2020 West Panhandle Regional Science and Engineering Fair Results Announced – NorthEscambia.com

2020 West Panhandle Regional Science and Engineering Fair was held recently. Results, as provided by the Escambia County School District, were:

TEACHER AWARDSSenior Division Teacher Cherie Stephens Pensacola High SchoolSCHOOL AWARDSSenior Division Pensacola High SchoolGRAND AWARDSSenior Division Bailey Bullion (12th) & Jenna Kruse (12th) Pensacola High SchoolISEF Nominees Bailey Bullion (12th) & Jenna Kruse (12th) Pensacola High SchoolAnimal SciencesJunior1st Arizona Figueroa & Shaelon Hutchinson BBMS3rd William Burger BBMSSenior1st Lina Amin PHS2nd Kelsey Miller PHS3rd Darrius Guerrero & Damien Cruikshank BTWHSBehavioral SciencesJuniorHonorable Mention Lydia Basinger BBMSSenior1st Ramim Jim PHS2nd Madison Ardis BTWHSHonorable Mention Aalyiah Walmsley, Savannah Creel, Brian Smith BTWHSBiomedical SciencesJunior1st Kate Baumann, Alexa Castro, Isabella Wells BBMS2nd Talia Mendiola, Liliana Brown-Cruz, Ashton Bailey BBMSSenior1st Amber Vaughan BTWHS2nd Nicholas Porter PHS3rd Manas Pandey BTWHSChemistrySenior1st Samantha Gates BTWHS2nd Melissa Kruse PHS3rd Kaitlyn Roe BTWHSHonorable Mention Jasmine Payne, Tyler Sasser BTWHSCellular Molecular Biology and BiochemistrySenior1st Sarah Brown BTWHSEarth and Environmental SciencesSenior1st Bailey Bullion, Jenna Kruse PHS2nd Kaelyn Peeler PHS3rd Lillian Myslak, Cortney Sherman BTWHSEnvironmental EngineeringSenior1st Claire Han PHSHonorable Mention Rick Washington, Konsianta Reece BTWHSEngineering and Material SciencesSeniorHonorable Mention Ameenah Clark BTWHSIntelligent Machines, Robotics and System SoftwareSenior2nd Charles Pratt PHSMathematics and Computational SciencesSenior1st Roman Bassett, Zachary Osburn PHSMicrobiologyJunior1st Lana Carter BBMSSenior1st Roger Charles, Joshua Jones, Jalon Fleming BTWHS2nd Shayla Fulton, Nicholas Crowley BTWHS3rd Samantha Thompson, Elizabeth Hoke BTWHSHonorable Mention Gregory Simonds III, Diana Le BTWHSHonorable Mention Laureleiy Allison-Williams, Kameron Tetting BTWHSPhysicsJunior1st Mallory Sarfert, Katherine Peppers, Joleigha Parks BBMS2nd Isabelle Holck BBMSSenior1st Ryan Zhang, Danish Edupuganti PHS2nd Kathryn Tran, Andy Tran PHS3rd Christopher Heggdal, Eric Thomas, Tabian Dale BTWHSHonorable Mention Dakota Bell, Nicholas Wihtol BTWHSPlant SciencesJuniorHonorable Mention Madison Tennant, Maribella Golson BBMSHonorable Mention Aiyanna Dykes Bellview MiddleSenior1st Ava Kesler PHS2nd Van Nguyen, Sydney Abad PHSAmerican Chemical Society$100 to Sr 1st place, $ 50 to 2nd place, $50 to Jr 1st place, $ 25 to 2nd placefor outstanding achievement in chemistry.Junior Division- $50.00 check to Savannah Burke (Holley Navarre MS)- $25.00 check to Max Valovic (Holley Navarre MS)Senior Division- $100.00 check to Samantha Gates (Washington HS)- $50.00 check to Melissa Kruse (Pensacola HS)American Meteorological SocietyCertificates of outstanding achievement with projects in theatmosphere and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences are awarded to the team of Toby Johnson,Katherine Grissett, Reagan Harrison (Washington HS), and Kelsey Miller (Pensacola HS).The American Psychological Association, the worlds largest association of psychologists, works toadvance the creation, communication, and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society andimprove peoples lives.A certificate for outstanding research in psychology is awarded to the team of Bailey Bullion & JennaKruse (Pensacola HS).ASM Materials Education Foundationprovides an award for the most outstanding exhibit in materialsscience. A certificate for the best materials engineering project is awarded to the team of Alex Johnson &Jonathan Walker (Panama City Rutherford HS).The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International Emerald Coast Chapter awards projects forexcellence in the categories of EAEV, ENMS, ENEV, IMRS, MACO and PHYS. Each of the top twoprojects will receive $25 Gift Cards. Additionally, four more projects will receive certificates of merit. Thetop projects from the East and West Panhandle will compete for a $500 top overall Emerald Coast award.The top projects: The team of Alex Johnson & Jonathan Walker (Panama City Rutherford HS) & CharlesPratt (Pensacola HS).Also receiving a certificate are: Isabelle Holck (Brown Barge MS), the team of Ryan Zhang & DanishEdupuganti (Pensacola HS), Adrian Salazar (Holley Navarre MS) and Burke Sayer (Holley Navarre MS).The Association for Women Geoscientistsawards a certificate of achievement recognizing a femalestudent whose project exemplifies high standards of innovativeness & scientific excellence in thegeosciences. This award is presented to Mahtea Gulley (Pace Center).

Sharon Hill Aydelott supported the science fair for her entire tenure as a teacher in Santa Rosa County,and her enthusiasm and guidance encouraged many students to go on to pursue careers in the sciencefields. The Sharon Hill Aydelott Memorial Award honors her love for science and for her students. We arerecognizing two outstanding female scientists in the junior division this year, in the categories ofChemistry & Physics. Fifty dollars ($50.00) cash in Chemistry is awarded to Julia Irmen (Holley NavarreMS), and fifty dollars ($50.00) cash in Physics is awarded to Melanie Borrell (Holley Navarre MS).BRACE: Be Ready Alliance Coordinating for Emergencies recognizes projects aiding disaster/emergencypreparedness, mitigation, response, and relief or recovery efforts. The top projects in the senior and juniordivisions will be recognized with a cash award. BRACE would like to congratulate Madison Ardis(Washington HS) & Omoj Reeves (Holley Navarre MS).Reginald D. Butler Memorial Chemistry AwardA $50 cash award is presented to the most outstandingSr. chemistry project, and a $50 cash awards is presented to the students sponsoring science teacher.The student winner is Samantha Gates and teacher is Mrs Pam Hicks from Washington HS.Dr. B. H. Daughdrill Chemistry AwardWe call him Mr. Science Fair. Dr. Billy Daughdrill, retiredchemistry professor at PJC, worked with the fair for the 40 years that PJC hosted it and he remains aloyal supporter. Here to present the awards is one of the fairs original directors, his daughter, KimDaughdrill Walden. $100.00 is presented to the winning Jr. and Sr. projects in the categories of chemistryand biochemistry. The most outstanding Jr. and Sr. projects in chemistry and biochemistry wereSamantha Gates (Washington HS) Sr ChemSavannah Burke (Holley Navarre MS) Jr ChemSarah Brown (Washington HS) Sr BiochemFaye Schlott ((Holley Navarre MS) Jr BiochemJoan R Daughdrill Chemistry Award: Outstanding female lab practices, $50.00 cash award.- The team of Bailey Bullion & Jenna Kruse (Pensacola HS) Sr EAEV- Ava DeJong (St Paul) Jr EAEVEscambia County Medical Society 2 outstanding projects in the category of medicine and health areawarded $100 each. Exhibitors demonstrating excellence in the Sr Division is Amber Brown (WashingtonHS) the Jr Division team of Kate Baumann, Alexa Castro & Isabella Wells (Brown Barge).Florida Association of Environmental Professionals presents $75 (to the first place Junior and SeniorDivision projects in the environmental field based on projects that demonstrated originality,comprehension, organization, effort and motivation in this arena.Tonights winners are the Sr team of Bailey Bullion & Jenna Kruse (Pensacola HS), and ErinKirby (Holley Navarre MS) for the Junior Division.Florida Association of Science TeachersEach year FAST recognizes outstanding projects from the fairwith a cash voucher of $25 and a certificate. This years winning exhibitors areSr: Ramim Jim (Pensacola HS)Jr: The team of Joleigha Parks, Mallory Sarfert& Katherine Peppers (Brown Barge MS).Florida Engineering Society Northwest Florida Chapter FES is providing $30.00 Gift Cards to the topprojects in the Senior Division in Environmental Engineering & Engineering. FES would like tocongratulate Claire Han (Pensacola HS) & Ameenah Clark (Washington HS).Florida Sea Grant Marine Extension ServiceA book and framed certificate are awarded to the best Jr. &Sr. projects explaining, demonstrating, protecting, &/or exploring a marine science topic. Those projectsare the team of Arizona Figueroa & Shaelon Hutchinson (Brown Barge MS) in the Jr. Division and ClaireHan (Pensacola HS) in the Senior Division.Francis M. Weston Audubon SocietyAn award certificate, book, 1 x year membership in the NationalAudubon Society is awarded to the best project(s) demonstrating environmental sensitivity & contributingto an environmental issue. Tonights recipients of this award are all from Pensacola HS. They are ClaireHan, Kaelyn Peeler, and the team of Jenna Kruse & Bailey Bullion.Friends of Perdido Bay seeks to improve our lives by reducing pollution. Tonight, they are awarding 4projects that provides Solutions to Pollution. $50 & certificates of recognition will be awarded to- Aiyana Dykes (Bellview MS) & Faye Schlott (Holley Navarre MS)- Mahtea Gulley (Pace Center) & Melissa Kruse (Pensacola HS)The Genius Olympiad is an international high school competition focusing on environmental issues,which will be held at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The competition is a 4 day-long event to bringscience, art, creative writing, and architectural design projects together. The two student projects thathave been chosen to compete in this summers Genius Olympiad are from Pensacola High and belong toCharles Pratt and Hao Le.Gulf Power Engineering Society awards outstanding projects in the field of engineering. 3 x projects inthe Sr Division and 3 x projects in the Jr Division will receive a certificate, backpack, wireless desktopcharger and cash prize. The recipients tonight areJr Division- Max Valovic (Holley Navarre MS)- Alex Ballard (Holley Navarre MS)- Julia Irmen (Holley Navarre MS)Sr Division- Kaelyn Peeler (Pensacola HS)- The team of Bailey Bullion & Jenna Kruse (Pensacola HS)- The team of Prasika Bhattarai & Angel Ardison (Washington HS)The Lemelson Early Inventor Prize: This is a first year award for the Junior Division. The project selecteddemonstrates problem solving by identifying a critical problem, and finding a practical solution. Theproject exemplifies environmentally responsible thinking in research and creation of the product.The recipient will receive a certificate and a voucher for a $100.00 prize. Congratulations to EleniNikolakakos (Holley Navarre MS).The Roy Hyatt Environmental Center is sponsoring an award this year to the project that bestdemonstrates in depth study of specific factors that impact our environment. The winner will receive abook. The recipient is Mahtea Gulley (Pace Center).Dr. Roger & Teri Jones Award:This family has long supported science fair and encourage excellence in all aspects of the STEM fields.Each of these students or teams will receive a $100.00 checkJunior Division- JR ANIM Arizona Figueroa, Shaelon Hutchinson, Brown Barge MS- JR BEHA Kyle Macdonald, Holley Navarre MS- JR BMED Alexa Castro, Kate Baumann, Isabella Wells, Brown Barge MS- JR CMBI Faye Schlott, Holley Navarre MS- JR CHEM Savannah Burke, Holley Navarre MS- JR EAEV Devyn Stephens, Holley Navarre MS- JR ENMS Adrian Salazar, Holley Navarre MS- JR ENEV James Peoples, Holley Navarre MS- JR MICR Lana Carter, Brown Barge MS- JR PHYS Joleigha Parks, Mallory Sarfert, Katherine Peppers, Brown Barge MS- JR PLNT Sydney Smith, Holley Navarre MSSenior Division- SR ANIM Lina Amin, Pensacola High School- SR BEHA Ramim Jim, Pensacola High School- SR BMED Amber Vaughan, Washington HS- SR CMBI Sarah Brown, Washington HS- SR CHEM Samantha Gates, Washington HS- SR EAEV Bailey Bullion, Jenna Kruse, Pensacola High School- SR ENEV Claire Han, Pensacola High School- SR IMRS Jonathan Walker, Alex Johnson, Panama City Rutherford HS- SR MACO Zachary Osburn, Roman Bassett, Pensacola HS- SR MICR Joshua Jones, Jalon Fleming, Roger Charles, Washington HS- SR PHYS Ryan Zhang, Danish Edupuganti, Pensacola HS- SR PLNT Ava Kesler, Pensacola HSMU Alpha Theta recognizes a Sr. division project that creatively investigates a problem that involves highschool mathematics. The winner receiving a certificate & a letter from Mu Alpha Theta is Hao Le(Pensacola HS).National Aeronautics and Space Administration: NASA projects increase awareness regarding theimportance of scientific research in the area of Earth System science. The recipient who will receive acertificate is Noah Jones (Washington HS).National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationThe project chosen to receive this award emphasizesNOAAs mission to understand & predict changes in Earths environment and conserve and managecoastal and marine resources to meet our nations economic, social, and environmental needs. Thewinning project receives a certificate and is Bryson OBrien (Washington HS).Naval Aviation Museum Foundation, Inc.This award recognizes projects which best represent themathematics and science of flight with original and creative thought. The projects will receive an awardcertificate and a scholarship for a week at the National Flight Academy. This scholarship is a $399 fundthat takes care of the full tuition, room and board for the 3 days of camp. This years recipients areJr Division: Adrian Salazar (Holley Navarre MS)Sr Division: Charles Pratt (Pensacola HS)Pensacola Federation of Garden Clubs: One of our long terms sponsors, they will be providing $25 to fourprojects involving the Plant Sciences, Environmental, and/or Cellular/Molecular Biology. Tonightsrecipients areJr Division:- Faye Schlott (Holley Navarre MS)- Ava DeJong (St Paul)Sr Division:- Ava Kesler (Pensacola HS)- The team of Bailey Bullion and Jenna Kruse (Pensacola HS)REMG Aviation will be providing $20.00 cash awards to projects related to Aviation, Space or Physics,within the Sr & Jr Division. The 2020 recipients areJr Division- Isabelle Hock (Brown Barge MS)- Devyn Stephens (Holley Navarre MS)- The team of Talia Mendiola, Liliana Brown-Cruz, Ashton Bailey (Brown Barge MS)Sr Division- The team of Ryan Zhang, Danish Edupuganti (Pensacola HS)- The team of Roman Bassett, Zachary Osburn (Pensacola HS)- Hao Le (Pensacola HS)Ricoh Sustainable Development AwardThis award is given to a Sr. project for outstanding effort inaddressing issues of environmental responsibility and sustainable development. The winning student willreceive an award certificate. Tonights recipient is Claire Han (Pensacola HS).Dr. John P. Riehm AwardDr. Riehm chaired the Department of Biology at UWF. Because of his love ofscientific inquiry and support of budding scientists, his family decided to make the John P. Riehm award apermanent part of the fair. This award of $50 to two outstanding CMBI projects and to two outstandingChemistry projects. These are presented to:Jr Division.CMBI: Emma Bailey (Holley Navarre MS)CHEM: Max Valovic (Holley Navarre MS)Sr Division.CMBI: Sarah Brown (Washington HS)CHEM: Melissa Kruse (Pensacola HS)Society of American Military Engineers is given to one Jr. and one Sr. exhibitor whose projectsdemonstrate excellence in the field of engineering. Tonights winners and recipients are$ 50 Amazon card Jr, Burke Sayer (Holley Navarre MS),$ 100 Amazon card Sr, The team of Alex Johnson & Jonathan Walker (Panama City Rutherford HS)Society for In Vitro Biology is given to the most outstanding 11th grade project in the areas of plant oranimal in vitro biology or tissue culture. This years recipient is the team of Darrius Guerrero & DamienCruikshank (Washington HS)Society for Science and Public Middle School ProgramBroadcom Masters Program recognizes the top10% of Jr. Division exhibitors. The following students will receive a certificate, and a letter inviting them tocomplete an online application for the 2020 Broadcom Masters national competition. Each student whocompletes the application will receive a t-shirt. From among the entrants, selected finalists will win $500and an all-expense paid trip to Washington D.C. from October 16-21, 2020 for the Broadcom Mastersfinals. Each of the finalists schools will receive $1000 and teachers of semifinalists also receive specialawards.- Team of Arizona Figueroa, Shaelon Hutchinson (Brown Barge MS)- Kyle Macdonald, (Holley Navarre MS)- Team of Alexa Castro, Isabella Wells (Brown Barge MS)- Faye Schlott (Holley Navarre MS)- Savannah Burke (Holley Navarre MS)- Devyn Stephens (Holley Navarre MS)- Adrian Salazaar (Holley Navarre MS)- James Peoples (Holley Navarre MS)- Braedon Bautista (Holley Navarre MS)- Lana Carter (Brown Barge)- Team of Mallory Sarfert, Joleigha Parks, Katherine Peppers, (Brown Barge MS)- Sydney Smith (Holley Navarre MS)Thompson Briggs Excellence in Science AwardsThis award recognizes excellent scientific researchfrom many areas of study. Each chosen project receives a cash prize of $50.Congratulations to the following students:$50 Ava DeJong (St Paul)$50 Charles Pratt (Pensacola HS)$50 Isabelle Holck (Brown Barge MS)$50 Team of Van Nguyen, Sydney Abad (Pensacola HS)$50 Kelsey Miller (Pensacola HS)$50 Emma Bailey (Holley Navarre MS)$50 Max Valovic (Holley Navarre MS)$50 Ivana Diaz-Santiago (Holley Navarre MS)$50 Burke Sayer (Holley Navarre MS)$50 Team of Kathryn Tran, Andy Tran (Pensacola HS)University of Florida (Milton) / Departure of Agriculture & Life Science Certificates will be awarded to 1x Junior and 1 x Senior in the Plant Sciences. The recipients areJunior Division- Sydney Smith (Holley Navarre MS)Senior Division- The team of Van Nguyen, Sydney Abad (Washington HS)US Aid Most outstanding project with relevance to solving an important global development challenge.Certificates are awarded to-The team of Alex Johnson and Jonathan Walker (Panama City, Rutherford HS)The US Air Force USAFIn order to encourage the study of mathematics, physics, and engineering, theUnited States Air Force selects outstanding projects which address these disciplines. The followingstudents have distinguished themselves in these areas and will receive an award package consisting of acertificate, sling pack, USB, & dual USB car charger. The recipients are: Burke Sayer (Holley Navarre MS) Talia Mendiola (Brown Barge MS) Liliana Brown-Cruz (Brown Barge MS) Ashton Bailey (Brown Barge MS)US Metric AssociationA certificate is awarded to recipient(s) project involves a significant amount ofquantitative measurement and which best uses the SI metric system for thoseMeasurements in the Senior Division.The team of Katherine Grissett, Reagan Harrison & Toby Johnson (Washington HS).US Navy Judges selected three outstanding Sr projects to receive certificates, medallions and awardletters in the amount of $50 and three outstanding Jr projects to receive certificates and medallions.Tonights recipients are:Junior Division- Isabelle Holck (Brown Barge MS)- Omoj Reeves (Holley Navarre MS)- Lana Carter (Brown Barge MS)Senior Division- Sarah Brown (Washington HS)- Marcella Chaffin (Washington HS)- Charles Pratt (Pensacola HS)Yale Science & Engineering Association, Inc.The most outstanding 11th grade project in the areas ofcomputer science, engineering, physics, or chemistry will receive an award certificate and medallion whenthe student completes the online application form.Winner: Samantha Gates (Washington HS)Water Environment Federation sponsors the Stockholm Jr. Water Prize. The most outstanding projects inwater science research receive certificates and eligibility to compete at the state and national level for upto $3,000 and a trip to Stockholm, Sweden.Winners: Claire Han (Pensacola HS), Savannah Burke (Holley Navarre MS) & Harrison Graham(Holley Navarre MS)

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2020 West Panhandle Regional Science and Engineering Fair Results Announced - NorthEscambia.com

New Discoveries in Human Anatomy – The Scientist

In the 16th century, when the study of human anatomy was still in its infancy, curious onlookers would gather in anatomical theaters to catch of a glimpse of public dissections of the dead. In the years since, scientists have carefully mapped the viscera, bones, muscles, nerves, and many other components of our bodies, such that a human corpse no longer holds that same sense of mystery that used to draw crowds.

New discoveries in gross anatomythe study of bodily structures at the macroscopic levelare now rare, and their significance is often overblown, says Paul Neumann, a professor who specializes in the history of medicine and anatomical nomenclature at Dalhousie University. The important discoveries about anatomy, I think, are now coming from studies of tissues and cells.

Over the last decade, there have been a handful of discoveries that have helped overturn previous assumptions and revealed new insights into our anatomy. Whats really interesting and exciting about almost all of the new studies is the illustration of the power of new [microscopy and imaging] technologies to give deeper insight, saysTom Gillingwater, a professor of anatomy at the University of Edinburgh in the UK. I would guess that many of these discoveries are the start, rather than the end, of a developing view of the human body.

Here is a sampling of some of those discoveries.

The lymphatic system, a body-wide network of vessels that drains fluids and removes waste from tissues and organs, was long-believed to be absent from the brain. Early reports of lymphatic vessels in the meninges, the membrane coating the brain, date as far back as the 18th centurybut these findings were met with skepticism. Only recently has this view been overturned, after a 2015 report of lymphatic vessels in mouse meninges and the 2012 discovery of the so-called glymphatic system, an interconnected network of glial cells that facilitates the circulation of fluid throughout mouse brains. In 2017, neuroimaging work revealed evidence for such lymphatic vessels in human meninges.

In 2018, researchers reported that the space between cells was a collagen-lined, fluid-filled network, which they dubbed the interstitium. They proposed that this finding, which emerged from close examinations of tissue from patients bile ducts, bladders, digestive tracts, and skin, may help scientists better understand how tumors spread through the body. The team also called the interstitium a newly-discovered organ, but many dismissed this claim. Most biologists would be reticent to put the moniker of an organ on microscopic uneven spaces between tissues that contain fluid, Anirban Maitra, a pathologist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Center, told The Scientistlast year.

Until recently, the prevailing view among scientists was that the mesentery, the large, fan-like sheet of tissue that holds our intestines in place, consisted of multiple fragments. In 2016, after examining the mesentery of both cadavers and patients undergoing surgery, a team of researchers concluded that the mesentery was actually a single unit. This wasnt the first time the mesentery was described as continuousin one of the first depictions of the structure, Leonardo da Vinci also portrayed it in this way. But in the 2016 paper, the scientists argued that its continuity should qualify the mesentery as an organ. As with the interstitium, however, other experts have objected to this claim. In both of these cases, there seems to have been a misunderstanding of what the term organ means, Neumann says.

laurie okeefe

In January 2019, scientists described a previously unknown web of capillaries that pass through the bones of mice. Textbooks describe large veins and arteries jutting out the ends of bones, but this newly-described network of tunnels provide a faster route for blood cells produced in the bone marrow to enter the circulation. The research team also looked at human bones using a variety of methods: taking photos from patients undergoing surgery, conducting MRI scans of a healthy leg, and investigating extracted samples under a microscopeand revealed a similar, albeit less extensive, system of capillaries.

Last October, researchers reported that muscles typically seen in reptiles and other animalsbut not peoplewere present in the limbs of human embryos. Using a combination of immunostaining, tissue clearing, and microscopy, the team generated high-resolution 3-D images of upper and lower limb muscles in tissue samples from preserved 8- to 14-week-old embryos and fetuses. These structures, which disappear before birth, may be anatomical remnants of our evolutionary ancestors that disappear during the early stages of development, the authors suggest. They only examined 13 images, however, so experts caution that its a preliminary finding that needs to be replicated in a larger sample.

The fabella, a tiny bone located in a tendon behind the knee, is becoming more common in humans, according to a study published last spring. After reviewing 58 studies on fabella prevalence in 27 different countries, researchers reported that people were approximately 3.5 times more likely to have the little bone in 2018 than 1918. The cause of this trend remains an open question, but the authors suggest that changes in muscle mass and bone lengthdriven by increased diet quality in many parts of the worldcould be one explanation.

Diana Kwon is a Berlin-based freelance journalist. Follow her on Twitter@DianaMKwon.

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New Discoveries in Human Anatomy - The Scientist

‘Anatomy of a Murder’ to be held at courthouse – Thecountypress

By oht_editor | on February 19, 2020

LAPEER With the debut of the Lapeer County Theatres performances of Anatomy of a Murder almost exactly a month away, director Pat Stiles, along with her cast and crew, are buttoning down what Stiles is hoping to be a memorable show.

And the setting will certainly play a part the two weekends of the show, four performances in all, will be held at the Historic Lapeer County Courthouse.

Anatomy of a Murder is slated to take over the historic space on March 20-21 as well as March 27-28. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m.

Anatomy of a Murder tells the tale of Paul Bieglers first case. In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Paul Biegler isnt looking forward to becoming a defense attorney, but his first case is sensational a lieutenant is accused of murdering the bartender who allegedly raped his wife. Its a high-stakes battle of wit and determination, as Biegler uses every device to save the officers neck.

According to Stiles, rehearsals are going very well. We are currently working on the last 35 pages (of the script), she said. This play is very exciting and is for a mature audience only. The biggest challenge is for George Jones, who plays (protagonist) Paul Biegler. He is in every scene and has a million lines. Did I mention he is fabulous?

The cast is excited and enthusiastic for the opening of this play, said Stiles, and the success of the LCTs last play at the courthouse, 12 Angry Jurors, is in the back of everyones minds. The (cast) are working long and hard to make this play as wonderful as 12 Angry Jurors, Stiles said. That is a hard act to follow, but I think this will be even better.

Every performance of 12 Angry Jurors sold out, and Stiles is hoping that this years play will follow suit. Tickets just went on sale and are available at brownpapertickets.com. There are only 100 seats available per night and we are expecting a sell out at every performance, she said. Everyone should buy their tickets as soon as possible, because when they are gone, they are gone.

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'Anatomy of a Murder' to be held at courthouse - Thecountypress

Grey’s Anatomy: Amelia Shepherd’s 10 Most Heartbreaking Moments – Screen Rant

Amelia Shepherd has had quite a tragic past on both Grey's Anatomy and its popular spin-off, Private Practice. She has struggled with addiction constantly but has also suffered several tremendous losses and yet she has still managed to retain her quirky personality and sense of humor throughout.

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After appearing in 3 seasons of Private Practice, Amelia made her way on to the parent show, where she has remained to this day. Amelia grew close to both Meredith Grey and Maggie Pierce and views both of them as sisters. However, despite her cheerful attitude, when Amelia is alone and in pain, it's absolutely devastating.

This was one of the best episodes of the medical drama's twelfth season. Derek Shepherd, Amelia's brother and the love of Meredith's life, had died in the previous season and so Season 12 saw both Amelia and Mer attempt to try and move on with their lives. Unfortunately, it was never going to be that easy.

Meredith hosted a dinner party at her house, to which everyone was invited, including Callie Torres. However, Callie brought her new girlfriend, Penny Blake, who treated Derek before he died. When Amelia found out, her devastation was uncomfortably clear; this was the woman who was partly responsible for Derek's death.

Sadly, viewers didn't get to see Derek Shepherd at his best during his last season on the show. He and Meredith were arguing about Derek giving up a job with the President to stay in Seattle with his family. Derek was in a constant bad mood around the hospital and he took it out on others.

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Amelia bore the brunt of his anger as she was his sister and had also taken over Derek's job as Chief of Neurosurgery. Derek resented being demoted and so treated his sister like garbage; he suggested to Owen Hunt that Amelia might not be suited for her position because of her past drug addiction.

One of Amelia's main character traits was that she was impulsive and often neglected to look before she leaped. When Arizona Robbins secretly ordered in scans of Dr. Nicole Herman's inoperable brain tumor, Amelia saw themandclaimed that she could operate and get rid of the tumor.

This was never going to be an easy surgery and the pressure started to build as the operation drew closer. Viewers saw Amelia lose her confidence slightly as she began to wonder whether she had made a mistake. The worst came when Amelia visibly broke down and started crying right before the surgery.

Amelia's relationship with the rest of her family is rocky at best. She seemed to be closest to her brother, Derek, but as we've already pointed out, that bond was extremely flawed. Additionally, her mother and sisters didn't really appear to understand her and so maintained an emotional distance.

RELATED: 10 Celebs You Forgot Guest Starred On Grey's Anatomy

This probably affected Amelia more than she let on. In Season 12, when she and Owen were about to get married, Amelia was devastated when she learned that none of her family would be coming to the wedding because they didn't trust how quickly she and Owen got engaged and didn't think it would last.

Obviously, this is pretty terrible news whoever you are. However, the ramifications of Amelia's tumor affected her deeply. Essentially, Amelia had been living with this tumor for a good ten years, meaning that every decision she ever made could have been a result of the tumor, including Herman's surgery.

Once this dawned on Amelia, she went into panic mode, requesting notes on all her patients and worrying that she might have killed them. Thankfully, Richard Webber was there to comfort and reassure her. This didn't stop Amelia from telling everyone she loved them right before her big operation.

The Betty storyline was divisive amongst fans and critics alike, and it involved Owen and Amelia teaming up to take care of baby Leo and his teenage mother, Betty. Betty was a drug addict who had recently given birth and so Amelia took her in, knowing exactly how Betty felt and what she needed.

RELATED: Grey's Anatomy: 10 Couples That Would Have Made A Lot Of Sense (But Never Got Together)

However, it wasn't all plain sailing, as Betty continued to struggle with her addiction. After Amelia dropped her off at school one day, it transpired that Betty had gone missing. Owen, Amelia, and Teddy looked for her but had no luck. During Betty's disappearance, Amelia was clearly traumatized and guilt-ridden.

Amelia's relationship with Derek was a delicate one but her relationship with her sisters seemed to be non-existent. In Season 15, Amelia was invited to dinner by her older sister, Nancy. Unable to get out of it, Amelia brought along Link to act as her husband, Owen, to save any further embarrassment.

As this is Grey's we're talking about, things did not go well at all. Amelia's other sister, Kathleen, also attended the dinner and together with Nancy, began to gang up on their little sister. Amelia took a lot of snide and nasty remarks but was clearly shaken and visibly upset. We can't say we blame her.

During her entire time in the world of Grey's Anatomy, Amelia has constantly battled with addiction. Unlike Webber, another addict, Amelia's choice of drug was opioids. While she relapsed slightly in Grey's, this was barely featured as a storyline. However, Amelia's first relapse was horrific to watch.

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In the fifth season of Private Practice, Amelia was clearly struggling with staying sober. Eventually, though, she succumbed to temptation and began using again. It was awful to watch Amelia's physical and mental health decline, and the way she treated her friends and family was utterly heartbreaking.

Amelia has seen so many personal tragedies in her lifetime that she has almost become immune to the emotional pain. Or so she'd like everyone to believe. When Derek died late on in Season 11, Owen had to wait to tell Amelia until she was out of surgery. When he broke the news, Amelia appeared unaffected.

However, this was simply Amelia's way of coping. During Meredith's 'year out', Amelia kept on cracking dark and inappropriate jokes about Derek's demise. However, she later publicly broke down in front of Owen, who later tracked her down, only to find her about to take drugs to dull the emotional pain.

This was probably one of the most emotional and heartbreaking scenes that took place in the Grey's Anatomy universe, on par with the death of April and Jackson's baby boy. In Season 5 of Private Practice, Amelia discovered that she was pregnant with her late fianc, and fellow drug addict, Ryan Kerrigan.

Amelia didn't originally know how to feel about this but, unbelievably, there was still worse to come. Amelia's baby was anencephalic (meaning he had no brain) and so he wouldn't survive for long outside of the womb. Amelia still had to carry him to term however and later donated his organs.

NEXT: Grey's Anatomy: 10 Facts About Andrew DeLuca Many Fans Don't Know

NextThe Vampire Diaries: 5 Reasons Why The Show Was Better Without Elena (& 5 Why It Wasnt)

Ben Pettitt is a recent English graduate of the University of Nottingham. He loves to write, read and watch Netflix. This is one of the reasons why he decided to come and display his knowledge of pop culture as a writer for Screen Rant.

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Grey's Anatomy: Amelia Shepherd's 10 Most Heartbreaking Moments - Screen Rant

Jennifer Esposito to Join New Netflix Series From the Creator of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ – Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Shonda Rhimes continues being one of the most ubiquitous creative presences on TV and in the streaming universe, with some of her older shows still going. Now shes delving into the Netflix arena with a new series called Inventing Anna.

Those familiar with Jennifer Esposito will know shes not a part of the usual Rhimes repertory of actors. Shes nevertheless been hired by Rhimes to play a pivotal part in Inventing Anna, a show exploring the true tale of criminal German heiress Anna Delvey.

Its going to be a different role in how Esposito fans usually see her. Take a minute to see what this means based on her more familiar roles in shows from Blue Bloods to NCIS. Even though shell play a more outlandish role in Inventing Anna, shes done comedy very well before.

According to most media sources, Esposito plays Talia Mallay, possibly loosely based on a Martha Stewart lifestyle guru. Her character is like Anna Delvey in being an avid user of Instagram.

Such a role may involve a little bit of comedy or satire since the premise of the series is already a little broad. However, its perfect territory for Rhimes to explore and turn into an interesting portrait of women dealing with unique circumstances.

Whether theres any real comedy in this is still yet to be determined since its marketed as a drama. Also, Esposito will only play her character as a background figure since the main cast has Anna Chlumsky and Julia Garner in the leads.

Should Esposito play someone with a little more comedic flare, it wouldnt be the first time by any means. Shes one of the rare actresses whos been able to fluctuate successfully between doing dramas and comedy in movies/TV.

Her first role on TV was on Law & Order: SVU, setting her up for playing parts in cop-related shows, something shes done several times in her career. The same year (1996), she acted in a TV movie remake of The Sunshine Boys, proving she could split it down the middle when it came to veering into two different genres.

The best example of Espositos early dramatic work in film was Summer of Sam in 1999, leading to a string of dramas for a couple of years until finally moving into a few movie comedies.

As she continued to flourish on TV at the same time, the only Oscar-caliber movie she appeared in happened to be a drama: The notorious Oscar Best Picture winner Crash.

Before this occurred, she did find herself on a comedy series for a brief time (Spin City), later starring in her own sitcom called Samantha Who? on ABC. Latter series lasted a couple of years from 2007-2009, giving everyone awareness she could do comedy with aplomb.

Rather than venture further into sitcoms, she pivoted into playing cop roles more recent audiences would find familiar. A year after Samantha Who? ended, she nabbed a role on CBSs Blue Bloods playing Det. Jackie Curatola. During the third season, however, Esposito found out she had Celiac disease, causing her to collapse one day while filming.

Her doctors told her shed have to take time off from acting to properly recover, hence the producers of Blue Bloods dropping her character, never to return. Esposito was more than a little upset about being laid off from the show, despite it only being a temporary setback.

Since those days, shes been working steadily on shows like The Affair and even briefly on NCIS. Now shes maybe reinventing herself from the cop show persona into something different in Inventing Anna, a plan already started recently by joining the superhero show The Boys.

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Jennifer Esposito to Join New Netflix Series From the Creator of 'Grey's Anatomy' - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Cardiac MRI Becoming More Widely Available Thanks to AI and Reduced Exam Times – Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been described for the past few decades as a futuristic imaging technology that will one day become the one-stop shop for cardiac evaluations. However, its expense, complexity, long imaging exam protocols and long post-processing times have presented a barrier to wider adoption. That might be about to change with the help of new MR technologies released in the last few years, which experts say will change cardiac MRI's fortunes and make it much more widely available.

"Over the last 15 to 20 years, cardiac MR has been present, but has operated more in the research realm. But I think it is now coming into maturation and we are now seeing cardiac MR play a major roll in the diagnosis of common cardiac conditions, such as cardiomyopathies, heart failure and ischemic heart disease," explained James Carr, M.D., chair of the Department of Radiology, Northwestern University, and incoming 2020 President of the Society of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (SCMR). He spoke with DAIC at the at the 2019 Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) meeting.

"I think some of the biggest obstacles to its adoption to date have been the complexity of the exam, the availability of expertise for people who really know how to run the exam and know how to read the exams, and also in the processing of the information," Carr said. "We seem to be at a point now where people know about cardiac MR, and the technology is such now where you can more easily do the exams, and it is becoming clear as to what clinical indications are best suited for cardiac MRI."

He said there have been a lot of advances in MRI technology the past few years, with a concentration in new ways to speed up the image acquisition. This includes techniques like compressed sensing, parallel imaging andecho sharing.

"In the past, a cardiac MRI exam would take about an hour to an hour and a half, but with current acceleration strategies we can now do a cardiac exam in probably about 30 minutes or less, andthere are some papers out there saying it can be done in 15 minutes or less," Carr said. "So now we are at a time scale which is much more comparable to echocardiography or other techniques that are faster and simpler to acquire."

Another barrier to wider use of cardiac MR is the time required to post-process images. But vendors have recently introduced new technologies to greatly speed up this process.

This is an example of artificial intelligence automation for cardiac MRI using an AI app from TeraRecon's Envoy AI marketplace. This GE MRI image has been countoured, anatomy labeled and all quantification automated by the AI, greatly reducing post-processing time.See this and other new AI imaging technologies from the 2019 RSNA meeting.

"The analysis side has always been an area that is somewhat laborious for the practitioners because you need to sit down and spend maybe another hour or so analyzing all the data," Carr explained. "But now, with some of the new software platforms, especially more recently using artificial intelligence, you now have a much more automated wayof analyzing the images. And not just for more common parameters like ejection fraction, but also for tissue characterization to look for fibrosis."

Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing a significant role in cardiac MRI automation to speed workflow and quantification. Carr said these technologies will become mainstream in the next few years.

AI is now incorporated into several MRI functions, including the third-party Arterys MRI post-processing software offered by several MRI and advanced visualization vendors. AI is also being incorporated into image reconstruction software being developed by vendors such as Philips, GE Healthcare and Canon. Examples of these works-in-progress to remove common MR image artifacts and improve resolution were shown at RSNA 2019.

"MR has historically been known as being very complex, so people have been scared by that, Carr said. "But I think it is now much simpler than what we have been used to in the past. I think you will find more imaging specialists will adopt and use the technology."

Carr stated this wider use at more hospitals outside of the research setting will make it more accessible to referring physicians.

"With the combination of much more accelerated imaging techniques, plus with the addition of automated post-processing, we now have a much simpler task," Carr explained. "I think this really puts cardiac MR at the precipice of being easily adopted by a practitioner who maybe is not an expert in the field of MR. So people can now use it on a more universal level."

The Society of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (SCMR) believes cardiac MR will soon be offered to more patients and recently created a patient-facing information website at http://www.heartmri.org to answer patient questions.

MR has unique characteristics compared to computed tomography (CT) and echocardiography. Carr said CT is pretty good at anatomical imaging to look at structures and coronary artery disease. MR on the other hand can also look at morphology, function, metabolism and perfusion all in one imaging exam, he explained. MRI can look at the T1 and T2 mapping (which highlights either the water or fat in the body) and identify the content of the extra cellular spaces within the heart heart muscle. He said this can help identify fibrosis, which is a marker of disease in cardiomyopothies such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and amyloidosis.

"We also now have new techniques to look at fibrosis, water content in the heart to look at edema in the setting of inflammation like myocarditis, so it gives you a lot more information about the disease in onesingle exam protocol," Carr said. "With this T2 mapping capability, MRI is now becoming the first-line imaging for diagnosing myocarditis for patients who are presenting to the emergency room."

The use of cardiac MRI in congenital heart disease is common in serial imaging of patients with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), one of the most common congenital heart diseases for which patients are referred for post-operative magnetic resonance imaging evaluation. In the past few decades, surgery has proved successful, but most patients require repeat imaging throughout their lives and MRI can offer more detailed soft tissue imaging without the use of radiation.

"While congenital patients are surviving into adulthood and doing much better than they did 30 years ago, there are complications that are expected after the correction of the congenital defects," explained Karen Ordovas, M.D., MAS, professor of radiology and cardiology at the University of California San Francisco (UCFS) School of Medicine and a SCMR board member. "MRI is a wonderful test to identify these problems early and allow clinicians to do interventions, a second surgery or intensify medical treatments to help these patients live a better life and live longer. These patients need several imaging tests throughout their lives, so the lack of radiation really adds a lot of value."

Ordovas specializes in cardiac and pulmonary imaging, and has particular expertise in using CT and MRI techniques in cardiovascular imaging in women. She said MR can be particularly helpful in looking at the differences of presentation in imaging between male and female cardiac patients. She is helping advance education around heart disease in women and to help bring awareness of quality tools to diagnose heart disease and howheart MRIcan help.

"Women who have heart disease have a completely different pathophysiology than males," Ordovas explained. "They typically don't have obstructive coronary lesions, so the tendency to look at the coronaries is not what we should be doing for females. We should be looking at the muscle itself and the blood supply to the muscle, and MRI is the key method to do that."

She said heart MR is a very comprehensive assessment of ischemia in females. It comeswithout radiation and brings very precise mapping and quantification of the myocardium, which is where to focuson the cause of women's disease.

Cardiac MRI Delivers Accurate Diagnosis for Frontline Chest Pain Evaluation

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Advantages and New Applications of Cardiac MRI

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Will Cardiac MRI Expand?

VIDEO: Use of Cardiac MRI in Congenital and Women's Heart Disease Karen Ordovas, M.D.,

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Cardiac MRI Becoming More Widely Available Thanks to AI and Reduced Exam Times - Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Season 16: Link and Amelia’s romance may be doomed just like the other couples before them – MEAWW

'Grey's Anatomy' is not known for successful and happy relationships. Think for yourself, which couple on this show actually got to ride off happily into the sunset?

Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd's epic love story spanning 11 seasons ended in a fatal car crash. Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) and Cristina Yang's break up (Sandra Oh's) was comparatively less painful than the rest as Cristina left for greener pastures. Jackson (Jesse Williams) and April Kepner's (Sarah Drew) passionate romance faded out too. Mark Sloane (Eric Dane) saw Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh) die in a catastrophic airplane crash. Later, Mark died too. Callie Torres (Sarah Ramirez) and Arizona Robbins's relationship didn't make it either despite the tears and heartbreak. Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr) and Catherine Fox (Debbie Allen) are going to separate. Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) won't be seen anymore in the show and we're nervously biting our fingernails because we don't know what this means for Jo (Camilla Luddington).

So, after sticking with 'Grey's Anatomy' for 15 years, it seems rather improbable that the relatively new relationship between Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) and Link (Chris Carmack) will survive the baby drama that has been thrust upon them. For a long time, Amelia was under the impression that the father of the baby was Link...except, uh oh, there's a chance it might be Owen Hunt's. Owen and Amelia's relationship was the most complicated and dragged out spectacle on the show and digging that up again, just spells doom for Link and Amelia. Also, Owen had just about found happiness with Teddy (Kim Raver), but that might just go south soon.

Link has asked Amelia to do a paternity test and she has asked for time and is avoiding him. When will that girl ever get happiness, Grey's? Going by the show's track record, this just *might* be the end. But, no harm in staying positive, right?

'Grey's Anatomy' airs on ABC, Thursday nights, 9pm.

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'Grey's Anatomy' Season 16: Link and Amelia's romance may be doomed just like the other couples before them - MEAWW

BJ Fogg: Help Build Habits by Celebrating Small Wins – Thrive Global

BJ Fogg, Ph.D., founded the Behavior Design Lab at Stanford University, where he researches how human behavior really works. In his new book, Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything, he shares simple steps you can take to improve your life, based on 20 years of groundbreaking research in Behavior Design.

Tiny Habits explains step by step how you go from a dream or an aspiration that you might have, and pick exactly the right habits for you to make them a reality in your own life, Fogg tells Thrive. You change best by feeling good, not by feeling bad. You dont have to rely on willpower. You dont guilt trip yourself. You dont feel shame. Those things are not productive to creating habits or transforming your life.

Fogg wants people to find a path that works best in their lives. Instead of procrastinating change or thinking that its hard, its going to be painful, I encourage you to take a radically different view of how human behavior works and how you can transform your life, he adds.

Fogg sits down with Thrive to share how Tiny Habits work, offers real-life examples and Microsteps that you can try today, and busts some common misconceptions surrounding habits.

Thrive Global: Why do tiny habits work?

BJ Fogg:With tiny habits, you look at the habit you want in your life and you make it super, super small, as small as it can be. Rather than doing 20 push-ups, maybe its just one push-up. Rather than flossing all your teeth, maybe its just one tooth. You make it super tiny. Then you find where it fits naturally in your life. What does it come after? Pushups, at least in my life, come right after I go to the bathroom. If you keep it really tiny,you can do it even when youre tired, sick, or stressed out.

Then to wire in the habit, you do a technique I call celebration. You say, Good for me, or, Way to go, or, Victory anything that makes you feel successful, because its that emotion that wires the habit into your brain. Thats what makes it become automatic.

TG: Tell us about the idea of celebrating your wins.

BF:In Tiny Habits,theres a technique that I call Celebration.Its something you do to create a positive emotion inside yourself, and often thats a feeling of success. So perhaps you just say, Awesome, or perhaps you play a little sound effect in your mind that helps you feel successful. If you dont know what the right celebration is for you because what works for me may not work for you what you can do is imagine that youre watching the Super Bowl, and your favorite team is playing, and then in the last five seconds, your team scores and wins the game. What do you do at that moment? Thats a natural celebration for you.

Ifyou want to wire in a habit lets take the example of flossing floss one tooth and go, Yes. By doing that, you will fire off a positive emotion and that makes your brain go, Whoa, what just happened? I feel good. I want to do that again. As it turns out, its emotions that create habits. Its not repetition. Its the emotion that your brain connects with the behavior that makes it become automatic, or in other words, a habit.

TG: Why is declaring an end to the day an important step in building healthy habits?

BF: My partner and I, whove been together for almost 30 years, have very different careers. He was in a career where theres things to do, but then you could be finished at the end of the day. For me, as a researcher, an investigator, and an innovator, my work is never done. So he would say to me, Hey, are you done for the day? And Im like, Denny, Im never done. But what we had to figure out in our own life is that there needs to be a time when I stop working, I stop checking email, I stop thinking about the challenges Im facing, and we chill together as a couple. Its a bit of a journey to figure out exactly how that works. Im sure its different for different people, but for me, theres a point in the day, whether Im in California or in Maui, where we stop, we have dinner together, I dont go back to email, and I dont answer phone calls. Im done until the next morning.

TG: What is one Microstep you are working on now?

BF: A recent one is that I want to be able to squat all the way down and just hold it there. I didnt grow up doing that, but what I know is if I practice toward that, I will eventually be able to do that.

One of my tiny habits has been that after I pee, I will do two push-ups. So I just shifted it up that after I pee, I will practice squatting. And at the beginning I had to hold onto something in order to stabilize myself and still squat deeply, but eventually I got more and more flexible. And now I can go all the way down. Its a little bit painful, but Ive seen the progress, and Im hoping that eventually I will just be able to go down and do a full squat, and sit there and look at tide pools, or do something in the garden, or just do it as a way of meditating and holding it like that.

Although doing a squat like that may not matter to you, my point is that anything you want to achieve in your life, once you learn the skills of change and once you know how to do it in these incremental small, micro, tiny ways, youll know how to solve for it, and youll know how to start making progress so you can achieve these kinds of outcomes.

One of the habits that Ive incorporated in my own life is if Im in bed at night, and Im worried about some problem at work, or one of my students projects or anything like that, I have the habit of saying, This can wait until tomorrow. So rather than sit there and worry or maybe get up and check email, I just say that to myself: This can wait until tomorrow. It helps put it out of my mind so I can get the sleep I need to get up in the morning and tackle it.

TG: What if we have bad habits can we undo them?

BF:Most of the time when people talk about behaviors that they want to stop, they talk about breaking a bad habit. Well, Im here to tell you that that word break actually sets the wrong expectation. When you say the word break, what youre implying is that if you put a lot of energy in one moment, snap, itll be gone and youll be done with it. For most of the behaviors and habits were talking about, thats not how it works. Its not one and done. The word that I think is much more accurate when we talk about bad habits is untangling bad habits.

Lets take snacking, for example: You snack on a lot of unhealthy things and you want to stop that habit. So rather than think about breaking it, think about it as untangling it. In other words, its a whole bunch of different snacking behaviors that comprise this big knot, this big tangle. Now, untangling implies it is not going to be one and done. Its a process. It might seem overwhelming at the beginning, but just like youve untangled other things, you get started and you can make progress.

Once you look at all those tangles, you start with the easiest one first, not the hardest. Thats like starting with the very inside of the knot and trying to get that. Thats not how you do it. You start with the easiest one and untangle it. Lets say, for example, on the way home from work, you eat a candy bar, and its not a very strong habit, but its snacking and you dont really like it, so you would start with that one, the easiest one. Once youve resolved that little snarl in the tangle, then you go to the next easiest one and so on. And what usually happens is you start untangling the easiest ones. They get easier and easier until youve resolved the behavior. Youve rid yourself of this unwanted habit.

TG: Can you help us myth-bust some habits? Lets start with, What creates a habit is repetition.

BF:So many people have told us for years that repetition creates the habit, whether its 21 days, 66 days, or 108 days. Im here to tell you that is not accurate. What the research shows is that repetition correlates with habits. It does not show that it causes the habit to form. What causes the habit to form is emotions. The emotion you feel as you do the behavior, or immediately after, is the thing that causes the habit to form.

If your brain associates a positive feeling with flossing, or taking your vitamins, or drinking water, or snacking on broccoli, if theres a positive emotion associated with it, your brain takes notice, and it will help you remember to do it again. If youre good at feeling positive emotions as youre doing healthy and good behaviors, youll be really good at rewiring your brain and bringing that new habit into your life.

TG: Myth number two is: If I miss doing my habit just one time, I need to start over completely. Why is that wrong?

BF: In 1890, a guy named William James, who was really smart, wrote a book called Principles of Psychology, and it became a standard textbook for decades. In chapter four, he talks about habits, and he is so accurate on so many things, but theres at least one thing he got wrong. He talked about habits as winding up a ball of yarn, and if you miss one time or if you fail one time, it would all come undone. Im here to tell you thats not accurate. As youre working on creating habits or stopping habits, you dont have to be perfect. In fact, almost nobody is. Its a journey. Its trial and error.

And William James, as right as he was for so many things, that analogy and metaphor of winding the ball and that dropping it and it all comes undone, is not how it really works, at least not in my research. Almost nobody gets it perfect from the start. Its a lot like decorating a room. You might try something, and it doesnt work. Well, dont beat yourself up. Dont blame yourself. Just move the chair around. Move the picture around and try something else. And you can get better and better at designing from the start because thats what youre doing. Youre designing your habits. Youre designing them out of your life, but nobodys perfect, and just understand that when it doesnt work as you intended, thats a sign that you can design again in a different way and try to get all the pieces together.

TG: Myth three is: Exercise alone is the best way to lose weight and keep it off. Why is that wrong?

BF: So many people think that by going to the gym and working out for an hour or two hours, thats how youre going to lose weight. Losing weight is primarily a function of nutrition, of what we eat. So if I were advising somebody on weight loss, I would have them spend so much of their energy looking at how to change what they eat, looking at what could be healthy snacks, find snacks that are healthy and that they like, and then make those habits and really double down on healthy snacks. Find what breakfast works for you. Find how you navigate social events like parties and receptions, what are the things you can eat in airports, and so on.

By investing your time and effort in learning to bring good nutrition behaviors into your life, youre going to make a lot better progress on weight loss, if thats what you want. Exercise is important. It reduces stress, it helps us sleep better, and so on. But when it comes to weight loss, as I see it, its primarily about what we eat and what we dont eat.

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BJ Fogg: Help Build Habits by Celebrating Small Wins - Thrive Global

Mishpatim: A brutal acknowledgement of human weakness – Arutz Sheva

Rabbi Berel Wein Rabbi Berel Wein is a noted scholar, historian, speaker and educator, admired the world over for his audio tapes/CDs, videos and books, particularly on Jewish history.

What I find most striking about this very detailed, mainly legal and technical parsha of the Torah, is the brutal acknowledgement it makes of human nature and its weaknesses. One would think that after the exalted moment when the people of Israel accepted the Torah at Mount Sinai, when humankind finally achieved its highest moral and intellectual level, that the Torah would no longer find it necessary to burden us with laws, details and rules regarding murder, theft, damages, law suits and sexual misconduct.

We should have been led to believe that we are past all that. We are a kingdom of priests and a very holy congregation. Yet, immediately after the lofty description of granting the Torah to Israel at Sinai, it follows immediately with a legal penal code that is based on the worst behavior and attitudes of human beings. The Torah harbors no illusions about human nature. It proclaims to us, at the very beginning of its teachings in Genesis, that the nature and desire of humans is evil from the very first moments of life. In fact, the Torah poses the challenge to overcome the struggle against our own evil impulses and base desires. The Torah was granted to us to serve as a handbook, to instruct us how this is to be accomplished. But the Torah never promised us that this struggle would ever disappear from our human existence.

There are other faiths, social ideas and programs that are based on the idea that human nature can be altered and changed by fiat, legislation, persuasion and, if necessary, even by coercion. Perhaps human behavior can indeed be so controlled, but it cannot be manipulated. It contains many attributes, but It certainly is never to be viewed as being wholly negative in its attitudes and desires. Human nature desires freedom of mind, body and society. It is optimistic and forward looking. it desires continuity of family and nationhood, and it pursues love and well-being.

Human nature desires structure and has a real appreciation of the fleeting gift of time. All these facets of human nature are also exhibited in the rules and laws promulgated in this weeks Torah reading. The Torah teaches us that there is no escape from human nature but that the good in our nature which Lincoln called our better angels, can make us into the holy people envisioned for us at Sinai.

Part of the nature within us is our longing for immortality and a connection with what is eternal. The laws and rules that appear in this weeks Torah reading are meant to help foster that drive for eternity. Jews view these laws and rules as a complementary companion to the Ten Commandments of Sinai and the guidebook for Jewish life and society throughout all the ages of our existence.

Shabbat shalom

Rabbi Berel Wein

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Mishpatim: A brutal acknowledgement of human weakness - Arutz Sheva

The psychology of infidelity: Why do we cheat? – Big Think

What personality traits make a person more (or less) likely to cheat on a spouse?

Photo by Prostock-studio on Shutterstock

Defining the human psyche and explaining human behaviors has been a goal of psychologists and researchers for decades.

Pioneer psychologist Gordon Allport (18971967) once compiled a list of 4,500 different personality traits he believed explained the human condition. Raymond Cattel (19051998), a British-American psychologist best known for his research into intrapersonal psychology, later explained a shorter personality model with 16 different types of personality traits.

In the 1970s, we were presented with the model we know today as the Big Five. The Big Five was created by two independent research teams who took different approached to their studies of human behavior and arrived at the exact same result.

The first team was led by Paul Costa and Robert McCrae at the National Institutes of Health. The second was led by Warren Norman of University of Michigan and Lewis Goldberg of University of Oregon.

The Big Five (acronym OCEAN):

In 1998, Oliver John of Berkeley Personality Lab and Veronica Benet-Martinez of UC, Davis created what is known as the "Big Five Inventory" - a 44 item questionnaire that measures a person based on the Big Five factors and then divides those factors into personality facets.

These factors are measured on a spectrum - a person may be highly extroverted or highly introverted, or somewhere in between. You can see a copy of the Big Five Inventory here.

In 2005, researchers Tricia Orzeck and Esther Lung conducted a study where participants voluntarily answered a questionnaire on personality traits about themselves and their monogamous partners. A total of 45 males and 59 females rated themselves and their partners (with a total of 208 people being involved in the study).

The results of this study proved that there is a significant difference between cheaters and non-cheaters when it comes to the Big Five model of personality traits.

This was further explained by a study in 2018, where data from two separate studies looked at the personality traits and relationship dynamics of new married couples. Both studies lasted 3 years in length and examined the associations between personality and infidelity.

Results of this study showed these were the couples who were most likely to experience infidelity in their marriage:

The results of this study suggest that one person's personality traits aren't enough to determine their likelihood of infidelity. Instead, infidelity requires an in-depth look at both the personality traits in each person in the relationship as well as the dynamic between them.

According to a 2013 poll of 1535 American adults, having an affair is considered "more morally wrong" than gambling, human cloning, and medical testing on animals. And yet - so many people still experience heartbreak from infidelity in their relationships.

Psychotherapist and New York Times bestselling author Esther Perel wanted to understand why people cheat in relationships.

"Why do people do this? Why do people who have often been faithful for decades one day cross a line they never thought they would cross? What's at stake? How do we make sense of this and how do we grow from that?"

In her book "The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity", Perel, who has worked with couples for 33 years, takes a look at infidelity not in an evidence-based scientific way, but from a sociological, anthropological angle.

While it's very common to have fantasies about being with someone other than your partner, not everyone who does this takes the step across that line to cheat on their partner. In fact, according to a 2001 study, 98% of men and 80% of women have admitted to fantasizing about someone other than their partner at least occasionally.

This is human nature, to be curious - but what makes a person go from naturally curious to morally ambiguous and cross the line to infidelity? While personality traits and the dynamic of your relationship play key roles, there is a lot of speculation on why people cheat.

Many people speculate that the surge in technology (dating apps and websites such as Ashley Madison, which targets married couples) may be one of the biggest reasons infidelity happens.

However, according to research conducted by Dr. Justin Lehmiller in 2015, the prevalence of cheating isn't any higher today than it was 20 years ago before the introduction of dating websites and apps.

Instead, psychologists have narrowed down some of the most common reasons people give for cheating on their spouses, which include:

These motives vary from how you view yourself to how you view your relationship and the context of the situation at hand. When it comes to putting a label on infidelity, there is very rarely just one factor involved. It's never just about a person's personality traits, or the dynamic in the relationship - it's a combination of personality, events, and circumstance.

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The psychology of infidelity: Why do we cheat? - Big Think