Latest news with #August
The Independent
an hour ago
- Health
- The Independent
The top breastfeeding tips for new mothers
World Breastfeeding Week, observed globally from 1-7 August, promotes the health benefits of breastfeeding for both babies and mothers. New mothers are encouraged to focus on what works for them and their baby, rather than adhering to external expectations or societal pressures. Seeking support is crucial if breastfeeding becomes physically or mentally challenging, or painful, as pain often indicates an issue with the baby's latch. Preparing in advance with essential items such as nipple cream and breast pads can help ease the initial stages of breastfeeding. Professional guidance from midwives or breastfeeding consultants can significantly improve the experience and address difficulties.
Winnipeg Free Press
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Fringe reviews #13: You took the flyer from the mime; there's no turning back now
52 STORIES Dave Morris Son of Warehouse (Venue 5), to Sunday ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fifty-two cards are the key to Dave Morris' exotic, unpredictable memory palace, which the Victoria storyteller generously unlocks during this hilarious and heartfelt homage to mnemonics. 'It's a pretty weird place,' he says. A few years ago, Morris stumbled upon the high-stakes world of memory competitions, deciding to take on a challenge that suited him best: rapidly recalling the exact order of a standard deck from front to back. Using a system called person-action-object, Morris encodes three-card sequences into codon-sized chunks that reveal not just how the comedian remembers, but which parts of his life he's been unable to lose in the shuffle: the queen of spades is Maleficent, the two of hearts is his grandmother, and the three of diamonds is a symphony. Each card unlocks a story that will lodge its way into your own hippocampus: that's what happens when you're in the hands of a masterful player. — Ben Waldman AFTER AUGUST Thinking & Feeling Theatre Company Tom Hendry Warehouse (Venue 6), to Sunday ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Eve Ross Moore's 70-minute drama, her first fully finished script, is exceptionally moving, featuring an impressive trio of young actors that will leave a lasting impression. The show opens with Avery (Moore) and her brother August (played by Ben Robertson) getting in a car accident that kills August. Wracked with guilt and longing, Avery is haunted and taunted by August for what she has done. She's a mess, leaning hard on August's best friend (now her boyfriend) Elliot, played by Samuel Benson. As Avery's downward spiral accelerates, her relationships with August and Elliot become increasingly fraught before she dramatically takes matters into her own hands. The performances by this Winnipeg outfit are exceptional: Moore's thrilling portrayal conveys Avery's range of emotions brilliantly, Robertson slinks around interjecting with equal parts venom and compassion, while Benson harbours secrets that are gradually coaxed out into the open. The production is slick and well thought out, and aside from a couple of expository, repeated and unnecessary lines, the script is tight, moving along briskly. — Ben Sigurdson THE BIRDCAGE Crosswalk Productions Tom Hendry Warehouse (Venue 6), to Sunday ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The daughter (Sadie Kornovski) of an ultra-conservative senator (Kevin Birkholz) and his status-obsessed wife (Pamela Roz) falls in love with the scion (Ethan Stark) of drag-club proprietors (Mat Pilgrim and Corey Quintane) in this wildly enjoyable, well-cast staging of Elaine May's treatment of La Cage Aux Folles. This is the fourth time Crosswalk has returned to the Goldmans' club in South Beach, but the production, directed by Mitch Krohn, still feels as fresh, topical and crowd-pleasing as ever. As the extravagant Albert, Pilgrim alone is worth the price of admission, playing the role with the self-pity of 30 Rock's Jenna Maroney while playing up his height to rewarding ends. Ditto for Albert's manservant Agador, whose Harvey Fierstein growl and toddling saunter are enough to send you spilling into the aisles and asking for seconds of sweet-and-sour peasant soup. — Ben Waldman BRAIN Blair Moro Rachel Browne Theatre (Venue 8), to Sunday ⭐⭐⭐ In this new comedy, two affable young actors — Marissa Sauve and Jillian Burke — play the right and left brain; the right brain knows something bad has happened to the owner of the brain but the injured organ needs to figure out what is going on. It can sort it out with the audience's help. Get ready to be a part of the show! Brain borrows heavily from the Pixar movie Inside Out, but in this case, the trauma is physical rather than emotional. The information given by Vancouver playwright Blair Moro (Cabaret of Murder) at the end of the show about the intention of the production makes it more clear and might be better off the top. More genuine information on how the brain works would make the show more 'educational,' but it's a lot of fun and given the show is a work in progress, the shorter-than-promised run time is just fine. It's sloppy and messy, but so are we all. — Lara Rae DOG Ross McMillan Again Rachel Browne Theatre (Venue 8), to Sunday ⭐⭐⭐ Ross McMillan, one of Canadian theatre's lovable elders, is a charming raconteur. After last year's fireside chat on his Scots roots, he returns with a new work about dogs. Eschewing the fireside format, he opts for the addlepated lecturer, replete with vintage slide screen and a projector he works from the stage. There are many lovely stories, some moving, some melancholy, some amusing, interspersed with interesting factoids and tales of human canine relationships extending back tens of thousands of years. Audience members seated on the side near the door won't be able to clearly make out the slides. Quirky pauses of five to 10 seconds make it hard to parse if the 'character' or the actor is struggling to maintain the sequence of events. Despite the charm, some oddball jokes and the insertion of some theatrical quirks, it is difficult to know what's dazzle and what's being ill-prepared. For dog lovers, it's a small treat, but given the technological marvels and slickness abounding at this year's 21st-century fringe, to return to a hand-made tale means the actor must be the fireworks; there is more work to be done before this work bursts into distinction. — Lara Rae FAKESPEARE'S MACBETH Jack&Marlowe Son of Warehouse (Venue 5), to Sunday ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ½ Patrick Hercamp's one-man Shakespeare play may be the shortest production you'll see this year, clocking in at just over 30 minutes (advertised as 45). But what he packs into the hilarious, rapid-fire monologue will stay with audiences long after he's exited stage left. The American vaudeville comedian recently jumped from his long-running, fast-paced Hamlet synopsis into Shakespeare's 'cursed play' (whose name he won't even speak, referring to it as 'Mac-b' throughout), which he sums up (in modern English) with great gusto and with loads of fun audience interactions for the packed house. Hercamp's delivery is blistering (how else can you do Mac-b in half an hour?), and his comedic timing and wit razor-sharp; the crowd ate up his uproarious Coles Notes version of the Scottish play. Despite the show's brief length, the audience got their money's worth and more; Hercamp hung out chatting with folks in line before the doors opened, then bantered onstage with the crowd before the show proper. You needn't be a die-hard Shakespeare fan to leave fully satisfied and with a huge smile on your face. — Ben Sigurdson LITERALLY AGAINST ALL ODDS Inspired I Theatre MTC Up the Alley (Venue 2), to Sunday ⭐⭐⭐ ½ Over the course of 40-ish minutes, Grade 1 teacher Ms. Thompson is pushed to the brink in this 'new play in development' written by Winnipeg's Alissa Watson. Played by Spenser Payne, the sweet Ms. Thompson takes the students/crowd through how to deal with small, medium and big problems, pushed to her wit's end in art class by the need to help kids craft stuff for their parents. After some basic math, she details the lives of caterpillars in a biology lesson, where things get decidedly dark in a wild, unhinged scene. Near the show's end we get a Class of 2034 graduation speech from one of Ms. Thompson's former students detailing the class's first wave of teacherless education (thanks, AI) hammering home just how brutal educators have (and have had) it. Payne charms and eventually terrifies as Ms. Thompson; anyone in (or who knows someone in) education will find plenty familiar in her woes. It's a well-written (so far) and well-acted, play bringing both laughs and gasps (and a few cutting haikus), and is sure to only get better. — Ben Sigurdson SUGARBOYZ: A BOY BAND MUSICAL JHG Creative The Gargoyle Theatre (Venue 25), to Sunday ⭐⭐⭐ ½ When Spinal Tap composed Lick My Love Pump, the title was hilarious because it so closely spoofed heavy metal. When the SugarBoyz, a parody boy band, refer to their hit Nocturnal Emissions, there's no sharp mockery of the genre. It's just one of many sophomoric jokes in a musical by Winnipeg's JHG Creative (The Mail Room, World's Fair 1876) that needs stronger comedic writing, especially since boy bands have been previously sent up in the clever BoyGroove and Altar Boyz. Monique Gauthier (Play Boy), Ian Ingram (Baby Boy), Connor Joseph (Good Boy), Cuinn Joseph (Nasty Boy) and Ben Krawchuk (Schmancy Boy) are terrific vocalists, though the backing tracks at times slightly overpower them. Not every boy nails the urban choreography with equal confidence, but a moony 'emotional dance break' is a highlight of the hour-long show. Gauthier is the acting standout as the raunchy Play Boy. Video segments vary, some marred by unprofessional lighting. Though the boys croon, 'You're eatin' good tonight,' SugarBoyz isn't quite the feast of musical silliness it's aiming to be. — Alison Mayes WORLD PEACE THRU HUMOR — A GERMAN 101 Paco Erhard | German Comedy International MTC Up the Alley (Venue 2), to Sunday ⭐⭐⭐ ½ In the past, German-born, New York-based comic Paco Erhard has imparted his homeland's sensibilities in 5-Step Guide to Being German; in his new 75-minute standup show, he looks to the country of his birth to offer guidance through the world's many problems. Erhard draws parallels between fascist Germany and today's America, recounting his own U.S. border horror stories. Urging folks to lose their ego and 'dare to look stupid or stay stupid,' he offers funny and insightful observations about Canada, AI, resisting nationalism and more with solid timing and delivery and just the right amount of stronger language. The nearly full house responded positively to Erhard's pointed but slightly rough-around-the-edges show, with plenty of chuckles throughout as well as a couple of legit belly laughs. He may not bring about world peace, but Erhard is sure to have audiences leaving with smiles on their faces and plenty to think about. — Ben Sigurdson YESTERDAY REIMAGINED Phoenix Productions John Hirsch Mainstage (Venue 1), to Saturday ⭐⭐ Two couples who low-key hate each other get together for their weekly card game, but this Saturday night's alright for fighting after they begin having a provocative philosophical discussion: if you could go back in time and change one pivotal decision in your life, would you? This locally produced dramedy, written by Liz Farler, has enough tension to keep the audience engaged, but it never really moves forward, hampered by tedious, circular dialogue and characters so one dimensional that they border on caricatures — although Daniel Cormier is excellent as Curtis, the smug, right-wing husband of conflict-avoidant Denise (Leslie Boardman). There's no real growth or insight to be had, no surprising or interesting revelations. The baddie is bad, the goodies are good, which makes for boring theatre. — Jen Zoratti
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Here Are The 17 Funniest July Tweets On The Internet
While we can't endorse what X has become, we can bring you the worthwhile moments that still exist there, curated and free of the surrounding chaos. As we are reaching the end of July, let's look back at the funniest tweets people have posted this month so far: Related: 1. 2. 3. 4. Related: 5. 6. 7. 8. Twitter: @_StillTheShawn Related: 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. Related: 14. 15. 16. 17. That's all for this month! Let us know which tweet was your favorite, and we'll see you in August! Also in Internet Finds: Also in Internet Finds: Also in Internet Finds: Solve the daily Crossword
CTV News
5 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
More than 50 candidates registered in Alberta byelection where Pierre Poilievre hopes to win back a seat
PM Mark Carney has declared a byelection in August for a rural Alberta riding vacated to allow Pierre Poilievre to run for a seat. Colton Praill has the details
Forbes
5 days ago
- Health
- Forbes
Travelers Can Enjoy National Wellness Month At These Holistic Spas
National Wellness Month is celebrated each August. getty Celebrated every August, National Wellness Month serves as a time to highlight the importance of overall well-being by encouraging individuals to prioritize their physical, mental and emotional health, and destination spas are ready to welcome travelers who seek rejuvenation and relaxation during their getaways. It's a month that raises awareness about the value of self-care, stress management and healthy routines, aiming to inspire people to adopt practices that improve their overall wellness. Three key components of the month include: * Promoting the adoption of habits that support physical and mental health, such as balanced diets, regular exercise and sufficient sleep. * Respecting the interconnectedness of physical, mental and emotional well-being, by way of a balanced approach to health. * Highlighting the importance of making time for activities that promote well-being, such as relaxation and hobbies. According to several recent surveys, one-fourth of travelers plan to take a health and wellness-focused trip in the next year, a striking 51% increase from the previous year. Many of these travelers will head to hotels and resorts that feature luxurious spas and soothing treatments. Omni Hotels & Resorts offers a variety of relaxing spa treatments. Omni Hotels & Resorts Omni Hotels & Resorts is tapping into the moment with a spa collection designed to meet guests where they are, whether that's burnout, bridal season or a solo reset. The Spa at La Costa (Carlsbad, CA): Following a 2024 renovation, this 43,000-square-foot spa fuses time-honored wellness traditions with cutting-edge therapies like cryotherapy and sound baths; this summer's highlights include exclusive Secret Garden Spa Parties with live music and tranquil sound baths, plus innovative Spa Summer Camps designed for parents and teens to bond through curated treatments and activities. The Spa at Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa (Asheville, NC): Set deep within the Blue Ridge Mountains, this subterranean spa carved from natural rock offers a transformative retreat built around the elements of Fire, Rock, Water and Light with this summer's Spa After Hours giving private groups exclusive access to pools and amenities in a uniquely serene mountain setting. Treatments are designed to relax both the mind and body. The Benjamin Royal Sonesta Hotel The Benjamin Royal Sonesta Hotel, New York City The Benjamin Royal Sonesta Hotel, a luxury boutique landmark hotel in New York City, has debuted the Royal Reflection Wellness Spa, offering relaxation, beauty and holistic healing treatments in a serene environment with expert therapists. Designed by the DLR Group, the initial phase of The Benjamin's reimagination was unveiled in September 2024. The transformation reveals a present-day interpretation of the urban oasis, combining design elements of classic elegance with modern flair to create an elegant ambiance reminiscent of a members-only club. The Royal Reflection Wellness Spa offers guests a variety of treatments designed to relax both the mind and body, leaving spa-goers feeling refreshed and revitalized. From invigorating body treatments to renewing skincare and beauty rituals, treatment options include massages (deep tissue, lymphatic release, Swedish), facials, acupuncture, body scrubs, eyelash extensions, and more. Expert therapists blend time-honored traditional techniques and contemporary practices, tailored to each guest. Guests also have the option of in-room massages, ensuring the ultimate relaxation in the comfort of their own spacious suite. Serenbe offers guests a restorative wellness experience. Tomas Espinoza Photography Serenbe, Atlanta, Georgia Just 25 minutes from Atlanta's airport, Serenbe is part wellness retreat, part residential community. With 70% of Serenbe preserved as green space, the destination offers guests a restorative wellness experience: forest bathing, organic farm tours, guided labyrinth meditations, award-winning spa treatments and hyper-local farm-to-table meals. It's no surprise the Global Wellness Institute named 'analog travel' as one of the year's top trends, and Serenbe goes all in. No noise, no rush, just nature, fresh food and meaningful connection. Guests who want to connect with nature can stay at The Inn at Serenbe or one of the cottages within the community to unplug, stroll the countryside by horseback with the Serenbe Trail Riding, cool off at the lake, tour one of the state's first certified organic farms and visit the adjacent farmers market, try out forest bathing and hike through 26 miles of preserved wooded trails that connect the community. Treatments include a Summer Glow-Up Facial. Carley Rudd Photography Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa, Whitefield, New Hampshire Immersed in natural splendor with prime access to exhilarating outdoor adventure, delicious dining and decadent spa treatments, Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa is a timeless 1,700-acre escape. Classes include Sunrise Yoga on the Lawn on Saturdays; Private Stress-Relief & Mindfulness Meditation Sessions; Beyond Relief Yoga & Custom Private Yoga Classes on Tuesdays & Saturdays; Wellness Packages; The Glow-Up; 50-Minute Summer Glow-Up Facial; 80-Minute Revitalizing Scalp Recovery & Blowout. Curated wellness retreats are offered for solo travelers, couples, families such as Path to Well-Being Retreat, Peak Pursuits Adventure Retreat for Men and Blissful Bonding Retreat. The resort provides the perfect backdrop for holistic healing and relaxation. Montevalle Spa & Wellness Resort Montevalle Spa & Wellness Resort, Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico Montevalle Spa & Wellness Resort empowers individuals through holistic treatments and therapies. Valle De Guadalupe's natural beauty makes it an ideal setting for ultimate serenity and relaxation. Known for its scenic vineyards and tranquil environment, it provides the perfect backdrop for holistic healing and relaxation. Features include: a Meditation Labyrinth designed for mindfulness and stress reduction; Spa offers a range of experiences such as intravenous infusions, holistic therapies and massages; Reflexology Pathway where guests are invited to discover its healing power; Liebre which offers a dining experience focusing on fresh, locally sourced, and organic ingredients; The Quiet Room for yoga and meditation; Private villas surrounded by olive trees and lavender fields. Programs are designed to enhance mental clarity and reduce stress. John Athimaritis, Six Senses La Sagesse Six Senses La Sagesse, Grenada Six Senses La Sagesse recently launched a new Digital Detox Program designed to enhance mental clarity, reduce stress, improve sleep quality, boost focus, strengthen real-life connections and promote mindfulness. Details include: Unplugged Meals – Visitors can enjoy relaxed, communal dining experiences without digital distractions. Phones can be secured in Yondr Boxes placed next to the dining table, and conversation cards are provided to encourage meaningful dialogue. Unplugged Experiences – Guests can choose a three-to-seven-night digital detox stay featuring grounding meditation, Yoga Nidra and Alchemy Bar sessions, holistic healing treatments, signature massages, wellness meals and nightly sound healing or storytelling rituals around a bonfire. Forbes The Uber-Rich Are Flocking To This Small Mountain Town By Roger Sands Forbes How To Best Experience The Great American Road Trip By Roger Sands
