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10 International Retreats For The Body And Mind You Need Now

Maria Loreto
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10 International Retreats For The Body And Mind You Need Now

We seldom think about the difference between being and doing. In our increasingly busy and hectic schedules, we often set our minds to “doing mode.” This means that our thought process, and therefore actions, are task-oriented and always looking to what’s next rather than focus on what’s present. It seems that we book vacations as a mode of escape for our minds but also find that we simply can’t turn “doing mode” off.


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It is not enough to be immersed in another culture, we create a new kind of “doing mode” by developing a new sense of schedule and tasks to accomplish. Niche markets in the travel industry have been booming to cater to specific types of “doing minds.” A new wave of hotels around the world have been perfecting the art of bringing you from “doing mode” to “being mode.”

So what is “being mode,” you ask? It is the simple notion of being present. It is a sentiment that seems to resonate with minds across the map and has translated into a whole new wellness tourism movement. In the quest to turn humans doing into humans being, hotels and retreats have took to yoga and meditation as the process for change.

We live in a world where the ability to detox your body and mind in the same places is as obvious as having a Starbucks in every city. With seemingly limitless options to escape “doing mode” and enter “being mode,” we took the stress out of the equation and found the world’s top wellness locales. If the travel bug strikes, here are ten of the best yoga hotels to strike a pose at this year.


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Silver Island Yoga, Greece

https://www.instagram.com/p/BOPFbDbjnt7/?taken-by=silverislandyoga

Do you want to savasana on a privately owned island under the Grecian sun? We thought so. This unique eco yoga experience offers an oasis for those in search of a sense of inner peace. Spread across 60 acres of rolling hills, olive groves and wand a crystal blue Mediterranean sea, it is the perfect setting to clear your mindset in a hectic 2017.

The Harmony Hotel, Costa Rica

https://www.instagram.com/p/BO4jgRhhRot/

When trying to be present, it is important to be surrounded by a community who lives in the present. The Harmony Hotel has created a platform for open minded travelers to reflect, relate and share ideas. A sustainable property situated amidst lush greenery and and a pristine surfing beach will acts as the optimal retreat for a busy mind.

Aro Ha, New Zealand

https://www.instagram.com/p/BOQSA_ggPVD/?taken-by=aroharetreats

Wellbeing isn’t a destination, it is a journey. And if you’re journey looks best with 8.4 hecatres of pure nature and expensive views of Lake Wakatipu, then Aro Ha is for you. The New Zealand experience specializes in the art of being. According to their philosophy, “Practicing stillness connects us with a deep reservoir of intuitive wisdom. At Aro Hā Mindfulness is sprinkled into your daily practices. Mindful sitting, walking, and eating will improve focus, build emotional intelligence, and help to uncover your innate joy.”

Adler Thermae, Italy

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPNYY9MDfIC/

If five days of being present requires a five star stay, look no further than Adler Thermae. At this timeless Tuscany retreat, being present means enjoying warm thermal springs, relaxation zones and stylish saunas. It has the Italian nonchalance that it takes to get you from living in tomorrow to being here today.


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Jake’s Hotel, Jamaica

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPXj8KWA5qM/

There is something about that Caribbean island breeze that brings you into “being mode.” This treasure on Treasure Beach is shack chic with vibes as welcoming as the people you’ll encounter. Think open air yoga on the ocean, fresh juices and low key casualness at the stunningly serene Jake’s Hotel.

Ananda, Himalayas

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPFVzO8jir5/

Palatial presence is no longer a mindset of the past. Ananda is an award-winning resort on a 100 acre Maharaja’s Palace Estate, surrounded by graceful Sal forests and overlooking the spiritual town of Rishikesh and the Ganges river valley. Here your path to being can be set along different tracks. With the option to focus on de-stressing, weight loss, detoxing, fitness and many more, there is no way you will leave Ananda without a new sense of self.

Willka Tika, Peru

https://www.instagram.com/p/BAIFCkrG3Gq/?taken-at=9090013

Nestled in Peru’s famous Sacred Valley, Willka T’ika is the glacier-topped getaway you never knew you needed. A culturally rich backdrop sets the perfect scene for your mind to be awakened in the present. The environmentally friendly accommodations are designed to reflect the colors and textures of mother earth, and the spacious yoga studios, cozy meditation cottages, and outdoor and indoor ceremonial areas afford spaces for personal and group activities.

Esalen Institute, USA

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPX-hdQBKrr/?taken-at=214893456

Being present doesn’t have to mean sitting still. The word Esalen itself signals adventure, unexplored frontiers and the possibility of humans being. Set between the contrasting energies of mountain and ocean, Esalen brings together a transformative power to believe in something larger than yourself.

Ulpotha, Sri Lanka

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPKYNbMgpOn/?taken-by=ulpotha

Perhaps it takes 5,000 years of history to get you centered in the now. Ulpotha’s deeply rooted spirit culminates a setting ideal for those who are not sure what they are looking for. While the hotel has become known as a vegetarian yoga retreat, it was not established to be anything in particular. It’s ethos is meant to be enjoyed as one wishes and taken for what it is, creating an atmosphere that lets you reach being without any intention of doing.

Swaswara, India

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKH9vSchWjs/?tagged=swaswara

Being truly present requires constant communication of the mind and body. At Swaswara, nature nurtures you into a journey of the self. Influenced by earth and powered by yoga and meditation, Swaswara is a sanctuary for your innermost nature.


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10 Dating Tips For Cannabis Users From High There!

High There
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10 Dating Tips For Cannabis Users From High There!

Dating in the 21st Century is hard enough. Throw cannabis into the mix, and there’s no telling what types of reactions you may get from your prospective dates.

High There!, the top mobile app on the market for meeting like-minded individuals in your area, feels your pain. However, they also know just how magical relationships can be when a love for cannabis is shared between two special friends.

With that in mind, here are some love life tips worthy of any stoner on the search:

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1. Be Open

Hiding your use of cannabis from a date may seem like a good idea at first, but if you wait too long and your partner is not okay with it, you may regret that choice. Better to be open right from the start. After all, if it’s not a problem for your date, you may end up having a lovely smoke session together later on.

2. Be Honest

Got any sexual hang ups? Skeletons in the closet? Being a good partner means being ready to talk about the hard stuff – before it becomes a major wrench in the relationship.

3. Smile

One thing that cannabis can help you do is have a happy and easygoing disposition around the person you’ve chosen for a romantic outing. Whether or not you get high together, you can surely show your date how much you care by throwing a cute grin in their direction.

4. Learn To Listen

When it comes to relationships, its not all about you. Learning to truly listen and understand someone else’s problem will help you grow as a person and as a partner.

5. Avoid Temptation

If you’re the type of person who is known for texting lots of romantic prospects at once, drunk texting their ex, or other activities that may be considered “player-esque”, now’s your chance to settle down before your date gets suspicious of your intentions. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

6. Show Appreciation

We all show appreciation in different ways – sending sweet text messages throughout the day, showing lots of PDA, or buying little gifts for the other person. Whatever that is for you, make sure to take out the time out of the day to show gratitude to your date.

7. Take Things Slow

Can we all agree that the “hookup” culture is greatly overrated? Cannabis can easily help you slow down with your partner and relish every moment, rather than rushing into things.

8. Be Creative

The fun you have together is the best part of every new relationship. Split an edible and ditch the “dinner and a movie” tradition. Coming up with creative date ideas is just one of the herb’s many romantic benefits!

9. Share Often

Whether it’s a deep dark secret, a bite of your ice cream, or a bit of herb, your relationship should involve regularly sharing with one another.

10. Always Keep Growing

Don’t use your relationship as an excuse for slacking on your own interests. Consistently improving on your own self – your education, career and unique goals – will fulfill you no matter what. It’s important to find refuge in “me time” even when you have someone special in your life.

Ready to meet the stoner lover of your dreams? Let technology make that happen for you. To start, all you have to do is download the High There! mobile app to get instantly connected to new people in your neck of the woods who share your passion for the herb.

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High Class: Why Is Some Whiskey So Expensive?

Margarett Waterbury
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High Class: Why Is Some Whiskey So Expensive?

This article originally appeared on The Whiskey Wash.

All whiskey is basically made from the same stuff: grain, yeast, heat, wood, and time. So why is it that some bottles are priced at $15, and others are more expensive than the down payment on your first home?

It’s tempting to say it’s all marketing and hype – and at a certain level, it is – but there are also some peculiarities of the production process that make some whiskeys more costly to produce than others, plain and simple.

image via The Dalmore/thewhiskeywash.com

Raw ingredients represent a tiny portion of the overall cost of the whiskey. Really high-end, fastidious craft producers sourcing organic grain grown by local farmers might pay three or four dollars a bottle for their inputs; most producers pay way, way less. Other costs related to production are things like utilities, rent, and labor – the same costs faced by every business. In general, these costs are also a minimal part of the final price, although very small producers lose out on the economies of scale big facilities enjoy, so their labor and overhead costs are, proportionately, higher.

Where production really eats into a distillery’s costs is age. Not only to distillers need to maintain facilities for storage (as you may imagine, the permitting required to run a warehouse packed to the gills with flammable materials isn’t exactly cheap and easy), they also need to contend with evaporative loss, the infamous angels’ share. In other words, the older something is, the rarer it becomes, and distillers need to have a good reason to leave their product in storage for long enough that it starts to go missing.

That reason, of course, is a price premium. Oh, and because it tastes amazing. But distillers need to charge more per bottle to make up the difference in volume they lost.

And then, finally, there’s hype. Sometimes that hype comes from the marketing side (*cough* Orphan Barrel *cough* Diageo), and sometimes…it comes from us. The people behind Van Winkle are still wholesaling their bourbon to stores at a price in line with their MSRP; it’s the stores who are responding to the secondary market, which placed such an inflated value on the stuff to begin with. So next time you cringe at the checkout, blame your whiskey-loving friends — at least a little bit.

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Dave Chappelle Shares Your Opinions About Donald Glover

Brendan Bures
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Dave Chappelle Shares Your Opinions About Donald Glover

Not many people would label 2016 as a great year, but Donald Glover is not many people. While his multi-hyphenate stock burnished underneath the surface, slowly accruing credibility, this past year everything exploded for Glover.

He delivered his critically-acclaimed show Atlanta, surreal, personal, and created, written, directed, and starring Glover. He also released Awaken, My Love!, a p-funk album influenced and celebrating a range of black artists like Sly and the Family Stone, George Clinton, Prince, and Donny Hathaway.

People have noticed the new clarity and confidence found in Glover’s new vision. He won two Golden Globes for Atlanta, while also winning the internet over for shouting out Migos’ “Bad and Boujee.”

Glover recently sat down with Wired to discuss the past year or so, revealing how fatherhood changed him, and how Atlanta draws from the voices and TV shows of Bernie Mac and Dave Chappelle.

As Donald Glover told Wired:

Those shows were so honest and so true. Bernie Mac had a sister who was a crack addict on the show. It wasn’t funny, but it was real.

It seems Chappelle has been paying attention. Chappelle infamously walked away from his eponymous show, leaving behind $50 million as he experienced a serious disconnect with the audience and the way they laughing about race. As Chappelle has dabbled reinserting himself into the mainstream of pop culture, he’s been observing how a newer generation is handling the environment he was once in.

“I can’t keep up with all the shit he’s doing, but it’s all damn good. That he can do it all blows me away,” Chappelle told Wired.

Both Glover and Chappelle acknowledged the different context of creating and writing a TV show is, including the conversations we can have regarding race.

“[M]y show was a sketch show, and Donald’s is more of a regular sitcom,” Chappelle said. “And then we’re in a different time. Race is more nuanced today, and that helps the message. It’s been 10 years.”

Reddit Challenge: Watch This Man Give His Cat 11,000 Stern Looks

Sam Jones
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Reddit Challenge: Watch This Man Give His Cat 11,000 Stern Looks

You wouldn’t think that watching 45 minutes of a man glaring at his cat 11,453 stern looks would be entertaining comedy, but it is.

Gus Johnson, a Redditor and the most committed OP you’ll ever see, threw down the gauntlet on the /r/me_irl subreddit. For every upvote the post got, he said, he would give his cat one stern look.

The moderators took it down after four hours for breaking the “no selfies” rule of the subreddit, but not before 11,453 people hit that upvote button, damming Gus to nearly an hour of grueling glares at his cat.

It’s not clear what this adorable kitten did to deserve such scorn, but the kitty plays along with this challenge, rolling and playing and trying to figure out why her owner is doing that weird thing with his neck and eyes. Her name is Wendy, after the prostitute on Breaking Bad. Poor Wendy.

Throughout the challenge, Gus keeps a counter running to track his looks and talks about his life, his past cats, and generally shoots the shit with Wendy. Wendy’s fairly oblivious to the entire situation, but does get sick of being watched and retreats to a drawer by the end. The scorn became too much for her to bear.

Spoiler alert: Gus makes it to the end, and lives to spend the rest of his day getting his wisdom teeth out. He wrote in the comments that he woke up with severe neck pains the next day. Was it worth it? Totally.

NYC’s Infamous Gold Snatcher Finally Nabbed in South America: Cops

Taylor Berman
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NYC’s Infamous Gold Snatcher Finally Nabbed in South America: Cops

Last fall, a man was caught on video casually walking off with $1.6 million in gold left in an unattended armored truck. Because of his lackadaisical brazenness, the man became something of an online folk hero. “Only in New York,” seemed to be the general reaction, rather than one of outrage or concern.

Alas, the Washington Post reports that on Tuesday, four months after his alleged crime, the alleged thief—Julio Nivelo, 53—was arrested in his home country of Ecuador by local police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

The bold theft took place on September 29 on 48th Street in Manhattan near Rockefeller Center. As the guards of the truck were standing at its front, apparently distracted and talking with each other, Nivelo allegedly walked up, grabbed a bucket containing 86-pounds of melted down gold bars, and strolled away like he didn’t have a care in the world. After weeks without a lead, the NYPD released surveillance of the incident in December, quickly turning Nivelo into a sort of internet celebrity.

The guards were eventually cleared of helping Nivelo but were reportedly fired for presumed negligence. It’s unclear how the 53-year-old was tracked to Ecuador but the operation was reportedly named Operation Lucky Charms.

Tractor Trailer Crashes on Indiana Highway, Spilling 38,000 Pounds of Marbles

Taylor Berman
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Tractor Trailer Crashes on Indiana Highway, Spilling 38,000 Pounds of Marbles

One of the great underrated news stories is the massive highway spill of any non-harmful object. Last week, it was Skittles meant for cows. A few years ago thousands of ketchup spilled onto a highway. Earlier this year it was thousands of pounds of salmon. Why is this such an entertaining story? Who knows. But it is.

The latest such story took place near Indianapolis yesterday when a tractor trailer driver lost control of his trailer, spilling 38,000 pounds of marbles onto Interstate 465.

The highway was closed for most of Saturday for cleanup. Despite literally losing his marbles, the truck driver was unharmed. No other injuries were reported either.

The Best Remixes of White Nationalist Richard Spencer Getting Punched in the Head

TFT Editors
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The Best Remixes of White Nationalist Richard Spencer Getting Punched in the Head

No matter what your politics are you should believe that white nationalists are bad people. Yesterday, a leading white nationalist named Richard Spencer was punched in the head as he answered a question about a stupid frog pin he was wearing. Regardless of your feelings on random violence, it’s hard to deny that it felt great to watch such a blatantly despicable person get socked (he was fine, by the way). As it does, the internet quickly turned video of the incident into a meme by syncing it to iconic songs.

Here’s the original video:

https://twitter.com/MrTrunney/status/822580347409932290?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Here’s one set to “Born in the U.S.A” by Bruce Springsteen.

https://twitter.com/prttybadtweeter/status/822620848897069056

Kanye West, “Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1”

Vanessa Carlton, “A Thousand Miles.”

The Curb Your Enthusiasm theme

M.O.P., “Ante Up”

DMX, “X Gon’ Give It To Ya”

Psy, “Gangnam Style”

Neutral Milk Hotel, “Holland, 1945”

https://twitter.com/PunchedToMusic/status/823093314576486402

The Indiana Jones music

Lou Bega, “Mambo No. 5”

https://twitter.com/eliglazier/status/822672209063845889

Blur, “Song 2”

https://twitter.com/PunchedToMusic/status/823441252918042629

LL Cool J, “Mama Said Knock You Out”

The Laverne and Shirley theme song

What song do you think pairs best with a video of a racist getting punched in the head?

Study: Doctors Will Need To Have An Education In Marijuana

Al Olson
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Study: Doctors Will Need To Have An Education In Marijuana

The doctors of the future will have a different attitude toward marijuana than today’s MDs, according to a study conducted at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

The report, released earlier this week, concluded that “medical students support marijuana legal reform, medicinal uses of marijuana, and increased research.”

The report’s conclusion also noted that the students “have concerns regarding risks of marijuana use, and appear hesitant to recommend marijuana to patients.”

About two-thirds (64 percent) of the students surveyed support cannabis legalization for adults. Nearly all (97 percent) believed that further marijuana research should be conducted, and believed marijuana could play a role in the treatment of various medical conditions.

But the students also have concerns:  77 percent believe that marijuana has potential for psychological harm, and 68 percent indicated concern for potential physical harm. Only a minority of students would recommend marijuana to a patient under current law (29 percent), or if it were legally available (45 percent).

“Despite strong support for marijuana legal reform, students expressed hesitancy to recommend it themselves, suggesting that medical students may not believe that there is enough data to safely recommend its use to patients and/or may not feel sufficiently trained to prescribe it,” said report co-author Michael Chan, a CU graduate and now a resident at the University of Texas Health Science Center.

The study, “Colorado Medical Students’ Attitudes and Beliefs about Marijuana,” was published on Wednesday in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

In-state students had more favorable attitudes toward medical marijuana than those from out of state.  And students who have had real-life experience with cannabis also were more likely to support legalization.

Dan Matlock, another co-author of the study, said the next step in the research is to examine how the subject is taught in medical schools.

“Clearly, medical students have a need for excellent education on marijuana,” said Matlock, an associate professor of geriatrics at the CU School of Medicine. “There’s a lot we don’t know and, medically, there is so little data.

Eight states have legalized recreational adult use of cannabis and 29 states have a medical marijuana program in place.

More stories

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Patrick Stewart, Poop Emojis, And Making Movies About Social Media

Brendan Bures
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Patrick Stewart, Poop Emojis, And Making Movies About Social Media

News broke this week that Patrick Stewart—the inimitable actor know for roles like Capt. Picard, Professor X, and “A Patrick Stewart type”—booked the most coveted role in Hollywood. Many actors called their agents, furiously demanding an audition, shouting things like “Don’t you know what this will do for my career?” and “This character truly speaks to me on an elemental level.” But Stewart proved he was the man to play the role of his lifetime:

Yes, Patrick Stewart will voice the “Poop,” the apt name for the poop emoji in the upcoming and creatively titled The Emoji Movie. (Just when you thought Hollywood was out of ideas…) Stewart was unavailable for comment because, as per his representative, Stewart’s “been living in toilets and letting dogs lick his crack” to find the essence of his character.

Move over, Jared Leto, because a new Method Acting King has come to town.

That apoocryphal story—apocryphal, typo, sorry—got us thinking. As studios and Hollywood mine digital culture for its influence and potential, what other stories are just waiting to move into the big screen? What narratives need to be told, just waiting for someone to realize that hidden source material?

We had some ideas.

AIM man, played by Ashton Kutcher

Why This Actor: Not-too-recently,  Ashton Kutcher had a job title of “Actor.” I know, hard to believe. But at one point Kutcher performed as characters in front of cameras. Then—*spoilers*—that footage somehow could be seen on TVs and movie screens. AIM was social media before social media existed. You checked friends’ summary pages, messaged to check their cheeky, rotating away messages. It’s where social networks first connected. Now it’s time for both to reclaim their previous mantles.

The Pitch: For sweet little Aimon, the world was his oyster from a young age. Adoration and adulation shouted his way whenever he crossed the street. Always so desired, Aimon lived the fast lifestyle, perpetually on the move and chasing his next high. Then came the fall. Thrown into obscurity, Aimon must learn to stop messaging people away and re-connect with himself, if he has any hope of reclaiming that which he so desperately yearns: dozens of friends to small talk.

Twitter Bird, played by Charlie Day

Why This Actor: Okay now. Deep breath: Charlie Day is a character actor who only has one character and that’s himself, dishing non-sequiturs and stream of consciousness thought that often isn’t funny or that convincing, but because of its inflamed energy and overwhelming repetition, you let the overwhelming tsunami numb you into acceptance, praying it will just end, like this sentence, until you gasp, defeated, “I guess.” How is this not Twitter?

The Pitch: Twitter Bird is but one tweeter in a family of carrier pigeons. Though he wants to strike out on his own, a family tragedy saps him when an ivy vine strangles Twitter Bird’s Father. Income strapped and heartbroken, Twitter Bird begins delivering messages for illegal underground crime syndicates, a lucrative yet morally corrupt business. When he learns the messages he’s been delivering could spell apocalyptic doom for the world, Twitter Bird must face himself and his sordid past, and decide if this is truly the bird he wants to be.

Michael Jordan Crying Meme, played by Michael B. Jordan

Why This Actor: We swear to god it’s not because they—it’s because they have the same name.

The Pitch: No matter how hard he tried, MJ could never succeed. Picked on in high school, a klutz, all his pants displaying stains, he was the symbol for epic failure. This is why MJ couldn’t stop crying. He didn’t want to cry, but a slip and fall during a pickup basketball game, or a peek on his feeds would prompt the waterfalls. In an Oscar-worthy performance, Michael B. Jordan has never been better, demonstrating the human condition with devastating exteriority and eyeball-rupturing tears. Caveat: This film can only be viewed on mobile devices.

Snapchat Ghost, played by Tilda Swinton

Why This Actor: Tilda Swinton is known for her fierce versatility and ability to disappear into roles. Old, young, sexy, schlepp, intelligent, intentional, quiet, loud—Swinton can work whatever angle you want. Her very self is mutable and Tilda Swinton the Person can become transparent if need be. She is proof of everyone’s Snapchat goals. Plus she rocks the fuck out of a dog filter.

The Pitch: In one of her hungriest, Look-How-Transformative-My-Acting-Is roles ever, Tilda Swinton plays the teenager Go. A product of her generation, Go’s always changing her look and can never found in one spot longer than 10 seconds. Until one day, when Go’s sense of self disappears altogether. To learn who she is, Go pushes into her Memories, losing herself in nostalgia. This fraught coming-of-age tale showcases the troubles and tribulations of growing up in an age where identity is politics and politics makes no sense.

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