Inside a lab in Aurora, Colorado, scientists at Mycotechnology have been trying to figure out a way to replace sugar with mushrooms. Certain mushrooms, the logic goes, can take away bitterness and naturally sweeten foods, like coffee and chocolate.

The startup has most recently engineered a dark chocolate bar (with 8 grams of sugar and 293 calories) that has had about 66% of its sugar replaced with mushrooms, Mycotechnology's CEO, Alan Hahn, tells Business Insider.

"Our goal from the start was to make it possible for products to be healthy but also taste great," he says.

Sugar is usually added to raw chocolate for two purposes: first, to mask the natural bitterness, and second, to sweeten it. The mushroom extract masks chocolate's bitterness, so the eight grams of sugar that's added is just for extra sweetness.

When the chocolate hits your tongue, according to Mycotechnology, the mushroom extract acts as a bitterness shield. The chocolate's bitter molecules don't bind with your taste buds, so you don't perceive them.

I was skeptical, so I decided to try it. When I opened the package, the 15-piece bar looked like it was covered in a swirly film.

The consistency was a little harder than a typical chocolate bar. It also had a lingering aftertaste that I couldn't quite place (but what I'm guessing is the mushrooms).

Other than that, it tasted just as sweet as typical dark chocolate, and nothing like mushrooms.

The process of making the bar is a little complicated. First, the company produces what it calls a "mushroom root liquid," by extracting the roots from chaga mushrooms, which commonly grow on birch trees in cold climates. It then lets a small amount soak in water to form the liquid.

The team sprays the liquid onto cacao beans (the main ingredient in chocolate) and lets it sit for about a week. Once dry, the beans go through the normal chocolate-making process, where they're roasted, ground, and heated to a high temperature. At the end of that process, the team adds fiber, cocoa butter, and sugar, and then cools the mixture to harden it.

Hahn and Pete Lubar, Mycotechnology's COO, came up with the idea to swap sugar for mushrooms after 30 years of mycology research. To develop the chocolate bar, Mycotechnology worked with chocolatiers from Utah-based artisan manufacturer Amano. It sells at an artisanal price tag, too — a pack of 6 two-ounce bars is available online for $30.

In 2015, the company developed its first product: non-bitter coffee, which is produced in a similar process as the chocolate, but with coffee beans.

Mycotechnology is now working on eliminating 99% of chocolate's added sugar using mushrooms. The goal, Hahn says, is to produce sweeter chocolate with less sugar.

Mycotechnology is not the only company marketing chocolate bars as a healthy superfood. Sacred Chocolates makes a nutrient-rich vegan bar with chaga and reishi mushrooms, similar to Mycotechnology, though it uses coconut sugar. Other bars have low amounts of sugar and promise other (though not totally proven) benefits. YesCacao says its bars' cacao "is a vasodilator, meaning it expands the blood vessels. This is a perfect way to increase the body’s ability to absorb the lengthy list of select superfoods."

If any of those can satisfy my sweet tooth without as much sugar, I'm a fan.

*SEE ALSO: A former chef at the 'world's best restaurant' created these gourmet school lunches that cost under $4 to make*

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Facebook has a feature that stalks you all over the internet — here’s how to turn it off Reported by Business Insider 18 hours ago.

Aurora is now home to one of the largest murals in Colorado — a two-block-long artistic romp that provides a colorful path to the Stanley Marketplace gates. Reported by Denver Post 11 hours ago.

Mahanagar Gas Ltd (MGL) has revised its rates for compressed natural gas (CNG) and domestic piped natural gas (PNG) upwards from yesterday after the state government hiked VAT by 1 per cent to 13.5 per cent.

MGL supplies CNG to 4 lakh vehicles, including public transport and BEST buses and piped gas to 8 lakh households.

Revised prices of CNG and domestic PNG in the city effective from yesterday will be Rs 41.57/kg and Rs 24.93 per unit (scm) respectively.

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A 16-year-old girl from Vasai who went missing three days ago, was found dead in a pond by the Waliv police on Saturday afternoon.

The girl has been identified as Sonam Bhajna Bumbhak, a resident of Devipada Vasai (East). According to the police, the mother woke up at 5 am on Thursday and found the girl was missing. When a desperate search in the vicinity and an inquiry with neighbours yielded no results, she approached the Waliv police station and registered a complaint alleging that her daughter had been kidnapped.

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The MIDC police have arrested an auto driver for a burglary at a Marol liquor shop in July. Mohammed Sharif Mohammed Salim Sheikh alias Guddu (27) was the alleged accomplice to three men who looted Rs 1.3 lakh from Preeti Wine Shop on July 30.

The alleged masterminds are still at large.

According to the police, Guddu and one Hussain Shaikh became friends over ganja smoking sessions at Mankhurd a few months ago. Shaikh asked Guddu to meet him on the night of July 30 in Chheda Nagar, Ghatkopar, at 9 pm, on the pretext of a job. He told Guddu to wait outside the liquor shop, and raise an alarm if he saw anybody approaching. Unaware of the goings-on, Guddu played guard, while Shaikh, along with two others, looted the shop.

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A man allegedly committed suicide yesterday morning by jumping in front of an oncoming train at Sakinaka metro station, due to which the services were disrupted for over an hour.

The victim, Uday Kumar Prasad (25), from Madhubani district in Bihar, jumped in front of the Ghatkopar-bound Metro train around 9.20 am. Soon the station staff informed the Sakinaka police, who took the body for identification and autopsy.

“The particular train was evacuated and the services were disrupted. The trains were running in short loops and on single track,” said a Mumbai Metro One spokesperson, adding that the normal traffic resumed at 10.45 am.

A police official said that the cause of this suicide was not known. Senior PI Avinash Dharmadhikari of Sakinaka police station confirmed that he is from Bihar.

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*Cheer Tall Tales’ writers*
1 PM – 4 PM: Tall Tales Storytelling has just finished a story-writing contest and you get to meet the winners today. Cheer them on as several prizes are awarded in different categories. You may also like to stir up a literary conversation or two out there.
*Where:* The Barking Deer Beerpub, Mathuradas Mill Compound, Lower Parel
*Call:* 61417400

*Go sketching*
3.30 PM – 8.30 PM: Take your sketchbooks and stationery to The Ministry of New for Freedraw Sketchup 2.3. The session will involve a “Freedraw Walk” followed by a Q&A session with illustrators Sameer Kulavoor (in pic) and Lokesh Karekar. Entry by RSVP only.
*Where:* Ministry of New, Kitab Mahal, 3rd floor, DN Road, Fort
*RSVP:* mail.sketchup@gmail.com
*Call:* 66356505

*Gear up for open mic*
1.30 PM – 2.30 PM: Spoken Word and Poetry’s fourth edition is back and there are five open mic slots up for grabs. Too late to book your place? Never mind, there’s always a seat (and a beer from Gateway Brewing Co) to grab and join in. Plus, Luke Kenny’s hosting, so that should be double the fun.
*Where:* Monkey Bar, 14th and 33rd road, Linking Road, Bandra (W)
*Call:* 30916003

*Listen to romantic melodies*
8.30 PM: Be transported to the golden years of Bollywood with artistes Alok Katdare, Mona Kamat Prabhugaokar, Hamid Khan, Govind Mishra and Veena Saigal as they render numbers by composer duos Shankar-Jaikishan and Laxmikant-Pyarelal (in pic). Songs from Chori Chori, Saudagar, Dil Tera Diwana and more will be performed.
*Where:* Dinanath Mangeshkar Natya Griha Hall, Natawariya Dutta Bhatt Marg, Vile Parle (E)
*Entry:* Rs 150 – Rs 600
*Call:* 26184027

*Made your food goals?*
4 PM – 1.30 PM: As the Barclays Premier League 2016 kicks off in the city, cheer for your favourite team with bucket-loads of beer. Head to Raasta, where, apart from great beer deals, you can choose from appetisers such as Caribbean shrimps, rum-spiked lamb bongs and fiery chicken wings.
*Where:* Raasta, 5th Road, SV Road, Khar (W)
*Prices:* Rs 225 onwards
*Call:* 8655000811

*Play with seduction*
7 PM: Directed by Sanjay Shastri, the Hinglish play Seduce-aholic is based on a short story by Anton Chekov. See what happens when a man, who claims he can seduce any woman, targets a married couple. This is going to be a
pati patni aur woh situation, with humour and shayari.
*Where:* Andheri Base, Sharyans Audeus, Link Road, Andheri (W)
*Entry:* Rs 250
*Call:* 30916003

*Get yoga-fied*
12 PM – 9.30 PM: With pop-up stalls, shopping, live music, but most importantly, yoga workshops, here is your chance to give your health routine a recharge today. Yoga 101 presents The Collective Vibe after last year’s success. Fold your yoga mats and get going to bazaar.
*Where:* Yoga 101, Cottage no 101, Aram Nagar, Versova
*Call:* 9820125963

*Explore Bandra from the plague years*
If you missed it the first time earlier this year, here’s your chance to be part of The Bombay Plague Walk presented by Art X Co and Beyond Bombay. The walk, held to mark the 120th year since the outbreak of the bubonic plague in 1896 that changed the topography, colonial politics and medical practices in erstwhile Bombay, will take participants through landmarks in Bandra. Listen to legends of local doctors, heroes who worked tirelessly to heal the sick and more stories.
*When:* September 25, 4 PM – 6 PM
*Meeting Point:* Outside Mount Mary Church
*Entry:* Rs 800
*Call:* 9833675287

*Hail the ’80s*
SEPT 25, 7.45 PM: Enjoy some immortal melodies based on Hindustani classical raagas composed by Shankar-Jaikishan. They had a unique style of composing songs with a ‘prelude-mukhada’.
*Where:* Swatantryaveer Savarkar Smarak Sabhagriha, Shivaji Park
*Entry:* Rs 200 – Rs 500
*Call:* 24465877

*Think abstract*
SEPT 24, 1 PM: Catch an abstract play, Night of Love, which portrays the elements of night and dreams with the help of the characters from different time spaces. This is a dream where people meet across time trying to understand love, loss, deceit, and desires.
*Where:* Dance Theatre Godrej, Nariman Point, NCPA Marg,
*Entry:* Rs 300
*Call:* 66223737

*Get down and dirty at a slush fest*
SEPT 24: Get covered in mud and crank up your adrenaline at the Mud Rush. Here, you’ll have to run amidst giant forested covers and obstacles while jumping through pits with four tonnes of ice and more. End your day with serene music playing in the after-run area and piping hot chai. The event is aimed at testing your inner strength as much as the physical one.
*Where:* FilmCity, inside Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagri Main gate, Post Aarey Milk Colony, Goregaon East
*Entry:* ProRun Rs 5,000, The Mud Run Rs 3,500, Spectator Rs 1,500
*Log on to:* www.bookmyshow.com

*Have a bowlful of goodness*
9 AM ONWARD: Treat yourself to a bowl meal at Smoke House Deli. Try the barbecue spare ribs with fennel rice sprinkled with fresh coriander leaves. Vegans should try the well seasoned kefta chickpeas with wilted spinach and orzo aglio olio, topped with tomato and lemongrass dashi.
*Where:* Smoke House Deli, High Street Phoenix, Lower Parel
*Call:* 9619863248

*Treat your eyes*
SEPT 24- 25, 6 AM: From September to October, the 1,000-hectare Kaas Plateau in Satara witnesses 850 species of the most spectacular flowering plants. Hop on to the bus and dash over to the Valley of Flowers. Walk around the plateau with a botanist for company to help you appreciate this magical view. Also enjoy a scenic drive through the forest on our way to the Valley.
*Where:* Kaas Plateau (pickups from Andheri, Bandra, Sion, Vashi)
*Entry:* Rs 2,499
*Call:* 22270033

*Catch techno-art*
SEPT 20, 11 AM – 7 PM: Attend the solo exhibition of Baiju Parthan, an inter-media artist, who works with digital technology-based installation art. Through a range of computer generated virtual objects presented in video installations, Parthan manages to present a critique on high technology and its impact on our life.
*Where:* Art Musings, 1 Admiralty Building, Colaba Cross Lane
*Call:* 22163339

*Make the world accessible*
11 AM - 4 PM: A Swedish exhibition, titled Design for Dignity, will showcase 22 products that are designed to improve the quality of life for individuals with special needs. It also includes a photo exhibition comprising everyday life stories of Swedish and Indian individuals who are disabled.
*Where:* Welingkar Institute of Management Development & Research, Matunga (Central)
*Call:* 24198300

*Explore Byculla’s lanes*
9.30 AM: Join writer Rafique Baghdadi on a heritage walk in Byculla. During the late 18th century, Byculla was an extension of Mazgaon, one of the seven islands that formed Mumbai. The area is of great historical interest. Register on www.communication.mumbai@afindia.org.
*Where:* Byculla Police Station, 16, Hansraj Lane, Near Moti Shah Jain Temple
*Call:* 22036187

*Enjoy a ladies’ night*
7 PM – 1.30 AM: Let your hair down with your girlfriends at Asado’s ladies night every Wednesday. Sip innovative cocktails like sweet seduction (cranberry juice, vodka, tequila, watermelon syrup) and cactus carnival (pineapple juice and tequila) at R255, plus taxes.
*Where:* Manorama Chambers, near Gaiety Galaxy Junction, SV Road, Bandra (West)
*Call:* 65686666

*Support a good cause*
10 AM – 8 PM: Om Creations Trust will showcase The Art Trisomy 21, an art exhibition featuring works created by the specially-abled. The show is a testament to the creativity of individuals with Down Syndrome over the years. The exhibition consists of 175 paintings and sculptures.
*Where:* Coomaraswamy Hall, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Kala Ghoda
*Call:* 9819470544

*Slurp on ramen broth*
8 PM onWARD: Loco Chino is having a Special Ramen Festival this month. The selection provides three options — clear ramen broth (a light soy broth base), celery and ginger ramen (dark soy broth base flavoured with ginger) and lemongrass ramen (with a flavour of kimchi).
*Where:* Shop No 1, Ketty House 74-A, next to Vama, Pedder Road
*Call:* 65006545

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The new Aprilia SR 150 looks unlike any other vehicle that is classified a scooter. In fact, the more we stare at this minimalist but gorgeous two-wheeler the more convinced we are that Aprilia may have got it right in classifying this machine as a ‘Sport-Scooterbike’.*The 220-mm disc brings more stopping power*

The first thing that stands out when you look at the SR 150 are those blacked out five-spoke wheels. At 14 inches, they are the largest on any scooter.*The bike’s well-crafted grab handle is eye-catching*

Visually, it seems a bit longer from tail to nose. This is further accentuated by merging the minimalist styling of a scooter, the headlamp on the body, short-stepped seat, a superb paint job and a better set of graphics. There’s no argument that Aprilia SR 150 brings the best of the Italian design into the humble universe of scooter in India.*14-inch alloys are a standout. Pics/Aditya Dhiwar*

There is, of course, the customary under-seat storage and a hook up front to hang a small bag from. There’s no parking brake or a side-stand. According to Stefano Pelle, the CEO of Piaggio, the objective was to price this product as competitively as possible. This is evident in some areas such as the quality of the plastic hook and the switchgear.\

In Aprilia’s own words, the intended buyer of the SR 150 is the consumer who aspires for the excitement of a motorcycle but desires the convenience and practicality of a scooter. The SR 150 effortlessly straddles the twin worlds of scooter and motorcycle and in many ways it’s the first crossover of two-wheeler in India.

The Aprilia SR 150 is powered by the same air-cooled 155 cc, single-cylinder, three-valve engine that powers its cousin — the Vespa SXL 150. As you thumb the starter, you are greeted with a clatter. The engine seems to emit less vibration. Aprilia says that the transmission is different from Vespa and this becomes evident as soon as one gets going.

The throttle response on the Aprilia is more intuitive and the delivery of the 11.6 PS of peak power and 11.5 Nm of max torque is more linear than in the Vespa. The scooter easily pushes past an indicated 100 km/h and still feels like it has some go left.

Aprilia uses a tubular open frame single cradle chassis. Despite a weight of 122 kg, which is 8 kg more than the Vespa, the SR 150 feels light and nimble on its 120/70 Vee Rubber wheels. Flicking it left and right and back again feels like a breeze, inspiring more confidence on the narrow twists and turns that leads from Coimbatore to Vaidehi Falls. Its agility feels motorcycle-like.

Aprilia has equipped it with a single 220-mm disc up front and a 240-mm drum at the rear. Even though ABS doesn’t exist as of now, braking is excellent. The bite is sharp and the progression generous with the scooter tracking a straight line even under the harshest of braking. Over time, Aprilia plans to replace the Vee Rubber with tyres manufactured by a homegrown brand.

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Did you know that the best-selling car in the USA is actually a ‘truck’? Well, terminology may differ but a pick-up truck — the Ford F-150, in particular — is the best-selling model. While India is known to have an aversion to estate cars, the pick-up has suffered an almost similar fate; only it’s perceived as a commercial vehicle more than a lifestyle choice of car. That’s where the D-Max V-Cross from Isuzu comes in. Unlike the others, it actually packs goodies and tech from a mid-size car. More importantly, it puts the ‘fun’ in function.*Truck-bed doubles up as your boot and can take up to 265 kg*

The D-Max V-Cross has a smart, purposeful exterior dominated by design and chrome. It’s over five metres long, nearly two metres wide and six feet tall. The headlamp units are large and incorporate projectors, the side-steps are chunky and add to the butch purposeful stance.*Extremely capable turbo-diesel 2.5 produces 136 PS and 320 Nm*

The V-Cross is available only as a double-cab with a boot of 265 kg, which means it has four doors and two-row seating ahead of a truck-bed. It rides high-profile 245/70 Rs 16 tyres and sports a ground clearance of 225 mm.*The cabin packs in all modern comforts. Pics/Sanjay Raikar*

At Rs 15.2 lakh (on-road, Pune), the V-Cross costs twice as much as the base D-Max single-cab, and for good reason. Step inside and you have a spread of beige fabric upholstery with contrasting plastic and silver accents. Now, the materials are not top-notch, but they are better than what we have seen. The seats are large and comfortable and have an appreciably soft padding in all the right places. The leg-room and knee-room are excellent, and it’s the same story at the rear.*Projector headlamps look smart and have a good spread*

The second row bench seat offers good thigh support and excellent passenger room, enough for three. There are adjustable head-restraints at the rear, and, to benefit visibility, the rear windscreen also has a demister. Moreover, there are ISOFIX child-seat anchors, too. Brilliant.

The D-Max surprises with its kit. There are anti-lock brakes and dual front airbags. Convenience features include automatic climate control with a pollen filter. The centre touch-screen has three display modes. There are storage spaces around the cabin — covered and open. Overall, the ergonomics seem well-thought-out and it’s very spacious and comfortable.

From a driver’s perspective, the instrument binnacle looks bland. There’s only one centre information display, and the dials on either side are, well, just dials. The centre display has to be operated manually to shuffle through in
formation. The driver’s seat is six-way adjustable, yes, but it’s quite high, and there’s no height adjustment.

The engine is a 2.5-litre BS IV-compliant turbo-diesel unit making a peak 136 PS and 320 Nm. That’s substantial, especially when you consider it’s a lazy utilitarian diesel engine that churns out the numbers accompanied by grunts and snorts — exactly how a big truck should. It’s a different sort of pleasure. The engine may be noisy, but it is refined. Power delivery characteristics are very linear, and the build-up of revs is smooth under that clatter with no vibration or harshness whatsoever.

The transmission is a five-speed manual unit with selectable four-wheel drive. There’s a rear-only 2WD, or high- and low-ratio 4WD at the turn of a knob.

Even so, there’s nothing that really upsets the D-Max at off-road and city speeds. In the hills, the hairpins and winding bends did present some roll, but it was not disconcerting. The V-CrossD-Max isn’t exactly a slouch, though it did take a rather leisurely 16.3 seconds to get from 0 to 100 km/h. That’s not the measure you want, though, is it? The D-Max returned 8.5 km/l in the city and 11.5 km/l on the highway for a commendable overall figure of 9.25 km/l, in 4x2 mode, of course.

So how does the D-Max V-Cross fit into your life? Well, if you have to ask that question, it isn’t for you. But, there’s no bread-and-butter reason to go out and get one. If you didn’t have to ask that question and are curious about its abilities, or if you think a sunroof is a hyped component of cars trying to be more interesting and you would rather prefer a truck-bed where you can put in a mattress and gaze at the stars, or drive all the way to Norway and stare at the mesmerising swirls of the Aurora Borealis, it does seem to make a strong case for itself.

It’s the V-Cross go-anywhere attitude that we loved. It’s not just a pick-up truck you take along for the ride. It’s a companion that won’t let you down and keeps you happy through the journey you take with it.*
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*Toyota unveilS new Etios*
Toyota has launched upgraded versions of the Etios. The hatchback Etios Liva range now starts at Rs 5.24 lakh (ex-Mumbai), the Etios sedan, now christened Platinum Etios, starts at Rs 6.43 lakh (ex-Mumbai). Changes include a redesigned front end and tweaked rear end, a digital tachometer, a refreshed rear-seat design and a foldable central armrest. Mechanically, the vehicle remains unchanged.

*Hyundai introduces Petrol Automatic Elite i20*
The Korean marque’s Elite i20 is available in a fresh avatar — with the 1.4-litre Kappa petrol engine mated to a four speed automatic transmission. The auto-petrol Elite i20 costs Rs 9.02 lakh (ex-Delhi). Hyundai also announced that the Elite i20 will now sport six airbags in its top-end Asta (O) variant in a move to improve safety. In fact the Elite’s more adventure-oriented sibling — the i20 Active also gets six airbags for the top end (SX) variant.

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In 2014, when French-German artist Edouard Baribeaud, chanced upon Indian miniature paintings during a research trip to Rajasthan, it felt serendipitous. “I was impressed with the graphic and colourful paintings of Rajasthan; and the delicate and pastel tone scenes from the Kangra region. I just had to translate it to canvas,” says the 32-year-old.

What piqued Baribeaud’s interest further were the visual parallels between Indian miniatures and early Italian Renaissance paintings. “It was especially evident in the way Italian painters represented vegetation and rocks in gardens and nature,” he says.*Artist Edouard Baribeaud*

Blending two seemingly disparate cultures, Baribeaud has come up with his first solo exhibition in India, titled The Nocturnal Vault, which is a conflation of the Indian miniature style, Western art historical subjects and contemporary everyday life elements. “The Nocturnal Vault explores the theme of the night. I imagined it as a journey from dusk to dawn, where mundane and modern everyday life elements contrast with mythical elements. I wanted to create a dialogue between Indian and Western myths and stories on an imaginary stage,” says Baribeaud. The dual elements are evident in his painting, Hold Onto Me, where you observe a woman’s back against a puzzling visual scene of intense patterns and shapes. While the depiction of the female figure is reminiscent of the well-known motif, the Grande Odalisque, by French orientalist Jean August Dominique Ingre, a closer look at the scenery shows textile patterning that is reminiscent of Mughal décor. “I want to underline the similarities and create a dialogue to show that at the end, art is a universal form of expression,” he says.

But looks like Baribeaud hasn’t got enough of India. “I plan to travel to Rajasthan for a month. After that, I will return to Berlin with my head full of images and start a new series of work,” he smiles.

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To mark the completion of 35 years on stage, Nadira Zaheer Babbar’s Ekjute has been celebrating the Rang Parwaaz Mahotsav. As part of the same festival, they’ll be staging Ji, Jaisi Aapki Marzi.

The Hindi play, written and directed by Babbar, weaves in the stories of four women, as told by them. Each character represents a particular strata of society, Nadira says. “The cast comprises four women of various age groups, back-grounds, communities and lifestyles who come and share their stories. It’s a mix of humour and tragedy, and like most of my works, this one too aims at driving home a strong feminist message.”

The intention of her play, she says, is not to sensationalise the issue. She wants to create a space where women can come and voice their concerns, no matter what strata they belong to. The play stars Juhi Babbar, Neha Shaikh, Sheetal Shardul and Suhana Patni in key roles, where each character will come on stage and narrate their story directly to the audience.

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While food festivals are a dime a dozen, here’s one that combines food and fitness. Sunny Side Up, which is being curated by Bombay Fusion, is India’s first food and fitness festival, that is slated to take place at the sprawling Cooperage Grounds today. The fest will offer a mix of several fitness based activities and workshops along with a spread of health snacks and meals. It’s a full-day event that starts at 8 am and goes on till 10 pm.

Rushab Vora, organiser, Bombay Fusion, says, “This festival is in keeping with the increasing levels of awareness when it comes to health and fitness matters, that have been noticed in Mumbaikars. And since food and fitness go hand in hand, why not bring both under the same roof?”

The event is spread out across the two astroturfs and the AC hall inside Cooperage. It’s a free-for-all event, wherein the food and workshops are what you pay for. Among the highlights are workshops on tai chi, pop pilates, different kinds of yoga such as acro yoga, tattwa yoga and nada yoga. Those who like it upbeat, can opt for a session on Bollywood dancing or belly dancing. There are yoga sessions specially curated for kids, too.

As for the food, Sunny Side Up promises a delight for health-food junkies. There will be a spread comprising around 18 tables that will offer smoothies, healthy pastas, burritos, breakfast snacks, all-day meals. Also on offer are masterclass sessions by chef Karishma Sakrani and nutrition consultation by Suman Agarwal.

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Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, 69, was rushed to JJ Hospital from Arthur Road Jail after a severe drop in his blood platelet count. It was suspected that the former deputy chief minister, arrested in March this year in a corruption case, may have dengue. However, the hospital’s blood test report confirmed otherwise. Yet, to rule out any misdiagnosis, Bhujbal will be provided with systemic dengue treatment.

"We will also conduct an ELISA test to reconfirm if dengue can be ruled out. The fall in platelet count is a symptom in dengue. As there were no proper facilities in the jail to treat such a patient, he has been admitted to the hospital,” said a JJ doctor. Dr Tatyasaheb Lahane, dean of JJ Hospital, confirmed further diagnosis was going on and that Bhujbal was in the ICU unit of the hospital. “He has a fever, headache, loss of appetite and joint pain," said Lahane.

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Tiling Bombay illustrates and Instagrams heritage floors, revealing incredible kaleidoscopic patterns, rich colours (think warm ochres and earthy reds), and, most importantly, the durability of these tiles that have lasted for more than a century. So far, Tiling Bombay has covered various institutions, right from libraries to synagogues, in the Fort and Kala Ghoda area. “It is great to see how buildings we think are ‘sarkaari’ have the most beautiful tiling,” says Madhok, explaining how handmade encaustic tiles, are made of ceramic with patterns moulded into them. “This is what loans them their durability, since the patterns are not just superficial. In some tiles, they can be even half an inch in thickness,” she says.

As a journal of Mumbai’s visual language, the posts are all about detail – colour, shape and layouts; it wasn’t enough to just photograph and geo-tag tiled floors, of which they have covered 18 so far. Spotted a tiled floor somewhere? Ping them.

However, Madhok says that this tile history is one that is shared by several cities, which were once part of British colonies – Penang, Sydney, Melbourne and more in East Africa. Most of these tiles originated from Thomas Minton and Sons in the UK, more familiarly known as Minton. Why, even the Capitol Building in Washington DC boasts of Minton tiling. “While Minton tiles can be found across the world, they are found in significant numbers in Mumbai.
After all, it was the Urbz Prima in Indis – the first city of India,” says Madhok.

*Log on to @storycityindia on Instagram to view Tiling Bombay**
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*Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue, Kala Ghoda*
Easily one of the most vivacious patterns to be seen through tiles, the Blue Synagogue’s flooring has been constructed piece by piece. The blue colour of the flowers is a reference to the colour symbolic of the Jews. “Sitting here is like being on a carpet of flowers. Add to this light coming in from the windows and cut-glass chandeliers,” says Madhok.

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*David Sassoon Library, Kala Ghoda*
The foyer, unlike the rest of the library, is open to the public. The tiling bears a Chinese-inspired border. Madhok wonders if Sassoon’s trade links with China have any bearing on this.

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*

*JN Petit Library office, Dhobi Talao*
“Each floor has different tiling patterns. The reading room on the ground floor is more plain; perhaps intended to help readers focus and not get distracted,” says Madhok.

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*Representational picture*

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Is A woman’s liberation determined by the clothes she wears or those that she doesn’t? Does a woman perpetrate sexual violence because of how much she shields, or how much she exposes? Delhi-based theatre artiste Mallika Taneja will reflect upon these troubling questions, in an hour-long monologue, titled Thoda Dhyaan Se.

The hour-long solo act will see a semi-nude Taneja walk onto the stage, before she begins piling on clothes one at a time — 50 pieces totally — while having an open conversation with her audience.

Taneja’s satire, which has been staged at various venues in India as well as Paris and London, has garnered a lot of attention — it won the ZKB Acknowledgement Prize at the Zurich Theatre Festival — for its reactionary and bold arguments. “It was purely instinctive,” says Taneja of how she developed her piece. But, it actually stemmed from this conversation that people have when a woman is sexually violated.

“The first question that’s asked is ‘what was she wearing?’ When you start analysing the worth of that question, you realise how absurd it is that people try to put the blame on something like clothes for what’s wrong with our society.
It was about embodying that question’s absurdity and bring to focus how untrue that statement is,” adds Taneja. By the end of the performance, the person on stage, who is now layered in clothing, becomes barely recognisable. “It’s a reflection of the bundle of advice that women carry along with them all the time,” says Taneja. “Freedom has nothing to do with clothing. It’s about how free you are in your mind, and how far you are from being trapped by whatever society forces upon you.”

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The Dadar police on Thursday arrested three women in their forties from two separate gangs who robbed devotees visiting the Siddhivinayak temple during the Ganesh festival. The police have recovered three mobiles phones and cash of Rs 25,000 from the three women and are looking for other members of their gangs.

The women have been identified as Dhanlakshmi Parmar and Jyoti Parmar from Ahmedabad and Laudo Kaur from Mathura. The modus operandi of the Mathura gang was to snatch the bags that had gone through the scanner and escape with them in the crowd, while the Ahmedabad women told the police that they had read about the temple being decorated with imported flowers and how people came from all over to see this. They thought it would be a good place to rob people.

Laudo Kaur had come to the temple with a friend. "While people put their bags in the scanner, she would pass them to her friend who would flee with them,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police, Dadar Division, Sunil Deshmukh.

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First salaries are special. I spent mine – half of the total princely sum of 600 bucks in 1984 – treating magazine colleagues at Aram Kutchi Restaurant on Mori Road. Where’s that, astonished south Bombay voices demanded. The street of St Michael’s Church and Mahim bus depot, I explained.

I was familiar with the bus stand, having boarded the same route repeatedly to visit grandparents in Dadar. Riding No. 212 from Bandra, we changed buses here to our destination. At the hint of a longer wait, my brother and I darted out to explore.*A bust of freedom fighter and social reformer Jethi T Sipahimalani at the entrance to Navjivan Society, which she founded in the post-Partition years*

Mori Road (“mori” is the original Koli inhabitants’ word for shark) falls away from arterial Lady Jamshedji Road and Mahim Causeway. Yet, it has always exuded unbeatable robustness. We gawped at gypsies balanced atop wires teetering skywards and at fire eaters leaping hoops. We eyed golden batata vadas fried fresh at Prabhat Farsan, ignoring small hills of healthier water chestnuts piled in a cart by the hawker crying “Shingora, shingora”. We giggled when the dhunki instrument of the razai-pillow cotton carder twanged as a ball flew smack at him from kids at gully cricket — among them a future Indian team all-rounder.*Nunu Fazelbhoy (second from left) and Shahrukh Hajeebhoy (extreme right) at a meeting of the Amateur Badminton Club (ABC), where they were introduced to each other like many Mori Road couples*

Those were kitschy vignettes, no doubt. I’m grateful when family friend Murad Hajeebhoy offers a more real guided walk down the road of his childhood. His sister Zia declares Mori “the most communally diverse road in the country”. The melting pot embraces devotees kneeling at St Michael’s, the surround-sound of Azaan strains from mosques, rambunctious Koli weddings, solemn Christian funerals, Navjivan Society and Contractor Baug. Architect Mehernosh Sidikala remembers the Parsi boys’ team play cricket against the Sindhi lads of Navjivan on the then empty road connecting the two complexes.

Such cosmopolitanism hasn’t spared Mori Road going from vibrant to violent through 1992-93. The blood of coldly hatched pogroms has spilt on this street, gang wars have gripped it and bootlegging still sullies it. So, the sister shrines of Vitthal Mandir and Hazrat Gaitan Shah Peer Rehmatullah dargah make a special sight. This is the century year for both, nestled feet apart in the protective shade of an ancient banyan beside a Shiv Sena shakha.

The name Mahim derives from Mahimavati, meaning miraculous in Sanskrit. One of Bombay’s original seven islands, it was the 13th-century capital of Raja Bhimdev. Blooming under Portuguese rule, Mahim was rented for 36,057 foedeas (751-3-0 in rupaiya-anna-paisa), payable at the royal treasury in Bassein, and its custom house for 39,975 foedeas (791-2-9). With the rump of Dharavi lining it, Mori Road importantly signals the beginning of Greater Bombay (till the mid-1940s, north of Mahim was Bombay Suburban District.)

This road is interestingly bookended by the railway station on the east edge and its heritage jewel, St Michael’s Church, on the west. The city’s oldest Portuguese Franciscan church, from 1534, hosts Novena masses over nine consecutive Wednesdays for thronging thousands of believers who come worshipping from across the country. St Michael’s saw a struggle in 1853 between Bishop Anastasius Hartmann and the padroado order. Under vicars apostolic for 60 years, the church faced dissenters wanting control to rest with the padroado faction. Leading the vicars, Hartmann stated he would “rather die a martyr than surrender to schismatics”. He and his followers lay besieged within for a fortnight – their opponents blocking every entrance. On the fifteenth day, civil authorities intervened and the church reopened under the padroado group.

At the other end from this pilgrim point, the landmark level crossing with a faatak is replaced with an overpass. Where Senapati Bapat Marg nearly tails off, we pass shanties, outside which basket weavers hang their wares and rock bundled babies to sleep in ragged sari swings. Opposite, in Attarwala Chawl, looms Welcome Wafers. Inspired by Bombay chips veterans like Coronation and Janta, Velji Gada left his Kutch village of Vagal to start Welcome in the 1970s. He fried potatoes in two pans from a backroom behind his counters, “on marshy ground we were scared to tread even in daylight”. Today, they prepare 200 kilos per hour from a unit in Govandi. Before Welcome supplied crisps to clients including Famous Studios, the Taj and Oberoi hotels, they delivered packets door to door, Mahim to Byculla, because “teh cycle no jamano hato – that was the age of cycles”. I’m reminded of Sidikala’s 1960s description of sand from Gujarat brought in wooden hulls to Mahim beach, to be transported all over town.

Entering Navjivan colony we’re greeted by a statue of its onetime chairperson, Jethi T Sipahimalani, deputy chairman of the former Sind Legislative Assembly and member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council. Navjivan Society has afforded accommodation to 1,600 migrant families post-Partition in housing schemes at Mahim, Matunga, Chembur and Lamington Road.

“Jethi Sipahimalani was a lady of great refinement,” recalls retired history lecturer Lakshmi Shastri in her quietly tasteful home of 57 years. She had worried, “arriving in this jungle with no lights or concrete roads”, after marriage to Dr Jayadhratha Shastri, a widely respected physician. “But it was central and we could stroll on the pleasant seafront,” she recalls. She gently mentions bringing up a daredevil son. “Cricket balls he bowled broke windowpanes and I’d to face the music of people’s complaints!” says the mother of Ravi Shastri. When I ask him for an outstanding Mori memory, Ravi picks its levelling influence — “It was wonderful growing up with the biggest mix of communities and nationalities. From the Navjivan bottom of the road to St Michael’s we were one with Sindhis, Muslims, Parsis, Catholics, Sardars, Jews and South Indians.”

The Hajeebhoys were among the first neighbours the Shastris got to know. Meeting Murad and Zia’s parents, Nunu and Shahrukh Hajeebhoy, is a warm experience. The smiling octogenarians settle for a chat across the consulting table of Dr Rajesh Gokani, whose clinic was Dr Shastri’s. Happily, they aren’t there as patients – this happens to be a spot we converge at in the middle of our road ramble.

Like scores of Mori Road couples, Nunu Fazelbhoy paired off with Shahrukh Hajeebhoy at the Amateur Badminton Club (ABC) she formed. “She gave me love games,” her husband laughs. Scantly demurring, she declares it was the best thing for any bride to shift just a two-minute distance from the Fazelbhoy bungalow to Palmlands Society, their present residence. It is crowned with a terrace garden that is her absolute pride and joy. Nunu’s brother Sultan lives on at the Fazelbhoys’ atmospheric ancestral cottage. As he puts it: “I wake up in the room a midwife delivered me 88 years back.”

We stop next at the kholi of Bismarck Fernandes (whose son’s name is Adolf, yes), the 83-year-old whose scissors have fitted Mori Road generations. The tailor has worked in Zanzibar and Bahrain.

Though he outsources suit jackets, he continues to cut pants and shirts — “And he stitches my lovely frocks,” his sprightly young granddaughter shares. Anwar and Khalid also make a pair of veteran “masters” on this strip, at Sofistica Ladies Tailor, an enterprise Sidikala’s sister Jeroo Mehta inherited from their seamtress mother.

This is Grit Street. Character and colour, strength and tenacity thrive on its every inch. Past a rough row of kirana outlets near the post office, we reach a dusty cranny where Shibani bai sells laddoos, chana and chikki. With her painter husband’s pay, whatever meagre sums she manages to get help bring up three children.

At Maqhdoomi Restaurant we bump into Chandrakant Meher, a Koli finishing lunch where he used to savour schoolboy treats of double maska-pao and khari biscuits. “The kingfisher-filled mangroves are gone, the Mahim creek stench is foul,” he remarks. “But we have less communal clashes or bhaigiri in our area now and look forward to peace.”

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*When an author turns artist*
Popular fiction writer Preeti Shenoy, whose new novel, It’s all in the Planets (Westland-Tranquebar), released this week, appears to have gone all out to please her fans.

Those who pre-ordered her book were in for a sweet surprise when they received a PDF copy of Shenoy’s hand-illustrated journal in their inbox. Titled ‘An Excuse to Love Yourself’, Shenoy says that the book is a collection of selected quotes from her new novel with illustrations that she made during her travels.

“The quotes are inspired from the many philosophies I believe in and ties up with the core theme of my novel,” says Shenoy. “It’s being well-received by my fans,” says the writer, who hopes to publish it as a book some day. But, for now, she’s focusing on the book at hand. Everything else can wait.

*On a wing and a song**Pic/Shadab Khan*

Shraddha Kapoor rehearses for a concert associated with an upcoming film release at Worli over the weekend.

*Mumbai boy enters big league*
Jehan Daruvala might be only 17, but the fresh-faced teen has already been inducted into the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC), arguably, the most exclusive club in motor racing, and home to the most successful drivers from Great Britain. Daruvala will be part of the Rising Stars programme, whose alumni include biggies like Lewis Hamilton MBE and Alex Lloyd.

“The club over the years has had numerous illustrious members and I am certainly proud to be a part of this,” Daruvala tells this diarist from Germany, where he is currently racing. And, to think only 850 members have made the cut in the club’s 88-year history. Kudos.

*Why only Azza and not the rest?*
Mohammed Azharuddin being invited by the Indian cricket board to be part of celebrations for the 500th Test on Indian soil in Kanpur next week makes headlines. Understandably, it’s news as Azhar was at loggerheads with the establishment due to the betting and match-fixing controversy at the start of the millennium.

However, it appears that the same BCCI don’t intend to have all captains to be part of the landmark Test. Mumbai-based India captain Nari Contractor has not been invited as of now. If anyone from the BCCI is reading this, it’s never too late. It’s up to Contractor whether he can make the trip to Kanpur, but he deserves the courtesy.

Nevertheless, next week is going to be one of nostalgia for cricket as the culmination of Madras Tied Test in 1986 when India and Australia came off the Chidambaram Stadium with scores level, completes 30 years. In fact, celebrations have already begun in the southern city.

This diarist got chatting with Dara Dotiwala, the umpire who did duty in that Test, along with Bangalore’s Vikram Raju. Dotiwala, whose movements are now restricted because of a spine injury, called the honour of officiating in the Tied Test a “gift from God” and September 22, 1986 will be etched in memory.

Australia captain Allan Border won’t forget Dotiwala after the stern umpire threatened to send him off the field if he didn’t speed things up in the final stages of that Test. Of course, all is forgiven and yet remembered!

*Racing to the finale*
Things are speeding up for the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2016, which kicks off in 86 days. Last evening, curator Sudarshan Shetty announced the list of participating artists, and we spotted Himmat Shah, TV Santosh and Gauri Gill among them.*Sudarshan Shetty*

Also on the list are Pakistan/UK-based Naiza Khan and Greek artist Mikhail Karikis. Shetty also announced that the title for the third edition of the Biennale is “forming in the pupil of the eye”. The theme, this time around, will draw from the mythical idea that India is the land of seven streams, all of which converge and diverge.

Wanting to bring “a fresh perspective” to India’s traditions, Shetty says he will continue keeping one of Asia’s significant art festivals as “a people’s biennale”.

*The annual retirement*
When you love an author, the worst thing to hear is their plans of retirement.

Which is why, when we read a report the other day that former journalist, one-time spy and the man behind The Day of the Jackal, Frederick Forsyth was planning to put down his pen forever, we figured we needed to have a chat with him.

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Roadside sandwiches have dotted the city's street food culture for years. We often see sandwich makers toying with myriad combinations of ingredients to give their regular fare that extra zing. Some experiments pay off, some don’t. This sandwich maker, whose little roadside stall — Om Sandwich and Panipuri — is nestled in a road opposite Liberty Cinema, is quite a hit in the neighbourhood. Sandwich-maker, Pramod Gupta has been running his sandwich and chaat outlet since 1993, along with two brothers. Thanks to their stall, opposite the Pancharatna Hotel, beside a popular juice centre, some refer to that lane as 'khau galli'.*Pramod Gupta’s mayo cheese chilli toast is a hit with the student crowd at Marine Lines. Pics/Suresh Karkera*

Now and again, Gupta is known to mix and match flavours. Among his recent experiments is the mayo cheese chilli toast. This one's a scrumptious medley of bread, toasted or grilled, with mashed masala potatoes, mixed with shredded capsicum and lightly fried onions and green chilli. On top of it goes a plump layer of cheese, which is then heaped with a generous helping of mayonnaise. He’s not done with cheese yet. He then adds some shredded cheese on top and peppers it with chilli flakes. "I keep experimenting with food. This particular mayo sandwich was a hit from day one, especially with college students. The way I combine the mayo with the masala potatoes and chilli flakes, is what makes the snack stand out," says Gupta.

For those with an infinite appetite for mayo, he doesn't mind adding some between the breads, too. The sandwich, priced at Rs 55, is served with both green and red chutney. Reported by Mid-Day 4 hours ago.

Body is found with a sign that reads: 'Pusher to the celebrities, you are next' Reported by Independent 1 hour ago.

Stocks across the board, and US equity futures are broadly in the green this morning as markets shrug off the terror-related events in the NYC area over the weekend.  There wasn’t a single positive “reason” for the green price action but the bond “tantrum” that caught the attention of stocks beginning back on 9/8 is increasingly fading and investors are hopeful this week’s central bank decisions (BOJ and FOMC both on Wed 9/21) will further ease yield anxieties.

One of the catalysts for the rebound in stocks was today's rise in oil, which rebounded from Friday's lows as renewed clashes halted what would be the first crude shipment from one of Libya’s largest export terminals since 2014. The tanker Seadelta suspended loading after fighting started Sunday between local Petroleum Facilities Guard units and forces loyal to eastern-based military commander Khalifa Haftar. Brent added 1.3 percent to $46.36. OPEC may call an extraordinary meeting if ministers reach consensus at an informal gathering next week, Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo said, according to Algerian Press Service.

“Sentiment is being boosted by a rebound in oil,” Vasu Menon, VP at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. in Singapore told Bloomberg. “Investors are also hoping the BOJ will do something more dramatic though I don’t think that’s going to make a lot of difference. With inflation numbers picking up a little bit in the U.S., the market will start worrying about the Fed again at some stage down the road.”

Major oil producers will meet next week in Algiers to discuss cooperating to shore up prices amid a global oversupply that has hurt state budgets. Before that, the Bank of Japan will undertake a review of its monetary policy and the Federal Reserve will meet to determine whether to raise rates. Volatility has picked up in financial markets over the past two weeks amid concern central banks are becoming reluctant to loosen monetary policy, while at least three bombs discovered in New York and New Jersey over the weekend may increase political turmoil.

The MSCI All-Country World Index climbed 0.4 percent at 11:16 a.m. in London as U.S. crude added 1.6 percent to $43.73 a barrel. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index declined 0.3 percent.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index climbed 0.9% after its biggest weekly slide in three months. Rio Tinto Group and BHP Billiton Ltd. rose at least 2.8 percent, contributing the most to gains among miners. Total SA and BP Plc were among those that led oil-related stocks higher. Weir Group Plc added 3.1 percent after JPMorgan Chase & Co. recommended buying shares of the maker of fracking pumps for oil companies, citing improving prospects. U.K. builders gained, with Barratt Development Plc and Berkeley Group Holdings Plc adding 1.2 percent or more, as a report showed London house prices rebounded from their post-Brexit drop in September. HSBC Holdings Plc was among banks that gained the most. Deutsche Bank AG, which sparked a selloff on Friday after rebuffing a U.S. Justice Department claim to settle a probe tied to mortgage-backed securities, bucked the trend on Monday, with a 0.3 percent drop. 

Emerging-market shares and currencies rallied with developed markets, led by a 2.8 percent gain in Taiwan’s Taiex Index and a 0.8 percent advance in Taiwan’s dollar. HTC surged 10 percent in Taiwan, the biggest gain since May 25, on reports the company will unveil a new mobile-phone handset.

S&P 500 Index futures added 0.5%, indicating U.S. equities will recover from Friday’s 0.4 percent retreat.

The yield on Treasuries due in a decade was little changed at 1.69 percent. It erased a three basis point decline on Friday following the release of the American inflation data, which boosted the probability of an interest-rate hike this year by five percentage points in the futures market to 55 percent. Spanish and Italian securities led gains in Europe. The yield on 10-year Spanish bonds slipped three basis points to 1.05 percent, while that on similar-maturity Italian debt fell two basis points to 1.32 percent, after adding nine basis points last week. Portugal’s 10-year bond yield was steady at 3.39 percent, after surging 26 basis points last week. The nation’s debt rating was affirmed on Friday by S&P, which forecast the economy will lose momentum this year.

*Market Wrap*

· S&P 500 futures up 0.5% to 2142
· Stoxx 600 up 1% to 341
· FTSE 100 up 1.5% to 6810
· DAX up 0.8% to 10357
· German 10Yr yield up less than 1bp to 0.01%
· Italian 10Yr yield down 1bp to 1.33%
· Spanish 10Yr yield down 2bps to 1.06%
· S&P GSCI Index up 0.8% to 350.7
· MSCI Asia Pacific up 0.9% to 138
· Hang Seng up 0.9% to 23550
· Shanghai Composite up 0.8% to 3026
· S&P/ASX 200 down less than 0.1% to 5295
· US 10-yr yield up less than 1bp to 1.69%
· Dollar Index down 0.27% to 95.85
· WTI Crude futures up 1.5% to $43.69
· Brent Futures up 1.2% to $46.33
· Gold spot up 0.4% to $1,316
· Silver spot up 1.7% to $19.13

*Global Headline News*

· More Guns to Greet New York as Another Suspicious Package Found: 1,000 more police blanket NYC, videos of Chelsea street sought
· Stiglitz Grades Trump F on Economics, Cites China Trade Risk: Nobelist says more American jobs would be lost than created
· Market Resilience Post-Brexit Masks Underlying Risks, BIS Says: Rally in stocks as bond yields plunged signals ‘dissonance’
· EU’s Vestager Signals Apple Just the Start of U.S. Tax Probes: Competition chief will meet in Washington with Lew, lawmakers
· Merkel Dealt Berlin Defeat With Worst Result Since World War II: Voters punish two biggest German parties in capital city vote
· U.K. Business Confidence Drops to Four-Year Low, Lloyds Says: Economic uncertainty, U.K. demand seen as biggest threats, according to Lloyds’ Business in Britain report
· Global Investors Bet $7.3b on Australia’s No. 1 Port: Port of Melbourne handles 2.6m containers a year
· Saudi Telecom Said to Mull Options for Stake in Malaysia’s Maxis: Gulf carrier owns indirect holding valued at $1.8b
· Noble Group Eyes Investor as Profit Seen Up to 2 Years Away: Strategic partner ‘still very possible,’ founder Elman says
· Oracle’s Ellison Takes Shot at Amazon With New Cloud Services: co. unveiled new services that help customers take advantage of cloud computing
· Oracle Buys Palerra to Boost ‘Security Stack’: TechCrunch: Terms weren’t disclosed, TechCrunch reports

*Looking at regional markets, we start in Asia, where stock markets began the week relatively quiet with Japan away for public holiday, *while a glitch in ASX interrupted trade in Australia. Nonetheless, the region's bourses were mostly higher amid a rebound across the commodities complex, with Shanghai Comp (+0.8%) and Hang Seng (+0.9%) also lifted following a firm injection by the PBoC and continued strength in the property sector. Elsewhere, TAIEX (+2.8%) outperformed following recent advances in tech names with Apple suppliers boosted by record breaking demand for the iPhone 7. Chinese House Prices soared (Aug) Y/Y 9.2% (Prey. 7.9%). House prices rose M/M in 64 out of 70 cities (Prey. 51) and Y/Y in 62 cities (Prey. 58). *The monthly jump was the biggest increase in more than six years*. PBoC set mid-point at 6.6786 (Prey. 6.6895) and injected CNY 180bIn via 7-day reverse repo and CNY 70bIn via 28-day reverse repos. As noted earlier, Hong Kong overnight funding rates soared to over 23%, the second highest on record as the PBOC continued its onslaught against Yuan shorts.

Top Asian News

· Yuan Interbank Rate Surges in Hong Kong in Sign of Intervention: Overnight Hibor increases 15.7 ppts on Monday
· Warning Indicator for China Banking Stress Climbs to Record: Credit-to-GDP “gap” exceeds all other nations in BIS study
· China’s Home Prices Rise Most in Six Years as Sales Gain: New-home prices gained in 64 cities in August vs 51 in July
· Hanjin Reduces Fleet by Returning Chartered Carriers to Owners: Returned 4 box movers, 3 bulk carriers to charterers
· Samsung Exploding Battery Crisis Began With Rush to Beat IPhone: Korean company recalls 2.5m phones weeks after launch
· ASX Closes Stock Market for Rest of Monday on Technical Problem: No closing price auction that normally takes place at end of trading day

In Europe, stocks trade higher as the much anticipated Fed/BoJ week begins, with Eurostoxx 50 trading higher by 1.1% and the Energy/Materials heavy FTSE 100 (+1.3%) outperforming. It is worth noting that Japanese Silver Week has kept some participants away from market for the European morning, as such volumes have been marginally lighter than usual. Fixed income markets have been uneventful so far with German 10y hovering around 0% yield with Portuguese paper reversing Friday's S&P inspired caution and the periphery generally benefiting from the modest return of risk to the market with Spanish and Italian yields tighter to the German benchmark.

Top European News:

· Permira Said Near Deal to Buy German Payroll Provider P&I: Owner HgCapital said to fetch more than $900m for firm
· EDF Cashes In on U.K. Heatwave That Made Power Prices Jump: Aurora Energy estimates EDF plants made $152m early September
· Deutsche Bank Needs $14b Even Without an RMBS Fine, SocGen Says: Lender is “significantly undercapitalized” by about EU12.5b, Societe Generale says in note
· London Asking Prices Picked Up in September as Lull Ended: Prices rose 1.9% from the previous month, Rightmove says
· Siemens CEO Says Geopolitical Upheaval Could Crimp Orders: Kaeser speaks in interview with Bloomberg TV in Singapore
· Rolls-Royce Cuts 200 Managers to Extend Savings Push: Restructuring adds to earlier plans to trim 400 senior roles

*In FX, the Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell back after a 0.7 percent advance on Friday, when data showed the U.S. consumer-price index climbed 0.2 percent after being little changed in July. *Economists predicted a 0.1 percent increase, a Bloomberg survey showed. The Japanese yen gained 0.4 percent and the British pound rose 0.4 percent. Australia’s dollar strengthened 0.8 percent versus the greenback, buoyed by the pickup in oil prices and the A$9.7 billion ($7.3 billion) sale of a 50-year lease in Australia’s busiest port to a group of global investors. Among the currencies of other crude-exporting nations, the Mexican peso and the Canadian dollar rose at least 0.4 percent, while the Norwegian krone was up 0.3 percent. The offshore yuan was one of the few currencies to lose ground against the dollar, weakening 0.3 percent to 6.6702 per dollar. Its overnight borrowing costs in Hong Kong almost tripled to 23.7 percent on Monday, spurring speculation China was mopping up liquidity to deter bets on depreciation before the yuan joins the International Monetary Fund’s basket of reserve currencies next month. “The result is to support the currency at a time when 6.70 suddenly seems a very important line in the sand,” said Michael Every, Hong Kong-based head of financial markets research for Asia-Pacific at Rabobank Group. “You’d almost think it was a pegged currency.”

*In commodities, oil rose as renewed clashes halted what would be the first crude shipment from one of Libya’s largest export terminals since 2014. *The tanker Seadelta suspended loading after fighting started Sunday between local Petroleum Facilities Guard units and forces loyal to eastern-based military commander Khalifa Haftar. Brent added 1.3 percent to $46.36. OPEC may call an extraordinary meeting if ministers reach consensus at an informal gathering next week, Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo said, according to Algerian Press Service. Nickel rebounded from the biggest weekly slump in ten months after the Philippines said more mine closures were possible. The metal used in stainless steel gained 1.9 percent to $9,910 a metric ton. Copper dropped 0.7 percent, declining from a four-week high as Anglo American Plc restarted operations after a strike at its Los Bronces mine in central Chile, bolstering supply from the world’s largest producer. Gold climbed 0.3 percent to $1,314.35 an ounce and silver jumped 1.7 percent.

*It’s a fairly quiet start datawise today *with nothing particularly interesting in Europe this morning and just the NAHB housing market index reading in the US to highlight.

*US Event Calendar*

· 10am: NAHB Housing Market Index, Sept., est. 60 (prior 60)

*Bulletin Headline Summary From RanSquawk and Bloomberg*

· European equities start the week off on the front-foot with the FTSE 100 outperforming alongside gains in energy and mining names
· Early FX trade on Monday pretty thin, with 2-way flow seeing some moderation in the USD against most of its counterparts
· Looking ahead, highlights include the US NAHB Housing Market Index
· Treasuries little changed in overnight trading with global equities and commodities higher, U.S. dollar lower, FOMC rate decision on Wednesday afternoon followed by BOJ in the evening. Japan closed for holiday today.
· Time and again, Fed officials have tried to jawbone investors into believing they were finally ready to raise interest rates. Yet time and again, whether it was because of Brexit, a slowing Chinese economy or just lackluster growth at home, they lost their nerve
· If the BOJ wants to increase price pressure in a sustainable manner and weaken the yen the central bank will have to come up with something new, Commerzbank strategist Thu Lan Nguyen writes in a client note
· Norway’s central bank is predicted to leave its key policy rate unchanged at a record low 0.5% as the economy of western Europe’s biggest oil producer fights off the biggest slump in crude prices in a generation
· Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party was dealt another blow in a regional election, posting its worst result in Berlin since the end of World War II as the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany extended its challenge to the political establishment by siphoning off voters
· Deutsche Bank AG extended losses as analysts signaled that the German lender’s capital position will be eroded by mounting legal costs such as charges for a U.S. penalty tied to faulty securities
· A warning indicator for banking stress rose to a record in China in the first quarter, underscoring risks to the nation and the world from a rapid build-up of Chinese corporate debt
· Hitting forecasts for next year would require S&P 500 Index companies to increase profits by 13%, something that hasn’t happened since 2011. Failing to do so would risk inflating equity valuations that at 20 times annual income are already the highest since the financial crisis
· Homeland security and terror threats are back on the front burner for the presidential campaign after an explosive device blew up in New York City on Saturday night, injuring 29 people, following incidents in New Jersey and Minnesota earlier in the day

* * *

*DB's Jim Reid concludes the overnight wrap*

Perhaps the more interesting and market moving event will now be the BoJ meeting which concludes earlier that morning with BoJ Governor Kuroda due to speak after 7.30am BST. To say I've no idea what they are going to do is an understatement. Last week's press speculation hasn't helped as it’s suggested a split in the committee. Do they really have time to build a consensus if these reports are true? However a lot is up for discussion. Will we see a small rate cut, will we see an adjustment of long-end purchases, will policy be skewed towards steepening the curve? Difficult to tell. Overall our economists expect them to keep powder dry at this meeting. Indeed they maintain their view that the BoJ is unlikely to cut rates further (or deepen NIRP) and will do little more than indicate its intent to base its policy implementation on the yield curve. A strengthening of forward guidance would theoretically encourage a downward shift in intermediate yields, thus realizing a steepening effect in the long sector, so the adoption of this measure is therefore a possibility. That said they also highlight that the effect is likely to be minimal since few market participants consider the 2% price stability target achievable. As it stands the wider market is also leaning towards the BoJ holding the current -0.10% policy rate as is, albeit by a narrow margin.

In terms of the interesting snippets from the weekend, the latest round of regional elections took place in Germany yesterday, this time in Berlin. Wires are dominated by the news that the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has secured a foothold in the city having taking 12% of the votes, although it’s worth highlighting that this is less than what the pre-election opinion polls had suggested (15% according to the FT) and also the party’s lofty 20% target. Merkel’s Christian Democratic Party secured 18% which is the party’s lowest ever tally in Berlin and down 5% from the 2011 elections and means that the party will possibly lose its position as junior partner in the coalition in Berlin. The governing Social Democrats’ share also tumbled 5% to 23%.

Elsewhere, the rest of the headlines are dominated by the news of the bomb blast in New York which has put the city on high alert. Despite the news risk appetite appears to be fairly decent this morning with US equity index futures currently up +0.30% and emerging market currencies also off to a decent start. Bourses in Asia are also trading with a relatively positive tone with the Hang Seng (+0.51%), Shanghai Comp (+0.54%) and Kospi (+0.55%) all up, with bourses in China reopening following a public holiday. Markets in Japan are closed today for the same reason. The August home prices data has also been released in China this morning. Prices were reported as gaining in 64 of the 70 cities tracked by the government, compared with 51 in July. Prices fell in only 4 cities as opposed to 16 in July.

Also of significance in markets this morning is the huge spike in the overnight offshore yuan interbank rate. The CNH-HIBOR has jumped 15.7ppts to 23.7% and so putting it at the highest level since January. This follows a number of similar moves in the last week or so with speculation mounting that the PBoC has been intervening to make it more expensive to short the yuan.

A quick run through Friday’s session now. Markets concluded a fairly volatile and choppy week with a pretty soft day on Friday. The S&P 500 finished -0.38% and in the process pared its weekly gain to just +0.53%. Energy and financials were most under pressure and it was the same in Europe where the Stoxx 600 closed -0.74%, and down -2.23% over the five days. WTI finished a shade above $43/bbl following a -2% decline on Friday as expectations rose that the supply glut would be back in focus with the resumption of exports from the Ras Lanuf port in Libya following the country’s civil strife. However the news this morning that the country has been forced to halt loading from the port following further fighting has seen WTI rally back +1.60% in early trading. With the OPEC meeting just 8 days away now and an expected informal sideline meeting of major producers’, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see plenty of jawboning on the topic this week.

Meanwhile, Friday’s slightly higher than expected inflation numbers in the US helped to support the Greenback (Dollar index +0.86%) and also send 2y Treasury yields up nearly 4bps. Headline CPI printed at +0.2% mom last month, ahead of the +0.1% expected and helped to send the YoY rate up three-tenths to +1.1%. The core (+0.3% mom vs. +0.2% expected) was also ahead of the market although it’s worth noting that the unrounded number was +0.252%. That also helped lift the annual rate up to +2.3% from +2.2%. Prices did however benefit from a massive surge in medical costs (+0.9% mom) which was in fact the largest since 1990 so it’ll be interesting to see if there is any payback next month. Interestingly that inflation data was in contrast to the preliminary University of Michigan September survey where 1y inflation expectations declined two-tenths to 2.3% from August. 5-10y inflation expectations did stay put at 2.5%. The headline sentiment reading was unchanged at 89.8 (vs. 90.6 expected) while the current conditions index slumped to 103.5 from 107.0 which puts it at the lowest reading since October last year. There was better news in the expectations component which rose 2.4pts to 81.1 and a three month high.

The other big mover on Friday came in currency markets where Sterling (-1.79%) had its worst day since June 27th. The move appeared to come as a result of comments from Chancellor Hammond who said that the UK is ready to accept that it will have to give up membership of the EU’s single market in order to achieve immigration restrictions. Reports suggest that Treasury staff are drawing up plans which they hope will allow Britain’s financial services firms to retain similar levels of access to the continent.

Turning now to what looks set to be a pivotal week ahead in markets. It’s actually a fairly quiet start datawise today with nothing particularly interesting in Europe this morning and just the NAHB housing market index reading in the US tonight to highlight. Tomorrow we have PPI data for Germany in the morning, before we get the August housing starts and building permits data in the US in the afternoon. The key day is of course Wednesday. During Asia time we’ll have the all important BoJ meeting, while the latest Japan trade data for August will also be released. In the UK we then get the latest public sector net borrowing data. That’s before we turn focus over to the Fed in the evening when we’ll get the outcome of the two-day FOMC meeting and also the latest economic projections from the committee members. Kicking things off on Thursday will be France with September confidence indicators, while in the UK the CBI trends data for this month is released. In the US on Thursday there’s a bunch of second tier data including initial jobless claims, Chicago Fed national activity index, existing home sales, leading index and Kansas City Fed’s manufacturing survey. The Euro area consumer confidence reading (for September) also gets released on Thursday afternoon. Friday is all about the PMI’s where we’ll firstly get the flash September manufacturing print in Japan, followed by the flash services, manufacturing and composite readings for the Euro area, Germany and France. The US will also release the flash manufacturing print. Away from that we get the final Q2 GDP revisions in France.

Away from the data the key speakers will of course come after the two Central Bank meetings on Wednesday with BoJ Governor Kuroda and Fed Chair Yellen both due to speak. Also of note is the scheduled speech from ECB President Draghi on Thursday at a conference in Frankfurt, with the BoE’s Cunliffe also scheduled to speak. The Fed’s Harker, Mester and Lockhart are also due to take part in a conference on Friday evening.

  Reported by Zero Hedge 23 hours ago.

Webinar on card acceptance basics provides new tools and resources for small business owners

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) September 19, 2016

Master Your Card (MYC), a community empowerment program sponsored by Mastercard®, today announced a new webinar series on card acceptance, developed in partnership with the Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC). The webinars are based on input and feedback from small business owners on how to maximize the value and minimize the cost of card acceptance. Building on a partnership first established in 2015, MYC and AWBC created this new resource to help small businesses grow and prosper through the smart and effective use of electronic payment technology.

“Given that consumers in the United States use cards for approximately 50 percent of purchases, small businesses must accept electronic payments in order to succeed in today’s market,” said Antonella Pianalto, president and CEO of AWBC, and MYC Small Business Panel member. “Partnering with MYC, we are helping small business owners get the knowledge, tools and resources that they need to succeed.”

The five-part webinar series covers why accepting cards is good for business, the payment processing system, negotiating with processors, understanding contracts and statements, and how business owners can address common challenges to ensure they are getting the most out of electronic payment technology. Kathryn Cleary, an expert in electronic payment technology, and vice president and senior business leader at Mastercard, hosts the webinars.

“As a champion for women entrepreneurs, AWBC shares a common goal with MYC to help people grow their businesses,” said Ravi Aurora, executive director of Community Relations at Mastercard. “Working together, we are helping small business owners understand the benefits of accepting payment cards and how electronic payment technology helps them increase sales by opening new channels and providing their clients with more convenience. Leveraging technology also helps them save time and money, and better compete with larger retailers.”

Electronic payments are an important contributor to the U.S. economy. Between 2004 and 2014, the increased use of electronic payments resulted in nearly $433 billion in gross domestic product and nearly 5.7 million permanent U.S. jobs, according to a study by The Perryman Group.

In the United States, there are 28.8 million small businesses, which account for 99.7 percent of all businesses, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. Further, there are 9.9 million women-owned businesses in the United States.

The webinars created in partnership with AWBC are available at http://www.masteryourcardusa.org/awbc. For more information about MYC, please visit http://www.masteryourcardusa.org.

###

About Master Your Card
Master Your Card is a community empowerment program sponsored by Mastercard® to help consumer advocacy groups, small business groups and governments appreciate the value of credit, prepaid and debit cards as access points to an economically empowering electronic payments network. Learn more at http://www.masteryourcardusa.org. Reported by PRWeb 17 hours ago.

Dr. Mark Braasch celebrates Self Improvement Month this September by educating patients on the importance of diagnosing and treating jaw pain and other symptoms of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder. He now provides individualized TMJ treatment in Aurora, CO, to improve the oral health and quality of life of his patients, without a referral.

Aurora, CO (PRWEB) September 19, 2016

This September, Dr. Mark Braasch, esteemed Colorado dentist, invites patients to celebrate Self Improvement Month by learning about the symptoms and effects of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders and the methods available for correcting this potentially debilitating condition. Jaw pain is only one of the many side effects of this oral health issue. Dr. Braasch creates a personalized plan for TMJ treatment in Aurora, CO, that takes into account each individual’s unique circumstances to achieve long-lasting relief.

The temporomandibular joint allows a person to open and close their mouth and perform daily functions like chewing and talking. The conditions that affect the joint, and its supporting facial muscles, are known as temporomandibular joint disorders or TMD. Anyone may have TMJ conditions, but women have a higher risk of developing them. People who clench or grind their teeth and those who experience chronic stress may also be more likely to have jaw pain and related symptoms, such as clicking noises that accompany jaw movement and limited ability to open or close the mouth.

A person who is suffering from TMD can have pain in other areas of the head or neck that may not seem to be related. For example, it is common to be affected by earaches or have trouble hearing. Migraines, dizziness and headaches are also frequently experienced by those with TMD. Dr. Braasch uses state-of-the-art methods to identify contributing factors to developing the appropriate TMJ treatment in Aurora, CO. While some patients may require medication or occlusal surgery, others may require a custom-made mouthpiece or TMJ adjustments.

Dr. Braasch and his team at Meadow Hills Dental are welcoming new patients during Self Improvement Month to receive an examination for TMJ treatment in Aurora, CO. Patients interested in scheduling an appointment can call (720) 325-2460, without a referral. More information about his services is available on his website at http://www.meadowhillsdental.com.

About the Practice

Meadow Hills Dental is a family and cosmetic dental practice offering personalized dental care for patients in Aurora, Colorado. Dr. Mark Braasch graduated from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 2004 and earned his post doctorate fellowship from Las Vegas Institute. Dr. Braasch is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and was voted Best Dentist in Omaha, Nebraska. Meadow Hills Dental offers a variety of dental services such as general dentistry, orthodontics, TMD treatments, cosmetics, and medical devices for sleep apnea. To learn more about Meadow Hills Dental and their services, visit their website at http://www.meadowhillsdental.com or call (720) 325-2460 to schedule an appointment. Reported by PRWeb 11 hours ago.

C.R Goodman Inc., a Colorado distributor of craft beers, says it will sell its distribution assets to the local unit of Breakthru Beverage Group, a major national wholesale beverage distributor. Aurora-based C.R. Goodman, established 10 years ago, distributes Colorado craft beer brands such as Left Hand, Upslope, Odd13, Funkwerks and River North along with out-of-state labels such as Delaware’s Dogfish Head and Hawaii’s Maui Brewing. “With the changing landscape in Colorado we felt the timing… Reported by bizjournals 8 hours ago.

The daughter of a late British baron, Maria Aurora Moynihan, is shot dead in Manila, where authorities are fighting a deadly war on drugs. Reported by BBC News 3 hours ago.

The 9-second teaser features Lawrence's Aurora crawling seductively towards Pratt's Jim on all fours just so she can give him a kiss while he enjoys his lunch. Reported by AceShowbiz 5 hours ago.

*New York:* The man suspected in Saturday's bombings in New York and New Jersey has been charged with five counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.

Ahmad Khan Rahami was charged with five counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer after a shootout on Monday with police in Linden, New Jersey, Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park said, CNN reported. He is also charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/sep/09-Narendra-Modi-s.jpg

*Washington:* More than three-fifth of Indians support use of military force to defeat the scourge of terrorism, according to a latest Pew Survey released yesterday which said that about half of the respondents disapprove of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Pakistan policy.

“With roughly half (52%) the Indian public worried that ISIS poses a major threat to their country, about six-in-ten Indians (62%) believe that overwhelming military force is the best way to defeat terrorism around the world. Just 21% say that relying too much on such force creates hatred that leads to more terrorism,” said Pew Research Center in its report.

*Disapprove PM’s Pak policy*
While 68% of the respondents feel that India is playing a more important role in the world than it was doing 10 years ago, the Pew Research Center in its annual survey, which was conducted among 2,464 respondents from April 7 to May 24, said half of the respondents disapprove of Modi’s management of India’s volatile relationship with Pakistan. His Pakistan policy is approved by just 22 %, said the survey which was conducted in the months after the terrorist attack at the Pathankot Air Force base coming from across the border. “Notably, however, more than half of BJP supporters (54%) and a plurality of Congress party adherents (45%) disapprove of Modi’s handling of relations with Pakistan,” the report said.

*PM’s approval rating at 87%*
The survey said that Modi continues to ride a wave of good feeling (81%) about the way things are going in India, the state of the domestic economy and his own stewardship of the country. In 2015 Pew Survey, Modi’s approval rating was 87%. Modi’s favorable rating of 81% is followed by that of Sonia Gandhi (67%), Rahul Gandhi (63%) and Arvind Kejriwal (50%).

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/sep/Abu-Sayyaf-s.jpg

Maria Aurora Moynihan (45), was shot by unknown attackers who left her by the side of a Manila street on September 10, authorities said. Her killers left a cardboard sign accusing Moynihan of being a “drug pusher for celebrities”, said Chief Inspector Tito Jay Cuden.

The victim was on bail while facing charges of possession of illegal drugs following a February 2013 suburban Manila police raid.

“Witnesses told us they heard a series of gunshots, then saw a vehicle leaving the area. They did not see its licence plates,” Cuden said.

Cuden said the victim, who held dual British and Filipino nationality, is a daughter of the third Baron Moynihan of Leeds, who died in 1991 in Manila where he ran a string of brothels.

Anthony Patrick Andrew Cairnes Berkeley Moynihan fled to the Philippines in the late 1960s while facing a string of fraud allegations in Britain.

The British embassy in Manila said it would issue a comment on the case later.*
*

*Abu Sayyaf frees Norwegian hostage*
*Manila:* Abu Sayyaf extremists yesterday freed a Norwegian man, Kjartan Sekkingstad, kidnapped a year ago in the southern Philippines along with two Canadians who were later beheaded and a Filipino woman who has been released by the ransom-seeking militants, officials said. Reported by Mid-Day 3 hours ago.

Air Purifier Leader Announces New Pilot Program to Install Purifiers at Local Fitness Facilities

Chicago, Illinois (PRWEB) September 20, 2016

Blueair, a world leader in air purifying solutions with acclaimed leading-edge filtration technologies and design, today announced the launch of a pilot program designed to deliver clean, fresh air to fitness enthusiasts. In partnership with Ethos360, a fitness and chiropractic center located in North Aurora, IL, Blueair has installed several Pro purifier units to optimize the fitness facility’s indoor air flow and remove airborne pollutants, allergens and pathogens for better health.

“When you open the door to a gym and are met with thick, hot air before even stepping inside, it immediately becomes a negative place,” said Mike Miller, Master Trainer and owner of Ethos360, with 20 years of expertise in the fitness industry working with brands like Under Armour, IMG and Gatorade. “We adopted Blueair’s purifiers in our facility because clean air positively affects our members’ moods and mindsets heading into a workout and delivers the benefits of better performance and recovery.”

Three Blueair Pro XL units are in place to purify Ethos 360’s space. Strategically installed in the front lobby, hallway and far end of the club, the units contain the world’s most advanced modular filtration system that produces 800cfm of particle free air each minute. The Pro XL is a true workhorse air purifier intended for use in large spaces. It draws air in through an ultra-quiet fan and filters through a progressive three-stage filter to achieve 99.97% filtration efficiency.

“Here at Ethos360, we pride ourselves on being a forward-thinking club, so purifying our air – just like we purify our water – made sense to help our patrons be healthier,” said Miller. “Our members now walk in and immediately mention how clean and fresh our facility smells, and our instructors, trigger point specialists, and chiropractors have all noticed Blueair directly enhance members’ mood and performance, reduce inflammation, and aid in quicker recovery times.”

Research studies have indicated that air quality in gyms and fitness facilities contain dangerous levels of gases like carbon dioxide (CO2), airborne dust and formaldehyde that can cause health risks and adversely affect athletic performance. A 2014 study from researchers at the University of Lisbon in Portugal and the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands discovered air pollutant levels in gyms exceed safety standards, especially in confined classes where rapid movements stir up dust and debris and heavy breathing emits high levels of CO2, causing fatigue and lightheadedness.

People tend to take in more air through their mouths during physical activity, bypassing natural filtration in nostrils, and potentially bringing pollutants to the lungs. The. U.S. Human Performance Resource Center has also cited research saying inhaling high levels of particulates has been shown to reduce exercise performance by as much as 24% during short-term, high intensity workouts like cycling.

“Since the addition of Blueair’s Pro XL air purifiers at our gym, I have seen an improvement in my allergy-related symptoms, even at the height of pollen season,“ said Angie Sutherland, a member of Ethos 360. “The purifiers run, unnoticed, while Ethos360 members benefit from the cleaner air during our workouts. Blueair is a welcome addition to my exercise routine.”

To build on the success of the Ethos360 pilot program, Blueair has announced it will expand its business-to-business fitness program to other local Chicago gym and fitness locations throughout the month of September. Each Friday, Blueair will coordinate #FreshAirFriday product deliveries to select fitness locations, installing custom branded Pro XL units and delivering clean air to its members. Gyms and fitness studios interested in experiencing the benefits of Blueair and participating in #FreshAirFriday should reach out to @BlueairUS on Twitter, @blueair_north_america on Instagram, or @BlueairUSA on Facebook.

# # #

About Blueair
Blueair is sold in over 60 countries around the world and delivers home and office users more clean indoor air for enhanced user health and wellbeing faster than any competing air purifier. For more information, visit http://www.blueair.com/us.

About Ethos360
Ethos360’s primary belief is centered on building character through fitness. Offering classes such as spinning, cardio, boxing, TRX, and BREATHE recovery, as well as personal training, group training, speed and agility training, and more, Ethos360’s professionally trained and certified staff have spent years studying the science of fitness and performance to train the overall body and mind. They work with each individual to establish reachable goals, developing programs and providing one-on-one direction to help members meet, and even exceed, those goals. For more information, visit http://www.ethos360.net. Reported by PRWeb 3 hours ago.

New SaaS-based solution provides a normalized view for more than 90 percent of production databases and their underlying on- and off-premises infrastructure

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (PRWEB) September 20, 2016

Blue Medora, a leading innovator in enterprise cloud and data center management, today announced SelectStar, a new IT operational analytics (ITOA) platform that combines comprehensive database and cloud infrastructure monitoring to help organizations track and optimize critical database performance and availability metrics.

The solution is available as a comprehensive Software as a Service (SaaS) platform that deploys in less than 15 minutes. SelectStar delivers a normalized view of more than 90 percent of production cloud-native or on-premises databases and their underlying cloud or virtualized infrastructure, ideal for multiple database architectures.

Blue Medora is known for extending IT monitoring with the True Visibility Suite for VMware vRealize Operations and New Relic platforms with dozens of plugins that aggregate individual resource data from cloud, compute storage, database and application sources.

SelectStar is the company’s first SaaS-based solution that provides unified database performance monitoring alongside cloud infrastructure to increase end-user satisfaction and reduce time required to diagnose and resolve performance issues. SelectStar addresses a seismic shift in the market where changing the scope of business applications has changed the scope of databases and the database administrators (DBAs) who support them.

“Database architectures are evolving to include open-source and cloud-native environments, many with their own set of tools,” said Blue Medora CTO Mike Kelly. “DBAs who have managed one or two database types now have to be experts in a multitude of configurations. SelectStar enables DBAs to gain control of this new, complex environment where they can fine-tune mixed database environments running on cloud and virtual infrastructures instead of just fighting fires.”

A SaaS-based monitoring platform offers a unique advantage over individualized cloud-native or on-premises solutions by tracking and optimizing critical database performance in correlation with cloud and virtualized infrastructure. SelectStar combines monitoring and analysis with a single view for IT infrastructures like Amazon Web Services and VMware with leading industry databases including Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL, Oracle, DB2, MySQL, MongoDB, MariaDB and Amazon DynamoDB and Aurora. Customers can reduce costs by consolidating tools and avoiding professional service engagements.

“IT monitoring is a hot market sector, but it’s been focused on applications – even though there’s a strong argument that a lot of performance problems originate from the data tier,” said John Abbott, 451 Research co-founder and analyst. “Underneath all those applications, all roads lead to the database, but at the moment IT managers are unable to see what is happening in the database layer, which is causing even more issues. Developers, Operations and DBAs need shared visibility that will ease their workloads, help them identify bottlenecks rapidly and increase application performance.”

Availability
SelectStar is available immediately worldwide as a free two-week trial from Blue Medora at SelectStar.io. Blue Medora is demonstrating the product this week at Oracle Open World in San Francisco, booth #1621.

About Blue Medora
Blue Medora software solutions tie together data from virtualized and cloud-based databases, applications and services with the critical underlying compute, storage and network infrastructure to create a unified view of the infrastructure. These capabilities are delivered as platform extensions for VMware’s vRealize Operations, New Relic and Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control platforms.

Blue Medora’s products enable administrator teams to work collaboratively on the infrastructure to avoid downtime, resolve performance problems and make predictive insights using advanced analytics. Blue Medora believes true visibility into business critical applications is only achieved when enterprise cloud management systems communicate without barriers.

Media Contacts
Bill Robbins/David Tutin
Touchdown PR
Email: bluemedora(at)touchdownpr(dot)com
Phone: (512) 547-0921
Phone: +44 (0) 1252 717040

Connect With Us
Twitter
LinkedIn
Facebook Reported by PRWeb 21 hours ago.

New SaaS-based solution provides a normalised view for more than 90 percent of production databases and their underlying on- and off-premises infrastructure

Grand Rapids, Michigan (PRWEB UK) 20 September 2016

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Sept. 20, 2016 – Blue Medora, a leading innovator in enterprise cloud and data centre management, today announced SelectStar, a new IT operational analytics (ITOA) platform that combines comprehensive database and cloud infrastructure monitoring to help organisations track and optimise critical database performance and availability metrics.

The solution is available as a comprehensive Software as a Service (SaaS) platform that deploys in less than 15 minutes. SelectStar delivers a normalised view of more than 90 percent of production cloud-native or on-premises databases and their underlying cloud or virtualised infrastructure, ideal for multiple database architectures.

Blue Medora is known for extending IT monitoring with the True Visibility Suite for VMware vRealize Operations and New Relic platforms with dozens of plugins that aggregate individual resource data from cloud, compute storage, database and application sources.

SelectStar is the company’s first SaaS-based solution that provides unified database performance monitoring alongside cloud infrastructure to increase end-user satisfaction and reduce time required to diagnose and resolve performance issues. SelectStar addresses a seismic shift in the market where changing the scope of business applications has changed the scope of databases and the database administrators (DBAs) who support them.

“Database architectures are evolving to include open-source and cloud-native environments, many with their own set of tools,” said Blue Medora CTO Mike Kelly. “DBAs who have managed one or two database types now have to be experts in a multitude of configurations. SelectStar enables DBAs to gain control of this new, complex environment where they can fine-tune mixed database environments running on cloud and virtual infrastructures instead of just fighting fires.”

A SaaS-based monitoring platform offers a unique advantage over individualised cloud-native or on-premises solutions by tracking and optimising critical database performance in correlation with cloud and virtualised infrastructure. SelectStar combines monitoring and analysis with a single view for IT infrastructures like Amazon Web Services and VMware with leading industry databases including Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL, Oracle, DB2, MySQL, MongoDB, MariaDB and Amazon DynamoDB and Aurora. Customers can reduce costs by consolidating tools and avoiding professional service engagements.

“IT monitoring is a hot market sector, but it’s been focused on applications – even though there’s a strong argument that a lot of performance problems originate from the data tier,” said John Abbott, 451 Research co-founder and analyst. “Underneath all those applications, all roads lead to the database, but at the moment IT managers are unable to see what is happening in the database layer, which is causing even more issues. Developers, Operations and DBAs need shared visibility that will ease their workloads, help them identify bottlenecks rapidly and increase application performance.”

Availability
SelectStar is available immediately worldwide as a free two-week trial from Blue Medora at SelectStar.io. Blue Medora is demonstrating the product this week at Oracle Open World in San Francisco, booth #1621.

About Blue Medora
Blue Medora software solutions tie together data from virtualized and cloud-based databases, applications and services with the critical underlying compute, storage and network infrastructure to create a unified view of the infrastructure. These capabilities are delivered as platform extensions for VMware’s vRealize Operations, New Relic and Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control platforms.

Blue Medora’s products enable administrator teams to work collaboratively on the infrastructure to avoid downtime, resolve performance problems and make predictive insights using advanced analytics. Blue Medora believes true visibility into business critical applications is only achieved when enterprise cloud management systems communicate without barriers.

Media Contacts
Bill Robbins/David Tutin
Touchdown PR
Email: bluemedora@touchdownpr.com
Phone: (512) 547-0921
Phone: +44 (0) 1252 717040

Connect With Us
Twitter
LinkedIn
Facebook Reported by PRWeb 21 hours ago.

We volunteer as tributes! Or whatever we have to say to end up alone in a space station with Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt. 

The first trailer for the duo’s hotly anticipated sci-fi flick “Passengers” arrived on Tuesday looking like the blonde lovechild of “Gravity” and “Before Sunrise,” if only Sandra Bullock had found a friend who wasn’t dead and Ethan Hawke had shaved that goatee. 

In the future, Jim (Pratt) and Aurora (Lawrence) awaken on a space ship 90 years too early after being held in suspended animation. While the rest of Earth’s population sleeps, they have plenty of time to dramatically utter phrases we say every Monday morning verbatim, such as, “This can’t be happening,” and, “We have to go back to sleep.” 

“Passengers” hits theaters Dec. 21. 

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 21 hours ago.

Metro Denver's economy grew at a pace of 4 percent last year, almost double the average rate of the nation's metro areas, according to a new report released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The Denver metro area — including Aurora and Lakewood — had a real gross domestic product (GDP) of $193.2 billion, up from 2014 when it was $187.1 billion. The growth, however, still leaves the metro area as No. 18 for year-over-year growth out of 382 metropolitan areas ranked in the analysis. The… Reported by bizjournals 20 hours ago.

Patch Joliet, IL -- Sentencing for Jonas and Hasan Edmonds set for Tuesday in U.S. District Court. Reported by Patch 15 hours ago.

Aurora might just be the prettiest cat on Instagram Reported by People Magazine 14 hours ago.

Newly released state test results measuring students’ academic growth show strong progress for Denver Public Schools in English, slow going for Aurora Public Schools in math and a potentially alarming achievement gap for students with disabilities statewide. Reported by Denver Post 14 hours ago.

Patch Batavia, IL -- Efrain Salgado, 24, is wanted for first-degree murder in the shooting death of Andres Ochoa, 31, of Aurora. Reported by Patch 9 hours ago.