To read full report: https://ec.europa.eu/health/sites/health/files/state/docs/2019_companion_en.pdf
Category Archives: Reviews
Classic Car Restoration: A “1968 Autobianchi Eden Roc” Is A Tiny Masterpiece (ClassicDriver)
From a Classic Driver online article:
The result is a testimony to the true meaning of haute couture – this car doesn’t need to impress or be flashy. It’s first and foremost superb craftsmanship, which has been married to extreme refinement. Next time you venture into Paris and notice a dark blue Eden Roc being driven by a young and elegant tattooed man, don’t hesitate to look closer and try to spot Leroy’s intricate tailor-made feathery details.
This tale began with an accident in November of 2017. Maxime Leroy’s 1968 Autobianchi Eden Roc was hit from ahead by another car in Paris. Shocked, Leroy witnessed his beloved car, which he’d bought at the tender age of 25, injured. But it was to be the beginning of an extraordinary revival …
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Maxime Leroy is anything but your typical classic car collector. He is a visionary creator with a strong personality whose adult life has been devoted to showcasing feathers. He discovered the art of plumasserie at school thanks to two of his professors. At that time, the school was the last school in France dedicated to teaching this dying art. And thanks to Leroy, who now spends two days a week there teaching, it still is.
To read more: https://www.classicdriver.com/en/article/cars/custom-autobianchi-eden-roc-a-featherweight-masterpiece
Cocktail Books: “Botany At The Bar – The Art & Science Of Making Bitters”
BOTANY AT THE BAR
The Art and Science of Making Bitters
Botany at the Bar is a bitter-making handbook with a beautiful, botanical difference—three scientists present the backstories of exciting flavors of plants from around the globe and all in a range of tasty, healthy tinctures. Botanists Selena Ahmed, Ashley Duval, and Rachel Meyer take us on an enlightening trip throughout the plant world as they share their unique expertise on the ecology, cultural practices, and medicinal properties just waiting to be discovered at the bottom of your glass. Notes on the origins of bitters, the science of taste, and phytochemistry are followed by a neat guide on how to extract and make herbal infusions at home. Add enlightening plant profiles with a mix of unique botanical drink recipes, and this is a truly fascinating experiential insight into the vital meaning of biodiversity today.
Investigative Debate: “Journalists Who Broke Harvey Weinstein Story” (Oxford Union Video)
On 5 October 2017, Twohey and Kantor, already respected investigative journalists, published a story in the New York Times that lit the world ablaze. The article, which detailed decades of sexual harassment and abuse perpetrated by Harvey Weinstein, launched the #MeToo movement into the mainstream and began an ongoing dialogue about the relationship between power and sexual exploitation. The article was the product of months of investigation by Twohey and Kantor, and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2018.
Emergency Medicine: When “Treating Everyone” Meets “Triage”, Patients And Healthcare Must Wait
From a STAT online article:
The specialty of emergency medicine is firmly grounded in social justice and providing access to expert care to everyone who comes in. That means treating anyone, with any condition, at any time. And yet, embedded into emergency department operations is a system that might be perceived as unjust: the concept of triage. The emergency queue isn’t “first come, first served.” It’s nonlinear by design, since triage prioritizes the severity of illness. The severely ill or injured receive immediate attention. Everyone else, to various degrees, must wait.
There are situations when waiting feels immoral to me, not merely inconvenient. Being an emergency doctor means shouldering burdens for perceived injustices that we have little, if any, control over. Most of the beds were locked up with patients boarding in the ED, which means they are waiting for an inpatient bed to become available in the hospital.
Hospitals have high expectations regarding how quickly patients are seen in the emergency department, and my colleagues and I share that goal. But there’s less urgency when it comes to discharging patients from the hospital, which would unclog the backup in the emergency department — and its waiting room.
Boomers’ Retirement: Find Purpose, Give Back To Your Community And Adapt Slowly (Barron’s)
From a Barron’s online article:
Retirements must evolve because everything won’t work out as planned, says Carolyn Taylor, president of Weatherly Asset Management, an investment-management firm in Del Mar, Calif. One of her clients, who worked in the biotech industry and had a very busy family life, trained before retirement to become a master gardener. As she trained, she found that she enjoyed teaching others and finally became a teacher of gardening, Taylor says.
Retirees who feel they have no purpose are more likely to find themselves at a loss or feeling depressed, says Black. Taking on part-time work, going back to school, volunteering, or participating in philanthropic endeavors can make retirees feel that they’re still making an important contribution.
Bringing the enjoyable aspects of your work into your retirement life can be helpful, says Black. “Maybe you enjoy mentoring young people; perhaps you can find a way to continue doing that into retirement,” she says.
Animated Movie Nostalgia: “Animal Farm” (1954) Directed By John Halas & Joy Batchelor
From a Christie’s online article:
Shortly after George Orwell’s death in 1950, his widow Sonia was visited in London by two representatives of the American film producer, Louis de Rochemont. They sought the rights to Orwell’s novel from five years earlier, Animal Farm. It’s said Sonia took some convincing but eventually agreed, on the promise that de Rochemont would introduce her to her hero, Clark Gable.
A conventional, live-action adaptation was out of the question given that the book’s main characters were farmyard animals, so an animated movie was decided upon instead. De Rochemont chose to have it made in the UK rather than the US — partly because of lower production costs, partly because he admired the work of British husband-and-wife duo John Halas and Joy Batchelor, a couple who ran their own animation studio and had produced several propaganda films for the British government during the Second World War.
Their adaptation of Animal Farm was released in 1954, to popular and critical acclaim — the first feature-length animation movie ever made in the UK.
Best New Movies: “1917” Directed By Sam Mendes Is Oscar-Worthy (Dec 25)
From a NY Times online review:
The war spectacle “1917,” directed by Sam Mendes (“American Beauty”), was unveiled in preview screenings on both coasts this past weekend and immediately announced itself as a significant Oscar player. The movie follows two British soldiers during World War I (George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman) as they’re given a seemingly impossible mission: Rush through dangerous territory to deliver a message that could save another battalion on the verge of annihilation.
Though “1917” recalls other Oscar-winning war movies like “Saving Private Ryan” and “Dunkirk,” Mendes distinguishes his effort by presenting the story as though “1917” were filmed all in one single take. It isn’t — Mendes and the cinematographer Roger Deakins employ all manner of clever methods to stitch together a great many different shots — but the average moviegoer won’t be able to spot the tells, and the you-are-there verisimilitude is potent.
To read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/25/movies/1917-oscar-odds.html
Streaming Services: Baby Boomers Remain Base Of Traditional PayTV But Are Slowly Cutting The Cord
From a Harvard Business Review article:
Baby boomers remain the base of traditional PayTV. Even with the quickening decline of bundled TV services, 80 million U.S. households still subscribe to cable, satellite, and fiber-based video services.
Well over half of all older consumers are already subscribing to at least one streaming service, with a quarter of Americans over age 50 having cut the cord to linear services by the end of 2018.
The traditional video marketplace is no more. Driven by a combination of technologies including high-speed internet access, billions of mobile devices, and falling prices for high-resolution displays, television as we have known it for decades is undergoing a radical reinvention, one that will reshape the media ecosystem. Just in the last few months, game-changing streaming services have been announced or launched from industry giants including Disney and NBCUniversal, spurred in part by billion-dollar investments from newer entrants such as Netflix, Google, and Apple.
To read more: https://hbr.org/2019/11/for-streaming-services-navigating-generational-differences-is-key
Nostalgia: “1961 AC Ace” Convertible Roadster (Classic Driver)
From Wikipedia:
In 1961 a new 2.6-litre (2,553 cc (155.8 cu in)) straight-six ‘Ruddspeed’ option was available, adapted by Ken Rudd from the unit used in the Ford Zephyr. It used three Weber or SU carburettors and either a ‘Mays’ or an iron cast head. This setup boosted the car’s performance further, with some versions tuned to 170 bhp (127 kW), providing a top speed of 130 mph (209 km/h) and 0–60 mph (0–100 km/h) in 8.1 seconds. However, it was not long before Carroll Shelby drew AC’s attention to the Cobra, so only 37 of the 2.6 models were made. These Ford engined models had a smaller grille which was carried over to the Cobra.
AC came back to the market after the Second World War with the 2-Litre range of cars in 1947, but it was with the Ace sports car of 1953 that the company really made its reputation in the post war years. Casting around for a replacement for the ageing 2-Litre, AC took up a design by John Tojeiro that used a light ladder type tubular frame, all independent transverse leaf spring suspension, and an open two seater alloy body made using English wheeling machines, possibly inspired by the Ferrari Barchetta of the day.
Photos from Classic Driver website: https://www.classicdriver.com/en/car/ac/ace/1961/703263?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Classic%20Driver%20Daily%203342019&utm_content=Classic%20Driver%20Daily%203342019+CID_08b403976196024a8806d6851989b77c&utm_source=newsletter
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