Two Maywood Burgurlers Arrested in Hackensack

-Mark Meinero

Two burglars were caught red handed in Hackensack.

The two, Quincy Willis, 23, of Passaic, and Edward Rudd, 28, of Old Bridge, robbed homes in Fairlawn and Maywood over a two-month period.

Late last month, the cops became suspicious about one of the suspects, Willis, was followed around, just like you see on TV. 

Then came yesterday, when they saw Willis and the other guy try to break into a Fair Lawn home shortly after 12 p.m.

Then the alarm went off, and scooted over to a home in Maywood, where they were forced to skedaddle one more time again when the guy who lives in the house turned out to be home.

They then drove to an apartment complex in Hackensack, got out of the car to put the stuff into the trunk and then the crooks were arrested.

It turns out they’ve been doing this for months. These are the guys people in Fairlawn and Maywood have been complaining about.

Willis is charged with N.J.S.A. 2C:18-2A(1) – three (3) counts of burglary by entering a structure with the purpose to commit theft, a crime of the third degree and N.J.S.A. 2C:20-2B(2)(A)- one (1) count of theft by unlawful taking of movable property of an amount greater than five hundred dollars  but less than seventy-five thousand dollars, a crime of the third degree. So is Rudd.

Both Willis and Rudd are in the Bergen County Jail. Willis bail is $350,000. Rudds is $100,000. 

Campaign Deal-breakers: Food and Fashion Cause Frenzy Among Fans

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DES MOINES, Iowa — Five-point plans, engaging speeches, and star endorsements are all important in a presidential campaign. But how well do candidates REALLY know the cities and towns where their wooing voters?

It’s a proposition that will face the supreme test in Philadelphia.

Ordering a cheesesteak.

"Don't come into Philadelphia and try to cater favor with us and then order Swiss cheese, which no one does in Philadelphia," Ed Rendell, former Pennsylvania governor and Philadelphia mayor, said.

Bill Clinton "would always order a cheesesteak with onions and Cheese Whiz," Rendell said. "That is the only way to order a cheesesteak."

Most recently, in New York City, Ohio Gov. John Kasich took flack for eating pizza with a knife.

Wading into the local sports arena can also go poorly. A month before the Iowa caucuses, Republican candidate Carly Fiorina was criticized for tweeting that she was supporting the University of Iowa in the Rose Bowl over her alma mater, Stanford. She later told CNN she was only having a "bit of fun."

Republican front-runner Donald Trump recently tried to rally a Pittsburgh crowd about Penn State University's legendary football coach. "How's Joe Paterno?" Trump asked the audience. "Are we gonna bring that back? Right? ... How about that whole deal?"

Paterno died in January 2012 just months after he was dismissed, a result of the child sex abuse scandal involving Jerry Sandusky, his former assistant coach. A campaign spokeswoman later said Trump wasn't talking about Paterno himself, but about his statue, which was removed from outside the football stadium  four years ago, angering students and many alumni.

Sometimes a simple fashion choice can set tongues wagging, like when former GOP candidate Marco Rubio wore a pair of stylish ankle boots in Iowa over the winter, triggering some teasing.

Whether or not these moments are disqualifying, they can have a negative effect on a candidate.

"You do those types of events, you do those types of photo ops if you want to show the candidates in everyday settings," Elleithee the executive director of Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service said.

Admittedly, this is not always easy. In Philadelphia, as if ordering the cheesesteak is not enough, Rendell said he also offers advice on how to eat what can be a messy sandwich.

Drake Drops New Album

-Mark Meinero 

Drake is releasing a new album.

Titled “The View,” this will be the fourth album that Drake has released.

The new album will include several songs that already have been release, including “Pop Style” and “One Dance”.

Twenty-seven cities are listed for this tour.  The cities are in the United States and Canada. It begins July 20 in Austin, Texas and continues from there to Dallas, Kansas City and St. Paul. He plans two nights each in Chicago, New York, Houston, Los Angeles and Toronto.

Appearing with him will be Future and other artists to be announced.

Tickets for the concerts go on sale at www.livenation.com and through the Live Nation app on April 29. American Express card members can purchase tickets before everyone else from 10 a.m. on April 26th through 12 a.m. on April 28.

The name of the tour is the Summer Sixteen Tour.

There’s more information at drakeofficial.com

Mediterranean Diet-- Good for Your Body

-Alexandra Metzler 

A new study found that a diet high Mediterranean food (fruits, vegetables, fish and unrefined foods) is linked to a lower risk of heart attack and stroke in people who have heart disease.

It can help your bones, keep your brain young, help you live longer, manage your weight better and lower your risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

The current study examined more than 15,000 people in 39 countries around the world, all with heart disease and an average age of 67. Researchers asked about their diet, including how many times a week they consumed servings from food groups such as meat, fish, dairy, whole grains or refined grains, vegetables, fruit, desserts, sweets, sugary drinks, deep-fried foods and alcohol. Participants were given a "Mediterranean diet score," based on consumption of healthy foods, or a "Western diet score," based on consumption of unhealthy foods.

The researchers followed up about four years later to compare how many participants from each diet group had experienced a major adverse cardiovascular event, such as heart attack, stroke or death.

They found that for every 100 people who ate the highest amount of healthy Mediterranean foods, there were three fewer heart attacks, strokes or deaths compared with 100 people who ate the least amount of healthy foods.

After adjusting for other factors that might affect the results, such as smoking and exercise, the study also found that the risk of heart attacks, strokes or death from heart disease was reduced by about one-third for those who follow a Mediterranean diet, said study author Ralph Stewart of Auckland City Hospital and the University of Auckland in New Zealand.

Registered dietitian Lisa Drayer, who was not involved in the study, agrees that it's important to focus on eating healthy foods rather than avoiding unhealthy ones.

"We all need to eat to live," she said. "If you want to break other bad habits, you cut them out of your life: You cut cigarettes, you cut out drugs. But when it comes to food, you can't not eat. It's just as important, if not more important, for everyone to know what they should eat as opposed to what they should steer clear of. Adding certain foods on a regular basis is more achievable as opposed to stripping your diet of everything you like."

She recommends including foods from the Mediterranean diet, such as salmon, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and even a glass of wine, to keep our hearts healthy.

"The diet has proven itself, and it behooves every one of us to eat more fish on a regular basis, to have half of our plate filled with produce and to enjoy the occasional glass of wine," she said. "And the more consistent you are with this type of diet, the more impact it has on your health."

Why We Can't Sleep Away From Home

-Alexandra Metzler

 Can’t sleep away from home? Don't blame your pillows or the sheets.

Blame your own hyper-vigilant brain.

It appears half of our brain may remain alert when you sleep in a new location, at least on that first night you are away from home, according to a new study published in the latest edition of Current Biology.

Scientists have long known that results from the first night of most sleep experiments are usually a bit off. There's even a science-y name for this called "first-night effect" or FNE. The FNE results are so atypical, some researchers will toss them out. Wanting to understand why this happened, scientists at Brown University devised an unusual experiment.

Scientists figured this out by watching a small group of people sleep in a lab and playing quite sounds by their ears. Scientists wired people up to brain-monitoring equipment and played quiet and infrequent beeps by each ear of the sleeper. Researchers found that on that first night of the experiment, the beeping on the left side of the brain reacted strongly to the sound, compared to the right side. The left side is related to thinking needed for a kind of vigilance. Noises played on the left side more often woke people up. On the second night of the experiment the night watchman camped out in the left side of their brain seemed to be asleep on the job. Both brain hemispheres responded at the same level and the beeps woke fewer people up.

What that suggests is that humans may be a bit bird-brained.

Birds can actually switch off half their brain when they sleep. By literally keeping one eye open, that eye sends information to the side of their brain that corresponds with it while awake. This means that while still asleep, the awake side of the brain can make decisions to fly or fight and help protect them from a hungry cat or an aggressive hawk.

Birds can even rotate which side of their brain stays awake depending on where they are sleeping. Like birds, our brains have two hemispheres, but when we see something, our eyes send that information to both side of the brain. Our brains are joined together by a tiny bundle of nerves, unlike birds. Something about that unfamiliar environment must be keeping that left side of our brain awake, even though when we don't sleep with one eye open.

So what can you do if you need to be alive, awake, alert and enthusiastic for an early meeting after trying to sleep that first night on the road?

"Well, you might be able to reduce first-night effect, but we are not really sure if you can remove the effect completely," said Masako Tamaki,  a research associate at Brown University and is a co-author on the study.

"There can be a lot more anxiety around sleeping away from home and that can make it more difficult to sleep," said Dr. Muhammad Najjar, a neurology specialist in sleep medicine with Northshore Sleep Medicine in Evanston, Illinois. Often when people travel for work they already have an elevated amount of stress.

"That certainly will effect sleep quality, too."

There are a couple of tricks that may help.

A warm shower right before bed can also help. Keep your room cool, though. Your body rests better at about 65 degrees.

Bring your own pillow with you. The familiar feel of your favorite pillow may trick your brain into thinking you are at home.

Find a hotel with rooms that look like your own bedroom. Staying at a friend's futon may be a little trickier, but a sleep mask to block out the light or earplugs to keep things quiet may help. You can download smartphone apps that can generate white noise or other calming sounds such as ocean waves.

Navy' SEALS' Breathing Boot camp

-Alexandra Metzler 

Breathing is a unique process in the human body as it has both an involuntary control mechanism as well as voluntary.

It can shift between being piloted and being left on autopilot.

I learned to control breathing while practicing martial arts during my Navy SEAL training. The techniques I was taught proved invaluable later during the chaos of combat.

My favorite breathing practice is something I call “box breathing” as there are  four parts of the practice. It is something you can do anywhere—and any time, so long as you are not performing a highly complex task.

I practice it in the morning, before a workout, while standing in line, while I’m stuck in traffic and whenever else I can. It helps me slow down my breathing rate and deepen my concentration. When I perform box breathing, even just for a few minutes, I am left with a deeply calm body,  alert, and focused. To begin expel all of the air from your chest. Keep your lungs empty for a four-count hold. Then, perform your inhalation through the nose for four counts. Hold the air in your lungs for a four-count hold. When you hold your breath, do not clamp down and create back pressure. Rather, maintain an expansive, open feeling even though you are not inhaling. When ready, release the hold and exhale smoothly through your nose for four counts. This is one circuit of the box-breathing practice.

My advice to you is torepeat this cycle for at least five minutes to get the full effect. I have found that the best approach is to do one practice session for 10 to 20 minutes a day, then do a few one- or two-minute “spot drills” as opportunities present themselves during the day.

 Box breathing with this four-four-four-four ratio has a neutral energetic effect is not going to charge you up or put you into a sleepy relaxed state. However, it will, as mentioned, make you very alert and grounded, ready for action.

A Talk with Iskra Lawrence: Body image empowerment

-Alexandra Metzler 

Words and images deeply impact the way we view our bodies, and the consequences can be very damaging.

As a model, I feel a responsibility to support young girls and boys who struggle with body image and self-esteem.

In elementary school, 40% to 60% of girls express concern about their weight.

At an age when children should be imagining, playing and learning, it’s sad  that they feel pressure early in life to look a certain way. With the rise of social media and cyber bullying, this problem is becoming more and more serious—so much so that 65% of people with eating disorders say bullying contributed to their condition.

As a model who doesn’t fit into a “straight” size, I’ve experienced some of this bullying through social media. I’ve been told throughout my  career that my body was either too big or too small to book jobs.

Over the years, I’ve learned to stand up for myself and never let someone else’s opinion of me become my own.

 WhenI was a teenager, a mean comment would have hurt me deeply, Now, I’ve made it my mission to be a role model for young girls and boys and help show them that other people’s words or opinions have nothing to do with how beautiful they actually are.

Last weel, I stripped down to my bra and underwear and covered myself with bags of crisps (also known as potato chips in America). I shot the photo in response to a nasty Instagram comment that had called me a “fat cow” who eats too many crisps.

As I’ve grown into myself, I’ve learned not to pay attention to these comments or let them change how I feel about myself.

I decided to call out this bully on Instagram, not for me, but for my followers—especially the young girls and boys who struggle with their body image ,read these hateful words and take them to heart. Words are powerful, but mean words don’t stand a chance against self-worth and little bit of humor.

Eating crisps and giving the middle finger to an Internet troll is my jovial way of showing my followers that nasty comments can be laughed at. It was also a way to give a visible voice to the voiceless—the people who deal with bullying and fat shaming every day—and show them that they can stand up for themselves. Since sharing the post, I’ve been blown away by the incredible response, from likes and re-grams to direct messages from my followers. To see such a massive reaction to this silly picture shows the power of humor on self-empowerment.

Iskra Lawrence is a model and ambassador for the National Eating Disorders Association.