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PORTLAND — Hot yoga might just be the cilantro of the exercise world, since many have a love or hate relationship with it, but yoga practitioners swear by its health benefits.

Yoga in general is a popular workout that works on body alignment, breathing, strength and flexibility, however, the added benefits of performing poses in a heated room further increases these effects, resulting in a deeper mind-body-spirit connection.

At Core & Restore Yoga in Portland, owner Rosanna Singer has created a welcoming community of both yogis (those proficient in yoga) and beginners that spans all age ranges.

Walking into the studio at 666 Portland Cobalt Road, one immediately gets a spa-like vibe. Eucalyptus incense is burning in a back room, and a delicate aroma wafts into the lobby, which has wooden walls inset with planters. A small buddha sculpture sits on the front desk, a nod to yoga’s origins centuries ago in India.

Classes, both heated and unheated, are held every day in varying levels. There are three levels of power yoga (hot) classes conducted in a spacious and bright room with heated panels to keep temperatures between 90 and 100 degrees.

Steam ensures practitioners get their sweat on, and the room has about 60 percent humidity. Practitioners bring in their mats and water bottles to stay hydrated during the hour-long classes while instructors guide them through a series of movements.

Stuck at home during the early days of the pandemic, practicing yoga at home, as many studios were forced to close, Singer wasn’t planning to open up a studio. When the opportunity presented itself a year later, the timing was right and she leapt on it.

She opened her studio in September 2021, and has a busy schedule with a handful of fellow teachers and two to five classes daily. The power classes are especially popular and usually draw 15 to 25 people per class.

Singer, who practices yoga daily, has been a yogi for 12 years and has an extensive background in fitness and martial arts. She went on to achieve a black belt in karate before developing a passion for yoga.

Singer eagerly touts the health benefits of yoga, especially power yoga. “It builds strength, flexibility and endurance. The hot power classes challenge you both physically and mentally,” she said, noting that people are moving around a hot room, unlike Bikram-style classes, where one does the same 26 poses.

The hot vinyasa (flow) style classes, set to music, emphasize sequential, or dynamic, movements between postures and stretches while controlling one’s breathing. The focus is on linking breath to movements.

“It is a great, great workout for your body, mind and soul. The key is the heat gets into your joints and your muscles,” Singer said. “When you first step into the room, you can feel it, and it goes into your joints and makes your muscles feel nice when you are moving. Sometimes, it feels really good, and you have to be careful and back off because you could overextend your muscles and hurt yourself."

Besides the physical challenges, there are also mental challenge of being able to stay in the hot room for an hour. A friend suggested the studio to Adrienne Gervais of Glastonbury, who has been practicing yoga for over 10 years. “I just feel like the heat adds a whole other mind element.

"You have to really focus and not let it distract you. I feel like it’s an extra challenge,” Gervais said. “If you ever have a day where you feel like you can’t do something, or you realize something might be a challenge, come to hot yoga, because you realize for that hour, you can pretty much do anything if you can get through this class.”

Singer acknowledges not everyone loves the hot classes and some might be apprehensive to try it. “I don’t think you know until you really try it, and you can’t just try it one time. You have to try it a few times. You have to kind of give it three months to see the benefits."

Those who can do hot power yoga classes can do any yoga class, she said.

Also praising the difference classes can make is Stephanie Darrow of Essex, a onetime walker and runner who injured her Achilles tendon and then took up hot yoga. “Now, I have something that gives me that euphoric workout feel,” she said. Classes also force her to be disciplined and focused in the moment, Darrow added.

Dave Mendelson of Middletown and his wife attended Core & Restore power classes several times a week for a year. “The flexibility is very important. I really notice when I don’t do it," he said.

"When I skip class for a week or two, I feel stiffer,” Mendelson explained. “If I do yoga consistently, I just move through the day better. It’s the little things I notice: It’s easier to bend and move my body straight out of bed and my core is so much stronger.”

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“OK, I’m going to walk a little slower over the next section,” Larry Lawrence said. His nonchalant tone suggested nothing more dramatic ahead than a squirrel nibbling on an acorn.

Then he offhandedly added, “This is where we could come across rattlesnakes.”

Our hiking group had been approaching a series of steep ledges on the Shenipsit Trail in Glastonbury that is famous, or infamous, for being home to the state’s largest known population of timber rattlers.

I had mixed feelings. On one hand, it would be thrilling to see this endangered species for the first time; on the other, while Connecticut has not recorded any rattlesnake-bite deaths (the reclusive reptiles typically retreat rather than strike,) they are poisonous vipers.

I like the advice W.C. Fields once gave: “Always carry a flagon of whiskey in case of snake bite — and furthermore, always carry a small snake.”

For better or worse, we wound up seeing nothing more venomous than a harmless garter snake. Just as well — I’m pretty sure none of us carried anything more potent than Gatorade.

For the past few weeks, friends and I have been hiking the Shenipsit in stages from East Hampton to Stafford, and hope to finish soon. We initially didn’t plan to traverse the entire 50-mile footpath, but changed our itinerary after having had the good fortune to meet Larry early on.

Our journey began in early May when Maggie Jones, Mary Sommer and I, seeking to hike somewhere none of us had been before, chose Meshomasic State Forest — Connecticut’s first state forest, established in 1903, and the second-oldest in the country. The Shenipsit Trail is the only blue-blazed trail with access to the 9,000-acre forest, so we drove to the southern terminus on Gadpouch Road in Cobalt, a borough of East Hampton that is named for the mineral prized for its brilliant blue color used to decorate pottery.

An abandoned cobalt mine, where workers dug up tons of the mineral in the 18th and 19th centuries for import around the world, lies not far from the Shenipsit trailhead.

In less than half a mile, we scrambled up the steep ridge of Great Hill, and veered briefly onto the Lookout Trail to take in a stellar view of the Connecticut River, some two miles to our west.

“Worth the detour,” Mary noted.

We planned to continue hiking for four or five miles, turn around, retrace our steps, and then bid farewell to the Shenipsit.

But in two miles, while approaching unpaved Woodchopper Road, we noticed a man who carried a hiking stick get out of a white van that was parked in a small clearing.

Turns out we had stumbled across Larry, a member of the Meshomasic Hiking Club who has traversed the entire Shenipsit Trail and leads regular hikes in the forest. He also spends his spare time clearing litter and fallen branches from the trail, which is part of the Connecticut Forest & Park Association’s statewide blue-blazed path network.

Our group struck up a conversation, and Larry agreed to accompany us. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide. Larry soon led us to abandoned feldspar and mica mines, and described alluring features farther north: tumbling waterfalls, secluded grottos, towering ridges, wildflower meadows … By the end of the day, we invited him to join us the rest of the way on hikes every week or so ranging in distance from six to 12 miles.

Larry arranged to have either a friend or his wife, Lorraine, help him drop off his van at the northern end of each hike, so we could ride back with him to our car. Otherwise, we’d have to hike the Shenipsit both ways while passing through Portland, East Hampton, Glastonbury, Manchester, Bolton, Vernon, Tolland, Ellington, Somers and Stafford.

The back of Larry’s van has no seats, and assorted tools lie scattered on the hard floor, which has made for a bumpy ride, but the ride has been a welcome relief from hours of tramping over rugged terrain.

During various outings, we’ve been joined by Phil Plouffe, Andy Lynn, Chris Woodside, Steve Kurczy, and Steve’s toddler son, Manny, happily ensconced in an enormous, padded child carrier on his father’s back.

Steve has carried Manny this way to the summits of all 48 New Hampshire Mountains that rise above 4,000 feet, so didn’t break a sweat scaling 735-foot Case Mountain in Manchester.

Other highlights of our hike so far have included views from the top of 893 feet Bald Hill in Glastonbury, secluded serenity at Flat Brook Falls, strolling through verdant corridors lined with ferns, moss and mountain laurel, as well as along the Hop River Bike Path near Bolton Notch, which was festooned with dozens of lady slippers in bloom.

Maggie also kept up a running commentary on all the flora and fauna.

She noted that during our first hike, the forest was still mostly brown, except for green moss covering rocks and fallen logs, patches of ramps, and a few colorful wildflowers, such as columbine, early saxifrage and trout lily.

“The first waves of neotropical migrant birds have started to arrive — Louisiana waterthrush, black-and white warbler, and blue-gray gnatcatchers hunting for insects along streams and in the treetops,” Maggie added.

During subsequent forays we began to see star flower, trillium and lady's slippers, and hear the calls of scarlet tanagers, veerys, wood thrushes and ovenbirds — all signifying “the quality of this habitat and the importance of protecting large preserves,” Maggie said.

On a less-than-scintillating note, we also encountered several dirt bikes, roaring illegally through the state forest, and ended one day on a three-mile road walk that served as a safer alternative to dashing across busy Route 2.

We’re looking forward to other features that lie ahead, including 1,075-foot Soapstone Mountain in Somers and 523-acre Shenipsit Lake, which locals call “The Snip.” Shenipsit is the Native American word for “at the great lake.” I’ll write about the rest of the trail next week.

More information about the Shenipsit is available on the Connecticut Forest & Park Association’s website, ctwoodlands org.

More information about the 400-member Meshomasic Hiking Club, which has donated more than $50,000 to land trusts for open-space preservation, is available at meshomasichikingclub.org.

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EAST HAMPTON — For some, going into business with a sibling would be a nightmare. But it was always the goal for Eugene and Samuel Valentin.

The brothers behind Two Brothers Cafe have worked in restaurants since they were teenagers. Eugene Valentin got his start learning to make bread when he was only 12, while his brother, Samuel, started as a busboy at 17, and worked his way up to a managerial position at fast food restaurants such as Burger King and Wendy’s.

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Both knew they didn’t want to work for other people forever. But they thought their first business endeavor might be property management. That is, until last year, when Eugene Valentin saw an ad for restaurant equipment being sold by the owner of The Sleepy Rooster Cafe, the breakfast joint that previously occupied the space on Route 66 in the Cobalt section of town.

Like Two Brothers, The Sleepy Rooster was run by two sisters.

Eugene Valentine, who also operates a hot dog cart, decided to buy some of the pieces for sale. When he showed up, he asked about the space. The Sleepy Rooster proprietor offered it to him pending the building owner’s blessing.

“My brother was with me, and we looked at each other (and knew),” Eugene Valentin said. “We were both burnt out working for someone else, so we took this opportunity and ran with it.”

“(We wanted) to serve people and to bring good food to town,” added Samuel Valentin. “That was our goal, to bring satisfaction to the people of town.”

After three months of prepping, the co-owners opened Two Brothers Cafe Aug. 18, 2021, with Eugene Valentin as chef and Samuel Valentin as manager. It is painted pink inside and out.

“I worked with him before, and it was good back then; and over here, same thing,” said Samuel Valentin. “He has a lot of knowledge of the kitchen and he's taught me a lot. We share a little bit of what he knows and what I know. We make it work, always.”

So far business has been good, said Samuel Valentine, with an average of 70 to 150 customers stopping by on an average day — ranging from people on their morning commute to those passing through the area on their way to nearby towns.

The brothers said the cafe’s location, by a traffic light off Route 66/East High Street, lends itself to drawing in customers who see their sign from the road.

“It's honestly been a good year and a half for us,” Sameul Valentin added. “It’s a lot more work working for yourself, but it’s completely worth it.”

The menu at Two Brothers focuses on breakfast and lunch offerings, along with occasional specials, including monthly pop-up dinner events such as Taco Tuesday nights, and Latin night where the two offer food inspired by their Puerto Rican roots.

“We keep it interesting so we don’t fall into the same,” Eugene Valentin said. “We try to bring some Latin flavor here to Cobalt.”

The eatery’s daily fare consists of standard breakfast and lunch dishes, including waffles, pancakes, a variety of wraps and club sandwiches, plus plain, asiago, sesame, everything and cinnamon raisin bagels made locally in North Windham, and delivered fresh every Tuesday and Thursday.

Eugene Valentin also tapped into his culinary skills from his previous restaurant jobs to craft some special offerings, including the Two Brothers bagel (a toasted bagel of choice with spinach, tomatoes, avocado, bacon, cream cheese, smoked salmon and red onions), and the Two Brothers omelet made with hamburger, avocado, tomato, bacon, gorgonzola, and house sauce and served with of potatoes and toast.

For lunch, there’s the Two Brothers burger, a half-pound of meat topped with bacon, avocado, gorgonzola, lettuce, tomatoes and house sauce. As for a pick-me-up, visitors can try the Two Brothers, a 24-ounce coffee with caramel, chocolate, white chocolate, cinnamon sugar and whipped cream.

The cafe only offers takeout since the building cannot accommodate indoor dining, but, Eugene Valentin said, they plan to find a place where they can set up a dining room and expand while ideally staying in the Cobalt area and on Route 66, which draws in a lot of traffic.

“We just fell in love with this little spot,” he said. “There’s no competition.”

Major car manufacturer Mercedes Benz and blockchain startup Circulor are jointly rolling out a pilot aimed at the tracing carbon emissions in the cobalt supply chain.

According to a Jan. 30 press release, the project by Mercedes and Circulor comes as part of the Startup Autobahn initiative, aimed at identifying next-generation automobiles. The companies will deploy blockchain to trace the emissions of climate-relevant gases and the amount of recycled materials along the complex supply chains of battery cell manufacturers.

Mercedes eventually intends to use data collected during this pilot to develop its new carbon-neutral passenger car fleet.

But first is cobalt

The project will initially focus on cobalt supplies, which have recently raised issues related to provenance and ethics. Cobalt is a key mineral for making lithium-ion batteries, with the majority of cobalt production comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a region criticized for its unethical cobalt mining conditions. In 2017, the United Nations estimated that 168 million children were in exploitative working conditions globally, with around 40,000 children in cobalt mines in the DRC. That means it’s especially important for companies to know where the materials for its products are coming from.

A blockchain-based pilot program will map the production flow of these materials and their associated carbon emissions, as well as record how much recycled material gets used in the supply chain.

This will purportedly help Mercedes determine whether its partner companies comply with its sustainability requirements, especially when it comes to human rights.

Automakers are gradually embracing blockchain

Mercedes is not the first car manufacturer to turn to blockchain technology on issues of sustainability and ethical product sourcing. Volvo also partnered with Circulor to trace raw materials through the supply chain to its battery manufacturer, and then to Volvo cars.

Indian automobile manufacturer Tata Motors announced its intention to integrate blockchain solutions into its internal processes last September. The firm wants to apply blockchain-based solutions in various aspects of the automotive industry, including parking marketplace, demand prediction algorithm and real-time monitoring of fuel quality.

19 October 2020 - TheNewswire - Jervois Mining Limited ("Jervois" or the "Company") (ASX:JRV) (TSXV:JRV) (OTC:JRVMF) announces that Greg Young has joined as Executive General Manager ("EGM") - Sales.

Mr Young is one of the world's foremost traders of nickel and cobalt products, with extensive knowledge of the commodities, their materials flow, market indices and pricing strategies.

Mr Young gained this experience during his 25-year tenure in Glencore's United States business, which culminated in his appointment as Co-Head of Glencore USA, a position he held for over 10 years. Mr Young ran Glencore's Stamford office in Connecticut, which housed approximately 50 metals traders and other employees.

Over the course of his career with Glencore, Mr Young managed more than 20 commodities including all North American marketing for Glencore's alloy division. Glencore's alloy division during his tenure encompassed, amongst other products, nickel, cobalt and ferrochrome. Mr Young started Glencore's cobalt trading book, which during his tenure became the worlds' largest. Mr Young oversaw United States marketing and placement of all nickel and cobalt products resulting from Xstrata plc's US$17 billion acquisition of Falconbridge, a Canadian base metal producer, in 2006. Mr Young also handled all North American sales resulting from Glencore's acquisitions of the Mopani copper-cobalt mine and processing plant in Zambia and the Murrin Murrin nickel-cobalt facility in Australia.

During Mr Young's tenure, Glencore's United States metals business achieved compounded annual sales growth of almost 35 percent. Mr Young left Glencore shortly after its IPO, having established a 30 percent market share or greater in the majority of the commodities traded.

Mr Young has joined Jervois to handle the sales and distribution of nickel and cobalt products from the Company's recent refinery acquisition, Sao Miguel Paulista, and will be based in the United States. At Glencore, Mr Young managed all aspects of their alloy division trading and distribution including transportation, importation, packaging, delivery, tolling contracts, plant production, invoicing and collection.

Jervois is excited to welcome an individual of Mr Young's calibre to the Company, with the principals having worked closely for many years. Mr Young will invest A$0.75 million alongside other Company principals in the current equity raise, which is co-cornerstoned by Jervois insiders to A$1.75 million. Mr Young will not be paid any cash salary for his executive duties and will receive 7.5 million options with an exercise price of A$0.325/share, Jervois's last closing price. The options will vest in three years subject to continued employment.

On behalf of Jervois Mining Limited

Bryce Crocker, CEO.

For further information, please contact:

Investors and analysts: Media:

Bryce Crocker Nathan Ryan

Chief Executive Officer NWR Communications

[email protected] [email protected]

Mob: +61 420 582 887

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.