Mewing is a term that refers to a set of oral and facial exercises that are claimed to improve the appearance of the jawline and facial structure. The exercises involve making specific tongue and mouth movements that apply pressure to the bones in the face, which proponents claim can lead to changes in the shape of the jaw and other facial features over time. Mewing has gained popularity on social media and online communities, with many people sharing their experiences and results with the technique.
While some people report seeing improvement in their facial structure after practicing Mewing, there is limited scientific evidence to support these claims. Most of the research that has been done on Mewing has been conducted by dental and orthodontic experts, who caution that the exercises should only be performed under the supervision of a professional and may not be appropriate for everyone.
In conclusion, Mewing is an interesting and potentially useful technique that has gained popularity in recent years, but more research is needed to fully understand its effects and to determine its safety and efficacy. As with any form of exercise, it's important to consult with a healthcare professional before starting Mewing to ensure that it is safe and appropriate for you.
Saturday 4 February 2023
Tuesday 25 October 2022
Sunday 5 March 2017
Justin Timberlake Has a Message Any Young Fan Should Hear at the 2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards
Justin Timberlake has a message for his young fans this weekend.
While accepting his 2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards trophy for Song of the Year, the "Can't Stop the Feeling" addressed the theme behind his song.
"I wrote this song because I wanted it to be about inclusion, about being together," he explained to the audience. "And so I guess I want to take this opportunity to speak to young people right now because there's a lot of you looking at me."
What came next were a few words to those who feel "different."
Outrage at inclusion of gay character in film about woman-buffalo romance
The Disney film studio is in damage control this week, as news spreads that its live action remake of Beauty and the Beast may contain a gay subplot, in what is being described as a first and now a last for any high budget children’s film. Conservative pundits and cinemas alike are protesting the “unnatural” inclusion, with concerned parents asking how they are supposed to explain to their children that a film featuring a talking candle has a character who falls in love with another man.
“It’s just wrong to expose children to such material,” said one parent protesting outside a cinema this morning. “Why, if they see gay characters at such an impressionable age, they may grow up thinking gays are just regular people who are part of the rich tapestry of a society that we live in, and I hate to think what that could lead to. They may even grow up to be gay, and we all know that the lack of gay characters in children’s films is the only thing stopping people from being gay up until this point.”
Parents were also said to be outraged that Disney had taken the liberty of changing an existing well known storyline in an attempt to broaden its inclusiveness. “It’s an outrage that they’d think it’s okay to just go in an meddle with the story of a classic like this!” commented one concerned parent online. “When I go to see an adaptation of a film, I expect them to make the film exactly the same as the last time they made it. Why else would you remake a film if not to simply retell a story that’s already been told?”
However Disney has so far held its ground against the protesters, explaining that as a company Disney seeks to be welcoming and inclusive of all people no matter what their gender, race, or sexuality. “All walks of life are welcome in our films,” the company announced in a press release, “as long as they represent a large and cashed up demographic.”
Disney has also clarified that earlier reports of explicit homosexuality in the film were wrong. A spokesperson has explained that the line in questions was actually “Lumière loves the clock”, and had simply been misheard.
Read more at http://www.chaser.com.au/world/outrage-at-inclusion-of-gay-character-in-film-about-woman-buffalo-romance/#42yzKUkzkZ21qosF.99
Lawmakers stunned, baffled by Trump’s wiretap allegations
Lawmakers stunned, baffled by Trump’s wiretap allegations
Congressional Republicans were flummoxed Sunday by President Donald Trump's and his White House’s continued assertions — provided without evidence — that President Barack Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower during the 2016 presidential campaign.
A day after Trump made the charge, Hill Republicans were largely mute, and those who spoke out were perplexed at the source of Trump’s information, which the White House has yet to disclose.
Sen. Marco Rubio said Sunday he had seen “no evidence” to back up Trump’s wiretap claims. Rubio is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is investigating Trump’s ties to Russia and has received classified briefings on the issue.
“I'd imagine the president and the White House in the days to come will outline further what was behind that accusation,” the Florida Republican said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “The president put that out there, and now the White House will have to answer as to exactly what he was referring to.”
Rubio’s comments came a day after Nebraska GOP Sen. Ben Sasse, a longtime Trump critic, said Trump owed it to the public to share more details about his allegation. Other Republican lawmakers who have clashed with Trump made similar demands for more information.
“It would be more helpful if he turned over to the intelligence committee any evidence that he has,” said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, on CBS' "Face the Nation."
Trump suggested Saturday that “a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!” In a separate tweet, he wrote “Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!”
Trump’s allegations raised questions about whether federal authorities had obtained a legal warrant to tap Trump's or his associates’ calls, perhaps through the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which can authorize wiretaps against potential foreign spies. Those orders are typically classified, and Trump’s comments sent Washington scrambling to understand his allegations.
One lawmaker who did support his call for an investigation was Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), the head of the House intelligence panel. "The Committee will make inquiries into whether the government was conducting surveillance activities on any political party’s campaign officials or surrogates, and we will continue to investigate this issue if the evidence warrants it,” he said in a statement.
But otherwise, even some of Trump's strongest supporters were cautious about rushing to his defense.
On "Fox News Sunday," Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said he had no evidence that what Trump said was true: "It doesn't mean that none of these things have happened, just means I haven't seen them yet."
Part of the confusion stems from the fact that, according to GOP sources, the White House gave no advance notice to congressional Republicans that Trump would be raising the issue of wiretaps this weekend, leaving both sides scrambling to figure out what Trump was referring to and how to respond publicly.
Meanwhile, congressional Democrats said Trump’s flailing at his predecessor is a sign that he’s feeling squeezed by the federal investigation into his associates’ ties to Russia. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Trump’s charge, if proved false, is proof he “doesn’t know how to conduct himself.” And if it’s true, “it’s even worse,” because it means federal authorities saw a legal basis to authorize a wiretap, which requires a judge’s signoff.
“Either way … the president is in trouble,” Schumer said on “Meet the Press.”
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Trump’s allegation about Obama was a classic diversion tactic.
“This is called a wrap-up smear,” she said. “You make up something, then you have the press write about it, then you say everybody is writing about this charge. It’s the tool of an authoritarian, to just have you always be talking about what you want them to be talking about it.”
Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence panel, was also highly critical: "For a president of the United States to make such an incendiary charge — and one that discredits our democracy in the eyes of the world — is as destructive as it was baseless."
Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence panel, said Sunday that he’ll be visiting with intelligence officials this week for an “unprecedented” look at the intelligence behind allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and potential connections to Trump associates. The Virginia lawmaker added that he had seen no evidence — despite Trump’s claims — that federal officials had authorized a wiretap of Trump Tower, Trump’s campaign headquarters.
“We are early into this investigation,” he said, praising Republican colleagues on the committee like Rubio, Collins and Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt for cooperating with Democrats on the probe.
Warner’s comments followed a similar assertion by former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who said “I can deny” that there was any request by the FBI for a warrant to tap phones in Trump Tower.
"It's in everyone's interest — the current president's interest, Democrats' interest, Republicans' interest, the country's interest — to get to the bottom of all this, because it's such a distraction. Certainly the Russians have to be chortling at the success of their efforts to sow dissension in this country," he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Clapper added that he continues to believe that Russia meddled in the election on Trump's behalf, as U.S. intelligence agencies concluded in a declassified January report, but that "no evidence of collusion" between Moscow and Trump aides has been discovered.
Trump aides were caught Sunday defending the president’s accusation about Obama without any evidence to back them up. And they sought to shift the focus to Congress, by calling on the House and Senate intelligence committees — already probing potential Trump ties to Russia — to include an investigation of any illegal wiretapping by the Obama administration.
“I think what is necessary is Congress doing its job. Let them investigate,” said deputy White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in an interview on ABC’s “This Week.”
Sanders presented no evidence of any improper actions by the Obama administration, and she refused to repeat Trump’s explosive Saturday tweets accusing Obama of spying on him and his team. Pressed repeatedly by host Martha Raddatz, Sanders said Trump was merely wondering about illegal wiretapping — despite Trump declaring it as fact just a day earlier.
“I think he is going off of information that he’s seeing that has led him to believe this is a very real potential,” she said, adding, “He’s talking about: ‘Could this have happened?’”
Trump on Saturday said that Obama had tapped Trump Tower phones, despite no evidence of his predecessor’s involvement. His claim appeared to be based on right-wing media reports raising questions about whether Trump associates had been surveilled. On Sunday, the press secretary stated: "President Donald J. Trump is requesting that as part of their investigation into Russian activity, the congressional intelligence committees exercise their oversight authority to determine whether executive branch investigative powers were abused in 2016."
Obama White House spokesman Josh Earnest insisted Sunday that any wiretaps authorized against Trump or his associates arose only from legal law enforcement authority.
“The president of the United States does not have the authority to unilaterally order the wiretapping of an American citizen,” he said, noting that such taps are approved by judges based only on evidence in a criminal or counterintelligence investigation.
Earnest said the White House kept FBI investigations at arm’s length and didn’t attempt to “influence or dictate” how those probes were conducted.
The Trump administration’s call for Congress to investigate wiretaps targeting Trump or his associates comes as the House and Senate intelligence committees have already launched probes into whether top Trump allies had contacts with Russian officials during the 2016 campaign. Nunes has also emphasized that he intends to probe leaks of classified information that have made their way into media reports since the election.
The general consensus Sunday was that the controversy indicated that more light needs to be shined on Russian meddling in the election.
"It underscores the necessity, and indeed the inevitability, of an independent investigation," Tom Donilon, Obama's national security adviser from 2010 to 2013, told Fareed Zakaria on CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS."
Rebecca Morin contributed to this report.
Thursday 31 March 2016
Japan's top 10 culinary locations
Unesco recently added Japanese cuisine – known in as washoku – to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list. This puts it equal to French cuisine, the only other national culinary tradition to be so honoured. A journey around Japan reveals the wisdom of Unesco’s decision : every corner of the country boasts something special to eat or drink. Join our tour of Japan’s top 10 gourmet destinations to discover the many flavours of washoku.
Tokyo
For at least a century before Japan’s capital snagged more Michelin restaurant guide stars than any other city in the world, has been playing at the top of its food game. The dish that the world knows as sushi – tantalising cuts of raw fish draped across pads of vinegared rice – was invented here, where it's known as Edomae-zushi, after Edo, the old name for Tokyo. And where better to sample sushi than at the stalls within Tsukiji (www.tsukiji-market.or.jp). Hurry, though, as the famed fish market will move to a new location across Tokyo Bay in 2015.
Kyoto
A visit to Japan’s beguiling isn’t complete until you’ve treated yourself to kaiseki-ryōri, a multi-course banquet of seasonal delicacies that’s a feast for the eyes; try it at the 400-year-old restaurant Nakamura-rō in Gion. You can also dig into a vegetarian version of the banquet, known as shojin-ryōri at Izusen (http://kyoto-izusen.com), which faces on to a serene garden in the temple Daiji-in. The subtle mixture of tastes and textures and the artistry of presentation will linger long after you’ve cleared the exquisite lacquerware and china bowls in which the food is served.
Ōsaka
Takoyaki - octopus balls - is probably not what Unesco had in mind when it honoured washoku. But these unpretentious globes of seafood and veggies bound in batter are as emblematic of Japanese cuisine as sushi and ramen, and Ōsaka is where the recipe hails from. The nation’s second largest city is also famed for okonomiyaki, a batter pancake topped with meat, squid, shredded vegetables and garnished with sweet brown sauce, mayonnaise, powdered seaweed and wafer thin flakes of dried tuna. Head to the Dōtombori area of this food-crazy city to try these dishes.
Hakodate
Japan’s main northern island of is a gourmet destination in its own right, famed for several different takes on the noodle dish ramen, as well as a lamb barbecue known as jingisukan (after Genghis Khan, a reference to the Mongolian-warrior-helmet-like shape of the convex table grill on which the meal is prepared). But it’s fish and seafood that is special here, particularly crab and salmon. At ’s atmospheric morning fish market, the Asa-ichi (www.hakodate-asaichi.com), spoil yourself with bowls of noodles or rice topped with cuts of super fresh seafood.
Nagoya
Unagi (grilled eel) is one of the most delicious of dishes in washoku’s repertoire, and Nagoya is the place to try it. Atsuta Hōraiken (www.houraiken.com) is the city’s most famous restaurant forhitsumabushi, in which savoury sauce-basted strips of eel are eaten in three different ways: first in the traditional style atop a bed of rice; second with a sprinkling of dried seaweed, spring onion and wasabi (horseradish) paste; and third mixed in with soup.
Matsumoto
Soba noodles made from buckwheat are the pride of prefecture. In the attractive castle town of there are several famed vendors, such as Nomugi, where the handmade noodles have such a reputation that customers line up early to make sure they get a serving before it shuts at 2pm or the shop sells out. More adventurous epicureans may want to sample basashi – thin slices of raw horsemeat – served at Kura (www.mcci.or.jp/www/kura), a restaurant in a replica of a traditional storehouse.
Takayama
Another Central Japan destination favoured by foodies is this known for its sake breweries. Sansai-ryōri – dishes made from local mountain vegetables, ferns and wild plants – are among the meals to try along with hoba miso – vegetables or beef mixed with miso paste and roasted on a magnolia leaf above a small charcoal brazier. These dishes are served at the family-run Suzuya, which also specialises in the premium local beef Hida-gyū.
Fukuoka
Fugu (blowfish) is one of the speciality foods of the main city of the southern island of – the potentially poisonous fish is best sampled during the winter. But great at any time of year is a steaming bowl of tonkotsu ramen, a rich pork broth noodle dish also known asHakata ramen. The best places to slurp these nourishing noodles are atyatai; these street stalls are dotted all over Fukuoka, but the greatest concentration is at the intersection of Tenjin Nishi-dōri and Shōwa-dōri on Nakasu Island.
Takamatsu
Sanuki udon – chunky white wheat noodles – are associated with this city on the north coast of Shikoku, Japan’s fourth main island. They are traditionally served plain to be dipped in a separate flask of stock that you can flavour with condiments such as wasabi. A great place to try them is Waraya, a restaurant set in a thatched-roof farmhouse, a short journey outside Takamatsu, next to Shikoku Mura, a park of traditional architecture.
Naha
The far southern islands of prefecture are home to Japan’s highest percentage of centenarians, testament in part to the health properties of the local Ryūkū-ryōri cuisine. All part of the pig are used in cooking here, from tibichi (trotters) to mimi (ears) and, as you’d expect, seafood is also key to culinary mix. Tuck into dishes made from these ingredients at the stalls above the lively food market Dai-Ichi Kōsetsu Makishi Ichiba in the Okinawan capital of Naha.
