmingly white, it was meaningful to see so many African-Americans in the house. The final standing ovation was tumultuous.





Review: Kathleen Battle Returns to the Met After 22 Years. It Was Worth the Wait. 

https://nyti.ms/2eTCVuv



https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/15/arts/music/kathleen-battle-returns-to-the-met-after-22-years-it-was-worth-the-wait.html


\

Jessye Norman + Kathleen Battle 'He's Got The Whole World In His Hand' ...

  

Link: https://youtu.be/NJJ3PlU-lKg

4 Tips to Quit Multitasking by @DariusForoux

4 Tips to Quit Multitasking

It’s messing with your brain — and your happiness

 by
@DariusForoux

Credit: Nattapol Poonpiriya / EyeEm/Getty

I’I’m going to take a guess: You’re doing something else right now in addition to reading this article. Maybe you’re in a meeting, or working on a proposal, or walking on a treadmill, or listening to your mom on the phone telling you what she had for dinner. The point is you’re multitasking.

And why wouldn’t you, when busyness has become such a badge of honor? When we’re led to believe that we need to be “doing” something at all times, why stop at one thing? Why not go for two things in a single moment, or even three? With all the pressure to be constantly productive, it’s easy to forget about all the studies telling us that multitasking isn’t effective. But there are plenty of them: Research has shown that multitasking reduces productivity (every time you switch between tasks, it takes up to nine minutes to refocus on the original task), increases the rate of errors, and may even damage your brain. The estimated global cost of multitasking is $450 billion a year. It’s also making us sad.

Let me ask you some questions:

Do you ever feel restless?

Do you feel the urge to grab your phone every five minutes (or even less)?

Do you find it difficult to focus on just one thing?

Do your relationships suffer from your “distracted” behavior?

If you answered yes to all four, you might be addicted to multitasking. I was, too. But once I became aware of my behavior, I made a concerted effort to change. Here are my tips for how to follow suit.

Pay attention

For next few days, make note of when you’re dealing with more than one task at the same time. Do you tend to multitask more at certain times of day? When you’re doing certain types of tasks? Figure out what your triggers are — without awareness, we can’t change our behavior.

Turn off notifications for your nonessential apps

To reduce the temptation to split my attention, I’ve turned off notifications on almost all the apps on my phone and computer. The exceptions include calls, messages, reminders, calendar alerts, notices from my banking app, and warnings from my security cam app. Everything else is off. I’ve gotten rid of notifications for group texts, email, social media, and news.

Check email at a few set times

Unless you work in customer service, it shouldn’t be a problem to keep your email closed throughout the day. Choose a few set times to check your messages so you’re not doing it throughout the day while working on other things.

Relocate if necessary

Too many offices are distracting. If you can’t focus where you work, reserve a conference room for a half-hour each day. If you can’t do that, request to work from home one or two days a week. Do what you can to get to a physical space where you can focus.

When you quit multitasking, your mind gets stronger, so try to see all these tips as exercise for your brain. You can do it — one task at a time. 

 

 

Link: https://forge.medium.com/4-tips-to-quit-multitasking-190fbed54572   

Canadians exposed to high levels of lead in drinking water, investigation finds

Canada

Canadians exposed to high levels of lead in drinking water, investigation finds

Levels exceed federal guidelines for hundreds of thousands
18% of test results exceed far laxer US standard 

 

Florabela Cunha fills a glass of water from her kitchen faucet in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada. Hundreds of thousands of Canadians have been unwittingly exposed to lead. Photograph: Mackenzie Lad/AP


Hundreds of thousands of Canadians have been unwittingly exposed to high levels of lead in their drinking water, according to an investigation that tested drinking water in hundreds of homes and reviewed thousands more previously undisclosed results.

Residents in some homes in Montreal and Regina, in the western prairies, are among those drinking and cooking with tap water with lead levels that exceed Canada’s federal guidelines. The investigation found some schools and daycare centers had lead levels so high that researchers noted it could harm children’s health.

A yearlong investigation by more than 120 journalists from nine universities and 10 media organizations, including the Associated Press and the Institute for Investigative Journalism at Concordia University in Montreal, collected test results that properly measure exposure to lead in 11 cities across Canada. Out of 12,000 tests since 2014, one-third – 33% – exceeded the national safety guideline of five parts per billion; 18% exceeded the US limit of 15 ppb.



Leona Peterson learned of the contamination in her water after journalists found excessively high lead levels in 21 of 25 homes tested in her small, north-west port town of Prince Rupert. Peterson, who lives in subsidized housing for Indigenous people, had water that registered at 15.6 ppb.

“I was drinking from the tap, directly from the tap, without any knowledge that there was lead in the water,” said Peterson.

The town of Prince Rupert is among more than a dozen communities along Canada’s wild west coast where residents – many of them Indigenous – are living in homes with ageing pipes, drinking corrosive rainwater that is likely to draw lead.

Some localities are taking action. Montreal’s mayor, Valérie Plante, vowed to test 100,000 homes for lead and speed up replacement of lead-lined pipes



FacebookTwitterPinterest Unearthed pipes lie on Vancouver’s East 12th Avenue, which is undergoing construction to replace a water main on 14 July 2019. Photograph: Mackenzie Lad/AP

“Because there is no federal oversight, everybody does what they want,” said engineering professor Michèle Prévost, who quit working on a government study of school drinking water in frustration over the lack of lead testing. “Most provinces ignore this very serious problem.”

The government’s approach to limiting lead in drinking water in Canada is starkly different from the US, where the Environmental Protection Agency sets legal standards, and every person is supposed to receive an annual Consumer Confidence Report from their water provider.

There is no similar, routine testing or notice in Canada, with the exception of Ontario, which posts results online.

In the US, even public water quality reports were not enough to prevent the Flint, Michigan drinking water crisis, brought on by a 2014 decision to temporarily pull water from a river as a cost saver while installing new pipelines.

The Flint crisis sparked congressional hearings, lawsuits and scrutiny of lead testing across the country. In Canada, where lawsuits are less frequent and provinces – not the federal government – set water safety rules, the main source of lead in drinking water is antiquated pipes. At one government hearing, an expert estimated some 500,000 lead service lines are still delivering water to people in the country.

Some cities, like Montreal, are already working to replace them. But homeowners are almost always responsible for paying the cost of replacing the section of pipe from their property lines to their homes.

Canada is one of the only developed countries that does not have a nationwide drinking water standard. Even countries that struggle to provide safe drinking water have established acceptable lead levels: India’s is 10 ppb, Mexico and Egypt’s are 5 ppb, according to those country’s government websites.







https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/04/canadians-high-lead-levels-drinking-water-investigation

Suboxone deficiency.

Suboxone deficiency.
















OPIOID AGONIST PROGRAM – suboxone
What is suboxone?

Suboxone is a combination pill, composed of both buprenorphine and naloxone. It is available in two strengths, 2 mg (buprenorphine) / 0.5 mg (naloxone) as well as 8 mg (buprenorphine / 2 mg naloxone).

In terms of a pharmacological therapy for opioid addiction, many consider suboxone to be the “new kid on the block”. It has been around for some time, both in the United States (where it is slowly surpassing methadone as the treatment of choice) and throughout Europe.
How is it taken?

Unlike methadone, suboxone comes in a pill form and is taken “sublingually”, meaning it is placed under the tongue to dissolve. The buprenorphine component is absorbed quite quickly by the generous bloodstream under the tongue. The naloxone portion, however, is not absorbed and remains in the mouth, either to be swallowed or spit out.
Why is the buprenorphine mixed with naloxone?

Naloxone is a very powerful opioid antagonist, meaning once taken, it will cause an abrupt and powerful withdrawal syndrome, characterized by nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle cramps, etc. However, for this to take place, the naloxone must enter the blood stream, usually by injection. Taken orally, as is the case with suboxone, the naloxone has no action. If swallowed, the medication does not get absorbed into the blood stream via the stomach or intestines. This is the reason the manufacturers combined naloxone with buprenorphine. Quite simply, it is to prevent people from crushing the tablets and injecting them.
What are the advantages of suboxone over that of methadone?

There are many reasons why suboxone may be the preferred form of therapy.
Less stigmatizing than methadone.
Can often get to a stabilized or maintenance dose within the first or second day.
Has a better safety profile (less likely to cause overdose, little to have no effect on heart rhythms).
May be easier to come off of than methadone.
Longer acting than methadone so may not require daily dosing.
Fewer side effects, such as constipation, than methadone.
What are the disadvantages of suboxone over that of methadone?
May not fully satisfy cravings or block withdrawal symptoms for those with high tolerances.
May be more costly if not covered by Ontario Drug Benefit Program.
Dose adjustments may be more difficult.
May cause a “PRECIPITATED WITHDRAWAL”.
What is Precipitated Withdrawal?

To fully understand what precipitated withdrawal is, some background information is needed.

In a pharmacological sense, suboxone is said to have “low intrinsic activity”. What this means is that once the molecule is attached to a receptor site on the brain, it does not activate or light up that receptor to the same extent most other opioids do, including methadone. You can think of it like a light switch. Where methadone is like turning the light on, suboxone is like a dimmer switch.

Suboxone is also said to have “high affinity”, meaning it is a very sticky molecule. Once attached to the receptor, it does not like to come off. This is one of the reasons it so long acting.

So what does this have to do with precipitating withdrawal? If an individual who takes suboxone for the first time also has recently taken any other opioid, the suboxone will be forced to compete with that other opioid for the receptor. Because of its “high affinity”, it often wins the battle and throws the other opioid off the receptor site, taking its place instead. This alone does not cause the precipitated withdrawal. Once suboxone is in the receptor its “lower intrinsic activity” does not light up the receptor to the same extent as the opioid that was just removed. This is what causes the withdrawal. It is “precipitous”, meaning it is a steep or abrupt onset to symptoms.

Bottom line, if you are planning on going onto suboxone, it is very important that you present for the first dose in a state of mild to moderate withdrawal. If you get the first dose while actively using other opiates, it was cause a severe withdrawal that is difficult to reverse for hours.
How long should I wait after my last dose before starting suboxone?

In general, most short acting opioids (like heroin, morphine, oxycodone) result in withdrawal symptoms starting about 6 hours after consumption. Long acting opioids (like methadone, oxycontin, etc) take much longer to leave the system. The question really comes down to how soon the individual feels mild to moderate symptoms kick in. These symptoms include yawning, sneezing, slight nausea, slight muscle cramping. They should not be severe symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea. Once a person has established how soon withdrawal symptoms kick in for their last use, adding on a few more hours usually does the trick. In general, for short acting opioids, most people should present in the morning, not having used anything else, including codeine, from at least the night before. For long acting opioids, sthe person may need to miss one or two full days.

Withdrawal is uncomfortable and often causes a lot of anxiety along with physical symptoms. It is important to note that even mild symptoms can often trigger much anxiety as it reminds the dependent of a time when withdrawal became severe. Be aware of this and remember that the mild to moderate symptoms you are experiencing will soon be alleviated.
Can suboxone be used during pregnancy?

The short answer is no. If you are pregnant, methadone would be a better choice. If you become pregnant while on suboxone, you can either switch to methadone or your physician can apply to Health Canada to get Subutex for you. This product is not commercially available le in Canada but can be accessed if needed. It is buprenorphine but without the naloxone portion. It has been shown to be a safe alternative to the combination product.









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Marcel Proust

 

"Love is a striking example of how little reality means to us."
   - Marcel Proust



Paul Holdengraber

@holdengraber
Following
Founding Executive Director, Onassis L.A. ("OLA") | Former Director
@livefromthenypl | Interviewer, Instigator, Curator of Public Curiosity | Also
@callfrompaul






Paul Holdengraber

@holdengraber






·

Analyze your mistakes. You've already paid the tuition, you might as well get the lesson. - Tim Fargo 





Physician burnout is now recognised as a global health-care predicament. In the USA, burnout affects more than half of practising physicians, with similar trends reported in other countries. NEW Editorial https://hubs.ly/H0lCk_Z0

  

Back before lots of med research was taken over by corp greed, legitimate scientists discovered diseases & then developed cures. Now days, corporate hacks create cures, then go find patients to have the disease. For example, CPPs who don’t yet know they have Suboxone deficiency.

Joe Turner - Greatest Hits [HQ Audio]

  

Big Joe Turner - Greatest Hits [HQ Audio] 

In 1938, Turner and Johnson went to New York City to perform in the From Spirituals to Swing concert at Carnegie Hall. This concert, organized by music producer John Hammond, played to spectacular success (the show was completely sold out). It briefly led to a national craze for boogie woogie.

voice and the unique character of his hometown's jazz scene to create a career that spanned decades.

Big Joe Turner: The Early Years

Joseph Vernon "Big Joe" Turner (1911-1985) was born in Kansas City, Missouri. As a young man, he worked as a bartender and singer to support his mother and sister. 

By happy coincidence, Turner grew up in Kansas City when it was a hotbed of jazz, with booming nightclubs, speakeasies and a plentiful all-night bar scene (yes, during Prohibition) fostered by a lax political culture and the city's location as a Midwestern crossroads. As reflected in the freewheeling atmosphere, the Kansas City jazz sound was distinct--more raucous and untamed, with shouting blues and energy to spare.

Boogie-Woogie and the Blues

In the early 1930s, Turner met pianist Pete Johnson, who played a mean boogie woogie, at the Backbiter's Club. Boogie woogie was a style of piano playing in which the left hand played a constant, steady background beat of eighth notes while the right hand offered variations of upbeat riffs on a melody.

Between serving drinks to patrons, Turner would sing, his big vocals filling the space. Eventually Johnson and Turner teamed up to popularize boogie woogie and shout blues (the singer performs without a microphone and shouts above the band) in the 1930s. They performed regularly at the Sunset Club in Kansas City. Turner also sang with the big bands when they came to town, and he became skilled in switching between musical styles.

Turner was a big man. Even as a teen he could slip into clubs because he appeared older than his years. With his deep, booming voice, he could outshout anyone without a microphone while still being musical. It gained him the nickname "Boss of the Blues."

To New York and Stardom

In 1938, Turner and Johnson went to New York City to perform in the From Spirituals to Swing concert at Carnegie Hall. This concert, organized by music producer John Hammond, played to spectacular success (the show was completely sold out). It briefly led to a national craze for boogie woogie.

Turner moved to Los Angeles in 1941. He recorded songs, including "Doggin' the Blues" and "Sunday Morning Blues," and he appeared in several movies. His first big rhythm and blues, or R&B, hit came out in 1945: "My Gal's a Jockey." Some of Turner's songs were racy and filled with references to sex, so not all radio stations played them.

https://study.com/academy/lesson/big-joe-turner-biography-songs.html

Link: https://youtu.be/1Nrihm7AuhE

Ashley Callingbull - REDx Talks Preview.

Currently holding the crown of Mrs. Universe. Ashley has been commended for leveraging her title to advocate for missing and murdered Aboriginal women and Indigenous rights. Ashely shares her story and continues to inspire people around the world.

Link:  https://youtu.be/c8hDvnOjNiw

Ashley Callingbull - REDx Talks Preview.

Currently holding the crown of Mrs. Universe. Ashley has been commended for leveraging her title to advocate for missing and murdered Aboriginal women and Indigenous rights. Ashely shares her story and continues to inspire people around the world.

Link:  https://youtu.be/c8hDvnOjNiw