For most people, living with wanderlust is a constant. Spending months in tropical destinations with white sandy beaches while still working from your laptop or phone is a total dream. Unfortunately for most people, that dream will remain nothing but a dream. But, for others, it’s currently a reality. These people are called digital nomads. The term refers to anyone who uses the internet and their smart device to work remotely. This allows them to live anywhere and travel the world. Digital nomads aren’t necessarily self-employed, as the term simply refers to those who embrace remote work. Many of these nomads may still work for bigger companies or be freelancers, but have the flexibility to call the shots in terms of when and how they work.

With the rise of digital nomadism, many people are looking for ways to work remotely, become their own bosses, and ultimately be able to travel the world. Most digital nomads are internet marketers, bloggers, and social media marketers. These jobs make it easy to work remotely because the tools and resources they use are all online. But, for those who don’t have these skills and don’t want to retrain themselves, there are other options out there. For example, you could join the Stream Opportunity and become a Stream Energy Independent Associate.

Founded in 2005, Stream Energy has revolutionized the energy industry. The Dallas-based company has earned over $8 billion in lifetime revenue and has helped thousands of people become financially independent. Stream Energy does this by allowing its customers to join the Stream Opportunity program. It’s a simple concept: get paid and earn rewards by selling services and signing up new customers. It also equips Independent Associates with all the tools, resources, and training they need to succeed. Stream Energy offers its customers various services, such as:

• Wireless Services — Stream Energy provides various cell phone plans, including international plans and 4G LTE unlimited talk and text plans. Customers can also buy their cell phones directly from Stream Energy. The company provides apps and tools to assist customers with backing up their devices and locating their phones.
• Protective Services — Customers can access Stream Virtual MD, which gives them around-the-clock access to phone or video consultations with U.S. Board Certified doctors. Other protective services include identity theft protection, roadside assistance, and credit monitoring.
• Home Services — With this service, customers can connect their home phones to their smartphones.
• Energy Services — Stream Energy’s main service is providing its customers with three types of energy — electric, natural gas, and clean energy.

With no physical inventory, quota to meet, or door-to-door sales, Stream Energy’s Independent Associates can work remotely, making it the perfect career for digital nomads. With no business experience required, the company provides an alternative to the traditional nine-to-five job. And Independent Associates still earn livable incomes to support their desired lifestyles.

What Digital Nomads Should Know Before Joining Stream Opportunity

1. Working Remotely Is Not Easy

Working remotely as a digital nomad is not easy, and success with Stream Energy — or any other business venture — is not guaranteed. By joining the Stream Opportunity program, digital nomads automatically become small business owners. It’s essential that they put in the groundwork and build the relationships and team to afford them the flexibility they desire. The Dallas-based company sets anyone who joins the program up with everything they need to become a success Independent Associate, but it’s up to them to thrive.

2. Be Reachable

No matter where in the world a digital nomad is based, they need to remain reachable to customers. Whether customers have questions or complaints, it is essential that digital nomads are just an email or phone call away. Make it part of your daily routine to check your emails and ensure that your Stream Energy business is running smoothly, assist new customers, and check up on your team.

3. Self Motivation Is Essential

With no rules and no boss to keep digital nomads in check, it’s essential that they remain self-motivated. Most digital nomads work alone, which is often demotivating, so finding a coworking space or any other environment where their feel productive is important.

4. Focus On Results

Being result-driven is important for the success of your business. The awesome thing about the Stream Opportunity program is that it helps Associates be more goal driven and encourages them to reach those goals. Whether you want to become a National Director or enjoy a Streamcation, the program allows you to grow your earning potential while hitting goals within the company.

Cannabis with your coffee? Ontario could have thousands of pot retailers – CWEB.com

Michael J. Armstrong, Brock University

Legalized cannabis is just a month away, but Ontario won’t have any cannabis stores until April. That’s due to the province’s recent decision to have cannabis outlets run by businesses rather than a government agency, although the agency will still open a retail web site Oct. 17.

In the meantime, the provincial government has many regulatory decisions to make about cannabis retailers. Those retailers could easily number in the hundreds or even thousands as many businesses enter the newly legal industry.

For starters, some cannabis growers naturally want to expand vertically into retailing. Aurora Cannabis is eyeing 100 potential stores. Canopy Growth wants as many Ontario licenses as possible, and already has some in Newfoundland, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Meanwhile, established retailers are expanding horizontally into cannabis. Second Cup may convert some of its 130 Ontario coffee outlets to cannabis. It’s already readying shops in Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia. Grocer Loblaw is similarly preparing for sales in Newfoundland and Alberta, so Ontario could follow.

Illegal shops may want to be legit

Many existing illegal pot shops will want into the legal market, but they’ll find it difficult. Ontario’s insisting they shut down by Oct. 17 if they wish to – maybe – sell legally in April.

New cannabis vendors will also appear. Those could include retail chains, like Fire & Flower’s 37 Alberta stores, as well as independent mom-and-pop stores.

Given the wide interest, Ontario can expect far more than the 40 shops its previous Liberal government had planned. This leads to the first regulatory question: should the province cap the store count? Other provinces provide hints of what’s possible.

For instance, Saskatchewan limited itself to just 51 stores, chosen by lottery. Newfoundland’s aiming for 30.

No store cap in Alberta

By contrast, Alberta isn’t capping store counts, and already had 684 licence applications by mid-August.

Ontario’s numbers will presumably be higher in proportion to its larger population. Rationing licences like Saskatchewan and Newfoundland might give it 600 to 800 cannabis stores next year. That’s comparable to its 660 Liquor Control Board of Ontario outlets.

If Ontario instead matches Alberta’s openness, it could see over 2,200 pot shops. That’s similar to its 2,189 total alcohol sellers: LCBO outlets, beer and wine stores.

Industry structure?

Aside from store totals, should Ontario otherwise restrict the industry’s structure? For example, Manitoba is limiting the number of store operators. It’s initially licensed only four chains, though more may follow later.

By contrast, Alberta’s prohibiting anyone from holding more than 15 percent of its retail licences.

Meanwhile, both the Canadian Federation of Independent Business and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario want some Ontario licences reserved for small businesses.

Along with greater store numbers, Ontario can expect more variety. But that might be limited by both existing federal marketing restrictions and the province’s not-yet-determined rules.

For example, will Ontario only allow standalone cannabis shops? Or will it also permit smaller outlets within larger stores?

Most provinces are focusing on standalones. But many Nova Scotia cannabis “stores” are just walled-off sections of liquor outlets. Similarly, some Newfoundland outlets will sell cannabis the way they sell tobacco, from special counters within larger stores.

Grocers will want to sell

In Ontario, big grocers would presumably prefer this approach. Some already have wine outlets or beer aisles. They’d likely emphasize convenience and value but carry limited selections.

Cannabis counters would also fit small towns that can’t support standalone shops. The LCBO already sells liquor this way, via 212 agency stores.

Conversely, standalones would better suit cannabis growers and speciality retailers. They’d offer wider selections and more service.

The provincial government must also decide whether to restrict stores’ sales methods. For example, can cannabis shops openly display products? Or must they hide them, as liquor stores did in 1928?

Retail employees will need to educate consumers about products, as federal law limits cannabis growers’ advertising. How much advice will “bud-tenders” be permitted to give? Will Ontario require product safety training, like its Smart Serve program for alcohol sellers?

Those employees should take care when travelling. As Canadians were recently reminded, American border agents can permanently ban cannabis workers from entering the U.S. So, if heading south on vacation, ensure your cars don’t display company parking passes or stickers. And don’t wear cannabis-brand clothing.

Will Ontario permit cannabis lounges where people can consume when not at home? Those would enable legal smoking for tourists, tenants and condo owners living in non-smoking buildings.

If not lounges for smoking, perhaps cafes for eating? Legal cannabis foods and beverages will arrive sometime in 2019. On-site consumption would particularly fit the coffee culture some retailers are targeting.

Like vineyards or brew-pubs

Then there are small-scale growers. Will Ontario let them sell their own products on-site, as vineyards and brew-pubs do? That could attract tourists and support small businesses.

In making these decisions, Ontario’s government faces several challenges. One is to create trustworthy regulations without micromanaging the retailers. That’s a balance governments often miss.

Another challenge is to simultaneously promote consumer health and industry health. Harm reduction is important, but so is a robust cannabis industry. Strong legal retailers will compete best against black markets. That’s why cannabis is being legalized in the first place.

Michael J. Armstrong, Associate professor of operations research, Goodman School of Business, Brock University

This article is republished from The Conversation

Brewing a great cup of coffee depends on chemistry and physics – CWEB.com

Christopher H. Hendon, University of Oregon

Coffee is unique among artisanal beverages in that the brewer plays a significant role in its quality at the point of consumption. In contrast, drinkers buy draft beer and wine as finished products; their only consumer-controlled variable is the temperature at which you drink them.

Why is it that coffee produced by a barista at a cafe always tastes different than the same beans brewed at home?

It may be down to their years of training, but more likely it’s their ability to harness the principles of chemistry and physics. I am a materials chemist by day, and many of the physical considerations I apply to other solids apply here. The variables of temperature, water chemistry, particle size distribution, ratio of water to coffee, time and, perhaps most importantly, the quality of the green coffee all play crucial roles in producing a tasty cup. It’s how we control these variables that allows for that cup to be reproducible.

How strong a cup of joe?

Besides the psychological and environmental contributions to why a barista-prepared cup of coffee tastes so good in the cafe, we need to consider the brew method itself.

We humans seem to like drinks that contain coffee constituents (organic acids, Maillard products, esters and heterocycles, to name a few) at 1.2 to 1.5 percent by mass (as in filter coffee), and also favor drinks containing 8 to 10 percent by mass (as in espresso). Concentrations outside of these ranges are challenging to execute. There are a limited number of technologies that achieve 8 to 10 percent concentrations, the espresso machine being the most familiar.

There are many ways, though, to achieve a drink containing 1.2 to 1.5 percent coffee. A pour-over, Turkish, Arabic, Aeropress, French press, siphon or batch brew (that is, regular drip) apparatus — each produces coffee that tastes good around these concentrations. These brew methods also boast an advantage over their espresso counterpart: They are cheap. An espresso machine can produce a beverage of this concentration: the Americano, which is just an espresso shot diluted with water to the concentration of filter coffee.

All of these methods result in roughly the same amount of coffee in the cup. So why can they taste so different?

When coffee meets water

There are two families of brewing device within the low-concentration methods — those that fully immerse the coffee in the brew water and those that flow the water through the coffee bed.

From a physical perspective, the major difference is that the temperature of the coffee particulates is higher in the full immersion system. The slowest part of coffee extraction is not the rate at which compounds dissolve from the particulate surface. Rather, it’s the speed at which coffee flavor moves through the solid particle to the water-coffee interface, and this speed is increased with temperature.

A higher particulate temperature means that more of the tasty compounds trapped within the coffee particulates will be extracted. But higher temperature also lets more of the unwanted compounds dissolve in the water, too. The Specialty Coffee Association presents a flavor wheel to help us talk about these flavors — from green/vegetative or papery/musty through to brown sugar or dried fruit.

Pour-overs and other flow-through systems are more complex. Unlike full immersion methods where time is controlled, flow-through brew times depend on the grind size since the grounds control the flow rate.

The water-to-coffee ratio matters, too, in the brew time. Simply grinding more fine to increase extraction invariably changes the brew time, as the water seeps more slowly through finer grounds. One can increase the water-to-coffee ratio by using less coffee, but as the mass of coffee is reduced, the brew time also decreases. Optimization of filter coffee brewing is hence multidimensional and more tricky than full immersion methods.

Other variables to try to control

Even if you can optimize your brew method and apparatus to precisely mimic your favorite barista, there is still a near-certain chance that your home brew will taste different from the cafe’s. There are three subtleties that have tremendous impact on the coffee quality: water chemistry, particle size distribution produced by the grinder and coffee freshness.

First, water chemistry: Given coffee is an acidic beverage, the acidity of your brew water can have a big effect. Brew water containing low levels of both calcium ions and bicarbonate (HCO₃⁻) — that is, soft water — will result in a highly acidic cup, sometimes described as sour. Brew water containing high levels of HCO₃⁻ — typically, hard water — will produce a chalky cup, as the bicarbonate has neutralized most of the flavorsome acids in the coffee.

Ideally we want to brew coffee with water containing chemistry somewhere in the middle. But there’s a good chance you don’t know the bicarbonate concentration in your own tap water, and a small change makes a big difference. To taste the impact, try brewing coffee with Evian — one of the highest bicarbonate concentration bottled waters, at 360 mg/L.

The particle size distribution your grinder produces is critical, too.

Every coffee enthusiast will rightly tell you that blade grinders are disfavored because they produce a seemingly random particle size distribution; there can be both powder and essentially whole coffee beans coexisting. The alternative, a burr grinder, features two pieces of metal with teeth that cut the coffee into progressively smaller pieces. They allow ground particulates through an aperture only once they are small enough.

There is contention over how to optimize grind settings when using a burr grinder, though. One school of thought supports grinding the coffee as fine as possible to maximize the surface area, which lets you extract the most delicious flavors in higher concentrations. The rival school advocates grinding as coarse as possible to minimize the production of fine particles that impart negative flavors. Perhaps the most useful advice here is to determine what you like best based on your taste preference.

Finally, the freshness of the coffee itself is crucial. Roasted coffee contains a significant amount of COâ‚‚ and other volatiles trapped within the solid coffee matrix: Over time these gaseous organic molecules will escape the bean. Fewer volatiles means a less flavorful cup of coffee. Most cafes will not serve coffee more than four weeks out from the roast date, emphasizing the importance of using freshly roasted beans.

One can mitigate the rate of staling by cooling the coffee (as described by the Arrhenius equation). While you shouldn’t chill your coffee in an open vessel (unless you want fish finger brews), storing coffee in an airtight container in the freezer will significantly prolong freshness.

So don’t feel bad that your carefully brewed cup of coffee at home never stacks up to what you buy at the café. There are a lot of variables — scientific and otherwise — that must be wrangled to produce a single superlative cup. Take comfort that most of these variables are not optimized by some mathematical algorithm, but rather by somebody’s tongue. What’s most important is that your coffee tastes good to you… brew after brew.

Christopher H. Hendon, Assistant Professor of Computational Materials and Chemistry, University of Oregon

This article is republished from The Conversation

How is ‘new NAFTA’ different? A trade expert explains – CWEB.com

Amanda M. Countryman, Colorado State University

On Sept. 30, the U.S., Canada and Mexico reached a deal to scrap NAFTA and replace it with a new trade accord, narrowly meeting a self-imposed deadline for consensus.

Although U.S. President Donald Trump plans to sign the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement in 60 days, the new accord has a long road ahead as lawmakers in all three countries must still pass it before it goes into effect.

Still it is an astounding feat, considering Mexico and the U.S. were all but ready to go ahead with their own deal without Canada only a month ago, after a year of three-party negotiations. And Trump repeatedly said he was ready to scrap the deal entirely, which in my opinion would have been the worst outcome.

So what’s changed from the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement and why should you care?

The text of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement is 1,809 pages long — about 100 more than NAFTA — and includes numerous tweaks from its predecessor, both big and small. I believe three are especially noteworthy.

Please pass the butter

Since 1994, the U.S. and Canada have dropped tariffs and other trade restrictions on most agricultural products, but there were a few exceptions, most notably dairy.

Dairy was a particularly problematic sticking point in the recent negotiations as the U.S. and Canada both have long histories of protectionist policies such as subsidies to dairy farmers, import quotas on milk and Canadian tariffs that range from 200 percent to 300 percent for exporting too much of a given product.

The new NAFTA begins to change that, representing a big win for both countries, especially the U.S.

Under the new accord, Canada pledged to curb some of the ways it protects its dairy industry. As a result, more American milk, butter, cheese and other dairy products will flow into Canada duty-free, with reciprocal treatment for Canadian dairy exports to the U.S.

Made in North America

The new agreement made big changes for auto manufacturers in hopes of ensuring more of those products are made in North America.

Starting in 2020, to qualify for zero tariffs when crossing borders, a car or truck must have 75 percent of its components manufactured in Canada, the U.S. or Mexico, up from 62.5 percent currently.

Even more noteworthy, negotiators agreed to a new requirement that 40 percent to 45 percent of a vehicle’s components be made by workers earning at least US$16 per hour, which is about three times more than the average wage currently earned by Mexican autoworkers.

This change is huge, particularly for low-paid workers in Mexico.

Keeping up with the times

Almost a quarter century has passed since NAFTA was implemented in 1994.

And much has changed. The internet was still in its infancy, while smartphones and self-driving cars were barely imaginable.

That’s why modernization — updating rules and standards to keep up with the times — is a critical and positive update to the trade deal tying the North American continent together.

While NAFTA was the first trade treaty to include intellectual property protections, the high pace of innovation has made modernization of its provisions imperative.

The new agreement includes stronger protections for patents and trademarks in areas such as biotech, financial services and domain names — all of which have advanced considerably over the past quarter century. It also contains new provisions governing the expansion of digital trade and investment in innovative products and services.

Separately, negotiators agreed to update labor and environmental standards, which were not central to the 1994 accord and are now typical in modern trade agreements. Examples include enforcing a minimum wage for autoworkers, stricter environmental standards for Mexican trucks and lots of new rules on fishing to protect marine life.

Apart from the changes, there is one important thing about the original NAFTA that will stay, thanks to the insistence of Canada. Chapter 19 is the dispute settlement mechanism that allows countries to seek remedies for breaking the rules. It’s like “trade court” and makes it much easier to challenge another country’s policies.

All in all, the new NAFTA is definitely a modern and updated version of its important predecessor, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture characterized as one of the most successful trade agreements in history. But the question remains, will Congress and the other two parliaments pass it?

Amanda M. Countryman, Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics, Colorado State University

This article is republished from The Conversation

Cannabis and psychosis: what is the link and who is at risk? – CWEB.com

Jerome Sarris, Western Sydney University and Joe Firth, Western Sydney University

There has been a recent global rise in “green fever”, with various jurisdictions either decriminalising or legalising cannabis.

But alongside relaxing the rules comes concern about the health implications of cannabis use. We often hear of a link between cannabis use and psychosis. So how strong is the link, and who is at risk?

Read more:
Greens want cannabis to be made legal

What is psychosis?

There’s consistent evidence showing a relationship over time between heavy or repeated cannabis use (or those diagnosed with cannabis use disorder) and an experience of psychosis for the first time.

Psychotic disorders are severe mental health conditions. They’re characterised by a “loss of contact with reality”, where the individual loses the ability to distinguish what’s real from what’s not. Psychotic symptoms can include visual hallucinations, hearing voices, or pervasive delusional thinking.

These can often present as a “psychotic episode” — which is a relatively sudden worsening of psychotic symptoms over a short time-frame, frequently resulting in hospitalisation.

The heaviest users of cannabis are around four times as likely to develop schizophrenia (a psychotic disorder that affects a person’s ability to think, feel and behave clearly) than non-users. Even the “average cannabis user” (for which the definition varies from study to study) is around twice as likely as a non-user to develop a psychotic disorder.

Furthermore, these studies found a causal link between tetrahydrocannabinol (THC – the plant chemical which elicits the “stoned” experience) and psychosis. This means the link is not coincidental, and one has actually caused the other.

Read more:
Does cannabis cause mental illness?

Who is at risk?

People with certain gene variants seem to be at higher risk. However our understanding of these factors is still limited, and we’re unable to use genetic information alone to determine if someone will or won’t develop psychosis from cannabis use.

Those with these genetic variants who have also experienced childhood trauma, or have a paranoid personality type, are even more at-risk. So too are adolescents and young adults, who have growing brains and are at an age where schizophrenia is more likely to manifest.

The type of cannabis material being used (or the use of synthetic cannabinoids, known as “spice”) may also increase the risk of psychosis. As mentioned above, this is due to the psychological effects of the chemical THC (one of over 140 cannabinoids found in the plant).

This compound may actually mimic the presentation of psychotic symptoms, including paranoia, sensory alteration, euphoria, and hallucinations. In laboratory-based research, even healthy people may exhibit increased symptoms of psychosis when given THC compounds, with more severe effects observed in people with schizophrenia.

Many cannabis strains contain high amounts of THC, found in plant varieties such as one called “skunk”. These are popular with consumers due to the “high” it elicits. However with this goes the increased risk of paranoia, anxiety, and psychosis.

But can’t cannabis also be good for mental health?

Ironically, one compound found in cannabis may actually be beneficial in treating psychosis. In contrast to THC, a compound called cannabidiol (CBD) may provide a buffering effect to the potentially psychosis-inducing effects of THC.

This may occur in part due to its ability to partially block the same brain chemical receptor THC binds with. CBD can also inhibit the breakdown of a brain chemical called “anandamide,” which makes us feel happy. Incidentally, anandamide is also found in chocolate and is aptly named after the Sanskrit word meaning “bliss”.

Read more:
Remind me again, how does cannabis affect the brain?

CBD extracted from cannabis and used in isolation is well-tolerated with minimal psychoactive effects. In other words, it doesn’t make a person feel “high”. Some studies have found CBD is actually beneficial in improving the symptoms of schizophrenia. But one more recent study showed no difference in the effects of CBD compared to a dummy pill on symptoms of schizophrenia.

Perhaps this means CBD benefits a particular biological sub-type of schizophrenia, but we’d need further study to find out.

Would legalising make a difference?

It’s important to note most studies finding a causal link between cannabis use and psychosis examined the use of illicit cannabis, usually from unknown origins. This means the levels of THC were unrestricted, and there’s a possibility of synthetic adulterants, chemical residues, heavy metals or other toxins being present due to a lack of quality assurance practices.

Read more:
Legal highs: arguments for and against legalising cannabis in Australia

In the future, it’s possible that standardised novel “medicinal cannabis” formulations (or isolated compounds) may have negligible effects on psychosis risk.

Until then though, we can safely say given the current weight of evidence, illicit cannabis use can increase the risk of an acute psychotic episode. And this subsequently may also increase the chances of developing schizophrenia. This is particularly true when high-THC strains (or synthetic versions) are used at high doses in growing adolescent brains.

Jerome Sarris, Professor of Integrative Mental Health; NICM Deputy Director, Western Sydney University and Joe Firth, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University

This article is republished from The Conversation

The House With a Clock in its Walls (3/10) Movie Review and Video — CWEB.com

by Tony Medley Movie Reviews

Photo Credit Video /Universal Pictures

Film Distribution / U niversal Pictures

Runtime 104 minutes.

PG.

As a general rule of thumb, I loathe fantasy movies about sorcery and such. I’m probably the only person in the world, only critic anyway, who walked out of two, count ‘em, two Harry Potter movies (no, I did not write reviews of them).

I try not to know much about films when I see them because I want to be like an ordinary viewer. This was a mistake here because had I known what it was I would have stayed away.

Directed by Eli Roth from a script by Eric Kripke adapted from a novel by John Bellairs, Louis Barnavelt (Owen Vaccaro) is a little boy who loses his parents and is sent to live with his uncle, Jonathan Barnavelt (Jack Black), in what is an enchanted house full of furniture that moves and has a life of its own. Hidden within its walls is a clock that is counting down to doomsday. Jonathan is a warlock whose partner Isaac Izard (Kyle MacLachlan, in the only memorable performance in the movie, although he’s helped because it is a bizarre character) made and hid the clock because he wanted the world to count backwards before creation to see what would happen.

Also present in the house is Florence Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett), a witch, whose presence in the movie presented the only mystery to ponder. There is no earthly reason for her character and it is only there to provide a vehicle for a big star to draw people into a movie that is not worth seeing. She adds nothing (but, then, there’s not much to add to) because the   repartee between her and Louis is more cringeworthily silly than funny. The plot is that the good wizards must find the clock and stop it from running before it completes its countdown and the world as we know it ends.

Roth apparently wanted to make this film to entice children into the horror genre, so this is much more light-hearted than scary. In fact, it’s not scary. Problem is that it is not funny, either.

It’s really hard to sit through the first hour which drags incessantly, but when Izard is raised from the dead and enters the film it picks up somewhat, but not enough.

Colette (8/10) Movie Review and Video – CWEB.com

by Tony Medley Movie Reviews

Photo Credit Video /Colette Bleecker Street Media  

Film Distribution / Lionsgate            

Runtime 112 minutes.

R

This is a film whose quality is more than a sum of its parts. For me, the best of it is the cinematography (Giles Nuttgens). The locales are so beautifully framed and shot many of the scenes could stand as magnificent oil paintings. The visual values of this movie blew me away. Even without the fine story and good acting, they alone would be worth the price of admission for me. It is just a beautiful movie to watch.

The ambience of early 20^th  century France is enchantingly evocative.

This is the story of Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (Keira Knightley), her writings, and her relationship with her husband, a well-known but not very talented Parisian writer known as Willy (Dominic West). After Willy convinces her to ghostwrite a book for him, she creates an autobiographical story about a country girl named Claudine, and it becomes a cultural sensation.

Like the recent film  The Wife,  Colette sublimates herself and the fame that was justly hers to the cheating, manipulative Willy who basks like a peacock, as Colette turns out book after book about Claudine.

Willie and Colette live an open marriage and Colette quickly recognizes that she is bisexual. Both Knightley and West give fine performances capturing complex characters and their increasingly bizarre relationship.

Written by the late Richard Glatzer (with his partner Wash Westmoreland and Rebecca Lenkiewicz) and directed by Westmoreland, this is as high quality a film as has been made in a long time. As an aside, Glatzer was a long time Bridge opponent of mine, a gifted player who continued playing the game almost up to the date of his death.

As many good biopics do, the film closes with photos of the real people.

by Tony Medley Movie Reviews

Love Gilda Movie Review and Video (9/10) – CWEB.com

by Tony Medley Movie Reviews

Photo Credit /Love Gilda

Film Studio / Magnolia Pictures

Runtime

PG?

Back in the ‘70s, I landed in Chicago and the bookkeeper (who later rose to huge success as Chief Operating Officer of a major corporation) for a client picked me up at the airport to drive me to my hotel. With him was his girlfriend. As she talked, I was captivated and told her she sounded like Roseanne Roseannadanna. They were both mystified, so I told them to watch Saturday Night Live (which had only been on for a short time).

A few months later he and I were having lunch in California and he told me that they had watched SNL and got a big kick out of RR, agreeing that she did sound like his girlfriend. When I heard about this documentary, I wanted to see it, if only to see RR again.

RR aside, this is a fascinating portrait of a woman who rose to the heights from nowhere. It starts with her as a little girl, progresses through her days with Second City in Chicago and then the big break with Lorne Michaels and SNL.

What it emphasizes, though, is that success doesn’t necessarily bring happiness. While she was an optimistic person, things were not always brightness.

Director Lisa Dipolito tells the story with archival clips and interviews with lots of contemporaries and people who were influenced by her, like Chevy Chase, Michaels, Laraine Newman, Paul Shafer, former boyfriend Martin Short, Melissa McCarthy, and many more, including archival footage of her second husband, Gene Wilder.

The only negative is that there is only one short clip of Roseanne Roseannadanna. Even so, it’s a terrific documentary.

Is apple cider vinegar good for you? A doctor weighs in – CWEB.com

Gabriel Neal, Texas A&M University

When my brother and I were kids back in the ‘80s, we loved going to Long John Silver’s.

But it wasn’t just for the fish.

It was for the vinegar — malt vinegar. We would uncap a bottle at the table and swig that tangy, delicious nectar of the gods straight.

Are most of you repulsed? Probably. Were we way ahead of our time? Apparently.

Some social media and online searches would have us believe that drinking vinegar is a cure-all. Our friends and colleagues will regale us with stories of the healing power of apple cider vinegar for whatever problem we may have just mentioned. “Oh, that backache from mowing? Vinegar.” “That last 10 pounds? Vinegar will melt that right off.” “Syphilis, again? You know it — vinegar.”

As a practicing physician and professor of medicine, people ask me about the benefits of drinking apple cider vinegar all the time. I enjoy those moments, because we can talk about the (extensive) history of vinegar, and then distill the conversations to how it could, maybe, benefit them.

A cure for colds, the plague and obesity?

Historically, vinegar has been used for many ailments. A few examples are that of the famous Greek physician Hippocrates, who recommended vinegar for the treatment of cough and colds, and that of the Italian physician Tommaso Del Garbo, who, during an outbreak of plague in 1348, washed his hands, face and mouth with vinegar in the hopes of preventing infection.

Vinegar and water has been a refreshing drink from the time of Roman soldiers to modern athletes who drink it to slake their thirst. Ancient and modern cultures the world over have found good uses for “sour wine.”

While there is plenty of historical and anecdotal testimony to the virtues of vinegar, what does medical research have to say on the subject of vinegar and health?

The most reliable evidence for the health benefits of vinegar come from a few humans studies involving apple cider vinegar. One study demonstrated that apple cider vinegar can improve after-meal blood glucose levels in insulin-resistant subjects. In 11 people who were “pre-diabetic,” drinking 20 milliliters, a little more than one tablespoon, of apple cider vinegar lowered their blood sugar levels 30-60 minutes after eating more than a placebo did. That’s good — but it was only demonstrated in 11 pre-diabetic people.

Another study on obese adults demonstrated a significant reduction in weight, fat mass and triglycerides. Researchers selected 155 obese Japanese adults to ingest either 15 ml, about one tablespoon, or 30 ml, a little more than two tablespoons, of vinegar daily, or a placebo drink, and followed their weight, fat mass and triglycerides. In both the 15 ml and 30 ml group, researchers saw a reduction in all three markers. While these studies need confirmation by larger studies, they are encouraging.

Studies in animals, mostly rats, show that vinegar can potentially reduce blood pressure and abdominal fat cells. These help build the case for followup studies in humans, but any benefit claims based only on animal studies is premature.

In all, the health benefits we suspect vinegar has need to be confirmed by larger human studies, and this will certainly happen as researchers build on what has been studied in humans and animals to date.

Is there any harm in it?

Is there any evidence that vinegar is bad for you? Not really. Unless you are drinking excessive amounts of it (duh), or drinking a high acetic acid concentration vinegar such as distilled white vinegar used for cleaning (consumable vinegar’s acetic acid content is only 4 to 8 percent), or rubbing it in your eyes (ouch!), or heating it in a lead vat as the Romans did to make it sweet. Then, yeah, that’s unhealthy.

Also, don’t heat any kind of food in lead vats. That’s always bad.

So have your fish and chips and vinegar. It’s not hurting you. It may not be doing you all the good that you’re hoping that it will; and it certainly is not a cure-all. But it is something that people all over the world will be enjoying with you. Now raise high that bottle of malt vinegar with me, and let’s drink to our health.

Gabriel Neal, Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, Texas A&M University

This article is republished from The Conversation