Dreaming about a previous relationship is a discombobulating experience, no matter your current feelings regarding that person. It can spark all sorts of questions, like, “Are you still not over the relationship?” or “Is there something wrong with your current one?”
The Cut interviewed Lauri Quinn Lowenberg, a dream analyst, who gave several reasons behind these dreams and how they might have little to do with your ex. “Whatever’s going on in the dream is going to reflect not necessarily [what’s going on] between you and your ex, but what’s going on with you,” she said.
Here are five reasons why you might be having these dreams and how these opportunities lend themselves to self-reflection.
If you dream that an old ex is breaking up with you, there’s a chance that you’re punishing yourself for something that’s going on in your life, like a personal rejection or a failure at work.
Your need to come to peace with something traumatic
If you dream about a previous toxic relationship or an abusive ex, it could be a symptom of the trauma you experienced. “Women who are in abusive relationships often stay in it way too long and they’re scared, or they don’t know what to do. When they finally get out, they get mad at themselves and they beat themselves up, and the dream reflects that,” Lowenberg explained.
Going through a break-up
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Dreaming about a recent ex is a sign that your subconscious is trying to help you cope and manage the problem. This opportunity allows you to reflect on what went wrong, process feelings of guilt or even hope.
Your current relationship has become predictable or you haven’t been with someone in a while
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According to Lowenberg, dreaming about an ex you had 20 or 30 years ago doesn’t mean that you’re still in love with them — it’s more of a reflection of your life and what you’d like to have again. “The ex, at this point, is no longer playing themselves in the dream — instead, they kind of embody what first love feels like: the excitement, the passion, the desire, being desired, always wanting to be together, bubbles, that wonderful feeling.” This dream can be interpreted as a sign that you should do something to reignite your current relationship or, if you’re single, that it’s time to put yourself out there.
If you dream about your ex killing you or vice versa, it’s not as creepy as it appears. “Death in a dream is about something ending or changing,” Lowenberg says, explaining that if you’re ex is hurting you it means that the breakup changed something within you. If the case is reversed and you’re killing your ex in your dream, it means that it’s time to let go of any resentment you may be feeling for them, no matter how bad the break up was.
Cannabis consumers make more money, spend more time outdoors, volunteer more and are generally more happy about life, according to a study released Thursday. Is smoking marijuana the key to happiness?
According to BDS Analytics, the “well-adjusted lifestyles seen among cannabis consumers serve as a common theme in the findings in the company’s series of reports called ‘Public Attitudes and Actions Towards Legal Cannabis.’ ” The data firm conducted the study in California and Colorado. Research is underway in Oregon and Washington.
“Cannabis Consumers Are Happier Campers” was the first installment of BDS Analytics’ Cannabis Wellness Trends, which examines different aspects of public attitudes and actions toward legal cannabis and the market for legal cannabis. The online survey tallied the results of 2,000 adults in the two states with a quota of 1,200 respondents acknowledging marijuana use in the past six months.
“Every time we embark on a study of wellness or health, we have preconceived ideas on what we will find,” Linda Gilbert, Managing Director of the BDS Consumer Research Division, told The Fresh Toast. “But I was quite surprised by these results. Especially in how the substance is actually used.”
When compared both to people who do not currently use marijuana but are not opposed to using it, and those who are opposed to marijuana, cannabis consumers tend to rank higher on a range of indicators related to personal and social satisfaction.
According to Gilbert’s analysis of the study, most consumption is not social. “The majority of the respondents say they use cannabis for physical, mental and/or emotional wellness. It’s not a group of people getting together and getting high,” she said. “I suspect that will change as legalization becomes more and more prevalent and accepted.”
Gilbert, who has spent 30 years researching health, wellness and nutrition issues, also highlighted the findings that more women are using cannabis than she anticipated.
“In general, women are the gatekeepers of health in most households. And this study suggests that women are embracing cannabis for self care. Instead of Advil or Aleve, women are turning to cannabis for menstrual cramps,” said Gilbert.
Gilbert suggests that “the cannabis consumer cohort should be of interest to many marketers targeting healthy lifestyle consumers, whether food and beverages, exercise and recreation, community service and more.”
The survey also sheds some light on how legalization has altered usage. Form factors such as topicals, beverages, edibles and vaporization are becoming more popular, especially among women.
“All these new forms have drastically changed the landscape,” Gilbert said. “Cannabis consumers want to live a healthy lifestyle. For some, smoking it is a barrier. It’s just not the stereotypical twentysomething toking up in the basement. Today’s marijuana consumer prefers organic produce, sustainable packaging, and, in general, a more mindful lifestyle.”
In dogdom, the Havanese is the pride of Cuba, as it is the only breed to originate from the country. Always with a spring in its step, the Havanese is as energetic and lively as it is cuddly and loving. Its sociable and gentle characteristics make the Havanese the perfect companion for young and old alike. The breed is a smarty pants, well-known for its trainability and handling difficult tricks. When grooming a Havanese, some like to cord the coat, while others cut it short.
Here, we recognize five well-groomed Havanese of Instagram.
It’s never been easier to shop and find new sources of awesome things. The internet has given us access to all sorts of items we wouldn’t find in our regular visits to our favorite stores and malls. While this is good news, it also creates a whole host of problems, like shopping indiscriminately just because your bored and losing track of the amount of things you’ve bought.
Most people with tons of stuff either store these unused items in the back of their closets or give them up for donation. The latter is always a good way to go, but sometimes it hurts to think of the amount of money you’ve lost. E-commerce is a growing business, one that will continue to change and influence us in the future. Although on most sites you have to pay a fee in order to sell, if you know which websites to use, the value of the item ends up worth it. NBC News compiled a guide to help you get started. Check out some of their most helpful recommendations:
According to the ThredUP’s VP of communications the app is “designed for the busiest consumers who want a one-stop-shop. Sell any brand — from GAP to Gucci — without leaving the house, taking photos or managing the transaction.” The app determines the value of your item and provides photographs for it, sending you a “Clean Out Kit,” which you’ll then use to mail them your clothes. ThredUP’s staff is thorough when it comes to checking the quality of what they sell, making it a good website to buy secondhand clothes too.
For all items use Ebay
Ebay is one of the world’s most famous ecommerce places for a reason, giving you the chance to auction off items or sell them at a price you consider is reasonable. The website also has a trending items tab where you can see what is selling the most and what types of items are resonating with users.
Use Poshmark if you’re selling clothes
The New Year is here, so it’s the perfect time to clean out your closet and make some extra cash. @StyleBlueprint spoke with @emptyhanger about how she turned her reselling hobby into a six-figure business on Poshmark and how you can, too! https://t.co/nzlhIktDil
This app is a big seller for famous brands, so it’s a good place to use if you have good clothes that you don’t know what to do with. “There are three simple steps to start selling on Poshmark: take a picture of the clothing item, insert relevant details and price, and share with the community — the more you share, the more you sell,” says Kate Franco, director of brand marketing at Poshmark. The website also has a helpful start up guide and their community guidelines that you should read through if you’re interested in selling there.
DeCluttr for tech
DeCluttr is one of the few apps that’s free to use, specializing in selling and purchasing tech items. The website send you a prepaid packaging kit which you’ll use to send your item, and they’ll contact you with a price. DeClutter is a good option for those who aren’t interested in having conversations with buyers, allowing the app to handle the entire selling process.
A skeptic all his life, it was not until Martin Tindall walked around a Colorado dispensary and saw firsthand how cannabis could lengthen and save lives did he become a believer.
Now, the former finance executive is on a mission to stamp out diabetes in some of the world’s worst-hit areas with a revolutionary marijuana treatment engineered by his private firm, Phoenix Life Sciences International.
Tindall was helping turnaround a business using his decades of experience in financial services and also coming to terms with the death of his own father when he had an awakening as to what medicinal cannabis was capable of. “I would never have thought to get into the medical cannabis industry, it always just seemed like an excuse for people to get high,” he told Cannabis Law Report. “Then I saw someone with Stage 4 breast cancer end up in remission from cannabis-based therapy, someone else with skin cancer; kid after kid with seizures all being treated. There seemed so much more to it.”
Photo by Clementa Moreno/EyeEm/Getty Images
Phoenix, headquartered in Denver, distributes medicinal cannabis products around the globe to treat seven major categories of medical conditions including pain, cancer, autoimmune, metabolic, neurological, psychological and sleep disorders.
A standout project is its partnership with governments on the South Pacific islands to put cannabis-based products at the center of their national healthcare programs and tapping into Tindall’s visionary spirit, the team hopes to turnaround soaring diabetes rates, which are the highest anywhere in the world.
The South Pacific epidemic is staggering, as, during the past 20 years, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have overtaken infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, and malaria as the greatest causes of mortality in the region.
In at least 10 Pacific island countries, more than 50 percent (and in some, up to 90 percent) of the population is overweight according to World Health Organization surveys.
Obesity prevalence ranges from more than 30 percent in Fiji to an eye-opening 80 percent among women in American Samoa, a territory of the United States.
Almost 50 percent of the Pacific island region’s population of 10 million has been diagnosed with a noncommunicable disease, notably cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hypertension. These diseases account for 75 percent of all deaths across the Pacific archipelago and 40–60 percent of total healthcare expenditure.
“We have countries that cannot afford insulin, so the treatment for diabetes is amputation of lower limbs,” said Tindall, a member of the board of directors of the National Cannabis Chamber of Commerce.
The largest cause of death in South Pacific females is cervical cancer; as there is little or no access to chemotherapy or radiotherapy. “It’s hysterectomy or death,” said Tindall.
“The US Food and Drug Administration doesn’t care someone in Vanuatu loses a foot,” he said. “Their amputation rate is a literally foot a day. We were motivated by the passion to provide healthcare services, knowing we could manufacture down there and achieve global capacity and service so many more countries.”
Research has found cannabis can help those diagnosed with either type 1 or 2 diabetes, and those who suffer complications, and a landmark study published in the American Journal of Medicine in 2013 said marijuana compounds can also help control blood sugar.
Photo by Esther Kelleter/EyeEm/Getty Images
Armed with their mission, in June 2018, Phoenix merged many of its partner organizations together under the name Phoenix Life Sciences International Limited, placing expert botanists, biologists, industrial and organic chemists, medical doctors, researchers, packagers and distributors together under one roof.
From the outset, the firm targeted accurate dosing and delivery systems, with a botanist crafting many different formulas for treatments through varying strains.
“Government agencies want to see this consistency, that they won’t have fluctuations in botanicals,” said Tindall. “That is something that scares them. “It showed us there were ways to have formulas that were more effective for diabetes and others for the treatment of cancers.”
The South Pacific region also has large tracts of real estate allowing Phoenix to expand and scale production. From January, the build-out of the Republic of Vanuatu is top of the Phoenix list, at an expansion of 50 acres per quarter. Tindall also hopes to commence the clinical trials with Vanuatu for diabetes treatment.
The tiny Pacific island has a population of 270,000, but a diabetes rate of around 13 percent, making it a major issue for the government.
“It’s important to us to run local trials, so we are not relying on evidence from elsewhere,” Tindall said. “It also gives us a fast-track program. We are working with governments on single-payer healthcare systems as they are the ones who save the money, and the patients get the great end result.”
For the communities, Phoenix can roll out much faster when part of a national healthcare system with clinics and infrastructure said Tindall. “We want to replicate that in the South Pacific, where they have 46 countries,” he said.
Tindall cites the positive strides GW Pharmaceuticals (GWPH) have made on overseas markets as the regulatory playbook to follow.
GW, the world’s biggest medicinal cannabis firm, has blazed a trail in taking new drugs derived from plant extract to market, enabling them to circumvent the scheduling as general CBD or THC and become subject to stricter enforcement.
It is Tindall’s hope Phoenix can replicate this success in the South Pacific, and other areas where some of the larger cannabis firms are not as active; if countries cannot afford to import and sell, there is little incentive for Big Pharma to get involved.
“We are positioned to pick up a good part of the global market while also preparing for bringing products back into the US, and even the UK,” he said.
The firm is expected to engage in M&A activity throughout 2019, and Tindall confirms he is looking at other companies to acquire that will allow Phoenix to leapfrog. “Whether a licensee in another country or securing another location for plantation sites,” he said. “We’re looking at companies with Drug Enforcement Administration licensing, so we can move the studies along.”
Also on the list of targets for 2019 is an FDA study license, which would allow Phoenix to serve universities and other clinical organizations. Tindall sees education of doctors and medical professionals as the number one aim, not just for Phoenix but the wider industry.
“No doctor is going to say to a patient ‘smoke two joints and call me in the morning’,” he said. “They want to know it’s accurate, medically delivered, and there is substantial research for them to point to. The more doctors will become aware of the treatments, the faster the market will grow, with more and more drug studies being held.”
The biggest pushback Phoenix has received until now has been the lack of data, Tindall said. The company sponsored a non-profit to build a database of medical cannabis data, putting up information on anxiety disorders and how the cannabinoids are being used in clinical trials.
“It’s all about access and education,” said Tindall. “If you have access, great, but you won’t get the program without physicians prescribing.”
Each time the company enters a new market or country it has introduced a training program for doctors, forming part of a strategy seeking to mature the industry and move away from the stereotypes Tindall believes hinder growth.
“By being able to provide video communications, presentations, there has to be a plethora of data pushed to the doctors, presented in a structured format so they can accept it,” he said. “It’s no good having Snoop Dogg on the front puffing a leaf.”
As the cannabis industry continues its stratospheric rise, Tindall warns firms who play up to old habits in order to gain the attention that they are only hurting themselves.
“At conferences, you still see the legacy of the weed industry,” he said. “It doesn’t really help. If you have a doctor in there, and the first thing he sees is potheads, it’s not going to work.”
Phoenix is strict on branding; it doesn’t use pictures of cannabis plants, and it is deliberately positioning itself as a pharmaceutical firm that happens to use marijuana in its products. “If we can get a better result in the treatment of diabetes out of a fennel plant, that is what we are going to do, we’d be just as happy,” said Tindall. “It’s about finding the end solution for the patient.”
When it comes to how you store marijuana, the do’s and don’ts are pretty basic. But the guidelines can vary depending on your living arrangements, budget, aesthetic style and geography. There is no such thing as an expiration date for marijuana. It is a dried herb and can last a long time if aged correctly. Here are 8 ways to properly store marijuana for freshness.
No Plastic Baggies, Please
If you have a few nugs in a plastic baggie, you’re doing it wrong. First of all, you risk crushing your buds, removing the potent trichomes from the bud and rendering your herb as less potent.
Plastic is also an ineffective medium in which to hold herbs. Over time, the plastic will affect the taste of the herb. These cheap baggies also do not hold in the odor, so it is not a discrete storing method. And lastly, it is just aesthetically ugly.
Keep Out Of Reach Of Children
A no-brainer, but this tip should not be omitted. If you have children living with you or you have children in your home from time to time, store your weed in a place out of reach. If you are unable to follow this rule, one wonders if you really should be consuming cannabis. Be smart and outsmart the kids. It shouldn’t be that difficult.
Airtight glass jars are your best bet. My favorite containers are Mason jars because they can be found just about anywhere. With glass, your marijuana stays consistent … nothing gets in or out of the jar until you open it and allow oxygen to enter.
When you store things in glass, nothing goes in and nothing goes out. What you put inside a glass jar stays just as good as the day you put it in until you expose it to oxygen again. Also, glass does not produce a scent so you will not be introducing different odors to your herb. What you bought will taste like what you bought.
Keep In A Cool Dark Place
The only downside to clear glass is that it allows in light, which could damage your herb. So find a cupboard (again, think child safety) or a drawer or location in your home that remains dark throughout the day. If your glass jar gets too warm from sunlight, the jar may “sweat” from the inside, which could put your stash at risk for mold.
Temperature And Humidity
Ideally, store your herb in cool, dark place. How cool? Try to keep it under 70 degrees. If it gets in the upper 70s or above. mold could become an issue. Humidity is also a factor, but a little harder to control. A rule of thumb is to keep marijuana stored at about 60 percent humidity. Above 65 percent may present a problem with mold.
Do NOT Use The Fridge Or Freezer
Never store your cannabis in the fridge or freezer. The temperature and humidity fluctuations are too much for cannabis. Freezing the bud makes it brittle and the THC-rich trichomes will break off, leaving you with weak weed.
When selecting the perfect jar, think about how much marijuana will be in the jar. You don’t want to use an over-sized jar for a small amount of bud because you are allowing more oxygen in. Try to match the container with the volume of cannabis to be stored. As your stash diminishes, try using smaller jars.
Store Separately
If you have more than one strain to store, use separate containers. Each strain has its own unique characteristics and the best way to maintain the uniqueness is to store the strains in their own jar.
This Week’s Music is a weekly column that discusses the weeks’ best, worst, and most interesting songs. We try to select songs of different artists and genres to keep things interesting and to please a variety of music fans.
This week’s column features Sharon Van Etten’s last single before the release of her much anticipated album, Billie Eilish’s ode to the movie Roma, and Sam Smith’s awesome collaboration with Normani.
Rock
Sharon Van Etten – Seventeen
Sharon Van Etten’s next album, “Remind Me Tomorrow,” will be released on January 18. “Seventeen” is the third song from the album that has been released, following “Jupiter 4” and “Comback Kid.” Van Etten’s lyrics are always self-reflective and deeply personal, with “Seventeen” being one of her most upbeat songs despite its melancholic tinge. Van Etten said on a tweet that the song’s music video is her love letter to New York City, the place where she’s lived for the past 15 years, and where she’s grown up and found herself.
Billie Eilish’s latest single was inspired by the Mexican movie Roma, which is primed to be one of this year’s biggest award winners. Despite the awkward fit between a song from an American rising pop star and an international movie that discusses the life of a housekeeper, “When I Was Older” is an interesting experiment, just as weird as Elish’s latest songs. With melancholic lyrics and a moody beat, it’s a good enough addition to Eilish’s inventory even if it doesn’t break any new territory for her. Whether the song is an accurate reflection of Roma is a whole other discussion.
Sam Smith and Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
“Dancing With A Stranger” joins Sam Smith’s latest collaborations with other artists where he gives himself the opportunity to explore other beats and types of songs. The single has a rhythm that’s slow and contained yet still makes room for fun, different than Smith’s solo work which tends to be more serious and thoughtful. Normani, breaking free from her role of Fifth Harmony, balances out the song with her smooth vocals, providing the right amount of intrigue for it to leave a lasting impression.
“Tidying Up With Marie Kondo” is Netflix’s latest binge-worthy reality TV show, cementing Kondo as the tidying queen of the universe. The show follows and explores the magic of the KonMari method, which aims to transform your cluttered spaces into spots that make you feel serene, happy and peaceful. Her method encourages you to organize your home according to categories, focusing on items that spark joy versus items that don’t. In short: items that don’t spark joy gotta go.
Marie Kondo speaks calmly, looking organized and tidy in her perfectly coordinated clothes and tiny frame. She embodies her mantra, which may be why the show works so well.
Despite Kondo’s peaceful and adorable demeanor, she’s a scary host, demanding a lot of work from her “patients.” Participants of the show are asked to throw all of their clothes in a pile and to go through each item, feeling ashamed when they realize the amount of stuff they’ve accumulated over the years. It’s easy to picture Kondo having a delightfully twisted time while rummaging through your own closet.
Kondo’s double nature is prime for memes, which emphasize how much work participants have to go through in order to “come clean” at the end of the process. Check out some of the best memes:
Marie Kondo thanks you before ejecting you from the platform in Smash
Although there has been a lot of debate over whether marijuana is hurting the alcohol industry, liquor sales are actually doing quite well in some states where weed is now legal for recreational use. It seems most hardcore drinkers are not switching to weed and, well, cannabis users typically do not have a voracious appetite for booze. Industry experts say they feel confident that their sliver of the inebriation culture would not suffer at all if cannabis were made legal at the federal level.
In Colorado, Oregon and Washington, it’s business as usual for the alcohol trade. In fact, hard liquor sales are actually up in those jurisdictions, according to the Distilled Spirits Council.
“At this point, we’ve seen no impact on spirit sales from legalized recreational marijuana,” said Chris Swonger, CEO for the council.
Even though sales on beer and wine seem to have taken a bit of a hit, there is no evidence that this is due to legal weed. Some of the latest data shows that these alcoholic beverages have been in a slump over the past decade, as liquor has been gaining market share.
The council studied the per-capita booze sales before and after marijuana legalization took hold in the three states. Hard liquor sales nearly doubled in all three during that time. Beer and wine show some mixed results. In some parts, sales increased, while others showed a decline. But marijuana has not laid them to waste.
“The trends in alcohol have been fairly consistent regardless of whether or not you have legalized recreational marijuana in a state or not,” David Ozgo, the council’s chief economist, toldCNBC.
Wall Street analyst Vivien Azer, who has been a prominent voice for alcohol and cannabis trends for the past several years, argues that cheap beer is more at risk for losing out to weed than wine and spirits. She says legal pot is more likely to become a replacement for low-end brews because the majority of cannabis users are white males in the lower income bracket.
It is conceivable that marijuana could eventually take a bigger bite out of the alcohol industry, especially as more states move toward legalization. But for now, the concerns are minimal, the experts say.
Still, cannabis industry soldiers remain convinced that the alcohol trade has something to fear. They believe the trends just need time to enter into new territory.
“It’s a little early for people to say no impact,”said Canaccord Genuity managing director Bobby Burleson, “I think these things change very, very quickly with different generations and demographic groups coming into the consumption category.”
Meanwhile, the alcohol industry is mingling with marijuana in Canada, where marijuana went fully legal in October 2018. Several large alcohol firms are working to bring their version of a THC-infused beverage to market later this year. Perhaps the alcohol trade is not worried about weed because it knows it is going to take it over as soon as the U.S. government pulls the plug on prohibition.
Former TV anchor Lauren Sanchez had “loose lips” about her relationship with Amazon chief Jeff Bezos, sources tell The Post — and now the whole world knows.
Sanchez sent the sexts to a friend to show off about her relationship with the world’s richest man — and then the pal slipped the texts to the Enquirer.
Raunchier text messages — which the tabloid didn’t publish, but that include explicit selfies — says Bezos has more to boast about than his bank account.
“He’s big,” said the insider.
One Enquirer staffer who worked on the story says the four-month-long operation — amusingly dubbed “Project Alexa,” after Amazon’s digital assistant — was top secret.
“Only four editorial people knew of Project Alexa,” the staffer said.
“We followed their every move. They had no idea — which is kinda ironic given [Bezos] had his own private security with him all along.”
Chris Pratt is kicking off the new year with a diet that also brings him closer to his faith.
On Wednesday, the “Jurrasic World: Fallen Kingdom” star, 39, revealed on his Instagram Story that he was following the Daniel Fast.
“OK, hi, Chris Pratt here. Day three of the Daniel Fast, check it out, it’s 21 days of prayer and fasting,” Pratt said.
“It’s gonna coincide also coincidentally with the ‘Lego Movie 2’ junkets, so by the time you see me, I’ll probably be hallucinating,” he added. “Stay tuned.”
According to its website, the “Daniel Fast is based on the fasting experiences of the Old Testament Prophet” and helps people “draw nearer to God.”
“There’s so little time,” he told Seth Meyers of the annual ceremony. “There were a lot of jokes we really loved that we didn’t get to cover and I thought, if it was ok with everyone here, I would just bang through a bunch that we didn’t get to do.”
“Crazy Rich Asians is up for two awards—and crazy, rich white people are up for the remaining 200.”
“Roma is such an emotional experience. When it was over, I literally sat there and cried for a full 5 seconds before Netflix started blasting a new movie where Kurt Russell plays Santa Claus.”
“Green Book nominated, which is of course a poignant biopic about Dr. Seuss struggling to finish the title of Green Eggs and Ham.”
“BlacKkKlansman was nominated and, judging by the upper and lowercase lettering in the title, is also a Wi-Fi password.”
“‘Julia Roberts’ Amazon show Homecoming was adapted from a podcast’ would be a good sentence to confuse someone who just woke up from a coma.”
“Netflix beat out Amazon tonight as the most nominated streaming service while the best streaming scene was Bradley Cooper wetting himself in A Star Is Born.”
