Monthly Archives: February 2020

Card acquiring trends in the Caribbean – Finextra

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Card acceptance

In general terms, card acceptance is widespread in tourist areas and continues to experience a period of dynamic growth in the region. Card usage is relatively high in countries with local debit card schemes. CarIFS cards in Barbados and ATH cards in Puerto Rico are highly appreciated by merchants due to their low acceptance cost, while they are widely offered by issuers. Mobile payments are also gaining traction, with solutions such as ATH Mvil in Puerto Rico, or Island Pay in the Bahamas, becoming increasingly popular among consumers.

Nonetheless, in the smaller and more remote towns or islands, cash sometimes remains the only payment option available. This is due to a general preference towards cash among consumers, combined with an overall lack of infrastructure (including the limited presence of banks on some islands and poor connection at terminals). As a response to this, acquirers appear to be targeting small merchants in remote areas with simple and easy-to-use mPOS solutions. These products are tailored to the specific needs of these businesses, commonly on-the-move and with limited card volumes.

Foreign cards

The Caribbean is a major tourist destination for North American and European travellers alike. Correspondingly, inbound transactions make up the majority of credit card spend in the region, with travel & entertainment-related industries attracting the majority of acquired billings (e.g. hotels, restaurants, airlines).

U.S. travellers account for the majority of inbound spend in the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands and especially Puerto Rico, where c.86% of all tourists came from the U.S. in 2018. Canadians, British (main spenders in Barbados), Russians and visitors from other Caribbean countries make up for the majority of the remaining inbound spend.

Due to the significant influx of U.S. travellers and the fact that local credit cards can be denominated in U.S. dollars in some countries (e.g. the Cayman Islands), acquirers tend to offer settlement in both the local currency and in USD. However, the ease of opening an account in a foreign currency varies across markets. While in the Cayman Islands most merchants have both a KYD as well as a USD merchant account, in the Bahamas and Barbados there seem to be some restrictions in place. In Bahamas, merchants need to have an annual card volume of less than US$100K to open an account in USD, which is in sharp contrast to Barbados, where only a few very large merchants have been granted permission by the central bank to open an account in a foreign currency.

Our estimation of the proportion of foreign card spend out of credit card billings is the following:

Competitive landscape

Three Canadian banks command the acquiring landscape in the Caribbean: Scotiabank, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC). There are significant differences across markets though. In Barbados and the Bahamas, these three banks are the leading acquirers, followed by some regional players such as Bank of the Bahamas, Royal Fidelity Bank, and Republic Bank. The aforementioned Canadian acquirers are also active in the Cayman Islands, but two regional banks appear to be the most prominent: Butterfield Bank and Cayman National Bank.

The competitive landscape is very different in Puerto Rico, where the leading acquirer is Evertec, which was created as a subsidiary of Banco Popular and became independent in 2010. Evertec owns the local debit network scheme (ATH) and provides acquiring and processing services to the leading banks: Banco Popular, First Bank and Oriental Bank (with Oriental, the agreement is only focused on processing). Other players are gaining relevance in the island, such as Dynamics Payments and Accepta, which operate on behalf of U.S. based acquirers and process through First Data and Worldpay.

In most countries, competition between providers is extended to the wider banking relationship with the merchant. Acquiring is often used as a tool to onboard businesses and cross-sell other banking products such as payroll, treasury, insurance, lending, credit lines, and cash management services. Therefore, some merchants, particularly large ones, are tied to the acquirer where they have their banking arrangements. This is not the case in Puerto Rico, where cross-selling is not a common practice and there is strong reluctance towards supporting negative margins for card acquiring, even with the largest merchants.

In general, there is little differentiation amongst acquiring banks in terms of technological capabilities. In some areas, acquirers appear to primarily compete on security, stability and reliability given the limited infrastructure these are the features valued most by merchants. Minimum downtime and quality servicing are key. In addition to this, personal relationships are believed to also play a significant role in choosing providers, especially in small countries.

ISOs and non-traditional players try to differentiate themselves from acquiring banks with innovation and technological capabilities such as smart POS terminals (e.g. Clover, Point) and all-in-one terminal systems, more sophisticated payment gateways and other value-added services.

E-commerce

Most acquirers in the region have the capabilities to facilitate e-commerce, which is believed to have great potential. However, there are significant barriers, and typically, e-commerce is mainly gaining traction with large, well-resourced and longstanding online businesses, which are already successful in other countries. In addition to this, most acquirers still view e-commerce as a highly risky environment; therefore, online acceptance is relatively expensive for merchants.

Fraud remains a major concern; cardholders are often wary of using their cards online or even block the card for online payments. On the other hand, it appears to be popular for local cardholders to use their credit cards with foreign, primarily US-based online merchants.

Industries seeing the highest growth in e-commerce include:

Pricing considerations

In the Bahamas, Barbados and the Cayman Islands, most acquirers still charge one single blended rate for all Visa and Mastercard transactions, including all credit, debit, inbound and commercial card transactions. Tiered pricing and interchange+ appear to only be reserved to a few very large merchants.

In Puerto Rico, tiered pricing has become the standard pricing structure, which is widely offered to merchants of all sizes and verticals. That way, acquirers can now differentiate the cost between qualified and non-qualified card transactions. Interchange+ adoption is slow and mainly limited to the large segment (e.g. QSRs, retailers and international travel merchants).

In the region, the main factors influencing the MDR appear to be the size of the merchant, the risk associated to the industry, the average transaction value, the overall transaction mix (debit-credit, local-inbound, commercial-consumer, CP-CNP) as well as the holistic relationship with bank and the opportunities to cross-sell. MDRs generally tend to be between 2.00% and 4.00%.

Conclusion

Overall, we expect to see further consolidation between key acquirers in the region. Pricing is likely to increase slightly, especially due to the growing volume of non-qualified card transactions (e.g. inter-regional, commercial, card-not-present), as the cost for the acquirer is progressively increasing (higher interchange and scheme fees). As a result of this, acquirers may decide to implement new pricing models (e.g. tiered pricing or interchange +), to pass-through to merchants costs more effectively and protect their margins.

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Card acquiring trends in the Caribbean - Finextra

Aptim slapped with another suit for failure to pay for hurricane recovery work in Caribbean – Greater Baton Rouge Business Report

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Baton Rouge-based Aptim Environmental and Infrastructure is now fighting lawsuits in two states, claiming the company failed to pay for work its subcontractors did rebuilding homes in the Virgin Islands damaged by 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

The first suit, filed in May 2019 in 19th Judicial District Court by Beaumont, Texas-based roofing company Allco, is currently on hold while Aptim appeals a November ruling that cleared the way for the suit to move forward.

The suit alleges Aptim failed to pay Allco under the terms of its contract, even though the federal government has paid Aptim for most of the work. Allcos attorney has said his client is owed some $20 million.

The second suit was filed in December in Orange County, California, by an investor that owns the invoices of Lionsgate Disaster Relief, another Aptim subcontractor on the U.S. Virgin Islands rebuilding project.

Avalon Funding Corporation is an investor that bought Lionsgates receivables on the Aptim contract for 75 cents on the dollar in 2018. It, then, contracted with Aptim for payment on the invoices, once Lionsgate completed the work.

But though the work was completed by mid-2019, Aptim has yet to pay Avalon the $8.8 million it is owed, the lawsuit says.

Aptim has filed a motion to dismiss the suit. A hearing is scheduled in California in early April.

In the Baton Rouge case, meanwhile, Aptim has argued in court documents that Allcos suit is premature, claiming Allco is subject to a mandatory arbitration clause in its contract. Last fall, 19th Judicial District Court Judge Chip Moore ruled there is no language in the contract requiring arbitration and that neither company had consented to binding arbitration.

Aptim has appealed that ruling to the First Circuit Court of Appeals and is awaiting a decision.

Aptim isnt the only company under fire for failing to pay its subcontractors for hurricane-recovery work in the Caribbean. AECOM, which shares the disaster recovery contract with Aptim, has also been criticized by its subcontractors, though none has filed suit over the matter in local court. Aptim and AECOM have blamed the federal government for delays in paying them so they can pay their subs.

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Aptim slapped with another suit for failure to pay for hurricane recovery work in Caribbean - Greater Baton Rouge Business Report

Top 7 Jamaican & Caribbean News Stories You Missed The Week Ending February 14th, 2020 – Jamaicans.com

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THIS WEEKS TOP NEWS STORIES

Top 7 Jamaican & Caribbean News Stories

JAMAICAN GOVERNMENT BUILDS SHELTERS FOR BATTERED WOMENJamaicas government has made it a priority to build shelters for women who are victims of domestic violence. The construction represents part of the governments efforts to provide support for those targeted by violence based on their gender. The administration of Prime Minister Andrew Holness is planning for three national shelter centers across the island. An update on the governments plans was given by Olivia Granger, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment, and Sport, noting that work on the first shelter facility is nearly completed.

GREG CHRISTIE TO HEAD OPERATIONS AT INTEGRITY COMMISSIONGreg Christie has been appointed as executive director of the Integrity Commission and will head daily operations at the top anti-corruption agency in Jamaica. Christie has previously served as Jamaicas Contractor General. His appointment was met with mixed reaction due to his controversial tenure at that agency.

EUROPEAN UNION BLACKLISTS CAYMAN ISLANDS AS TAX HAVEN POST-BREXITJust weeks after the United Kingdom ended its membership in the European Union, The EU moved to include the British overseas territory among the Caribbean nations on its tax-haven blacklist. The move by the EU emphasizes the UKs loss of influence on the decision-making of the European bloc following Grexit. The Caymans will join Fiji, Oman, Samoa, Trinidad and Tobago, Vanuatu and three US territories American Samoa, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands on the list.

UK GOVERNMENT CRITICIZES JUDGES BLOCKING DEPORTATION OF JAMAICANSThe Home Office in the United Kingdom has strongly criticized judges for stopping its depuration of what it characterizes as serious criminals to Jamaica. A deportation flight already scheduled to transport such individuals to the Caribbean island, despite the fact several of the deportees had no family or ties to Jamaica as they had been in the UK since they were children, took off as planned with 17 convicted Jamaicans the deportation of another 25 Jamaicans was blocked by the court.

JAMAICAS AGRICULTURAL REGULATORY AUTHORITY LAUNCHES ENFORCEMENT EFFORT TARGETING FAKE JAMAICAN COFFEEThe Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Agency is launching a strong enforcement program designed to mitigate pervasive distribution of coffee wrongly labeled as an authentic Jamaican premium product. The agency is tasked with regulating the processing and trade of products, including coffee, coconut, cocoa, and spices. The enforcement program was initiated to fight against the sale of sub-standard products that can damage the grand integrity of authentic Jamaican goods.

DERRICK LARA OF VOCAL GROUP THE TAMLINS DIES AT AGE 61Derrick Lara, who was a member of Jamaican vocal group The Tamlins, died of cancer at the age of 61 in Miami, Florida. He had lived with the illness for over a year. A drummer and a singer, Lara was known for his unique falsetto voice, Lara had been a member of The Tamlins for 36 years. Before joining the group, Lara made recordings with artists like Beres Hammond and Anthony B. He also pursued a solo career during which he released numerous albums.

JAMAICAN INTERNATIONAL SIGNS WITH BENGLAURU FCJamaican Kevaughn Frater has signed with Benglauru FC as the club exercised its option to take on a foreign player after its player Raphael Augusto was injured. The signing has been completed and a short-term deal with Frater will see him play for the remainder of the Indian Super League (ISL 2019-20) season. Frater, a 25-yeaer-old striker, joins the Indian team from New Mexico United, the American USL Championship team.

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Top 7 Jamaican & Caribbean News Stories You Missed The Week Ending February 14th, 2020 - Jamaicans.com

Royal Caribbean Tells Investors to Expect Another Record Year – Motley Fool

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It is full steam ahead for Royal Caribbean (NYSE:RCL). The cruise ship giant this past week announced positive fiscal fourth-quarter earnings results as it closed its 10th consecutive year of sales gains. While the unpredictable impact of the coronavirus was on investors' minds, the recent operating trends and the company's outlook for the next few quarters all point to another record year ahead.

CEO Richard Fain and his executive team discussed that outlook, including the potential for more market share gains, in a conference call with investors. Let's look at some highlights from that presentation.

Image source: Getty Images.

Strong demand from our core products for our key markets and higher pricing related to our private destinations in the Bahamas drove the overall outperformance for the year.-- CFO Jason Liberty

Royal Caribbean dealt with several surprise challenges during the year, including Hurricane Dorian, the most disruptive storm system to ever affect the business. Yet the company still surpassed its initial growth outlook for 2019 and for the fiscal fourth quarter, with net revenue yields landing at 8% compared with a near flat result for rival Carnival (NYSE:CCL).

Part of that success came from the consolidation of the Silversea brand, but Royal Caribbean also got important contributions from organic growth in its core Caribbean sailings. The new Perfect Day resort destination was a standout that lifted demand and pricing for cruises featuring a stop at that exclusive getaway.

We also expect that there will be an impact on future bookings in China, especially in the immediate aftermath of the illness. But again, we just don't know.-- Fain

Management kicked off the earnings call with comments about the coronavirus outbreak and the early impact on the business. China is home to one of Royal Caribbean's ships and is scheduled to get two more vessels in 2020. It accounts for roughly 6% of annual global capacity, so canceled voyages there will have a significant (but not crucial) effect on sales and profits.

Fain said it's still too early to tell how the outbreak will affect the business beyond the current expectations of roughly $0.25 per share in forgone earnings from the recent cruise cancellations. "There are still too many variables and uncertainties to calculate the overall impact on the business," he said.

As always, there are some areas that do better than others in some special circumstances. For example, the bushfires in Australia. But overall, our [2020] forecast was for a nice bump to our already excellent 2019 yields.-- Fain

Strong booking volume and pricing trends outside of China are still running strong, and Royal Caribbean has several growth drivers in place for 2020, including new ship launches, remodels to the existing fleet, and additional Perfect Day destinations to promote. Guest satisfaction is at an all-time high, executives said, which adds more confidence to the short-term operating outlook that predicts net yields between 2.25% and 4.25%.

Looking further out, the company is hoping to roughly double annual earnings per share by 2025. It's a safe bet that the cruising industry will face volatility over that period, but Royal Caribbean's ability to sail through the challenges of 2019 is a good sign of the durability of this consumer discretionary business.

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Royal Caribbean Tells Investors to Expect Another Record Year - Motley Fool

‘Global citizen’ Connie Carter creates U of T scholarship to boost Caribbean presence on world stage – News@UofT

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On a recent flight to Toronto, Connie Carter beamed as she filled out her customs form. In the box that asked for her nationality, she was able to print Canadian for the very first time.

I felt such pride, says Carter, who was born in Jamaica, educated in the United Kingdom, lived in Denmark for most of her adult lifeand became a Canadian citizen last October.

She decided to celebrate her citizenship by creating a scholarship for theMunk School of Global Affairs & Public Policys Master of Global Affairs (MGA) program at the University of Toronto. Her gift established the Dr. Connie Carter Global Affairs Award, which will support students from the 20 CARICOM (Caribbean community) countries. Carters gift will also support the Munk Schools recruitment of students from that region.

Carters wish is for students of Caribbean heritage to see more of the world and explore global opportunities, academically, professionally and personally just as she has done.

Though she now proudly calls herself Canadian, Carter is really a global citizen. A former barristerand, recently, a retired law professor, she holds a PhD in law from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at theUniversity of London, and was called to the bar at Lincolns Inn.

Following a career with multinational corporations and non-profits in Denmark, China, France and the U.K., Carter taught law at Royal Roads University in Victoria, B.C. for 10 years and, as a visiting professor, gave lectures in international trade, corporate governance, Chinese law and intellectual property law at universities across Europe and Asia.

Travel is the best way in which you can support and expand your education, she says. It lets you see a world that you could probably never imagine, never believe, until you experience it for yourself. You can learn and combine it with working overseas, whether it's at a university or a study abroad program. You experience other cultures, other ways of life, food, architecture, traditions.

As a former program director for a similar program at Royal Roads University, Carter understands the doors that the Munk Schools MGA program can open.

It allows people to experience a global society, she says. It helps provide the toolbox that you will need to help navigate foreign communities."

Carter isnt a big fan ofcareer paths that involve sticking with one company, in one place, and simply moving up the ladder. She feels theres just too much opportunity out there for anyone willing to embrace the rewarding challenges of new countries, cultures and markets.

Carter says she would also like to see more Caribbean representation on the global business stage. While teaching and working in Europe and Asia, she says she rarely met other professionals from the Caribbean.

It would be wonderful to be in Berlin or Yangon and bump into a professional from Trinidad or Guyana, she says.

Carter lived and worked in Chinas corporate sector until 2005. She was one of four directors at a German-owned company that manufactured forklift trucks. She moved to Canada to oversee care for her mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimers.

While in Toronto, Carter became involved socially with the Munk School byattending events and becoming an avid reader of the schools newsletter.Then, late last year, an article aboutThomas Kieranscaught her eye.

Kierans, a distinguished fellow at the Munk School, established theThomas E. Kierans and Mary Janigan MGA Scholarshiplast fall. This award will provide new Canadian students with funding to cover the cost of tuition for both years of the MGA program.

I read that article the day after I became a Canadian citizen, says Carter, who was moved by Kieranss generosity. She did a little investigating about Kierans and his gift, and reached out to him.

Tom was the key to me saying, I should give something back as well, she says.

In addition to her gift, Carter intends to help students as a mentor bydrawing on her professional experience and in her capacity as a Munk School senior fellow.

I'm quite proud of what I've accomplished, Carter says. It's been a wiggly road, but that's the fun of it. It's okay to go with the flow, show flexibility and be confident in your acquired navigation skills and knowledge, and in your ability to grow by taking on new challenges and lifelong learning.

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'Global citizen' Connie Carter creates U of T scholarship to boost Caribbean presence on world stage - News@UofT

Newspapers fear new social media rules will lead to wider censorship – The Guardian

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Newspaper groups fear the governments proposals to crack down on damaging social media content could inadvertently result in censorship of their own websites.

The Daily Mail is among the outlets that have warned about the governments proposals to ask Ofcom to ensure British websites do their best to reduce online content that is legal but harmful to society.

The newspaper ran a prominent comment piece on Thursday arguing that the new law may lead to state censorship, suggesting the rules could result in its popular sister website MailOnline being regulated and forced to react to concerns over harmful content.

As a result industry lobby groups, which have long campaigned for regulation of Facebook and Google, are asking the government to formally commit to a specific opt-out from the online harms law for news publishers. This raises the prospect that a small group of traditional news outlets will be specifically exempted from rules applied to almost every other major website.

Under the proposals announced on Wednesday, British websites that publish user-generated material including online comments will be required to produce a code of conduct setting out which material they will allow on their sites. Ofcom will check whether they are living up to their own stated standards.

The other scenario feared by mainstream publishers is that, if the likes of Facebook feel obliged to take down content that is legal but considered harmful to society, social networks could start blocking links to disturbing news stories.

Ofcom could ultimately end up in the position of looking at whether a social network should have removed a link to a particular mainstream article for being harmful.

Resolving the issue will be one of the first challenges for the newly appointed culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, amid signs that Downing Street is concerned about coverage suggesting the new rules could impact on the freedom of the press.

Ministers have repeatedly promised that there will be an exemption for news publishers but on Thursday the News Media Association (NMA), the group which represents almost all traditional British newspaper publishers, including the Guardian, said it was seeking an explicit exemption on the face of any legislation for news media publishers and their journalism which underpins our democracy.

The organisation insisted that the legislation should be designed to crack down on online harms propagated by the tech giants, arguing newspapers were already responsible for what they publish in the courts and through voluntary systems of press regulation.

The government has long insisted they would provide some opt-out but it is unclear how this would be implemented. If the government chose to exempt only members of the News Media Association in the law then it could end up with a two-tier system. This could see traditional news outlets given a legal opt-out from the legislation while non-NMA members such as digital-only sites Vice, HuffPost and BuzzFeed News ending up being caught by the obligation.

A government spokesperson pointed to the commitment by former culture secretary Jeremy Wright to ensure that news organisations were not caught by the new law.

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Newspapers fear new social media rules will lead to wider censorship - The Guardian

Critics Say China Has Suppressed And Censored Information In Coronavirus Outbreak – NPR

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Flowers and a portrait of Dr. Li Wenliang is left at his hospital in Wuhan, China. Li, regarded a whistleblower in the coronavirus outbreak, died of the infectious disease on Friday. Getty Images hide caption

Flowers and a portrait of Dr. Li Wenliang is left at his hospital in Wuhan, China. Li, regarded a whistleblower in the coronavirus outbreak, died of the infectious disease on Friday.

For the last two weeks, Eden Chen had been glued to her WeChat. A resident of the Chinese coastal city of Wenzhou, Chen and her family had been told to stay indoors, sending only one member out every other day to buy groceries. WeChat, the ubiquitous social media app in China, became an indispensable channel for checking up on relatives, exchanging information about quarantine measures and even getting on a waiting list to order now-scarce face masks.

Then on Wednesday evening, Chen's WeChat account along with thousands of others over the coming hours was suddenly sealed off. Chen, who exclusively uses WeChat to communicate with people, lost contact with hundreds of friends and relatives.

"Is writing a few sentences about the lack of face masks now enough to get one's account suspended?" said Chen. "I do not do anything to disrupt the country." She also said she "sent around some official notices and state media stories regarding the [coronavirus] epidemic."

China's state censors have clamped down this week on digital items related to the outbreak of a new coronavirus, removing local news reports that expose the dire circumstances in the city of Wuhan, epicenter of the outbreak, and scrubbing social media platforms of posts from Wuhan residents who say they are ill and desperate for medical care and supplies.

Those restrictions were put to the test on Friday after the death of Dr. Li Wenliang, one of the eight whistleblowers reprimanded by police for warning others about a mysterious pneumonialike disease in December. Less than 90 minutes after his death on Friday morning, the hashtag "I want freedom of speech" was trending on Weibo, a popular Chinese blogging site, with nearly 2 million posts. The posts were gone by sunrise.

This chokehold on information, now six weeks after the first public reports of a pneumonialike illness surfaced on Dec. 30, heralds a new stage in the Chinese state's response to the new coronavirus.

"We are also seeing these restrictions being accompanied by intensified propaganda," says Maria Repnikova, a global communications professor at Georgia State University. "The message being: We get that this is a grave problem, and we are fixing it."

First, for nearly four weeks, the municipal government officials in Wuhan worked to hide the severity of the disease. Then, when scientific disclosures made it untenable to downplay the crisis, regional authorities began placing quarantines unprecedented in scale and intensity over large swaths of the country.

Now, China is working to reestablish control over the narrative by shutting down individual social media accounts and reigning in aggressive local coverage of initial government missteps that may have contributed to the spread of the coronavirus beyond the city of Wuhan.

As of Friday, there were more than 31,000 confirmed cases and 630 deaths in China alone, though because of limited diagnostic and treatment capacity in Wuhan, some doctors believe that the number of cases is likely higher.

Stage 1: Suppress information

Paramilitary policemen guard the outside of the closed Hankou railway station in Wuhan, China. Feature China/Barcroft Media via Getty Images hide caption

On Christmas Day, Dr. Lu Xiaohong, the director of gastroenterology at Wuhan Municipal Hospital, received alarming news: Several medical staff at two hospitals in the city had been infected with an unknown type of pneumonia. "That suggested the contagiousness of this virus was very strong," Lu later told the state-run China Youth Daily. It also suggested the mysterious virus could be transmitted between humans.

Lu was not the only one who noticed something amiss. Five days later, at least two doctors independently of each other began quietly warning other medical staff about several patients exhibiting pneumonialike symptoms after having visited the same seafood and live animal market in Wuhan.

One of those doctors was Xie Linka, an oncologist at Wuhan Union Hospital. Her colleagues in the hospital's respiratory unit had taken in "many patients" exhibiting an unknown pneumonia. "Be sure to wear masks and ventilate areas," she posted in a group on WeChat, the Chinese messaging app.

Li, an ophthalmologist at Wuhan Central University, also warned a group of about 150 alumni in a WeChat group that "seven SARS patients," all connected to a local seafood market, were being quarantined at his hospital. He believed that they were exhibiting a related coronavirus that had swept through parts of Asia and other countries starting in 2002 but was effectively quashed, with no new cases since 2004.

Reprisal came swiftly. Eight medical staff, including Li and Xie, were summoned by public security officers two days later and reprimanded for "disseminating rumors," according to an evening TV news report. (Public opinion would later reverse the official position, with the state's chief epidemiologist subsequently declaring the eight worthy of "utmost respect.")

On Dec. 31, Wuhan's city health commission had already put out a statement, acknowledging 27 cases of unknown pneumonia but said there was no evidence of human transmission of the disease. "The disease is preventable and controllable," it reassured residents. But the suspected origin of the virus Wuhan's Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market would be closed and cleaned, just in case.

The turning point came on Jan. 20 when Dr. Zhong Nanshan, a senior health official who had helped expose the government's cover-up during SARS, revealed on state television that the new coronavirus is capable of human-to-human transmission a full three weeks after Lu, the gastroenterologist, had heard as much from her colleagues.

On the same day, China's top leader Xi Jinping broke his silence. "It is of utmost importance to prevent and control the disease outbreak," the state news agency quoted him as saying. Three days later, authorities made the most drastic decision of all to contain the viral spread: Wuhan, a city of 11 million, would be sealed off from the rest of the country.

Stage 2: Lock it down

The decision by Wuhan authorities to shut down outbound transports came in the early hours of Jan. 23. With only hours to spare before all trains and planes were prohibited from departing, residents with cars rushed to highways. Those who didn't own cars and wanted to leave turned to carpooling services but at 10 times the usual fare.

By late afternoon, officials began sealing off highways leaving Wuhan as well.

A senior party official from Hubei province referred to the citywide lockdown as a "wartime measure" and called on local cadres of minor officials to closely monitor residents for any early symptoms of the new virus.

Although sealing off Wuhan may have slowed the spread of the outbreak, it did not contain it. Before the quarantine, 5 million people were able to hastily leave the city, Mayor Zhou Xianwang later admitted.

Cities outside the official quarantine zone have adopted their own drastic measures to limit movement. Remote villages have bottled in their residents in an effort to stop the virus from entering their communities. Other villages have torn up roads or built hasty barricades to keep migrant workers out. Various cities in coastal Zhejiang province now only allow one person per household to leave for groceries every two days.

As the number of cases, particularly in the city of Wuhan, continue to climb, authorities are turning to even more extreme measures. On Thursday, a top Chinese official urged local officials and residents in Wuhan to report anyone they see with symptoms and to send loved ones with symptoms to new, mass quarantine centers.

"There must be no deserters during a state of war. Those that do will be nailed to the pillar of shame for all of history," Vice Premier Sun Chunlan warned in an article in the party's flagship newspaper after visiting Hubei province. "Be selfless, and race against time. We must go all out to solve the problem of inaccurate, inadequate implementation."

Stage 3: Control the narrative

Within the quarantine zone, people have been confined to their apartments or new mass quarantine wards. But online, information began to proliferate.

Muckraking Chinese journalists have been publishing interviews with doctors with damning details that sometimes contradict official accounts. One piece, since deleted by censors, alleges the official tally of infected patients is far lower than the true scale of the outbreak, citing several Wuhan doctors.

To counteract the critical coverage of the Wuhan quarantine, the Communist Party's publicity department dispatched over 300 reporters from state media agencies to Wuhan and Hubei province earlier this week.

Not long after, authorities began turning to a more familiar tool for narrative control: censorship.

Government cyberspace regulators mandated in a notice on Wednesday that the country's biggest Internet companies, including Tencent, Baidu and ByteDance, "conduct special supervision" on epidemic-related news. Soon after, social media platforms, including WeChat, began suspending accounts found to have spread "sensitive information or illegal content," according to screenshots of sealed accounts. Tencent did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.

"I think what this act is telling us is that the discussions online are entering into the zone of perceived sensitivity for the state," says Repnikova of Georgia State University. While earlier, uninhibited reporting provided valuable public knowledge about the outbreak, "it's evident that more supplies and more diagnostic equipment are needed. The benefit of allowing more social media critique is also getting slimmer."

One of the thousands of WeChat accounts suspended this week belonged to Triv Wen, a Beijing municipal engineer. His apparent offense: sharing an article that accused the Wuhan Red Cross of withholding much-needed supplies like masks from hospitals. (Earlier this week, the Hubei government fired the vice president of the provincial Red Cross for "malpractice and dereliction of duty.")

"All I hope is that the people have the right to hold the government accountable rather than to be managed," Wen told NPR, whose parents are both card-carrying members of the Communist Party. "From the bottom of my heart, I want everything to become better and speech to be more open and transparent."

In one of his last interviews before his death, with independent Chinese media outlet Caixin, Li said helping the public learn about the truth was far more important to him than getting justice for himself: "A healthy society should not have only one kind of voice."

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Critics Say China Has Suppressed And Censored Information In Coronavirus Outbreak - NPR

Rand Paul Blasts YouTube over Censorship of Speech on Senate Floor – Breitbart

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Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has called out Google-owned YouTube after it blacklisted a clip of him speaking on the Senate floor, an act of censorship he calls chilling and disturbing. Google censored Paul because he read out the name of the alleged whistleblower, Eric Ciaramella.

Politico reported the story as new, even though Breitbart News first revealed that YouTube was blocking clips of the Senator mentioning Ciaramellas name last week.

In a statement, Sen. Paul said:

It is a chilling and disturbing day in America when giant web companies such as YouTube decide to censure speech. Now, even protected speech, such as that of a senator on the Senate floor, can be blocked from getting to the American people. This is dangerous and politically biased. Nowhere in my speech did I accuse anyone of being a whistleblower, nor do I know the whistleblowers identity.

A spokeswoman for YouTube, Ivy Choi, defended the companys censorship of Sen. Paul in a comment, describing Ciaramella as the whistleblower:

Videos, comments, and other forms of content that mention the leaked whistleblowers name violate YouTubes Community Guidelines and will be removed from YouTube. Weve removed hundreds of videos and over ten thousand comments that contained the name. Video uploaders have the option to edit their videos to exclude the name and reupload.

As Breitbart News reported last week, Sen. Paul made his comments on the floor of the Senate after Chief Justice John Roberts refused to allow his question to be read during the impeachment trial. In his speech, Sen. Paul said:

Manager Schiff and Counsel for the President, are you aware that house intelligence committee staffer Shawn Misko had a close relationship with Eric Ciaramella when at the National Security council together, and are you aware and how do you respond to reports that Ciaramella and Misko may have worked together to plot impeaching the President before there were formal House proceedings?

Explaining his argument further in a subsequent CNN segment, Sen. Paul said I think its very important that we know if there was a concerted government plot to bring the president down by a lot of employees.

Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at Breitbart News.

Link:

Rand Paul Blasts YouTube over Censorship of Speech on Senate Floor - Breitbart

Transgender users have accused TikTok of censorship – here’s why – Derry Journal

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Transgender users have complained about having their posts removed from popular social media platform, TikTok.

Videos, including some members of the community discussing their lives, were taken down and others complained of having the sound removed.

TikTok defended its actions, stating that some posts were deleted for breaking guidelines on smoking and nudity, but could not explain why others were removed.

'Sending a negative message to young transgender people'

LGBT charity Stonewall said this action by the social media giant sent a negative message to young transgender people who use the platform to express themselves.

In a statement, the short form video platform said, "TikTok is an inclusive space for positive and creative expression. We categorically do not remove any content on the basis of expression of gender identity.

"We have a vibrant and diverse community on TikTok: there are nearly two billion views of content under #trans and over 2.1 billion views of content under #lgbtq.

"We are proud to be a platform for positive and creative expression for our diverse community of users."

Content Removed

Reice Hodges, 35, told the BBC she had several videos removed, including one where she challenged instances of bullying. She claims TikTok deleted these posts before removing the abusive comments she received.

"It makes me mad when my content is removed. There are some videos that I spend hours making and to have one of those videos removed really discourages me," said Hodges.

"There are countless amounts of teenagers and adults who have reached out to me and thanked me for putting myself out there to be seen.

"To block something that can bring awareness to the trans community, when we already have so much hate and disgust coming toward us - where else are we supposed to go?"

Other users complained that their videos showing their transition in photographs were removed, although they were later able to repost them.

This is the latest in a series of controversies to affect TikTok in recent months. In December, the apps moderators acknowledged videos made by disabled users were prevented from going viral, due to a policy it said was designed to reduce the amount of cyber bullying on its platform.

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Transgender users have accused TikTok of censorship - here's why - Derry Journal

Anti-BDS laws are meant to censor & control speech, journalist Abby Martin tells RT after suing Georgia govt over cancelled talk – RT

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Barred from speaking at a public university over her refusal to sign a pledge of allegiance to Israel, journalist Abby Martin is now suing the state of Georgia, arguing its anti-BDS legislation sets fire to the First Amendment.

Slated to give a keynote talk at a media literacy conference at Georgia Southern University later this month, Martin was asked to sign what amounts to a loyalty oath to the State of Israel, mandated under a 2016 Georgia law barring the government from hiring contractors who boycott Israeli products or associate with the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Martin told RT she was shocked when she saw what she was asked to sign.

I was not anticipating this whatsoever, she said. I was aware of the issue Ive talked about how over two dozen states have employed this measure for independent contractors but I just never connected the two.

Declining to sign the pledge, explaining that pro-Palestine activism is central to her work, the university swiftly called off Martins talk. When her colleagues came to her defense, the entire event was shut down, a move she says is emblematic of the state of academic freedom in the United States at large, where similar laws have been passed in 28 states.

I think thats really interesting, because theres essentially no discussion on left-wing speakers like myself discussing issues like Palestine, which are literally being blocked on the state level, Martin said, calling the censorship a direct violation of the First Amendment.

Its not only about the right to boycott and the right to participate in peaceful political action, its also about the right to just have free speech, especially on college campuses.

With right-of-center organizations like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the Heritage Foundation pushing free speech acts on college campuses across the country to protect conservative speakers, Martin said the anti-BDS lawsare clearly hypocritical, wielded to blot out certain viewpoints and control the public narrative around Israel.

Theres a stark hypocrisy going on when it really isnt about free speech at all, she said.

When you look at these laws... to protect certain kinds of speech and block out other kinds of speech, its really about what kind of speech you want and what kind of speech you dont want.

Shut out of Georgia Southern University solely due to her political views, Martin filed a lawsuit against the state on Monday, insisting her First Amendment rights were being trampled in the decision to cancel her talk. The former RT host said shes confident about the case, hoping it will mean that no independent contractors will have to forfeit their civil liberties and constitutional rights in order to just work in the state.

These are laws that should never have been passed in the first place. This is the fault of state legislatures that have passed these laws in direct violation of the US Constitution.

There is hope for the suit. Last April, a Texas judge blocked the state government from enforcing a similar anti-BDS law, ruling it an impermissible content- and viewpoint-based restriction on protected expression, which sought to manipulate the debate [around Israel] through coercion rather than persuasion.

Martin faces an uphill battle, however, with many forces arrayed against her cause in the US and beyond. With the Israeli prime ministers office admitting in a tweet this week that Tel Aviv has promoted [anti-BDS] laws in most US states, overturning the legislation could mean competing with a powerful foreign lobby, in addition to fighting it out in the courts.

Subscribe to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media wont tell you.

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Anti-BDS laws are meant to censor & control speech, journalist Abby Martin tells RT after suing Georgia govt over cancelled talk - RT

Be more tolerant, Anwar tells Malaysians over art censorship – Malay Mail

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PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim speaks during the Regional Conference on Peaceful Co-existence in Shah Alam February 12, 2020. Picture by Miera Zulyana

SHAH ALAM, Feb 12 PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has urged respective parties to be tolerant when it came to concerns of art censorship in the country.

We need to be more tolerant, Anwar said when met by reporters today after officiating the Regional Conference on Peaceful Coexistence held at the Grand Bluewave Hotel here.

He was responding to several instances which took place recently including four artworks by contemporary artist Ahmad Fuad Osman that were removed from the National Art Gallery (NAG) following complaints from the gallerys board members.

The NAG has since responded in a statement defending its decision to remove the four paintings citing its right to curate according to what it deems to be suitable for patrons and that it also followed standard operating procedures.

Criticisms were also hurled at rock group Drama Band over its performance at the Anugerah Juara Lagu 34 award show which parodied several scandals from Malay entertainment and politics.

Drama Band has since apologised for a performance that lampooned former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.

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Be more tolerant, Anwar tells Malaysians over art censorship - Malay Mail

2 steps to balance sweet treats and healthy foods this Valentine’s Day – KSL.com

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SALT LAKE CITY Valentines Day is a wonderful day to celebrate people who we love and respect, but it can start to feel overwhelming if you dont have a game plan to help you balance the yummy treats and healthy eating.

So often, people feel the need to use holidays as "cheat days" in their diets, but this doesnt have to be the case. It is possible to enjoy all the chocolate and candy of Valentines Day while maintaining a healthy lifestyle because a truly balanced diet has room for a sweet treat.

The first step to balancing out all of the sweet treats this Valentines Day is to give yourself permission to eat them. When we put restraints on what foods we can and cant eat it may cause our body to fixate on that food item and crave it until we give in and eat it. This is a common problem many people face when trying to stick to a diet.

Often times, when people cave to these cravings they might binge on the food item and eat a large amount, which can result in feelings of guilt and failure. The easiest way to avoid this is to give yourself permission to eat whatever you would like. You may be surprised to find that as you practice allowing all foods to be part of your diet, you wont continuously crave the "forbidden" foods and binge eat them later.

It takes practice to truly accept all foods into your diet, so dont give up on this idea after the first attempt. Give it a try this Valentines Day and eat a yummy treat, guilt-free.

The second step to having a balanced lifestyle is try to be more mentally aware of why you are eating. Eating doesn't need to be a stressful event, but often times it becomes very stressful for people. This stress can result in overeating or eating food we dont like very much.

Try to take a mental note before eating something. Ask yourself a couple of simple questions: "Am I actually hungry?" or "Am I eating my feelings (e.g., stress, anger, sadness)?"

Valentines Day can be a hard day for many individuals, for many different reasons. This may result in eating food to cope with difficult feelings. This isnt always a bad thing as food can temporarily help us feel happier and calmer, which can be helpful in re-centering ourselves. However, it can also become a serious problem if it's used as our only coping mechanism to deal with a stressful day or sadness.

Being more mindful of the reasons for why and what you are choosing to eat can help you identify if you're using food as a coping mechanism. Using food as a daily coping mechanism can be very unhealthy. If you find yourself in this situation, you may want to look into other coping strategies and seek help to improve your relationship with food.

Now that you have a couple of tips on how to maintain a balanced lifestyle this Valentines Day, here are a few fun Valentines-themed dinner ideas that include both healthy foods and a sweet treat:

Editors Note: Anything in this article is for informational purposes only. The content is not intended, nor should it be interpreted, to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition; Any opinions, statements, services, offers, or other information or content expressed or made available are those of the respective author(s) or distributor(s) and not of KSL. KSL does not endorse nor is it responsible for the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, information, or statement made in this article. KSL expressly disclaims all liability in respect to actions taken or not taken based on the content of this article.

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2 steps to balance sweet treats and healthy foods this Valentine's Day - KSL.com

A Week in the Life of Philly Skincare Guru Lynn Gallagher – Philadelphia magazine

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Sweat Diaries

Lynn Gallagher, esthetician at Haven Wellness Center, Parlour, and Heyday, spends her free time practicing yoga, meditating, and of course, taking care of her skin.

Philadelphia esthetician Lynn Gallagher leads by example when it comes to her skincare. / Photograph courtesy of Lynn Gallagher.

Welcome to Sweat Diaries, Be Well Phillys look at the time, energy, and money people invest in pursuit of a healthy lifestyle in Philly. For each Sweat Diary, we ask one area resident to spend a week tracking everything they eat, all the exercise they get, and the money they spend on both. Want to submit a Sweat Diary? Email lbrzyski@phillymag.com.

Who I am: Lynn Gallagher (@lghtwellness), 27

Where I live: Fishtown (I am a native!)

What I do: I am an esthetician and a yoga/meditation teacher (RYT 200). I practice Gua Sha for Haven Wellness Center and offer facials at Parlour in Fishtown and Heyday in Rittenhouse. I also teach yoga for Roots2Rise.

What role healthy living plays in my life: I consider what I do to to be an approach to a holistic lifestyle that emphasizes wellness practices as a foundation for actualizing internal and external beauty. More so, I am personally and professionally working diligently to expose the truth of what I consider to be wholesome beauty which is the internal/external radiance and vitality that happens as a result of the conditions, habits, and behaviors we engage in and maintain in order to support our overall health and well-being.

Now, my main squeeze is facial Gua Sha, a facial massage technique that works with the lymphatic system, fascia, and musculature of the face, neck, and decollete as a means of detoxification and purification to restore skins radiance and help to de-stress. Practicing Gua Sha and spreading awareness about it has become my central focus in my esthetics/wellness career. I firmly support any way in which my clients develop and maintain self-care and healing modalities to optimize their wellness, which in turn can increase their wholesome approach to the ritualistic aspect of beauty practices.

Health memberships (and what they cost):

Gallagher plans out her schedule and grocery list in her nifty planner. / Photograph by Lynn Gallagher.

8 a.m. In my industry, Saturdays and Sundays are the most busy and my schedule is full to capacity on both days. So, I consider Monday to be my me day. Its a sacred time for me to create my moments of silence and organization becauseVirgo tendencies.

9 a.m. I make a pot of tea with my favorite Stagg kettle from Fellow and loose leaf tea that my best friend Gab gets me from where she lives in Maryland. I settle in and find my way to my meditation seat, where I create silence and reflect. This helps me set the tone of the day and week.

10:30 a.m. I have an appointment at Barefoot Community Acupuncture. I unfortunately sustained a neck injury and am working to relieve the stress, tension, and inflammation. I go to Barefoot because I can spend as much time as I need there to relax ($20).

12 p.m. Because of my work schedule, I typically dont have my first meal of the day until 12 p.m. This month, Im doing Whole 30 (for the second time) with my old roommate from college who conveniently lives around the corner from me so we can cook together and check in on each other. Accountability works! For todays first meal, I make a fruit bowl over Culina coconut probiotic yogurt that I found at DiBruno Bros ($5.99) And OF COURSE, I found passionfruit and dragonfruit at Riverwards Produce ($9.98), making for a delicious first meal of the day.

1 p.m. In between laundry, I need to plan out my week out in my agenda, organize my personal/professional life of managing clients at three locations, send emails, set up business meetings, plan some content, and check in with my budget. I do this while listening to my favorite podcasts and catching up with any content I missed from Tom Bilyeus Impact Theory or Goop.

2 p.m. I water my plants and smudge them with sage or palo santo. After cleansing myself and my room, I like to keep infusing my space with good vibes and positive energy. Its my peaceful place, so I have to treat it as such.

2:15 p.m. I have to do some cooking and meal prep for the week and given my schedule, I decide to order WholeFoods from Amazon Prime for delivery ($140). This makes my life a lot easier. I already planned out my week of meal prep in my nifty journal, and will be prepping some shrimp with bok choy to have this week.

4:30 p.m. Monday Movement with Meg is what I made up but I take Meg Townsends hatha class at Amrita. My training is in vinyasa and after practicing for so many years, Ive transitioned a bit with my personal practice to yin and now hatha because I find it to support my body most at the moment. Plus, the savasana in Megs classes is so juicy I almost always nap a little.

6 p.m. Dinner before I head out to teach my Monday night Roots2Rise class in Northern Liberties. Tonight, Im having carnitas that I made in the crock pot earlier. Fun fact: I was previously vegetarian and vegan, but I find that eating organic, grass-fed, pasture-raised meats sustains me more optimally. Plus, the recipe Im using is super easy and amazing!

7:30 p.m. My Monday night class has been consistent for almost a year and a half! Tonight was a large group and they are dedicated and always curious! I teach this class as an all-levels vinyasa style with a bit of yin/restorative style at the end.

9:30 p.m. I find myself wanting to sleep because tomorrow is the only super early work day of my week. But of course, my energy jolts and I have to tie up some loose ends before I wind down. So I light my candles/incense, turn on my Vitruvi diffuser, and get to my meditation room and find my journal to write, draw, or color (its cathartic for me) until I feel ready to sleep.

10:30 p.m. My iPhone is set to remind me to sleep by 11 p.m., so it usually reminds me its time to wind downtechnology apparently has to get me to sleep because I wont do it on my own. I take a supplement to increase sleep quality: a blend of calcium and magnesium (which helps me stay asleep).

10:45 p.m. I carve out time for my skincare routine because I love the feeling of taking the day off. Cleansing rituals are therapeutic for me. So I usually shower and do a four-step skin routine at night (Kumari oil cleanse, universal cleanser, balance aromamist, and nourishing oil all from Wilde Gatherings).

11 p.m. Hey Google, set alarm for 5 a.m. I listen to the Spotify playlist The Sleep Machine: Waterscapes while I sleep because I dream of living by an ocean, and this is the closest I can get right now.

Daily total: $175.97

One of Gallaghers many work spaces. / Photograph by Lynn Gallagher.

5:15 a.m. Google tried to wake me, but black out curtains and the sounds of water put me so at ease, I didnt wake up on the first alarm. Before my feet hit the floor, I give a moment of gratitude and to start with the mantra, I cant believe I have another day, as well as, I cant believe I decided to workout at this hour.

6 a.m. Today, Im taking a Train class (aka a full-body workout) at EverybodyFights. Its my first time there, which means its free! I mostly enjoy high-intensity classes with functional movement because they support my body and my yoga practice. Plus, I need a variation in my routine to keep me engaged.

7 a.m. Class was great! I dont consider my day as fully starting, though, until I complete my skincare routine. In the mornings, I need to keep it simple to get out of the gym in a timely fashion. I use my Grown Alchemist gentle gel cleanser, tone with rose water, and then apply Marie Veronique vitamin C, Image SPF 50 moisturizer, LilFox oil-based serum, and Laurel eye serum.

7:30 a.m. I make it over to HeyDay after showering and getting ready at the gym. To start my nutrition for the day, I take my vitamins on an empty stomach post-workout, as per suggestion for the brand I
take. I have time to make a latte with Vital Proteins collagen matcha and macadamia nut milk, with some skin vitamins on the side because anti-age from within leads to long term skin health and youthfulness! Are we keeping count of the amount of supplements I take???

8 a.m. Tuesday is one of my longer days and I will see six clients today. I find that in the morning, it takes me a moment to get myself ready and I like to be in silence to get in the right mindset to give energy to my clients.

11 a.m. I packed breakfast, lunch, and dinner to make my life easier and to remain Whole30 compliant. I have some leftover dragon fruit from yesterday and drink a Bulletproof collagen latte. Okay maybe too much collagen for today? I also have a snack of carrots and SOOM tahini mixed with cacao (YUM).

3 p.m. I wrap up with my clients for the day and have a moment to myself before I head home. I have to go to a CPR class tonight since I am getting re-certified, as per a bi-annual requirement as a yoga teacher with the organization I teach. Saving lives is fun!

5 p.m. I need to have my dinner now before I go to my class. I am having some of the shrimp and bok choy I made yesterday with a side of fresh peppers.

7:30 p.m. Back home, time to wash the day off. Tonight I need a Sagely Naturals CBD bath bomb so that by tomorrow I dont feel too much muscle fatigue. My hands and arms are my lifeline have you ever given a facial after lifting???? Ouch, sore. Good sore.

8:30 p.m. OKSLEEP! I just need my sleep supplements (and CBD lotion) that I hope will take away the muscle soreness and help me wind down. I usually prefer work outs in the morning because the adrenal pumping plus caffeine is lethal for me *wants to sleep but stays up all night*

9 p.m. My favorite part of the day: night time facial massage with a jade roller. Tonight features May Lindstroms blue cocoon balm while I wind down in bed. I need to jot down a few daily recaps and plan for the next day in my Positive Planner book my best friend got me for our Christmas pollyanna and this settles my mind before bed. *Cue Google home for sleep routine*

11 p.m. Goodnight!

Daily total: $0

Gallagher and her SO Donovan take care of their skin together. Now thats love. / Photograph by Lynn Gallagher.

8 a.m. The feeling when youre ready to hit the floor and get the day started and your muscles are like NOT YET because of your EverybodyFights workout I do get up, mostly because my cats are scratching at the door.

8:15 a.m. Thanks to my best friend Sarah for my Christmas gift tea set, I get my morning pot prepared. This mornings blend is from Steap and Grind and I add a little collagen creamer for vitality and recovery from the gym. I am taking a Facial Gua Sha client this morning at Haven, so I like to do my own facial Gua Sha and energy cleansing before I go. I always use Elements of Aura rituals before I see clients.

11 a.m. My first client has never done Gua Sha before, so we go through an evaluation and consultation before the cleansing session and facial massage with Gua Sha. I end her session with a hand and arm massage, a steamed lavender towel, and some palo santo. Its magical to see a client transform energetically after treatments!

12:30 p.m. I wrap up at Haven and have my first meal of the day before heading into Parlour Fishtown to see clients. I am having left over carnitas with a side of avocado, mango salsa, and plantains that I fried in coconut oil.

2 p.m. My day at Parlour consists of both waxing (usually eyebrows) and customizable Ayurvedic facials with Gua Sha added in. Working here doesnt feel like work, it feels like the type of place you go to relax. We are all laid back and have a take-no-BS attitude, but are equally as dynamic, loving, and approachable. Personally, the way Kelley designed the facial room quite literally sets me into a different mental and energetic state. It smells of sage, essential oils, and her soothing aromamists. I love seeing clients light up when they come in.

6 p.m. I wrap up with clients and have time to get home to change for teaching yoga and get a quick meal in! Tonights dinner: Thai-flavored meatballs and zucchini noodles.

7 p.m. I have to be on my way to NoLibs again to teach my class. Tonights class is yin yoga with a small group. I love teaching yin as much as I love practicing it because it allows me to drop into my physical and energetic body and cleanse myself from the madness of the rushing around of the week. Maintaining harmony is key in helping me keep up with the rest of the week.

9:30 p.m. Yes! I get home for the day. This is usually the point in the week when two very important things happen 1) I get to spend some time with my partner, Donovan, and 2) we exfoliate together. Not only are we compatible in our relationship but we share the same skin type so consider the deal SEALED. We use Naturopathicas sweet cherry enzyme that I get from Heyday which has salicylic acid in it to help prevent breakout for me and excess oil production for Donovan. AND of course, a Gua Sha moment to be had.

9:45 p.m. We have a nightly routine when we are together: we reflect and say what we are grateful for after energy cleansing with some palo santo. It took time, but Donovan understands my lifestyle and my rituals, and now participates, too!

11:30 p.m. And you know by now cue Google and its lights out!

Daily total: $0

For dinner, Gallagher enjoys a protein-packed bowl from Dig. / Photograph by Lynn Gallagher.

7 a.m. I dont start at HeyDay until 3 p.m. today, but Donovan is on the 9-5 schedule right now so of course the alarm he sets on Google gets me up, too. Time for some movement! So I head to Amrita for a yoga class.

9:30 a.m. Todays class is approachable and a nice way to iron out some of the tension and kinks I felt from my workout the other day. I love being in the Maha Room with the water sounds and skylights. Plus, this class usually isnt too crowded so I can spread out and be zen in my own space.

12 p.m. Get home, showered, and ready for the day. I sit for meditation, drink some tea, you know the deal. I am going to have my lunch before I head out to Rittenhouse to get some work done before my 2 p.m. meeting. Just some leftovers from yesterdays dinner of meatballs and zucchini noodles.

2 p.m. I have a meeting today with a brand strategist who has been helping me with a personal project. Before we meet, I stop at Moms Market because I absolutely need my favorite coconut yogurt, CocoJune. I cant live without it so I get two of the large containers ($16.98).

3 p.m. Into HeyDay I go! Thursday nights usually get pretty slammed. People are preparing for the weekend and because its usually after a work day they are either 1) high energy and ready for Friday or 2) ready to sleep the rest of the weekend. So I never know what I will get. HA! But so far today/tonight, I have clients who have been faithfully coming to see me for a facial every month so I am always excited to see their progression!

7 p.m. The moment I have been waiting for. I FINALLY get Dig for dinner. This is the first meal I have bought out in a few weeks since I started Whole30, so this is such a treat! Plus, its easy to stick to complying when their options are so healthy! I get chicken thighs over beats, sweet potatoes, and greens! YUM! ($14.74)

11 p.m. I head home from a day of clients and am definitely pooped. I do a quick skincare routine of oil cleanse with Living Libations best skin ever and a quick jade roll, no Gua Sha.

Daily total: $31.72

Gallagher performs her own Gua Sha facial massage while in the sauna at The Wellness Refinery. / Photograph by Lynn Gallagher.

9 a.m. For most people, today is the start of their weekend, but Friday means the most work for me. I actually have become accustomed to this lifestyle of working on the weekends, but I love the way peoples energy shifts. They are more relaxed and a bit more buzzy and not so stressed about the week. They are ready
to unwind and receive their facial treatments as a way to relax and I am here for it!

9:30 a.m. I am going to The Wellness Refinery this morning because something about detoxifying internally and externally feels right to me. Plus, I need to spend time in the sauna for skin health and muscle relaxation, and to keep my mitochondria strong as the colder weather and darker days hit. Plus, Ashleigh (the owner) can make me a tonic drink thats Whole30 approved! Win, win.

10 a.m. Check into The Wellness Refinery. As always, I am greeted with a loving hug, the hospitality of a cold pitcher of water, and a piping hot room ready for me to go sit in for 45 minutes ($39 for sauna, $6 for tonic).

10:15 a.m. After giving myself a moment to settle in and adjust to the heat, I do a mini Gua Sha session on myself. I started doing this when Ashleigh first opened her spot and now I conditioned myself to treat my skin while sweating. For me, it works. I crave the feeling of the warm tool on my face as it melts away all the tension in my body.

12:30 p.m. I have my first breakfast styled meal that Ive had all week: organic eggs, sugar-free bacon, and some avocado.

1:30 p.m. I am ready for my day at Parlour. Fridays are typically days full of eyebrow waxing clients and some facials. Tonight, I see one of my very loyal clients which makes the day go by quickly.

7 p.m. Time to wrap up today, but I need a moment to unwind a bit from the day and week. At this point, I feel a bit more of a need for silence, rest, and a reset to make it through my weekend. I typically do 12-hour days on Saturdays and start early on Sundays so I need to pace myself. Donovan has already gotten our groceries to make for our dinner tonight. He has so willingly and kindly readjusted his palate tonight to accommodate a Whole30-approved meal. We love to cook together and its our first time using Alison Romans Nothing Fancy cookbook. We make a cabbage recipe with coconut flour crusted flounder and adjust a bit to meet the requirements for Whole30.

9:30 p.m. Our nightly routine begins. Its a little difficult now to not have a glass of ros and a dessert right now, which we usually do on a Friday night in. But its all good! We want to start tomorrow morning with a meditation together so we make it an early night. But of course, we do our nightly skincare routine.

11 p.m. *Cue Google*

Daily total: $45

Money spent: $252.69Workouts completed: ThreePersonal Gua Sha sessions: Five

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A Week in the Life of Philly Skincare Guru Lynn Gallagher - Philadelphia magazine

Ways to extend the years you live disease-free – Wahpeton Daily News

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I am sure you have heard the usual ways to maintain your health such as not smoking, getting in enough exercise, maintaining a healthy body weight, avoiding excessive drinking, and eating a healthy diet. However, did you realize that doing these five things can substantially extend the years you live disease-free?

According to Dr. Frank Hu, who is a nutrition and diabetes researcher at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School, women who practice all five habits gain over 10 years of disease-free life and men gain almost eight years. With the aging of America and the extended life expectancy, it is imperative to our golden years to be healthy now. The average age of a long term care resident in North Dakota is 85 years old.

Long term care services are provided in a variety of settings including skilled nursing, basic care, assisted living, home health community services, and short term rehab. 1 out of 2 North Dakota residents will need long term care during their lives. Living a healthy lifestyle and performing healthy habits will increase the chance you can stay in your home longer or return to home after a shortened rehab stay.

When you do need long term care services, look to your local community for the comforts of home like living.

Jill Oliphant is the Director of Nursing at Benedictine Health System, 1307 7th St N, Wahpeton, North Dakota.

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Ways to extend the years you live disease-free - Wahpeton Daily News

Stories of the Heart: With healthy lifestyle, heart attack survivor never saw it coming – WYTV

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"It's amazing that someone like me can have two heart attacks," said teacher Elizabeth Johnson

by: Lindsey Watson

(WYTV) On the first Friday of every February, the American Heart Association encourages everyone in the nation to wear red for Go Red for Women Day. The idea is to raise awareness for heart disease because the more a woman knows about it, the better chance she has of beating it.

One local woman embodies that message.

As a seventh-grade math teacher, Elizabeth Johnson knows you cant judge a book by its cover, let alone a person.

I just think its really important. When people look at me theyre like, Oh, shes a really healthy girl. It is amazing that someone like me can have two heart attacks, Johnson said.

Johnsons heart journey started almost four years ago. She had just finished lunch and was heading back into the classroom.

All of a sudden, I felt like I was coming down with the flu. I was sweating and felt nauseous. I ended up leaving the classroom and getting sick, coming back and I thought I could shake it off, she said.

But she couldnt.

So I finished teaching my 90-minute block and then I decided to drive myself to Urgent Care, she said.

In hindsight, Johnson said she doesnt recommend driving yourself to the hospital. But, she never thought in a million years she would have a heart attack.

I work out daily, eat healthy, I get my bloodwork done regularly. Im a healthy person. I did not think healthy people had heart attacks, she said.

Johnson was diagnosed with whats known as a SCAD (spontaneous coronary artery dissection) heart attack.

Basically, one of the arteries of my heart was tearing and then it ended up clotting which caused the heart attack, she said.

A year and a half later, she suffered a second one.

That was my bad one, I ended up in the ICU. From there, Ive basically damaged my heart so now Im in heart failure and I had an ICD implanted to keep me from going into cardiac arrest, Johnson said.

Johnson is on medication to help keep her heart rate low.

She also likes to show off her pacemaker.

As a mother of three, Johnson is also instilling heart-healthy lessons into her familys lives by making sure her kids eat healthy and exercise. They even do a nightly plank challenge before bed.

Just being aware of your body. Im so happy Ive always exercised, eaten healthy. My doctors have all said that that truly helped me save my life, she said.

On this national Go Red for Women Day, Johnson is using her story to help others and raise awareness.

If you can make a donation to the American Heart Association, the more money thats out there the more research thats done. This is a new type of heart attack so if we can get more money out there it could go for funding, Johnson said.

Heart disease and stroke claim the life of a woman every 80 seconds, causing 1 in 3 deaths among women each year more than all cancers combined. But, about 80% of cardiovascular diseases can be prevented.

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Stories of the Heart: With healthy lifestyle, heart attack survivor never saw it coming - WYTV

How are RAs prepared to address mental health? – The Stute

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Often referred to as the eyes and ears on the ground, Resident Assistants (RAs) serve as the first line of defense if a situation arises among residents. But just how well are RAs trained to handle the growing mental health crisis thats impacting life at Stevens? The following article is a reflection on my experience with the mental health training I endured as a first-year RA.

Staff training begins roughly two weeks before the fall semester kicks off. During that time, RAs are on the clock from essentially 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. observing presentations, acting out scenarios, and getting messy with construction paper for bulletin boards. The presentations trained on a wide variety of topics including crisis response, fire safety, expectations on duty, active shooting, diversity and inclusion, and many others.

We also bore witness to a number of presentations specific to the mental well-being of both our residents and ourselves. The first of these was regarding the CARE team, given by Dean of Students, Kenneth Nilsen, and Health Educator and Case Manager, Gabrielle Guider. This training was specific to new RAs and highlighted the internal and external procedures surrounding a CARE report submission. CARE reports allow you to report anonymously or not, its your choice a non-emergency situation that you have observed about a friend. This notifies the proper individuals to reach out to the person youre worried about and try to provide appropriate resources.

The training itself focused on how and when to submit a report for someone. The training itself didnt teach me anything new, though I know that wasnt the case for everyone else. Indirectly though, it laid forth what I saw as a crucial message pertaining to our roles as RAs. We arent supposed to intervene and assist in the lives of our residents; we just exist to report and refer if something happens.

Following this, we were given a presentation on psychological warning signs from Director Dr. Eric Rose and Assistant Director Dr. Melissa Zarin of Stevens Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). This was a far more comprehensive session on how we can recognize symptoms of specific types of eating, depressive, and anxiety disorders that are common among college students. The list of things we were told we could have encountered was so extensive and niche that many of the symptoms taught were behaviors at which I never would have batted an eye. I felt the technical approach of learning the definitions and forms different disorders take, as well as the appropriate resources to refer residents upon diagnosis, worked very well to teach individuals at a science and technology oriented university.

Rose and Zarin also addressed the much darker topic of suicide prevention through a QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) certification a few days later. As we began to walk through the symptoms and signs to look out for, the realness and severity of what we were dealing with started to strike a chord in my mind. I vividly remember going over self-harm and being told by Rose that aiming to stop a resident from harming themselves is unrealistic. Instead, we should put our efforts toward trying to mitigate the damage they do to their bodies through safer cutting practices.

Up until this point, everything we had learned was a concrete if you notice x, then respond with y. For the first time, we were being told that the best approach was to be ourselves and connect as humans in these situations. I left the presentation mortified. We were just painted a picture of the most extreme situation that could happen the one no RA hopes to experience and left it at that.

I was afraid of having to handle anything we talked about. Yet, the more we talked about self-harm and suicide among residents, the more these ideas were brought down to Earth as something that can be handled and resolved just like a roommate conflict or work order. By having the harder conversations, I felt more confident that I would be ready for these situations, should they arise.

Sure enough, we put all the skills we talked about into practice later that day. A notorious part of RA training is called Behind Closed Doors (BCDs). Here, returning RAs act out real situations that new staff need to walk into and resolve. Inside the room are other RAs and professional staff from various departments to help discuss what can be improved upon after youve enacted the scenario. Though stressful to go through, the pseudo-experience provided from BCDs most directly translates to what we need to deal with on the job. Whether it was an eating disorder reported from a roommate, or a resident having suicidal desires, they were all very realistic and applicable. Despite the pressure from all eyes on you, being able to receive real-time feedback on how to better approach an issue through body language, tone of voice, word choice, etc. is unparalleled in value. If I had to choose one part of the training that best prepared me for my role, it was performing BCDs.

From here, the conversations in training started to shift slightly towards our own self-care and living a generally healthy lifestyle. Guider presented later that week on the wellness model she prepared for our university. She elaborated on each discipline of wellness needed to make healthy living more attainable, including physical, mental, spiritual, financial, and several others. Each of these categories was applicable to our own lives, as well as the lives of our residents seeking advice, and how we could better partition our time to be more mentally well.

With that we concluded any direct training for addressing mental health before we opened the doors and met our residents for the first time in the fall. Though I wont elaborate on them, there were still plenty of presentations indirectly tackling the mental health of our residents, such as roommate conflict mediation or how to confront a resident with care.

Additionally, during our winter training, we performed additional BCDs and listened to an informative presentation from Rose on seasonal depression and other things to expect with our residents returning from break. RA Daniel Raleigh also gave his own presentation titled Who Counsels the Counselor? that opened discussion on how to appropriately approach having an emotional investment in the lives of our residents and proper practices to distract and recover from the situations we experience.

Bearing the weight of the mental health and well-being of dozens of new college students on our shoulders sounds intensive and stressful. To call the role of a RA anything less is an understatement. Its truly impossible to comprehend what we go through without actually experiencing it first hand.

After surviving my first semester as an RA, I feel comfortable saying that what we learned in training was an accurate reflection of what we experience day to day. It prepared me well to handle any and every situation.

When you become responsible for your residents in the eyes of the university, you want to do anything you can to see them succeed. My greatest personal challenge has been balancing the emotional and professional investments I have in the lives of my residents. With all of the terrifying shortcomings and scenarios I was taught to prepare for, Im content saying that my weakest area thus far has been caring too much.

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How are RAs prepared to address mental health? - The Stute

Deadly Greene County shooting involves stunt woman, her husband and ex – Dayton Daily News

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MIAMI TWP., GREENE COUNTY

The Greene County shooting that left two people dead Wednesday outside a million dollar home near Yellow Springs involved an ex-husband who allegedly fatally shot his former Hollywood stunt woman ex-wife and her current husband.

FIRST REPORT:Shootout near Yellow Springs could have been ambush, sheriff says

RELATED:Sheriff reveals names, new details in shooting

Greene County officials declined to name the resident who allegedly shot and killed the two people who reportedly came onto his property with guns and who were using a camera system to monitor activity there.

They did identify the residents ex-wife as Cheryl Sanders, who was a celebrity spokeswoman and stunt woman who appeared on the cover of Healthy Living Magazine.

Her current husband, Robert Reed Sanders, also was killed in the shooting.

RELATED:What we know today about the double-fatal shooting near Yellow Springs

Cheryl Sanders wrote online that she moved from martial arts and kickboxingto a career as a stunt womanin the 1980s.

She said was the stunt double for Brooke Shields, Sharon Stone and other A-list actresses.

She doubled for Rene Russo in The Thomas Crown Affair and the Lethal Weapon series, jumped into a speedboat for Kathleen Turner in V.I. Warshawski and flew into the courthouse window in Back to the Future Part II, according to the Denver Post.

A 20-foot fall on the set of Back to the Future Part II brought her Hollywood career to a halt in 1989, according to the Denver Post. The bones in her face, right arm and hand were shattered when she hit the concrete after a cable was released during a flying stunt.

She later returned to Hollywood after changing to a healthy lifestyle that included supplements and diet changes. She did stunt double work for Jessica Alba in 2016.

Robert Reed Sanders had been licensed in real estate in Texas. Greene County Sheriff Gene Fischer said Thursday the man had a criminal record, but he did not elaborate.

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Deadly Greene County shooting involves stunt woman, her husband and ex - Dayton Daily News

Students invited to participate in Genesee Health Plan’s 5th annual Health Heritage Essay and Scholarship contests – Grandblancview

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FLINT Genesee Health Plan (GHP) today announced it is accepting entries for its Fifth Annual Health Heritage Essay Contest. This year Sovita Credit Union is sponsoring the contests, which are open to all students in Genesee County.

The essay contest is for elementary (grades 5 and 6 only), middle/junior high and high school students. Two scholarships will also be awarded to high school seniors pursuing a career in the healthcare field.

Knowing your family health history is a key part of prevention and living a healthy life. Our annual Health Heritage Essay Contest is one way we encourage students to think about their health today and in the future, said Jim Milanowski, GHP President and CEO. This year we are excited to announce that Sovita Credit Union is sponsoring the essay and scholarship contests.

Students are encouraged to interview one or more of their family members and write an essay about their findings, as well as their plans for their personal health and their future health. The specific essay guidelines are outlined below and can also be found at geneseehealthplan.org.

Elementary (grades 5 and 6 only) & Middle/Junior High School

200-350 words

Essay must be typed or clearly handwritten

First place winner will receive a $200 gift card; second place winner will receive a $100 gift card

High School

500-750 words

Essay must be typed

First place essay contest winner will receive a $400 gift card; second place winner will receive a $200 gift card

Health Care Career Scholarship Contest

High school seniors planning to pursue a career in the healthcare field may enter an essay for the opportunity to receive a scholarship. The essay must include information about the health career they plan to choose and why, the importance of good health, their goals and the impact they hope to make in their chosen field. Two $1,500 scholarships will be awarded.

750 words or more

Essay must be typed

The name Sovita celebrates the life of the community, said Jen Shew, Sovita Credit Union Director of Marketing. We serve the healthcare and educational community, so this partnership is a great fit for Sovita. We are honored to support the work Genesee Health Plan does to educate students and families about making healthy lifestyle choices and are very excited to sponsor this years essay contest.

All essay submissions are due on or before Friday, March 27. Both scholarship recipients will be honored at Genesee Health Plans Health Care Hall of Fame Awards Dinner on April 17.

The contest also provides an opportunity for teachers to participate for the chance to win prizes. The middle/junior high school teacher who has the most students from their classes enter the contest will receive a $300 gift card and the high school teacher who has the most students from their classes enter the contest will receive a $500 gift card. Both winning teachers will also be recognized at the Health Care Hall of Fame Awards Dinner.

Essays can be submitted electronically to: healthheritage@countyhealthplans.org.

Contact Sherika Finklea at (810) 232- 7740 ext. 217 with any questions.

For more information including specific contest rules and guidelines, visit geneseehealthplan.org/2020essaycontests. L.R.

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Students invited to participate in Genesee Health Plan's 5th annual Health Heritage Essay and Scholarship contests - Grandblancview

Healthier ways transform her outlook on life – The Varsity News

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BY ADIA PALMER/ VN STAFF WRITER

As a college student, my mental health is always teetering.

Some days I am happy and filled with light.

On those days I ate a good breakfast, got to class on time, had a productive day at work, completed my homework at a decent hour and ended the night watching one of my favorite shows on Netflix.

Those days are my best.

Other days I feel low and fail at taking care of myself. I fall off my daily routine.

I will eat too little or eat so much I dont want to move.

I will go to work and everyone will ask if I am okay. I will say yes but we all know the truth.

When I get home I sleep, but not a peaceful sleep.

I wake up every few hours, anxious and sad.

I know I should do my homework, but my accumulating feelings of sadness wont allow me to do anything necessary besides sleep and eat foods that would thrill a kid.

The state of my mental health was not been diagnosed but I would call my mental state in fall semester 2019 anything but healthy.

My health was a concern for me mentally and physically.

My face was rounder.

I noticed my clothes did not fit properly.

I avoided clothing with buttons.

Sweat pants and hoodies are in-style street wear but I wore them because they were the only clothes I didnt feel stuffed in.

The semester was over but my disastrous habits didnt change and the pounds kept creeping up on me.

The final indicator that I had fallen off the deep end was when I realized it had been months since my checkup in September and I still hadnt gotten my bloodwork done.

As the days and weeks passed, my fears took over because I knew what I was feeding my body was not conducive to a healthy lifestyle.

What if my cholesterol or blood sugars were high? What if I am pre-diabetic or, even worse, diabetic?

These questions arent farfetched because most of my family have health issues related to being overweight.

I saw how big I was in the Christmas photos and decided to step on a scale. I was at my heaviest.

So, in January 2020 I committed to a healthier lifestyle.

I didnt want to be on a diet because they didnt seem to last and only made me binge eat.

I wanted this to become a long-term solution.

Granted, those with a severe mental health diagnosis or those who feel the urge to harm themselves should speak to a professional for help.

But I wanted to try to deal with my issues on my own.

I wanted to take back control of my life, so I began with the one thing my family doctor said I needed: exercise.

My new lifestyle change was going to be active.

Though it has only been a month, my new lifestyle of clean eating and exercise is making a remarkable difference in my mental stability.

I exercise three to five times a week for at least 30 minutes and I make no excuses for myself.

If I cant make it to the fitness center or a gym, I exercise at home.

I can feel a rise in my energy levels.

This the best I have felt mentally and physically since the start of my college career.

Seasonal depression and stress are difficult to overturn but I have done it (so far) with fitness.

I have lost ten pounds and my days are a lot brighter.

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Healthier ways transform her outlook on life - The Varsity News

What is good for the heart is also good for the brain, report suggests – The Irish News

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Keeping the heart and blood vessels healthy reduces the risk of cognitive decline and dementia, a new report suggests.

According to the paper released by the Global Council on Brain Health (GCBH), cardiovascular problems increase the risk of memory, thinking problems and dementia.

These include factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, an inactive lifestyle and obesity.

Researchers say that the more cardiovascular problems a person has, the greater the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

The Brain-Heart Connection report summarises various research on the topic by the GCBH.

It sets out that factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and smoking, which damage blood vessel walls over time, likely increase the risk of dementia, including Alzheimers disease.

These conditions and behaviours can directly damage the brain through tiny strokes, and their effects will add up over time, according to the paper.

Scientists say it remains unclear how these tiny strokes contribute to the development of Alzheimers disease and other dementias.

However, they agree that regardless of the exact mechanism, keeping the blood vessels and blood flow healthy is key to maintaining your brain function as you age.

A heart-healthy lifestyle that includes plenty of exercise and a healthy diet reduces the risk of cognitive decline, the report suggests.

The GCBH also concluded there is strong evidence to show that it is never too late to start treating those conditions or taking steps to help reduce the risks, even for those in their 70s or 80s.

The earlier a healthy lifestyle is adopted and any cardiovascular problems are treated, the better for a lifetime of a healthier brain.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director of Age UK, said: Learning more about how to preserve good brain health later in life is extremely important.

Diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels also affect the blood vessels in the brain and can cause damage there.

The good news is that we can take steps to reduce our chances of cognitive decline and we can take positive action to help prevent cognitive decline and dementia.

Having better control of high blood pressure and high cholesterol, reducing the intake of salt and excessive alcohol, stopping smoking and taking steps to reduce the risk of having a stroke which is one of the strongest risk factors for dementia all help to reduce that risk.

The experts make a number of recommendations, which include being physically active, maintaining a healthy weight with a balance of good diet and exercise, and making time to manage stress levels.

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What is good for the heart is also good for the brain, report suggests - The Irish News