text:
A radical group called ShutDownDC is circulating a strategy of what committed activists should do if President Donald Trump wins a closely-contested election on November 3rd. The activists format their call for mass "disruption" as a guidebook of what to do if Trump attempts to stay in power after being voted out of office, but you don't have to read too far between the lines to see it for what it really is: A guide to mass protests and even revolution to be set off in the eventuality that Trump actually wins the election.
It should also be noted that there appears to be no acknowledgement in the virtual document that the president does not abdicate office the day after the election, regardless of which way the vote goes.
"Preventing Donald Trump from stealing the election and remaining in office is likely to take mass, sustained disruptive movements all over the country," the group advised.
In the document, ShutdownDC explains that activists must target power structures in order to preserve democracy.
"In the context of a coup or highly contested election we need to be clear that our actions must directly affect the structures and pillars of power," they write. "Our largest asset in this regard utilizes the ideas of non-compliance through massive, broad based direct action. Where we can, we need to be in the streets, on the highways, or at the sites of power and power holders. In our jobs and lives we must refuse to allow those taking control the legitimacy of the power they seek through strikes, slowdowns, and boycotts, and public refusal to accept an illegitimate ruling party."
Can we take a moment to appreciate how these radicals see a "coup" and a "highly contested election" as basically the same thing?
It's almost as good as this part: "Trump may try to declare himself the victor before the votes are counted, or Fox News might call the race. Those who can should be prepared to take action against those who are feeding into the stolen election narrative, including social media companies that are letting falsehoods or incitements to violence spread."
Uh-huh. So if Fox News – a cable network that has never been accused of anything but fairly projecting election results – calls it for Trump on the night of the election, these imbeciles are going to take to the streets? That doesn't sound like a group preparing to stop a coup. It sounds like a group intending to unleash one.
"We cannot wait to see how the chips fall. That will only ensure more power for the violent white supremacist machine that is the Trump administration and its supporters," the group says. "We want to be clear here, though: we are not a group of Biden supporters. This is not about ensuring that the Democrats win, but actually preparing for the possibility that white supremacist violence will continue."
Dozens of cities in flames this year because of Black Lives Matter and Antifa, but we need to be concerned about the "violent white supremacist machine"? How fascinating.
We've known for a long time that the left is not going to take a Trump victory well. Now we see the first stirrings of the rebellion they have planned.


text:
Sleeping under weight can provide a beneficial calming and relaxing effect, helping to reduce anxiety and give you a calmer night's sleep.
Deep Pressure Therapy evenly distributes a gentle weight and pressure on the body to mimic the sensation of being swaddled.
The weight stimulates the production of serotonin (happiness hormone), reduces cortisol (stress hormone) and increases melatonin (sleep hormone).
So you can focus less on falling asleep, and more on what your dreams are telling you.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Altered expression of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) has been implicated in a variety of chronic inflammatory conditions, including atherosclerosis. Regulation of adhesion molecule expression by specific redox-sensitive mechanisms has been reported. Additionally, it has been observed that the extract of Aronia melanocarpa (A. Melanocarpa) fruits, rich in polyphenols, exhibits potent anti-oxidant properties and displays cardioprotective activity.
Methods and results
Human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) were pretreated with various concentrations (primarily 50 μg/mL) of Aronia Melanocarpa fruit extract prior to treatment with TNFα (10 ng/mL) for various periods of time. The surface protein and mRNA expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 were determined using flow cytometry and real-time RT-PCR, respectively. Adhesion of peripheral blood mononuclear leucocytes (PBMLs) to TNFα-treated HAECs was evaluated by an adhesion assay. Activation of NF-κB was evaluated by measuring NF-κB p65 phosphorylation using flow cytometry. ROS production was determined by reduction in fluorescent 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA). Tested A. Melanocarpa extract significantly inhibited the expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1, attenuated the phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 and decreased intracellular ROS production in TNFα-treated HAECs.
We conclude that A. Melanocarpa fruit extract exhibits anti-inflammatory effects in HAECs by inhibiting the expression of endothelial CAMs, activation of NF-κB and production of ROS.
Vascular inflammation is a primary event in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis [1]. Monocytes and lymphocytes dominate in the early atheromatous plaque, and their effector molecules accelerate plaque progression. Furthermore, inflammation can elicit acute coronary syndromes. The vascular inflammatory reaction is mediated by complex interactions between the circulating leucocytes and vascular cells (e.g., endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells). Vascular cells regulate the inflammatory process through the expression of adhesion molecules, cytokines, chemokines and growth factors. In healthy blood vessels, the endothelial cells do not adhere to the cellular constituents of the blood. Some adhesive interactions between circulating leucocytes and endothelial cells are modified by the expression of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs). Various adhesion molecules have been identified on endothelial cells, including intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) [2]. These molecules are up-regulated in the vascular endothelium in response to inflammatory stimuli, including pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumour necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and interleukin (IL)-1, which are commonly found in atherosclerotic lesions. Over-expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 is a common feature of the atherosclerotic process.
Regulation of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression occurs at the transcription level and is mediated, at least in part, by nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). This transcription factor plays an important role in the development of inflammatory responses by up-regulating the expression of many inflammatory mediators [3]. In non-stimulated cells, NF-κB is mostly present in association with its inhibitory molecules (IκB). Upon the stimulation of endothelial cells by inflammatory stimuli, IκB becomes phosphorylated, permitting NF-κB to translocate into the nucleus where it binds to the promoter regions of inflammatory target genes, including ICAM-1 and VCAM-1. Previous studies have indicated that this transcription factor may play an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. It has been suggested that NF-κB is a redox-sensitive transcription factor because reactive oxygen species (ROS) may regulate its activity [4].
Aronia Melanocarpa (also known as black chokeberry) is a shrub of the Rosaceae family and originates from North America [5]. The fruits of A. Melanocarpa have traditionally been used in North American folk medicine. In the 20th century, the chokeberry was introduced in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and has been cultivated there since then mainly for the production of juice, jam, wine and natural food colourants. Aronia Melanocarpa fruits have a greater content of phenolic constituents than most other blackberries. These include anthocyanins, procyanidins and phenolic acids [6, 7].
The high content and composition of the phenolic constituents of A. Melanocarpa seem to be responsible for the wide range of the fruit's potential medicinal and therapeutic effects. It has been demonstrated that chokeberry extract or juice possesses anti-oxidative, anti-viral, anti-mutagenic, anti-cancer hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, gastroprotective or anti-diabetic activities [5–8]. Most of the beneficial activity of A Melanocarpa products is probably due to the high anti-oxidative activity of their polyphenols, especially anthocyanins. Aronia berries possess the highest anti-oxidant capacity among berries and other fruits investigated to date.
Chokeberry fruit derivatives can also have a beneficial effect on several risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The lipid-lowering effect of Aronia fruit juice has been demonstrated in animal and human studies [9, 10]. In the animal model, chokeberry anthocyanins decrease lipid peroxidation [11]. Aronia products might be useful in the prevention and control of diabetes mellitus [12] and in the treatment of obesity disorders [13]. Moreover, chokeberry extract has been shown to reduce blood pressure in patients with metabolic syndrome [8] and in patients after myocardial infarction [14]. Other effects studied include enhanced reduction in levels of cardiovascular risk markers, such as oxy-LDL, CRP, IL-6, sICAM-1, sVCAM-1 or MCP-1, in patients after myocardial infarction [14, 15]. Anti-platelet effects [16] as well as vasoactive and vasoprotective properties in porcine coronary arteries have also been observed [17, 18]. In vitro studies have demonstrated that the A. Melanocarpa fruit extract inhibits 7β-hydroxycholesterol-induced apoptosis of endothelial cells [19].
In this study, we have examined the hypothesis that commercial extract from A. Melanocarpa fruits can inhibit the cytokine-induced endothelial adhesiveness to peripheral blood mononuclear leucocytes and the expression of adhesion molecules (ICAM-1 and VCAM-1) in endothelial cells. In addition, potential molecular mechanisms associated with such effects, including ROS production and NF-κB activation, were studied.
Materials and methods
EBM-2 basal medium, EGM-2 Bulletkit, foetal bovine serum (FBS), Hanks' balanced salt solution (HBSS), trypsin–EDTA and trypsin neutralising solution (TNS) were obtained from LONZA (Switzerland). 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), non-enzymatic cell dissociation solution, 2′,7′-bis-2-carboxyethyl-5-(and-6)-carboxyfluorescein acetoxymethyl ester (BCECF-AM), pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PTDC), ibuprofen and dexamethasone were provided by Sigma (St. Louis, MO, USA). Human recombinant TNFα, Phosflow Buffer I, Phosflow Perm Buffer III, phycoerythrin (PE)-labelled mouse antibody against human ICAM-1, VCAM-1, NF-κB p65 and IgG1 (isotype control) were all supplied by Becton Dickinson (San Diego, CA, USA). 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) was obtained from Molecular Probes and Ficoll-Paque from Pharmacia (Sweden). A commercial extract from A. Melanocarpa fruit (Aronox) was purchased from Agropharm SA (Poland). This extract contained approximately 53% of total polyphenols, including 23% of anthocyanins, 15% of procyanidins and 12% of phenolic acids (information supplied by the producer). Prior to use, the extract was dissolved in PBS containing 10% DMSO (10 mg/mL) and further diluted with culture medium. Dexamethasone and ibuprofen were dissolved in ethanol and stored at concentrations of 10 and 100 mmol/L, respectively. PDTC was dissolved in medium to a stock solution of 10 mmol/L. All reagents were maintained at −20 °C, and further dilutions with culture medium were prepared before use.
Cell culture and experimental conditions
Human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) were purchased from LONZA and cultured in the endothelial cell growth medium (EGM-2 Bulletkit = EBM-2 + growth supplements + 2% FBS) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Cells were maintained at 37 °C in 5% CO2 in a humidified atmosphere and were used for experiments between passages 3 and 4 (doubling population ≤ 10). When the HAECs reached confluence, they were rested for 5 h in EBM-2 basal medium supplemented with 10% FBS, and the cells were pretreated with the A. Melanocarpa extract (1, 10 or 50 μg/mL) for 2 h. The cells were then treated with TNFα (10 ng/mL) for the indicated period of time. Cell viability, as determined by trypan blue exclusion and MTT assay, were unchanged under all the experimental conditions used.
Measurement of adhesion molecule expression using flow cytometry
Resting HAECs in 12-well plates were pretreated with the indicated concentrations of A. Melanocarpa extract for 2 h and then treated with TNFα (10 ng/mL) for 16 h. The cells were then detached from the plate surface with a non-enzymatic cell dissociation solution, centrifuged and washed in PBS containing 1% FBS and resuspended in 100 μL of the labelling buffer. Subsequently, the cells were incubated in the dark for 1 h with PE-conjugated mouse anti-human ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 antibodies. For the isotype control, cells were treated with PE-conjugated mouse anti-IgG1 antibody. Next, the cells were washed with PBS and analysed (10,000 cells per sample) with a FACSCalibur flow cytometer (Becton Dickinson) using CellQuest Software. After correcting for non-specific binding using the isotype control, mean fluorescence intensity was measured as an indicator of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 surface protein expression.
Quantitative real-time RT-PCR for ICAM and VCAM mRNA analysis
Resting HAECs in 6-well plates were pretreated with A. Melanocarpa extract (50 μg/mL) for 2 h and then treated with TNFα (10 ng/mL) for 6 h. To determine the ICAM and VCAM mRNA levels, quantitative real-time RT-PCR was performed using a LightCycler system (ABI Prism ® 7000 Sequence Detection System, Version 1.1, Applied Biosystems). Total RNA was extracted from approximately 2 × 106 cells by the method of Chomczynski and Sacchi [20] using the TRIzol reagent (Invitrogen) and reverse transcribed using the High-Capacity cDNA Reverse Transcription Kit (Applied Biosystems). To amplify the target genes, appropriate primers were synthesised (Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Poland). The sequences of the forward and reverse primers were as follows: h-ICAM1F: 5′-CTCATCCGCGTGTGTGTGTG-3′; h-ICAM1R: 5′-GGAGGCTGAGGTGGGAGGAT-3′; h-VCAM1F: 5′-TGGGAAGATGGTCGTGATCC-3′; and h-VCAM1R: 5′-GCCTGTTGGTGCTGCAAGTC-3′. The β-actin gene was used as a reference (housekeeping) gene (forward primer, ActbF: 5′-TGAAGTGTGACGTTGACATCC-3′ and reverse primer, ActbR: 5′- GCCAGAGCAGTAATCTCCTTC-3′). Reaction mixtures (20 μL) consisted of SYBR® Green PCR Master Mix (Applied Biosystems), the forward and reverse primers and an aliquot of the reverse-transcribed samples (cDNA, 2 μL). Negative controls were tested in parallel. The relative mRNA levels of the studied genes were calculated by the comparative cycle threshold (CT) method (ABI Prism 7000 SDS Software, Version 1.1, Applied Biosystems). β-actin mRNA levels measured in the same RNA sample for the target CT normalisation were used to compute the relative gene expression ratio.
Cell adhesion assay
Peripheral blood mononuclear leucocytes (PBMLs) were isolated from the blood of healthy volunteers by density gradient centrifugation with Ficoll-Paque. The isolated mononuclear cells were resuspended in a serum-free medium and labelled with 10 μmol/L of BCECF-AM for 1 h at 37 °C. Non-fluorescent BCECF-AM is lipophilic, and its methylester is cleaved intracellularly and becomes a highly charged fluorescent BCECF that is retained by viable cells. After the labelling, cells were washed twice with PBS containing 5% FBS and resuspended in the EBM-2 medium at a density of 5 × 105 cells/mL. Resting HAECs in 24-well plates were pretreated with A. Melanocarpa extract (50 μg/mL) for 2 h and then incubated with TNFα (10 ng/mL) for 16 h. Fluorescently labelled PBMLs (2.5 × 105 cells/well) were then seeded over the HAEC monolayer and incubated for 1 h at 37 °C in 5% CO2. After the incubation, the mononuclear cell suspension was withdrawn, and the HAECs were washed twice with PBS to remove non-adherent cells. The fluorescence intensity of each well was measured with a fluorescence multi-well reader at excitation and emission wavelengths of 485 and 530 nm, respectively.
Measurement of NF-κB p65 phosphorylation
Optimal activation of NF-κB requires phosphorylation in the transactivation domain of p65. NK-κB p65 phosphorylation was determined using flow cytometry using a specific antibody that differentiates between the phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated version of a given protein, as described previously [21]. Resting HAECs cultured in 6-well plates were pretreated with A. Melanocarpa extract (50 μg/mL) for 2 h and then incubated with TNFα (10 ng/mL) for 45 min. The cells were then detached with a non-enzymatic cell dissociation solution and fixed with Phospho Fix Buffer I for 10 min at 37 °C. To stain intracellular phospho-p65, fixed cells were washed in PBS and permeabilised with Phospho Perm Buffer III on ice for 30 min. Next, cells were resuspended in 100 μL of staining buffer (1% FBS and PBS) and stained with PE-conjugated mouse antibody directed against human phospho-p65 for 2 h at room temperature in the dark. For the isotype control, cells were treated with PE-conjugated mouse anti-IgG2b κ antibody. The cells were then washed and analysed (10,000 cells per sample) with a FACSCalibur flow cytometer (Becton Dickinson) using CellQuest Software. After correcting for non-specific binding using the isotype control, the mean fluorescence intensity was measured.
Detection of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation
2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) was used to estimate the intracellular generation of ROS. The dye is a non-polar compound that readily penetrates cells. Intracellular peroxides, mainly H2O2, oxidise DCFH-DA to a highly fluorescent compound (2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein (DCF)). Resting HAECs cultured in 24-well plates were pretreated with A. Melanocarpa extract at the indicated concentrations for 2 h and incubated with 50 μmol/L of DCFH-DA in HBSS for 50 min. Next, cells were washed twice with PBS and incubated with TNFα (10 ng/mL) for 1 h, and the plates were then read on a fluorescence plate reader at excitation and emission wavelengths of 485 and 530 nm, respectively. Data were expressed as percentages of control values (DCF fluorescence of wells without A. Melanocarpa extract/TNFα treatment).
Statistical analysis
Results are expressed as means ± SD from the indicated number of experiments. Comparisons were made using the Student's t test. Differences between the experimental groups were considered to be statistically significant at p < 0.05.
A. Melanocarpa fruit extract inhibits TNFα-stimulated ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression in HAECs as well as leucocyte adhesion
As cell adhesion molecules on endothelial cells mediate leucocyte adhesion to the endothelium during inflammation, we investigated the effects of A. Melanocarpa extract on TNFα-induced ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression. Our flow cytometry results demonstrated that resting HAECs exhibited low levels of surface ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 (Fig. 1). As per previous studies, the treatment of HAECs with TNFα to mimic inflammatory conditions induced higher than a 10-fold increase in ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 surface expression. Pretreatment with chokeberry extract significantly suppressed the TNFα-stimulated expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 in a dose-dependent manner: at 50 μg/mL, chokeberry extract reduced the levels of expression by about 35 and 45%, respectively. Treatment of HAEC with A. Melanocarpa extract alone had no effect on constitutively expressed levels of ICAM-1 or VCAM-1.
To understand the mechanism responsible for the inhibition of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 by A. Melanocarpa extract, we examined whether this extract blocks TNFα-induced ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 mRNA levels. As shown in Fig. 2, stimulation with TNFα led to a marked increase in ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 mRNA levels in HAECs. Pretreatment with 50 μg/mL chokeberry extract caused a significant decrease in ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 mRNA expression (about 57 and 60%, respectively) as compared to TNFα-treated HAECs. These results indicate that A. Melanocarpa fruit extract inhibits the transcription of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 genes.
We checked the functional importance of the inhibitory properties of chokeberry fruit extract for the TNFα-induced expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 by investigating the adhesion of freshly isolated PBMLs to HAECs. Control HAECs showed minimal binding to PBMLs, but treatment with TNFα led to an approximately fourfold increase in adhesion (Fig. 3). Pretreatment with A. Melanocarpa fruit extract (50 μg/mL) significantly reduced the adhesion (about 42%) of PBMLs to TNFα-stimulated HAECs.
A. melanocarpa fruit extract attenuates the phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 in TNFα-stimulated HAECs
NF-κB is a potent pro-inflammatory transcription factor, and activation of NF-κB is a central event in the inflammatory response. Optimal activation of NF-κB requires the phosphorylation of p65. Therefore, to examine whether the inhibitory effect of chokeberry fruit extract on the TNFα-induced expression of adhesion molecules is mediated by this transcription factor, we measured the phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 using flow cytometry. Incubation of HAECs with TNFα for 45 min induced the phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 (Fig. 4). Pretreatment with 50 μg/mL A. Melanocarpa fruit extract significantly attenuated the phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 in TNFα-stimulated HAECs.
A. Melanocarpa fruit extract inhibits intracellular ROS production
ROS produced by various stimuli contribute to the intracellular signalling pathways associated with the inflammatory response, including NF-κB activation [4]. As tested chokeberry fruit extract inhibited TNFα-induced NF-κB activation, we therefore examined the effect of A. Melanocarpa fruit extract on TNFα-stimulated ROS production in HAECs. As shown in Fig. 5, there was an approximately twofold increase in intracellular ROS generation upon stimulation of the HAECs with TNFα. Treatment of endothelial cells with fruit extract prior to incubation with TNFα significantly inhibited intracellular ROS generation in a dose-dependent manner. Unstimulated HAECs (no added TNFα) treated with A. Melanocarpa extract (50 μg/mL) showed significantly decreased DCF fluorescence, as compared to non-extract-treated controls (p ≤ 0.001).
Comparison between A. Melanocarpa fruit extract and a panel of drugs with known anti-inflammatory and/or anti-oxidant activity in inhibiting the TNF-α-stimulated expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1
In the next step, using the same model of TNFα-stimulated HAECs, we compared the inhibitory effect of A. Melanocarpa extract on pro-inflammatory responses in endothelial cells with those of other drugs with well-known anti-inflammatory and/or anti-oxidant activities. As shown above, tested chokeberry extract at a concentration of 50 μg/mL reduced ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression by about 35 and 45%, respectively. Dexamethasone at a concentration of 100 μmol/L reduced TNFα-induced ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 only by approximately 25 and 23%, respectively (Fig. 6). Both ibuprofen and PDTC showed similar effects on VCAM-1 expression as A. Melanocarpa fruit extract. Ibuprofen (1 mmol/L) inhibited TNFα-induced VCAM-1 expression by approximately 51% and PDTC (100 μmol/L) by 47%. However, the effect of ibuprofen and PDTC on ICAM-1 expression was much smaller than that of tested chokeberry extract. Ibuprofen reduced TNFα-induced ICAM-1 expression by approximately 23% and PDTC by 28%.
Inflammation plays an important role in atherosclerosis development and progression as well as in atheromatous plaque rupture and, thus, in the onset of acute clinical complications [1]. An early stage in the inflammatory process is endothelial activation, which is directly responsible for the recruitment of circulating leucocytes. This process is self-maintaining and is mediated through the cell adhesion molecules expressed on the surface of endothelial cells, including ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 [2]. Pharmacological agents that display an inhibitory effect on endothelial cell activation should have anti-inflammatory activity. The tested extract was a commercially available preparation of chokeberry, which is a condensed source of polyphenols, especially anthocyanin glycosides.
In the present study, we provide new evidence that the A. melanocarpa extract, rich in polyphenols, can inhibit the pro-inflammatory response of endothelial cells. We found that this chokeberry extract down-regulated TNFα-induced ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 surface protein expression in a concentration-dependent manner. In addition, real-time RT-PCR analysis showed that the suppressive effect of the A. melanocarpa extract on the expression of surface endothelial cell adhesion molecules was correlated with their mRNA levels. Thus, it may be suggested that the observed effect of the tested extract might be due to its influence on the mechanisms regulating the transcription of the genes encoding these molecules.
One of the functional consequences of inhibiting the surface expression of adhesion molecules should be a decrease in endothelial adhesive properties for leucocytes. Indeed, in our study, we showed that preincubation of the HAECs with A. melanocarpa fruit extract resulted in a reduction in TNFα-stimulated increased adhesiveness for PBMLs. Because adhesion is one of the earliest steps in inflammation and atherosclerosis, leading to the subsequent migration of blood leucocytes into the sub-endothelial space, the decrease in the adhesive properties of activated endothelial cells may be an important mechanism by which A. Melanocarpa fruit exerts its anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic effects.
The NF-κB redox-sensitive transcription factor plays a key role in TNFα-induced ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression [3]. Its role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis has been indicated by studies showing that its active form is present in atherosclerotic lesions [22], and the intensification of immunoreactivity for active form of NF-κB is more pronounced in patients with unstable ischaemic disease as compared with its stable form [23]. The optimal activation of NF-κB, allowing its binding to the appropriate promoter regions, requires phosphorylation in the transactivation domain of the p65 protein. Thus, we decided to evaluate the effects of the investigated extract on NF-κB activation by measuring the extent of p65 phosphorylation using specific antibodies that recognise only the phosphorylated form. In the present study, we found that TNFα induced higher levels of NF-κB phosphorylation that could be decreased in HAECs when pretreated with the polyphenol-rich A. melanocarpa extract. These results suggest that the anti-inflammatory properties of this extract in vitro are mediated, at least in part, by the inhibition of NF-κB activation.
Several studies have indicated that ROS are implicated in the activation of NF-κB. [4]. It is postulated that ROS interfere with signalling pathways, which leads to phosphorylation and subsequent IκB degradation. Our study has shown that the chokeberry extract lowers the intracellular ROS production not only in cells exposed to TNFα but also in quiescent ones.
Based on the results of our study, we assume that the inhibitory effect of A. melanocarpa fruit extract on ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression and NF-κB activation may be due to anti-oxidant properties.
Finally, the inhibitory effects of A. Melanocarpa fruit extract were compared with those of other drugs with well-known anti-inflammatory and/or anti-oxidant activities, such as dexamethasone, ibuprofen and PDTC. Studies conducted in the same conditions demonstrated that the extent of the inhibitory effect of the tested chokeberry extract on the TNFα-induced VCAM-1 expression was similar to that of ibuprofen and PDTC. The effect of A. Melanocarpa extract on TNFα-stimulated ICAM expression was much greater than that observed for ibuprofen and PDTC, while dexamethasone reduced TNFα-induced ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression to only a minor extent despite its strong anti-inflammatory activity. The differences observed are most likely due to varying mechanisms of action. The principal mechanism of action of dexamethasone is the so-called negative regulation by glucocorticoid receptor (GR) (transrepression), which occurs via different mechanisms [24]. The most intensively investigated mechanism is the ability of the GR to inhibit the activity of other transcription factors through molecular interactions known as tethering. The transcription factors to which GR is tethered include NF-κB and activator protein-1 (AP-1), another transcription factor which is activated by most agents that activate NF-κB [25]. The activation of both NF-κB and AP-1 is in most cases dependent on the production of ROS [26]. We observed a minor effect on the TNFα-stimulated expression of both ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 that may be caused by the fact that the drug simultaneously enhances the production of ROS in endothelial cells [27]. PDTC is a known inhibitor of NF-κB activation [28] and may exert its effect via binding to the superoxide anion, thus reducing the formation of H2O2, which seems to be the principal NF-κB activator [4]. The inhibitory effects of PDTC on VCAM-1 expression, which were much stronger than those exerted on ICAM-1 expression, have also been observed by other authors; these effects result probably from the fact that oxidative stress–dependent NF-κB activation is crucial for the stimulation of VCAM-1 expression but is not the only factor required for ICAM-1 induction [29, 30]. The effect of ibuprofen was similar to that of PDTC, which is consistent with other reports [31]. The available literature suggests that ibuprofen inhibits the activation of NF-κB by blocking the activity of phosphorylating kinases IκB [32]. Despite a lack of direct evidence, the similar effects of ibuprofen and PDTC on TNFα-stimulated VCAM-1 expression are thought to be due to the fact that both ibuprofen and PDTC are scavengers of hydroxyl radicals [33].
A. Melanocarpa fruit extract contains 53% polyphenols of which the majority (23%) consist of anthocyanins, mainly cyanidin-3-glucoside. There are conflicting reports in the literature regarding the effects of anthocyanins on the TNFα-stimulated expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1. Studies conducted by Nizamutdinov et al. [34] demonstrated that anthocyanins from black soybean seed coats, mainly cyanidin-3-glucoside, delphinidin-3-glucoside and petunidin-3-glucoside, inhibited TNFα-induced VCAM-1 but not ICAM-1 expression. Other studies have also shown that the same anthocyanins inhibited both TNFα-induced VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 expression through an NF-κB-dependent pathway [35]. A. Melanocarpa extract also contains 12% phenolic acids. Recent studies have shown that caffeic acid also reduces TNFα-induced ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 by inhibiting NF-κB activation [36]. Despite the fact that all tested substances inhibited the activation of NF-κB, it was the tested chokeberry extract that had the greatest effect on the pro-inflammatory activation of endothelial cells.
The concentration range of the tested extract (1–50 μg/mL) was similar to that used in other studies [16]. Similar concentrations have been applied for other plant extracts rich in polyphenols [37, 38]. The A. melanocarpa berry extract used in this study at 50 μg/mL contained approximately 25 μmol/L of anthocyanin glycosides and 50 μmol/L of total polyphenols. Similar concentrations were adopted in vitro studies employing single polyphenols, such as cyanidin glycoside (1–100 μmol/L) or chlorogenic acid (25–50 μmol/L) [39, 40]. However, it is most likely that the achievement of such levels in the blood is not possible. Early studies show that anthocyanin glycosides are absorbed from both the stomach and the small intestine without modification, and their intact forms are detected in both plasma and urine. Depending on the anthocyanin glycoside content in the consumed product, the detected serum levels ranged from 100 to 500 nmol/L [41, 42]. Thus, a typical dose of commercial A. melanocarpa fruit extract (3 tablets; 45 mg anthocyanins) would not reach the levels of the extract used in our study [6]. However, no studies have been performed yet to determine the human bioavailability of anthocyanins or other components from the specific chokeberry preparation used in this study. Additionally, it should be noted that due to the time constraints of the in vitro tests, the reaction threshold is usually obtained at higher concentrations. Moreover, long-term administration of such an extract may lead to the accumulation of active compounds and, thus, to a longer-lasting exposure of cells and the possibility of obtaining the same effect at lower doses. Garcia-Alonso et al. [43] have reported that in spite of the low concentration of anthocyanins found in plasma after the consumption of red wine extract (12 g), an increase in the anti-oxidant capacity and a decrease in circulating MCP-1 levels in the plasma were also observed.
In summary, we found that the A. melanocarpa extract, which is rich in polyphenols, can reduce TNFα-induced ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 protein and mRNA expression in HAECs as well as inhibit the TNFα-induced increase in mononuclear leucocyte adhesion to HAECs. A. melanocarpa extract also attenuated the TNFα-induced activation of NF-κB and suppressed the production of ROS in HAECs. These findings may provide new insights into understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of A. melanocarpa fruits on endothelial cells and imply that these berries or other products rich in anthocyanidins may have therapeutic potential in the prevention of atherosclerosis and other pathological events involving leucocyte adhesion.
Libby P (2006) Inflammation and cardiovascular disease mechanisms. Am J Clin Nutr 83:456S–460S
Galkina E, Ley K (2007) Vascular adhesion molecules in atherosclerosis. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 27:2292–2301
de Winther MP, Kanters E, Kraal G, Hofker MH (2005) Nuclear factor kappaB signaling in atherogenesis. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 25:904–914
Kunsch C, Medford RM (1999) Oxidative stress as a regulator of gene expression in the vasculature. Circ Res 85:753–766
Kokotkiewicz A, Jaremicz Z, Luczkiewicz M (2010) Aronia plants: a review of traditional use, biological activities, and perspectives for modern medicine. J Med Food 13:255–269
Kulling SE, Rawel HM (2008) Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)—A review on the characteristic components and potential health effects. Planta Med 74:1625–1634
Valcheva-Kuzmanova SV, Belcheva A (2006) Current knowledge of Aronia melanocarpa as a medicinal plant. Folia Med (Plovdiv) 48:11–17
Chrubasik C, Li G, Chrubasik S (2010) The clinical effectiveness of chokeberry: a systematic review. Phytother Res 24:1107–1114
Skoczynska A, Jedrychowska I, Poreba R, Affelska-Jercha A, Turczyn B, Wojakowska A et al (2007) Influence of chokeberry juice on arterial blood pressure and lipid parameters in men with mild hypercholesterolemia. Pharmacol Rep 59:177–182
Valcheva-Kuzmanova S, Kuzmanov K, Mihova V, Krasnaliev I, Borisova P, Belcheva A (2007) Antihyperlipidemic effect of Aronia melanocarpa fruit juice in rats fed a high-cholesterol diet. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 62:19–24
Kowalczyk E, Charyk K, Fijalkowski P, Niedworok J, Blaszczyk J, Kowalski J (2004) Protective influence of natural anthocyanins of Aronia melanocarpa on selected parameters of antioxidative status in experimental intoxication with sulphide-2-chloroethyl-3-chloropropyl. Polish J Environ Stud 13:339–341
Valcheva-Kuzmanova S, Kuzmanov K, Tancheva S, Belcheva A (2007) Hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of Aronia melanocarpa fruit juice in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Methods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol 29:101–105
Zielinska-Przyjemska M, Olejnik A, Dobrowolska-Zachwieja A, Grajek W (2007) Effects of Aronia melancarpa polyphenols on oxidative metabolism and apoptosis of neutrophils from obese and non-obese individuals. Acta Sci Pol Technol Aliment 6:75–87
Naruszewicz M, Daniewski M, Laniewska I, Pikto-Pietkiewicz W, Millo B, Zapolska-Downar D (2003) Effect of anthocyanins from chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) on blood pressure, inflammatory mediators and cell adhesion molecules in patients with a history of myocardial infarction (MI). Atherosclerosis 4(2):143
Naruszewicz M, Laniewska I, Millo B, Dluzniewski M (2007) Combination therapy of statin with flavonoids rich extract from chokeberry fruits enhanced reduction in cardiovascular risk markers in patients after myocardial infarction (MI). Atherosclerosis 194:179–184
Ryszawa N, Kawczynska-Drozdz A, Pryjma J, Czesnikiewicz-Guzik M, Adamek-Guzik T, Naruszewicz M et al (2006) Effects of novel plant antioxidants on platelet superoxide production and aggregation in atherosclerosis. J Physiol Pharmacol 57:611–626
Bell DR, Gochenaur K (2006) Direct vasoactive and vasoprotective properties of anthocyanin-rich extracts. J Appl Physiol 100:1164–1170
Bell DR, Burt TD (2007) Phenolic acids contained in anthocyanin enriched extracts from elderberry, bilberry and chokeberry possess endothelium dependent and independent vasorelaxation properties in porcine coronary arteries. Faseb J 21:A366
Zapolska-Downar D, Nowicka G, Sygitowicz G, Jarosz M (2008) Anthocyanin-rich Aronox extract from Aronia melanocarpa E protects against 7beta-hydroxycholesterol-induced apoptosis of endothelial cells. Ann Nutr Metab 53:283–294
Chomczynski P, Sacchi N (1987) Single-step method of RNA isolation by acid guanidinium thiocyanate-phenol-chloroform extraction. Anal Biochem 162:156–159
Perez OD, Krutzik PO, Nolan GP (2004) Flow cytometric analysis of kinase signaling cascades. Methods Mol Biol 263:67–94
Brand K, Page S, Rogler G, Bartsch A, Brandl R, Knuechel R, Page M, Kaltschmidt C, Baeuerle PA, Neumeier D (1996) Activated transcription factor nuclear factor-kappa B is present in the atherosclerotic lesion. J Clin Inves 97:1715–1722
Wilson SH, Best PJ, Edwards WD, Holmes DR Jr, Carlson PJ, Celermajer DS, Lerman A (2002) Nuclear factor-kappaB immunoreactivity is present in human coronary plaque and enhanced in patients with unstable angina pectoris. Atherosclerosis 160:147–153
Smoak KA, Cidlowski JA (2004) Mechanisms of glucocorticoid receptor signaling during inflammation. Mech Ageing Dev 125:697–706
Karin M, Liu Z, Zandi E (1997) AP-1 function and regulation. Curr Opin Cell Biol 9:240–246
Manna SK, Zhang HJ, Yan T, Oberley LW, Aggarwal BB (1998) Overexpression of Mn-superoxide dismutase suppresses TNF induced apoptosis and activation of nuclear transcription factor-κB and activated protein-1. J Biol Chem 273:13245–13254
Iuchi T, Akaike M, Mitsui T, Ohshima Y, Shintani Y, Azuma H et al (2003) Glucocorticoid excess induces superoxide production in vascular endothelial cells and elicits vascular endothelial dysfunction. Circ Res 92:81–87
Schreck R, Meier B, Männel DN, Dröge W, Baeuerle PA (1992) Dithiocarbamates as potent inhibitors of nuclear factor kappa B activation in intact cells. Exp Med 175:1181–1194
Khan BV, Harrison DG, Olbrych MT, Alexander RW, Medford RM (1996) Nitric oxide regulates vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 gene expression and redox-sensitive transcriptional events in human vascular endothelial cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 93:9114–9919
Arai T, Kelly SA, Brengman ML, Takano M, Smith EH, Goldschmidt-Clermont PJ, Bulkley GB (1998) Ambient but not incremental oxidant generation effects intercellular adhesion molecule 1 induction by tumour necrosis factor alpha in endothelium. Biochem J 331:853–861
Kapiotis S, Sengoelge G, Sperr WR, Baghestanian M, Quehenberger P, Bevec D (1996) Ibuprofen inhibits pyrogen-dependent expression of VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 on human endothelial cells. Life Sci 58:2167–2181
Scheuren N, Bang H, Münster T, Brune K, Pahl A (1998) Modulation of transcription factor NF-kappaB by enantiomers of the nonsteroidal drug ibuprofen. Br J Pharmacol 23:645–652
Zapolska-Downar D, Naruszewicz M (2001) A pleiotropic antiatherogenic action of ibuprofen. Med Sci Monit 7(4):837–841
Nizamutdinova IT, Kim YM, Chung JI, Shin SC, Jeong YK, Seo HG et al (2009) Anthocyanins from black soybean seed coats preferentially inhibit TNF-alpha-mediated induction of VCAM-1 over ICAM-1 through the regulation of GATAs and IRF-1. J Agric Food Chem 57:7324–7330
Kim HJ, Tsoy I, Park JM, Chung JI, Shin SC, Chang KC (2006) Anthocyanins from soybean seed coat inhibit the expression of TNF-alpha-induced genes associated with ischemia/reperfusion in endothelial cell by NF-kappaB-dependent pathway and reduce rat myocardial damages incurred by ischemia and reperfusion in vivo. FEBS Lett 580:1391–1397
Moon MK, Lee YJ, Kim JS, Kang DG, Lee HS (2009) Effect of caffeic acid on tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced vascular inflammation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Biol Pharm Bull 32:1371–1377
Chen JW, Chen YH, Lin FY, Chen YL, Lin SJ (2003) Ginkgo biloba extract inhibits tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced reactive oxygen species generation, transcription factor activation, and cell adhesion molecule expression in human aortic endothelial cells. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 23:1559–1566
Bagchi D, Bagchi M, Stohs S, Ray SD, Sen CK, Preuss HG (2002) Cellular protection with proanthocyanidins derived from grape seeds. Ann N Y Acad Sci 957:260–270
Xia M, Ling W, Zhu H, Ma J, Wang Q, Hou M, Tang Z, Guo H, Liu C, Ye Q (2009) Anthocyanin attenuates CD40-mediated endothelial cell activation and apoptosis by inhibiting CD40-induced MAPK activation. Atherosclerosis 202:41–47
Chang WC, Chen CH, Lee MF, Chang T, Yu YM (2010) Chlorogenic acid attenuates adhesion molecules upregulation in IL-1beta-treated endothelial cells. Eur J Nutr 49:267–275
Cao G, Muccitelli HU, Sánchez-Moreno C, Prior RL (2001) Anthocyanins are absorbed in glycated forms in elderly women: a pharmacokinetic study. Am J Clin Nutr 73:920–926
Kay CD, Mazza G, Holub BJ, Wang J (2004) Anthocyanin metabolites in human urine and serum. Br J Nutr 91:933–942
Garcia-Alonso M, Minihane AM, Rimbach G, Rivas-Gonzalo JC, de Pascual-Teresa S (2009) Red wine anthocyanins are rapidly absorbed in humans and affect monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 levels and antioxidant capacity of plasma. J Nutr Biochem 20:521–529
Conflicts of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
Open Access
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
Rights and permissions
Open Access This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0), which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
About this article
Cite this article
Zapolska-Downar, D., Bryk, D., Małecki, M. et al. Aronia melanocarpa fruit extract exhibits anti-inflammatory activity in human aortic endothelial cells. Eur J Nutr 51, 563–572 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-011-0240-1
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-011-0240-1
- Atherosclerosis
- Cell adhesion molecules
- Aronia Melanocarpa
- Nuclear factor-κB
- Reactive oxygen species


text:
Welcome to Cosplaylab. Paradox Live Cozmez Yatonokami Kanata Cosplay Costume is no color error, Good quality, Correct size, Nice size, Delicate workmanship.
Our Paradox Live Cozmez Yatonokami Kanata Cosplay Costume choose the best material to ensure extensibility and the good feeling.
The size is ASIAN size, would be smaller than USA size, please check the size chart before ordering. Paradox Live Cozmez Yatonokami Kanata Cosplay Costume is not only ideal costume for party, cosplay, but also is great impressive gift for your friends.
CosplayLab online cosplay store provides a complete series of costumes , wigs and props for Paradox roles, including Anne Faulkner, Hajun, Yatonokami Kanata
Your pleasant shopping experience is our destiny! Please rest assured to buy.
Delivery & Return
All Products ordered from us can be cancelled within 24 hours free of charge, but orders cancelled after 24 hours are subject to a handling fee equalling 50% of the item price. We thank you in advance for your understanding.


text:
It is with no doubt that love is the most beautiful feeling on earth. And it even becomes more attractive if you have the right person who cares about your feelings. It is an attraction that even the greatest scientists are unable to explain. So how do you rejuvenate it from time to time? It is through sharing what you feel to him through love quotes for him.
If you are lucky to have been loved by a great man, then we have collected the most alluring love quotes for him you can share. Our collection is composed of the most touching thoughts that are meant to warm your lover's heart.
Take a look here and go ahead and put them in practice. Good luck.
1. Max Muller: Flowers and Love.
"Just as a flower cannot thrive without sunshine, the same way a man will be miserable without love."
Though a man can live without love, there is a part inside him that will not be fine if he is not loved. So, the same way a flower will dry up and die if there is no sunshine so does the heart of a man if not loved.
2. Rabindranath: The Endless Love.
"I feel I have loved you in uncountable times, in uncountable forms, in years after years forever."
– Have you ever had such feelings about a guy you love? That there is something that has tied you together for all this long? If this is you, this is among the best love quotes for him to tell your man this day.
3. Valerie Lombardo: Lover and Friends.
"Being your best friend was all I needed; being your lover was my dreams come true."
– If your present relationship started as a friendship, then this love quote for him is what you need to make him recall those beautiful moments when you were friends. Most relationships were forged from friendships. So, ensure that, that friendship never dies and you remain together forever.
4. Christian White: How Deep Is Love?
"The love I have for you has no depth; its territories are ever expanding."
– When one loves someone, he/she does so indefinitely, and that love cannot be measured either by breadth or depth. Yes, as time goes by and you grow, love changes since you are changing too, but the fact remains your love is unshakable as long as you wish to keep it.
5. Pablo Neruda.
"I love you without understanding how from where or when. My love for you is simple, without pride or problems."
– Maybe this is how you got to know each other when you met. It was something unexpected; maybe it was not something you needed at first. However, genuine love comes with no pride and flows seamlessly if you allow it to. The key is ensuring you are receptive to it.
6. Deanna Anderson's Last Words.
"If I were told to decide between breathing and loving you, I would choose to use my last breath to say I love you."
– You might have told him that you love him with all your life. That means you are ready to sacrifice your life for him. While we don't wish to find yourself in those situations, ensure you use this love quote for him to show that you love him like it is the last time you are with him.
7. Rosemonde Gerard: Growing Love.
"Every day I love you differently, today more than yesterday and less than tomorrow."
– If you feel that your love is different for him every day, share this love quote for him with and let him understand that your love keeps growing stronger every new day until the last day on earth. Let him know tomorrow your love for him won't same like today; it will be more significant.
8. Ralph Block: He Is Your Everything.
"You are my everything."
When you love each other unconditionally, it is easier to feel like he is your world. Share this love quote for him and let him know how deep is your love.
April 18, 2019 by


text:
Greatceramics - Waimea Terracota Naked Vase
Regular price £50.00 GBP
Regular priceUnit price per
Sale price
Handmade from raw clay in Amsterdam these vase's are perfect to add a touch of nature to your home. The inside is glazed to ensure the vase remains waterproof ready to display your fresh flowers.
15 x 25 cm


text:
✭DVD9✭ Normal People Download Movie
♦♦ ♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤
♦♦ ⌘⌘⌘⌘⌘⌘⌘⌘⌘⌘⌘
Published by: KingMinotaur PsyD
Bio: #DutyToWarn Lic /Frmr Calif Dept MH/Corr. Imagine my surprise seeing a career criminal /psychopath elected POTUS! #HandMarkedPaperBallots.
Duration 1H, 32Minutes; Creator Owen McCafferty; genre Romance, Drama; ; Directed by Lisa Barros D'Sa, Glenn Leyburn; 346 Votes.
Normal People Download. I came here to make trolls but satisfied wid the comments alredy. Most democratic candidate promotes 15.00 an hour, dont forgets when robots replaces Americans jobs, what happen then. Millions will be unemployment. UBI is the key. My reaction: Pulls down glasses bumboclatttttt.
Good old classic 90 ies rockn roll🔆
Super interesting! Thanks for posting this. Gubler. Some of these people with mental illness who live in these community homes do so because they are unable to live by them also have a problem taking their medicine because they don't like the way it makes them feel,so are monitered by staff to make sure they take their i had a family I don't know if i could feel comfortable living with one of these home's close by. Normal People Download movies. K pop fan : bling bling Random gurl: what? Kpop fan : bling bling Random gurl: Im outta here. We really loved your clip. You must make more. Nobody: Literaly nobody: Stokes twins:put milk first.
Please let it be good. ITS AN AMAZING NOVEL I LOVE THE AUDIOBOOK BUT THIS JUST SCREAMS POLITICALLY CORRECT MEGA FEMINISM. That was a Marxist struggling to make Marxism real and realizing that it can't be realized (and not entirely because of the capitalist society within which it would have to birth itself) but refusing to accept it and playing it off as confusion and curiosity. I am someone who sees eye to eye with the Marxist principles but her answering that question like she really didn't have the answers as to why she participates in publishing and profit making in the way she does when it is clear that capitalism reaps her benefits while exploiting workers and the arts itself and walking away from it, as Marxist as that act would be leads you into a void that doesn't exist away from society but from employment seemed like such a schemy pretence of ignorance.
Normal People Download movie reviews
What a ride! This marked my 20th trip to Disneyland, the first being in the late 80s when I was 5 years old. For some, this will seem like an enormous amount of trips to Mouse House, and for many of you die hard fans (especially those who live in CA), it is but a drop in the bucket. For me, Disneyland feels like an old friend that you don't get to see often but when you do, you pick up right where you left off without skipping a beat. In some ways, like me, she's starting to show her age in places but clearly still has a lot of life left in her. The biggest change since I was last there a couple of years ago, obviously, is Galaxy's Edge. I was absurdly excited to meet and experience this new land! I am a big fan of Star Wars, and so I was very excited to see how Disney pulled from the movies, canon (and fans' minds eyes) to create an alien land on Earth. In my opinion, they did a fantastic job. What struck me the most, perhaps because I'd not seen anyone else write about it before, is how the atmosphere/feel of Galaxy's Edge immediately sheds the fun/vibrant feel of Disneyland and replaces it with an eery, ominous vibe - a feeling that you're being watched, that you're not entirely safe, and that mayhem could break out at any moment. They achieve this feel through expert combination of white noise and otherworldly sounds and reverberations, and great cast interaction. Galaxy's Edge is markedly quieter than other parts of Disneyland, with low hums and hisses being piped through the speakers and occasional sounds of rustling creatures and chirping droids. The cast is always watching over their shoulders for the frequent and invasive overlording by Stormtroopers and other First Order evil doers. You may have noticed in YouTube videos, but what is even more impressive in person is the height of the Stormtroopers and Kylo Ren. The troopers are easily 6'4-6'5 and Kylo Ren appears to be pushing 7' tall. They are very imposing figures. The troopers are always in character, and very interactive. I won't go into a lot of detail about the rides, as I don't have anything new or insightful to add to other reports already posted here and what you can see on YouTube. Overall, my impression of Smugglers Run is that it was a perfectly fun 3D-type ride where the vehicle remains stationary, but tilts up, down, left, right and side to side depending on what you see on screen. Kids seemed to like the ride because they get to hit buttons and switches that make you feel like you're controlling the ship. The graphics are first-rate and the storyline is fun. But at the end of the day, for me, it's a one and done ride. It will not be at the top of my list for any future visits, but if the wait time is low and I have time to kill, I'd hop on it again. For me the best part of the ride was the queue! Getting to be inside a spot-on recreation Millennium Falcon was so much fun, and made for great pictures. Rise of the Resistance was incredible. The scale of the ride alone is WOW! The stage is ENORMOUS and the level of detail they put into the ride was mind blowing. This ride is a must-do for anyone, fan of Star Wars or not! The rest of the land is made up of shops, two of which are worthy of note - Droid Depo and Savi's Workshop, where you can build a BB-8/R2D2 and custom lightsaber, respectively. Very fun experiences. As far as food goes, they have theme-specific bites that may not be to everyone's tastes. I found that the basic ingredients are good tasting and good quality but the effort to make them "alien" by adding too much heavy sauce was a bit overkill. Some other Galaxy's Edge negatives for me: all directions/signage are in Batuuese which I am unable to read, and that left me lost and asking for directions. NOTE: there is a Data Pad app you can download on your phone that apparently will translate for you, but I was not aware of this in advance, so plan ahead. Other general thoughts this trip: As other long-time visitors have expressed, the quality of staff is going downhill. I used to consider Disney staff the standard-bearer of excellence. Now, it's hit or miss, mostly miss. It used to be that staff was cross trained on nearly every aspect of the park and could answer questions that didn't necessarily even relate to their own specific duties. Now, you're lucky if the staff person knows how to perform the minimum requirements of their own jobs, much less being cross trained. An example is, we'd made quite a bit of purchases of merchandise and needed to ship some of it home. In years past, it was very easy to visit one of the Disney hotel gift shops, show them your receipts, and they'd box and ship everything home for you for a fee. This trip, the woman at the gift shop looked like I had a 2nd nose on my face, had to call a manager, which required me to wait 30 min to arrive. The manager was super irritated with the employee, who implied the employee had been trained several times how to do these shipments, but apparently the training hasn't stuck. Cast members were snippy with guests. There were a lot of long lines because of the holiday weekend, and due to unclear markings, people were lining up the best they knew how (which sometimes caused walking lanes to become blocked. ) Staff members would come aggressively shoving people out of the way barking at people to move aside or to line up a different direction. Instances of this happened at the Grand Californian during magic morning hour security screening, at Matterhorn single rider line, at Pirates of the Caribbean, and at Incredicoaster. Magic Morning Hours are a MESS. Staying at the Grand Californian, accessing the magic morning hour for DCA was a breeze. It was well run and staff was polite. However, once we were in the park, we got accosted at least twice by staff members demanding that we show our room key. One example was when walking from Pixar Pier to the GOTG Tower. Apparently they'd let in some other guests early and were lining up at a roped-in area, so the security folks became suspicious of everyone who was walking by. After already waiting for the initial security, then waiting to get in the park, having to wait another 10 min while security people demanded to see room keys just to walk from one part of the park to another was absurd, and ate up a good portion of the extra hour. No one knew what was going on, so you had people who'd already put away their wallets/purses in strollers having to dig all that crap out again, flash they key, only for the next person to be told what was going on, have them dig for the key, etc etc. I had my hands full with a churro and coffee, had to set them on the dirty ground so I could dig my wallet and room key out. This was totally unacceptable, but it wasn't the worst part. The worst part was when it was Disneyland magic morning. The Grand Californian has a grand total of 2 metal detectors in use. Two. For the thousands of people in the hotel lining up to get into the park early, two metal detectors. This resulted in a mile-long line that circled into the gardens and beyond. This line did move fairly quickly (I'd say we waited about 20 min, which was fast considering the number of people in line) but still - 20 minutes at 630 when the park is to open at 7 is a lot of time. Again the staff here screamed at guests. Ordinarily, the security people told you to walk past the bag-search tables if you did not have bags and head directly to metal detectors, so a lot of people were doing that only to be screamed at to get in the back of the line. So even if you had no bags, you had to wait in the bag search lane, and were told so very rudely. Once you finally make it through that line, you then head to the general Disney entrance that everyone uses, including non-Disney hotel guests. There are special lines magic morning people are allowed to use, but only 2 of them. So the lines for hotel guests wanting to take advantage of the magic morning are as long or longer than the lines of guests waiting to get in at the normal start time. Although we allowed an hour to get through all the screening and lines, it was 7:20 by the time we got in to the park. Lo and behold, it turned out that they'd again let some non-magic morning hour guests into the park early and so the room key police were again out in force. Before we were allowed to exit Main Street and get into Tomorrowland, we had to dig our hotel room keys out again, and of course the now 3rd line of the morning started. We finally get to Tomorrowland only to be told Space Mountain was broken down. This left Matterhorn Mountain the only "big" ride available that morning, so the wait time was ~20 min - hardly worthy of a magic morning hour. Long story short, lots of great fun and new experiences and overall the trip was good. But I have to say, the premium Disney charges for its hotels (about double the cost of any nearby hotel) is starting to become questionable. These things used to work like clockwork, and now they are a cluster-f. Some friends of ours who stayed off property were in the park about 20 min after we were. We were shocked. They didn't have access to the rides for the 40 or so minutes we did, but I have to wonder if those 40 minutes are worth paying $800-$1, 500/night? The Four Seasons the Grand Californian is not, and if their supposed perks are causing more trouble than benefit, I don't know how much longer people are going to be willing to pay that premium. The Hotels have got to figure out a better way of getting guests to the magic morning hours. It would have been awesome if they'd set up a train/trolly system like they use for parking guests, and once the guests were screened and tickets swiped at the hotel, load onto the tram and be driven directly into the park. (Although I'm writing from the perspective of a Grand CA guest, I have to imagine guests of Disneyland and Paradise Pier have the same, if not worse, experiences. ) Having guests wait in 2 lines (possibly 3 lines if you get into this room key check BS we did), is highly inconvenient. It was much easier walking into the park at 10 am the morning we arrived. There were no lines to enter, and the entire process took 5 minutes. Seriously, Disney, what is the benefit of paying double the rate of other hotels and why bother offering these early morning hours if you're not going to be serious about getting guests into the park in an efficient and reasonable way?
This is weird as shit, but it spoke to me. Normal People download movie. Tiger comes out of nowhere on the yacht. Normal People Download movie. Ah I love your book-related content! It's always so engaging and smart without being heavily intellectual to the point of pretentious. Keep it up Jess. 1:27 the song is dutch (if i say it correctly, I dont know the name tho, I am a dutchie btw) Greetings from the Netherlands. He knows nothing. We need a smart President. Im supporting Yang. Yang Gang 2020.
When I come to a block, I pretty much do what she says. Ish. I leave the story for a short while. Do something else. Most of the time I knew how to fix it within 24 hours. A few times it took me 2-3 days. By not actively thinking about it. I did think about it on and off, but mostly not. And suddenly, I just knew how to fix the problem. The Gaming Brotherhood Must Retain Their Sacred Traditions And Culture. We Must Not Be Distracted While We Perform Our Sacred Duties Daily. Honestly, as a kpop lover the cleaning is extremely accuarate. Normal People Download movie database.
Why is there Harrison Ford in the thumbnail
Normal People Download movie page. This made my day, I wish I could meet this wonderful and hilarious man. 1:25 thats a song from The Netherlands lol😂. Oh wow... I have been testing how much data Stadia uses and I am disappointed on the data optimisation and how Google infamous recommended internet speeds is not that true when I started to play "dark games" like Metro or Gylt. First things first, I've been playing Stadia for a few weeks now and I have to say that I am really impressed with the technology, it really feels like I am playing locally with a one digit latency. Played a little bit Crisis, Half Life 2 (I have a NUC so high end graphics are out of the question), and then played Destiny 2 and I couldn't believe I was streaming the game! I even downloaded Destiny 2 from Steam (80GB! ) to try a side by side comparison. 1. Bandwidth analysis I basically ran around 15 minutes analysis on Chrome on three different games (Gylt, Metro, Destiny 2 and RDR2) on two different connections: a 40Mbps home fibre connection with 5 ms latency at 37. 6Mbps effective speed (4. 7MB/s stable download speeds) and 1Gbps leased line with 0-1ms latency. In both cases I am around 15 miles from the Google Data Centre, however in the case of the leased line I am directly connected to big DC that might get some kind of direct Google DC connection. Before jumping to the per game analysis here are two things to be clarified: 1. Stadia bandwidth is capped regardless of your connection as follows: At 720p is 10 Mbps – 4. 5GB per hour (max) At 1080p is 28 Mbps – 12. 6GB per hour (max) *At 4k is 45 Mbps – 20GB per hour (max) That's all confirmed by my analysis (except for 4k which I can't really measure because Chrome doesn't support it) but seems to be backed by Google support page. And fair enough… 28Mbps is more than most Blu-ray movies at 4K and even the 720p bitrate cap is the same of a Netflix 4K movie – if used efficiently, which is not the case for Stadia. However, there are serious time constrains on Stadia as the frame needs to be compressed almost instantly compared to a typical movie when you can spend a few seconds compressing each frame if you decide to prioritise quality and getting much more quality in less space. I cannot say what is the equivalence of this real time video stream Google is using but perhaps 50%. Not quite true google! I think someone at google got this totally graph wrong because those speeds are incorrect. Max cap is 45Mbps, which you would need at least a 50Mbps connection to reach that. That's far from the "best" 35Mbps Google announced. In my case, I never reached 4K on my Chromecast on the 40Mbps connection. 2. There is absolutely no difference between Balanced and Best Visual Quality data usage modes in Stadia, however Balanced locks it at 1080p but doesn't affect the bitrate. All tests below are on Best Visual Quality option. BVQ option would give 4K stream however that is not supported on Chrome. 3. Google uses a preset on the video encoder with priority over "bandwidth" rather than "quality". More on this on the conclusion. Per game bandwidth analysis I played around 15 minutes of each game in both connections, the graph you can see in the images shows the bandwidth usage per 10 seconds average of download speed (Stadia upload speed requirements are less than 0. 8Mbps). Full size screenshots can be found at the end of this post. Samurai Shodown @ 40 Mbps connection: All good here as expected as it's very "colourful" game, so game utilises the full bandwidth. Only on loading screens or between fights the bandwidth drops dramatically – which makes total sense but you still see some artefacts on these transitions. Again, what I don't want to save my bandwidth and get the best quality? Stadia doesn't give you this option. Samurai Shodown @ 1 Gbps connection: there is virtually no difference on bandwidth. I tried this on balanced settings with same results. Again some artefacts appeared during transitions. Note 2. 4Mbps bitrate on still images. Destiny 2 @ 40 Mbps connection: As Samurai Showdown, Destiny 2 uses a rather bright colour settings so it plays at the cap and only when going to menus or dark places goes down. I played the first 20 minutes of the game, you can see entering at the aerodrome at the beginning the bitrate goes down as it's quite dark part of the intro. This is the proof that Stadia prioritises less bandwidth over more quality on the video encoding even with excellent connections. Destiny 2 @ 1 Gbps connection: Similar performance here and again unnecessary artefacts in some dark parts of the game which are totally unnecessary as Stadia could keep the bitrate at its cap to remove them. Truth be told, these are not noticeable while you play unless you pay attention. Gylt @ 40 Mbps connection: Stadia's adaptative bitrate encoding prioritising "economy over quality" does a horrible job on this game as the average bitrate is 6. 4 Mbps – that´s horrible google! I only managed to reach the cap of 28Mbps going to a bright scene and deliberately move the camera constantly to force the bitrate up. In a normal gameplay you would never reach that. The overall experience was acceptable but I could notice quite a lot of artefacts in some scenes that shouldn't be there because both my connection and Stadia allows for it. For me this ruined a little bit the experience. As you can see I finished the game but it wasn't that bad I guess! Gylt @ 1 Gbps connection: Stadia still makes use of the adaptative bitrate management but it's not that extreme. On bright areas I could reach the cap but not in dark areas. However, overall quality was much better as the number of macroblocks or artefacts from low bitrates are only presents on some parts – which is still far from ideal as average bitrate is far from that 28 Mbps cap. Metro Exodus @ 40 Mbps connection: bitrate is quite bad during the first 20 minutes of Metro due to really dark scenes. The macro blocks were obvious, and quality dropped to the point at some points slightly ruined the experience. The average bitrate was ridiculously low I've seen to around 6. 4 Mbps. Again, Stadia ruins the experience here unnecessarily. Metro Exodus @ 1 Gbps connection: although the experience dramatically improves here – without reason because the 40 Mbps connection is more than capable of reaching these bitrates – still some parts produced unnecessary macroblocks. Average bitrate is 16 Mbps. You can watch more about this on Digital Foundry's video here: RDR2 @ 40 Mbps connection: I played the first 20 minutes and it was a pretty much horrible macroblocking experience so I asked for a refund. Average bitrate was 8 Mbps. The narrative of this game make the graphics a very important part of the whole experience and here Stadia refuses to deliver without a valid reason. RDR2 @ 1 Gbps connection: bitrate is drastically better making the whole experience much better reaching the 28 Mbps cap most of the times. However in some parts of the game the bitrate was really low, for example when the Rockstar Games logo appears at the beginning. I remember watching a video from Digital Foundry commenting on that and pointing out that's because the game is streamed when this is actually not true, is just Stadia not maintaining a constant bitrate. Bandwidth analysis conclusions - Stadia seems to decide the quality of your video stream based on your connection. In this example the 40Mbps connection is more than capable of delivering 28 Mbps stable yet Stadia refuses to deliver it in dark games give a very poor stream experience at some points. This is still the case on the 1Gpbs connection. - You don't have a way of choosing if you want to save data or just have best possible quality. What if you have a data cap but a 1Gbps connection? You may want to sacrifice some quality for data usage but you don't have that option. - Video encoding preset with bandwidth over quality is a really bad decision from Google. I have watched a lot of bad publicity to Stadia (Digital Foundry for example – and I love DF! ) due to this and in reality it could have been avoided if they kept a stable bitrate instead of variable. I guess they need to save some CPU power on the Data Centre but at least they should give user options to change this. Now the damage is done, and everyone thinks stream quality is bad when in reality is just a one click setting. - Google completely lied about the speeds required as I see it, there is no way you can get the full experience with a 35Mbps connection at 1080p, not to mention reaching 4K with 40Mbps. It is clear that granular control on video encoding presets and data usage need to be introduced and Google should update that infamous internet speed graph. Latency / input lag Analysis For this test I played some game with mouse and keyboard on the zero latency connection and adding latency on top using WinDivert. Test is totally subjective to my gameplay. I am used to play FPS on PC so I can recognise when there is some input lag. However note that I am not a professional gamer. When I say 0 latency is because my connection literally states 0-1ms latency but there is Stadia + PC latency, in the same way there would be some when I play natively on my PC. Latency has been consistently tested in services like or even google. Destiny 2 - mouse & keyboard Added latency: 0ms – gameplay feels totally like playing natively 15ms – I cannot feel any difference from playing with 0 latency 25ms – now I start to feel some latency, it's there and you can still play but it doesn´t make it that fun to play for me as I am used to play on PC. 50ms – Noticeable latency but still playable, not enjoyable for me. I understand some people might not notice much and you could perfectly adapt to it. +70ms – Warning that game might stop. +100ms – Not fun to play and a similar experience from what I got in PS Now. The game eventually stops Destiny 2 Gamepad 0ms – gameplay feels totally like playing natively 15ms – I cannot feel any difference from playing with 0 latency 25ms – very tiny latency that I can only notice when I change on the fly the latency software, however if I were playing for minutes I wouldn´t notice anything on a AB blind test. 50ms – Still acceptable and you could adapt to it I guess. A lot of people I'm sure wouldn't notice. +70ms – Still it's not terrible but game stopped after a few minutes. The game eventually stops. Samurai Shodown - Gamepad (infamous to play with keyboard! ) 0ms – gameplay feels totally like playing natively 15ms – gameplay feels totally like playing natively 25ms – I´m confident that in a blind AB test on the fly I wouldn't be able to stop any differences. 50ms – I might notice some latency when changing on the fly but nothing in a normal gameplay after a few a minute playing. +70ms – I can't really feel a difference after a few minutes. I only feel it when a activate/deactivate the latency on the fly but not after the adapting period. +100ms – I can only notice latency while pressing the buttons and watching the character to respond, in a kind of synthetic test. However in during normal gameplay when you are crazy like pressing the buttons it´s difficult to notice – but it´s there! However eventually the game stops due to bad connection. Tombraider – mouse and keyboard 0ms – gameplay feels totally like playing natively 15ms – gameplay feels totally like playing natively 25ms – I would be able to identify the lag in blind AB test on the fly but with this latency after a few minutes I wouldn't notice. 50ms – I might notice some latency when changing on the fly but nothing in a normal gameplay after a few a minutes playing. +100ms – I can feel the lag moving the camera with the mouse but it's not terrible. However the game eventually stops. Tombraider – gamepad Exactly the same experience as Samurai Shodown with gamepad. Latency Conclusions I would say that anything from 1 to 25 will feels natively if you play with gamepad. However, if you are a mouse and keyboard player and like FPS like me you will start notice something above that figure. But it won´t be unbearable. On the 1-15 ms mark the game feels like native to me. There is a good bonus here with the gamepad though as it naturally introduces a lot of input lag so this can be quite unnoticeable for most players even at +50 ms. Also the type of games you play might make a difference, shooters will definitely require lower latency than most of other games. I probably watched almost all Stadia reviews in YT and I think only 1 or 2 mentioned something about the latency and they all focused on internet speed test, so I think the media is not really giving the right importance to this since speeds are totally irrelevant on the experience. I actually think not many people can get such low latencies yet Google didn't say a word about this – what about saying "hey check your latency as well"? If you are reading this and you are thinking about getting stadia I recommend you check your latency first: CPU analysis I made this test because there were a lot of people and reviewers experiencing audio and video stuttering. My experience with video encoding says that in most of the cases that's is not produced by low internet performance but the device not being able to handle the decoding video task. While playing I intentionally throttled down the CPU of my Intel NUC with a i7 8559U running at 3. 95GHz (2. 7GHz base speed, 4. 5GHz max) with 16GB RAM to see what the performance was, which confirmed my thoughts. First I will compare the CPU performance of Stadia vs Youtube on chrome without any extensions running and the CPU unlocked. This is the video I tested: link Stadia vs Youtube 4k@60 FPS Idle CPU usage is 2% and CPU stays at 0. 97GHz (all background apps closed). Stadia in Chrome (1080p@60FPS): ~ 20% CPU / ~2. 2GHz Chrome 1080p @ 60 FPS video: ~ 10% CPU / ~1. 64Ghz Chrome 4K @ 60 FPS video: ~ 25% CPU / ~3. 95Ghz Stadia CPU performance Stadia unlocked CPU – 3. 95 Ghz Plays perfectly fine as expected but there are peaks of the CPU reaching 3. 9Ghz and GPU usage is around 20% (Iris 655). Stadia capped at 1. 79 GHz CPU stayed constantly at 1. 79Ghz but with no issues Stadia capped at 1. 2 GHz Minor stuttering issues like moving the mouse and not responding for a few milliseconds. Minimal audio stuttering. Stadia capped at 1 GHz Quite a lot stuttering issues. Not fun to play but still no audio stuttering. Stadia capped at 0. 79 GHz Unplayable with video and audio stuttering. Macroblocking appearing and sudden low resolution video. Everything below this cap made Stadia totally unresponsive with terrible A/V stuttering. CPU performance conclusion Although this is a rather simple test it shows that video decoding is not trivial and even a decent office PC can create problems if you have background apps. I reckon Chrome at 4K will need a relatively modern PC seeing the CPU usage at 1080p. Probably this is the case as well for phone support, they want to keep the experience locked to the devices they can control and know they will perform well. I believe this to be the reason why Google is not supporting 4k yet, especially considering they have a good set of Chromebooks with very limited CPU performance out there. I understand they want to offer the best experience and if they unlocked 4K a lot of people would get bad performance and therefore bad reviews from those who believe Stadia should play in any PC. This is not a criticism at all. I understand people might not be that technical to realise video decoding is challenging in a 5 years PC but again Google has done a poor job explaining the minimal requirements to make people understand they won't be able to play 4K in Chrome and even at 1080 they would struggle. I just fear that 4K support might take a long time to be supported due to this. General Stadia review conclusion I think the technology is really impressive and shows that you can play streaming and still feel like native with the correct internet connection. However I feel Google has failed to communicate these requirements and they are locking the experience too much restricting Chrome support to just 1080p. To me the key is having the freedom to play in anywhere you have a good connection – being able to have a quick break while working to play Destiny it's just awesome! Yeah I know Stadia is not like playing on a PC at 4k Ultra, but I don't really need that anyway. Also, something I haven't really read much is that being able to choose to play with Gamepad or mouse and keyboard is a game changer over the classic console with very limited mouse support, although Xbox seems to have realised this is the way forward for a lot of gamers. Regarding model price, I don't really have an issue with that. I have bough a few games in Steam and I don't own them either – doesn't make a difference if I download them as I still need Steam to play. Videogame streaming might not be the future but I think Stadia got it right with this and when it's open to everyone there will be a huge user base that will make the platform better. PS: if you have read all this you deserve an award!! EDIT 12-dec-19: 1. Added clarification about realtime video encoding vs traditional video encoding (when you have all the time in world! ) and 2. converted all to Mbps as per feedback except screenshots.
Many guys go on dates and "wing it, " they just hope for the best and see what happens. These men might get a kiss goodbye, but rarely more. Leading dates towards sex (or a second date) isn't difficult, but there are a few steps you must take to consistently get the results you want. Most (but not all) girls who go on a date with a guy in the 21st century are open to the possibility of having sex (sometimes they're even disappointed when a man doesn't make a move). We don't live in the Victorian Era—modern society is getting progressively more sex-positive. Casual sex is a big part of today's cultural narrative: random hookups are promoted in everything from pop music to family-friendly sitcoms. However, at the same time, women do still get slut shamed if they have sex 'too easily. ' Even if a girl wants to sleep with you, she will only go home with you make her feel like she won't be judged. In this article, you are going to learn how to run your dates in a way that will both turn the girl and make her comfortable with the idea of going home with you. Not every girl will sleep with you on the first date, but if you follow the steps outlined below, many will. And if you're not interested in casual sex, these strategies will also help you make the girls you date want to see you again. When a woman wants to sleep with you bad enough, it won't be hard to convince her to go on a second, third, and fourth date. The Mindset She Has Already Chosen You If a girl goes on a date with you, it is implied that she's attracted in you. You (hopefully) made it clear in the initial interaction that you are interested in more than friendship (here's an infield example of what this looks like:) Therefore, the girl knows that if she goes on a date with you, you're probably going to make a move. If she isn't attracted to you, what would she have to gain by going on a date with you? It would inevitably be uncomfortable for her and despite what many people think, women don't like rejecting men, it's just as awkward to turn someone else down as it is to get turned down. Most women will not go on a date with you unless they are at least open to the possibility that something romantic might happen. So, when a girl you approached shows up to meet you again, you have good reason to assume that she's attracted to you. And it's important to make this assumption, because if you assume a woman is not interested and wait to see signs that she likes you, you're going to interpret everything that happens through the lens of, "She's probably not interested. "As a result, you probably won't physically escalate or invite her back to your place. Conversely, if you assume she is interested, you will see everything she does through a positive lens, and you will be more likely to take risks. Positive assumptions don't guarantee that you will sleep with a girl, but they create the opportunity for something to happen. When you ask a girl to go home with you, there's at least the possibility that she will say yes. (In case someone who lacks social awareness reads this, when I say assume she's interested, I mean assume it until she gives you a reason to believe otherwise. If you lean in for a kiss and she pulls away, respect her decision. ) Remember, on a date, there is very good reason for you to make positive assumptions. This belief isn't arbitrary, it's based on the fact that this girl took time out of her day to hang out with you when she could have done a thousand other things. She wanted to create a situation where something might be able to happen with you. Pick your poison: assume women are interested and risk an awkward moment, or wait for proof that women are interested, and go without knowing what could have happened if you took a risk. Preparation For The Date Once you've got the mindset down, the next step is to have a specific plan for how you're going to lead your dates forward. Have an excuse to pull Generally, when you pull a girl, you'll make an excuse like, "Let's watch a movie, " or, "Let's grab a drink. " You should have ready a bottle of wine, food to cook (it can be as simple as a frozen pizza), a movie downloaded on your computer, or even a checkers board set up. The excuse to pull doesn't have to be anything elaborate, but plan for it in advance, otherwise you'll have to think about how you're going to pull her while you're on the date, and this can easily lead to overthinking and hesitation. Choose a favorable location Generally, I have dates about a mile from my place. There's no reason to create difficulty for yourself by planning the date somewhere too far out of the way (of course, if she lives far away you may want to meet in the middle). Now, if you can't pull to your place because you live with your parents, you're homeless, or whatever, then find out what area the girl lives in and plan the date somewhere close to her place. I avoid dinner dates because they're too formal, and this can make both you and the girl feel uncomfortable. Movie dates are also bad because you can't really talk to the girl during most of the date, all you can really do is awkwardly put your arm around her shoulder. Instead, my go to is coffee. Coffee shops are in public so there isn't any reason for a girl worry about getting ax murdered (compared to inviting her straight to your place). Plus, coffee shops are a very casual social environment where it's easy to have conversation—and that's what a date is really about, you and a girl getting to know each other. There are a few other good options for dates: Bars and clubs: Drinking can help you and your date get into a carefree mood. Obviously, you shouldn't be getting yourself—or her—too drunk, but having a couple drinks in social situations is a cultural ritual for a reason. If you're only comfortable going on dates that involve alcohol, that's a problem. However, bars are generally a good place to get to know someone. Nightclubs are even better because you can dance with the girl (this is a very smooth way to make things physical). A public park: Parks are a good place for dates because you can walk around, see the sights, and talk. There's also no financial investment necessary. Furthermore, parks are public enough that most women will feel safe, but there's also enough secluded areas that you can find somewhere to make out with the girl. A group activity: You can invite girls to see stand-up comedy, to go to a party, or to see a concert. These dates aren't as good as the above options for getting to know a girl, but they are good in that they are low investment—someone who's on the fence about meeting you again may be willing to go to see stand-up with you, whereas she might not get coffee with you. These kind of dates are also good for building a social circle. You can set up a weekly event that you go to and invite different girls that you meet to join. This could be a game night at your house, a weekly volleyball game, or something similar. You could even find a group to join on and then invite girls to go to the group's events with you. Before The Date I always confirm my dates a couple hours before the planned meeting time. This greatly reduces the risk of getting stood up. I simply text, "See you at (X location) in 2 hours:)" or something to that effect. Nine times out of ten, she'll respond by confirming or flaking. If she doesn't respond, I just text her again about 30-minutes before the date, "Are you on your way? " And if she's going, she'll let me know. Doing this allows you to avoid wasting time by showing up to a date that a girl may have forgotten about or decided not to go to. The Beginning Of The Date Build Sexual Tension Men often make dates too logical, almost like an interview. But women don't go out with guys to exchange information, they go out with guys to exchange emotions. So, when you're on a date with a girl, your overarching mindset should be that you're there because she's sexy, because you desire her. The words you say may be logical, but the intent behind them should be sexual. When you're at the table with her, appreciate her feminine energy, notice how attractive she is. She will sense your desire on an emotional level, and because she's on a date with you, she probably wants to experience a sexual charge in the interaction. Your desire for her will turn her on: she wants to feel desirable, she wants you to want her (). Of course, if you get the sense she's becoming uncomfortable, take a step back, dial down the intensity of your eye contact and keep the conversation light for a while. Seduction is a two-way street and if you're two steps ahead of a girl, the interaction isn't likely to go anywhere. To create sexual tension, you don't have to be physical and you don't have to talk about sex. Although both of those things can help if they're done well, they can also backfire. Understand: some girls don't like being openly sexual in public because they don't want to be judged as acting 'slutty'. Therefore, too much physicality can make a girl uncomfortable. Similarly, talking about sex, if done in a way that isn't tactful, can make you come across as a 'fuckboy': a guy with no class who only wants to get laid. Physicality and sexual conversation have their place, but they aren't the most powerful methods for creating sexual tension. The best way to spark desire is by feeling it yourself (), and by holding strong, intentful eye contact. Truthfully, if you do these two things right, you'll stand out as more seductive than 95% of men. There are other methods for building sexual tension (masculine vocal tonality, being dominant, teasing), but I wouldn't focus on those until you've mastered the two aforementioned fundamentals—they are the points of greatest leverage. Build Comfort When you're on a date with a girl, show interest in what she's saying, ask further questions, and bring the conversation towards topics that are emotionally relevant to her. **The girl doesn't want you to win her over as much as she wants to feel like she's winning you over. ** Yes, it's helpful to be witty and insightful, but it's even better if you make her feel like she's witty and insightful. Everyone is somewhat insecure about how interesting they are—especially women (because they're unsure whether they're being valued as human beings or merely as sex objects). If you can make a girl feel confident that she is interesting, she will be completely charmed by you. At the same time, you don't want to seem like you're pandering to the girl, it's possible to come across as sycophantic if you are overly agreeable and complimentary. So, on the one hand you should listen carefully to the girl and show interest in her ideas, but on the other hand, she will trust you more if you occasionally challenge her. Be willing to disagree with things the girl says, this shows that you aren't a pushover who's being fake to win her favor. If you are constantly disagreeable, the girl won't think you really like her, but if you are constantly agreeable, she won't think you are being honest. There should be some occasional friction. So long as you show respect for the girl's opinions even when you disagree with them, she will respect you because you were willing to stand up for yourself: now she knows she can really trust you. Moving the date forward There's no reason to talk at a coffee shop (or other date location) for several hours. By taking the girl on a walk, you can create the sense that your date has forward momentum to it. Within the first 30 minutes or so of a date I'll simply suggest, "Let's go on a walk, " (this has never been met with resistance). It doesn't really matter if the area you're walking in is visually appealing, all that matters is that the two of you are going on a bit of an adventure together. You don't have to initiate physicality while you're walking with a girl (if there's sexual tension you don't need to touch her until you're in a bedroom), but physicality can be useful in that it will give you objective feedback that a girl likes you. If you hold a girl's hand while walking, you can be fairly confident that the girl is interested in you. If you're unsure whether a girl you're on a date with is attracted to you, touch can be a great way to get some reassurance. Pulling While you're walking with the girl, you can seed the pull. To do this, suggest something that would be fun to do together. For example, you might say: You: Have you seen Black Mirror? Her: No. You: Really, you haven't? It's such a great show, you have to see it, we'll watch an episode sometime. Her: Okay, sounds cool! After you seed the pull, go back to normal conversation for a while. Now that the idea of watching a show together has been brought up, it will be much smoother to invite her to your place later on. Later in the conversation, say something to the effect of, "You know what, let's go watch an episode of Black Mirror right now, it'll be fun16. " When going for the pull, you might get resistance. If the girl says, "Oh, I don't really have time, " this might indicate that she's not ready to go home with you yet, or it might mean that she really doesn't have much time. If she gives you resistance, you can allay her concerns by saying, "Well, I live five minutes away, and it's just a TV show, we can watch one episode then I'll take you home right after. " If she was on the fence about whether to go home with you, this line will most likely change her mind. If a girl is giving resistance because she doesn't want to come home with you, the above line won't make a difference, and there's no point in pressing the issue any further. If, however, she agrees to watch the show, lead her to your car (or her car if you don't have one), or get an Uber, and keep doing what you were doing. The tone of the conversation should be exactly the same as it was before the pull—you're shooting the shit and having fun. Some guys get quiet and awkward once they pull, this kills the vibe which can lead the girl to say, "You know what, I should be getting home now. " Don't be that guy. Conclusion When a girl agrees to go on a date with you, she's probably hoping you will turn her on and excite her. Remember, modern women are generally open minded to the idea of having casual sex: they just need to meet a guy who makes them feel genuine desire. Understand: the girl wants you to do well, she wants you to sweep her off her feet. Fortunately, you don't have to do much to stand out from the competition, most modern men are incredibly insecure about their sexuality and turn dates into interviews in which she doesn't feel desire, she feels like she's signing a business contract. The keys to a good date are to create sexual tension by holding strong eye contact and allowing yourself to feel desire for the girl, while also building comfort by showing interest in what the girl says and being willing to disagree with her or challenge her opinions (this shows genuineness). Do those two things, and all you'll be able to move the date forward by inviting her to hang out with you in private. If you do this well, the majority of women you go on a date with will want to hook up with you. If you liked this article, you can find more of my content on YouTube: I also post live infield footage on Snapchat (approaches, number closes, etc. ) Username= Averyghayden.
Ordinary Love is a really surprising film. It's by no means a perfect film but it is a really enjoyable film with emotion done well without feeling too over the top especially for a cancer film.
Liam Neeson and Lesley Manville are really great here. They really do carry this film. Since it is primarily focused on these two characters and pretty much no one else. Liam Neeson is really great here and it makes me wonder why he hasn't done more action films.
Overall it's a very simple told very effectively. It does have a lot emotion and it really does work especially the ending. But it's definitely worth watching. Writers write. Each has their own path. If you need advice, surrender. You're not a writer. Atwood can offer only trite hackneyed platitudes and fluff. She knows how it works.
Normal people download movies. Normal People Download movie page imdb. Des code bloc er dispares de lunette.


text:
Nidus ND73CB armchair in Gamma 415 Leather
Out of stock
The Nidus collection of upholstered furniture was inspired by the precise need to create a series of formal proposals with a relaxed feel, for moments of socialising and conversation in a harmonious, relaxed setting. Antonio Citterio has achieved this objective by paying great attention to structural details like the embracing shape of the curved sofas, available in two sizes. Together with the absence of arms and the high back, this solution makes it possible to bring people together in a fresh, relaxed and unusual way. This extrovert approach is also embodied by the armchairs, offered in three versions, only one of which with arms, intended as items to be arranged freely. All the Nidus pieces can be complemented by a comfy removable headrest, and have feet upholstered in the same fabric or leather as the seats, with the addition of a small metal detail at the base that is decorative and also guarantees protection against impacts.
Brand: Maxalto
Collection: Nidus
Brand Origin: Italy
Designer: Antonio Citterio
Design Year: 2018
Frame: Graphite Painted 0252G
Leather: Gamma 415
Finish: Frame Graphite Painted 0252G, Leather Gamma 415, Threads Linen 02009
Dimensions: 730 x 840 x 760 mm


text:
Tv Series Dynasty S03 Fallon Carrington Silver Metallic Leather Coat For Women's
- Material: Leather Or Faux Leather
- Inner: Viscose Lining
- Closure: Front Buttoned Closure
- Collar: Lapel Collar
- Cuffs: Open Hem Cuffs
- Color: Silver
- Description
- Additional information
- Reviews (0)
Tv Series Dynasty S03 Fallon Carrington Silver Metallic Leather Coat For Women's Elizabeth Gillies Trench
The stated Fallon Carrington Silver Coat is an imitation of the coat that Fallon wore in season 3, episode 16 of Dynasty TV-Series. In this episode, Fallon first appeared while discussing Connor with Liam. When Laura intervenes, Fallon argues with her. Further, she then learns that Heidi and Connor are leaving, but also realizes that Heidi is lying. Fallon then goes to Blake for his help. Along with Blake, Fallon then sets to make Heidi look bad. When Heidi tells them the truth, Fallon realizes that Laura is behind it. In the end, Fallon moves back to Carrington Manor. Elizabeth Gillies played the role of Fallon.
The mentioned Elizabeth Gillies Silver Coat is a fabrication of high-quality Leather OR Faux leather. Also, the coat comprises a viscose lining that is stitched inside to keep you comfortable and relaxed. In addition to that, the specifications of this jacket accommodate a peak lapel collar, straps on shoulders, belted cuffs, and front double-breasted button closure.
Additional information
Faux Leather, Original Leather
2XL, 2XS, 3XL, 4XL, Large, Medium, Small, XL, XS
There are no reviews yet.


text:
Canadians are tired of bills & flyers
It's true!
For the longest time our True North Season Subscription (2 boxes) was our best seller. Which I still think is s perfect choice if you want to send a unique gift or simply try out our boxes.
But more recently our Annual Subscription (4 boxes) has taken the lead - which tells me that Canadians are looking for more than bills and flyers in the mail in 2022.
We are so thankful to be able to ship True North boxes of Canadian Comfort to homes all across Canada - I hope we can ship one to you. They are so much more fun than bills & flyers (wink).