Beavis and Butt-Head Are Quintessentially ’90s & Don’t Need Revisiting – CBR – Comic Book Resources

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Considering the times we're living in, it's hard to imagine Beavis and Butt-Head appealing to anyone outside of nostalgic Gen-Xers.

The idiotic cartoon, Beavis and Butt-Head, featuring the titular teenagers engaging in various jackass antics and providing their, uh, unique perspectives on music videos, is returning. Comedy Central and Mike Judge are giving Gen X the '90s nostalgia it craves. But considering the times we're living in, it's unlikely Gen Z, or anyone else for that matter, will relate to these gas-huffing, chronically chuckling air guitarists from Texas.

Pre-9/11 America was vastly different from society today. A detached and ironic take on life, exemplified by Gen X, prevailed. It was cool to not care. People were so sarcastic so often, it was hard to tell when they were being serious. Nighttime talk-show hosts like David Letterman and Conan O'Brien epitomized this attitude. Society was more carefree but, as became clear later, the country had its head in the sand. Nirvana famously attacked this clueless American hedonism and chauvinism by eviscerating glam metal, racism and homophobia. Beavis and Butt-Head, however, were largely a reflection of this period with their fartknocker and bunghole jokes.

RELATED:Beavis and Butt-Head Returns With New Seasons, Spinoffs

They were best known for their commentary on MTV music videos, pointing out what they did or did not like about a song or a musician's appearance (e.g., "This guy looks like a cheerleader," when discussing the frontman of the band Cinderella). But since the internet brought about the age of streaming and independent artists and labels have proliferated, music videos are no longer the staple they once were.

Though Gen Xers might still enjoy having Beavis and Butt-Head walk them through a Lana Del Rey or Ed Sheeren video, it's hard to see Gen Z, who grew up on candid and rather earnest YouTube videos and shows like Bob's Burgers, would find their observations nearly as amusing. Even if they did, the show already ran for eight seasons and was turned into a movie, making it hard to imagine what else could be done with this formula.

Apathy and disaffection also seem inappropriate when much of the country is dissatisfied with the current leadership, and movements like Black Lives Matter and #MeToo are still at the forefront of discussion. Immature comments about Trump's hair, which already abound, would add nothing to the conversation.

Unless Judge has plans to make the duo more outspoken and subversive, and less patently irreverent, an indifferent or even tone deaf take on modern issues by two white teenagers would not be well received in the current climate of cancel culture. It's also hard to say whether anyone would laugh these days at Beavis and Butt-Head playing frog baseball or putting balloons in dolphin holes.Animal-rights activists would not be happy, to say the least.

RELATED: 10 Guest Stars We Forgot Were On Beavis and Butt-Head

Many recently resurrected TV shows and movies, such as Twin Peaks and Pet Sematary, have received somewhat tepid reviews, which is not to say all remakes are unsuccessful. However, a show like Beavis and Butt-Head, which is so specific to a particular point in time, will most likely have difficulty bringing anything fresh to the table. Plus, ongoing shows like South Park already have the market in inappropriate cartoon antics cornered and have been commenting on current topics for a long time, so bringing Beavis and Butt-Head back seems unnecessary.

There's no doubt the new seasons of Beavis and Butt-Head will draw an audience of sentimental Gen Xers. Those wanting to escape the seriousness of current times may also be converted. But if the show is going to be worth revisiting, the disaffected tone will need to updated in order for its social commentary to translate to modern times.

KEEP READING: Without Beavis and Butt-Head, There Would Be No Rick and Morty or South Park

Community: 'Advanced Dungeons & Dragons' Shouldn't Have Been Pulled From Streaming

John Shin is a freelance editor and writer based in Seattle. A graduate of the University of Washington and Rutgers University, he has worked in publishing for over 15 years. His writing has appeared in various newspapers and the book One Word: Contemporary Writers on the Words They Love or Loathe.

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Beavis and Butt-Head Are Quintessentially '90s & Don't Need Revisiting - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves Met in the Most Relatable Way Possible – Men’s Health

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Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves are one of Hollywood's sweetest couples, and they've been married for 8 years and together for a stunning 14 years.

However, you might be surprised to know it wasn't exactly love at first sight on Alves' part, because as People reports, Alves didn't know who the actor was when they first met. "We had two interactions at the bar. The first interaction, I did not know who he was," Alves hilariously revealed. "At the time he had a really long beard, and he had this rasta hat. He was all covered up, and I didnt really realize who he was."

Fortunately, the couple was able to click, and they've been together ever since. Here's what else you need to know about Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves.

The couple met at a bar in West Hollywood, with McConaughey telling People that he first saw Alves as an "aqua green figure floating across the frame, and my eye went up, and I said, 'Who is that? What is that?'" McConaughey then struck up a conversation with the Brazilian-born Alves in Spanish, since he didn't know any Portuguese.

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Alves also revealed that it was McConaughey's close friend Lance Armstrong who tipped her off to who the actor was. "Lance came to talk to me," she explained. "You knew they were always together, so Im like, OK, Im outta here. Im going to the other side of the room!

And while McConaughey said that he had been happily single for a while before meeting Alves, he believed that she was the right person for him at the right time. "We went out on our first date three nights later, and the next night I wanted to go on another date. And I've been wanting to go on a date with her for the last nine years. And not with anybody else."

McConaughey proposed to Alves on Christmas Day 2011, and they got married on June 9, 2012 in Austin. Guests at the wedding included Woody Harrelson, Reese Witherspoon, and filmmaker Richard Linklater, and one source told Us Magazine that the luxury campout-themed nuptials were "very emotional. There was a moment when [Matthew] leaned down and whispered something in [Camila's] ear and you could see a tear coming down her face. Everyone let out a collective sigh."

And while Alves revealed she was happy to marry McConaughey, she also saw the wedding as an extension of the life they already had together.

"We've been living a married life for over six years now. We have homes together, we have family together, we have kids, we've built a life together. So we've been living a married life this whole time," she explained.

Jason Merritt/TERMGetty Images

McConaughey and Alves welcomed son Levi in 2008, daughter Vida in 2010, and son Livingston in 2012.

In 2014, McConaughey talked to GQ about being a father, saying that it was "the one thing Ive always wanted to be. I knew when I was 8 years old. I mean, I wanted to be things like the Washington Skins running back and all that stuff, but the one thing I knew I wanted to be was a father."

And while Alves told Us Weekly that wrangling three kids can be tough, she also makes sure that she and McConaughey get some alone time. "It's important to remember that you and your husband came first, and that relationship needs to be nourished...[we enjoy] a lot of staycations, cooking together and staying at home, or getting a hotel room that's 10 minutes away from the house."

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As E! reports, McConaughey and Alves are also pretty accepting when it comes to their kids. "The main thing is that my wife and I, Camila, we have a similar moral bottom line," McConaughey said on Today in 2018. "And as you learn, if you have kids, every day they get older, you realize how much more it's really DNA. We can nudge 'em and shepherd 'em, et cetera et cetera, but they are who they are. And right now, I'm just happy to say we have three healthy ones and they're very much individuals."

Most recently, the couple talked to Town & Country about their Just Keep Livin' Foundation, a non-profit that works to help high school students by providing them with the tools to make healthy and safe choices for a better future, both physically and mentally.

"Ive always been a hedonist, and part of having a foundation is putting a capital H on hedonism. Being able to give back in ways is a selfish endeavor. It feels good to me to see a smile or hear a young person say thank you," McConaughey revealed.

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A postcard from Ibiza, where dancing is banned and masks are mandatory but nature is thriving – Telegraph.co.uk

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Posing on a podium of volcanic rock, a cormorant opens its wings to the mornings first rays. Flamboyant feather displays arent uncommon in Ibiza at this time of year, but today the sun is rising above a very different White Isle. Less footprints disturb the sandy coves and thumping beats have been replaced by the idle fizz of rolling waves.

July is typically high season for tourism. Playa den Bossa, the islands longest and most commercial beach, should be densely packed with sun loungers and cocktail-sipping revellers, sound tracked by turntables spinning from dawn till dusk.

Like everywhere in the world, 2020 is an exception.

Covid-19 has pulled the plug on Ibizas clubbing scene, and government restrictions on mass gatherings mean mega-venues like Ushuaa and H Ibiza wont reopen until 2021. Instead, the sleepy coastline has been reclaimed by birds and locals, who are making the most of fine weather and few crowds.

When I land at the airport, carousels creak with lonely pieces of luggage and DJs glare from billboards advertising parties that ended 10 months ago.

But slowly, following the lifting of quarantine restrictions for Spanish arrivals into the UK, tourists are trickling in. On July 11, TUI kickstarted its summer schedule with flights to the island from London Gatwick and Manchester, heralding the return of the package holiday to Europe. Those who choose to travel soon could be rewarded with scenes of Ibiza as it was 30 years ago.

Newly refurbished during lockdown, seafront hotel The Ibiza Twiins is eager to receive guests in its two towers, stacked with a honeycomb of 495 rooms. At check in, Im greeted by staff behind Plexiglass and encouraged to use automatic hand sanitisers dotted throughout the resort. In my bedroom, bathrobes and slippers come smothered in Cellophane and beach towels are neatly topped with a complimentary disposable face mask.

From today, wearing face coverings becomes mandatory in public spaces throughout the Balearics. Swimming pools, beaches and sun loungers are exemptions, so theres no risk of coming home with ridiculous tan lines; masks can also be removed while eating and drinking in bars and restaurants, although youll need to pop them back on for trips to the loo. Penalties range from 100 for individuals up to 6,000 for venues.

It has been suggested new regulations are partly a precautionary response to the return of tourism. According to figures published by the Spanish government, 2,249 people were diagnosed with Covid-19 across the Balearic Islands; from July 2-7, that number had dwindled to just 17.

The only other major difference to my resort stay is breakfast. Before entering the restaurant, a member of staff takes my temperature using an electronic gun. Anything over 37.5C, and Ill be quarantined for two weeks.

Controversially, the buffet has survived; although fried eggs, sausages and platters of cheese displayed on a one-way circuit of counters can only be plated by staff. Self-service is a thing of the past.

Were a hotel, not a hospital, exclaims Ricardo Munoz, Commercial and Marketing Director from the Sirenis hotel group who manage Twiins. People are on holiday and we want them to have a good time.

At night, the package holiday property is quiet. There are only 90 guests. We know this is not a summer to make money, concedes Ricardo.

Opulent light shows and Vegas-style fountains struggle to fill the empty space, and projected scenes of folkloric dancers are a far cry from the glowstick wavers and girls in hotpants who typically fill dancefloors.

But history and culture could be themes that shape a summer holiday in Ibiza this year. With a spotlight shifted from the club scene, local tour guide Pepe Costa sees this as an opportunity for tourists to focus on the islands colourful past.

We explore the ramparts of fortified old town and World Heritage Site Dalt Villa in Ibiza Town. From its 16th-century walls, the turquoise sea dazzles more than ever as prairies of protected Posidonia seagrass reflect the sunlight. Only a few boats glide to smaller neighbouring island Formentera, usually a busy thoroughfare.

In my 38 years as a guide, this is the slowest its been in July, says Pepe from behind a Perspex visor, a choice of face covering which makes it much easier for him to conduct tours. Locals have been enjoying their home during the last few weeks, he admits. But now were ready for tourists to return.

Numbers are steadily increasing.

At family hotel TUI BLUE Aura, in Port des Torrent on the opposite side of the island, the first influx of British guests is relaxing by pools and zooming down waterslides; next week occupancy will be at 55 per cent.

But further along the coast, San Antonios bay-side promenade is unrecognisable. Ibizas heaving heart of entertainment is missing more than a few beats.

O Beach, co-owned by Duane Lineker (nephew of famous former footballer Gary), is one of the few bars to take the plunge and reopen its pool parties.

By 5pm, groups of revellers are gathered in pre-booked areas, lazing on daybeds or dangling bronzed legs in the water. Masked waiters deliver cocktails in shiny pineapple caskets to tables, ordered from menus accessed by using mobile phones to zap a QR code.

The only noticeable difference is the absence of any dancing; thats not allowed anywhere on the island for now. This will be the year of the shoulder jig, jokes Gemma Charters, Director of Brand and Events, who says guests are briefed on arrival and given an info card outlining the new rules.

In true Ibizan spirit, fun seekers have found ways to adapt and ensure a new germ-free environment feels far from sterile. Plans to install a machine to spray guests with a disinfectant mist are both playful and practical, and DJs have crafted laidback sets to match the new low-key mood, with an earlier finish at 10pm.

O Beach also hopes to revive its acrobatic, cabaret-style shows; fitting with the current climate, new creations include a Freddie Mercury lookalike in a moustache mask singing I Want To Break Free.

Gradually, more venues and bars are coming out of hibernation, including the companys new venture Bam-Bu-Ku, a boutique family day club with sandpits and a surf machine.

People have a special bond with this island, says Gemma, who is confident tourists will come back. This is a chance to discover the gastronomy, the hidden beaches; youll never have an opportunity to experience Ibiza in this light again.

Its a view shared by Sarah Broadbent, Events Manager at iconic hotel, bar and restaurant Pikes, an institution revelling in its own bubble of hedonism up in San Antonios rural hills. During lockdown, she says the sky appeared bluer, the sea was clearer, and trails of bougainvillea were a spectacular vibrant pink.

Up here in this fantasy land of inflatable flamingos and welly-wearing dog statues, everything swings at a different pace. The pandemic has inevitably reshaped play: shows have been cancelled, theres no hanging by the bar, and lights are out by 2am. But have new regulations ruled out fun?

Never, smirks Yorkshire-born, veteran clubber Sarah, who wears a string of beads and a razor blade pendant around her neck.

One positive change, she says, has been a return to Ibizas roots. It feels like when I first came here in the 1990s. Back then, there were no VIPs. A shelf stacker from Tesco could rub shoulders with a Saudi princess on the dancefloor; everyone was treated the same.

One of the strictest lockdowns in Europe has been a great leveller, it seems.

Although the White Isle will look and sound different this year, its not unfamiliar. In the absence of big beats theres been a shift to a more reflective, relaxed tempo, and that could be music to so many peoples ears.

TUI Blue For Families is offering seven nights at the 4T TUI Blue Aura in Port des Torrents, from 758 per person all-inclusive, based on two adults and two children sharing and including one free child place.

TUI Platinum is offering seven nights at the 4T Ibiza Twiins in Playa den Bossa, from 770 per person B&B, based on two adults sharing. Half-board and all-inclusive options are available.

To book, go to tui.co.uk, visit your local TUI holiday store or download the TUI app. Prices are based on holidays departing in August 2020 from Gatwick and include transfers plus 20kg luggage allowance, subject to availability and change. Other UK airports and room upgrades are available.

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A postcard from Ibiza, where dancing is banned and masks are mandatory but nature is thriving - Telegraph.co.uk

Review of OVO’s Zoom production of Twelfth Night – Herts Advertiser

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PUBLISHED: 14:00 07 July 2020 | UPDATED: 14:13 07 July 2020

Debbie Heath

OVO's production of Twelfth Night. Picture: Supplied.

Supplied by Debbie Heath

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Theatre makers have had to work even more creatively than usual to deliver the goods during lockdown.

Ever innovative, OVO took their immersive theatre making one step further by using Zoom to create a live and interactive performance of Twelfth Night.

There is one opportunity left on Friday, July 10, when you can attend this amazing virtual live theatre performance and I strongly encourage you to do so.

This production is based on their open-air version of 2019 and as director Adam Nichols explained, performing live on Zoom presented some similar challenges to the cast and crew.

Outside they are at the mercy of the weather and other unpredictables. Via Zoom, it is their own internet connections that present the challenges.

Flora Squires, who played Viola with aplomb in her first OVO production, told the post-show discussion group that at one point her internet went down completely and she actually got kicked out of the call.

Simon Nicholas, the film director, had to train the cast to be self-sufficient techies not only staying in character throughout but changing their own scenery and sound.

The play was appropriately re-set in a 1920s cruise ship, which emphasised the themes of hedonism, and transgenderism.

The audience, made up of about 50 home screens, were asked to dress in the 1920s style and join in the action of the play at points by wearing scary masks and making a lot of noise it was very rewarding.

We arranged to go with five other households. Seeing our friends pop up on screen throughout made us realise how we had missed having a shared live theatrical experience.

The audience were guided through not only the plot but also their own technical responsibilities by Will Pattle as Fabian, reimagined as the ships croupier.

He was not only a very effective MC but thoroughly believable in his role.

A highlight of the play was his well choreographed fight scene with David Widdowson as Antonio in the neighbouring window.

The entire cast deserves praise for their strong, playful performances, technical abilities and superb teamwork.

However, a particular mention must go to Faith Turner who played Malvolia with a comic sensitivity that worked well.

Malvolio, traditionally male and played as a puffed up popinjay, is thoroughly deserving of his downfall but this time we felt sad at the outcome. It was an interesting change of interpretation.

The fantastic performances, technical and set design were further enhanced by OVOs use of music.

Modern classics such as Britney Spears Oops!... I Did It Again were performed in the jazz style.

There were some outstanding singers in the cast, including Hannah Francis-Baker. These songs, although pre-recorded to prevent buffering time lapses, were still authentic as created via Zoom.

Once again I have left an OVO production feeling superbly grateful to the whole creative team for giving me such an enjoyable evening.

However, the buzz and glow I got from this musical was the biggest yet.

To share the experience with friends and audience members from all over the world emphasised how culturally starved COVID has left us until now.

We really felt on board that cruise ship. OVO proved that a bit of imagination can take you anywhere.

I urge you to make the journey yourself this Friday.

Visit maltingstheatre.co.uk/twelfthnight and http://www.ticketsource.co.uk/ovo to book your tickets.

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Passive Income: What is it and how does it benefit you? – The Financial Express

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The notion Passive Income has a lot of attraction to it, while for some its a way of life. Passive Income would be the money that you earn with little work or no active involvement, hence Passive Income. Active income, on the other hand, is the hard-earned money you receive upon slogging day and night in your business or your job. Active income requires us to be on our toes running around money round the clock. Well obviously, it would only last as long as daily effort is being put in. Passive Income is quite contradictory to the old school belief system of you have to work very hard for money.

What if I tell you that there is a world where you dont work for money but your money slogs for you. Thats exactly what the concept of Passive Income does for you. It would only require initial set up and system, which can cater not only to an individual but in some cases to an entire generation.

The world we currently live in requires money to survive, sustain, and thrive. Hence, working for money is not a choice but an obligation. Billions of people today are in the quest of making money often forgetting the purpose of their existence, which is much more than just making money. This finally lands them in a job, business or profession which helps them to make money but isnt anywhere near their passion or purpose in life. Such people often settle for a mediocre life, if not an unsatisfied life.

However, passive income can be a complete game-changer. What if you get to choose to follow your passion and money comes to your bank account month by month? What if you get an additional support system to take care of your lifestyle expenses while you enjoy your time with your family, friends, and your passion. What if you are able to ride through the economic recession without making a reduction in your familys standards of living, your childrens higher education or your life goals? All of this is actually possible with the power of Passive Income.

Majority of us dream to fill our bank accounts with a lot of money, but the ones who actually have it, are looking for more time for themselves and their families, and that is exactly what passive income gives to an individual. It helps make the lives of business owners more comfortable who are facing a decrease in income due to recession or increased competition. For salaried employees, it gives additional support to aim for a bigger house, a better standard of living, and higher education for their children. For people approaching their retirement, Passive Income ensures a monetary cushion that their retirement fund does not allow for. Passive Income is that part of the income wheel that most of the people today are not even aware of, while others cannot imagine a life without it. Future stability and financial independence are the prospects that Passive Income can look after and act as a security against the inability to pay for the necessities in case of emergencies.

Recent studies have shown that most people in their 40s start feeling the pressure of their increasing living expenses and Passive Income is the support system that can ensure that the breadwinner of the family isnt working alone. Passive income if implemented well can give a greater sense of stability in income as well as control on an individual choice on what to pursue in life, a concept very alien until recently. Its time to slowly introduce this concept into our individual lives before our money worries and social obligations take charge of our lives.

As Warren Buffet rightly said, if you dont find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die. Why wait for the future, when you can achieve your monetary goals in an efficient and delightful manner right today.

by Arpit Arora, Business Coach, AskTheWiseGuy

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Personal financial ratios you need to know | Citypress – News24

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Personal financial ratios are tools or calculations designed to help you evaluate your current financial strength and position.

These will help you prepare for your financial freedom, writes Mapalo Makhu.

There are many tools to help you navigate the road to financial success. These include a budget and using apps to track your spending. But what other tools are there to help you evaluate your financial position?

Personal financial ratios are tools or calculations designed to help you evaluate your current financial strength and position.

Doing these calculations at least once a year can give you a benchmark to help you work towards better financial health.

NET WORTH CALCULATION

The net worth calculation is in effect your personal balance sheet, which measures your assets versus your liabilities. The bigger your assets are, compared with your liabilities, the higher your net worth will be.

Net Worth = Assets Liabilities

SAVINGS RATIO

A savings ratio is the level of savings as a percentage of your total income. This calculation indicates the amount of money you put aside as savings for future use. To achieve this, you need to practise the principle of paying yourself first meaning that even before you pay for anything else, you save first.

Another brilliant way to make sure that you save is by not inflating your lifestyle. With every pay increase, at least 10% of that should go towards your savings and not expenditure.

Savings ratio = Savings/net income x 100

DEBT-TO-INCOME RATIO

Data produced by Tymebank last year into just how indebted we are showed that just 15 days after payday, the majority of South Africans have no money in their bank accounts and therefore need to use expensive debt to get through the rest of the month.

The debt-to-income ratio is a calculation that compares the amount of debt you have to your overall income.

Debt-to-income ratio = Total recurring monthly obligations/gross monthly income

The ratio is really a reflection of just how much of your income goes towards servicing your financial obligations. An acceptable debt-to-income ratio is anything below 36%.

There are two ways to lower your debt-to-income ratio:

LIQUIDITY RATIO

Liquidity is the ease with which you can turn your assets into hard cash. This includes money in your savings account, as well as cash earmarked for an emergency fund.

When you are liquid, you can withstand financial shocks such as a retrenchment or illness. Another big advantage of being liquid is that when opportunities present themselves to you, you can swiftly take them without borrowing money.

When thinking of liquidity, the adage cash is king rings true.

Liquidity ratio = Liquid assets/current debt x 100

SOLVENCY RATIO

The solvency ratio is important and you should familiarise yourself with it. This is because, as you grow in your career and acquire more assets, debt is often used to finance these assets, especially property and cars (although cars are a depreciating asset).

This ratio lets you know if the assets in your balance sheet are enough to repay your debts. It is for this reason that your solvency ratio should be at least greater than one.

Solvency ratio = Net worth/total debt x 100

FINANCIAL FREEDOM RATIO

Unless you follow the Financial Independence Retire Early (Fire) movement closely, you will not be too familiar with the financial freedom ratio calculation. The Fire movement advocates saving and investing aggressively so you can retire early.

While we sometimes dream of being able to stop working in our fifties or some as early as in their forties, how do you measure your readiness to do exactly that?

The financial freedom ratio measures how close you are to being able to hand in your resignation, and live the financially free life youve been working hard for.

READ: The faces of financial freedom

The ratio is in effect the current income which you could sustainably replace if you were to stop working today.

To get to this number, you will need to know:

This ratio gives you an estimate of just how close you are to that seemingly elusive financial independence.

Although you can quickly and easily do these calculations, it is good to remember that tax has a big impact on them. However, do not let that put you off the number crunching.

Even getting just an estimate can shift how you currently view your finances and hopefully motivate you to improve and manage your finances better.

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Personal financial ratios you need to know | Citypress - News24

If you cannot be the first in a market, the only option you have is to be the best, says Nishith Rastogi of Lo – YourStory

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Bengaluru-based Locus.sh has been disrupting the logistics space since 2015. Founded by former AWS employees Nishith Rastogi and Geet Garg, the startup uses technology and proprietary algorithms to provide smart logistics solutions to businesses such as route optimisation, real-time tracking, insights and analytics, vehicle allocation, and utilisation.

On Money Matters with Shradha Sharma, Co-founder and CEO Nishith says that Locus.sh entered an already established business space and could not be the first in the market so the only option was to be the best in the space.

According to Nishith, apart from India, Locus.sh is present in Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh, San Francisco, and the East Coast. He adds that the startup was planning to set up EU operations. But it is now planning to launch in EU next year.

The Co-founder and CEO charts the startups journey, saying that it took Locus.sh six months to hire its first three members and 12 months to build the prototype. He adds, It took us two years to achieve core IP development and getting a real customer production deployment line.

Nishith explains that the revenue model largely depends on new or unique locations being visited. He reveals that it took the startup two years to reach 1,000 orders a day, and is now looking to climb up to 1,000,000 orders a day in the next two years.

He claims that Locus.sh serves 70 customers for revenue and 25 customers for product development, and is now aiming to gain around 200 customers.

Speaking about the funding plans, Nishith says that the startup does not have any immediate plans to raise money. As a company, we are always looking to do milestone-driven raises rather than runaway-driven raises, he adds.

Before Locus.sh, Nishith had no experience in logistics. Both co-founders met during their tenure at AWS and had worked together for two years.

Nishith and Geet started discussing logistics after the horrific incident in 2014, when a Uber driver-partner raped a passenger in Delhi, talking about safety and security.

According to Nishith, the app got attention and businesses approached them for the service. The duo realised the potential of using automation in logistics.

Locus.sh plugs into the supply chain of an enterprise and start automating all human decisions included in the process. We automate route planning, address correction, network planning, etc, he explains.

The solution has helped reduce 22 percent of fuel usage on an average, which not only is cost optimisation but also a green initiative, significantly reducing carbon emissions per delivery.

For many of our customers with average re-attempted delivery of 25 to 30 percent, we have taken it down to five percent by simply asking when the user wants their package and having a backend sophisticated enough to actually deliver the package on the preferred time in a cost-efficient manner, adds Nishith.

Happiness doesnt depend on the value of variables but on the number of variables, says the entrepreneur.

Nishith says that for him, money means financial independence. He believes, if his wealth is able to give him the things he needs, he will be happy with it.

He adds that an individual can have three levels of wealth

Survival: When one can afford basic necessities

RHS: When you can afford to buy things without pondering over the impact of its cost (for example, looking at the right hand side of a menu, i.e. the price)

The FU money: When you have enough extra money to facilitate the RHS stage even better.

The idea, Nishith says, is to remove money as a variable in life, not optimise for it.

Want to make your startup journey smooth? YS Education brings a comprehensive Funding Course, where you also get a chance to pitch your business plan to top investors. Click here to know more.

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If you cannot be the first in a market, the only option you have is to be the best, says Nishith Rastogi of Lo - YourStory

XTC Global Finals: These 7 startups, selected out of 2400 global applicants, are solving the world’s most extr – YourStory

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The world faces dire global challenges, including poverty, inequality, and climate change.

Technology will play a fundamental role in helping humanity overcome these challenges. And thats what this years worlds largest startup competition for entrepreneurs addressing global challenges - Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) - is all about.

The XTC Competition was founded in 2014by Young Sohn, President and CSO, Samsung Electronicsand Bill Tai, Partner Emeritus, Charles River Ventures, to empower entrepreneurs and their companies with resources and networking to scale at low-to-no incremental cost.

XTC is a nonprofit and is devoted to elevating the next-generation of entrepreneurs creating new technologies and innovations to benefit humankind. Inspired by the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the XTC supports and showcases innovators harnessing the power of technology to address key humanitarian challenges that the world is facing today.

The theme this year is Pitch for Hope, the competition kicked off in May 2019 and saw 2,400+ startups from 87 countries applying for the contest. Drawing from the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals, Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) bifurcated startups addressing challenges across seven key categories - AgTech Food & Water; Cleantech & Energy; Education, Enabling Technologies, Fintech, Health and Smart Cities & Transportation.

The applicants were then narrowed down to 52 finalists, who recently pitched their solutions to a panel of more than 80 leading investors and industry experts. A winner was picked for each of the seven categories, who will now make their pitch to a power panel of six investors that includes internet legend and Yahoo! Co-founder, Jerry Yang; Young Sohn, Corporate President and Chief Strategy Officer, Samsung Electronics, and Co-founder of XTC; Tim Draper, Founding Partner, Draper Associates; Philippe Botteri, Partner, Accel; Rafale Tordjman, Founder, Jeito Capital; and Bill Tai, Partner Emeritus, Charles River Ventures, and Co-founder of XTC.

In addition to the overall winner, XTC competition has instituted two new awardsthat will go to a breakthrough startup responding to the global COVID-19 crisis and to a female-founded startup whose innovations are driving solutions forglobal challenges. These two special awards will be announced at the XTC Global Finals.

These seven startups are category winners, who have been selected from 87 countries.But, they all have one thing in common: Their innovations are making the world a better place.

MicroGen Biotech: Two billion children ingest unsafe levels of toxic heavy metals like arsenic through the everyday consumption of food brands. MicroGen develops a technology to block the uptake of heavy metals by crops while restoring contaminated soil.

Genecis: The startup converts food waste into biodegradable plastics and other high-value materials. They use a scalable platform to reprogram bacteria to make high-performance materials from low-value organic waste streams, while significantly reducing GHG emissions.

TOMI Digital: Thousands of K-12 teachers are using the TOMi app to create interactive classes to engage students remotely and in-person, even without classroom internet. And, in a time of COVID, TOMi has become a prominent teaching tool for virtual classes, even when students cannot use video conferencing.

HALA System: The Hala platform uses IoT, AI, remote sensing, and distributed ledger to prevent violence and mitigate social challenges in the most dangerous places on Earth. For instance, Halas early warning system has helped to predict airstrikes in Syria and save civilian lives.

Rewire: Rewire boosts economic growth and financial independence in developing countries through a digital banking platform that is designed to serve the unique needs of migrants wherever they are. Led by ideals of social good, Rewire offers complete transparency, equal opportunity, and a fair banking system thats available to everyone.

Saathi: This startup makes eco-friendly hygiene products for women from banana tree fiber. Saathis sanitary pads biodegrade within six months vs. 600 years, and since the pads dont contain harsh chemicals, they provide a rash and irritation free experience.

SPRK: SPRKs mission is to make the global food supply chain food-waste-free by turning millions of tons of surplus food into a sustainable impact venture. SPRK's AI-powered online distribution platform matches food oversupply with local demand, reducing food disposal costs and CO2 emissions while making more food available in cities.

Through its global startup competition, XTC provides startupsthe potential for global visibility, the ability to raise capital, network with global entities (corporations, VCs, partners), and gain mentorship opportunities they need to pioneer technological breakthroughs and help power a sustainable future. It connects the innovators with a network of investors, corporations, and mentors to help them raise capital, launch corporate collaborations, and scale their world-changing startups.

On July 15, XTC's Global Finals will be live-streamed. Its your chance to hear how these winning startups will wow apanel of world-class investors and corporate executives.Register here

Want to make your startup journey smooth? YS Education brings a comprehensive Funding Course, where you also get a chance to pitch your business plan to top investors. Click here to know more.

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XTC Global Finals: These 7 startups, selected out of 2400 global applicants, are solving the world's most extr - YourStory

Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Nest’ On Acorn TV, Where A Couple Employs A Troubled Teen As A Surrogate With Predictable Problems – Decider

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Written by Nicole Taylor,The Nest was one of BBC Ones highest-rated dramas of the year when it aired in the UK in the spring, and its not hard to see why. The five-part limited series promises to have lots of twists and turns, and it involves a story anyone trying to have kids later in life can relate to. But does the show earn its twists and turns?

Opening Shot: Nighttime scenes of Glasgow, then we see a woman driving in the city, looking for a street.

The Gist: Emily and Dan Docherty (Sophie Rundle, Martin Compston) seemingly have it all; hes a very successful businessman, and shes a music instructor. They live in a beautiful waterfront house outside Glasgow. But one thing has eluded the couple for the length of their marriage: the ability to have children.

Theyve tried everything, fertility treatments, IVF, surrogates. Dan wont adopt because he doesnt want the baggage that kids in the UK foster system come with. But things seem to be shaping up; theyre thinking about baby names as Emily looks for a recital shes supposed to go to. When she turns into a parking lot to get her bearings, though, a young woman runs into the front of Emilys Land Rover and gets knocked down.

The girls name is Kaya (Mirren Mack), and the 18-year-old was so angry with an older guy James (James Harkness), that she threatened him with a broken bottle. Emily offers to take her to get her injured knee checked out, and while driving, Kaya seizes and opportunity and takes a business card Emily had in the ID slot on her briefcase. She begs off the hospital visit and goes back to her apartment, where James, her social worker, is waiting. He brings things for her apartment like a toaster, which she hurls off the roof after he leaves.

The next day, Kaya shows up at the music school where Emily works, he knee in even worse shape. When Emily drops Kaya off at the hospital, she tells the girl to go see her sister-in-law Hillary (Fiona Bell). While Hillary is checking out Kaya, though, she starts bleeding out. When Kaya sees Emily and Dan running into the ER later on, she follows them and finds out that Hillary was carrying the Dochertys child and she just suffered a miscarriage.

Kaya gets an idea, and she tells Doddy (Paul Brannigan), a neighbor that seems to take a liking to her, that shes an entrepreneur. She seeks out Emily again and has a proposal: She should be a surrogate for them. The Dochertys are down to their last embryo, which is fueling Emilys desperation. She agrees to hear Kaya out, and Kaya thinks doing this will change both their lives, as itll be the first time someone was grateful to her.

Emilys convinced, but still needs to convince Dan. Dan is rightfully skeptical, and tries to pay off Kaya to go away, which Doddy happens to witness. Emily and Dan meet Kaya for dinner, and what Kayas proposal is that, even though they cant pay her a flat-out fee for being a surrogate, which is illegal in the UK, Dan can invest 50,000 in whatever new business she creates. He scoffs at the notion, but at a certain point he realizes how distraught Emily is over the child situation. He even gets to the point where he gets his attorney Souter (David Hayman) to investigate.

But when the fertility clinic tells the couple that Kaya is too young to make this decision properly and that they should wait a year, Dan is relieved. But Emily still wants Kaya in their life. This leads the couple to make a decision thats going to flummox both James and Dans sister Hillary.

Our Take: The twists and turns of The Nests first episode are set up by a lot of seeming coincidences and what the therapist that talked to Kaya and the Dochertys about this arrangement called a lot of magical thinking. Kaya couldnt have known that Emilys Land Rover was going to wind its way into the parking lot of her building as she was confronting James. But it does feel like she was maybe waiting to find a wealthy benefactor in one way or another. Once she saw Emilys conveniently-placed business card, though, her plan was starting to hatch in her brain.

Thats when the coincidences really started to happen. Emily suggests that Kaya see Hillary, Hillary happens to miscarry while examining Kaya, Kaya happens to see the Dochertys run into the ER, and then she magically convinced Emily that this arrangement can work. The fact that Dan was so vehemently opposed to this felt like the most normal part of this entire first episode. Hes right; who the hell is this girl and why is she willing to carry their embryo at such a young age?

But Macks performance as Kaya even started convincing us that she has good intentions under her very business-minded exterior. Shes been in the system for years, her mother having died when she was young, and she still thinks people underestimate her, even though shes now technically an adult. Instead of college or going the way everyone thinks she should go, Kaya thinks that shes found a way to a career and financial independence. So what if it means shes renting out her womb? So thats an issue that will be interesting to explore.

Another intriguing aspect of this series is that it may not just be that Emily and Dan become victims to some sort of con. Kaya may indeed want to carry their child, even if its just to have someone in her life doting on her for nine months. But we know something about Dan is shady; he did jail time when he was young and he said he cleaned up his act, but hes also got a lot of power and influence in Glasgow, and hell do anything to make Emily happy.

All of these twists that were set in motion by this first episode are interesting enough to forgive all the coincidences that set things in motion. We just wish Taylor would have gotten there a bit more organically.

Sex and Skin: Nothing.

Sleeper Star: Fiona Bell will play a big part in this series, as it seems that Hillary has a very close relationship with her brother Dan. But even though shes the voice of reason in this scenario, it seems that Emily will hold more sway on Dan, at least at first.

Most Pilot-y Line: Doddy seemed to only be there as an impediment, and a minor one at that. But his death will likely come back to haunt Kaya and the Dochertys soon enough.

Our Call: STREAM IT.The Nest is twisty enough to keep our interest, but we just wish the first episode didnt have so many eye-rolling coincidences.

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesnt kid himself: hes a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, VanityFair.com, Playboy.com, Fast Company.com, RollingStone.com, Billboard and elsewhere.

StreamThe Nest On Acorn TV

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Stream It Or Skip It: 'The Nest' On Acorn TV, Where A Couple Employs A Troubled Teen As A Surrogate With Predictable Problems - Decider

Is it worth looking for a partner on the Internet? – Australian Times

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Despite the fact that life becomes more comfortable and safer every year, some of its aspects have become more difficult for us. The search for a partner, sadly, is on this list.

It is not so easy to approach a girl you like on the street and get to know her so that you are not considered a stalker or simply an unwanted violator of personal space. Girls, on the other hand, in pursuit of career and financial independence, often put their personal lives on hold until better times. And when this time comes, the question arises: how do you find your love when high school and college romance is gone, and almost all colleagues already have their partners?

At such moments, we remember that there is online dating. Many people, for some reason, still consider this a sign of despair, rather than a completely normal alternative to offline dating.

Surprisingly, such information was obtained in the course of a study in 2020. To be more precise: not just the majority, 70% of couples meet online. Ten years ago, there were only 20% of them which means that people quickly appreciated all the advantages of this method of finding a partner.

For obvious reasons, during the pandemic, the number of users of dating services has increased dramatically. Even those men and women who preferred live communication went online during self-isolation. According to researchers, 82% of single people today use dating websites to search for relationships. At the same time, 72% of those who seek love believe that a relationship formed in this way is even more successful than an offline one.

The easiest way to find out about interests is through online communication. It is obvious that if you are a guy and a girl in the same company or if you go to the same store, you may not have a lot in common. No matter how many poets and writers tell that opposites attract each other, common life goals and objectives, similar interests in films or musical groups simplify the relationships of any couple.

Therefore, it would be nice to know what the person you like is interested in and what he/she dislikes, right? This is one of the main advantages of dating websites and similar platforms.

When registering, everyone (except the lazybones) fills in the data in his or her account listing what he/she likes and dislikes, the place of work, what he/she watches and listens to, what he/she is fond of. In addition, many services offer advanced personality testing for the effective selection of a partner. That is, you have access to extensive information about a person before you even start talking for the first time.

This is almost impossible in everyday life. It is only possible if your girlfriend or sister thoroughly knows the candidate, but this, unfortunately, does not happen often.

To find out the maximum information about a person and his/her interests before communicating directly is much easier online than offline. Thus, you can significantly increase comfort and mutual understanding in future relationships.

If the thought of registering on one of the thousands of dating websites still does not make you feel enthusiastic, why would you limit yourself? You have millions of thematic communities in social networks to choose from, numerous forums and even special services for finding a friend by correspondence (the result of your communication is entirely up to you, the service itself does not limit it in any way).

Or maybe you do not mind hanging in some online MMO? Nothing brings us closer than shoulder-to-shoulder battles and common victories. Of course, when registering, no one prefers to fill out questionnaires and the character often has nothing to do with the real personality of the player, but at least the general interest is already obvious. By the way, often active players arrange meetings in real life, where you can get to know your teammates and associates.

Do not abandon the very concept of finding love on the Internet just because you are not fond of dating websites.

The answer to this question is unequivocally positive. And there are a lot of ways and tools to find it. Do not think of this as a desperate measure. Its just a different view of the same situation.

Free yourself from fears and stereotypes they often prevent us from finding happiness. Remembering the words of a famous song, we would like to say that love is not only in the air, it surrounds us in the real and the virtual world.

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Is it worth looking for a partner on the Internet? - Australian Times

Once on the verge of energy independence, U.S. may have passed peak oil production – Financial Post

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He also called for an end to flaring in the shale patch. Parsley was among the top 20 natural gas flarers by volume in Texas, according to a report this year from the states oil and gas regulator. But Gallagher said it had reduced the practice a huge source of carbon emissions to less than 1 per cent.

From that perspective, some healthy regulation would, over time, probably benefit the industrys reputation, he added, potentially helping to lure environment-focused investors back to the sector.

You want to be behind a company that makes this a priority, he said.

(The shale sector has) not been gifted with discipline

Matt Gallagher, Parsley Energy chief executive

Capital markets have largely closed to shale producers in the past year as investors fled a sector that became famous for world-beating production growth but an inability to repay debt.

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Once on the verge of energy independence, U.S. may have passed peak oil production - Financial Post

From Chingari to Mitron TV TikTok clone apps in India are now aggressively hiring to handle the user surge – Business Insider India

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The Indian founders even called this the atmanirbhar moment for Indias entrepreneurs."This is the digital atmanirbhar moment that most Indians have been rooting for, said Naveen Tewari, founder and CEO of InMobi Group which owns Roposo.

Indian entrepreneurs believe with this, Made in India apps will get a boost as they wont be fighting with Chinese companies, who have the cash to spend and build a userbase. The move can be hugely beneficial for Indian companies considering the potential Indian startups have in terms of creating our own TikTok, We Chat, Baidu. Many others are all poised to make it big with the scale our country provides and absence of Chinese competitors with deep pockets, Sandeep Singh, founder and president, Khabri.

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The company said that it has continued its hiring activities even during lockdown and 3 new members have joined during lockdown phase while 2 more will be joining next month.

Simultaneously, the company has aggressive hiring plans in technology teams across Android, AI and ML roles with remote interactions. We took lockdown and its consequences as an opportunity to interact with some extraordinary talents and explore the synergies to join us on our mission to enable Bharat to transform social capital to financial independence through short videos in regional languages. We did not do a single lay off, and continue to strengthen the team with the right fits who share the same passion, ambition and motivation, said Saxena. Advertisement

Interested candidates can apply by writing to hr@boloindya.com

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Interested candidates can apply by writing to career@mitron.tv

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Trell

Another TikTok rival app in India Trell has now crossed 45 million downloads with 5 million daily active users, claims the company. We are very excited to see the regular developments on the platform and the increasing interest from users and content creators. With this opportunity, the Indian Internet startups can grow faster and build a superior experience for the consumers in the long run which was being capped by the established players earlier, said Pulkit Agarwal, Co-Founder, Trell.Advertisement

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From Chingari to Mitron TV TikTok clone apps in India are now aggressively hiring to handle the user surge - Business Insider India

More than Meets the Eye – Harvard Medical School

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The ability to recognize faces is a complex neurocognitive skill with important social implications. A disorder that impairs that ability, which, according to some estimates, affects more than 2 percent of the population, can lead to isolation and anxiety and impair personal and work relationships.

The traditional view of this face blindness disorderprosopagnosia in scientific parlancehas held that it arises from deficits in visual perception. Under that view, individuals with face blindness are unable to visually distinguish the features of faces presented side by side and unable to determine whether the faces are the same or not.

Now a new study led by researchers at Harvard Medical School and the VA Boston Healthcare System shows that face blindness may arise from deficits beyond visual perception and appears to involve glitches in retrieving various contextual cues from memory.

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The results, published July 5 ahead of print in the journal Cortex, suggest that the traditional view of face blindness as a purely visual perceptual disorder may be reductive, the researchers said. Further, they reveal that successful facial recognition requires recollection, or the recall of relevant contextual details about a person, such as their name or profession.

The new findings can help explain a mystifying discrepancy in face blindness research: People with the condition often fail to visually identify familiar faces, but many also perform normally on visual-perception tests.

This inconsistency has always hinted that there may be other factors at play that go beyond visual perception, said study senior author Joseph DeGutis, HMS assistant professor of psychiatry at VA Boston. Our findings suggest that one important deficit beyond perception is face recollection.

The ability to recognize a face requires two forms of memory: Recollection and familiarity. Recollection is the retrieval of contextual information upon seeing a facea fellow shopper greeting you in the store and you recognizing them as the person you met through work a few weeks back. Familiarity, on the other hand, is a fuzzier feeling of knowing without any contextual information, the researchers explained. Think of the fellow shopper looking vaguely familiar but without any of the relevant details that tell you how you know them.

The findings can help inform the design of techniques to boost face recognition in people with developmental prosopagnosiaa form of face blindness that is not caused by brain injury, poor vision or neurodevelopmental disorders like autism.

Our results underscore that prosopagnosia is a far more complex disorder that is driven by more than deficits in visual perception, said study first author Anna Stumps, a researcher in the Boston Attention Learning Laboratory at VA Boston. This finding can help inform the design of new training approaches for people with face blindness.

The research team is currently working to design one such experimental program in the VA Boston laboratory where the work was conducted.

The study involved 6o people, ages 18 to 65, half of whom had lifelong face blindness.

The participants were asked to perform a series of facial-recognition tasks by studying and then identifying sets of faces that the participants had not seen prior to the study.

Participants were asked to study 60 faces shown on a computer screen, one at a time. The participants were then shown a scramble of 120 facessome of them already seen during the study session and some completely new.

To tease out the differences in recognition memory between participants with and without face blindness, DeGutis and colleagues measured their degree of confidence in classifying each face as old or new on a scale of 1 to 6. Correctly identifying a face as old with high confidence reflects the use of recollection, the researchers said, whereas correctly identifying a face as old with less confidence reflects the use of familiarity.

Compared with participants who had face blindness, people without it were significantly more confident that they had seen these faces before. However, those with face blindness were still able to correctly identify many of the faces they had seen before, although with less confidence. In other words, when trying to recognize a face, participants with face blindness relied on familiarity, the vague sense of knowing or having seen someone before without specific contextual information. In contrast, individuals without face blindness relied on recollection.

Taken together, these findings suggest that people with face blindness use different memory processes for face recognition.

The results, the researchers said, demonstrate that successful face recognition requires more than a vague familiarity with a facea sense of having seen a face before but without recalling any other details to place the face. Memory researchers call this inability to identify a familiar face out of context butcher-on-the-bus phenomenon. Though everyone experiences this from time to time, for people with true face blindness this can happen frequently, as often as multiple times a day.

Our findings suggest that people with developmental prosopagnosia use a different memory system when trying to learn and remember faces and that system is less optimally suited for the task of recognizing faces, DeGutis said.

Additional authors on the study include Elyana Saad, David Rothlein and Mieke Verfaellie.

The research was supported by the National Eye Institute (grant RO1EY026057).

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More than Meets the Eye - Harvard Medical School

Medical Students Should Be Taught How to Care for Immigrant Patients – Scientific American

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For immigrants, a medical appointment is never just another routine errand. Instead, it is a challenge, a test of strength, one that provokes anxiety at every step. Will the receptionist understand my accent, or flash a toothy, disingenuous smile while asking me to repeat myself for the third time? Will the doctor ask my own child to translate my diagnosis for me, or attempt to explain using broken phrases learned from a college language class? Should I mention my traditional herbs, or will I be chastised for using fake medicine?

Immigrant patients face countless barriers constructed by the medical system, encompassing issues related to limited English proficiency (LEP), health literacy and cultural differences. Nearly 14 percent of the U.S. population are immigrants, and over 25 million individuals have LEP. Unfortunately, the medical system at-large provides subpar accommodations to these patients. Based on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services standards, all hospitals are required to provide language services to LEP patients. Yet, in practice, there is inconsistent compliance to these requirements, and these protections have come under attack. Appallingly, over 30 percent of hospitals provide no language services at all.

However, its not merely language differences at fault. Instead, the underlying structure of medicine fails to account for the diverse backgrounds of the patients we treat on an everyday basis.

The issue originates in how we collect and represent information about our patients. Medicine largely relies on race-based markers to determine disease prevalence and to categorize our patients. Often a patients country of origin and migration history is nowhere to be found in the medical records. While nearly all hospitals collect data about race and ethnicity, more than half do not even collect rudimentary information about birthplace.

As I scroll through patients electronic medical records, I am presented with demographic variables at the top of each file, including ethnicity, race and religion. Yet based on these characteristics, I, an American-born individual, appear to have the same needs as my mother, who grew up amongst the turmoil of Chinas Cultural Revolution and who relies on my assistance to understand her diagnoses.

We must also continuously question why we distill the complex heterogeneity and diversity of our backgrounds into inflexible racial categories. As medicine grapples with using race in clinical algorithms, we should evaluate how this impacts our immigrant patients.

During my clinical skills training in medical school, I received extensive guidance on how to gather a patient's social history, detailing everything from their relationships to their occupation. But what about migration experiences? These migration histories are often complicated and a source of trauma. Yet medical students barely receive any education on the best practices to collect this sensitive, yet crucial, information. As clinicians, we may also encounter situations when it is in the patients best interests to minimize explicit documentation of immigration status. However, all physicians should be equipped with an understanding on how to discuss migration history, archive this information if safe to do so, and recognize how this information impacts patients medical care.

Unfortunately, throughout my formal preclinical education, I have not once heard how patients countries of origin affect their health riskseven though several diseases primarily afflict immigrants.

Hepatitis B is one. While the estimated U.S. prevalence of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is only 0.3 percent, in Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) it is 8.3 percent. AAPIs make up 5 percent of the U.S. population, but account for more than 50 percent of Americans with chronic HBV. The CDC officially recommends that anyone born in high-prevalence regions, including many countries in Africa and Asia, should be actively tested for HBV. However, this recommendation depends on physician awareness to be implemented, which can be difficult to achieve. As my parents medical advocate, I was shocked to discover that my mother was never immunized nor screened for HBV, even though my father was infected with it, it has a high prevalence in China, and it can be transmitted through families. This oversight heightened her risk of severe complications, including cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Another example is Chagas disease, one of the most common causes of cardiomyopathy in Latin America. The medical literature advises physicians to suspect Chagas in every patient coming from Latin America with chronic heart failure, and screening data suggest that 1.24 percent of Latin American immigrants are infected. However, many physicians never consider the risk of Chagas disease, lack knowledge about it and often fail to treat it before debilitating complications appear.

The fact that these insidious diseases and their impact are rarely discussed in preclinical medical education demonstrates how immigrant health issues are devalued and underemphasized. Clinical algorithms with guidelines for screening and care for immigrants, including the CDC Refugee Health Guidelines and CareRef tool, are available in some clinics, but should be more routinely incorporated into medical education and practice.

Just like countless first- and second-generation immigrant health care providers, I was motivated to pursue medicine because of my familys dismal experiences in the medical system. I wanted to be part of the change, someone who delivers the compassionate and comprehensive care that I wish my parents had received. However, now that Im in medical school, I feel inadequately prepared to take on this enormous task.

So, medicine, please teach me how to care for immigrant patients. Dont just teach me about cultural competency. Instead, empower me with the tools to provide nuanced care for each individual and their distinctive stories. Educate us on how to use medical interpreters in a manner that centers the patient. Standardize the collection of migration history into a patient's social history and medical records. Train medical providers and students how to conduct targeted screenings based on their patients immigration background.

If we pride our nation as a land of diversity, lets ensure that the medicine we practice reflects these values.

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Medical Students Should Be Taught How to Care for Immigrant Patients - Scientific American

UND continues to lead the nation in American Indian physicians – The Dickinson Press

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Data collected from the Association of American Medical Colleges shows that from 2018 TO 2020 UNDs medical school ranked in the 100th percentile higher than any other school in the database for the fraction of its graduating medical student class to identify as American Indian. In recent years prior to 2018, the school ranked in the 99th percentile.

In its nearly 50-year history, the INMED program has produced almost 1,000 American Indian health professionals, including more than 250 physicians.

I like to say that an organization like the UND SMHS (School of Medicine and Health Sciences) is characterized by not just what it says, but also by what it does, Joshua Wynne, vice president for Health Affairs at UND and dean of the medical school, said in a statement. The INMED program is a testament to our commitment to deliver on the imperative to move toward more health equity implicit in former President Nixons Special Message on Indian Affairs.

Nixon gave that policy speech 50 years ago this month on July 8, 1970.

Donald Warne, director of the INMED and master of public health programs at the UND medical school, said the policy speech not only paved the way for reversing the federal governments termination policy, which had rescinded the sovereignty of American Indian tribes, but strove to improve American Indian health in several ways.

Warne said people, including his students, are sometimes surprised to hear that Nixon was instrumental in promoting tribal sovereignty. The 1970s was an important decade for indigenous rights, including taking over management of schools from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and improved access to and control over tribes' health care needs. The 1970s also brought the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, which reversed a law that had made indigenous religious practices illegal in the 1880s.

In the 1970s, it was kind of a renaissance of American Indian policy and law, Warne said.

Nixon's policy reversal also played a direct role in creating UNDs Indians Into Medicine program, which was founded in 1973. The program was originally established through federal appropriations. The programs mission is to improve American Indian health and produce more American Indian health care providers, from physicians and physical therapists to occupational therapists and public health researchers.

I think without federal support, this would not be as successful as it is, Warne said, noting there is a long way to go to address disparities in education and health. But at least at UND, we're doing our part.

The medical school is also launching a new doctoral program in indigenous health, the first of its kind.

I think in many ways, the University of North Dakota is well positioned to be the national leader in medical education, and public health education and doctorate level, health professions education really for many years to come, Warne said. Our starting point is really a national leader, but I envision a lot more growth from here as well.

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UND continues to lead the nation in American Indian physicians - The Dickinson Press

Fort Worth M.D. School faculty member wins award for excellence in teaching and innovation – fortworthbusiness.com

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TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine associate professor Amber Heck, Ph.D., has been chosen as the 2020 recipient of the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) Early Career Award for Excellence in Teaching and Innovation.

I am honored and humbled to receive this award and to be chosen by my colleagues and mentors within IAMSE, Heck said in a news release from HSC.The award honors an IAMSE member who has made significant innovations, particularly with respect to teaching, in the short time they have focused their careers toward enhancing teaching, learning and learner assessment, according to their website.

Heck teaches physiology at the Fort Worth medical school and her responsibilities include curriculum design and development and active learning facilitation in cell biology and physiology. Heck joined the IAMSE in 2016 as a fellow and is currently an active member of the organizations scholarship committee.

I have watched the careers of past winners as well as their innovations and contributions to medical education, Heck said. I am thrilled to be now be mentioned in the same group as them. The IAMSE has pushed awardees to continue to pursue innovative projects in the field of academic medicine and I plan to continue to do that.The TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine, Fort Worths M.D. school, opened with a class of 60 students in July 2019. FWBP Staff

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Fort Worth M.D. School faculty member wins award for excellence in teaching and innovation - fortworthbusiness.com

Are medical students with equal access to the medical profession? – The European Sting

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This article was exclusively written forThe European Sting by Mr. Abdul-Rahman Toufik, originally from Ghana and currently a third year medical student at Sumy State University, Ukraine. She is affiliated to the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSAs view on the topic, nor The European Stings one.

The study and practice of medicine has always been an integral part of the life of man. Records of practices from as late as 500AD 1500AD have been discovered and coined down by archaeologists and researchers alike. As mankind reached into the stages of industrial revolution in the early 1200s, so did the improvement in other fields follow suit medicine included. The first ever medical school in the USA established in 1765 in the University of Pennsylvania went on to admit students wishing to pursue a course in the field.

Admission at that time was quite unique as most of the admitted were the majority from more prominent backgrounds. Their minority counterpart rarely had such opportunities as studies then was more practical based and the resources used in practical work and research was quite expensive. People started to have the opportunity to delve into medicine both men and women, old and young. The earliest records of admission into medical schools has shown that the majority of the admitted were men with women making up only a few. As the years progressed this has not been the case anymore. There has however been always been discrimination against some of the applicants. The earliest of such recorded were women back in the late 90s. As this practice almost became the norm, a law was passed in the 1970 in the US which addressed discrimination against women thereby paving the road for them to pursue their dream of being a medical practitioner.

In contrast to the situation back then in the USA and most parts of the world, white women in the UK have more chances of being admitted to medical schools than their ethnic counterparts as stated by McManuss analysis conducted in 1998 concerning admission to medical schools in the UK. Caribbeans remain more disadvantaged than African and Indians less than their Pakistani and Bangladesh counterparts. Even if their grades were brought into account, that gave no assurance of some of them getting a chance to be admitted. In addition, according to McManus analysis, student who in their motivation letters did not give or show earnest interest in the field were not considered for admission. The same goes for older applicants. There has been cases of this in the US and other parts of the world.

Moreover, a study conducted by Yale university researchers in the US found that some students of different genders, race and sexual orientation were discriminated against not only by their fellow students but by the medical faculty as well. Most of the affected were female, multiracial, lesbian, gay and bisexual students.

The world is now a globalized place with people from almost all ethnic backgrounds, gender, age and sexual orientation found in every part it. Knowledge and expertise in a particular field is something everyone is capable of if given the proper guidance and resources. One of such fields is the medical field and it is a very crucial field for the continued survival of mankind.

References

1)Cole, S. (1986). Sex discrimination and admission to medical school, 1929-1984. American Journal of Sociology, 92(3), 549-567.

2)McManus, I. C., Richards, P., Winder, B. C., & Sproston, K. A. (1998). Clinical experience, performance in final examinations, and learning style in medical students: prospective study. Bmj, 316(7128), 345-350.

3)Hill, K. A., Samuels, E. A., Gross, C. P., Desai, M. M., Zelin, N. S., Latimore, D., & Boatright, D. (2020). Assessment of the prevalence of medical student mistreatment by sex, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation. JAMA Internal Medicine, 180(5), 653-665.

About the author

Abdul-Rahman Toufik comes from Ghana and is currently a third year medical student at Sumy State University, Ukraine and the academic committee chairman for the national Union for Ghanaian Students in Sumy.

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Are medical students with equal access to the medical profession? - The European Sting

Reflections on COVID-19: The Impact on MS-III’s | Blogs | Campbell University – Campbell University News

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When Shelter-In-Place was ordered in March, and Campbell University moved all instruction to online, Meredith Culbertson was an MS-III enjoying rotations at Cape Fear Valley Health providing care and learning in the hands-on, dynamic atmosphere that is the rich reward after two years in lecture and lab. Meredith shares the challenges COVID-19 brought to the second half of her third year and the anxieties she and her classmateshave as they prepare to apply for residency

What is the difference between MS-I/II years and MS-III/IV years of medical school?MS-I/II years are primarily lecture and lab instruction. When we apply to med school and throughout our first two years, all many of us do is dream about getting into the hospital finally getting to clinical rotations. The reason we stress and study ridiculous hours those first two years (and then those excruciating months at the end of 2nd year when we are preparing for boards) is to make it to clinical rotations its like a mini graduation! Its a huge victory, and you feel proud of what we are doing.

For me, I believe the amount we learn in clinical years is enormously different and more helpful. Now when I see a question, I can actually picture that patient because Ive had that patient. I feel very confident about how to treat that patient in real life or in a board style question because now I have had that experience. COVID-19 ripped that away from us and put us back into first and second year.

As MS-IVs, typically we would spend months on away rotations in preparation for applying for residency in the spring. Medical schools nationally are struggling to figure out what the process is going to be and most of us are very stressed about our schedules and requirements. We just dont know if we are even going to be able to do away rotations. I am pursuing Emergency Medicine, and we need a specialized Standardized Letter of Evaluation (SLOE) without it you struggle to get into certain programs. Emergency Medicine Resident Association (EMRA) is working with all the program directors to be more lenient like other residencies (family medicine, pediatrics, etc.) to accept letters from non-residency emergency departments to help us through the application process. Theyare limiting everyone to one ED rotation tomake sure everyone across United States has at least one rotation through an emergency department with a residency before the Match. So, for my class when it comes to The Match, there are just a lot of unknowns and that heightens the stress and frustration.

How did COVID-19 change your MS-III year?

I feel like COVID-19 has stolen our education from us because what weve been doing the past few months is not real rotations. It was very frustrating for us because we felt like we went backwards back to the classroom and lectures in front of a computer versus being in the hospital learning from life experiences. Many of us struggle to learn from books and lecture, but excel in clinical. For me personally, I really excelled for 8-9 months on rotations, and I struggled to not loose motivation and inspiration when that was suddenly taken away.

So, a lot of us were very frustrated and were complaining especially in the beginning when everything was constantly changing. But, we had to remind ourselves that we are the lucky ones because we still have opportunities to help people in other ways some people signed up to babysit, to deliver groceries, we did a pediatric supply drive and we will soon have jobs that will make a huge difference.

How would you say you have been affected personally?

I am a very sociable person and being kinda isolated doing everything remotely has been hard. It definitely messes with your psyche sometimes. I knew going into this career theres a chance that we might get sick and even really ill I feel like I know that better than most because Im immunocompromised. This is not your normal sickness. We all need to be careful and abide by the guidelines, but sometimes its really hard and frustrating when all you want to do is to get back into the hospital and help.

Also, my sister is a physician in Colorado. She has MS and had COVID-19 for a month. Shes had to live separately from her husband since that time because he is an anesthesiologist and early on had to provide his own PPE. It was very stressful for them living a part and making sure she didnt get reinfected. So, as students, we have to remember people like them and consider ourselves lucky and not complain because it could be so much worse.

What do you think we can learn from COVID-19?

I think its been a learning experience for everyone on how to grow and learn with the new normal. We cant be mad with what has happened. There are still so many opportunities for us to help in other capacities and thats all we can do right now. Sit down and get through the grunt work knowing that at some point we will get back what we had. We just have to look at the here and now and hope the best for the future knowing were all in this together.

Your MS-III year officially ended on June 30th. What was that last month like?I just tried to focus on studying for boards fingers crossed my boards dont get cancelled. I will have to travel to Louisville, KY to take them. I continued taking my dog to the park and survived another month on alternative schedule.

I was supposed to be on surgery my last month as an MS-III. This is what I shared on Facebook the last day of rotations:Today is bittersweet. We are doing the right thing by sheltering in place due to COVID-19, but today was supposed to be the start of my last rotation in the hospital as. 3rd year medical student. Instead of doing surgeries in the hospital, I am making the most of it by hunkering down in the books, practicing my skills, and watching surgeries. We must stay positive and find new ways to challenged ourselves and continue our education to advance our medical careers. So, this month, I will not complain, but make the best of itvirtual surgery.

Now, I am back in the hospital and its been great, but also very weird. Its like riding a bike. You learned how, but youve lost some of the skill, so youre stumbling through how to do it again and now there are lots of new guidelines especially in the emergency department.

N 95 masks do give you bruises, but I dont care that I get bruises or feel tired because this is what I want to do. I love learning something new every day and working hard. I get to be in a place that I feel I belong, and I fit in with a great group of people that are just like me. There are amazing people here at Cape Fear Valley Health who go above beyond.

Im still very nervous about this residency application season and how it will unfold with all four of my audition rotations being canceled. I have a lower board score, so I wanted to make sure I can show them in person how I excel in hopes they will look past my board score. Again, its just very much an unknown, but we have some really good attendings who are understanding and working with us, so Im hopeful.

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Reflections on COVID-19: The Impact on MS-III's | Blogs | Campbell University - Campbell University News

Expert: Mandate Masks, Speed Up Test Results In AZ – KJZZ

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Arizona has expanded its coronavirus testing capacity thanks to several partnerships with universities and labs. But test results are taking up to two weeks for some individuals meaning a lot of people who dont have COVID-19 are quarantining while awaiting results.

Doctor Shad Marvasti with the University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix says that until labs are able to return test results faster, anybody who gets a test should isolate themselves until they no longer have any symptoms.

"(If) you have no fevers or any other symptoms, or youre feeling better, you could tentatively begin resuming activities," Marvasti said. "Being more cautious in terms of your contact with the elderly, those with chronic conditions, and as all of us should be doing, wearing a mask in public and keeping our distance."

COVID-19 statistics from across the country are showing that states with mandatory mask orders are faring better than states without including Arizona.

Marvasti says Arizona is a global hotspot of the disease and not having a statewide mask mandate makes the state look foolish.

"(Other states) have the statewide mask mandate, and yet we have this crisis and are a hotspot and we dont, doesnt seem to make common sense to me," he said. "I think we also need to add with the ordinances, and I this varies from city to city, some kind of fine or fee to help ensure enforcement."

Short of another shutdown, Marvasti says mandatory face masks would be the most effective way of reducing infection rates across the state.

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Expert: Mandate Masks, Speed Up Test Results In AZ - KJZZ

Michael Longaker won a national title at Michigan State, then dove into the world of medicine – MLive.com

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Note: This is part of a series of stories about former Michigan State players who have gone on to interesting or unique post-basketball careers. Previously: Adam Ballinger, artist; Delvon Roe, actor; Anthony Ianni, public speaker

Four decades later, the memory of his first practice against Earvin Magic Johnson is a vivid one for Michael Longaker.

As a sophomore guard for Michigan State in 1977-78, Longaker was among those tasked with defending the Spartans star newcomer. He spent that day exhausting himself while chasing the bigger and more athletic Johnson around Jenison Fieldhouse.

But the challenges didnt stop even when practice did. After leaving the court, Longaker balled up the tape on his ankles and threw it in a wastebasket. Johnson promptly grabbed the ball of tape and boasted he could sink the wastebasket shot from further away.

I was like Oh my gosh, what a nightmare, Longaker said. That was a window into how competitive Earvin was at everything.

While they competed in practice, the two teamed up to help Michigan State win the schools first national title in 1979. Johnson was the face of the team, while Longaker was a role player helping keep Johnson and others sharp in practice every day.

After Michigan State, the two teammates went to California and found plenty of professional success.

Johnson, of course, won five NBA titles and three MVP awards in his Hall of Fame career for the Lakers.

Longaker, meanwhile, settled in Northern California and became a leader in a different field: medicine.

I do something very different from my teammates, I imagine, Longaker said this week from his office.

Longaker has spent the last two decades at Stanford University, where hes a professor at the School of Medicine and the co-director of the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. His work focuses on scarring and how to regenerate skin and improve wound healing.

Its a field of study far different than the matchup zone he worked to master under Jud Heathcote. But playing and studying at Michigan State, he said, set him up for a successful career in medicine.

I cant overstate the role that Michigan State has played in my career, Longaker said.

Longaker spent four years at Michigan State working hard in practices like that first one and fighting for playing time on some immensely talented Spartans teams.

His contributions were often not seen on box scores. Later in his career, Heathcote started asking Longer for his thoughts before and during games. He saw Longaker as a potential future coach.

Longaker, though, had other career plans. He initially planned on going into dentistry, but a summer spent doing research with James Potchen, then the chair of Michigan States Department of Radiology, sold him on a career in medicine.

Heathcote ended up writing a letter of recommendation that helped Longaker get into Harvard Medical School. But even then, he still held out hope to see his former player on the sideline one day.

I said Coach, Im kind of committed to being a physician, Longaker said.

Longaker finished medical school with the intent of becoming a pediatric heart surgeon. But during a year of research during his residency at the University of California, San Francisco, he was assigned to work under a doctor who operated on children before they were born and asked to investigate how embryos heal wounds.

His findings, that embryos heal without scars in their first two trimesters, set his career on a different course. One year of research turned into four, then was followed by more training in New York and Los Angeles before he landed at Stanford in 2000.

Now, most of his work is in directing a lab that focuses on skin and the skeleton, developing techniques to use stem cells to improve wound healing and prevent scarring. His work has earned him numerous awards and hes been an inventor on over 40 patents and patent applications.

Its been great, Longaker said. I couldnt have predicted it.

That world is far removed from that of Michigan State basketball, but Longaker finds ways to bridge his past and his present. He has two sons who follow the program closely he was elated this week in the afterglow of commitments from Emoni Bates and Max Christie and typically attends multiple games per year. Tom Izzo didnt join Heathcotes staff until after Longaker left, but the two have developed a friendship over the years.

Longaker has also become involved with the sports program at his employer (he attended the 2013 Rose Bowl wearing a split T-shirt featuring both Stanford and Michigan State) Former Stanford running back Bryce Love, the 2017 Heisman Trophy runner-up, worked in Longakers lab while completing his degree in human biology, and Oscar da Silva, an All-Pac 12 forward for the Cardinal, counts Longaker as his academic mentor.

One of Longakers recent trips back to East Lansing was last year, for the 40th anniversary of the 1979 national title. And when that team meets again in another decade, Longaker hopes his smarts can help reverse the outcome of that first practice way back when.

I always joked with my teammates, at our 50-year reunion, Im going to dominate, Longaker said.

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Michael Longaker won a national title at Michigan State, then dove into the world of medicine - MLive.com