University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas (V.M.)

David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, California (J.L.M.)

Durham VA Healthcare System and Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina (C.S.U.)

John D. Dingell VA Sleep Wake Disorders Center and Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan (S.C.)

U.S. Army SAMHS Sleep Medicine Service, San Antonio, Texas, and Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas (M.S.B.)

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center/Defense Health Agency, Bethesda, Maryland (C.S.)

Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC (J.S.)

Financial Support: By the Durham Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation (CIN-13-410) at the Durham VA Healthcare System.

Disclosures: Dr. Mysliwiec reports personal fees from CPAP Medical outside the submitted work. Dr. Martin reports serving as a member of the board of directors of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Authors not named here have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Disclosures can also be viewed at http://www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M19-3575.

Editors' Disclosures: Christine Laine, MD, MPH, Editor in Chief, reports that her spouse has stock options/holdings with Targeted Diagnostics and Therapeutics. Darren B. Taichman, MD, PhD, Executive Editor, reports that he has no financial relationships or interests to disclose. Cynthia D. Mulrow, MD, MSc, Senior Deputy Editor, reports that she has no relationships or interests to disclose. Jaya K. Rao, MD, MHS, Deputy Editor, reports that she has stock holdings/options in Eli Lilly and Pfizer. Christina C. Wee, MD, MPH, Deputy Editor, reports employment with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Sankey V. Williams, MD, Deputy Editor, reports that he has no financial relationships or interests to disclose. Yu-Xiao Yang, MD, MSCE, Deputy Editor, reports that he has no financial relationships or interest to disclose.

Corresponding Author: James Sall, PhD, Department of Veterans Affairs, 811 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20420.

Current Author Addresses: Dr. Mysliwiec: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, MC 7747, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900.

Dr. Martin: VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, VA Sepulveda GRECC, 16111 Plummer Street (11E), North Hills, CA 91343.

Dr. Ulmer: Health Services Research & Development (HSR&D) (152), Durham VA Healthcare System, 508 Fulton Street, Durham, NC 27705.

Dr. Chowdhuri: John D. Dingell VA Sleep Wake Disorders Center, Medical Service, 4646 John R Street (11M), Detroit, MI 48201.

Dr. Brock: U.S. Air Force SAMHS Sleep Medicine Service, Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, 1100 Wilford Hall Loop, Lackland AFB, TX 78236.

Dr. Spevak: Walter Reed National Military Medical Center/Defense Health Agency, 8901 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20889.

Dr. Sall: Evidence-Based Practice Program, Office of Quality, Safety and Value (10E2B), Department of Veterans Affairs, 811 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20420.

Author Contributions: Conception and design: V. Mysliwiec, J. Martin, C.S. Ulmer, S. Chowdhuri, C. Spevak.

Analysis and interpretation of the data: J. Martin, C.S. Ulmer.

Drafting of the article: V. Mysliwiec, J. Martin, C.S. Ulmer, S. Chowdhuri, M.S. Brock, C. Spevak, J. Sall.

Critical revision of the article for important intellectual content: V. Mysliwiec, J. Martin, S. Chowdhuri, M.S. Brock, C. Spevak, J. Sall.

Final approval of the article: V. Mysliwiec, J. Martin, C.S. Ulmer, S. Chowdhuri, M.S. Brock, C. Spevak, J. Sall.

Administrative, technical, or logistic support: M.S. Brock, J. Sall.

Collection and assembly of data: J. Martin, M.S. Brock.

See original here:
Management of Chronic Insomnia Disorder and Obstructive Sleep Apnea - Annals of Internal Medicine

by LetsRun.com(Sponsored by HOKA ONE ONE) February 17, 2020

February is Marathon Month on LetsRun.com as the month ends with one of the greatest events on the athletics calendar, the 2020 US Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta. From the contenders, to the dreamers, to the mountain men and women, HOKA ONE ONE has 17 athletes competing at the Trials, andLetsRun.com is partnering with HOKA to profile all of them.We hope these profiles not only show you the cool stories of the people running the Trials, but also help gets you pumped for the Trials, and gives you some advice for your own running.

This content is sponsored content for HOKA, but not approved by them.

Tyler Andrews is one of the most unique runners in the Olympic Marathon Trials. First, he didnt break 18 minutes for 5k in high school. That is something a lot of the womens Trials runners did. Secondly, he does a lot of his training in Quito, Ecuador at 9,300 feet. We did a podcast on Tylers rags to riches story in 2018 which you can find here .

Since then, Tyler has set the 50k world best on the track, won the US 50 mile championships and his training group in Ecuador has gotten even better with a couple of Kenyan runners. Read all about it below.

Tyler training in Quito (via his instagram)

Name/ Nickname: Tyler C. Andrews, Ty, Andrs, Chasqui Blanco

Age: 29

Hometown: West Concord, MA

HS/Yr: Concord Academy, 2008

College/Yr: Tufts University, 2013

Occupation: Athlete, coach, Strive Trips (editors note: a LetsRun.com advertiser) Co-director

Training Group/Coach:Coach Jon Waldron. Ecuador: Kallpa Runners

How did you qualify? I qualified first en-route in the Time To Fly 50K on April 13, 2018 (an attempt to break the 50K world record) w/ 2h18 something. My fastest qualifier during the window was from the 2018 Vermont City Marathon which I won in 21744.

Training shoe: HOKA ONE ONE Clifton

Racing shoe: HOKA ONE ONE Carbon X

One random fact about myself I want people to know:

In 1997, I was diagnosed w/ a bone-marrow/blood disease which kept me out of school for a year and almost took my life; I try to be grateful for having been given a second chance at life, especially when times are tough.

High school: What was your high school claim to fame / PRs?

Tyler training in Quito (photo from STRIVE website)

XC: 1830 5K senior year, 2030 before that. No T&F

College: What was your college claim to fame / PRs?

Something like 429, 1445, 3022. Made D3 Nationals twice (once as an individual in 10,000m in 2012 and once as a team in XC in 2012). Ran a 6707 half marathon at the end of senior spring since I didnt make track nationals which was probably my best time according to conversions and set me up well for longer road races right after college.

Post-college: What are your post college accomlishments/ claim to fame/ PRs?

After graduating from college, I moved to Quito, Ecuador to chase the running dream for just a little longer. Id graduated w/ an engineering degree but wanted to give myself 6-12 months to train for longer road races at altitude and see how it would go. I had a strong first 6 months there, lowering my 10K PR to 2948 and my HM PR to 6548 (converted from a 20K time). Id been running significantly higher mileage (over 140 MPW) and clearly was responding well to that and the altitude.

I made my marathon debut the following spring at 2014 Boston and ran 2h21 for I believe 29th place; I followed that up with a win at Vermont City Marathon 5 weeks later in 2h20.

From there, I really focused on the marathon and ran my first OTQ (21659) at CIM 2014. Id already been in talks w/ HOKA at that point and things got formalized shortly after that. I ran my first 50K in 2015 at US Nationals and was 2nd which earned me a spot on my first of 3 US National Teams for that distance. In 2016, I finished 2nd at 50K Worlds and helped team USA to the team gold.

In 2018, I made an attempt at the 50K World Record and came up short, but ran the second fastest time ever by an American: 24606 (which is also a world record for 50km on a track yes, they actually keep tabs on that). Since then, Ive focused more on ultras, requalifying for 50K World Champs in 2019 (which I DNFd due to food poisoning), but then rebounded and ran and won my first 50 Mile at the US 50 Mile Road Champs.

How did you start running?

photo of Tyler by Emmett Scully of Trackster

I really started to care about running as a HS senior in 2007. Id been on the team up to that point but had never once run out of season (we had no track at my HS) and had never broken 2030 for 5K. That year, though, we had a new coach, Jon Waldron (whos still my coach today), and he taught me this lesson which, in retrospect, seems so obvious to be not even worth mentioning: that if you try harder and run more, youll get better. That was really it. I honestly thought that being good at running was kind of like being tall; you either were or you werent. That season, I training moderately and consistently and, sure enough, broke 20, then broke 19 and ended up w/ a HS PR of ~1830. More importantly, though, Id fallen in love w/ this process of self-improvement, this very quantifiable and measurable improvement that I could see every day and week and month. That was really what got under my skin and really lit a fire inside me (to mix metaphors just a bit).

How long have you dreamed of the Trials/Olympics?

Since Feb 14, 2016. I had a terrible race at the 2016 Trials (I had some undiagnosed breathing issues which were exacerbated by the heat) and knew that coming back for 2020 would be hugely important to me both as an athlete and as a person.

What does it mean for you to make the Olympics Trials?

Its an honor and a joy.

Whats your goal for the Trials?

I want to run the best race I can. As Ive been focusing more on the ultra world in the last year, Ive still always known that I have more great marathons in my legs. I think that the hilliness of the ATL course and the fact that Im coming from such a huge background of strength over the past years more ultra-focused training will really play to my advantage. I want to run smart and pass a lot of people in the last 10km.

What do you think of the course?

For someone with my background, Im thrilled with the course. I had a fantastic race at the US 50 mile championships (which I won in my debut at the distance back in October) and that was a VERY hilly race (5150 ft of climbing). That was the first block where Id really prepared specifically for a super hilly course and my body really took to it. I felt totally in my element t in training and on race day. Anything that is going to slow the race down I see as a positive.

How has your training gone in the buildup for the Trials?

So far, things have gone great. I had a solid month of base-building in December in Boston, MA and then came down to Quito, Ecuador where Ive been doing some winter altitude stints the last few years. I train w/ a group here thats part of Ecuadors Olympic Development Program and respond really well to the altitude (9300 ft). Its a perfect place for me where I can do really hilly long runs, get my ass kicked on the track by guys who are much faster than me, and generally enjoy the training camp focused vibe.

How long was your buildup?

I won the US 50 mile road champs at the end of October and took a few weeks off before beginning my build-up. By Thanksgiving, I won my hometown turkey trot in ~1520, so that was probably the beginning of really starting to train. So, all in all, itll be about 3 months, but Im definitely building off of the strength of the ultra block I put in last summer and fall.

What was your highest mileage week? Your average week?

So far, my highest 7 days was about 150 miles (because I had two long runs in 7 days). The 3-week block I just put in averaged 131 miles per week. The next 3 weeks (editors note: This training part of the interview with Tyler was done in late January) will probably be right around there or a tick higher. Ive been much higher in the past (160+), but am more focused on speed right now as Im coming from such a strength background. And 130 MPW at 9300 ft feels like a good balance between putting in solid volume w/o compromising the track and fartlek days.

What is your favorite workout?

Right now, Ive actually really enjoyed getting back on the track with my team down here. Im always a fan of having training partners who are better than me and can push me and that has definitely been the case with this group. Not only am I coming off a 50-miler, but these guys are just way faster. We have 2 Kenyan runners who have run 2h08/61, plus some Ecuadorians and Venezuelans who are absolute beasts at altitude. This past week we did 6x1K, 6x400m; I think I averaged just under 300 for the Ks and 66s for the 400s which, for me at this altitude, is really solid. Miguel, the best runner in our group who was on the 2016 Olympic team for Ecuador, was giving us like 5 seconds head start on all those Ks. Dude is fit.

How much sleep do you get a night?

Tyler having some fun in Ecuador (photo by Emmett Scully of Trackster)

A lot. Especially when Im building up volume and in a really big block like I am now. Im a big believer in naps I try to nap almost every day, or at least lie down in bed and read. At night, I try to sleep at least 9 hours per night and sometimes as much as 11 if Im really beat.

We hear thatthat the people who captured Parker Stinsons Endure series have been filming you in Ecuador. Whats the purpose of the film and when will it be coming out?

Emmett Scully of Trackster (the same people who made the Parker Stinson series) got in touch w/ me back in the fall as Im friends w/ Parker and he recommended we connect as a very different kind of story to tell (from Parkers). He came down here to Quito, Ecuador for a couple weeks in January to basically just follow us around and tell our story. One of the things we did that week was put up a big new trail-run FKT (Fastest Known Time) in the mountains next to the city. There will be 4 or 5 videos total in the series and the first one documents that FKT and just came out today (I believe part 2 will be released tomorrow). Heres a link to part 1:

In terms of the purpose, I think the purpose is to give people insight into a pretty unique training style and environment. Other than Walmsley, Im probably one of the few people doing 6+ hour trail runs through high altitude (14,000+ ft) mountains in prep for the trials. But then, we also put in real work on the track w/ a bunch of 28/2h08 guys. Well do fartleks, faster intervals, etc. and run well under 300/km pace which is quick up here at 9,000+ ft. So, its a really interesting balance right now, especially as Im kind of straddling the worlds of marathon and ultra-(trail).

Sounds like your training group in Ecuador is continuing to get bigger? How did 2 Kenyans guys end up in Ecuador training?

Yes its grown. Basically the group that I used to train w/ under coach Franklin Tenorio (2h10 PR from the early 00s) merged w/ another group and is now training under coach Fredy Moposita. This merge basically brought together all of the best athletes in the Quito area, so now we have guys like Miguel Almachi (who is way better than his 2h15 PR and has been on at least on Olympic team) and also the Kenyan squad from Fredys original group, who have run 2h08 and 61 (at altitude). I honestly dont know their full names (just know them as David and Geoffrey), but I can find them if you want to fact-check/include it. And then Ive brought some of my own crew down. I had Anna Mae Flynn whos a fellow HOKA athlete and ultra-trail runner (she won the Lake Sanoma 50M and Speedgoat 50K in 2019) here in January and then two of my friends David Wilder and Matt Weickert are here in the Casa Chasqui (runners house) and we run together quite a bit as well. So, its a great international mix of friends from the US, friends from down here, and new faces. Definitely a strong group now.

What one piece of advice would you give to a high school/ younger runner?

Be patient, love the sport. Running is a life-long sport (if you want it to be) and you should find what you love about it. Maybe thats being on a team and having that social aspect, maybe its really internal and all about pushing yourself, maybe its some combination of lots of different things. But find the things that make running fun, joyful, and find ways to keep doing those. Dont let anyone else decide your path.

What one piece of advice would you give to a first-time marathoner?

Be patient (again!). Dont try anything new on race day.

What is the #1 piece of training advice youd give another runner?

Figure out what it is that you love about running, what it is that motivates you. Look internally; if the only thing thats driving you is beating someone or hitting some arbitrary time goal, thatll only take you so far. Theres always someone else to beat. Theres always another barrier to break. Find the love in the process, the day-to-day, that gets you out the door in the morning.

What one piece of advice would you give to a runner pursuing their dreams?

Dont let other people or conventional wisdom tell you what you can and cant do. I was an 1830 runner in HS and had absolutely no business thinking about the Olympic Marathon Trials (according to conventional wisdom). Even as a 1445 guy in college, I was still way off. But my coach (Jon Waldron) never told me I couldnt do something, never told me I could keep getting better. Yes, of course, be realistic w/ your goals. It wouldnt have been smart for me to be dreaming of Olympic Gold as that 1830 or even 1445 guy (or even now as a 2h15 guy). But dont write off goals completely; try to find intermediate steps and focus on those. One step at a time.

How do you balance training and working?

I work as an administrator for Strive Trips (editors note: an advertiser on LetsRun.com) in addition to having a pro contract with HOKA. Im a co-owner and extremely lucky to have a job where I can more or less schedule my own hours, work from my couch in my running clothes, etc. I have nothing but amazement and respect for the runners that fit their training and recovery around a 40+ hour work week, commuting, parenting, etc. I feel extremely blessed and grateful for the freedom I have in my life and the ability its given me to train and race.

Tyler training in Ecuador (photo by Emmett Scully of Trackster)

What would you be doing if you werent a pro runner?

Man, good question. Probably something not that different except Id be working more and running less. I did get a degree in Mechanical Engineering and Astrophysics in college, so I could see myself going into science if I hadnt gotten signed, but at this point, Im so deep in the running world that I likely see myself staying involved in some capacity for the rest of my career.

What is your favorite running memory?

Honestly, its not necessarily any particular great race or workout or anything. My favorite memories (Im cheating; I know) are those with friends and family that I love and care about. Its the Team USA trips, the races Ive run together w/ my best friends and training partners, the races for which my family has come out to cheer. This USOT will combine a lot of those, so Im confident itll be pretty special.

Who inspired you as a runner as a kid?

I didnt start to follow the sport until my senior year of HS when I went full-in. Up until that point, I really didnt care about running at all and had no idea how fast pro runners ran. I distinctly remember a friend of my HS coachs coming to talk to our team and hearing that he had run 4730 for 10 miles and doing some quick math and realizing that meant hed run 445 mile pace for 10 miles. This totally blew my mind until my teammate (who was more into the sport) explained to me that the marathon WR was faster than that. I think that was the first moment I realized how far up the sport went. That happened in 2007, so I remember being really inspired by the Olympic Marathon Trials in NYC that year, watching Ryan Hall win, and then beginning to get more into the sport. Haile G was definitely an early favorite as well.

What is your race day routine?

As Ive gotten older, Ive tried to be more flexible and not get shaken up when the race-day routine isnt perfect. That said, assuming I have control, I do still have a routine Id try to follow. It would look something like this:

T-3 hours: Wake up, have coffee, have a light breakfast (usually a granola bar), relax

T-1 hour: Be at the start

T-40-50 min (depending on race/warmup distance): Light jog of 10-20

T-20 min: drills, strides, get to the line

Probably nothing magical or at all unique there. Basically exactly what everyone else does and what I do before every workout.

Why do you run?

I run because I love it. I love pushing myself, testing my limits physically and mentally. I love racing and competing. I love the monastic simplicity of training. I love the community that running has given me. I love the world-wide travel that Ive been fortunate enough to experience because of running. I know that even if I werent running professionally, Id still be running in some capacity as its simply become a part of who I am.

Anything else you want to share?

I love that youre highlighting the smaller players in the sport. Ive always been a fan of the sport first and an athlete second and I personally love reading about the guys who might not be winning majors but are out there grinding nonetheless.

PS Ive been really enjoying the podcast the last few months. Its a great companion for a solo runs. I love listening to Gault and you guys bicker. Keep it up.

More on Tyler: Heres our LetsRun.com story and podcast with him from 2019.

This content is sponsored content for HOKA, but not approved by them.

Previous HOKA ONE ONE Takes On The Trials Stories: *HOKA NAZ Elite Coach Ben Rosario Talks 2020 Marathon Trials Expectations, Shoe Technology, Jim Walmsley, & Even Galen Rupp

*HOKA ONE ONE Trials Athlete Of The Day #6:Clinical Cancer Rearcher Manager Liza ReichertWho says you cant be an Olympic Marathon Trails qualifier and have a very important job? Meet Liza Reichert. *HOKA ONE ONE Trials Athlete Of The Day #5:Texan and US Mountain Team Member David FuentesMeet the two-time Trials qualifier who has never broken 2:20 in a marathon. Will the hills of Atlanta result in a big breakthrough for this US Mountain team member? Not only does he work a full-time job, he also has acool side hustle. *HOKA ONE ONE Trials Athlete Of The Day #4:Swarnjit Boyals: Incredible US Olympic Trials StoryLearn how Boyalhas progressed from being cut twice in college, to being a walkon, to a conference champion, and now a US Olympic Trials qualifier. *HOKA ONE ONE Trials Athlete Of The Day #3:Meet Addi Zerrenner The Trials Qualifier Who Taped a Picture of Shalane Flanagan on Her Wall in High SchoolDuring her 1st week of HS track practice, Zerrener was told she ran like Shalane Flanagan and shes been hooked ever since. *HOKA ONE ONE Trials Athlete Of The Day #2:Former US Marathon Champ Sergio Reyes Ready to Excel at Possibly His Final Trials at Age 38How many 38 year olds do you know that run up to 140 mpw. *HOKA ONE ONE Trials Athlete Of The Day #1:2007 Foot Locker Champ Ashley BrasovanIn HS, she beatJordan Hasayto win the crown and later was told by doctors she would never run again, let alone compete, after being diagnosed with osteoporosis and having 4 femoral stress fractures. Yet shes become a professional trail runner and 2X Olympic Marathon trials qualifier. *Introduction:HOKA ONE ONE Is Ready To Take On The Marathon Trials

More:
Tyler Andrews - The Male Trials Runner Who Didn't Break 18 Minutes in High School Who Now Trains with Kenyans in Ecuador - LetsRun.com

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The 92nd Academy Awards was a night of historic wins as the South Korean thriller, Parasite took home four golden statues, including the coveted Best Picture, making it the first foreign-language film to accomplish such a feat.

This years Oscars was a win for diversity, making its mark in the history books; it is arguably the most memorable Oscars in recent years. However, there is still room for improvement in the repeatedly white-washed and male-dominated ceremony which yet again saw no women nominated for Best Director.

Important wins of the night include indigenous New Zealander Taika Waititi who won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for his Nazi satire, Jojo Rabbit, dedicating his speech to indigenous kids around the world. Hair Love, which is about a father who has to style his African-American daughters hair for the first time, won Best Animated Short Film. And the composer of Joker, Hildur Gunadttir, became the first woman in 23 years to win an Oscar for Best Score only three other women have won before her. Parasite, directed by Bong Joon-ho, also took home Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film.

Despite there being a phenomenal female director pool from Greta Gerwigs Little Women to Lulu Wangs The Farewell, the academy once again overlooked the achievement of women. Only five women have ever been nominated for the spot in the academys 92-year history and Kathryn Bigelow was the only woman to win Best Director in 2010 for the war drama film, The Hurt Locker.

Its appalling that within the Oscars long history they have been unable to nominate a sufficient amount of female directors who have made remarkable films. Each year it becomes more confusing and maddening, when the Oscars dismiss bold and empowering films by female directors for often violent and sexualized films by men. By not recognizing female directors, the Oscars are sending the message that their artistry is irrelevant and doesnt matter. It is crucial that young girls look up and feel inspired by women in film, not the same brutal films like Joker and No Country For Old Men.

However, as men of color, Bong and Waititi still deserve to be celebrated for their monumental wins and shouldnt be minimalized. But considering the academys usual tendencies, it is shocking they were able to recognize a foreign film before female directors. At future Oscar ceremonies I would like to see both women and people of color being nominated for their accomplishments.

Parasites wins are not only a victory for the predominantly Asian cast, but for all international cinema. This groundbreaking film is a gamechanger for Hollywood. It will change the way foreign films are distributed, funded and viewed, starting a new era in cinema. Filmmakers and distributors should be racing to get non-English films out the door after this films triumph.

The South Korean film won a slew of prestigious awards that set it on its path to win Best Picture. Prior to the 2020 Oscars, Parasite was awarded the Palme dOr at the Cannes Film Festival last May and had big earnings at the box-office, making $165 million worldwide and a projected surge following its win.

Earlier this year, the film also won a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. The films director gave a candid speech via his translator, urging audiences to embrace subtitles.

Once you overcome the 1-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films, said Bong.

Its a valid argument. Foreign-language films shouldnt deter audiences from enjoying their creativity and message. Subtitles can be perceived as a barrier but its something that needs to be overcome. More audiences need to be pushed outside of their comfort zone and be exposed to international films instead of remaking or dubbing them.

However, Im worried the academy will consider Parasites win enough for foreign films and revert back to honoring white-washed American films. The Academy Awards are an international affair and should continue honoring a wide array of films, not just within the International Feature Film category.

Last year, Green Book was awarded Best Picture. It was a controversial film that was commonly perceived as the academys feel good pick. The film is about the relationship between an African-American pianist and his Italian-American driver in an era of segregation; it has been criticized as a film by white people for white people to self-congratulate themselves.

Its surprising to see the Best Picture award go from the poorly executed Green Book to the revolutionary Parasite however, audiences and the academy need to start embracing unconventional films. Parasites win will pave the way for foreign films, making audiences more interested, and streaming platforms more willing to adopt subtitled content. Theres a whole cinematic world beyond English speaking films.

Parasites epic win is a turning point for the Oscars but with the academy becoming more diverse, women still need to break that glass ceiling. Hopefully we can see this at next years ceremony and beyond.

Go here to see the original:
A win for diversity with room to improve - The Suffolk Journal

I m trying to remember the first time I enjoyed shopping. Not having a new thing, or spending money, but shopping. Im thinking of a Chennai bookstore called Odyssey, where my parents took me on the occasional Sunday afternoon through my childhood, left me to roam through an unfolding universe of childrens books. Im specifically remembering, right now, how it felt to stand in the stationery aisle on the evening before the first day of a new school year.

Im nine years old, running my fingers across shelves of highlighters and sketch pen sets, deliberating with utmost seriousness between this pen-pencil and that, cooling my small palms on the steel lids of geometry boxes. I remember: the thrill wasnt in taking home a new highlighter or multi-coloured pen. The joy peaked right there in that aisle, feeling through the possibilities for who I could be in the coming year. A person who highlights? A person who takes notes in different colours?

CHAD CROWE

Of course, no amount of pleading with my parents worked. I brought home the basics. And anyway, no amount of money sunk into elaborate stationery could possibly make me any of those people. To this day, post-its and coloured pens (now impulsively purchased with my own money) run dry in my home as I scribble notes in book margins with my singular black Pilot pen.

But if not more colourful note-taking, another lifelong habit took hold in that stationery aisle: browsing through potential better selves by browsing through products. Now I feel the same thrill in home decor and appliance stores. Could this blender make me a person who starts her days at dawn and with spinach smoothies? Or this polka-dotted ceramic waterer is it the missing link between who I am now and the type of person Id like to be, who owns cute gardening tools and keeps houseplants alive? Im a pro now at letting the possibility of a purchase carry the promise of a wholly transformed self. I was born the year India opened its economy to foreign brands and Indias advertisers were tasked with building a poor nations appetite for acquiring new, non-essential things. By age eight or nine, Id been around enough ads, on TV, on billboards, to have fallen for the basic logic of advertising the way to Be A Better Person is to Have Better Things. To be smarter, eat a better breakfast cereal. To be more adventurous, get a bigger car. For luck in love, this deodorant and that fairness cream will do the trick. To strive for self-improvement is as human as it gets and as I grew up, the linkage of self-improvement with product acquisition grew thick in the air around me, where it still hangs now, thicker than ever.

While our grandparents were barely marketed to at all, and our parents only when they turned on a radio or TV or opened a newspaper, my generation and I carry our sources of targeted, individualised advertising everywhere in our pockets with us. They come with us into bed. All we have to do is roll over and, still half-asleep, open our email or message inboxes to be propositioned by brands. My last two SMSes are from a makeup retailer and a pizza place. Advertising closely follows entertainment and nobody has ever been as entertained as we are. Open TikTok or Instagram and, within seconds, youll be told by a celebrity or influencer that you need this face-pack to clear your blemishes and that meditation app to optimise your mind. (It cant be coincidence that the vocabulary of entertainment perfectly mirrors capitalist imperatives: content is produced and consumed.)

Im nervous that even when we resist following them to needless purchases, seeing ads all day comes at a cost. Ads get you to click add to cart by first convincing you that your life without the product in question is lacking. Never before has a whole generation been told so regularly, nor in such insidious ways, that our lives are lacking.

Ads create an illusion that some Perfect Life exists perfect skin, perfect vacations, perfect romance, perfect joy and insist that the secret to attaining such perfection is buying new things. We end up finding our own real lives, messy and greasy and imperfect as they are, intolerable. And rather than focusing on the real labours involved in finding contentment reflection, solitude, authenticity, love we shop, are left poorer and poised again to fail.

I want to guard my psyche against these attacks. Im not yet sure how. Like everyone else my age, I settle for sharing memes about self-loathing and generalised anxiety. Like other young women on Instagram, I issue strict public instructions to myself and the world to love yourself and be yourself feeble defences against the capitalist regime I grew up in, whose ubiquitous mandate is improve yourself by buying this thing. As long as were seeing images of other peoples joy, well be tempted to mimic it by buying what they have. As long as our buying keeps national and international economies churning, well be inundated with images of other peoples joy, left dully questioning our own. Reminded regularly, on perfectly good days, of blemishes that need removing and teeth that could, I suppose, be whiter, now that you mention it.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

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When clicking add to cart still cant make your life perfect - Economic Times

Being cut from a sports team can be one of the most devastating events in a youth's life.

If being told they're not good enough isn't painful already, many youths feel angry, embarrassed and confused with their feelings and how they should process the news about being deselected. Being cut can be humbling, and it can lead to pessimistic thoughts about trying out for the team again in the future -- or any sports team, for that matter.

The process of being cut

Being "cut" is the slang term used for when a student athlete is deselected from a sports team. Usually, the reason a student is cut from a team has to do with lacking sport skills, but other reasons could relate to being academically ineligible, physically injured and unable to play, or perhaps the toughest reason of all, "politics." Regardless of why a student gets cut from a team, it's safe to assume the vast majority of them were not anticipating being cut, and even fewer will be unaffected in a negative way from the news.

There are differences in the ways in which coaches deliver the news of being cut, from simply taping a list on the coach's office door to more sensitive measures that include delivering the news to youths privately. The net result, regardless of how the news is delivered, is that youths who are cut will need to face the reality that for this upcoming season, they will not be a part of the team or be around their teammates. As you can imagine, this is often really heavy stuff for them to work through and rebound from moving forward.

What you can do

Although it is true that when a youth gets cut from a sports team, it's an intimate experience that only the individual can experience and process. Still, family, friends and even coaches can help by using the following tips:

Talk frankly, but show sensitivity. When talking to youths who have been cut, it's OK to talk about the experience openly and honestly. Remind them that this is just one of the many hurdles and challenges they will face in life but also allow a shoulder to lean on when needed. You might also use the expression, "it's not how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get up," as you discuss the value of resiliency and perseverance.

Reflect using an internal locus of control. Try to prevent youths from finger-pointing and calling out "politics" as the reason they were cut from the team. Rather than spending time blaming the coach (and others), try to instead encourage them to look inward and ask powerful questions like "What could I have done better?" "What are my areas of weakness that need improved?" "How can I come back again next time and perform better?"

Solicit feedback. Although it might not be a pleasant thought, youths who follow up with the coach to learn where they fell short often receive invaluable feedback that can be used to set future goals. Steer clear of pointing at other athletes and making comparisons and instead simply seek to learn what you can do for future self-improvement.

Set goals. As you receive feedback from the coaches, put that information into action with new goals that are specific, measurable and controllable.

Final thoughts

Being cut from a sports team is never fun, but it can be an invaluable learning experience that can lead to future success. Try to avoid assuming "politics" were to blame and instead learn the specific areas that need improved for the next time there are tryouts. And finally, it's important to remember that many great athletes -- including Michael Jordan -- were once cut from sports teams, making it important to stay positive and optimistic for future success.

Dr. Chris Stankovich is the founder of Advanced Human Performance Systems, an athletic counseling and human performance enhancement center. Sports parents, please check out The Parents Video Playbook and sports counseling services at drstankovich.com.

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Sports Doc: Tips to help youths handle getting cut from team - ThisWeek Community News

It is worth remembering, particularly right now, that High Fidelity was never just a story about record store nerds ranking their days away. Part of what made Nick Hornbys 1995 novel such a hit, leading to a 2000 movie adaptation, was its uncensored view into the psyche of stunted, self-pitying, supposedly sensitive straight men who obsess over stuff. This fundamental male-ness was well-noted in reviews at the time. Hornbys books reveal a fascination with the sheer voodoo of what so often passes as masculinity: the weird ritual facts, the useless objects... wrote The New Yorker, while lad mag Details was a bit blunter: Keep this book away from your girlfriendit contains too many of your secrets to let it fall into the wrong hands. Those secrets include a deep fear of sexual inadequacy, including a passage where the record-store owner protagonist Rob self-deprecatingly longs for his fathers era, because back then a man wasnt expected to make a woman cum. Theres another, more famous part where this same middle-aged man feels the need to warn other men that women dont wear sexy underwear 24/7.

Hornbys book is laden with Robs interior monologues, which are boiled down to a few key philosophies delivered straight to the camera by John Cusack in the movie: Theres the link between being sad and loving pop music (What came first, the misery or the music?), the rules for properly sequencing a mixtape, and the guiding principle that you are what you culturally consume.

The rom-com format also emphasizes Robs quest to track down his Top 5 All-Time Most Memorable Heartbreaks, starting with a girl he made out with for two afternoons in middle school, who apparently married the next boy she kissed. Later, Rob meets up with his high school girlfriend and asks why she slept with another guy so quickly after they broke up, since she was such a prude with him. She reminds Rob that he actually broke up with her and reveals that she was too tired to fight [the other guy] off, and it wasnt rape, because I said OK, but it wasnt far off, adding that she didnt have sex for many years afterward. To which Rob responds, quoting the book verbatim, Thats another one I dont have to worry about. I should have done this years ago. His pathetic need to know why these women dumped him presumes that they owe him some kind of explanation, often at their own expense.

Now 20 years after the movie, High Fidelity has been rebooted as a 10-episode Hulu series centered around a womana woman named Rob (short for Robin). Shes played by Zo Kravitz, who at least looks way cooler in a baggy leather jacket and beat-up Dickies tee than Cusack ever did. Still, I found myself wondering how the show would deal with the outdated aspects of its source material. Would Kravitz drop ugly truth-bombs about women in the same way that the book did about men, or be forced to turn her tastes into Top 5 lists? And could this ode to music superfandom really get away with not acknowledging the advent of streaming?

Kravitz, it turns out, makes for a more dynamic, likeable Rob. She still owns Championship Vinyl, a perpetually empty used record store (this time in Brooklyn), where she employs two fellow pop-culture junkies who channel their passions in wildly divergent ways (DaVine Joy Randolph and David H. Holmes, both in heart-filled, star-making turns). Their world is strewn with useless trivia from the High Fidelity universethe kinds of details these characters might obsess over, only turned into easter eggs: The main hangout is a bar named DeSalles, as in Marie DeSalle, the singer-songwriter character once portrayed by Kravitzs mom, Lisa Bonet. The shows musical canon centers around classic artists like David Bowie, whos something of a spiritual guide to Rob, along with Prince and Fleetwood Mac. Echoing a memorable scene from the movie, there are multiple nods to folktronica group the Beta Band, as well as a moment where they remake said scene with a song by outsider icon Swamp Dogg.

There are other modern updates to key comedic bits as well, some more eye-roll-inducing than others. The out-of-touch dad who comes in looking for tacky, sentimental crap like Stevie Wonders I Just Called to Say I Love You for his daughter is replaced by a woman trying to buy Michael Jacksons Off the Wall for her boyfriend. (Rob argues that its OK because the album is as much the work of producer Quincy Jones as it is MJ.) While debating whether to cancel great artists who did very bad things is indeed top of mind these days, its not exactly a discussion that lends itself to laughs. And just like the movie, there are direct quotes from Hornbys book in the script (the author served as an executive producer, alongside Kravitz, the team behind Ugly Betty, and more).

The series opens a year after a devastating breakup, just as Robs putting herself out there again. Her ex Mac (Kingsley Ben-Adir) is back in town and engaged, which prompts a similar search for past relationship closure as the source material. In the beginning of the season, Kravitzs characters personality seems a lot like the Robs of the past: self-involved, secretly sentimental and not-so-secretly sad (there are so many shots of her poutily smoking and listening to records), equally terrified of commitment and loneliness. While Robs journey in previous versions offered only slight personal progress (with his off-on girlfriend Laura actually facilitating much of the change), Kravitzs Rob shows the real-life challenges and vulnerabilities of self-improvement. By the last episode, shes taken the first steps toward treating the people in her life better, and makes a decision that plants her firmly pointed forward.

A generous reading might consider the show a corrective to the original, particularly because women, people of color, and queer folks now work the stacks at Championship Vinyl. A more skeptical take is that even this well-meaning shift is morally suspect. As the New York Times Amanda Hess wrote two years ago of Hollywoods thirst for gender-flipped remakes, These reboots require women to relive mens stories instead of fashioning their own. And theyre subtly expected to fix these old films, to neutralize their sexism and infuse them with feminism, to rebuild them into good movies with good politics, too. They have to do everything the men did, except backwards and with ideals. Why spend all this time, money, and energy updating and changing the gender on source material that, in hindsight, is pretty dodgy about women? Is High Fidelity really so beloved (or its brand name so powerful) that they couldnt have started from scratch on a series about music obsessives who arent exclusively straight white men? What is the point of paying homage to all this ephemera?

Theres a specific strain of toxic masculinity that lurks underneath the surface of, and is core to, the music fandom in High Fidelity. Its the kind where men who struggle with conveying their feelings turn to their record collections as emotional support blankets. They dole out their music knowledge like baseball-card statistics and treat women as fair-weather fans who dont even know the rules. (Many women critics I know prefer not to publicly rank their favorite music, which likely has something to do with how weve been condescended to in the past.) It doesnt exactly help that the moviearguably the first quintessentially 00s-hipster rom-comwas successful enough to turn this argumentative mode of listenership into a full-blown clich.

Reading High Fidelity recently, I noticed that nearly all the women characters were perceived as outside the realm of record-collecting. Love interests require a recalibration of taste (timid shop employee Dicks new lady friend cant possibly stay a Simple Minds fan), or a correction (Robs music journalist crush needs to be schooled on Top 5 list distinctions). Over the course of the book, Rob essentially schools girlfriend Laura to understand the differences between good pop music (authentic, soulful, largely old and American) and bad pop music (Tina Turner, Mike Oldfields Tubular Bells), distinctions that by todays poptimist standards seem positively arbitrary. (Which the show, to its credit, appears to realize: Tina Turners Private Dancer is on display behind the cash register, alongside Jay Reatards Matador Singles 08 and Tyler, the Creators Goblin.)

With all this in mind, its hard to even enjoy the series turning point, the moment when it dawns on Rob that maybe she shouldnt be such an asshole. The realization arrives, like a seed being planted, at the end of the episode Uptown, which turns a five-page passage in the book and a deleted scene from the movie into one of the seasons centerpieces. A woman calls Championship Vinyl saying shes selling a record collection, so Rob and her kinda-boyfriend Clyde (Jake Lacy) go uptown to check it out. The woman, a performance artist delightfully played by Parker Posey, is offering up her husbands prized collectionlikely worth tens of thousands of dollarsfor a mere $20, as a conceptual stunt seeking revenge for his infidelity. Rob isnt sure what to do, so she and Clyde go down to the fancy hotel where the cheating husband is staying, in an attempt to casually discover if this guy indeed sucks. Turns out hes even worse than expected.

Played by Jeffrey Nordling, aka Laura Derns spectacular man-child of a husband in Big Little Lies, the dude is a total shitheel, replete with a midlife-crisis ponytail and a young girlfriend who doesnt speak. He cuts off Rob at every turn, name-dropping rock stars and talking exclusively at Clyde. It all comes to a head when Rob challenges him on the release year of Wings live album Wings Across America; she knows its 1976. No, sweetpea, youre wrong, says the smug jackass, whos sticking by 1984 as the answer. What comes next is, briefly, one of the best moments in the whole first season: Rob flexes her knowledge by critiquing the LPs backing vocal overdubs (At what point is a live album not a live album?) and praising its version of Maybe Im Amazed. Kravitz plays it perfectly, meeting the mans growing indignance with an unbothered coolness. Ponytail guy responds by turning to Clyde and saying, Youve got yourself quite a little firecracker there, dont you pal? Word of advice: Its all cute now but it gets old fast, trust me.

Rob should absolutely buy this mans records at a deep discountboth because she owns a freaking record store in this musical economy, and because he deserves it. But she bails at the last minute, telling Poseys character that music should be for everyone. Really, as Clyde points out on the ride home, its because of her own fear that, if shes bad enough, someone could take away her records, too. I suppose it wouldnt be High Fidelity if it didnt treat music fanaticism like the ultimate form of tribalism, but the show only adds fuel to the fire by making Robs adversary perfectly emblematic of a certain insufferable strain of wealthy, recreational music expert. The Robs of the past were showing off their collector code of ethics when they balked at the purchase, but Kravitz is motioning vaguely towards personal betterment. The female twist on High Fidelity? Growth and maturity.

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We Didnt Need the High Fidelity TV Show - Pitchfork

As the Democratic primaries unfold, many African Americans are dissatisfied with the undue influence of white, liberal forces on their political leaders. So, this election season may be a good time for representatives of black districts to pay heed to the legacy of the Pan-African project. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of the Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World, a galvanizing event in the politics of Pan-Africanism after World War I.

The declaration was adopted at an August 1920 conference of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), a Pan-African movement founded in Harlem by Jamaican activist Marcus Garvey. The event was held at Madison Square Garden and summoned members from different states and countries. Of prime concern was the question of black development in the context of Jim Crow oppression in the U.S. and European dominance in the West Indies and Africa.

The declaration demanded African independence and civil rights for blacks of the diaspora. It issued a political manifesto seeking control of black institutions, fair employment and wages, unlimited educational opportunities, training of doctors and medical technicians, safeguarding of women and children, and trade links between the black peoples of the world.

The declaration also promoted a cultural agenda of instruction in black history, a holiday to commemorate African culture, establishment of the Pan-African flag with the symbolic red, black, and green colors of the Negro race, and the Pan-African anthem, Ethiopia, Thou Land of Our Fathers.

UNIA was a populist movement led by the charismatic Garvey. However, Garveyism was only one episode in the broader politics of Pan-Africanism. Parallel to the UNIA program were the Pan-African Congresses organized by black elites. The first was sponsored in London in 1900 by the Trinidadian barrister Henry Sylvester-Williams. By 1920, the meetings were conducted under the American scholar and civil rights leader, W.E.B. DuBois.

In totality, the movements addressed a broad program of African unity. After the third Pan-African Congress in 1923, DuBois took measure of the fledgling efforts in The Negro Mind Reaches Out.

Pan-Africanism as a living movement, a tangible accomplishment, is a little and negligible thing, he acknowledged, adding, And yet slowly but surely the movement grows and the day faintly dawns when the new force for international understanding and racial readjustment will and must be felt.

The goals of the American civil rights and African liberation movements were forged in these associations. Influenced were Presidents Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Leopold Senghor of Senegal, Sekou Toure of Guinea, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, and singer Miriam Makeba of South Africa, among others. Martin Luther King Jr. was an honorary guest at the inauguration of Nkrumah in 1957 and commemorated on a Ghanaian postage stamp. The leaders responded with divergent approaches to the Pan-African challenge; they confronted the mean realities of under-development and white neo-colonial control. All were indebted to the visionaries of 1920.

Today, black political leaders are enmeshed in a quagmire of unrequited liberal alliances. Witness the current black experience in the Democratic presidential primaries: Their concerns are marginalized in a selection process that entitles white regions; their authentic candidates are neutered in a system that rewards white billionaires and financial interests. No doubt some viewers found it ironic that the State of the Union address was more attuned to a black agenda federal criminal justice reform, Historically Black Colleges and Universities funding, empowerment zones than the Democratic response.

The centennial of the Declaration of the Rights of the Negro Peoples is an opportunity for the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) to reassess the merits of a Pan-African outlook. How can government resources build on the goals of self-reliance, community development and global outreach? How can policies further the needs for self-improvement, strong families, community networks, business investment and state political participation? How to strengthen anti-discrimination laws and programs of uplift for young black males?

In this election season, representatives must consider whether there is more to gain from attention to politics in key southern states than to the Democratic presidential primaries. The Georgia imperative is the most important of all: In the 2018 gubernatorial election, Democrat Stacey Abrams proved that a winning black-led political coalition is well within reach. It took practices of alleged election fraud to thwart victory. Congressional representatives of black districts should demand a House inquiry into such allegations it could provide valuable information on the means of voter suppression in 2020 and ways to update the Voting Rights Act.

Finally, the establishment of a black-led alliance in Georgia could create opportunities for future generations. The states are laboratories for innovative laws and health and education policies, training grounds for aspiring political leaders, and settings for small business development, trading with overseas markets, and representation in the Senate. Surely, other majority-minority groups have used state power to advantage the Mormons in Utah, Hispanics in New Mexico, and Asians in Hawaii are examples.

The centennial of the declaration is a moment for black congressional leaders to consider anew the Pan-African project. As the U.S. equivalent of a Pan-African Congress, the CBC could build on the awareness of a shared history awakened in the symbolic 2019 Year of Return. Whatever steps they take should reignite the promise of the old declaration to encourage our race all over the world and to stimulate it to a higher and grander destiny.

Roger House, Ph.D., is an associate professor of American studies at Emerson College in Boston. Since 2014, he has published VictoryStride.com, a multimedia library resource on African American history and culture. He has produced radio programs on African American history for NPR, and is the author of Blue Smoke: The Recorded Journey of Big Bill Broonzy.

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Revisiting a declaration of black political independence | TheHill - The Hill

As we settle into the new year and face new career challenges, our minds often turn to personal improvement. In this depressed economy, workplace performance is more important than ever before, and most of us are eager to excel. With better job performance, we can move up in our company, increase our salary, and begin to save for the future.

But one of the biggest barriers to improving our job performance is finding the energy and motivation to do so. Without these qualities, our attempts to enroll in continuing education courses, take on extra shifts, or excel at work projects can often fall flat. Theres no question about it moving up in the professional world requires a drive and focus that eludes many people who are trying to juggle child care, daily errands, and relationships as well as full-time jobs.

So what can you do to ensure that you can earn a higher salary, improve your job prospects and increase the balance in your bank account? Take heart these six mood and energy hacks can help transform you from a lethargic underachiever to an energetic go-getter. Implementing just a few of these tips may very well take you from being on the verge of unemployment to being a top performer.

In order of importance:

With our planets atmosphere under relentless siege, the quality of our daily sunlight has become more corrupted than ever before. Not that it matters most of us are too busy working to notice. And yet Vitamin D3, which is the byproduct of sunlight, is essential to our bodys functioning.

Most people are Vitamin D3-deficient, and suffering tremendously for it. Supplementing with Vitamin D3 has consistently proven to 10x your productivity, reducing your need for sleep, minimizing your appetite and turbocharging your energy levels. While the FDA recommends dosages of 800 IU per day, studies advise dosages in the minimum range of 2000 IU. Ive personally found success taking 6,000 IU daily, and feel like a 15-year-old again. Vitamin D3 begins to become toxic at 10,000 IU per day, so theres plenty of room for error. Source Naturals is a fantastic brand for Vitamin D3.

As a health supplement, 5-HTP has a myriad of positive health effects. Dr. Daniel Amen of the Amen Clinics recommends 5-HTP for regulating sleep cycles, which helps with energy levels. 5-HTP is also known for being an effective antidepressant, more effective than prescription medication in some cases. Dr. Amen recommends a dosage of 50 to 100 mg, twice per day, for best results. Try the Source Naturals brand for best results.

CBD, which is derived from the cannabis or marijuana plant, has a strong reputation for helping users manage high stress and anxiety levels. Taken in gummy bear, lollipop, tincture, capsule or oil form, even a small dose can have nuclear effects. Hemp Bombs is a high-quality brand to try, although you can find good CBD products at any reputable retailer. At the high end, the most potent Hemp Bombs oils cost over $300 and contain more than 4,000 mg of CBD, making them a great choice for even the most severe stress and anxiety.

New Years resolutions about squeezing back into your sports bra or workout belt and hitting the gym are so passe as to be laughable at this point. But did you know that exercising just five minutes a day can have powerful effects on your mood, energy levels, and health? With just a few minutes daily of YouTube exercise videos, jogging or sports, youll feel like a new person.

A good diet can do wonders for your mood and energy levels. But eating well doesnt have to mean getting neurotic about fats and carbs. Everyone knows the basics try to stay away from sugar and fried foods, eat lots of lean proteins and whole grains, consume more produce. But you dont have to overhaul your diet right away start with a few more servings of fruits and vegetables daily, or begin drinking more water. And dont forget to treat yourself!

Getting enough sleep is essential to any self-improvement plan. Although taking Vitamin D3 will reduce your need for sleep, make sure you get your seven to nine hours most nights if at all possible. Develop a bedtime routine, and invest in new sheets, comforters, and pillows for your bed maybe even a comfy featherbed if youre so inclined. Make sure you get home at a decent hour every night and eat a good healthy dinner two to three hours before bed.

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6 tips to improve your mood and energy levels at work - Ladders

People invest in luxury experiences for various reasons and at different points in their life. While for some, a once-in-a-lifetime vacation to a five-star resort is just that, others invest in the best-of-the-best as a way of their lifestyle.

However, as more and more activists stand up for Mother Nature and her suffering, many luxury brands are tasked with creating unique, incredible opportunities, travel moments and products that raise the barbut do not create more waste.

Many strategic brands have not only thought about sustainability, but theyve made it the cornerstone of the experience their customers have. From electronics and clothing to travel and beyond, here are ways to stand out from the rest of the noiseall while promoting goodwill.

NAD Electronics

Who they are: This company was founded in 1972 and produced high-fidelity music systems, and made their way to North America in 1979. Twenty years later, Lenbrook international purchased them, and invested in new audio and video technology.

Their sustainable practice: When you have a piece of technology that works just fine when you first start using it, but then starts to suffer when a new, shiny option is released, its frustrating. And also pretty terrible for the environment. NAD solved this by introducing Modular Design Construction, that places the complex digital circuitry on replaceable and easily updatable slide-in modules for TVs and audio systems. They first implemented this practice in 2007and have been improving it ever since.

How it changed the brand: Not only were their customers happy, but they saved money. it allowed us to innovate constantly and keep our products fresh in the market. At the same time renewing just 30 percent of the product saved the development costs required when creating a completely new product. It also allowed our customers to stay current with new technology while protecting their investment in a product that wont become prematurely obsolete. About a third of our customers have upgraded their products to newer technology!, shares Greg Stidsen, the chief technology officer for Lenbrook International/NAD Electronics.

Sun Child

Who they are: This luxury clothing company offers gorgeous and one-of-a-kind silk sundresses, jackets, and jumpsuits.

Their sustainable practice. No matter what you purchase from this company, you can feel good about it since everything is created from upcycled saris. In fact, every single last scrap of the fabric is used in the design process, with nothing going to waste. Anything thats left over is turned into a silk bag thats included with every purchase, for easy traveling. Those scraps from the hang tags are turned into labels that are sewn into the garments. Going a step beyond sustainability, they are also promoting goodwill, since they provide jobs to people throughout a small village in Goa, employing individual artisans rather than large factories. The brands founder made this change a few years ago, after visiting Goa and seeing scraps on the floor. She was inspired to turn them into a bag. She realized she could do no wasteand still be successful.

How its changed the brand: We are always striving to be better, to learn and do what we can. We started this brand to help a family, and at the stressful moments we always come back to why we are doing what we are doing. We love it when women come to the showroom and cry tears of joy over the silks.this happens often. Theres a palpable energy to our pieces. Elissa Kravetz, owner and designer of Sun Child.

Studio Three

The brand: As the name suggests, this boutique and elite fitness studio brand offers three disciplines: interval training, indoor cycling and yoga. With two locations in Chicago, its become a favorite with a cult-following.

Their sustainable practice: Every part of their business touches on green initiatives, from the locker rooms and the laundry to building systems and their front desk operations. They do not sell plastic water bottles, only communicate with members via digital mediums, they turn off electricity when its not needed, only run full loads of laundry and encourage members to bring their own, and so on. Right now, theyre also working to implement other sustainability principles, including movement sensor ambient lighting, paperless restrooms, greener cleaning supplies and so on.

How its changed the brand: It hasnt changed the company as much as its made us better: more creative, more mindful, more holistic in our approach to self-improvement. Its not only about coming to the club to work or workout. Its my hope and belief, as we have witnessed, that people will generally do what is right if presented with the opportunity. David Blitz, Studio Three president & CEO.

Soneva Fushi

The brand: Dreamy and elegant, this Maldives boutique property is about as picture-perfect as you can imagine. But this five-star hotel also makes an effort to support Mother Nature and its local delicate ecosystem.

Their sustainable practice: Since 2017, Soneva Fushi has been hyperfocused on their environmental footprint, and today, it recycles 90 percent of its waste on-site through a robust waste management strategy. This starts with their Plastic Recycling Program, which made the resort the first in the Maldives to recycle plastic on site. They also provide guests the opportunity to be part of this goodwill, where they can use recycled glass to create a take-home masterpiece. Most recently in February 2020, they launched Soneva Namoona, which is a project aimed to reduce plastic waste from their neighboring islands. This partnership works with local government and Eco Centro facilities to promote the purpose and value of effectively handling waste.

How its changed the brand: Maalhos can now produce wealth from its waste. This is just the beginning; and we will roll out the Eco Centros to Dharavandhoo and Kihaadhoo this year, and working with the government in hopes to extend the project to the whole of Baa Atollmaking it truly Namoona Baa.Sonu Shivdasani, Sonevas CEO and co-founder.

Brilliant Earth

The brand: Brilliant Earth is a global retailer of responsibly sourced bridal and fine jewelry. Founded in 2005 by Beth Gerstein and Eric Grossberg, Brilliant Earth is dedicated to creating exquisite fine jewelry while promoting a more ethical, transparent and compassionate jewelry industry.

Their sustainable practice: When you read about conflict-free diamonds, usually it means a brand is following the Kimberley Process definition. This is a narrow approach, since it defines conflict diamonds as those that finance rebel movements against recognized government. However, Brilliant Earth takes it a step further by ensuring their supplies meet a long chain of custody protocol, giving them the ability to track and segregate diamonds by origin. This means supplies are required to source diamonds from specific mine operators who follow internationally-recognized labor, trade and environmental standards. In addition to this, they also craft jewelry from recycled metals, hoping to protect both human life and the planet. And, to offset their carbon footprint, they contribute to the Tropical Rainforest Conservation in Brazil, protecting 750,000 acres of tropical rainforest.

How its changed their brand: Our strong social mission to give back and provide jewelry sourced in an ethical and sustainable manner is central to who we are as a company. While we have evolved to become one of the fastest growing jewelers, our focus on sustainability has remained at the forefront of our brand and our company. We are just as passionate about cultivating a more transparent, sustainable, and compassionate jewelry industry today as we were when we first began.Beth Gerstein, co-founder & CEO of Brilliant Earth.

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These 5 companies will make your life easier and help the environment - Ladders

"1776" is an assembly of independent voices who uphold our countrys authentic founding virtues and values and challenge those who assert America is forever defined by its past failures, such as slavery.

* * *

In 2019, marking 400 years since the first known Africans arrived on these shores from West Africa as slaves, the New York Times launched its ambitious 1619 Project. It aimed to reexamine U.S. history through the lens of black history as if American history began with the arrival of the first black folks.

The concept was well-intended, and the execution of its first episode well-documented. Yet, it left me feeling that the New York Times missed at least half of the story. By looking through the lens of black victimization, it paid too little attention to what I call black overcoming our victories over adversity and achievements of success, sometimes in conflict but also often in cooperation with people from other races and ethnic groups.

The New York Times incorrectly assumes that the challenges facing particularly inner-city blacks are related to a legacy of slavery and discrimination. This is patently untrue. Lets look at the issue of poverty and how were treated.

Our perceptions are distorted by the colorization of poverty in the mid-1960s. Media images of President Lyndon B. Johnsons war on poverty focused mostly on poor whites in Appalachia, where LBJ announced his initiative and where I later would work with mostly white teens in the Upward Bound program as a college student in 1967. But with the outbreak of riots in Watts, Harlem, Chicago, and other urban centers, news media images of rural poverty were replaced by images from the ghetto.

Colorization has had a profound impact on other issues too. In the 1980s, for example, crack cocaine was perceived as a mostly black problem and a law enforcement issue. In the 1990s, opioid addiction was perceived as a mostly rural white problem and a public health issue.

J.D. Vance, writing in Hillbilly Elegy about growing up in the same Ohio town where I had grown up almost two generations earlier, ignited a new discussion from the grassroots of white poverty and drugs that showed me the important similarities between poor blacks and whites in America, despite the tribalism encouraged by demagogic leaders in both races. I have known many welfare queens, Vance writes. Some were my neighbors, and all were white. His candor is refreshing.

Vance tends to view poverty in the way many people in the traditionally Republican town of Middletown, Ohio, as a problem of culture, morality, character, and personal responsibility. I agree that personal character matters, but I also have witnessed those values undermined by what William Julius Wilson called the disappearance of work of Ohios well-paid, low-skill industrial jobs that lured Vances family from Kentucky and mine from Alabama.

Vances book forced me to take a new look at my life and hometown and about our similarities and our differences. Vance explains in his introduction how personal stories offer cultural insights that are essential to any serious discussion of equal opportunity.

Nobel-winning economists worry about the decline of the industrial Midwest and the hollowing out of the economic core of working whites, he writes. What they mean is that manufacturing jobs have gone overseas and middle-class jobs are harder to come by for people without college degrees. Fair enough I worry about those things, too. But this book is about something else: what goes on in the lives of real people when the industrial economy goes south. Its about reacting to bad circumstances in the worst way possible. Its about a culture that increasingly encourages social decay instead of counteracting it.

Its not laziness thats destroying hillbilly culture, says Vance. Its what psychologist Martin Seligman calls learned helplessness. Too many of us African Americans have picked up that malady as well.

Where should we go from here? Similarities between Vances life and mine showed me how much we need to desegregate our poverty discussion, to learn across the lines of race and class the true causes of poverty and inequality and, more importantly, what works to solve them.

Yes, blacks have fought to make true the ideals in our nations founding documents, as the New York Times says. But its statement that the founding ideals were false is misleading and even counterproductive to our understanding of the founding documents as aspirational. The principle that all men, or people, are created equal was true in early American law only for white, property-owning men. But the Founders, as a minority themselves, wisely took that principle of equality very seriously in the abstract, understanding that they themselves might need it someday. They established a tradition: Guarantee inalienable rights to some but also establish the legal mechanisms to extend those equal protections to others without and this is important taking those rights away from those who have them.

Our project, 1776, puts less of an emphasis on history and more on the question prophetically raised by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., at the height of his civil rights revolution: Where do we go from here? Mindful of the inevitable criticism that his movement was subversive, King made a special effort to ground his historic 1963 I Have a Dream speech in a dream as old as the American dream by repeated references to the nations founding documents, including Abraham Lincolns Gettysburg Address. He assured friends and foes alike that his civil rights movement had come not to deny the gospel of the American dream, but to fulfill it.

We must disrupt the long-held stereotypes of black people as helpless bystanders in their own history. We have had entrepreneurs, skilled tradesmen, military officers, inventors, organizers, and many others who responded to adversity by marshaling resources, building local enterprises, and creating jobs. We organized and acted to defeat slavery, segregation, and deprivation, and then we persevered to build businesses that included banks, hotels, small factories, and a black-owned railroad.

In addition to the consequences of slavery, these contributions of black Americans should be at the very center of the story we tell ourselves about who we are. Even in bondage, slaves had agency in various amounts, or to varying degrees, and they acted on it in a variety of ways. Those who prefer to focus on our victimization dont always want to recognize it, but the ways our ancestors exercised agency in bondage formed the foundation of their successes (or failures) after they were freed.

Americans are optimistic people, but we care more about the future than the past. We care about the past mostly as much as it helps us to deal with the uncertainties of our future. Changes, demographic and otherwise, are tearing us apart. Our historic victimization must never be forgotten, but it is best remembered through the stories of our groundbreaking victories over oppression through faith, courage, talent, persistence, ingenuity, and hard work.

It may be a clich these days to note that our differences should not be allowed to stand in the way of what we share in common, but too often they still do. We must find ways to appreciate the contributions that our diverse population contributes to American life. We need to study not only the atrocities of U.S. history but also Americas magnificent capacity for self-improvement as we seek the tools and knowledge to help us face our shared future with new hope together.

Pulitzer Prize-winning news columnist Clarence Page is a columnist and senior member of the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune.

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Clarence Page: Embrace black patriotism over victimization and 'learned helplessness' - Washington Examiner