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Data in the City
Good quality data can highlight inequalities such as race, gender and disability 29 Mar 2019 Natasha Codiroli Mcmaster
Disability and inclusion
How data can help shine a light on inequalities. And how a lack of good quality data can let them go unnoticed.
Data collection is often in the headlines for the wrong reasons. Organisations such as Facebook have collected our data without our knowledge and sold this on to advertisers for huge profits. Data we share privately has been hacked by scammers, and our data has even been used to influence the political landscape. The lines between what we think is acceptable, and what companies use our data for, have undoubtedly been blurred.
But data collection can also do great good. A lack of data about particular groups of people can lead to a lack of insights about how to make society work for them. Not only is the collection of good quality data a vital first step in identifying and addressing the barriers people face, but uneven collection of data has led to increased inequalities.
Shining a light on inequalities
Caroline Criado Perez details the effects the 'gender data gap' (of only collecting information about men) has had on women in her new book, Invisible Women. Some of these gender data gaps lead to additional discomfort for women – for example, offices are set to the preferred temperatures for the average man, but too cold for the average woman.
Some are much more serious, however, and potentially fatal. Crash test dummies and cars have been designed around men's bodies, and consequently women are more likely to die if they are involved in a crash. In medical research many clinical trials excluded women, leading to misdiagnoses of women where there are gender differences in the presentation of symptoms.
In economics, it's not uncommon for researchers to present work on the overall state of economic inequalities, with just a passing comment that they only included men because women's workforce participation is 'too complicated' to measure.
These data gaps aren't restricted to gender inequalities. Much of our knowledge about psychology and behaviour comes from small scale studies of students studying at very prestigious (and expensive) US universities, telling us little about the experiences of people from less advantaged backgrounds.
Many statistics about ethnic inequalities tell us only about the average difference between white and BAME people, but nothing more about how particular groups are impacted.
Recent improvements in equalities data capture
Acknowledgment of these data gaps has led to a number of positive responses. Organisations with 250+ employees are now required to publish their gender pay gap; the difference in average hourly pay between men and women in their organisation.
The aim of this initiative was to encourage organisations to increase their awareness of their pay structures and to compare themselves with other companies, as a first step to identifying practices and structures causing the disparities.
Secondary benefits include allowing women to search potential employers before applying for jobs, and giving everyone a broader understanding of which industries are more unequal (Construction, Finance and Insurance, and Education have the largest gender pay gaps compared with other industries). Whilst the charity sector has a smaller pay gap than average, it is no exception, with men earning 8 percent more than women.
In 2017 the first results from the Race Disparity Audit were published, including information about ethnic inequalities across Britain. This data was bought together by all government departments, covering a range of issues, and used both government's own data and large-scale survey datasets.
The results are published in an accessible format on their Ethnicity facts and figures webpage. There remain gaps in the data, and more work needs to be done to unpick the drivers of ethnic disparities in the range of outcomes, but it is nonetheless a vital first step in understanding inequalities better.
The Resolution Foundation calculated that overall, BAME workers face a £3.2bn annual pay penalty (a penalty that remains when accounting for education level and degree class). They have called for an equivalent of the gender pay gap reporting requirements for ethnicity. Reporting on pay gaps across equality groups would be widely welcomed, and the necessary next step is for organisations to use this information to review and adapt their systemic practices.
Moving forward: Standards in equalities data collection for civil society
How can we collect good quality data about inequalities in London, if there is not a standard approach to collecting it?
A major barrier to requiring organisations to report on equality pay gaps are the large discrepancies in how information is collected. Organisations generally collect comparable data about gender; however, a considerable range of different measurement standards have been used to collect information about other equalities issues. This makes information harder to combine and aggregate for comparison.
One example is standards around collection of information about disability and impairment. There exists a number of data standards for the measurement of disability and/ or impairment, including those published by the Government Statistical Service (GSS) and the National Health Service (NHS). However, no standard currently exists that have been agreed and co-produced by civil society organisations, and the questions used for monitoring equality in civil society vary greatly across organisations.
In light of this, London Plus have convened a working group to define a consistent approach to capturing and recording disability and impairment data for civil society organisations. Our first task is to better understand what information civil society organisations currently collect about disability and impairment, and we will be issuing a survey of London based organisations.
Ultimately, we aim to run similar projects across equalities groups in London. If you would like to be involved with this work, please get in touch.
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Kentucky's AD Is Reportedly Telling Donors To Prepare For 50% Capacity At Both Football And Basketball Games This Season
Reags7/06/2020 7:30 PM
[Source] - Two sources have informed Kentucky Sports Radio that UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart has been contacting donors to discuss scenarios for the upcoming seasons, with the primary plan calling for 50% capacity at football and basketball games. For Kroger Field, that would mean a crowd of 30,500 and for Rupp Arena, 10,272 (due to the most recent renovations, Rupp's capacity is now 20,545). All fans with football season tickets would be covered.
I honestly think this is a positive right now. Mitch Barnhart is one of the more respected AD's in the country (nbd) and for him to say that is a huge step. Now, it also likely means this will be the case for every SEC team. I'd find it hard to believe an athletic department will sign off on something like this unless there's unity across the conference. Then you have an even bigger debate about unbalanced scheduling and advantages built in.
I have no idea what's going to happen - no one does. All I know is we're in July now and college football is supposed to be starting here soon. If we get it with 50% fans will it be weird as hell? Yep, but sign me up for it right now. There's something special about looking at Bryant-Denny Stadium for an Alabama/LSU game and seeing 100,000+ people packed in. It's going to be weird at 50%, but just please, sports.
Now as for Barnhart only telling donors and essentially season ticket holders being covered makes sense. But my question is what happens with students? When I was at Kentucky you could buy football season tickets but basketball was a lottery. How do you determine how many students vs season ticket holders get in? Again, way above my pay grade but that will likely be a debate at every school if they go with the 50% rule.
I don't know what's going to happen, but these next few weeks are going to be a wild ride. We'll hear a million different rumors like this and the Ivy League is supposed to vote this week about pushing sports to the spring.
sports+ 4 Tags

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Description Rare opportunity to custom build your dream home on a huge private lot, .769 of an acre. Approximately 100 x 332 feet and steps to the lake! Privacy and location without the constraints of building on the water. The home is being sold in as is condition, and can be viewed by appointment. It is ready for either a full renovation /addition or design your ultimate estate property. Buyers to obtain information from the Oakville Building Department to satisfy themselves of building guidelines. Please call Listing Agent for details and to walk the lot.


Also known as the "Tulip" table, this walnut top is attached to a black iron tulip base. Seats six to eight comfortably. Condition is very good.
Through his work as an architect and designer, Eero Saarinen was a prime mover in the introduction of modernism into the American mainstream. Particularly affecting were the organic, curvilinear forms seen in Saarinen's furniture and his best-known structures: the gull-winged TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy airport in New York (opened 1962), Dulles International Airport in Virginia (1962) and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri (1965).
Saarinen had a peerless modernist pedigree. His father, Eliel Saarinen, was an eminent Finnish architect who in 1932 became the first head of the Cranbrook Academy of Art in suburban Detroit. The school became synonymous with progressive design and decorative arts in the United States, and while studying there the younger Saarinen met and befriended several luminaries of mid-century modernism, among them Harry Bertoia, and Charles and Ray Eames.
At Cranbrook, Saarinen also met Florence Schust Knoll, who, as director of her husband Hans Knoll's eponymous furniture company, would put Saarinen's best designs into production. These include the "Grasshopper" chair, designed in 1946 and so named because its angled bentwood frame resembles the insect; the "Tulip" chair (1958), a flower-shaped fiberglass shell mounted on a cast-aluminum pedestal; and the lushly contoured "Womb" lounge chair and ottoman (1948). In his furniture as in his architecture, the keynotes of Eero Saarinen's designs are simplicity, strength and grace.
Walnut topped dining table with beveled edge and off white metal base.
Eero Saarinen 42" inch diameter "Tulip" dining table for Knoll with aluminum base and laminate top, Circa 1956.
Eero Saarinen for Knoll International 42" diameter tulip dining table Purchased within the last five years for a model home, hardly used.


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News Release 14-May-2019
Study shows increased risk of breast cancer in transgender women
But absolute risk is low and not as high as in general female population
Transgender women (male sex assigned at birth, female gender identity) using hormone treatment show an increased risk of breast cancer compared with the general male population, finds a large Dutch study published by The BMJ today.
The findings also show that transgender men (female sex assigned at birth, male gender identity) had a lower risk compared with the general female population.
Although the risk in transgender women increased during a relatively short duration of hormone treatment, it is still lower than the general female population.
As such, the researchers say the absolute risk of breast cancer in transgender people remains lower that in the general female population, and therefore current breast cancer screening guidelines are sufficient for transgender people using hormone treatment.
Transgender people experience an incongruence between the sex assigned to them at birth and their experienced or expressed gender, and can receive hormone treatment to induce desired physical changes.
Previous studies have shown that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) increases the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, which could suggest a similarly increased risk in trans women receiving hormone treatment. But information about the risk of breast cancer in transgender people is currently limited.
So a research team, led by Professor Martin den Heijer at the University Medical Centre in Amsterdam, investigated the incidence and characteristics of breast cancer in transgender people receiving hormone treatment, compared with the general Dutch population.
The study included 2,260 trans women and 1,229 trans men receiving gender affirming hormone treatment at a specialist clinic in Amsterdam between 1972 and 2016. National medical records were used to identify breast cancer cases.
Average age at the start of hormone treatment was 31 years for trans women and 23 for trans men. Average treatment time was 13 years for trans women and 8 years for trans men.
Of the 2,260 trans women, 15 cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed at an average age of 50 years and after an average 18 years of hormone treatment.
This was higher than the general male population whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth (cisgender men), but lower than the general female population (cisgender women).
In 1,229 trans men, four cases of invasive breast cancer were identified at an average age of 47 years and after an average 15 years of hormone treatment. This was lower than expected compared with cisgender women.
Despite the large sample size, this is an observational study, and as such, can't establish cause, and the researchers point to some limitations, including missing or incomplete data about type of hormone use, family history, genetic mutations, tobacco and alcohol use, and body mass index.
Based on this study, the authors conclude that "the absolute overall risk of breast cancer in transgender people remains low and therefore it seems sufficient for transgender people using hormone treatment to follow screening guidelines as for cisgender people."
As the risk of breast cancer in trans women increased during a relatively short duration of hormone treatment, they suggest "it would be worthwhile for future studies to investigate in more detail the cause of breast cancer in transgender people receiving hormone treatment."
BMJ Media Relations
mediarelations@bmj.com
44-020-365-55021
@bmj_company
http://www.bmj.com
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l1652


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Stone Brewing Co. Releases Stone 18th Anniversary IPA: The Hoppiest Golden-Brown IPA on Earth
Eighteen years ago, beer geek entrepreneurs Greg Koch and Steve Wagner launched Stone Brewing Co., selling the first keg of Stone Pale Ale to San Diego County brewpub Pizza Port. Since unleashing that inaugural brew, Stone has earned a reputation for making bold, flavorful and hop-centric beers. What better way to celebrate yet another year of grand-scale accomplishments (and announcements) than by releasing an elegantly hoppy beer? Stone 18th Anniversary IPA is an imperial IPA dry-hopped exclusively and abundantly with El Dorado hops. Beginning today, this one-time specialty ale will start arriving in 22-ounce bottles and on draft at retailers, restaurants and bars in select markets nationwide.
Stone Brewmaster Mitch Steele fashioned a malt bill that would deepen the hue of the beer to a golden brown color and contribute subtle cocoa, coffee and roast flavors. Six different hops were used during the brewing process, but the standout variety is El Dorado, which provides the beer with herbal, lemongrass, tropical fruit and lemon candy flavors. The medley of malted barley and hops make this India pale ale a unique version of the style. To fully enjoy the glorious hop presence, Stone 18th Anniversary IPA should be enjoyed within the 90-day "enjoy by" date found on the bottle neck.
"For this year's Stone Anniversary Ale, we wanted to showcase one of our favorite new hop varietals, El Dorado," explains Steele. "We've been experimenting with this hop quite a bit within the last year, adding it to special one-off beers brewed at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station and our main brewery in Escondido. We decided to dry-hop the beer with two pounds per barrel of El Dorado. The result is a beer with a very distinctive lemon aroma and flavor that is balanced by roasted coffee and toffee flavors from the malted barley."
The past year has already been one for the history books. With a record amount of beer brewed, an eastern U.S. location soon to be determined, the recent announcement that Stone will be the first American craft brewer to own and operate a facility in Europe and the launch of a successful Indiegogo campaign (STONE GROUNDBREAKING COLLABORATIONS: The Campaign for Cross-Planetary Brewing), the company is ready to usher in a brilliant new era and explore new territory, both geographically and creatively.
"We invite craft beer enthusiasts and our brewing compatriots to raise a glass of Stone 18th Anniversary IPA and honor the collective progress made toward driving awareness to craft beer," said Koch, Stone CEO and Co-founder. "Because of them, the industry and Stone's growth throughout the past 18 years has been possible. Cheers!"
Of course, no anniversary is complete without a stupendous level of celebration. On August 15 and 16, Stone will host the Stone 18th Anniversary Celebration & Invitational Beer Festival just four miles from the brewery at California State University San Marcos in northern San Diego County. This festival, the company's largest annual charity event, brings Stone fans an epic array of craft beers, all in the name of celebration and charity. One hundred percent of the profits from the festival will be donated to the local charities Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos, Fight ALD, Palomar Family YMCA and Surfrider Foundation. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit stonebrewing.com/anniv.


Ultraviolet rays penetrate your skin causing different reactions. UVA (tanning rays) and UVB (burning rays) are emitted by the sun as well as by our tanning lamps. UVB is commonly referred to as the burning ray because it is more intense than UVA and is responsible for sunburn. Our tanning lamps emit more UVA and much less UVB than the sun, which is the best tanning combination.
Although UVB is responsible for overexposure it is necessary in acquiring a tan. UVB stimulates melanocyte (pigment cells) in your skin to produce melanin (pigment). The melanin absorbs UVA to keep it from reaching deeper, more sensitive layers, of the skin. UVA oxidises, or darkens, the melanin forming a tan. This whole process is the body's own natural defence against sunburn.
By controlling the type and amount of UV light you receive in a Tanz sunbed or a vertical tanning stand, there's no doubt that this is the best place to acquire a tan.
Whether you live in Edinburgh, Lanarkshire, the West End or City Centre of Glasgow or in any of our other locations across Scotland including Ayr and the Lothians, you will find all your tanning needs provided at the highest standard possible in Tanz.
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Apart from the obvious benefits of sunny mornings, I also get to see a light show of shadows from the venetian blinds in my bedroom.
This series of wallpaper designs is based on the shadows cast from different shaped windows to create a distinctive pattern on an adjoining wall. The simplest solution would be to use a shadow that matches the kind of window, but there are far many more fun combinations by using a different shape to the window, or perhaps a room with no sun-lit windows at all.
The final one in the series, originated from the shadow cast by a metal banister going down a staircase at the Jerwood Gallery. This idea opens up endless other thoughts, such as the shadows cast from spiral staircases, shutters or perhaps floaty curtains too.


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Five Thoughts on Monsters
1. Director-writer-production designer-cinematographer-visual effects supervisor Gareth Edwards makes an impressively audacious debut, especially given his extremely pennywise budget. He hands his industry colleagues and his audience a whole handful of calling cards. I actually think he excels most at the lensing and the convincingly offhanded blend of found locations and incorporated design elements—i.e., the dimensions of his work for which Edwards is reaping the least credit. (By contrast, his scripting is James Cameron-level regrettable, and the visual effects are inconsistent in design and execution, though this is more than forgivable.) Monsters's images pack a charge from noonday sun to humid dawn to barely any light at all, and feels visually spontaneous, three-dimensional, and tense in its framings. Its world is as conceptually compelling as it is convincingly lived-in. And the unquantifiable drift of the crash-landed aliens beyond the parameters the government designates as a discretely bounded "infected zone" seems a much sturdier metaphor for dangerous bureaucratic folly than does the bizarrely meticulous yet completely unworkable tenement-colony of District 9.
2. Monsters not only allows its expository passages to continue twice as long as they ought to, but they encompass at least twice the necessary number of incidents. Insufferable assignments from the boss. Professional disappointment. Pre-wedding heebie-jeebies. Wrecked train. Exploitation of those in crisis. Port closings. Lost passports. Fumbled flirtations. Jealous reactions. "Why are you marrying him?" "You have a kid?" We know the entire time that Monsters just needs to get its leads skulking through the alien-infected wilds of northeastern Mexico. I suspect the impetus is budgetary: Edwards probably lacked the funds and the logistical support to shoot for long on rougher terrain, or to include as many creature F/X sequences as he might have wanted, so he has to pad out the surrounding material. And I'm sure he meant to give his actors more to work with, though the most effective performance by far is Mario Zuniga Benavides's, rendered in only two appearances as an unapologetically cynical ticket vendor. And anyway, the film still mires us for much too long in plotty curlicues involving one and a half dislikable people (she's okay, he's just awful). Worse, it then regroups around their problems at the end. Hasn't Edwards seen Casablanca? Doesn't he know that the problems of two very little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world? Especially this crazy world?
3. Monsters doesn't extend its fantasy scenario with the broad, idiosyncratically textured, multi-layered brio of District 9 and, inevitably, can't match the pure spectacle menace or technical wizardry of the alien assaults in War of the Worlds. To its credit, though, the movie doesn't blow any of its driving conceits as badly as District 9 does its tattered "faux-documentary" frame, and doesn't get stuck for a deadly span in Tim Robbins's basement. Even if Monsters abstracts its protagonists too much from their ten-times-more-fascinating contexts in the finale, that context remains grievous, unresolved, and mysterious—rather than dopily white-washed and tied-up, as in the Spielberg film. Its highs aren't as high as those of its closest analogues, but its errors aren't as handicapping, either.
4. I was going to add that Monsters doesn't scapegoat or exoticize its Mexican characters the way District 9 does its black Africans, and doesn't seize on glib 9/11 metaphors to buttress spectacular entertainment the way War of the Worlds did. However, it does manage to kill off all of its nonwhite characters and make some very ham-handed jabs at Saying Something about the U.S.'s mythologies of itself and about the quagmire of U.S.-Mexican border-crossing. It's no less obviously and no less stiffly an "America as seen by Europeans" picture as something like Monster's Ball. And as the movie continues, it becomes more annoying that there's no reason for our protagonists to be white (to say nothing of aggressively blonde, in the woman's case). For all the Mexicans who keep protesting they can't afford to leave Mexico, the film ties itself in needless knots to flesh out the motives of its incongruous main characters. Does Monsters somehow not trust us to root for Mexican leads, in a film that is otherwise thoroughly Mexican in casting, locations, and locus of narrative crisis? Would such casting make the last-act revelations appear too dogmatic? I don't think so. Replace Andrew and Samantha with two Mexican characters trying to grab the last train or ferry to join relatives who have already bounded north—to certain or uncertain success—and you immediately have an emotionally richer and less convoluted narrative line, raising fewer specters of entrenched Anglo-Caucasian bias.
5. Maybe my favorite thing in the movie is how it captures a citizenry that has in many ways resigned themselves not just to the terror but the inconvenience of the alien menace. Watching them haggle over boat tickets and prices, or watching Mexican escorts debate whether it's too late in the day or the season to risk another river-crossing, is to watch people consumed by pressing issues rather than broad implications. They seem exhausted by each other's needs and by their own bad days—not so much debilitated by the tremendous scale of a global calamity, the likes of which could never have been predicted. It's spooky, the fright, the weariness, but ultimately the acceptance with which people treat world-altering events as impediments to their own plans, or as problems they have to work around while accomplishing other tasks. Not always, but often, Sam and Andrew look more bored and tired by their journey northward than terrified out of their skulls. Yes, this amounts to yet another indulgence of their film-long mopes over things we never care about, but there's also an eerie truth in it.
Labels: Five/Ten Thoughts, Movies of 2010, Reviews
10 Reasons To Be Thankful in '10
So many film bloggers put their own spins on the idea of giving thanks this week. Keeping things short and simple, here is a list of films released in the U.S. in 2010 that I value even more highly than my grades would indicate, and for which I personally thank the producers, distributors, directors, writers, crews, and casts. Not necessarily my favorites of the year, and even less close to being the "best." Just films about which I feel compelled to say, I like this even more than you might imagine I do. In alphabetical order:
Burlesque - Because it radiates equal joy in its showcasing of real talent, its exposure of its own semi-competence, and its unrepentant fondness for the ersatz. At the level of form and technique, it's like a middling but exuberant karaoke performer you totally cheer for, whatever the magnitude of its failings—a sort of a film equivalent of Cameron Diaz's "Don't Know What To Do with Myself" coup in My Best Friend's Wedding, endearing in almost all of the ways it's off. Yet it often achieves real showmanship. I had a great time.
Cairo Time - Because what I liked on sight, the modest revelation of fully grasped characters and the subtle tilting away from generic expectations, has continued to linger three months later. Contra my review, I'm thinking it was a touchstone of the August multiplex, at least for me. If you read the script, you might respond to it in terms of big turning points and filler sequences. The film as produced, however, makes no such distinctions. As un-self-consciously as it plays, you can still see how fully its makers have thought through all of their choices.
City Island - Not unlike Burlesque in its unabashed bearhug of sitcommy situations and mechanistic writing. The movie generates a huge, contagious affection for its characters, whose familial vibe is utterly convincing. Makes Andy Garcia four times as likable as he's ever been, but the whole ensemble shows to advantage, from Julianna Margulies (whom almost everyone seems to admire) to Emily Mortimer (whom I found quite fetching, though I guess a lot of folks didn't). The movie is very sweet, which is harder to nail than you'd think, given how many films aspire to that quality and to little else.
Conviction - I'm with everybody who valued the acting highly while finding the narrative too compressed and the emphases misplaced. The first part bears repeating and expanding, though: Swank and Rockwell win a shared Laura Linney Award for conveying deep sibling connections. Scenes like the one where Minnie Driver forces her friend to confront an undesirable truth in front of her kids captured a certain kind of awkward, adult moment that we don't see in enough movies, or between enough women in Hollywood movies.
Easy A - It's not just that Emma Stone is so talented and funny, but that the film seems genuinely excited for its female lead to be so funny, and to give her a star-is-born vehicle on those exact terms. Hollywood is rarely so sanguine about women being so hysterical, especially new stars, and in ways that imply the actress's sophistication as well as her charm. She's beautiful in a non-cookie-cutter way, yet her looks take even more of a backseat to personality, quickness, and wit than Silverstone's and Lohan's did in Clueless and Mean Girls. Bravo.
Fish Tank - A second full screening might elevate an already high grade, but I'm just thrilled to have a filmmaker working comfortably across downmarket realism, stylistic adventurousness, and poetic conceits, regardless of whether the moments or the blend always click perfectly. Breakout female first-timers often face even bigger sophomore-slump problems than men, but Arnold seems more exciting than ever.
For Colored Girls - When the movie works, it really works, as when Anika Noni Rose and Janet Jackson hold the screen for close-ups of several uninterrupted minutes, hitting home-runs with very tricky speeches. The haunting image of the digital clock has outlived its degrading juxtaposition to the opera cutaways. The cast is so nice to spend time with; they all deserve more and better work than they usually find. The ambition to adapt this story, no matter how often or badly it's flubbed in the execution, remains inspiring to me.
The Ghost Writer - Stumping for this movie since early winter means I was with it when it was seeming unceremoniously ignored and am still with it now that it's on the cusp of seeming overpraised. I think it distills so well what acute, precise, tonally complex direction can do for a script that could easily have been a dumb throwaway. Not only is every actor good in it (Cattrall aside), but it raises the possibility that everyone in it is, in general, better than you've given them credit for being (uh, Cattrall aside).
Mother - Another movie I've hardly stinted on praising—it featured in my Top 100 Films of the 00s—but that I revisit in my mind more often than I do a lot of the other films that I graded similarly, or higher. Currently my favorite example of that herky-jerky storytelling mode in Korean cinema, sometimes too broad and sometimes just right, that makes a cumulative impression in excess of its uneven parts. And boy does that ending land it. So many cinematic character studies are afraid of being stylistically florid; I love that Mother takes such confidence, even at times too much confidence, that bold strokes can sometimes acquaint you with an enigmatic person as well as finely etched details do.
October Country - A documentary almost nobody caught, about an upstate New York family that has seen marital discord, generational conflict, poverty, and early pregnancy pass across generations, but in a way where chronicling misery is not the point. At its best, the film captures a sense of how difficult lives are actually lived, from the perspective of those who are living them, rather than a more outwardly editorial position. Desi, the preternaturally spunky pre-teen girl, is a real "find," the kind of character you never forget, even though she's hardly the center of the film or its only indelible figure.
Labels: Movies of 2010
An Open Letter to Roger Durling
The very short version is: what on earth got into me? Here is the very long version.
If you follow this site at all, you might know that I've worked myself into a tiny lather in recent years – drawing bubbles from my admittedly small soapbox – as both an incorrigible devotee of the Oscars and a somewhat cranky critic of how long, expensive, and over-crowded with nuggets and chatter the so-called "awards season" (or, worse, the "campaign season") has become. It's hard enough when so many of the wrong films seem either pre-targeted for consideration or disappointingly excluded from it. I find my Oscar addictions, which are no one's fault but my own, prompting me to think and write more about movies I don't really care about, just because they're likely to be nominated, than about movies for which I might actually have a thought-out, passionate, more valuable critique to put forward.
Meanwhile, I always feel sorry for actors and other filmmakers (some, not all) when we hear them say what a tiring grind "awards season" becomes, no matter how flattered they are by the attention, and no matter how happy they are to promote a film they are proud of, and which might struggle to find an audience without the spotlight of awards. Speaking only for myself, I dislike when awards and their surrounding discourses become goals in themselves, rather than opportunities for rich, detailed debate and conversation about the films in question—the quality of the work, including but not limited to, or even centered upon, its possible appeal to AMPAS. Anyone who reads even a little about the Oscars—and I stick to what I see as the best, The Film Experience and In Contention—may also have heard some editors and journalists say that the season has gotten out of hand, with too much to cover, and too little differentiation among events and prize-giving bodies. December becomes so crowded with films that many of them are doomed to box-office failure. The entertainment pages themselves are so glutted with tightly or loosely awards-based coverage that what (I think) should be a fun hobby and a spontaneous honor can become a bewildering blur, an echo chamber, or a vegetative industry all its own.
Beyond forming these aggravated opinions in recent years, I have jumped to my own conclusions about what is or isn't a "legitimate" event and what seems, by contrast, like a pure publicist's coup, with little to teach anyone about filmmaking. I haven't been consistent or very well-informed in arriving at these knee-jerk opinions, so I usually keep them to myself. Yesterday, though, in a comment thread at In Contention, I arbitrarily seized the occasion of a news item about the Santa Barbara International Film Festival to vent some of this frustration. The gap between what I have prejudicially been feeling and what I actually know quickly became obvious. I don't withdraw from many of the general principles of what I've outlined above, but I didn't take any time to phrase them carefully or test their validity before posting the comment, and I sure did a ham-handed job of picking a scapegoat without any basis in knowledge. (Perhaps you have heard of this kind of thing transpiring - even, occasionally, on the Web.) Having been rightly called out and calmed down by In Contention's editor, Kris Tapley, I then received a personal invitation from Roger Durling, the Executive Director of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, to come attend the festival and "have priority access to everything and criticize from experience. Let me know, and I will make it happen." I am taking for granted that Mr. Durling is in earnest, though he would be well within his rights not to be. What follows is my open response:
Dear Roger Durling,
The humble pie keeps coming, and deservedly so. Believe me, I fully appreciate what a classier, more generous overture you have made than I deserve from my exchange on In Contention. I feel particularly humbled after having aired my prejudices so vehemently and recklessly. I've been behind the scenes of enough festivals to know at least a little of what it takes to put one on. So on those grounds alone, cheers to you and the SBIFF, and hosannas from high up in the nosebleed seats for choosing a Vanguard award winner in Nicole Kidman who inspires so many people – including me – in just the ways you single out in your publicity release: her talent, her range, her fearlessness, her filmography, and her wonderful performance in Rabbit Hole, which I saw at a festival screening here in Chicago.
I've already caught myself red-handed, and enabled others to further catch me out, connecting faraway dots as an uninformed reader. So you know already that as one Oscar enthusiast, unusually or not, I have felt liable to fuse together in my mind several Southern California film festivals of the fall and winter (Santa Barbara, Hollywood, et al.), their pre-announced awards, the various career-recognition and Lifetime Achievement awards emanating from other groups, and all the other press releases and ceremonial prizes unfolding through the fall and early winter as one long campaign for Oscar. For me, this becomes especially tempting when, year to year, there seems like such strong overlap between the spotlighted recipients at these events and the actors and films we know to be involved in carefully orchestrated campaigns. But I should take more responsibility for these subjective impressions I've knitted together. I just never see coverage of SBIFF or the Hollywood Film Festival or other, similar events except as regards these pre-announced awards. I could obviously take the initiative to look up more coverage—and certainly should, at least before airing my arbitrary, petulant grievances about them, with no necessary basis in reality.
Foolishly, like other media consumers who think we can read between the lines and discern The Truth, I imagine I know what nominees or prospective nominees are talking about when I read them saying they wish the season were shorter, required fewer PR appearances, and felt like less of a grind, even amid all the generous adulation they receive. The truth, of course, is that I don't really know what these artists are talking about, and don't even know enough about what I'm talking about, so for lack of a better phrase, I ought to shush up. I have attended plenty of festival galas honoring artists and senior executives for their work. Of course it is often the case that the readiest people to accept are often those who are trying to cast a light on recent efforts that are just finding their way to market, to voters, or to critical notice. I have seen them be very proud and flattered by the recognition of their own careers, and pleased that someone else's gracious admiration has enabled them to draw extra eyes to a just-emerging film that could use the support in a crowded market, at a frantic time of year.
I wrote on In Contention as though this entails an implicit act of bad faith or "shilling" on the part of festivals I have never attended, even though I know it not to be the case at any festivals I have attended. You don't have to be naïve about publicity to know how earnest a festival or an executive director or a programmer or a festival staff is in honoring someone whose contributions they truly admire, and whose time they appreciate. It's one of several grounds on which I owe you and your colleagues an apology.
No matter how coordinated or not your festival is with other publicity efforts for actors or their films, I do know that every festival in the world only comes together through long, hard work and coordination. You'd never know I understand that, based on what I said above, and I'm sorry to have rejected the possibility out of hand—based in part on what I have projected onto the timing of Santa Barbara's film festival and the framing of the small bits of coverage I happen to see. My perceptions or misperceptions of what's going on half a country away are just that: cursory, faraway perceptions.
Most importantly, I at least oughtn't pull the two lamest moves on the internet: forming strong opinions in the absence of adequate knowledge, and then broadcasting those opinions with a cynical vehemence that's beneath my age and good sense. I admit to wanting to see more diversity in the range of names getting honored and fêted at this time of year, and to other personal hankerings and nostalgias related to film awards and press campaigns, past and present. But they, too, are subjectively cultivated biases, and I should have stated them responsibly as such, if they even needed stating at all.
Please accept my apology for what I wrote, including tones and claims that were more scurrilous than I intended or ought to have allowed. Meanwhile, I wish I could accept your humbling, generous offer to grant me press access to SBIFF, were I able to attend. I can't be there, and at least in the context of today, I think it's clear I haven't warranted the privilege; maybe you can extend it instead to a journalist, writer, or blogger who has already supported the festival and would be thrilled to enjoy their first press pass at an international film festival.
As an alternative, either sooner or much later, may I propose a short, open interview to be published as free publicity on this site for SBIFF, about how your role as Executive Director works, how the festival's honorees are chosen, how you see the festival as relating or not relating to the awards campaigns that are ramping up around the same time and around many of the same people, and what you most wish people knew about SBIFF that we might not know or understand. I would learn a great deal from this, I expect my readers and students would learn a great deal from this, and it would be my privilege to promote the festival, even from afar, as – wait for it – an informed member of the blogosphere. E-mail me if you're interested and available. If no (or even if yes!), many, many best wishes for your festival. I look forward to reading about it, carefully and in context.
Labels: Awards 2010, Festivals, Me Being an Idiot, Movies of 2010, Nicole Kidman, Soapbox
I'm Still Breathless: The Final Weeks
This late in the year, the original Fall Preview post gets a little tricky to read, with all the grades and the font colors, and the "passes." Plus, it helps to see light at the end of the yearly tunnel and to know exactly how much you have to look forward to (or not) before you can officially tie a bow on 2010. In the months since drafting that first list, some of my reservations have been cheerfully dispelled, some of my optimisms have cooled, and some titles have become such awards-circuit inevitabilities that I h-h-h-have to s-s-see them even if I d-d-d-d-don't want to. So, preserving our Madonnarific categories, here are all the remaining films for which I'm still "like a virgin."
Closed category. After the sublime White Material, I'm not panting for anything.
Blue Valentine A - Gosling and Williams meet sky-high hopes in vivid, deft film
Carlos B+ - Opaque politics, indulgent length, but still a lot to chew on and savor
Another Year B - Odd courting of cliché and rude moralism, but intriguing layers
Burlesque B– - Such pop flair, so damn amiable and dopey, you forgive a host of sins
The Illusionist B - Single frames and sum effect entrance; less satisfying scene by scene
Samson and Delilah Drat! - Held up with work on the only two nights it showed
Tiny Furniture C– - Signs of promise drowned in flat writing, overwhelming narcissism
Boxing Gym Drat! - Getting ever further off my game. This darn day job!
The Fighter B+ - Actors all click, but vital, resonant direction really sells it
Love and Other Drugs D+ - Glimmers of hope snuffed by very narcissism film critiques
Night Catches Us B/B– - Slow to find story and footing, but bristles with complex ideas
The Way Back B– - Aptly sobering, but chatty screenplay intrudes, structure flags
PROMISE TO TRY
Country Strong - I like the full-on push Gwyneth is giving, even if it's iffy
Fair Game B/B– - Strong first half compensates for patchy, off-topic dénouement
Frankie and Alice - Halle's Country Strong? Vanity project, but anti-typecasting
The King's Speech C– - Ill shot, poorly written; good perfs not enough to redeem flaws
Somewhere C - Even airier than usual for Coppola, as in, it barely exists
True Grit B– - Kinda sweet, pretty cold, mostly handsome, acted okay, quite dull
Helena from the Wedding Drat! - Badly timed one-week run; sorry to have missed this
How Do You Know Pass - I didn't even read reviews, but I gather they were ...not good
Leaving Drat! - Same four-day run as Helena, same problems catching it
Made in Dagenham C+ - Satisfying story, but filmmaking below par. Hawkins a plus.
Nowhere Boy C - Some tart images, but too shellacked, lacking in stakes
Vision Drat! - Now only playing in the northern suburbs. That settles that.
JUSTIFY MY LOVE
Biutiful - I'm all but dreading this, but hopefully the actors do some triage
The Tempest - Boy has this gotten clobbered, but I can't help seeing for myself
The Tourist Pass - Reviews confirm my worst suspicions about plotting and casting
Unstoppable - Who knew the critics would be so jazzed and generous?
All Good Things - Early notices are poisonous; wisps of curiosity linger
Barney's Version - Guy was gently admiring at Venice, but is it my cuppa?
The Company Men - Trailer has some charm, and I'm pro-Ben at the moment
TRON: Legacy Pass - Just doesn't sound fun or impressive enough to make time for
Welcome to the Rileys Drat! - Spent a couple weeks in Chicago, but I didn't make it
LOVE DON'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE
Casino Jack Pass - If the script couldn't attract bigger talent than Kelly Preston...
Tangled B– - Tender, funny second half elevates what is maladroit and off-putting in first
SOMETHING TO REMEMBER
(Rental Possibilities)
City Island B–/C+ - Clunkily shot and written, but quite charming; good use of actors
The Disappearance of Alice Creed C - Stylishly shot but unedifyingly lurid
Going the Distance B/B– - In its modest way, manages good jokes and plausible layers
Legendary C/C– - Unrepentantly stock, even clunky, but actors save enough of it
Sweetgrass B/B+ - Casually majestic but thin until late-film outpourings of inner strain
Ajami, Cell 211, Leaves of Grass, Soul Kitchen, Spring Fever
I'M SO STUPID
(Wish I hadn't missed these)
Enter the Void, Last Train Home
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Due Date, Faster, Gulliver's Travels, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, Little Fockers, The Warrior's Way, Yogi Bear
Labels: Awards 2010, Movies of 2010
Voting Like It's 1947
After all this 1947 viewing I've been doing, considerably aided by your suggestions, I've hit the quotient of 30 U.S. release-year contenders that makes me feel justified in posting a personal Oscar ballot for the year. Which is the only framework in which I can really summon the will to discuss "ballots" and "voting" today. My only misgiving is that I've seen so many great performances, especially given the vivid and large ensembles of so many of the noirs and pseudo-noirs, that I wish the list hadn't just wound up looking like I did what Oscar voters so often appear to do: start with their five favorite movies and just keep ticking them off through every category. Lots of very close calls in arriving at these groups of five, and almost always at the expense of candidates whose films would have thrown more variety into the list.
So, by way of honorable mention, and since the main page for 1947 already clarifies my next stable of candidates for Best Picture...
Best Director: Alf Sjöberg, Torment; Jean Renoir, The Woman on the Beach; Carol Reed, Odd Man Out; Robert Rossen, Body and Soul; Robert Montgomery, Ride the Pink Horse or Lady in the Lake; Vittorio de Sica, The Children Are Watching Us
Best Actress: Joan Crawford, my beloved Possessed; Shirley Temple and Myrna Loy, The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer
Best Actor: Roger Livesey, I Know Where I'm Going!; Cary Grant, The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer; Victor Mature, Kiss of Death; Robert Ryan, The Woman on the Beach; Ronald Colman, A Double Life; Edmund Gwenn, Miracle on 34th Street; Dana Andrews, Boomerang!; Nikolai Cherkasov, Ivan the Terrible, Part 1
Best Supporting Actress: Elsa Lanchester, The Bishop's Wife; Celeste Holm, Gentleman's Agreement; Marilyn Nash, Monsieur Verdoux; Gloria Grahame, Crossfire
Best Supporting Actor: Robert Alda, The Man I Love; Thomas Gomez, Ride the Pink Horse; Lloyd Gough, Joseph Pevney, and Canada Lee, Body and Soul; Lloyd Nolan, Lady in the Lake
Two bonuses: one is that Oscar's Best Supporting Actor lineup from 1947 turns out to be a really high-grade lineup, to include very solid work from Robert Ryan and Charles Bickford, though I preferred them both in other movies; the other is that, while I can't make up my mind about hypothetical Cinematography nods, I cannot see how the Academy omitted Body and Soul and Nightmare Alley. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir is very, very pretty but not quite in the same league, and I can't speak from Green Dolphin Street, but as ever, I think I smell a rat.
Not done with '47 till the next Best Pictures installment goes up, so I may still sneak in a few more titles. Recommend away if you've got performances to stump for, in addition to the films you might have pointed me toward in the previous entry.
Labels: 1940s, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Oscars


Heritage Consulting Inc. | Annual reports: what's not to love?
Annual reports: what's not to love?
I love annual reports for any nonprofit organization, as they are the ultimate retrospective and sales piece for continued investment in the organization. Annual reports take many forms, but the most lasting are those that have good statistics, lots of photos and show the clear impact of your work. Please include plenty of photos of people, especially of clients or stakeholders participating in your events are best. If you can include captions with names and dates that helps too (get permission to publish these photos first). Most are creating annual reports in a PDF format that can be sent to donors, funders, potential board members, elected officials in an email. You might see a reason to have a handful of these printed if you are doing larger scale fundraising projects. Having just looked at two dozen annual reports for a client, here are some suggestions about component parts that you do not want to forget to include in your annual report for 2012.
Welcome letter—from the board president and/or Executive Director with photos of each person, highlighting major accomplishments. These letters should be no more than a page. The Board president letter can take a broad perspective on the organization's impact; the ED's letter can deal with major internal accomplishments.
Major project descriptions—Short paragraphs with photos describing key projects from the past year. Thanking specific donors in the text is helpful. Make sure you describe the specific impact and statistics in the text or in accompanying charts or graphs showing growth or reach of your programs.
List of all of your board members with affiliations and title i.e. Jane Smith, VP People's Bank. It is great if there is a photo of the entire board with names of everyone listed –including those not in the photo. If you have an associate or honorary board or other committee of former board members or prominent citizens, include these names in the annual report too. A photo of these folks helps too.
List of all committees, with name of the chair of each committee. Again it is best if there is a photo of the whole committee with names of everyone on committee but not in the photo in the caption.
List of donors by giving level. This is essential for any annual report. Please do not list all the donors alphabetically without regard to giving level. Show off those donors who give more, and organize the list by highest giving category first, then each category below. If you had any kind of special appeal or special fundraising event, list those donors or projects separately, don't mix these together.
Financial statement. Include last year's and this year's on one page to show the program highlights and hopefully growing balance sheet and increase in reserves from year to year. Include a link to your annual audit and IRS 990 posted on your web site, to promote organizational transparency. If you wish to include the approved budget for the year, that is ok too but it should also be one page or less.
List of volunteers by hours donated. This list can be organized by hours or if you do not track hours, then a list of all volunteers listed alphabetically. You can call out committee chairs, task force chairs, board members or Associate board members, if you have them, in this list.
Finally, include quality photos throughout the document and credit the photographer. Graphs and charts can also help make your impact real, but they must be colorful and simple to understand. Include a caption under each chart to reinforce the substance of the chart's information.
Circulate your annual report widely. If you do an annual report at the end of your fiscal year (June) you can use much of the text for your end of year appeal. So much of what you write for your annual report can be reused throughout the year for funding proposals, press releases and other materials, that it is worth doing if nothing else to organize your stats and best photos together in one place. Good luck! Tell us if this list is helpful to you.


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Walmart Announces Equity Investment in Sustainable Beef LLC To Provide More High-Quality, Affordable Beef to Shoppers
January 18, 2023 by LIZORDONEZ
January 18, 2023 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Walmart and Sustainable Beef LLC will work collaboratively to increase visibility in the beef supply chain and help ranchers grow their business.
BENTONVILLE, Ark., and NORTH PLATTE, Neb., Aug 31, 2022 – Walmart Inc. (WMT:NYSE) and Sustainable Beef LLC announced today that Walmart signed an agreement to acquire a minority stake in Sustainable Beef LLC, a rancher-owned company based in North Platte, Nebraska. Walmart's equity investment is part of a broader strategic partnership to source top-quality angus beef from Sustainable Beef LLC's new beef processing facility. This partnership helps supplement the current beef industry and provides additional opportunities for ranchers to increase their business. As part of the investment, Walmart will also have representation on Sustainable Beef's board.
Walmart's investment will help Sustainable Beef LLC open its beef processing facility in North Platte, Neb. The facility is expected to break ground next month and open by late 2024, creating more than 800 new jobs. Walmart's work with Sustainable Beef LLC will create more capacity for the beef industry.
"At Walmart, we are dedicated to providing high-quality, affordable beef to our customers, and an investment in Sustainable Beef LLC will give us even more access to these products," said Tyler Lehr, senior vice president of merchandising for deli services, meat, and seafood, Walmart US "We know Sustainable Beef LLC has a responsible approach to beef processing, one that includes creating long-term growth for cattle ranchers and family farmers. This investment provides greater visibility into the beef supply chain and complements Walmart's regeneration commitment to improve grazing management."
Sustainable Beef LLC will work with cattle feeders and ranchers to understand critical elements of the supply chain cycle, such as grain sourcing and grazing management. Animal care will follow the Five Freedoms, and there will be a consistent approach to antibiotic use and reporting across herds in line with Walmart's Position on Antibiotics in Animals, which asks suppliers to adopt and implement the American Veterinary Medical Association Judicious Use Principles of Antimicrobials. All of these components will help Sustainable Beef LLC to improve and refine the beef supply chain to provide quality beef for our customers.
"We set out on a journey two years ago to create a new beef processing plant to add some capacity to the industry and provide an opportunity for producers to integrate their business of raising quality cattle with the beef processing portion of the industry and do it in a sustainable manner, said David Briggs, CEO of Sustainable Beef LLC. "During this journey, we found that Sustainable Beef and Walmart aligned on continuing to improve how we care for our animals and crops and provide consumers the positive experience of enjoying quality beef. "
Walmart's investment in Sustainable Beef LLC is the latest step in the retailer's commitment to increasing access to high-quality beef at an affordable price for its customers while boosting capacity for the beef industry and ensuring long-term economic viability for cattle ranchers.
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About Walmart
Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, approximately 230 million customers and members visit more than 10,500 stores and numerous eCommerce websites under 46 banners in 24 countries. With fiscal year 2022 revenue of $573 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.3 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting corporate.walmart.comon Facebook at facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at twitter.com/walmart.
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Tag Archives: Jessica Lu
It was a great year for Asian-American women on television
Mic.com
We're finally getting past all those geisha and ninja stereotypes.
Asian-American women, and women in general, have long faced the woes of horrible storylines or just plain missing from shows. This messy writing or lack of diversity on the small screen stems from the absence of minorities and women in the writers' room.
But in 2014, we've seen some inspiring portrayals of Asian-American women on television that have brought dimension to ladies who are often turned into flat tropes. We still need more of these types of characters, but thankfully we're inching toward better representation.
Headliners:
Lucy Liu proves that Asian-American women can be leading ladies without being a stereotype. Liu is one of the most recognizable Asian-American actresses in Hollywood, known for her roles on Charlie's Angels and Kill Bill: Vol. 1, two movies that tokenized her race. But Liu currently co-stars as Dr. Joan Watson in Elementary, a modern take on Sherlock Holmes, alongside Jonny Lee Miller.
Watson is incredibly intelligent and capable, but not without flaws. She was once a surgeon, but accidentally killed a patient. Unable to trust herself, she let her medical license expire, and eventually becomes Holmes' detective apprentice. She's sexy, she's smart, she makes mistakes — in short, she's a human being.
She has her demons, but she doesn't let anyone make her decisions for her. She's an interesting main character who just so happens to be Asian.
More than just casting:
Television is also making progress with writing storylines centering around Asian culture. MTV's Teen Wolf, a teenage-supernatural drama with a dark side, may be the best example. This year, the series introduced Kira Yukimura and her family.
Portrayed by Arden Cho, Kira shows that there are many ways to be Asian — in her case, Korean-Japanese. She's also a kitsune, a mythical fox spirit with the ability to absorb electricity, plus some deadly skills with a katana.
Furthermore, Kira's powers and one main storyline of Teen Wolf's third season are deeply rooted in the Japanese internment camps of the 1940s, a smear on America's history that's often overlooked. The mistreatment of Japanese people during World War II is a part of many Asian-Americans' identity and experience in the United States. Integrating this part of the past into the show is an effort to bring underrepresented history to wider audiences.
Funny and flirty:
Asian-American women can be sexual and go on tons of dates. The Mindy Project features Mindy Kaling as Dr. Mindy Lahiri, a spunky OB-GYN who makes her way through a cavalcade of flings before settling down with fellow doctor Danny Castellano in the show's latest season. While Kaling is Indian-American and might not have the same experiences as a Korean-American, she still falls under the Asian-American umbrella.
The Fox comedy is filled with sex and intimacy, showing that Asian-American women can be vocal when it comes to the bedroom. Mindy knows what she wants, when she wants it and if she doesn't want it (as in the episode about anal sex).
The Mindy Project also flips the script on the typical dating storyline. Usually it's a white protagonist who goes on dates with a pretty homogeneously white lineup, until bam, there's one diverse hottie who "makes up" for being the only one (ahem, Girls). In Kaling's show, we see her dating a crop of primarily white dudes, showing that she's as much in control of her dating destiny as anyone else.
Room to grow:
The one-dimensional Asian-American character on television shows still exists — take a look at Awkward's Ming (Jessica Lu) or Scorpion's Happy Quinn (Jadyn Wong). Visibility is essential, but stereotyped writing can be dangerous. Fortunately, the Dr. Joan Watsons and Kira Yukimuras are making important progress toward more diverse actors getting multifaceted characters to play.
Other disenfranchised communities are also making their way to the small screen. For these minorities, including Asian-American women, increased visibility might seem slow. But while more, and more accurate, depictions should be a given, we can celebrate what we do have — and continue to fight for diverse inclusion in the shows we love.
Categories: Film, History, Links, Musings, Photo, Style, TV	Tags: Arden Cho, Asian actress, Asian American women, Asian culture, Asian women, diversity, Elementary, Film, geisha, Hollywood, Jadyn Wong, Japan, Japanese, Jessica Lu, Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Kira Yukimura, Korea, Korean, Korean-Japanese, Lucy Liu, martial arts, Mindy Kaling, television, The Mindy Project, tv
Maggie Q and Lucy Liu: Asian-Americans as Leading Ladies
NY Times: The CW series "Nikita" begins its fourth and final season on Friday — an abbreviated run to tie up story lines, as the reluctant assassin Nikita stands falsely accused of killing the president — and while there's still a chance, I'd like to celebrate a small but significant milestone. For six more weeks, two of the strongest and most interesting female leads on television are being played by Asian-American actresses.
I'm talking about Maggie Q, finishing her turn as Nikita, and Lucy Liu, in her second season as Joan Watson on CBS's "Elementary," where she is every bit as central as Jonny Lee Miller's Sherlock Holmes. Both shows have their formulaic elements, but Nikita and Joan are noncartoonish, reasonably complex, multidimensional characters, and in prime time, there aren't too many actresses getting that kind of opportunity in a lead role. Julianna Margulies in "The Good Wife," Connie Britton in "Nashville," Claire Danes in "Homeland," Lizzy Caplan in "Masters of Sex." It's a short list.
Of course, that broader look also indicates that the overall picture for Asian actresses (American, Canadian and otherwise) isn't so happy. A lot of them are working, but in roles far down the food chain from Nikita and Watson, and often playing characters conceived or shaped to reflect longstanding stereotypes about Asians.
Even Maggie Q and Ms. Liu haven't completely escaped those archetypes. Both are playing the latest iterations of durable characters traditionally inhabited by white performers, so it would seem that race shouldn't have any particular bearing. But the truth is that they resonate with two of the most common sets of images — or clichés — about Asian women: the high-achieving, socially awkward Dr. Joan Watson is a refined example of the sexy nerd, and the lethal, sometimes icy Nikita, able to dispense violence while wearing tight, microscopic outfits, evokes a long line of dragon ladies and ninja killers.
(You could argue that the association exists only because Maggie Q was cast as Nikita, who is based on a French film character, but it's a self-canceling argument: The men who created the show sought her out for the role.)
In both cases, though, the actresses and their writers have avoided or transcended easy stereotypes. A lot of effort has gone into humanizing Nikita, and making her a sisterly or even maternal figure for the younger assassin Alex (Lyndsy Fonseca), and the emphasis on violent action has decreased over the show's run. In "Elementary," Watson has embraced her role as apprentice detective after suffering a catastrophic failure as a doctor, taking some of the shine off her super-competence. And unlike other characters in the same mold, she appears to have a normal, nonneurotic romantic life.
Clothes also tell a tale. Maggie Q fought some battles over her costumes in the early days of "Nikita," and she has spent progressively more time in plain, covered-up (though still closefitting) workout-style ensembles and less in skimpy red dresses. Ms. Liu's outfits, mostly chosen by the costume designer Rebecca Hofherr, have attracted a following of their own. The majority opinion seems to be that they reflect Watson's quirky but confident style. To my eye, they have a clever awfulness, making Ms. Liu look good while signaling that perhaps she doesn't spend as much time as she could in front of a mirror.
Either way, what Watson's clothes don't do is make her look ridiculous or hide Ms. Liu's attractiveness. That's the fate of some other Asian-American actresses in roles that play more obviously to geekiness or braininess, and are visually coded for easy comprehension. Liza Lapira wears fright clothes and dowdy haircuts as the sidekick Helen-Alice on "Super Fun Night" (ABC), something she already endured as the eccentric neighbor on "Don't Trust the B — — in Apt. 23" last season. On "Awkward" (MTV), Jessica Lu, as the rebellious daughter of strict Chinese parents, sports a hat with ears while Jessika Van, as her Asian rival, is dressed in starched outfits that make her look like an Amish schoolteacher. Both Ms. Lapira and Ms. Lu are accessorized with glasses — big black ones — something neither appears to wear in real life. Also occasionally donning glasses is Brenda Song as a video-game company executive in "Dads," on Fox, though her most distinctive costume remains the sailor-girl outfit she wore in the pilot, part of an extended joke about the sexualization of Asian women that didn't accomplish much besides sexualizing an Asian woman.
And there are other actresses playing less evolved versions of the Nikita-style action hero. Ming-Na Wen's Melinda May, the black-leather-jacketed pilot in "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (ABC), is a stoic enforcer with a dragon-lady vibe; Grace Park's Kono Kalakaua on "Hawaii Five-0" (CBS) is equally lethal (she often does most of the kicking and punching) but favors bikinis and tight jeans. On "Once Upon a Time" (ABC), Jamie Chung plays the Disney version of a mythical Chinese swordswoman.
It takes some looking to find Asian actresses in roles that don't easily fit into one of these two broad categories. There are a few jobs in a third category, the manipulative or overly protective Asian mother: Jodi Long on "Sullivan and Son" (TBS), Lauren Tom on "Supernatural" (CW). On the entertaining but paper-thin "Beauty and the Beast" (also on CW), Kristin Kreuk stars as a cop who just happens to be mixed race. There is, of course, a major Asian-Canadian female television star not mentioned yet: Sandra Oh, whose Dr. Cristina Yang is not the lead but is a major member of the ensemble on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy." As with Nikita and Watson, Yang displays some typical Asian markers — she's a hypercompetitive, socially awkward doctor — whose race is matter of fact because there's so much more to know about her. Yang, along with Watson and Nikita, could be considered exceptions that prove a rule, but I think the real lesson here is probably that TV would be a better place for women of all races if Shonda Rhimes ("Grey's Anatomy," "Scandal") could just write all the shows.
Check out this link:
Categories: Uncategorized	Tags: Actresses, Asian actresses, Asian American, Asian women, Brenda Song, CBS, CW, Elementary, Grace Park, Hawaii Five-0, Jessica Lu, Jessika Van, Joan Watson, Jodi Long, Kristin Kreuk, Lauren Tom, Lucy Liu, Maggie Q, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Ming-Na Wen, New York Times, Nikita, Sandra Oh, television


SciCombinator - Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity and All-Cause Mortality: Do Bouts Matter?
Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity and All-Cause Mortality: Do Bouts Matter?
The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults accumulate moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in bouts of ≥10 minutes for substantial health benefits. To what extent the same amount of MVPA accumulated in bouts versus sporadically reduces mortality risk remains unclear.


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Home » Eva Herzigova Talks About Her Pregnancy
Eva Herzigova • Pregnant Celebrities
Eva Herzigova Talks About Her Pregnancy
Seven months pregnant with her first child (the father is her Italian entrepreneur boyfriend Gregorio Marsiaj), Eva Herzigova, 34, tells the UK's The Sunday Times: "I'm just so happy. I want to be pregnant for the next 10 years."
Pregnancy has changed her life, says the model, who is the face of Gap's maternity line.
"I feel so powerful. You have no idea. But it's an inner power. You are so content with just being. That's how it is. I feel so confident about my body. I feel so potent. You feel like you have your mission, and it's empowering."
Herzigova announced her pregnancy with a Demi-Moore-style appearance – semi-nude – on the cover of Italian Vanity Fair.
"Many times women disappear when they become pregnant," says Herzigova, 34. "They start to hide and feel like they don't want to be seen. I think that's wrong."
During her pregnancy so far Herzigova says she has put on nearly 25 lbs., thanks to her new cravings.
"I have developed a taste for sweets," she says. "I never liked chocolate before."
The weight gain hasn't made her give up miniskirts.
"I haven't gained weight in my legs, so I show them off," she says. But she has had to ditch the heels. "Before, I could run in high heels," she says. "I never had problems. But suddenly your balance changes. I keep falling off them."
The mom-to-be says she's focused on doing everything for her baby: "I'm not thinking, 'Oh, I'm getting fat.'" Nor does she have plans to whip herself back into her skinny jeans.
"I'm not thinking about getting back into shape," she says. "I just want to enjoy this. I'm not like one of those celebrity people who would die to get back into shape. If people want to take pictures of me being round, they will take pictures of me being round. I think it's important to show your true self and how you are – you don't have to be in perfect shape or skinny shape."
Nor does she have any plans to marry Marsiaj. "I told Greg I'd marry him for the children, one day. But for me, our love is written in my heart. I don't need to have it on a piece of paper."
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If you go to your precinct caucus
Minnesota's political party precinct caucuses start at 7 p.m. Feb. 7, with registration likely open before that. To find out where your caucus will be held, go here. Caucuses for Republican, DFL, Green and Independence parties are listed.
Minnesota's political party precinct caucuses start at 7 p.m. Feb. 7, with registration likely open before that. To find out where your caucus will be held, go here . Caucuses for Republican, DFL, Green and Independence parties are listed.
Who can caucus?
Anyone who lives in Minnesota and will be at least 18 years old on Nov. 6 can officially participate, but younger people can come and be involved as well, although they can't vote for delegates or platform resolutions. People must have some sort of allegiance to the party and can't also caucus for another party.
What happens?
At your precinct caucus, in addition to casting straw poll ballots, you'll be able to propose and vote on resolutions to be included in your party's statewide platform -- stands on issues like voter identification, right to work and gay marriage that define the party's vision. Candidates or elected officials often tour different caucuses to meet with constituents, so they may stop by your neighborhood meeting. Each caucus will elect someone to run the show that night. You can also run to be a delegate to the state Senate district or county party convention, the first step in going to congressional district, statewide and national conventions. You may also be asked to sign up to be an election judge or perform other party functions. Some caucuses may have only a few people attend; others may be crowded. If you want to push a specific issue or candidate, it's best to bring friends who share your views.
If you give at least 10 days' notice, Minnesota law requires employers to give time off (without pay) for anyone attending a precinct caucus. State laws also prevent any local government or government agency from holding formal meetings that night, such as school boards and city councils.
Most stay home
Of the state's roughly 4 million eligible voters, fewer than 200,000 people, or about 5 percent, are expected to caucus this year. In 2008, a record 214,000 DFLers attended caucuses during a heated campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. That number is expected to drop considerably this year with no presidential race. Republicans drew about 62,000 to caucuses in 2008 and are expected to do about the same this year.


Forget drinking eight cups a day: did you know the average Canadian consumes 3,496 litres of water per day, everyday?
Some of this water is obvious: we drink, cook and wash with it. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Most of the water we consume is all but invisible to us. Everything we use requires water – to produce raw materials, and to manufacture finished goods – from the homes we live in, to the transportation we use, to the clothes we wear and the foods we eat.
As Canadians, we're blessed with water. Canada boasts more coastline than any other country in the world and freshwater covers nearly 12% of our country's total area. And yet, water is a precious resource, one we need to protect so supplies remain healthy for generations to come.
Wondering how you can save more water? Here are some easy ideas – none of which requires drinking less of this precious natural resource.
According to Freshwater Watch, it takes three litres of water to produce a typical, 1L single-use plastic water bottle. That doesn't include the water filling it, the water used to refine the fuel used in its transportation, or even the water used in the recycling process, provided the bottle is even recycled (the majority of the world's plastic water bottles actually end up in landfill or in the ocean).
Stay hydrated by toting your own reusable water bottle, or, carrying a super-minimalist crushable cup.
While that ground sirloin burger may taste pretty good, there's no reason to chow down on it as if it were a salad (i.e. daily). Switching to a meatless menu saves resources: it takes 15,400 litres of water to produce 1 kg of boneless beef (think: growing grains and roughage, drinking water for the cattle, and water used in the slaughter and meat-packaging process). By comparison, it takes 2,500 litres of water to produce a kilogram of rice, or just 1,830 litres of water to produce a kilogram of wheat.
Going veg full-time is a great solution, but admittedly not for everyone. You can cut your water footprint by going meat-free one or more days a week, and by swapping conventional supermarket meat for pasture-raised meats, especially lamb and chicken, which use less water to produce.
Start by reducing how much water you use at home.
Meal plan so you throw out less uneaten and spoiled food (which costs you money while wasting the water used in food production).
Install low-flow shower-heads, faucet aerators, and water-conserving toilets.
Turn off the taps when you brush your teeth, shave or wash your face.
Only fill your tea kettle halfway when making a cuppa (it'll boil faster too, saving you energy).
And – procrastinators rejoice – don't run the dishwasher or washing machine until they are completely full. Check out this HGTV.ca article for more easy household water-saving tips.
Repurpose as much water as you can: Collect rainwater in barrels for your garden. Save the water used in baths, boiling veggies or pasta, or left in your reusable water bottle at the end of the day, and use it to water houseplants. Try the Bucket Flush (read on below)!
The Bucket Flush: Keep a bucket handy to collect runoff water as you run a faucet waiting for it to heat up or cool down. You can also use it to collect wastewater from washing veggies or fruit. Bring this bucket into the bathroom, and pour it into the toilet bowl to flush with repurposed water.
Strategic Flushing: Don't flush every time you go. That's right: the ol' "If it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down" approach.
Maybe save these techniques for when you don't have company staying in your home.
We want to hear from you: Yay or nay on these water-saving techniques? And what's your fave water-saving hack?
Want to learn more about the hidden water we consume every day? Check out TheWaterWeEat.com.
Yuki Hayashi is a health and fitness writer whose writing has appeared in Women's Running, Canadian Living, Chatelaine, Besthealthmag.ca and other publications. An avid runner and triathlete, she is an Ironman finisher, and enjoys road races ranging from 5K to marathons. She's a volunteer coach with a youth running group, and in her spare time (what spare time?!) loves cooking, hiking and traveling to outdoor-adventure destinations.
Purchased a rain barrel this weekend. Thaks for the tips.
Have a look at what Naz Daily.com has to say about environmental issues. He has a lot to say that I agree with.
We've been practicing the yellow mellow rule for a few years. Always save some water to rinse recyclables though.
Interesting information, I had no idea.
Thanks for the information..really helpful.
Saving the environment is saving the planet. Protect our home.
Good advice to save the environment.
Saving the environment means protecting this planet.
Thanks most inovative and simple tips to conserving water!
Wow amazing! I'll try them for sure.
Makes a lot of sense – there are ways to reduce usage!
Use the milky water in your bag or carton to water plants. They love the calcium and then your empty container can be recycled!
Nice article to read about Thank you.
Good reminders of easy tips we can all do that will help.


Pan Firing - Chinese green teas are often pan or wok roasted to neutralize the natural enzymes then dried, which generally results in a pale green color such as our Dragonwell.
Steaming – In general, most Japanese green teas are quickly deep steamed resulting in a bright green infusion.
Although written records trace the cultivation of green tea as far back as the Han Dynasty (206-220), when its primary use was medicinal, it wasn't until China's early Tang Dynasty (600-900) that we hear of green tea being consumed for pleasure. During this time, green tea was only distributed in compressed cakes for easy transport.
During the Tang Dynasty, there was a groundbreaking book written about the art of green tea drinking called the "The Classic of Tea" or "Cha Jing" by Lu Yu. It is considered one of the most important books of its time because it was one of the first all-inclusive explorations of green tea culture as a whole. It was also during this time that the formal tea ceremony came into being; a ritual, in part due to the tools necessary for preparation, accessible only to the wealthy elite. Because of this, green tea consumption became a symbol of status in society.
Hojicha is unique in that it is not steamed like most Japanese teas but is actually roasted over charcoal. This process gives the leaves a brownish appearance, resembling a black tea. This tea steeps a reddish-brown liquor with hints of caramel and a slightly toasted finish.