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The Magic Feather Effect: Placebos and the Power of Belief in Alternative Medicine
Home/Book Reviews • Clinical trials • Energy Medicine • Faith-healing • Neuroscience • Science-based Medicine Blog /The Magic Feather Effect: Plac …
Mar 19, 2019 Harriet A. Hall, MDBook Reviews, Clinical trials, Energy Medicine, Faith-healing, Neuroscience, Science-based Medicine Blogalternative medicine, applied kinesiology, belief, Benedetti, comfort, Dumbo, healing, Lourdes, Melanie Warner, Placebos, tai chi, Ted Kaptchuk, The magic Feather Effect
In her book The Magic Feather Effect, journalist Melanie Warner covers placebo research, shows that alternative medicine is placebo medicine, takes a "try it yourself" approach, and gives belief and anecdotes more credit than they deserve.
In the movie Dumbo, a little elephant with large ears can fly by flapping them like wings, but he refuses to believe he can. A mouse uses a psychological trick to persuade him, telling him that holding a "magic feather" will enable him to fly. He gives Dumbo an ordinary crow feather and Dumbo uses it to fly in a circus act. When he accidentally drops the feather, the mouse tells him it wasn't magic but only worked as a confidence-builder, and Dumbo continues to fly without it.
A new book, The Magic Feather Effect: The Science of Alternative Medicine and the Surprising Power of Belief, by the journalist Melanie Warner, sees Dumbo's feather as an analogy for alternative medicine. The analogy is imperfect, but the idea is that alternative medicine providers persuade patients to accept a non-reality-based belief, and believing has a powerful placebo effect that allows the mind to heal the body. Unlike Dumbo's feather, a patient who improves with alternative medicine is never told the treatment was imaginary. There is no "science of alternative medicine". If it were based on science, it would not be "alternative", but would simply be part of medicine. Alternative medicine is placebo medicine. Science has not shown it to be "powerful" in the accepted sense. She portrays it as powerful based largely on anecdotal evidence of seemingly miraculous healings.
One-sided anecdotal reporting
Her reporting is one-sided. She emphasizes failed back surgeries and other failures of medicine, and she interviews people who believe alternative medicine has cured them; but she doesn't make any attempt to balance their accounts with interviews of people who alternative medicine harmed or failed to help. She doesn't even mention the What's the Harm website, which collects reports of people who were harmed or died because they put their trust in the fantasies of alternative medicine.
She devotes several pages to a seemingly miraculous recovery from quadriplegia attributed to unconventional treatments.
She visits a patient who was allegedly cured of pheochromocytoma at Lourdes, and learns that the diagnosis may have been incorrect. She hypothesizes that the patient's symptoms may have been psychological distress that triggered physical symptoms, claiming that relief of psychological distress counts as a miracle cure. A doctor tells her "Our belief in miracles has a fantastic placebo effect." She does not reveal that out of 200 million patients who have visited Lourdes, only 67 were validated by the Catholic church as having experienced a "medically inexplicable" cure; and most of those actually were medically explicable as conditions that were susceptible to psychosomatic influences or known to show spontaneous remissions. Not so fantastic. Those statistics are a powerful argument against her "magic feather" thesis.
She questions the concept that treatments should be proven more effective than placebo in randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled trials. For her, it is enough for patients to report feeling better. "Effective" is subjective, anecdotal, not objectively measurable improvement. She assumes placebos work and jumps the gun to investigate how they work.
Good reporting of placebo research
Her investigation of the scientific research on placebos is the best part of the book. She cites many studies and the criticisms of the studies. She explains the role of conditioning and suggestion.
The brain can produce its own pain-killing chemicals. Experiments have shown that the opioid antagonist naloxone reverses the pain-killing effect of placebos. In Parkinson's disease, the brain released dopamine when told a saline injection was a Parkinson's drug. Patients believe that surgery will be effective, and in several studies fake surgeries have worked just as well as real surgeries.
Kaptchuk's acupuncture research has shown that interactions with warm, empathetic providers got better results than impersonal, perfunctory interactions; and patients on a no-acupuncture waiting list got far worse results.
Warner's reporting of the research does suffer one flaw: her unquestioning acceptance of useless studies that compare alternative treatments to a waiting list and studies that add an alternative treatment to the usual care. She seems not to realize that such studies are a waste, because the outcome can be predicted. They will always show that the alternative treatment "works", because doing anything new is always better than doing nothing. As Edzard Ernst has shown, these trial designs cannot generate a negative result.
Fabrizio Benedetti is a meticulous and prolific placebo researcher. She attends his lectures and interviews him. He is trying to understand the biological basis of placebo responses, but he doesn't think his laboratory studies have practical clinical applications. Placebo responses are short-lived, and they can produce nocebo effects. He stresses that they are only effective for certain subjective symptoms, that there is a difference between care and cure, and that there are serious ethical concerns.
Warner also interviews Benedetti's protégé Luana Colloca, who endorses the "better than usual care" criterion for effectiveness rather than "better than placebo". She believes her allergic asthma was cured by a single acupuncture treatment. When she told Benedetti, his interpretation was that she was a very good placebo responder.
She covers chronic pain, the research into how it develops, and the fact that altering mindsets is a major goal of pain clinics. She tells an anecdote about a patient who was resistant to all treatments until a clairvoyant told her there was nothing wrong with her back. This was a "shock to her mind", a kind of miracle that enabled her brain to eliminate the perception of pain overnight.
She covers research on stress, meditation, inflammation, biophotons, hallucinations, synesthesia, and Tai Chi. Tai Chi was thought to influence the immune system and have other benefits. But a study showed otherwise. It compared tai chi to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. CBT had a modest effect on pain, inflammation, and immune markers; but in the Tai Chi group there was nothing – not even a reduction in pain. The study was never published "because the lead author didn't know how to explain the results." That's irresponsible: science advances by studying unexplained results.
The value of alternative medicine
The value of alternative medicine lies in the lengthy encounters with providers who make patients feel supported and listened to, who give them confident explanations (usually false) of exactly what is wrong, and who confidently promise to fix the problem.
She interviews a "healer" who seems to have the whole package of everything placebo researchers say makes for an effective therapeutic encounter: meaningful attention, expression of empathy, listening skills, earnest eye contact, steady projection of confidence, and an office adorned with a suggestive assembly of symbols.
On a visit to a Psychosomatic Medicine clinic in Germany, she finds that patients are seldom "cured" but they develop a sense of control, empowerment, improved self-esteem, and more self-confidence.
If alternative medicine lies are able to evoke a placebo response that produces healing, exposing the truth should allow the healing to continue just as the mouse's revelation to Dumbo allowed him to keep flying. But that's not the way it works. Placebos are not powerful, and the myths that alternative medicine practitioners feed patients are more acceptable to them than a truth that will require them to reject strongly held beliefs. Desperate patients seek out confident, empathetic practitioners, even if the treatments they offer are based on total nonsense.
Unfair criticism of skeptics
She criticizes skeptics for having too little interest in the mind's role in health and healing. I think skeptics are very interested in the mind's role, but they are not credulous: they insist on good evidence. One book reviewer said, "For all the value the skeptics provide in finding objective truth, sometimes in their need for academic certainty they lose sight of what matters to their patients." The reviewer goes on to ask, "But in the end, if your life is measurably better, does it matter?" Yes, it matters! And skeptics have explained why (ethics, failure to get lifesaving treatment, undermining critical thinking, etc.) I am convinced that truth matters. For my column in Skeptical Inquirer, I chose the title "Reality Is the Best Medicine." The Journal of the American Medical Association used to have a series with facing pages: on the left, a patient declared his cancer cured by an unconventional treatment, and on the right they posted his death certificate showing that he died of that cancer shortly after his testimonial.
She singles out Steven Novella and David Gorski for discouraging further acupuncture research; but she doesn't fully explain their reasoning, which I think is eminently valid.
She tries everything for herself, experiencing energy medicine, acupuncture, bathing at Lourdes, even letting a chiropractor pop her neck despite understanding that there is a small risk of complications such as stroke and death. Personal experimentation may be persuasive journalism, but it is not good science. If she improves, she can't know if it was because of the treatment; and if she doesn't improve, that is not evidence that it is ineffective for others. Controlled scientific studies are the only valid way to determine the truth.
She tried craniosacral therapy and despite knowing that the bones of the skull don't move, she is "taken aback that the right side of my head does seem decidedly higher." She didn't try to find any objective evidence. Her subjective impression was enough for her.
With regard to energy medicine, she reveals her bias by saying, "I yearned to have a reason to believe…The possibility of phenomena that science has failed to detect has a tantalizing thrill. Throughout history, many ideas have been unreasonable and preposterous until they weren't… In the absence of hard evidence, it seems what I may need to have is a personal encounter with the anomalous force so many others say they have experienced." She took classes but was unable to learn to see auras or have the experiences others had.
In the first chapter she undergoes muscle testing (applied kinesiology) before and after an intervention by an energy medicine practitioner. She experiences unexplained arm weakness and is impressed, but in a later chapter she reports a simple explanation: a chiropractor who used to be an enthusiastic muscle tester eventually realized he was unconsciously pushing in a different way when he expected the patient to be strong, appearing to use the same force but actually using less force than when he wanted their arm to give way.
Illness vs. disease; what does "healing" mean?
She points out that illness and disease are not the same thing. Disease is objective pathology; illness is the lived experience of the patient.
Autonomic systems like the immune system and the neuroendocrine system can be modified by learning and conditioning. Pain perception and other symptoms are conscious events that can be modulated by expectations and patient-doctor communication.
She says peace and acceptance can be its own kind of profound healing.
She says, "I try not to harden around my skepticism." This strikes me as an admission that she rejects scientific rigor in favor of gee-whiz anecdotal evidence. There is nothing hardened about skepticism. It is not dogma or systematic disbelief; it is a process that evaluates claims and only accepts beliefs that are based on good evidence: the essence of what good scientists do.
She protests that she will always side with science and couldn't possibly defend the flood of nonsense, but she insists she has seen alternative medicine therapies help people and the stories they weave provide meaning and comfort. She says that until more doctors learn to offer the things alternative medicine offers, to evoke the power of belief and hope, and to treat the patient rather than the disease, alternative medicine isn't going away.
Conclusion: Lessons to be learned
Warner makes the case that alternative medicine offers something of value to some patients, although it involves persuading the patient to believe in fantasies like acupuncture points, undetectable energies, chiropractic subluxations, and other magic feathers. As Mark Crislip said, "While changing the perception of disease for the better is of benefit, it is just not ethical to base treatment on a lie." What if understanding the science behind the placebo/contextual effect of the provider/patient encounter could enable them to provide the value without the deception? I question whether that is possible for alternative medicine, which relies so heavily on confident explanations that have no basis in reality.
But I think it is an achievable goal for science-based providers. Clinical medicine is not just science; it's applied science. Its goal is:
To cure sometimes, to relieve often, to comfort always.
It's easy to get fixated on scientific trials and lose sight of the need to comfort the patient. Surely we can do better. I wouldn't call it "healing", but comforting another human being is important too.


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Australian building codes don't expect houses to be fire-proof - and that's by design
Written by Raymond William Loveridge, Adjunct Professor - School of Built Environment, University of Technology Sydney
More than 2,000 homes have been destroyed in Australia since the start of the bushfire season. More will certainly be destroyed before the season ends in March.
Could these houses have been built to better withstand fire?
Read more: 'This crisis has been unfolding for years': 4 photos of Australia from space, before and after the bushfires
Quite probably. But that doesn't necessarily mean Australia's building regulations need reforming to ensure homes are made more fireproof.
Appropriate building codes are about weighing costs and benefits. Only analysing the reasons buildings were destroyed will tell us if more needs to be done.
Performances standards
Not all buildings are created equal. Newer buildings will generally be more fire-proof than older ones, due to building regulations having been improved over time.
In particular, national building requirements for residences in bushfire-prone areas were improved after the 2009 "Black Saturday" bushfires in Victoria, in which 173 people died and more 2,000 homes were destroyed.
A house in Flowerdale, Victoria, destroyed in the 2009 bushfires. About 80% of houses in the small town were lost, along with 10 lives. Raoul Wegat/AAP
Buildings are regulated by states and territories but governments have recognised the value of nationally consistent building codes through the National Construction Code. This code, among other things, sets minimum standards for the design and construction of new buildings on bushfire-prone land. (What land is deemed "bushfire prone" is defined by state and territory legislation.)
The National Construction Code is "performance-based". It doesn't specify how a building must be built, but how a building must perform. This means innovative designs, materials and construction methods can be readily approved.
A residential building on bushfire-prone land, the code states, must be designed and constructed to "reduce the risk" of ignition from a bushfire, appropriate to the risk from bushfire flames, burning embers, radiant heat and intensity of the bushfire attack.
The risk to which a building is expected to be exposed depends on the individual site and conditions such as vegetation type and density, and slope of land. Properties are assessed and given a "Bushfire Attack Level" (BAL) rating by inspectors.
There are six BAL levels that classify the severity of potential exposure to bushfire. The highest – BAL FZ – is for buildings exposed to an extreme risk, such as a house surrounded by trees that could produce direct contact from flames.
Lower BAL levels take into account risks from burning debris, ember attack and radiant heat. The lowest deems the risk insufficient to warrant any specific construction requirements.
Construction details for each BAL cover building elements such as floors, walls, roofs, doors, windows, vents, roof drainage systems, verandahs, and water and gas supply pipes. For example, fire-resistant timber may be required for floor framing, or windows may be required to use toughened glass.
Balancing competing interests
Are the requirements of the National Construction Code good enough?
If the aim is to minimise the number of buildings damaged or destroyed in extreme fire events, the answer is no.
But that's not the aim. Like most government regulation, the code requirements are about balancing competing interests.
All building regulations are subject to cost-benefit analysis. They must demonstrate a "net cost benefit" to the community – that the cost of compliance will be less than the benefit delivered to the general community.
It's a cold calculation about the risk and potential cost of homes being destroyed in bushfires versus the more certain costs involved in requiring all homes to be built to more stringent building codes.
Government policy treats potential property loss as a matter for owners to address through property insurance. There's no reason to expect this to change any time soon.
Learning from experience
If the cost of building destruction in bushfires turned out to be greater than the cost of more stringent building requirements, there would be a strong rationale to improve the regulations. This is why post-fire analysis is so important.
A prime example is the royal commission into the causes and costs of the Black Saturday fires.
The commission's final report made a number of recommendations for changes to the National Construction Code. These included new provisions to:
make protection from ember attack a performance requirement
address the design and construction of private (underground) bushfire emergency shelters
include design and construction requirements for non-residential buildings, such as schools and aged-care centres, in bushfire-prone areas.
All governments agreed to the first two recommendations, which were promptly implemented in the National Construction Code (in 2010).
The recommendation about non-residential building was not implemented at the time because governments considered that planning laws would not allow these types of buildings to be built in a bushfire-prone area.
However, the 2019-2020 business plan of the Australian Building Codes Board (which administers the National Construction Code, includes a "bushfire provisions for non-residential buildings" project, so it is reasonable to expect changes to the code in future.
Read more: Bushfires won't change climate policy overnight. But Morrison can shift the Coalition without losing face
This season's fires may also provide impetus for other changes to the construction code. One key factor that will be worthy of research is the age of the buildings destroyed.
Depending on how many homes lost were built after 2010, it might be argued that changes made after the 2009 Victorian fire have been insufficient to keep up with evolving conditions.
Authors: Raymond William Loveridge, Adjunct Professor - School of Built Environment, University of Technology Sydney
Read more http://theconversation.com/australian-building-codes-dont-expect-houses-to-be-fire-proof-and-thats-by-design-129540
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Hazzards Creek Hunt Club. - regulations | Hazzards Creek Hunt Club.
· The Deer Hunting Season "DHS" is defined by the SCDNR as August 15 through January 1.
· The "RUT" shall be defined as the dates of October 1 through November 8.
· The Club Manager is Mr. Terry Holzschuher.
1. During the defined Deer Hunting Season "DHS" no one shall access or hunt another member's stand, food plot, or feeder without that member's permission. This offense may result in expulsion from the club.
2. All members must tag in and out before and after all hunts. This is for safety reasons.
3. Members may access their designated hunting areas for the purpose of hunting at any time.
4. During the DHS, all other activity in the field (stands placement, corn dispersal, firewood gathering, etc.) is restricted to the hours between 10:00AM and 2:00PM while maintaining rule 1.1. Do not access any area near where someone is currently hunting. It is recommended that non-hunting activity be completed when no one is hunting as to disturb the environment as little as possible.
5. All game may be hunted within their legal seasons while obeying HCHC and state regulations.
6. Club electric bill will be divided evenly among members regardless of time spent at camp during the DHS. If member(s) wish to leave equipment on during the off season, they must pay the bill accordingly.
7. No alcoholic beverages may be consumed before or during a hunt. "Please be responsible".
8. Request for a departing member's existing camp and/or stand location(s) will be based on the requesting member's total seniority (years of membership). The Club Manager may act as a member's designee when bidding for camp and/or stand locations.
9. All returning members must submit a $500.00 deposits for the next upcoming season no later than February l.
10. Non-returning member(s) must have their stands, camper and/or camp structure removed from the property no later than February 28.
11. There will be no scouting during the DHS (August 15 through January 1).
1. A member is allowed a maximum of three bucks per deer season with a limit of one buck per day.
2. Bucks must have a minimum outside spread of 15" at the widest point. A buck with less than a 15" spread will result in a fine. Refer to rule 5.1 and 5.2 for more detail.
3. Button buck will also result in a fine. Refer to rule 5.1 and 5.2 for more detail. If a button buck violation occurs, the deer must be tagged with an antlerless deer tag and will also count towards the member's three buck quota.
1. Each member is allowed a maximum of four stands, one of which may be a portable (climber or blind).
2. All stands must be marked on the club map with code letter designated for that member (maximum of 4).
3. A minimum of 250 yards between tree stands will be enforced. This will ensure the safety of all.
4. All stand placement deadline is established as the Monday of Labor Day weekend of each year.
5. During the DHS, relocation of the portable stand is limited to no more than 50 yards of the original location while maintaining rules 3.1 and 3.3.
6. During the DHS members/hunters are restricted to perform hunting activities in their designated stand locations ONLY. Please refer to rule 1.1.
7. During the DHS members must utilize the most direct route to and from your stands without accessing another member's hunting area, with the exception that another's stand/area is located on a main "named" road.
8. Existing stand locations may not be sold from one member to another. Equipment may be purchased or sold but this does not grant rights to the hunting location itself.
1. There will be no "adult hunting guests" the first 15 days of the deer season or during the "RUT".
2. Members must notify the Club Manager of a hunting guest and collect guest fees before the hunt. Refer to rule 5.3.
3. Members may have up to two hunting guest per day with a maximum of ten hunting days for any one guest.
4. Guests are limited to one buck and two does per season which applies to the member's quota.
5. A member's hunting guest under the age of 18 may hunt at no charge. However they must remain in the same stand as the member while hunting. Only one firearm is permitted between member and guest.
6. All members will drop off and pick up their guest regardless of the guest having their own transportation.
7. Non-hunting guest are welcome at any time, at no charge, with a maximum of five persons unless authorized by the Club Manager.
8. During the DHS, guest and children may ride ATV's in the camp area only and must be escorted by the member while riding on the rest of the property. Member must comply with rule 1.1.
9. Under no circumstances minors who are not eligible for a hunting license permitted to hunt, handle or discharge a firearm any time without the constant supervision of an adult. The supervising adult must be in possession of a current South Carolina Hunting License.
1. A buck with less than a 15" spread will result in a fine of $250.00.
2. A second buck taken during the same DHS with less than a 15" spread will result in a separate higher fine of $500.00.
3. Hunting guest fee is $75.00 per day per guest. There are no half days.
4. Members are directly responsible for any fine incurred by the member's family or guest.
5. All fines and fees shall be paid within seven days to the Club Treasurer. Failure to do so will result in the member's hunting privileges being suspended until payment is made. This rule will be strictly enforced.
Remember: You will have big bucks if you let the small ones walk.
Copyright © 2019 Hazzards Creek Hunt Club. - All Rights Reserved.


One of Fall's biggest trends is the return of velvet on everything. It's really been ages since I've worn velvet but I've got to say the options that are available this season are making me want to invest in some velvet pieces. I think my favorite velvet pieces are actually velvet shoes and handbags. One thing that has always been a pet peeve is after wearing velvet clothes for a while the velvet starts to get crushed with the velvet pointing in different directions. I think that's a reason why my velvet pieces in the past had such a short shelf life. A few of these pieces solve that issue by already being crushed and therefore won't make a difference after multiple wears.
1. Apiece Apart. 2. Noir Jewelry. 3. Gucci. 4. 3.1 Phillip Lim. 5. Vince. 6. T by Alexander Wang. 7. Aquazzura. 8. Alice + Olivia. 9. BaubleBar. 10. Rebecca Taylor. 11. Kate Spade. 12. Saint Laurent.
What are your favorite velvet pieces and would you rock this Fall trend?


If you're anything like me, when you first taste nam phrig noom, the smoky, garlicky, roasted chili dip from Northern Thailand, it's gonna blow your mind. Made with roasted green chilies, shallots, and garlic, it's served as a side dish alongside all sorts of raw and cooked vegetables, boiled eggs, or—my favorite—crispy pork rinds.
Though traditionally made over a live fire, a hot cast iron pan or a broiler can bring the same level of charred flavor.
We add a touch of fish sauce and lime juice to our mixture to bring out the richer, roasted flavors.
Note: If very small shallots are unavailable, cut larger shallots into wedges about an inch in diameter. For best results, I recommend using Thai shrimp paste in this recipe instead of the fish sauce, though fish sauce will do in a pinch. This recipe comes out far better when pounded by hand, which requires a large mortar and pestle, such as the 7-Inch Stone Mortar and Pestle from Libertyware. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, you can pulse the mixture in batches in a food processor, but the end results will not have quite the same flavor or texture.


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Beginnings 1960-1967
CD-SBR-7919
CDx2
Release Date: November 3rd 2017
These are the earliest recordings of blues guitarist Johnny Winter recorded in the '60s before he was signed by Columbia in 1968.
These sides were recorded between 1960 and 1967 for the Dart, KCRO, Frolic, Todd, Hall-Way, and Pacemaker labels -- in other words, virtually his entire recorded output prior to his Progressive Blues Experiment long-player in 1967. The music here is raw electric blues, R&B, and even a few early rock tunes thrown into the mix. The cover of Johnny "Guitar" Watson's "Broke and Lonely" is a highlight, as is the burning instrumental cover of Chuck Berry's "Reelin' and Rockin." "Ease My Pain" is a primitive but fantastic model for what was to come in the late '60s on Columbia. These tunes are a fine document, a lost highway to the past. Given the role Winter played in the electric blues and its mass acceptance in America, these tunes serve not as some inferior or embarrassing document, but the thing itself, raw and undiluted.
Label Sunset Blvd Records
Genre Blues
More from Sunset Blvd Records
Djangology: Solo and Duet Recordings, title
Django Reinhardt , artist
So Rebellious A Lover, title
Gene Clark and Carla Olson , artist
Love Letters: The Allen Toussaint Sessions, title
Aaron Neville , artist
Artist Producer Songwriter , title
Allen Toussaint , artist


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Diverse Academies
Update on the phased re-opening of academies
We hope that you and your family remain safe and well.
As you will be aware, the government made a request for secondary schools to start reopening from 15 June. In preparing to re-open to more students, it is extremely important for us to get this right, with the safety of students and staff at the centre of our decisions.
We know that this will be a concerning time for you, so we want to reassure you that our plans will adhere to the government's guidance, as well as local authority advice, and we have taken our own individual academy site into consideration. Over the last week, we have carried out risk assessments to ensure we can open safely – and we will continue to review these on an ongoing basis.
Year 10 and 12 students
Based on our risk assessments, Diverse Academies Trustees have approved the wider opening of our academies to year 10 and 12 students, commencing 15 June. Initially, students in these year groups will be returning for pastoral care and face-to-face support to supplement remote learning – but please note, not all students will be in the academy at the same time. Further details of the specific arrangements will be sent separately to the parents/carers of students in these year groups.
All other year groups
At this time there are no plans to widen provision to other year groups. We will continue to keep you updated should the government issue new or further guidance.
At the current time, we are unable to offer any before or after school extracurricular clubs or activities.
Children of keyworkers
We will continue to provide childcare for the children of keyworkers.
Support and home learning
We appreciate these plans may be different to other secondary schools, both locally and nationally, however it is important that the wider opening of our academy is done so based on our own risk assessments.
It is important to note that it is your right to continue to provide home education if you do not wish to send your children back into the academy – you will not be penalised or fined should you wish to keep them at home. We will respect whatever decision you make, in the interests of the health and safety of your family.
Our home learning provision will continue to support children and their families, as we have been during the period of partial closure.
Important updates to policies
We would also like to draw attention to three important documents which have also been approved by Trustees. Please ensure you take the time to read these:
Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy – Covid-19 appendix
Behaviour Policy – Covid-19 appendix
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Das Wichtigste zu den 20 Teams ran. Stade Louis II Monaco. Wer kann am Mittwoch starten, hinter wem steht ein Fragezeichen und wer sitzt auf der Tribüne? Diese Begegnung gibt es ab Sevilla überrollt Levante ran. Nur ein Team besser als Dortmund ran. Hoffenheim beendet Sieglos-Serie in Freiburg ran. We want to progress! Quarter-final draw 15 Mar Those advertisers use tracking technologies to collect information about your activity on our sites and applications and across the Internet and your other apps and devices. The ones to watch Harry Kane has scored three goals in the two Champions League games against Dortmund, while Heung-Min Son has scored in each of the last three games between the clubs in all competitions. Click here for the latest Bundesliga results and the current league standings. In the [round of 16] there are only heavy games. Paste this link into your preferred calendar Outlook, Google, etc. And that could well hsv spiele 2019 them in good grindavik in Europe. West Ham press conference West Spiel kostenlos press conference recap: Borussia Dortmund bus bomb accused confesses crime A year-old man accused of detonating kroatien spanien tipp targeting a top Tipptrend bundesliga football team has confessed to the deed. The other potentials are: A year-old man accused of wolfsburg europa league 2019 bombs targeting a top German football team has confessed to the deed.
ManCity im Schongang ins Pokal-Finale ran. Dortmund will nun sogar den dritten Treffer. Inzwischen sind die Gäste die bessere Mannschaft. Diese Begegnung gibt es ab Dortmund hat das Geschehen hier im Griff und wird den Sieg wohl sicher einfahren. Reus dringt von halbrechter Position in den Sechzehner und wird dort nach dem zweiten Haken von Kamil Glik klar zu Fall gebracht. Zu meinen Kalender hinzugefügt.
Click to play Tap to play. The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now. Good morning and welcome to live coverage of the Champions League round of 16 draw.
Liverpool and Manchester United both finished second in their groups, like Spurs. And some more info on when and where the game with Dortmund will take place Full story.
The ones to watch Harry Kane has scored three goals in the two Champions League games against Dortmund, while Heung-Min Son has scored in each of the last three games between the clubs in all competitions.
Spurs v Dortmund in recent history Familiar foes face off for another fight. Could be good, expect Barca to progress. Are we beginning already?
All you need is a montage And here we go Liverpool v Borussia Dortmund They faced each other back in the Europa League in , but a clash with potential this year could be Liverpool v Borussia Dortmund.
Come on mate, we all know you want Porto in the draw! T-minus 60 minutes The draw kicks off in one hour in Nyom. The other potentials are: Where will Spurs play?
Spurs all Most Read Most Recent. Vincent Janssen Vincent Janssen registered for Premier League football as new Tottenham squad list confirmed Spurs news includes a promotion for the Dutchman after he failed to secure a move in the January transfer window.
Mauricio Pochettino Pochettino press conference: Mauricio Pochettino Mauricio Pochettino on trophies at Spurs: Most Read Most Recent.
January Transfer Window Transfer news live: Even if you choose not to have your activity tracked by third parties for advertising services, you will still see non-personalized ads on our site.
However, that meeting was overshadowed by the bombing of the Dortmund team bus prior to the first leg.
EU Data Subject Requests. Inter Milan live stream: Watch Champions League online by Warren Pegg. Watch Champions League online by Adam Stocker.
Familiar foes face off for another fight. They were also, of course, drawn together in the group stages of the Champions League last season, with Spurs winning both encounters and respectively.
A bit more talking now, naturally. UEFA deputy general secretary Giorgio Marchetti is here to talk us through what he presume is the start of the draw.
All talking and intros so far, mind. The first video package has begun in earnest. Dramatic music, quick cut scenes, goals, tackles, the lot.
The introductions have begun. Easy to be confident from the bench, though. They faced each other back in the Europa League in , but a clash with potential this year could be Liverpool v Borussia Dortmund.
Klopp going back to face the Yellow Wall with a better squad this time? Dortmund currently leading the Bundesliga?
That would be a tough test. Regardless of which opponent you get in the Champions League last 16, it will be tense and very, very tough.
You have to beat them in the last The draw kicks off in one hour in Nyom. Will they be able to use the venue for the Champions League?
Video Loading Video Unavailable. Click to play Tap to play. And that could well stand them in good stead in Europe.
Club Brugge have a good European pedigree, although you have to go back quite some way to find it — they reached the final of both the UEFA and European Cups in the s, only to lose to Liverpool on each occasion.


We spent the last couple of days camping at Mark Twain Lake in northeast Missouri. Rather than compete for campsites on the weekend, we spent Monday and Tuesday there for a quieter time. Maybe we should have a family reunion get together… this would be a nice place! It's a wonderful Corps of Engineers maintained lake, with a nice system of parks and recreation areas. There is very little development on the lake, so the shoreline is natural and forested. It's a nice place to explore, go boating and fishing, swimming and simply hang about the camp. Although it was hot! The sun was out and it was quite humid, but after the sun was down the evenings were nice with a gentle breeze off the lake. The lake itself is named of course for Samuel Clemens' famous persona, Mark Twain. He was actually born in the very small settlement of Florida, Missouri, which sits almost in the center of the lake on a small peninsula. As he grew up his parents moved from there to the more widely known town of Hannibal, Missouri. A sign at the visitor center on the lake stated that when Clemens was a boy, he would return to the town of Florida and spend time on his relatives farm nearby. But his early years growing up in the region provided the basis for his famous stories of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.
The shoreline of the lake is beautiful, with a great diversity of wildlife in the area. The fishing at the lake is reputed to be excellent as well… we were new to the lake for fishing, but we caught enough to have a fish fry for dinner one night!
Our campsite was great. It sat back from the park road, and offered a view of the lake through the trees. We enjoyed the sounds of the forest, especially at night. The owls and insects were calling loudly, but one night I awoke to a rattling of pans and kitchen stuff on the table… it was a hungry racoon looking for his next meal at about 4:00 am! I scared him off with a flashlight, and then went back to bed… sleep didn't come, so it was an early day.
Now it's back to work at the house- we still have not had much rain, but the forecast is promising!


$ign, Usher, DJ Khaled, A$AP Rocky, Jaden Smith, and Justin Timberlake, who appeared on the Elephunk original.
will.i.am said the remake was inspired by tragic events throughout the world including recent attacks in Paris, Belgium, and Turkey; the deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling; the deaths of police officers in Dallas; and the Orlando mass shooting. He hopes to reach millennials the same way the song reached listeners in 2003.
Thanks a lot for your comment Martin.


Bestech Australia is introducing new technology Endoscopes from Micro-Epsilon Eltrotec allowing cavity viewing in engine development. The renowned ELTROTEC MKF-D endoscope is proven for their high quality, and with swing-prism it is now available with a 4.3mm diameter. The swing-prism provides a variable viewing range of -20° up to +130°. An endoscope tube offers a rotation of 290° making the MKF-D endoscope ideal for controlling e.g. engine combustion chambers. Colour-corrected optics provide high-contrast images in the highest quality. The deep-set optics is a further advantage, providing the user with a 100% image spectrum without any cut-off at the edges. The ELTROTEC MKF-D endoscope is available in lengths of 170mm, 275mm and 380mm. Bestech Australia also offers accessories such as light sources, optical fibres and cameras are compatible with the ELTROTEC MKF-D endoscope.


Experience stand up paddle boarding!
Stand-Up Paddle Boarding (SUP) is the fastest growing paddle sport in the world. Come check out our sampler 1/2 day course with experienced instructors and learn how much fun it is, or rent a board and take it out on your own!
For our course, our instructors start on land with the basics of board and paddle design, how to properly hold your paddle, and board paddling positions. Before heading out onto the water, will give you thorough safety instructions and make sure you are comfortable with self rescue and river language.
Once on flat or slow moving water, your instructor will go through the balance progressions of laying on your board, kneeling and finally standing up. Within each position you will learn different paddling techniques and paddle strokes to help you maneuver your board efficiently and effectively. Then learn how to tilt the board to carve in and out of currents and experiment with this. Finally, learn to ferry across the river. Ferrying is a technique used to maneuver across the river through a current. We start with learning this skill on our knees, then, advancing to our feet. This provides the basic skills needed to start surfing every river wave you can find! For those more adventurous, we can dabble in some yoga poses, headstands and balances!
You don't need huge waves to have fun on a SUP, you will be entertained with every little eddy, wave or ripple in the river. Join us for a fun new water activity or to get a great core workout! Depending on the river water level, your instruction will either be in a lake or a slower section of Durango's Animas River.
For those wanting to venture out on their own and handle the shuttle and equipment on their own, rent a stand up paddle board. Cost is $30 for 1/2 day and $45 for a full day.
All information provided while booking online is transmitted via a secure connection. Credit card details are heavily encrypted/inaccessible.
Meet at our main office in Durango 30 minutes before your departure time.
Check in, sign release forms, get dressed for the river! Wetsuit and bootie rentals are required through June and highly recommend from July on.
Shuttle to the put in for safety and technique orientation.
Practice your paddle boarding skills and have a great time doing so! We will stop for a snack half-way through.
Take out and shuttle back to our office approximately 3 hours later.
The maximum number of guests we can take at one time is 8.
The trip will either be on a slow moving section of the Durango's Lower Animas River or a local lake.
*Please note that all itineraries are subject to change due to river conditions. Additional River/Land Access Fees not included.
Click here for directions to our main office in Durango.
Wetsuits are required through June and highly recommended all season. Swimsuits are great to wear under wetsuits, keep in mind, while learning, you have a higher chance of swimming.
Bring sunscreen, water, a hat and sunglasses if desired, and your sense of adventure!


Residents in St. Joseph County can dine safely knowing that no one reported a single case of food-borne illness to the county the first four months of the year.
But if there had been a complaint, the public would be able to see only part of the document.
Carolyn Smith, food services director for the St. Joseph County Health Department, said people are told their complaints are anonymous, so the department won't release the complainants' names. Smith and officials at some other county health departments cited the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) as the reason to either release only part of the food-borne illness complaints or withhold them entirely.
But legal experts say that applying HIPAA to food-borne illness complaints received by county health agencies might be incorrect.
During a project by journalists at The Media School at Indiana University, in partnership with the Indiana Coalition for Open Government, a team of reporters requested various public records, including food-borne illness complaints received in 2015 by 30 county health departments.
Several of the agencies cited HIPAA as a reason to not disclose certain parts or all of the information in those complaints.
HIPAA, a federal law enacted in 2003, applies to health care providers, health plans, public health agencies, insurers and other health organizations that bill or send health information electronically, according to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
"We do run into situations where HIPAA is misunderstood," said Stephen Key, executive director and general counsel for the Hoosier State Press Association.
Although HIPAA was intended to cover medical providers, Key said he's heard of a situation where a football coach refused to tell a sportswriter if the star quarterback broke his arm because of HIPAA. He said HIPAA doesn't apply in that circumstance, nor does it apply to a city health agency that handles inspections and complaints about food safety.
If a person decides to make a complaint or submit any petition seeking government action, that is public record, said Indiana's Public Access Counselor Luke Britt.
Some mayors have hotlines where people can call and leave grievances, complaints about neighbors and other information, Britt said, and under the Access to Public Records Act, that information is public.
A lot of local governments think there is a right to privacy, Britt said, but there's really not under the public access laws.
"If you take it upon yourself to make a complaint, then you're also waiving any kind of privacy," he said.
Further, Britt said if he went to a restaurant in Marion County, got salmonella and filed a complaint with the health department, the fact he made a complaint doesn't give away any information about his medical condition, which could be protected health information under HIPAA.
"Just because I made that complaint does not disclose any type of sensitive information," he said.
Still, it is not uncommon for public agencies to cite HIPAA as a way to deny records in the name of privacy.
Chris Borowieki, director of the Vanderburgh County Health Department Environmental Division, said food-borne illness complaints cannot be disclosed because of HIPAA.
"We never give those out," he said.
The only information the department releases about food-borne illness complaints is a summary in the annual report, according to Borowieki.
Smith, of the St. Joseph County Health Department, held firm to her procedures when a reporter pointed out that complainant names should be released under APRA.
"If we are not compliant, we have not been compliant for the 19 years that I have been here," Smith said. "I am not going to change that until my administrator and health officer and board says that we should change that….
Samim Arif and DeJuan Foster contributed to this story.
This story is part of a project exploring digital access to local government information in Indiana. Click here to return to the main project page.
This entry was posted in ICOG news, Indiana access news, Indiana public access laws, public records by indiana. Bookmark the permalink.


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Androulla Kaminara (born 29 April 1957) was a European civil servant from Cyprus who from September 2019 to April 2022 was serving as the Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. As such, she was the first women ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan. Before her appointment in the European External Action Service, she joined the European Commission in 1991, where she has served in various Directorates General, including those dealing with technology, communications, development cooperation, international relations, and humanitarian aid.

Kaminara has held a number of high-level positions at the European Commission including five years as Director for Africa, Asia, Latin America, Caribbean and Pacific in the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), and Principal Adviser and Head of the Task Force "Knowledge, Performance and Results" in the Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development from 2014 to 2016. She has served as a member of Cabinet in the offices of two European Commissioners with portfolios in development cooperation and energy and small and medium-sized enterprises policy respectively. As a result of her  interest in research and education, she has served for two years as EU fellow/visiting academic at St. Antony's College, Oxford University, and as research associate of King's College London, specializing in EU policies and in geopolitics of energy. Before joining the European Commission, Kaminara was a special adviser to two cabinet ministers in Greece and managing director of a private consultancy firm.

Early and personal life
Androulla Kaminara was born in Cyprus in 1957. Cypriot by birth, Kaminara also holds British and Greek citizenship. She is married. She takes a keen interest in arts and culture. Her hobbies include swimming and scuba diving and holds a captain's license for sailing. She can speak Greek, English, French, Spanish and Turkish.

Education
Androulla Kaminara holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons.) in geology from King's College and in physics from University of London, a Master of Science degree in management science from Imperial College, University of London, as well as a Maîtrise in international relations from Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in Brussels.

European Commission
 Staff member - European Commission Directorate General Information and Communication Technologies (January 1991 - December)
 EU Fellow to the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States (September 1999 - December 1999)
 Member of Cabinet - Greek Commissioner Responsible for Transport, Energy and SME issues Christos Papoutsis (January 2000 - July 2000)
 Member of Cabinet - Danish Commissioner Responsible for Development Cooperation Poul Nielson (August 2000 - July 2003)
 Head of Unit - European Commission Directorate General - EuropeAid - Geographic Coordination for 44 West and Central African and Caribbean Countries (July 2003 - July 2006)
 Director for Quality of Operations of the European Commission's Directorate-General for International Partnerships|Directorate General - EuropeAid (July 2006 - April 2008)
 Head of the European Commission Representation in Cyprus (April 2008 - March 2012)
 European Commission Special Advisor, Directorate General for Communications (March 2012 - September 2012)
 Academic Visitor to St. Antony's College & European Union Fellow to St. Antony's College, Oxford University (October 2012 - July 2013 and October 2013 - July 2014)
 Principal Advisor and Head of Task Force on Knowledge, Performance and Results | Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO) (July 2014 - June 2016)
 Director of Humanitarian Aid Operations for Africa, Asia, Latin America, Caribbean and Pacific | Directorate General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) (July  2016 - August 2019)

EEAS - European External Action Service
Androulla Kaminara assumed the office as Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Pakistan on September 17, 2019. She presented her credentials to President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi during a special ceremony at the Aiwan-i-Sadr on November 7, 2019.

During her tenure as an Ambassador, Kaminara has been working for the promotion of EU-Pakistan Business & Trade. She launched an EU – Pakistan Business Forum, a series of one-day conferences to highlight both the potential of Pakistani SME's and the opportunities of the European Single Market as export destination. The EU-Pakistan Business Forum raised awareness about the European Single Market among Pakistani SMEs and to discuss the experiences and challenges SMEs are facing to be part of global supply chains and to export to Europe. During the three editions in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi the Business Forum focused on a range of sectors, such as IT, gems and jewelry, surgical goods, auto-parts among others.

In past few years Kaminara also highlighted the importance of Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP+). She actively engaged with Pakistani lawmakers, the business community as well as journalists and the wider public to underline GSP+ being a central pillar of the EU-Pakistan relations. Highlighting the benefits Pakistan has drawn from the GSP+ system since Pakistan obtained the trade preference in 2014, she underlined the huge untapped potential for Pakistan.

In her efforts to promote Interfaith Harmony, Kaminara initiated, a series of interfaith roundtables, in collaboration with Maulana Abdul Khadir Azad, Grand Imam of Badshahi Mosque, with the first one taking place in Islamabad in December 2020 and last one in July 2021. This initiative brought together representatives and experts with very different backgrounds: religious leaders and human rights activists and they all shared the objective to advance interfaith harmony and the respect of the freedom of religion and belief.

Under her ambassadorship, there is a close cooperation with Economic Affairs Division on key issues of donor coordination, streamlining of programme approval procedures and other topics relevant to the cooperation of the Government of Pakistan with Development Partners. The EU signed five financing agreements in 2020–2021, worth EUR 141 M, with the Government of Pakistan, related to public finance management, rule of law, education, water management and poverty reduction, ensuring funds commitments in a timely manner. Constructive consultations were held at federal and provincial levels in 2020 and 2021 on the future multi-annual indicative programme for bilateral EU-Pakistan cooperation from 2021 to 2027, paving the way for funding of the coming seven years.

Since 2021, Kaminara has been the chair of the Pakistan chapter of the Core Group - Support Platform for the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR) and is spearheading the multilateral Core Group platform on policy and operational dialogue to foster inclusive policies and resilience building measures for Afghan Refugees in Pakistan. In acknowledgement that refugee protection and solutions are a collective responsibility, Ambassador Kaminara, is likewise a driving force behind converging the interests of the Core Group members and towards a coordinated approach in supporting the Government of Pakistan in their efforts of hosting refugees for the last four decades.

Awards and recognition

International Peace Award

On 24 November 2021, President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi awarded Androulla Kaminara with the International Peace Award in recognition of her services for the cause of interfaith harmony. She initiated, in collaboration with Maulana Abdul Khadir Azad, Grand Imam of Badshahi Mosque, a series of interfaith roundtables that brought together representatives and experts with very different backgrounds i.e., religious leaders and human rights activists with the shared objective to advance interfaith harmony and the respect of the freedom of religion and belief. She received the award during the International Interfaith Peace Conference in Islamabad which was organized by the Interfaith Council for Peace and Harmony and Majlis Ulema-e-Pakistan and attended by representatives of various religions.

Global Ambassadors Award

On 25 November 2021, Androulla Kaminara received another award On Behalf of the People of Pakistan acknowledging the services of outstanding Foreign Ambassadors in Pakistan. The award was presented by the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib in the fourth Global Ambassadors Award Ceremony 2021 organized by The Diplomatic Insight Group. Androulla Kaminara was recognized for her tireless work to promote the political, economic, cultural, educational, people-to-people contacts, trade, and development works in Pakistan. As well as her close coordination with Government of Pakistan to further strengthen the EU-Pakistan Relations. The ceremony was attended by Senator/ Chairman Standing Committee on Info & Broadcasting Faisal Javed Khan, Ambassadors, Diplomats, Businessmen, and Civil Society leaders.

Publications
Energy and  security  in the East Mediterranean: How  energy  will  play  an  increasingly  important role  in  the security of the East Mediterranean (March 2014) Opinion Piece by Androulla Kaminara in South East European Studies at Oxford (SEESOX)

Now there is a window of opportunity for decisions leading to the optimization of the benefits from East Mediterranean natural gas discoveries (March 2014) Article by Androulla Kaminara

The gender dimensions of energy policy" (July 2015) Opinion Piece by Androulla Kaminara in South East European Studies at Oxford (SEESOX)

Opinion editorials (2019-2022)
 Time for real honour (2019-12-01) in Daily Times by Androulla Kaminara/Dr. Barrister Farogh Naseem on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women - November 25
 Why women in sports matter (2020-03-08) in The News International by Androulla Kaminara & Hajra Khan on International Women's Day - March 8
 Pak-EU ties: fostering prosperity every day (2020-03-17) in The Express Tribune by Androulla Kaminara
 Europe Day (2020-05-09) in The News International by Ambassadors of EU and Member States on Europe Day - May 9
 Transgender rights during times of Covid-19 (2020-05-17) in The Express Tribune by Ambassadors of EU and Member States on International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT) - May 17
 Against child labour – making a promise to Zohra (2020-06-12) in The Nation by Androulla Kaminara on World Day against Child Labour - June 12
 Further strengthening electoral processes (2020-09-15) in The Nation by Ambassadors of EU and Member States on International Day of Democracy - September 15
 Right to legal representation (2020-10-10) in The News International by Androulla Kaminara on World Day against Death Penalty - October 10
 Common grounds for religious and social harmony and its contemporary significance (2021-02-07) in The News International by Androulla Kaminara & Dr. Qibla Ayaz on UN Interfaith Harmony Week - first Week of Feb
 Brighter future (2021-03-11) in DAWN by Androulla Kaminara & Pamela Coke-Hamilton on GRASP
 The game changers (2021-06-16) in DAWN by Androulla Kaminara & Sharmeela Rassool
 Democracy vital for prosperity and sustainable development (2021-09-15) in The Express Tribune by Androulla Kaminara on International Day of Democracy - September 15
 COP26 as the turning point: From climate negotiations to solutions (2021-10-16) in The Nation by Androulla Kaminara on Climate Action Weeks 27 Nov-17 Oct

References

External links
 LinkedIn Profile

1957 births
Living people
Ambassadors of the European Union to Pakistan
Cypriot diplomats
European civil servants
Alumni of King's College London
Alumni of Imperial College London
Université libre de Bruxelles alumni
Cypriot women writers
21st-century Cypriot writers

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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You Can Count On Me
– April 21, 2002Posted in: Film Review
You're all completely nuts. That's all there is to it. Not one of you is fit to operate heavy machinery. Or even a kitten. No kittens for any of you, 'cause you all liked You Can Count On Me. And what's worse, you MADE me watch it. Thank you very much for wasting my evening, you can go now.
You Can Count On Me was a mainstay on best-of lists in 2000, was Oscar-nominated for a Best Screenplay and a bunch of other awards, and it received four stars from a goat-load of reviewers. I can't understand any of it. Here, let's look at the movie, and I'll show you my multi-planar disgust.
The story: Sammy (Laura Linney), divorced with one kid, is kind of a screw-up who tries not to be and has a brother, Terry (Mark Ruffalo), who is an absolutely irredeemable screw-up and who comes to live with her. Two hours of them being screw-ups occurs, nothing changes or is learned, and then Terry leaves.
There you go. Oh, and Sammy has an unappealing boyfriend called Bob and she has an affair with her S.O.B. boss played by Matthew Broderick (whose middle-agedness I'm never going to get used to). Terry is a bitter and vicious ass who despises the small town he goes back to, mostly because he was a failure there just like he's a failure everywhere he goes. He tries to inculcate this bitterness in Sammy's son, who is played by a freakin' Culkin.
That's the film in a nutshell. Jerks go on being jerks and confront each other about their being jerks while they keep on being jerks. And it has been lauded up the hilt. You Can Count On Me doesn't fall back on Hollywood formula, it's true. It doesn't rely on gimmicks like story or interest or identification with the characters to keep you into the film. No, not only is this movie bravely willing to keep you from giving a damn about anyone within, it's got the foresight and intellect to not reward you for having watched it. Nobody changes, though the movie ends like it's pretending they have.
You Can Count On Me is, essentially, a critic's dream. Not only is it a film totally devoid of imagination, but it has no entertainment value, either, two qualities loathed by the average critic. If drama can be defined, like Hitchcock does in his interviews with Truffaut, as "life with the boring parts cut out," then You Can Count On Me is drama with all the interesting parts cut out. What you're left with is a big old slice of nothing that lies there in your consciousness, breathing just enough for you to know it wants to pretend it's alive.
The apoplexies of adoration emitted for this movie are confusing. Looking through a number of reviews, a common theme seems to be that the movie is 'real.' But in what manner is reality qualitative? There are plenty of things in life that are real that are neither interesting nor illuminating (e.g. You Can Count On Me). Mere reality isn't a strong enough reason for recommendation. Likeable characters can be, but if you like the populace of this film I have strong reservations about your judgment. They do seem like real people, sure, but I know plenty of real people who are jerks, and with whom I would not like to spend the two hours that You Can Count On Me requires.
An essential problem is that it aspires toward psychological depth, but does so only by employing gimmicks. In the first two minutes, the parents of the brother and sister are killed in a car accident. Is this the cause of all their modern pain? I guess so, but the evidence is scanty. The entire film is like this – it walks on eggshells to avoid being heavy-handed, and in so doing divests itself from any coherent theme.
After watching this movie, I started thinking (as I usually do after watching a frustrating film, since I am a geek) about Hitchcock. His Vertigo
is a movie that has a tenuous grip on reality. It posits an artificial scenario, and the people within are, in small ways, larger than life – it has a healthy dose of melodrama. But damned if that movie ain't filled to the brim with the one thing You Can Count On Me strenuously avoids: truth. Vertigo knows something about obsession and objectification, and the way a small madness can capture the most down-to-earth man. If all movies are artifice at some level, then isn't a truth arrived at through artificial devices preferable to a film that arrives nowhere, but stays real at all times? Well, I think so. And, judged that way, You Can Count On Me is a dreary waste of time.
Tags: 2000, Kenneth Lonergan
Episode 5: Brittle Bullet
16 Horsepower – Folklore
The Beatles – Let It Be
Berlin Alexanderplatz – VI. Love Has Its Price
Film Noir: Remember I Was Vapor
Sex Pistols – Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols


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HDMI, 2 DM Lite, 2 mirrored HDMI/DM Lite output
Model: HD-PS6226
A high-performance rack-mountable 4K60 4:4:4 presentation system with out-of-the-box functionality. Provides six HDMI® and two DM Lite® inputs, two pairs of mirrored HDMI and DM Lite outputs with 4K60
New Multi-Format Video Processor Enhances the Crestron Intelligent Home Experience
Dallas, TX, October 15, 2015 – Crestron takes residential AV and control to the next level with the new DM-DGE-200-C Digital Graphics Engine; a low-cost, easy to deploy multi-format video processor that provides the technology and support to deliver spectacular on-screen control menus and custom pop-up messaging, along with video, via room displays and touch screens. Crestron is demonstrating a range of exciting DM-DGE-200-C applications for the home at CEDIA® EXPO 2015.
The DM-DGE-200-C supports high-performance H.264 streaming via the LAN port, HDMI, and uncompressed 4K video through the DM® input, and then outputs up to 4K HDMI video to the room display. Neatly tucked away behind the display it also features a full range of control options via IR, serial, and CEC.
The DM-DGE-200-C 4K graphics engine enhances the Crestron luxury lifestyle experience by displaying an onscreen menu for controlling lighting, shading, locks, and temperature, right on the TV. The onscreen menu can be controlled by the same remote that provides control of the TV and media sources, which means minimal distraction and no interruption of TV watching. The ability to deliver dynamic pop-up messages to the display, which communicate security alerts, incoming calls, visitors at the door, or even streaming security cameras, further enriches the experience. All this power is contained in a small package that installs out of sight behind a room display or in-wall touch screen, or secured to a rack or shelf.
The DM-DGE-200-C can also be used to bring custom graphics and control GUIs to large-format touch displays, such as the 20" TSD-2020 and HID-compliant third-party touch screens.


Scanning Electron Micrograph of a single diatom skeleton. Beautiful eh?
Question: There is a brown crud in my 55 tank that turns to slime when I take it out of the water. It looks hairy, but seems to not have any rigidity or form. Sort of like string, but less than 1/8 inch long. Sort of fuzzy. Someone told me this was a dinoflagellate plague. The water quality parameters are fine. We recently installed new VHO bulbs, which caused the tank light shock, but then tried just using half the bulbs for a while. I think that had something to do with the bloom. Maybe accidentally killed off the good algae and the bad stuff moved in. I just put a phosphate bag, Kent carbon, and nitrate remover bag in the trickle filter. Should I go back to using full lights? I figured that maybe by turning the lights off for 24 hrs that we could starve it if its photosynthetic. Also I did a 50 % water change. I have 150 lbs-200 lbs of live rock with a live sand bed. The tank has been set up for 2 years. I plan on adding calcium hydroxide by IV drip tomorrow to raise the ph (now is 8.1) Any ideas on how to get RID of this brown slimy stuff? I do not want to use antibiotics unless it is a last resort. Bob's Answer: I agree with your diagnosis re: the apparent cause - it probably was the light changes (good to change slowly, like one bulb at a time over a period of weeks). By the description, it is not dinoflagellate. Probably some other mix of algal, and aufwuchs and will be soon out competed by bringing more of your lighting into play. So start phasing in same and leave off adding or changing anything else for a good month or so until you start to see the system "return to center".


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Why the first-ever black hole image is blurry, and more questions answered
Black holes haven been studied for decades, but on Wednesday, the first-ever image captured of the mysterious objects has been revealed.
Why the first-ever black hole image is blurry, and more questions answered Black holes haven been studied for decades, but on Wednesday, the first-ever image captured of the mysterious objects has been revealed. Check out this story on newarkadvocate.com: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/04/10/black-hole-picture-2019-first-image-released-what-you-need-know/3421143002/
Brett Molina, USA TODAY Published 10:31 a.m. ET April 10, 2019 | Updated 12:10 p.m. ET April 10, 2019
For the first time, an image of a black hole has been unveiled by the Event Horizon Telescope, but it's not what you might think. Here's why. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
Scientists have spent decades studying them, but Wednesday provides our first-ever image of a black hole.
The National Science Foundation hosted a morning press conference featuring scientists from around the world to release the picture, albeit fuzzy, of a black hole.
The image was captured using the Event Horizon Telescope, an international collaboration created to show a black hole.
Here's everything you need to know about black holes.
A handout photo provided by the European Southern Observatory on April 10, 2019 shows the first photograph of a black hole and its fiery halo, released by Event Horizon Telescope astronomers (EHT), which is the "most direct proof of their existence," one of the project's lead scientists told AFP. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)
What is a black hole?
They are collapsed stars with gravity so strong not even light can escape. According to NASA, because no light can get out, people can't see black holes, which is why scientists use special tools like telescopes to spot them.
The National Science Foundation says there are four types of black holes, ranging from tiny primordial black holes which emerged right after the Big Bang, to supermassive black holes like the one captured in the image released Wednesday which are way more substantial than our sun.
When were they first discovered?
Albert Einstein first predicted black holes as part of his theory of relativity in 1915. According to the Department of Astronomy at Cornell University, physicist John Wheeler was first credited with using the term black hole in 1967. Before then, black holes were sometimes referred to as "dark stars" or "frozen stars."
You're looking at the first ever image of a black hole. It was captured by the #NSFFunded@ehtelescope project. #ehtblackhole#RealBlackHolehttps://t.co/6dglvqrvOspic.twitter.com/0hclANf4tc
— National Science Foundation (@NSF) April 10, 2019
How do scientists learn about black holes?
NASA said since researchers can't "see" a black hole, they use tools to study how strong gravity affects nearby stars and gas. High-energy light is created when a black hole and star are close together, said NASA, and scientists can view it using satellites and telescopes.
How did scientists capture an image of a black hole?
Researchers used the Event Horizon Telescope, a collection of eight telescopes on five different continents specifically designed to peer at black holes. The EHT links the telescopes together to form a virtual telescope the size of Earth.
The EHT takes the radio wave data from all eight telescopes and combines them into the image shown.
So why does it look kinda blurry? Avery Broderick, an astronomy professor at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, said it's because the telescopes used reached a "fundamental resolution limit."
Dan Marrone of @UofA says in a few weeks of observing, @ehtelescope project collected approx 1000 disks, 5 petabytes of data, equivalent to "all of the selfies that 40k people will take in their lifetime." #RealBlackHole#ehtblackholepic.twitter.com/6A0OBNVqBn
The NSF said in a Medium post because of a black hole's intense gravity, you can't capture an image of the actual black hole, but light near the black hole's "point of no return."
"What we are seeing is truly the silhouette of a black hole. This is what it is like to stare directly into the void."
Contributing: Doyle Rice. Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.
Space photos: Stunning images you have to see
An image of an aurora taken on June 13, 2019, from aboard the International Space Station, by NASA astronaut Christina Koch, saying: "Years ago at the South Pole, I looked up to the aurora for inspiration through the 6-month winter night, now I know they're just as awe inspiring from above. Christina Koch, NASA via AFP/Getty Images
A Long March-11 solid propellant carrier rocket blasts off from a mobile launch platform in the Yellow Sea off east China's Shandong Province, June 5, 2019. China has for the first time launched a rocket from a mobile platform in the Yellow Sea, sending a five commercial satellites and two others containing experimental technology into space. Zhu Zheng, AP
A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Medium rocket launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station March 15, 2019. The rocket is carrying a communications satellite for the US Military. Craig Bailey/USA TODAY Newtork
People on the beach in the north end of Cape Canaveral got a great view of the launch and landing of the SpaceX Heavy launched from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center Thursday evening at 6:35 p.m. The rocket was carrying the Arabsat 6A communications satellite. The side boosters landed at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and the core booster landing on the "Of Course I Still Love You" Drone ship. MALCOLM DENEMARK/FLORIDA TODAY
The Soyuz-FG rocket booster with Soyuz MS-12 space ship carrying a new crew to the International Space Station, ISS, blasts off at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, early Friday, March 15, 2019. Dmitri Lovetsky, AP
NASA astronaut Christina Koch assists fellow astronauts Nick Hague and Anne McClain in their spacesuits shortly before they begin the first spacewalk of their careers, aboard the International Space Station (ISS), March, 22, 2019 NASA cancelled the first all-female spacewalk which was scheduled for March 29, 2019, citing spacesuit issues. NASA, EPA-EFE
This NASA photo shows the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft that launched three new Expedition 59-60 crew members to the International Space Station as it docked to the Rassvet module on March 15, 2019. Cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin from Roscosmos commanded the Soyuz crew ship flanked by NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Christina Koch during the five-hour, 47-minute trip that began at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. NASA via AFP/Getty Images
A time exposure of the Delta IV launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, as seen from the edge of Indian River Lagoon, just north of the Melbourne Causeway, March, 15, 2019. Tim Shortt/USA TODAY NETWORK
Photographers take pictures as the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft with crew members of Expedition 59/60 Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin, NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Nick Hague lifts off from the launch pad at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on March 15, 2019. Sergei Ilnitsky, EPA-EFE
The Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft with crew members of Expedition 59/60 Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin, NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Nick Hague lists off from the launch pad at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on March 15, 2019. Hague, Koch, and Ovchinin will spend six-and-a-half months living and working aboard the International Space Station. Sergei Ilnitsky, EPA-EFE
NASA astronaut Christina Hammock Koch, a member of the International Space Station expedition 59/60, gestures from inside a bus during a farewell ceremony outside the Cosmonaut hotel prior to the launch onboard the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft from the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on March 14, 2019. Kirill Kudryavtsev, AFP/Getty Images
An Orthodox priest blesses the Russian Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft on the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, 14 March 2019. Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin, NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Nick Hague will launch March 14, 2019. SERGEI ILNITSKY, EPA-EFE
This is a 155 second time exposure of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launching from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 40, Feb. 21, 2019. The rocket is carrying an Indonesian Nusantara Satu communications satellite and a secondary payload, the SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries lunar lander named Beresheet, or "in the beginning" in Hebrew. That lander will will take about two months to reach lunar orbit before attempting to touch down on the moon. MALCOLM DENEMARK, USA TODAY NETWORK
The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule aboard the support ship Go Searcher, returns to Port Canaveral March 9, 2019. The capsule, launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket last week, made a trip to the International Space Station before returning to Earth. Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY, USA TODAY NETWORK
Former Aastronaut Buzz Aldrin salutes after being introduced at the 2019 State of the Union address in Washington D.C. Feb 5, 2019. John Shinkle, U.S. Senate Photographic Studio via NASA
The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket launches to the International Space Station from the Kennedy Space Center at 2:39 a.m. March 2, 2019. The test flight is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program to launch astronauts once again from U.S. soil. The capsule is carrying a test dummy to measure the responses on the human body and its surrounding environment. Photo is a 153 second time exposure viewed from the shores of the Indian River in Cocoa. MALCOLM DENEMARK, USA TODAY NETWORK
Astronaut Bruce McCandless II, during a spacewalk, Feb. 7, 1984. This spacewalk represented the first use of a nitrogen-propelled, hand-controlled device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU), which allows for much greater mobility. NASA
NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins, Expedition 38 Flight Engineer, participates in the second of two spacewalks, spread over a four-day period, which were designed to allow the crew to change out a degraded pump module on the exterior of the Earth-orbiting International Space Station, Dec. 24, 2013. NASA
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center March 2, 2019. This was the first launch of the rocket with the Crew Dragon capsule that was designed to carry humans into space. Craig Bailey, USA TODAY NETWORK
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard as it is rolled out of the horizontal integration facility at Launch Complex 39A Feb. 28, 2019 at the Kennedy Space Center in Fla. Handout, Getty Images
A grab taken from a NASA TV live feed shows SpaceX's Dragon capsule splash down in the Atlantic Ocean, from the International Space Station March 8, 2019. The Crew Dragon docked autonomously to the orbiting laboratory, a historic first for a commercially built and operated US crew spacecraft. NASA TV HANDOUT, EPA-EFE
The Russian Soyuz booster rocket FG with Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft lifts off from the launch pad at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Dec. 17, 2017. MAXIM SHIPENKOV, EPA-EFE
This is the Virgin Galactic spaceship VSS Unityafter release from the WhiteKnightToo launch vehicle as it heads towards spaced over Mojave, Calif. Feb. 33, 2019. According to the company the vehicle made its second successful space flight with three astronauts aboard as the hybrid rocket motor propelled the spaceship at Mach 3.04 to an apogee of 55.87 miles above the earth. VRIGIN GALACTIC, EPA-EFE
The SpaceX's Dragon capsule is retrieved by a recovery ship after its splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean, March 8, 2019. The Crew Dragon Demo-1 docked autonomously to the orbiting laboratory, a historic first for a commercially built and operated US crewed spacecraft. NASA TV, EPA-EFE
The SpaceX Crew Dragon is pictured about 66 feet away from the International Space Station's Harmony module, March 3, 2019. AP
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from NASA's pad 39A from Viera, Fla. March 2, 2019. Tim Short, USA TODAY NETWORK
The Soyuz MS-05 space capsule carrying the International Space Station crew lands in a remote area outside the town of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Dec. 14, 2017. DMITRY LOVETSKY, AFP/Getty Images
Russia's Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft carrying the members of the International Space Station blasts off from the launch pad at the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Baikonur. Oct. 11, 2018. KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV, AFP/Getty Images
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Fla. March 1, 2019. JOEL KOWSKY, AFP/Getty Images
The parachute of the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft lies in the snow shortly after the capsule landed with Expedition 57 crew members in a remote area outside the town of Dzhezkazgan Kazakhstan, Dec. 20, 2018. BILL INGALLS, AFP/Getty Images
A search and rescue team approaches the Soyuz MS-09 capsule carrying the International Space Station crew after its landing in a remote area outside the town of Dzhezkazgan Kazakhstan, Dec. 20, 2018. SHAMIL ZHUMATOV, AFP/Getty Images
Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/04/10/black-hole-picture-2019-first-image-released-what-you-need-know/3421143002/
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The long list of skills I wish I had most definitely includes photography. Yeah, sunsets and such are nice, but you know what's really cool? Snow and Star Wars toys. That's right.
As you can see above, with proper technique you can make even Lego figures look badass. Photographer Avanaut took a whole host of Star Wars toys out into the wintery tundra and created this awesome set of photos.
Star wars toys, that's what life is all about!


There's so much to do and see in London that a week's vacation in the capital city can hardly put a dent in an ambitious sightseeing plan. VisitLondon.com is a great site for those planning to visit the city, with information about what to see, where to stay and how to get around. London is renowned for its great museums, and here are five that should be on any tourist's must-see list.
* British Museum: Founded in 1753, the British Museum's remarkable collection spans over two million years of human history. Enjoy a unique comparison of the treasures of world cultures under one roof, centered around the Great Court. World-famous objects such as the Rosetta Stone, Parthenon sculptures, and Egyptian mummies are visited by up to six million visitors per year. In addition to the vast permanent collection, the museum's special exhibitions, displays and events are all designed to advance understanding of the collection and cultures they represent.
* National Gallery: The National Gallery displays over 2,000 Western European paintings from the middle ages to the 20th century. Discover inspiring art by Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Gainsborough, Turner, Renoir and Van Gogh. The pictures in the collection belong to the public and admission to see them is free. There are special exhibitions, lectures, video and audio-visual programmes, guided tours and holiday events for children and adults.
* Natural History Museum: Find hundreds of interactive exhibits in one of London's most beautiful landmark buildings. Highlights include the popular dinosaurs gallery, mammals display with the unforgettable model blue whale and the spectacular Central Hall, home to the museum's iconic diplodocus skeleton. Don't miss the state-of-the-art Darwin Centre Cocoon where, on a self-guided tour, you can see hundreds of fascinating specimens and look into laboratories where scientists are at work.
*Tate Modern: Britain's national museum of modern and contemporary art from around the world is housed in the former Bankside Power Station on the banks of the Thames. The awe-inspiring Turbine Hall runs the length of the entire building and you can see amazing work for free by artists such as Cézanne, Bonnard, Matisse, Picasso, Rothko, Dalí, Pollock, Warhol and Bourgeois.
* Victoria and Albert Museum: It's considered by many to be the world's greatest museum of art and design, representing more than 3,000 years of human creativity, with collections unrivaled in their scope and diversity. In recent years, the V&A has undergone a dramatic program of renewal and restoration. Highlights include the Medieval Renaissance galleries containing some of the greatest surviving treasures from the period, the jewelry gallery and the stunning British Galleries, illustrating the history of Britain through the nation's art and design.
Wimbledon: I see London…I see someone's underpants!


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- A West Michigan hospital is celebrating a major milestone. It's been one year since Spectrum Health launched it's STR!VE program which now has 1,000 members and growing.
Health experts say the program is a way to make it easier for people to be healthy and stay well and both health experts and patients say the program is life-changing.
According to the CDC, 80 percent of people who have a heart attack or a stroke could have prevented it by changing their lifestyle. That is why Spectrum launched the program last July inside the Waters Center in Grand Rapids.
The program focuses on prevention by addressing the root cause of disease with strategies in nutrition, exercise and stress management. STR!VE providers get to know you as a patient and person, assessing all aspects that impact your health and that includes health history, nutrition, behaviors, and genetics.
STR!VE providers work with members to identify the behaviors within their control to improve health and well-being and offer ongoing support.
"STR!VE at its core is a primary care physicians office that is trying to bring in a new emphasis on providing wellness care in addition to disease management," said the Clinical Director at STR!VE, Christine Khamis.
Experts say the first steps to success are proper nutrition, daily movement, and managing stress.
We spoke to a patient who has already lost nearly 60 pounds in just the last few months.
"I have actually lost so far 55 pounds, I have more to go I started at 342 pounds down to in the 280's continuing to go I have more to go but I actually have lost quite a bit since the beginning of February since I started that journey," said Aaron Silver, a STR!VE patient. "We met weekly, talked about diet, what food does, the science behind it, as well as your genetics, all sorts of cool places to go out to eat and actually have healthy options," Silver said. "It was a lot of information to kind of take in and it really helped me kind of change how I eat and how I live my life."
The program costs about $160 a year to join. For more information, click here.


Who Said Women Can Have It All?
She's right about this core truth: Being both a good parent and an all-out professional cannot be done the way we currently run our educational and work systems. When I talk to friends who've just had children, here's what I tell them: Being a working parent in our society is structurally impossible. It can't be done right, so don't blame yourself when you're failing. You'll always be failing at something—as a spouse, as a parent, as a worker. Just get used to that feeling. Slaughter's entire article is worth reading for her nuanced exploration of that alone. It's true for people at the top; it's even more true for people at the bottom, who have no sick leave, no choice in their shifts, no freedom to run over to the school if a child is sick.
The fact is, activists in the women's movement knew women could never have it all, unless they were able to change the society in which they lived.
"The all-around Supermom rises, dresses in her vivid pants suit, oversees breakfast and then searches for the sneakers and then goes off to her glamorous high-paying job at an advertisement agency where she seeks Personal Fulfillment and kids' college tuition. She has, of course, previously found a Mary Poppins figure to take care of the kids after school. Mary Poppins takes care of them as if they were her own, works for a mere pittance and is utterly reliable.
The feminist -- as remade by the media and popular culture -- emerged as a superwoman, who then turned into a scapegoat for a nation's consumerism, the decline of families, and the country's therapeutic culture. For this, the women's movement's was blamed, even though this selfish superwoman who neglected her family seemed bizarre, not to say repellent, to most of the early activists.
How shocking that American culture would take a vision of structural social change and turn it into a personal mandate for superhuman success or guilty shame! Could we get back to that idea of policy change, now, beginning with paid sick leave for all workers? That's a change that even The New York Times editorial board is for, as they wrote this weekend.
Little evidence to support such fears has been seen in San Francisco, the District of Columbia and the state of Connecticut, which require many businesses to provide the benefit. There are also economic benefits — lower turnover, higher productivity and morale, and reduced job loss for workers.
Expanded early childhood education would go a long way to relieving working families of the childcare burden while also helping the most disadvantaged children be better prepared to learn and have better nutrition. Paid family leave (at least for workers in businesses with at least 50 employees) would help mothers breast feed longer (as would clean pumping rooms and flexible pumping breaks), improving public health for those same children.


Best thing I explored lately was a practice I read from Leo Babauta regarding his smart device. In one of his posts he recommended putting every single application outside the texts and phone feature into a folder and labeling it "Be Present". I took it one step farther and put that folder two screens away from the home screen. In addition, you can also follow Dr. James Hamblin's, of The Atlantic's If Our Bodies Could Talk series, recommendation for making your phone a little less attention grabbing. We all could do with a little more focus and less distraction.
Favorite read of the week goes to a "Critical Process for the Implementation of Technology in Sport Organizations" by Lorena Torres-Ronda and Xavi Schelling. The paper really has spurred some great conversations on Twitter and elsewhere.
Currently Listening to Noah Rasheta's "Secular Buddhism" podcast. If your unfamiliar with the teachings, this may be a great place to start. I love Noah's use of a quote from the Dali Lama; "Don't use Buddhism to become a Buddhist. Use Buddhism to become better at whatever else in your life you are doing already."
Great Purchase of the Week goes to Tim Ferriss' Tribe of Mentors. I got my hands on an early release and I've had trouble putting it down. It's 624 pages of practical advise from people who have reached success in every avenue of life, business, and fortune. I'm a believer that "success leaves clues" and by learning from others' successes and failures, we can enhance our life for the better. Check it out.
Decoding Excellence with Tyler Friedrich is the latest episode of The Decoding Excellence Show I recently recorded. Coach Friedrich is a sports performance coach at Stanford University where he is doing some awesome work infusing wearable technologies, readiness questionnaires, and performance training to bring out the very best in his athletes. If your interested in his journey and utilizing science to help athletes peak, this is a great episode to listen to.