When you come to the self-realisation that you're eating isn't what you'd like it to be, most people don't know where to start. Which is often why many individuals do nothing.
Without complete honestly, you will probably have a great food record at the end of the 3 days – showing what you think you should be eating. But without the accuracy and honesty of what you actually consumed.
Many individuals can look at 3 days of eating and recognise the 'extra' foods and drinks that are adding excess calories/energy without adding great nutritional benefit. These are the foods that need to cut out!!
Sometimes these small changes are enough to make a big difference to your overall eating. Depending on the nutritional goals you are trying to reach, whether it is weight loss, improved energy levels, increased variety you will have a much better chance of making good choices by revising what you are actually eating.
If you still have some questions about what you are eating, it might be worth contacting sally to book in a session to see her as a dietitan.
I recently explained this concept to a mum I was chatting to, with two little ones. I think this is a great and basic way to ensure that your child (and you!) consume adequate vitamins and nutrients from a variety of foods.
This can become a game for older children – ask your toddler 'to name a fruit/vegetable every colour of the rainbow that they like to eat'. If your child can only name 'White' foods, then it's time to start introducing a greater variety of foods to their diet.
As a mum it's a great tool to use as your plan your childs meals for the day, and week. I am not suggesting that you serve every colour with every meal (however if you want to – go for it!!). But it's a good check-list when you are planning the family meals, to know that they are getting a great variety of nutrients from all the foods.
Red – Red fruits and vegetables are coloured by a natural plant pigment called lycopene. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that can help reduce the risk of cancer and keep our heart healthy.
Orange/Yellow – Carotenoids give this group their vibrant colour. A well-known carotenoid called Betacarotene is found in sweet potatoes, pumpkins and carrots. It is converted to vitamin A, which helps maintain healthy mucous membranes and healthy eyes. Another carotenoid called lutein is stored in the eye and has been found to prevent cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, which can lead to blindness.
Green – Green vegetables contain a range of phytochemicals including carotenoids, indoles and saponins, all of which have anti-cancer properties. Leafy greens such as spinach and broccoli are also excellent sources of folate.
Blue/Purple – The plant pigment anthocyanin is what gives blue/purple fruits and vegetables their distinctive colour. Anthocyanin also has antioxidant properties that protect cells from damage and can help reduce the risk of cancer, stroke and heart disease.
White/brown – White fruits and vegetables contain a range of health-promoting phytochemicals such as allicin (found in garlic) which is known for its antiviral and antibacterial properties. Some members of the white group, such as bananas and potatoes, are also a good source of potassium.
I first became aware of this approach for eating disorder clients back at university. But I recently became aware of this approach to optimising your body image, and achieving your goal weight. I think that some of the tools from this approach, combined with healthy eating and regular exercise are key to achieving a 'Happy you'. I hate all the FAD diets (no-carb/low-carb diets, Atkins, etc) . My philosophy is that your diet and exercise need to be lifestyle habits – which you don't do for 1-6months; you stick to it for LIFE!!!
Mindful eating is not a diet. There are no menus or recipes. It is being more aware of your eating habits, the sensations you experience when you eat, and the thoughts and emotions that you have about food. It is more about how you eat than what you eat.
Why would it work for?
I think most of us could be more mindful with our eating habits, but if you are seeking some help – and you can tick any of the following – then I think this might be for you!
Sit down – avoid eating on the run, don't stand up or walk around while you are eating. You often won't even register what you have eaten, and whether you are full when you eat on the run.
Don't multi-task. Hmmm, I think we are all guilty of this – what mum isn't! When you eat whilst doing something else, you are less likely to think about what you are eating!
Don't confuse being thirsty, with being hungry – this is very common (particularly for our breastfeeding mums!). Many of us find it difficult to differentiate between thirst and hunger. We often reach for a snack, when a glass of water is what our body really needs.
Rate your hunger before you serve a meal. Take a moment to think about how hungry you are before you serve yourself a standard serve. If you reflect on your level of hunger, you are more inclined to serve an appropriate serving.
Don't wait until you are starving! You will always overeat if you are extremely hungry, so its important to try and avoid this!
Plan your meals. If you always have to put a meal together at the last moment, you are more inclined to eat anything you can think of. Whereas, if you plan your meals you can make healthy meal plans that will tick all the boxes.
Think whilst eating. Sounds simple, but all you need to do is pay attention to when you feel satisfied during a meal – rather than eating everything on your plate!
Focus on nourishing foods. I think is an obvious point, but I'll include it anyway. Making smart food choices are always going to be important, no matter what approach you have to eating!
Once you become a mum, you find yourself reading food labels on all sorts of foods – much more than you ever have previously. So I thought I'd put some hints together for what to look for, and what some of the lingo actually means!!
Food labels explain a lot about the content of the food contained in the package, and are designed to help make food choices. Often people become so confused with the food labels, and become influenced by other sections of the contents packaging which is actually 'marketing!!' So it is important to understand what parts of a food label are important, and what it means.
Labels will list additives, ingredients and nutrition information such as fat and protein content. A food label should list the country of origin of the food product, but this statement is not always easy to interpret.
Foods with a shelf life of less than two years must have a 'best before' or 'use-by' date.
'Best before' date – refers to the quality of the food – food stored in the recommended way will remain of good quality until that date. It may still be safe to eat certain foods after the 'best before' date, but they may have lost quality and some nutritional value.
'Use-by' date – refers to foods that should not be consumed after a certain date for health and safety reasons must have a 'use-by' date and cannot be sold after that date. You will find 'use-by' dates on perishables such as meat, fish and dairy products.
If an ingredient makes up less than five per cent of the food, it does not have to be listed. Where there are very small amounts of multi-component ingredients (less than five per cent), it is permitted to list 'composite' ingredients only.
The length of the ingredients list and type of words used can be an indicator of how healthy a product is. Foods with long lists of scientific words are highly processed foods.
Per 100g basis – this is ideal for comparing products, as all foods must contain this.
If sugar is listed within the first 3-4 ingredients on the ingredients list, this indicates that the food is likely to contains large amounts of sugar. Other words can be used to describe different forms of sugar these include; sucrose, dextrose, fructose, lactose, maltose, glucose, honey, corn syrup, golden syrup and maple syrup.
This is a complicated area, but for information on the different between good fats and bad fats check-out an earlier post 'Good fats vs Bad fats' .
In the list of ingredients, fat is very rarely listed as an ingredient! Instead it will usually be listed as; oil, butter, copha, cream, animal fat, margarine, lard, dripping and suet.
Low fat – for a food label to contain this wording it must contain less than 3g of fat per 100g.
Reduced fat – for a food label to contain this wording it must contain less fat than the regular product.
Lite or Light – this doesn't have any relation to the fat content, this can be in reference to the colour, taste, or texture of the product.
It is recommended that we consumed 25-30g of fibre each day. So when choosing something like a breakfast cereal it is important to choose a cereal that contains the highest content of fibre per 100g. Aim for foods that have more than 6g of fibre per serve, or have the label 'Very high fibre'.
Choosing a low salt diet is important for the defence against heart disease and high blood pressure. Salt can be listed in the ingredients as; sodium, sodium bicarbonate, monosodium glutamate, sea salt and chicken salt.
Low salt – means that the food contains less than 120mg of sodium per 100g.
All natural: Generally indicates no artificial colourings, flavourings or preservatives have been added to the product. It may still be high in fat, sugar and/or salt.
'Fresh as' actually means the product hasn't been preserved by freezing, canning, high-temperature or chemical treatment. However, it may have been refrigerated and spent time in processing and transport.
I hear this question regularly, and don't worry I also think it too!! As I am currently in the same boat as many of our Shape Up Mums. Milly is now 4 months, and I would love to have my pre-baby body back – but I am still breastfeeding!
So where do you start!!
First and foremost – NO CRASH DIETING!!! If you cut your energy intake the first thing to be compromised will be your milk production! So if you decided to go on a strict diet, not only will you be feeling fatigued (as you have less energy) – your baby will probably be unsettled as you are starving them!!!!! Choosing to focus on a 'healthy balance diet' is the most importance thing.
Introduce exercise slowly. Don't decide you want to lose weight, and go for a 10km run straight away. You will find that your milk supply over the 24-48 hours will be compromised, unless you eat and drink adequately to replace the energy you are utilising for your exercise. Build up your exercise in duration and intensity, that way your body can adjust slowly to the increased demands on it.
Drink plenty of fluids. On days that you do exercise you will need to drink 3-4L of water to ensure that you are rehydrating from the sweat you have lost during exercise, providing adequate fluids for the breast milk you will produce, PLUS – supply adequate fluids to your body so that it can function!!!
Don't snack on empty calories. Make every mouthful count, by eating wholesome nutritious foods. Choosing snacks, such as those listed in out 'Easy snacks for breastfeeding (and non-breastfeeding) Mums!' will ensure you are making sensible decisions.
Don't drink empty calories. Ensure that water is your first choice of drink, drinking soft-drink or juice adds extra kilojoules to your daily intake that your body doesn't benefit from.
Adequate protein. Ensure that you have a good source of protein at each meal, so that you are able to provide adequately for your baby. Lean meat, chicken, fish, eggs and dairy products are great sources of protein.
Adequate calcium. As you produce milk, your body needs to find calcium for the breast milk you are producing. To ensure that you maintain your bone health, and have adequate calcium for your baby – including regular sources of dairy will assist in this process.
Balance is the key!!! Balancing good nutrition, with regular exercise will ensure that the extra kilograms gained during pregnancy will slowly fall off. Plus you will be able to breastfeed for as long as you and your baby desire. Too much or too little of either of these things, will either compromise your weight gain/loss or your babies ability to breastfeed adequately.
The weight loss after having a baby should not be instant! Despite what we regularly see in celebrity magazines, it is not wise to strip the weight off. My advice to mums is to aim for your babies first birthday! If you can be back at your pre-baby weight at your little ones first birthday – you have done an amazing job!!
As we approach the warmer months, (and my upcoming QLD holiday!) I am reminded that soon I will be taking the endless layers off to get in my bathers! As I'm still breastfeeding regularly, I need to ensure that I am eating really well so that poor Milly doesn't suffer!
So I decided it was time to try and change something – and I had an idea! Why not go without chocolate next month – and I realised that just isn't realistic. For a breatfeeding mum (that is always hungry!) how would I go completely without something I love!! So I did a switch, I cut all milk chocolate out of my diet and have been enjoying 1-2 pieces a day of dark chocolate. We all know the health benefits of dark chocolate, plus the lower sugar content, and I have pleasingly found that 1-2 piece of dark chocolate takes me much longer to eat and it much more satisfying.
– Instead of having a glass of fruit juice à have a piece of fruit!
To help make it a success – tell someone you are doing it, so they can keep you accountable for the whole month!!!
I can honestly say it has not been difficult to make the switch, and I'm pleased to say it has resulted in a decrease on the scales!!
It is commonly known that whilst pregnant you must take a Folate and Iodine supplement, to ensure your body has adequate levels for you and your unborn baby. Many doctors will also suggest taking a pregnancy multivitamin to assist with covering all vitamins and minerals. This is one thing that made me feel better (mentally) – particularly in the first trimester when my diet was limited. Due to morning sickness, my food preferences and food aversions resulted in a limited intake in regards to variety. So my multivitamin was an important part of what I consumed each day!!
This pregnancy, as with my last pregnancy – one of my lasting food aversions has been steak! I will happily have red meat in other dishes, but the thought of eating a steak (well let's say, I can see how vegetarians feel!!). Given that I have still be consuming red meat at least 3 nights/week (given my husband's love for meat!) – I was very surprised when my obstetrician called me to tell me my Iron was low, and I needed to take a supplement.
Iron is vital in the body, as it carries oxygen around the body. In the body it is referred to as haemoglobin, which is found in red blood cells.
During pregnancy your body needs to make more blood due to the growth of your body to accommodate the baby, and the baby. To make the increased blood volume, your body needs more iron consumed.
If you're found to be low in iron, some symptoms include tiredness, poor concentration and an increased risk of infection. If your levels rich very low, this can impact on your baby's growth – hence we want to avoid this.
Iron is found in food in two forms; iron from animals = haem iron, and iron from plant foods = non-haem iron. Haem iron is absorbed by the body ~ 10 times more than non-haem iron.
Red meat is very high in haem iron, the redder the meat – the higher the iron content! Beef and lamb are higher in iron than pork, chicken and fish. Coloured flesh fish is higher in iron than, such as tuna us higher than fish such as barramundi.
Your body absorbs maximum amounts of iron from food in the presence of Vitamin C. You will often be recommended by a dietitian or doctor to have your red meat with a glass of orange juice – to optimise the absorption of the iron!!
In contrast, tea, coffee, unprocessed bran, and various mineral and herbal medications have been found to block the absorption of iron by the body.
An unfortunate side effect of iron supplements, is that they can cause constipation. Which for pregnant ladies is often an issue before taking an iron supplement. It is important to ensure you drink adequate water, and consume a high fibre diet, and undertake regular exercise to try and manage any concerns with constipation.
However when ladies are pregnant, you can tick all the required boxes to manage constipation – and still have problems managing it. Hence if you are required to take an iron supplement (and suffer constipation), it is worth considering a liquid version. Compound pharmacies often have a liquid iron supplement available, this is one great option as it won't cause constipation. I recently became aware of the widely available (but expensive) liquid iron supplement called Spatone. If you choose to take a liquid iron supplement, please discuss the quantity with your doctor to ensure you take adequate amounts (you will usually require more than a standard dose, due to the increased needs during pregnancy).
As many of you may be aware, the new Australia Dietary Guidelines were released in mid-February 2013. In all Australians, nutrition contributes significantly to healthy weight, quality of life and wellbeing, resistance to infection, and protection against chronic disease and premature death. As the quality and quantity of foods and drinks consumed has a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of individuals, society and the environment, better nutrition has huge potential to improve individual and public health and decrease healthcare costs.
Optimum nutrition is essential for the normal growth and physical and cognitive development of infants and children. Suboptimal nutrition is associated with ill health. Many diet-related chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and some forms of cancer are major causes of death and disability among Australians.
nutritious food and drinks to meet your energy needs.
Older people should eat nutritious foods and keep physically active to help maintain muscle strength and a healthy weight..
Guideline 3 Limit intake of foods containing saturated fat, added salt, added sugars and alcohol.
a) Limit intake of foods high in saturated fat such as many biscuits, cakes, pastries, pies, processed meats, commercial burgers, pizza, fried foods, potato chips, crisps and other savoury snacks.
d) If you choose to drink alcohol, limit intake. For women who are pregnant, planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding, not drinking alcohol is the safest option.
Guideline 5 Care for your food; prepare and store it safely.
So what do the new guidelines mean for you and your family?
The new guidelines are encouraging people to think in terms of energy balance, rather than from food and drink. The NHMRC (National Health and Medical Research Council) encourages people to monitor the food they east, as well as paying attention to their exercise.
Since the release of the guidelines the main source of controversy has been in regards to the addition of the advice to 'limit added sugar.' The Australian Food and Grocery Council have fiercely opposed the inclusion of this statement. The evidence over the past decade has support this inclusion of the statement, particularly in concerns to drinks. It is well recognised that drinks containing added sugar can contribute large amounts of energy to an individual's daily intake. We often refer to this type of drink/food as 'empty calories' as there is no/little nutritional benefit from consuming the food only the calories.
Good fats vs bad fats!
When someone tells you a food is high in fat, individuals trying to following a healthy diet commonly think – 'I shouldn't eat any of that!' However not all fats are created equal! So I thought I would explain the difference between 'Good fats' and 'Bad fats' and how much of each type is ok, as part of a balanced diet.
It is important to initially understand that all fats have the same energy (kilojoules), so it may still be necessary to limit quantities of "good fats". Eating too much fat can lead to weight gain, elevated cholesterol, heart disease and poor diabetes control.
Our good fats are called unsaturated fats (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats), these fats have a positive effect on the body and actually help to lower blood cholesterol. Unsaturated fats include the commonly discussed omega-3 fatty acids which are found in concentrated amounts in fish. These are a fantastic type of unsaturated fats, and are particularly important during pregnancy due to the role in foetal development.
Our bad fats are called saturated fats, these fats have no positive effect on the body, and increase the bodies bad cholesterol.
So how do I reduce my fat intake??
The Australian recommendations for fat state, that the percentage of our diet that should come from fat should be 20-35%. However I would always recommend aiming for the lower end of that range. The Heart Foundation recommends keeping the saturated fat component of your diet to less that 7% of total energy intake.
Avoid adding fats to cooked food such as adding butter, margarine, meat gravy or cream sauces to meals.
Try low fat evaporated milk as an alternative to cream in sauces or coconut milk in curries. Light and Creamy have an evaporated milk with coconut essence added, which can easily be used instead of coconut milk.
/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/logo.png 0 0 Vicky /wp-content/uploads/2012/03/logo.png Vicky2012-11-20 04:10:322013-10-17 04:42:27Good fats vs bad fats!
What should I and shouldn't I eat whilst pregnant?
When you find out that you are pregnant your emotions are back flipping off walls! This is due to a combination of excitement, fear of the unknown and most of all – the increased hormones racing around your body. Once you come back down to earth (if you do, during your pregnancy) – you will find yourself coming to the question of what should I or shouldn't I eat?
I thought I'd summarise the Do's and the Don'ts of eating while pregnant, to try and make it as simple as possible!
Fish. It is important to eat fish when you are pregnant but you need to be careful about the fish you choose. Some fish may accumulate mercury which may be harmful to your baby's developing nervous system. Food Standards Australia New Zealand has set the following safe guidelines for fish intake.
Vitamin D: It is important that woman have adequate Vitamin D levels in their body during pregnancy. Woman's bloods are checked early in pregnancy, and vitamin D is always checked due to the increased requirements during pregnancy. If you are low n vitamin D is is often recommended you take a Vitamin D supplement.
Iron: Iron is needed to form the red blood cells for you and your baby. It helps carry oxygen in your blood and is needed for your baby to grow. During pregnancy you need a lot more iron than when you are not pregnant. It is best to get the iron you need from your diet. Iron from animal food sources is absorbed more easily than iron from plant foods. The best sources of iron are lean meats (especially red meat), some vegetables (especially green leafy ones), legumes, and fortified cereals.
If you are overweight try to limit your weight gain. Unfortunately being overweight during pregnancy places you at an increased risk of the following; high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, a large baby, caesarean section, birth defects and difficulty losing weight after your baby is born.
Don't eat for 2! Everyone will tell you can, but you can't!!! Your body doesn't need double the energy intake to build a baby, it only needs a small increase. You will find that your body will naturally ask for a little more food, try and feed eat healthy options when it wants more!
Listeria. Listeria is a bacteria found in some foods which can cause an infection called listeriosis. If passed on to your unborn baby it can cause premature birth, miscarriage or damage. The risk is the same through your whole pregnancy.
Choose freshly cooked and freshly prepared food.
Thawing food in the fridge or defrosting food in the microwave.
Cooling left over food in the fridge rather than the bench.
Wash your hands, chopping boards and knives after handling raw foods.
Make sure hot foods are hot (above 60 degrees Celsius) and cold foods are cold. (below 5 degrees Celsius), both at home and when eating out.
Eat left overs within 24 hours and reheat foods to steaming hot.
Cook all meat, chicken, fish, and eggs thoroughly.
Never re-freeze food once it has been thawed.
Home prepared meats are normally free of Listeria, if used within 24 hours or if they have been frozen.
Don't start a diet while pregnant. This is not the time to lose weight intentionally, so don't restrict your body – or your baby will be the first to go without nutrition.
Alcohol – don't binge! Limit to 1 alcoholic beverage/day if you choose to drink.
/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/logo.png 0 0 Vicky /wp-content/uploads/2012/03/logo.png Vicky2012-10-23 03:38:142013-10-17 04:42:27What should I and shouldn't I eat whilst pregnant?
How much milk is too much milk for my toddler?
The Australian dietary guidelines suggest that children aged between 4-8 years consume 600ml of milk/day and less if they are younger. So what does that mean for my 2 year old?
If we look at the amount of calcium a toddler needs for growth, the recommended daily allowance (RDI) for children aged 1-3 years is 500mg. Just 2 cups of milk (500ml milk) provides 590mg of calcium, slight exceeding the RDI. However many other foods our children eat contain calcium; 200g yoghurt (324mg calcium), 30g cheese (255mg calcium), 50g tin of salmon (155mg salmon) are just a few examples.
Most toddlers need a maximum of 2 glasses of milk/day – as a general rule. And if they receive less, and consume a more varied diet – even better!
Is too much milk a bad thing?
Unfortunately the answer here is, YES! Milk is a food that has great satiety (satisfies the tummy for long periods). Following the consumption of just a small glass of milk, your toddler might not feel hungry and therefore turn away other foods. Long term this can lead to deficiencies, if your child always has milk instead of a balanced and nutritious diet.
Too much milk can also have other negative effects on the body. Too much calcium can interfere with ion absorption, which has been linked to fussy eating. Sipping on milk can also lead to increased risk of tooth decay. So give you toddlers a glass of milk, rather than a bottle that they sip on over a longer period of time.
An interesting point, if a toddler consumes a 300ml glass of milk – they have consumed 20% of the energy they need for the day!
What milk should I choose for my toddler?
We recently discussed this in another post, but this is a topic Mums often ask about.
From 12 months of age children are recommended to have Full Cream Milk. Other dairy foods such as full cream cheese and yoghurt can be introduced from 6 months. Once a child reaches the age of 2 it is recommended by the National Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents that they consume reduced-fat milk.
/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/logo.png 0 0 Vicky /wp-content/uploads/2012/03/logo.png Vicky2012-09-22 03:49:032013-10-17 04:42:28How much milk is too much milk for my toddler?
With the increased occurrence of allergic disease, I thought it might be useful to review the current advice regarding allergies and introducing solids to babies and children. Over the recent years, the occurrence of allergic disease has increased at the same time as many societal and lifestyle changes. It is apparent that these environmental changes must be responsible for the increases we have witnessed in allergic disease. There is on-going research into the exact reasons for the increased number. However as Mums we seek to be able to prevent these allergies occurring in our children. Unfortunately at this stage, most allergy prevention strategies are relatively crude with small or unconfirmed effects, and newer strategies are still in experimental stages. This Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) position statement reviews current evidence and generates revised national guidelines for primary allergy prevention.
Allergen avoidance in pregnancy Dietary restrictions in pregnancy are not recommended.Aeroallergen (dust mites) avoidance in pregnancy has not been shown to reduce allergic disease, and is not recommended.
Breastfeeding Breastfeeding should be recommended because of other beneficial effects.Maternal dietary restrictions during breastfeeding are not recommended.
Infant formulae In high risk infants only, If breast feeding is not possible a hydrolysed formulae is recommended (rather than conventional cows milk based formulae). Partially hydrolysed formula is available in Australia without prescription. Extensively hydrolyzed formula is more expensive, only available on prescription, and only subsidised for treatment of combined cow's milk and soy allergic infants.Soy formulae and other formulae (eg. Goat's milk) are not recommended for the reduction of food allergy risk.
Avoidance of peanut, tree nuts, and shellfish may be recommended in high risk children during the first years of life pending further study as this is unlikely to cause harm, however it must be emphasised that there is no evidence to support this recommendation.
Easy snacks for breastfeeding (and non-breastfeeding) Mums!
Mums often ask me, for ideas of foods that they can snack on whilst they are breastfeeding. Many of the ideas listed below I have chosen so that you can eat while you a breastfeeding. This is one time that you will be sitting still (hopefully!) and a great opportunity to grab a nutritious snack!! For this reason I have tried to think of foods that are easy to eat one-handed!!!
Reduced fat yoghurt. Even try the kid's yoghurts (Vaalia have a few yummy flavours) or the Sanitarium Up & Go breakfast yoghurt; both come in the squeeze packet, no need for a spoon, to make it a suitable option whilst you are breastfeeding!
Reduced fat milk and Milo/ Reduced fat flavoured milk. Nippy's have reduced-fat chocolate and coffee milk, that are long-life. I lived on these whilst I was breastfeeding, as I could always have spares in the house!!
Reduced fat cheese and wholegrain biscuits. Mainland even has a pack of sliced cheese and biscuits, easy to grab on the run.
Fruit. Anything in season, apples, pears, mandarins are all easy to eat one handed. If you love melon, chop some melon up at the start of the week and store in the fridge. If it is already chopped you are more likely to grab some as a snack.
Dried fruit and nuts. Have a jar with your favourite nuts and dried fruit sitting on the bench. If this is visual, you are more inclined to grab a handful of dried fruit and nuts before you go to the pantry for that Tim Tam!!
Raisin Toast. A great source of energy and low in fat (as long as you don't go overboard with the butter/margarine). You can always have this in the freezer for those snack times.
Muesli bars. I'm not a big fan of these; however they definitely have their place!! Choose a bar that has lots of wholegrains, fruit, seeds and nuts. These will be higher in fat on the label, but this is 'good fat' from the seeds and nuts. The bottom line with these is to not overdo them, they are high in energy and good fats so try and limit them to one per day. Sanatarium have a bar called 'One square meal' and they are a great source of whole grains and energy.
Avocado or cheese on toast. Choose wholegrain bread, and both of these options provide a good source of protein and energy.
Carrot and celery with low-fat dip. Chop some carrot and celery up at the start of the week, that way it is easy to grab these. Choose some low-fat dips, some good ones are low-fat taztziki, French onion, sun-dried tomato, and capsicum.
Hard-boiled egg. You can boil a couple of eggs and have them in the fridge, already pealed and ready to snack on.
Rice cakes with vegemite. Easy and accessible snack.
Celery with reduced fat peanut butter. This is one of my weaknesses! It's one not to overdo, as the peanut butter is higher in fat. However a piece of celery with peanut butter is a very satisfying snack, due to the protein content of the nuts.
Fruit smoothie. You can even make this up at the start of the day, and pour yourself a glass at each breastfeed. You are not only giving yourself a great nutritious snack, but you are also providing that much needed fluid!!
Popcorn. Everyone is probably thinking I have lost the plot!! Popcorn is a really healthy snack, it's what we add to it that makes it unhealthy. So cook it from scratch and store in an airtight container. This way you know it is not drenched in butter and salt.
Belvita breakfast biscuits. There is a range of different flavours (milk & cereal, fruit and fibre or crunchy oats), these provide a great low GI, wholegrain fibre and energy source.
Written by Sally – ShapeUp Mums trainer and resident dietitian.
/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/logo.png 0 0 Vicky /wp-content/uploads/2012/03/logo.png Vicky2012-06-12 05:25:452013-10-17 04:42:52Easy snacks for breastfeeding (and non-breastfeeding) Mums!
10 Nutrition tips for breastfeeding Mums!
Mums often ask me, what types of foods they should be eating whilst they are breastfeeding. There are some general guidelines that all Mums that are breastfeeding can follow, these have been summarised into 10 helpful tips!!
Eat a varied and balanced diet. Think back to the 'healthy food pyramid' at school! Lots of wholegrain breads and cereals, rice, pasta, fruits and vegetables; moderate amounts of lean red meat, chicken and fish and reduced fat dairy.
Include more protein-rich foods in your diet. Ensure you include protein-rich foods, this includes red-meat, chicken, fish, legumes, nuts and seeds and reduced fat dairy.
Eat foods containing calcium. The obvious foods that are high in calcium are all reduced fat dairy products. Some alternatives include calcium enriched soy based yoghurts and milk, and tinned fish with bones (salmon and sardines). If none of these foods are part of your normal diet then you should consider taking a calcium supplement. A lack of calcium while pregnant and breastfeeding can be detrimental to the mother's health.
Take a 'breastfeeding' supplement or an iodine supplement. A pregnancy/breastfeeding supplement is a great way to know that you are getting adequate amounts of all vitamins and minerals for your baby. Health authorities have recently recommended that all breastfeeding women take an iodine supplement (150micrograms) each day. This is usually part of most breastfeeding supplements.
Snack smartly throughout the day. Try to have healthy snacks on hand all the time. It is easy to reach for unhealthy snacks foods; however these often don't satisfy hunger. Try snacking on fruit, reduced-fat yoghurt, reduced-fat flavoured milk, wholegrain crackers with low fat cheese, raisin toast, dried fruit and nits or a boiled egg.
Make sure you drink lots of water. Breastfeeding mums need to drink plenty of water to ensure they produce adequate milk and remain hydrated. If you are exercising as well, this is even more important. You will need to drink approximately 3-4L of water per day. Check the colour of your urine it should be pale in colour.
Avoid empty calories!! It can be so easy and tempting to just have one more…. However these foods provide lots of energy, but minimal nutritional value. Try not to deprive yourself completely, but only treat yourself every now and then with a very small treat!!
Avoid all 'fad' diets. This are not safe for breastfeeding Mums. Fad diets are not suggested anytime, least of all when you are breastfeeding. These diets are often not balanced in what they provide nutritional. While you are breastfeeding you really need to include a very balanced diet.
If you choose to drink alcohol while you are breastfeeding, limit and time your intake. This is a very personal choice, and I'm not about to tell you one way or the other. But my message is to be smart, if you do choose to drink. Ideally breastfeed before you have a drink, and remember that a standard drink will take approximately 2 hours to clear from your body.
/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/logo.png 0 0 Vicky /wp-content/uploads/2012/03/logo.png Vicky2012-06-06 06:27:272013-10-17 04:42:5210 Nutrition tips for breastfeeding Mums!
Which Milk Do I choose for my family?
With a large number of milks on the market it is easy to become confused as to which is best for your family. So I thought I'd explain a few important facts about milk!
Why do we need to drink it?
Milk is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, particularly calcium. With the high levels of calcium, milk is recognised for its important role in bone health. Doctors and Dietitians recommend that milk and other dairy products be consumed daily as part of a balanced diet.
Milk is a great source of nutrients such as protein, carbohydrates, Calcium, Riboflavin, Phosporous, Vitamins A, D and B12 and Panthothenic acid. These nutrients are particularly important to toddlers and young children for the optimal development of healthy bones.
What do the different types mean?
What should I (Mum/Dad) be drinking?
I think the answer to this question should be starting to become a little clearer!!! Australian adults should be choosing reduced fat dairy products. Especially for those trying to lose weight, the choice should always be low-fat/no-fat dairy products. The health benefits of reducing fat from dairy are well recognised. This is due to the majority of fat in dairy being 'saturated fat.' Without going into too much detail (maybe this should be a future topic!) fat comes in 2 different forms: Saturated and Unsaturated (let's just ignore trans-fats at the moment). Saturated fats are the 'bad' fats, these are derived from animal sources or take-away foods. Un-saturated fats are the 'good' fats that are plant based fats like olive oil and avocado. Well the bottom line is, fat from milk is the 'bad' fats.
What should I be giving my children?
The potential benefit of swapping a child's milk over when they are young is that they become used to it before knowing any different and there is no problem swapping it over. We all know how difficult it is to change kids' food once they reach school age! Low-fat varieties of milk tend to be a little on the light side for children unless weight is a problem.
Is flavoured milk a 'No No'?
A recent study has found that children in the US who avoid milk tend to be more overweight than children who do drink milk. It is thought that this is due to children who do not drink milk replacing it with high energy drinks such as fruit juice and soft drinks. Children and adolescence require a large volume of calcium for growing bones. It can be often difficult to get this age group to drink adequate amounts of milk. Milk is a much healthier choice than sugary drinks, and therefore making a reduced fat (for children over 2 years) flavoured milk drinks a better choice for your children.
Milk allergies are more common in very young children and most tend to grow out of them or build up a tolerance to milk.
Lactose intolerance is a condition where an individual doesn't product enough lactase. This results in undigested lactose being broken up by the bacteria in the large intestines causing gas, bloating, pain and sometimes diarrhoea. Lactase if an enzyme in the small intestine that breaks down the lactose found in milk so that it can be absorbed into the bloodstream. Lactose is the type of carbohydrate that is naturally occurring and found in any time of milk made from an animal.
Avoiding all dairy is not necessary for individuals with lactose intolerance. Most people can have small amounts of dairy products. Individuals can still consume milk in moderate quantities and also have the option of buying lactose-free milk. Some dairy foods contain minimal amounts of lactose, which means that people with lactose intolerance can consume these foods. Foods that contain less lactose include some yoghurts, mature cheeses (like cheddar cheese, fetta and mozzarella), butter, and evaporated milk.
/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/logo.png 0 0 Vicky /wp-content/uploads/2012/03/logo.png Vicky2012-05-21 04:27:292013-10-17 04:42:52Which Milk Do I choose for my family?
When I suggest athletes follow a particular diet before and after training, this is usually due to the extremely large volume and the intensity of exercise that they will be doing. A specialised diet will help their body prepare and recovery from each training session, ultimately ensuring that they can compete at their best potential.
When Mums ask me about what to eat before and after training, we need to look at the scenario a little differently. We need to look at some personal questions, Are you breastfeeding? Are you trying to lose weight? Are you trying to maintain weight? Are you trying to fall pregnant? Or are you already pregnant? All of these questions will influence my answer to the initial question!!
The most basic advice I can give for what to east before training follows the general rule are carbohydrate rich foods, low in fat and moderate protein content. This is really aiming to provide the body a good source of energy and minimise stomach upset during training!! It is also best not to eat just as you are pulling up to training!
In regards to eating after training, the general advice I recommend is plenty of fluids (preferably water) to ensure you rehydrate, rich source of carbohydrate and a moderate source of protein. Again we want to limit the fat content and it is always a good idea to avoid alcohol straight after training!!
So you ask, what sorts of food would I suggest? Most of these suggestions are aimed at breakfast being the 'Pre-training snack' and morning tea/lunch being the post training snack.
If you did answer one of the earlier personal question with a 'Yes' then you may need to add more/less of particular nutrients to these snacks. If you would like further information, have a chat with me and I can provide some advice.
/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/logo.png 0 0 Vicky /wp-content/uploads/2012/03/logo.png Vicky2012-04-27 06:24:562013-10-17 04:42:52What to eat before and after training?


Do you have some questions or need some help?
Do you have any more questions or need some help? Our team of 14 people from all over the world are all experienced and passionate travellers who are looking forward to helping you and making sure you have the best New Zealand experience. Give us a call or send us a message. We have also collected the most popular questions in our Common Questions.


text:
ECLAC foresees growth rate in 2022 around one third of that of 2021
World economy is facing Covid-19, inflation and policy uncertainty, Global Economic Prospects
Thursday, January 13th 2022 - 09:48 UTC
Following a strong rebound in 2021, the global economy is entering a pronounced slowdown amid fresh threats from COVID-19 variants and a rise in inflation, debt, and income inequality that could endanger the recovery in emerging and developing economies, according to the World Bank's latest Global Economic Prospects report. Global growth is expected to decelerate markedly from 5.5% in 2021 to 4.1% in 2022 and 3.2% in 2023 as pent-up demand dissipates and as fiscal and monetary support is unwound across the world. Read full article

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Homeowners in the luxury building say short-term rental of units causes disturbances and filth. The building's owners deny the claims and say one of the plaintiffs rents out his apartment on a short term lease.
17 apartment owners in the Jerusalem of Gold luxury project built by businessman Shlomo Eliahu claim that the tenants in the project have been suffering for a long time from deficient management and maintenance of the building and various nuisances caused by short-term rentals of the apartments. The apartment owners filed a complaint to this effect with the Jerusalem land registry supervisor.
The claim, filed through Adv. Refael Yulzari and Adv. Matan Geringer from the Gideon Fisher & Co. law firm, states that the Jerusalem of Gold project includes two wings with seven and 12 floors and a total of 80 apartments. The claimants purchased apartments in the building in 2010-2017.
"This claim involves a luxury housing building in the heart of Jerusalem, including concierge services, underground parking, a partially commercial floor, luxury swimming pool, spa, Jacuzzi, fitness room, games room, a mikveh (ritual bath), etc.," the claim states.
"In recent years, however, various aspects of the building involving management of the condominium have deteriorated," the claim asserts. "Some of the substantial deterioration in the management and maintenance of the common property has been occurring in the building for a long time as a result of the unacceptable practice of renting out some of the apartments for short-term rentals."
Short-term rentals: "Severe damage to the apartment owners"
The claimants explain that the lease period usually varies from a few days to a few week, mainly though special Internet platforms, such as Airbnb, Booking.com, etc. "Actually, in some cases, the building is portrayed in various advertisements as a real hotel," they state, adding that they have no way of supervising and finding out which of the apartment owners are renting out their apartments through short-term rentals, because renting is conducted anonymously or through an agent.
"Renting out apartments for short terms causes severe damage to owners of the other apartments living in the building," the claimants add. "Renting out apartments for vacations unavoidably causes nuisances to tenants of the entire building. Random renters create unbearable noise in the building, and leave garbage and filth in shared spaces, such as the lobby, the fitness room, the pool area, and the sealed rooms on every floor. Renting out apartments to random tenants using the apartments to hold parties and large-scale events, and even by the hour, obviously affects the warm feeling of a residential building."
In addition to harming the quality of the luxury living quarters promised them when they bought the apartments, the claimants also assert that they are suffering direct financial damage from the reduced attractiveness of the building, as reflected in the increasing difficulty in renting out their apartments in the building under long-term leases or selling them without suffering a loss.
The apartment owners allege that renting out apartments for short periods breaches the purchase agreement signed by the apartment owners in the building, in which they buyers stated that the apartment was being sold for residential purposes only. The buyer undertook not to use the apartment for any other purpose. The agreement also includes a commitment by the buyer that use of the apartment will not disturb or annoy users of the other units in the building.
It is also asserted that the agreement with the managing company is also being violated, because the company is responsible under the agreement for maintaining the level of the building. "Short-term rentals affect the prestige and level of the building, and frequently disturb and annoy the residents."
The claimants state that they contacted the management company a number of times and warning it about what was happening. The company merely sent a number of warnings to all of the building's residents demanding that they refrain from renting out apartments for short periods. "These letters were completely ignored by the apartment owners renting out their apartments for short periods," the claim states. "The situation in the building did not change. Apartments in the building are still being offered for rent on various websites, and random renters continue to frequent the building and its facilities. The noise and filth continue to disturb the residents in the building."
The claimants are therefore asking the land registry supervisor to order the companies to take enforcement measures against apartment owners violating their contractual obligations "and to put an end to the harmful short-term rental of apartments in the building, as stipulated in the purchasing and management agreements."
The claim further states that despite the fact that the building has been occupied and managed for several years, it has not yet been legally registered as a condominium, no general meeting of all of the residents has taken place, and no representatives of the residents have been elected. The residents assert that they contacted the seller to find out the names and particulars of the residents in the building in order to make it possible to hold a meeting of the residents, but the seller did not disclose the information.
The claimants assert that this is a breach of the Sales (Dwellings) (Assurance of Homebuyers' Investments) Law, and they are therefore asking the land registry supervisor to disclose to them the contact details of the owners of apartments in the building.
The claimants further state that they are concerned that the management fees charged by the management company are higher than what they should pay. They allege that they are being charged higher management fees because the seller still owns many apartments in the building that have not yet been sold, and the seller is not paying its shares of the management fees, as required.
"As far as is known to the claimants, Shlomo Eliahu, a party at interest in the seller, has a substantial debt of NIS 1 million to the management company," the claim states. "Since Eliahu holds a majority of the votes, because some of the apartments have not yet been sold, he has an interest in the management company being under his control." The claimants add, "This conduct is unacceptable and illegal."
The claimants further state that the company is denying them the opportunity to freely and regularly read the management company's financial statements and evaluate them, despite legal obligation of the building's treasurer to act transparently. They are therefore asking the land registry supervisor to disclose the financial statements of the management company in the building, starting in 2014.
Response: "A few residents are dissatisfied"
The Jerusalem of Gold project said, "The claims are false. The company managing the project conducts a transparent dialogue with the owners of apartments in the project in order to maintain the high level of the project and reach agreement on various matters. There are naturally a few dissatisfied residents. One of the claimants himself rents out an apartment for short periods.
"The allegations raised in the statement of claim were brought to our attention for the first time shortly before they were published in the media. Publication in the press before contacting the company is astonishing, and raises questions about the complainants' motives. We will study their complaints and take action, if necessary.
"We act, and will continue to act, with full transparency towards the owners of the apartments, and in the high level of service, for the benefit of the Jerusalem of Gold project and its tenants."


text:
Q: How to add a field to kibana via logstash I am using python-logstash in order to write to logstash. It offers the option to add extra fields but problem is that all fields are under the 'message' field.
I must admit that this solution doesn't work for me:
How do I add a custom field to logstash/kibana?
My python script looks like this:
LOGGER = logging.getLogger('python-logstash-logger')
LOGGER.setLevel(logging.INFO)
#LOGGER.addHandler(logstash.LogstashHandler(127.0.0.1, 5000, version=1))
LOGGER.addHandler(logstash.TCPLogstashHandler('127.0.0.1', 5000, version=1))
LOGGER.error('python-logstash: test logstash error message.')
LOGGER.info('python-logstash: test logstash info message.')
LOGGER.warning('python-logstash: test logstash warning message.')

# add extra field to logstash message
extra = {
    'test_string': 'python version: ' + repr(sys.version_info),
    'test_boolean': True,
    'test_dict': {'a': 1, 'b': 'c'},
    'test_float': 1.23,
    'test_integer': 123,
    'test_list': [1, 2, '3'],
}

LOGGER.info("python-logstash: test extra fields", extra=extra)

And my logstath confing file is:
input {
  beats {
    port => 5044
  }
  stdin { codec => plain }
}

output {
  elasticsearch {
    hosts => ["http://localhost:9200"]
    index => "%{[@metadata][beat]}-%{[@metadata][version]}-%{+YYYY.MM.dd}"
    #user => "elastic"
    #password => "changeme"
  }
}

All I want is to create my custom fields, e.g., 'test_string' from the keys in the extra variable. As I said, all that extra variable lands in the 'message' field not while I want each key in that dict to become a field in kibana. How to accomplish this?
Plus, I'm getting a following error from the logstash(I see it in my powershell):
[ERROR][logstash.codecs.json     ][main] JSON parse error, original data now in message field {:error=>#<LogStash::Json::ParserError: Unrecognized token 'mestamp': was expecting ('true', 'false' or 'null')

This is probably due to the broken token that looks like this:

I know that the token @version : 1 comes probably from my logstashHandler, but where that TIMESTAMP comes from and how to fix that token?
************************////// update //////////******************************
I think the only reason why all the fields land in the 'message' field is that broken token.
How to fix that mestamp" token? And where does it come from?
I do not set it in my python or logstash code.

A: It seems works fine when I use mutate plugin. Here is my logstash config file Let me know if you still have questions
 input {

    http {

    }

 }

  filter {
     mutate {
        add_field => { "test_string" => "Python version 1" }
     }
   }

output {
    stdout {
  #     codec => {rubydebug}
    }
    elasticsearch {

      hosts=> ["localhost:9200"]
      index => "so-test1"
    }
}

and here is what I see in my Kibana
{
  "took" : 0,
  "timed_out" : false,
  "_shards" : {
    "total" : 1,
    "successful" : 1,
    "skipped" : 0,
    "failed" : 0
  },
  "hits" : {
    "total" : {
      "value" : 1,
      "relation" : "eq"
    },
    "max_score" : 1.0,
    "hits" : [
      {
        "_index" : "so-test1",
        "_type" : "_doc",
        "_id" : "XOUei28B--Dy_XuABlDq",
        "_score" : 1.0,
        "_source" : {
          "@version" : "1",
          "test_string" : "Python version 1",  **<== test string that I appended**
          "@timestamp" : "2020-01-09T16:23:17.734Z",
          "host" : "0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1",
          "message" : "hello",     **<=== message the I sent**
          "headers" : {
            "request_path" : "/",
            "postman_token" : "9e9e45a1-d6d2-445ca-9f8f-5eae9dd15320",
            "http_accept" : "*/*",
            "http_host" : "localhost:8080",
            "request_method" : "POST",
            "cache_control" : "no-cache",
            "content_type" : "text/plain",
            "content_length" : "5",
            "http_version" : "HTTP/1.1",
            "connection" : "keep-alive",
            "accept_encoding" : "gzip, deflate",
            "http_user_agent" : "PostmanRuntime/7.21.0"
          }
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

and here is what I see on Logstash console
{
       "@version" => "1",
    "test_string" => "Python version 1",  **<== test_string that I added in mutate filter**
     "@timestamp" => 2020-01-09T16:23:17.734Z,
           "host" => "0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1",
        "message" => "hello",    **<=== the message that I sent through POSTMAN**
        "headers" => {
           "request_path" => "/",
          "postman_token" => "9e9e45a1-d6d2-445ca-9f8f-5eae9dd15320",
            "http_accept" => "*/*",
              "http_host" => "localhost:8080",
         "request_method" => "POST",
          "cache_control" => "no-cache",
           "content_type" => "text/plain",
         "content_length" => "5",
           "http_version" => "HTTP/1.1",
             "connection" => "keep-alive",
        "accept_encoding" => "gzip, deflate",
        "http_user_agent" => "PostmanRuntime/7.21.0"
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


This Manchester City Away Football Shirt 2018 2019 is what the blue half of Manchester will be wearing when they are away from the Etihad Stadium this season. City finished a historic season in 2017/18, breaking 11 league records along the way.
The new away jersey is inspired by the 1999 version worn when City won promotion to the old Division 1. The navy jersey has lime green and sky blue pinstripes on the front and back panels. Sleeves are solid navy with navy blur pattern. Heat press federation badge is lighter and breathable. #mancity is printed inside the collar, "City" on the outside.
Manchester City's 2018-19 away kit introduces a unique and new design to complement the very traditional home uniform. It draws inspiration from one of the most pivotal moments in club history: the 1998-99 Second Division play-off.
Predominantly dark navy, the Manchester City 2018-19 away shirt features lime green and sky blue pinstripes on the front, a modern interpretation of the garish shirt worn in the 1999 play-off.
SoccerLord provides this Cheap Manchester City Away Football Shirt also known as the Cheap Man City Away Soccer Jersey with the option to customise your football kit with the name and number of your favourite player including Kun Aguero, Raheem Sterling, David Silva, Gabriel Jesus, Mahrez, or even your own name.
Great shirt. I love it!
What more can you ask for !


Turtle Cases for Hard Drives and Flash or SSD Drives are engineered specifically for protecting information that is stored digitally. This heavy duty, waterproof case with precision cut anti-static foam protects a GTECH Drive and cords during transport and storage.
Shipping dims: 15" x 12" x 5"


text:
Supply-side disruptions are dragging down the automotive sector
By Sophie Guilloux-Nefussi and Elena Rusticelli, OECD Economics Department.
The car industry has been severely affected by supply-side constraints in recent months. Shortages of semiconductors and other intermediate goods, delays in supplier delivery times and bottlenecks in container shipping have forced car manufacturers around the world to reduce production despite strong global demand.
In the first ten months of 2021, motor vehicle production in the euro area was 26% lower than in the same period of 2019, with respective shortfalls of 24% and 9% in Japan and the United States. Inventory levels have also fallen sharply in many countries. In the United States, the auto industry's inventory-to-sales ratio (the number of motor vehicles in stock relative to monthly sales) declined to a low of 0.4 in October 2021, compared to the long-term average of between 2-2.5. The reduced availability of new cars and low inventory levels have hit global car sales, which fell by over 20% between April and September 2021, a pace of decline only seen previously in deep recessions. Strong demand and reduced supply have also led to substantial upward pressure on new and used car prices, contributing to the surge in consumer price inflation in many countries this year.
The transport equipment industry is strongly linked through global value chains, especially in Europe. In 2019, more than 80% of sectoral production in Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia involved goods that crossed at least two borders along the production process, with this share remaining above 50% for most European countries.
Globally, electronics and electrical equipment represent 6% of total motor vehicle inputs. These inputs are typically sourced from trade partners in the same country or region (Figure 1). In Japan and Korea, more that 70% of the electronics and electrical equipment inputs in the motor vehicle sector are sourced domestically and 20% from elsewhere in Asia. US and Canadian producers also rely on regional value chains, with about 60-75% of electronics and electrical equipment inputs sourced from the Americas. In many central and eastern European countries, the share of electrical inputs from Europe is above 70%. Although the share of inputs supplied directly from Asia is small in North America and Europe, producers can still be heavily reliant on critical parts and components that are available from only a few suppliers.
Figure 1. Regional value chains are important in the motor vehicle sector
Note: The colours represent the regions from which inputs are sourced. The bars with stripes represent the percentage share of inputs sourced domestically, while the solid-colour bars correspond to the percentage shares of imported inputs. America includes Brazil, Canada, Mexico and United States. Asia and Pacific includes Australia, China, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, India, Japan and Korea. Based on input data in current prices and expressed in USD terms.
Source: World Input-Output Database (WIOD), 2016 release.
What are the relative contributions of supply and demand imbalances to the decline in motor vehicle production? Econometric estimates show that survey indicators of suppliers' delivery times and new orders (capturing supply disruptions and demand pressure respectively) both have significant effects on motor vehicle production. The estimated relationship can be used to calculate the difference between car production in 2021 and the output level that might otherwise have been expected from demand growth if suppliers' delivery times had remained unchanged from their level in the fourth quarter of 2020. This gap is substantial in a number of countries.
Longer supplier delivery times and other disruptions are found to have reduced motor vehicle production in Germany particularly sharply, by an amount equivalent to over 1½ per cent of GDP in the first nine months of 2021 (Figure 2, Panel A). Production losses due to supply disruptions are also estimated to have been substantial in the Czech Republic, Japan and Mexico, amounting to ½ to 1% of GDP. In many other countries, the impact of supply constraints on production is smaller, and motor vehicle production represents a lower share of overall activity, but there is still a noticeable drag on GDP in 2021. Aggregating across countries, there is a growing gap between actual car production and the level that might have been reached in the absence of supply constraints (Figure 2, Panel B). Overall, actual production has been around 25% lower this year than in the scenario with no additional supply constraints in 2021.
Figure 2. Supply-side constraints are depressing car production in 2021 and weighing on GDP
Note: Panel A shows the implied impact on GDP from the gap between actual motor vehicle production in the first nine months of 2021 and production in a scenario in which new orders follow their actual path in 2021, while suppliers' delivery times are held at their 2020Q4 level. Panel B shows the overall gap between scenario and actual production, across countries accounting for 85% of global motor vehicle production. Based on estimates for a panel of 30 OECD and emerging economies, over April 1996 to December 2019, with monthly growth rates of car production regressed on country-specific manufacturing PMI indices weighted by the share of motor vehicles output, lags of the dependent variable and fixed effects.
Source: Markit; Eurostat; OECD Structural Analysis database; OECD Trade in Value Added database; and OECD calculations.
Supply-side strains are expected to persist. At the onset of the pandemic, automotive producers cut orders for chips in anticipation of lower demand and semiconductor producers shifted supply to meet soaring demand for computers, webcams, tablets and other electronic and communication equipment. This redirection of supply has contributed to the current shortages faced by carmakers. In 2020, the automotive industry represented around one-tenth of global semiconductor demand while communication and computers, the two largest semiconductor markets by end-use, jointly accounted for two-thirds of total demand, giving them relative priority with suppliers. In this context, the current supply shortage for motor vehicle manufacturers may continue well into 2022. Additional precautionary demand from manufacturers, in order to rebuild stock levels, could also exacerbate demand/supply imbalances (Rees and Rungcharoenkitkul, 2021).
Rees, D. and P. Rungcharoenkitkul (2021), "Bottlenecks: causes and macroeconomic implications", BIS Bulletin, No. 48.
OECD (2021), OECD Economic Outlook, Volume 2021 Issue 2. https://doi.org/10.1787/66c5ac2c-en


"I'm in serious home decorator mode right now. Good thing my favorite LQS had some fun sales right before the holidays! I bought several prints from Lila Tueller's Santorini line and also Pamela Mostek's Piccadilly line and decided they would go in our guest room. I wanted a fun, girly room-but I didn't want to actually have to look at it every day. So voila, my guest room idea is born!
"The only problem was that the pattern came in a book, and I did not need any more quilt books in my house! Plus it was pieced in a very time-consuming method. So I decided to take the design idea and make my own technique. :)"


Prototype bus #7800 at Archer and Christiana working route #62 Archer on January 22, 2005.
The interior of prototype bus #7800 on January 22, 2005.
Prototype bus #7800 at California and Archer, on its way to Archer Garage, on January 22, 2005.


text:
Mette Bjorholm Gravholt (n. 12 decembrie 1984, în Egtved) este o handbalistă daneză care joacă pentru clubul Nykøbing Falster HK și echipa națională a Danemarcei. Gravholt evoluează pe postul de pivot.

Pe 3 aprilie 2017, postul de televiziune danez TV2 a anunțat că, începând din sezonul 2017-2018, handbalista va juca pentru clubul românesc CS Dinamo București, însă acest lucru nu s-a materializat.

Viața particulară
Mette Gravholt a avut o relație sentimentală cu colega sa de club și de la echipa națională Kristina Kristiansen.

Palmares

Club
Cupa EHF:
 Câștigătoare: 2013
Finalistă: 2011

Echipa națională
Campionatul Mondial:
 Medalie de bronz: 2013

Distincții individuale
Cel mai bun pivot din campionatul danez: 2013, 2014, 2016
Cea mai bună marcatoare din campionatul danez: 2011, 2012

Referințe

Legături externe
  Interviu cu Mette Gravholt pe sport.tv2.dk

Jucătoare de handbal din Danemarca
Nașteri în 1984
Sportivi danezi în viață
Handbaliste ale Viborg HK
Handbaliști expatriați
Danezi expatriați în Germania

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Order A Gift Card Now! Make A Donation Now!
Pioneers of Queer Cinema
« from Portugal: THE GREEN YEARS and CHANGE OF LIFE
I Am Not Your Negro, Toni Morrison and Whose Streets? »
You can watch Pioneers of Queer Cinema right here, right now
For Pride month: Restorations of three three German classics from the 1920s and 30s that were landmarks in the early history of queer cinema and waayyy ahead of their time …
Victor and Victoria: Produced in the final days of the Weimar Republic, this dazzling, gender-bending musical romance about a female singer posing as a man in drag received limited exposure in the United States, and is today best known by Blake Edwards's 1982 remake and the 1995 Broadway production. Viewers will be delighted to discover that the original is every bit as charming and outrageous, reminiscent of the sly sex comedies of Ernst Lubitsch and Billy Wilder.
Madchen in Uniform: As a new student at an all-girls boarding school, Manuela falls in love with the compassionate teacher Fräulein von Bernburg, and her feelings are requited. Experiencing her first love, lonely Manuela also discovers the complexities that come with an illicit romance. This artfully composed landmark of lesbian cinema – and an important anti-fascist film – was the first of just three films directed by Leontine Sagan.
Michael: Danish film master Carl Theodor Dreyer's Michael is a mature and visually elegant period romance decades ahead of its time. Michael takes its place alongside Dreyer's better known masterpieces as an unusually sensitive and decorous work of art and is one of the earliest and most compassionate overtly gay-themed films in movie history.
Pioneers of Queer Cinema runs through July 1
Also on our calendar this month: PROUD
WHERE CAN I PURCHASE A TICKET AND HOW MUCH ARE THEY?
Do you have a comment or a suggestion for a film? Maybe you'd like to write something for our magazine. Send an email to editor@theryder.com. We can be talked into almost anything.


text:
package io.gravitee.am.gateway.handler.oidc.resources.endpoint;

import io.gravitee.am.gateway.handler.oidc.service.jwk.JWKService;
import io.gravitee.am.gateway.handler.oidc.model.jwk.converter.JWKConverter;
import io.gravitee.common.http.HttpHeaders;
import io.vertx.core.Handler;
import io.vertx.core.json.Json;
import io.vertx.reactivex.ext.web.RoutingContext;

/**
 * The JWKSet Endpoint provide a set of JWKs (keys) to enable clients to verify the authenticity of JWT tokens.
 *
 * A JWK Set is a JSON object that represents a set of JWKs.
 * The JSON object MUST have a "keys" member, with its value being an array ofxJWKs.
 * This JSON object MAY contain whitespace and/or line breaks.
 *
 * See 5. JWK Set Format
 *
 * @author Titouan COMPIEGNE (titouan.compiegne at graviteesource.com)
 * @author GraviteeSource Team
 */
public class ProviderJWKSetEndpoint implements Handler<RoutingContext> {

    private JWKService jwkService;

    public ProviderJWKSetEndpoint(JWKService jwkService) {
        this.jwkService = jwkService;
    }

    @Override
    public void handle(RoutingContext context) {
        jwkService.getKeys()
                .map(JWKConverter::convert)
                .subscribe(keys -> context.response()
                .putHeader(HttpHeaders.CACHE_CONTROL, "no-store")
                .putHeader(HttpHeaders.PRAGMA, "no-cache")
                .putHeader(HttpHeaders.CONTENT_TYPE, "application/jwk-set+json; charset=UTF-8")
                .end(Json.encodePrettily(keys)), error -> context.response().setStatusCode(500).end());
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Variables not being committed to database I'm running a signup form on my page, and I want to obviously input this data into my database. I get my variables from a form using ajax, then ajax will send this to php, they are sanatized and then put into the database. The only problem is, that the data is never put into the database, I put an echo right before the data is committed to check if the variables actually hold a value. And sure enough they do. The part of my PHP that deals with putting information into the database is as follows...
echo "$u,$e,$p,$cid,$c,$cn";
exit();
// END FORM DATA ERROR HANDLING
   // Begin Insertion of data into the database
// Hash the password and apply your own mysterious unique salt
$cryptpass = crypt($p);
include_once ("php_includes/randStrGen.php");
$p_hash = randStrGen(SOME NUMBER)."$cryptpass".randStrGen(SOME NUMBER);
// Add user info into the database table for the main site table
$sql = "INSERT INTO users (username, email, password, compname, companyID, country, ip, signup, lastlogin, notescheck)
       VALUES('$u','$e','$p_hash','$cn','$cid','$c','$ip',NOW(),NOW(),NOW())";
$query = mysqli_query($db_conx, $sql);
$uid = mysqli_insert_id($db_conx);
// Establish their row in the useroptions table
$sql = "INSERT INTO useroptions (id, username, background) VALUES ('$uid','$u','original')";
$query = mysqli_query($db_conx, $sql);
// Create directory(folder) to hold each user's files(pics, MP3s, etc.)
if (!file_exists("user/$u")) {
mkdir("user/$u", 0755);
}

The SOME NUMBER in p_hash is just for security reasons.
Would be great if someone could shed some light, I get no error returned in firebug, but after the user click the link to activate their account, they get this message:
activation_string_length_issues

Which relates to this in my activation.php file:
if($id == "" || strlen($u) < 3 || strlen($e) < 5 || $p == 0){
// Log this issue into a text file and email details to yourself
header("location: message.php?msg=activation_string_length_issues");
    exit();

Which would lead me to assume nothing put into the e-mail sending area either.
I don't know this is really frustrating me, I'm really new to web development.
Thanks in advance!


text:
Pluto And The Dwarf Planet
By	legacy	 March 14, 2011 No Comments Showing 1 of 1
Pluto Demoted to Dwarf Planet. For decades, the solar system was formed by nine planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.
For decades, the solar system was formed by nine planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. However, in August 2006 in Prague, the Czech capital was a meeting of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), which resulted in the recognition of only eight planets, and Pluto is now classified as a "planet dwarf."
According to the IAU, the entity responsible for the classification of celestial bodies, a planet must present some basic features, such as turning around a major star, have sufficient mass to produce the gravitational force to give it a spherical shape, thus eliminating its orbit other bodies, or be dominant in its orbital zone.
Pluto, which was the ninth planet from the Sun (star of the solar system), was downgraded to a category of "dwarf planet", including that group along with two other celestial bodies: Ceres and Eris. This decision was motivated by astronomers because Pluto's orbit affect the orbit of Neptune, and present shape, mass and size quite different from other planets.
Pluto, which was considered a planet in the solar system since 1930, did not fit in some of the requirements for a body that can be classified as a planet. Thus, in 2006, was his demotion to dwarf planet.


Parkinson's disease brings unique challenges. This neuro-degenerative disease is progressive in nature and affects both body and mind. It's often necessary to contract with a senior in-home care agency that offers specialized services administered by caregivers who have been highly trained to work with these patients. In the beginning stages of Parkinson's disease, the signs and symptoms may only be a minor inconvenience. As the disease progresses, the individual will require a more intense level of senior in-home care.
For example, patients with Parkinson's typically need assistance with personal care tasks, such as bathing, grooming, and dressing. In the latter stages of the disease, these individuals might require reminders to use the toilet. In-home care can even help with the mental and emotional challenges of Parkinson's disease. A specially trained caregiver can support patients and their families as they seek to adapt to the psychological challenges of this chronic disease.
At Endeavor In-Home Senior Care, you'll find specialized senior in-home care services for those with Parkinson's disease. Our in-home care agency in Mesa, AZ, can be reached at (877) 584-6162.


Amid a state of uncertainly between the international players, Libya clashes continue around the capital Tripoli.
Libya's internationally recognized government is blaming France for inciting current acts of violence being witnessed in the north African state.
African country risks renewed clashes as General Haftar, supported by Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, moves to seize the capital.
Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar's forces are advancing into the southern outskirts of the country's capital city, raising fears of a full-blown battle in Tripoli.
The British spy agency, in yet another allegation on Russia, accused Moscow of sending weapons and troops to Libya in order to turn the North African country into a "new Syria".
ISIS Takfiri terrorist group fighters have reemerged at Libyan desert regions exploiting a governance vacuum which has resulted in lawlessness .
A young Libyan man took pictures in the city of Benghazi in 2018 in the same places where he had taken pictures in 2000 to show aftermath of NATO intervention in his country.
A terrorist attack on Libya's election commission in the capital on Wednesday left at least at least 11 dead in the country's capital.
A Libyan military plane crashed during takeoff on Sunday, killing five people including three crew members.
ISIS Takfiri terrorist group has claimed responsibility for a Thursday attack that killed and wounded around 19 pro-Haftar troops in Libyan town of Ajdabiya.
Former French President Sarkozy arrested over a scandal where he is said to have obtained $60 million in election funds from the Libyan dictatorship of Gaddafi.
-Suspected Takfiri terrorists have killed at least two people in a bombing at a mosque in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi.


text:
Crashing the Dance
2013: A Bracketing Adventure (Episode I)
Last year around this time, I went through the exercise of bracketing the first four seed lines (using the CTD seed list current at the time). While I think most specific predictions of sites are basically crapshoots beyond the first few seed lines, it can be useful for understanding how the committee does this. We can also spot some potential issues the committee may face during bracketing, though it depends on how similar the actual seed list is to ours.
Speaking of the actual seed list:
Just finished day 1 of NCAA MBB Comm mtgs. 1st batch of teams selected, a few lines seeded, Chair Bobinski: "we r in good shape." #InTheRoom
— Jamie Zaninovich (@WCC_Commish) March 14, 2013
See last year's post for details, but we first need to identify which pod and regional sites are prohibited for particular teams.
From the bracketing principles:
A team will not be permitted to play in any facility in which it has played more than three games during its season, not including conference post-season tournaments.
A host institution's team shall not be permitted to play at the site where the institution is hosting. However, the team may play on the same days when the institution is hosting.
Pod site prohibitions (not comprehensive)
Auburn Hills - Oakland
Austin - Texas
Kansas City - none (MVC hosting; Kansas played 3 games at the Sprint Center)
Lexington - Kentucky
Philadelphia - Temple
San Jose - none (WCC hosting)
Salt Lake City - Utah
Region site prohibitions (not comprehensive)
Washington, D.C. - Georgetown
North Texas - none (Big 12 hosting)
Indianapolis - IUPUI
Los Angeles - Pepperdine
The committee will then place the four "number 1 seed" teams seeded 1 through 4 in each of the four regions, then determine the Final Four semifinals pairings, making best effort to pair the top No. 1 seed's region against the fourth No. 1 seed's region and the second No. 1 seed's region against the third No. 1 seed's region.
The main principle to follow during bracketing (across all seed lines, not just the first line) is: Teams will remain in or as close to their areas of natural interest as possible. A team moved out of its natural area will be placed in the next closest region to the extent possible. If two teams from the same natural region are in contention for the same bracket position, the team ranked higher in the seed list shall remain in its natural region.
So, with that in mind, let's start bracketing. Keep in mind these are based on today's 1-68 seed list as determined by the Crashing the Dance seeding model, and is not necessarily how I think the seed list will end up on Sunday.
By the way, like others you'll find our distance chart useful here.
1. Duke - East (Washington, D.C.)
This is pretty straightforward. Durham is easily closer to D.C. than to any other regional site. Duke is the only school in the first 10 of our seed list with D.C. as its closest regional site, so even if they slide down a bit on the overall seed list, D.C. may be a good bet.
2. Indiana - Midwest (Indianapolis)
Even more of a no brainer than Duke to Washington. I don't think any of the other potential Big 10 champs could jump up to the top seed line, but there are other potential No. 1 seeds that could be sent to Indy. Don't book your hotels quite yet.
3. Louisville - South (North Texas)
The Cardinals are the first team sent outside their natural region, but whoever is the third No. 1 seed likely won't have to travel too far because...
4. Gonzaga - West (Los Angeles)
With Gonzaga a good candidate for one of the No. 1 seeds, it's likely that for the first time since 2008 (UCLA) that the top seed in the West will actually come from the West.
In this scenario, the Final Four pairings will be East vs. West and Midwest vs. South. (I'm not clear why the "making best effort" part is in there. I can see no other bracket principles that conflict pairing 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3.)
The committee will then place the No. 2 seeds in each region in true seed list order.
This is when several of the bracketing principles can come into play, including:
Each of the first three teams selected from a conference shall be placed in different regions.
Conference teams shall not meet prior to the regional final unless a ninth team is selected from a conference. If the committee is unable to reconcile the bracket after exhausting all reasonable options, it has the flexibility to waive this principle to permit two teams from the same conference to meet each other after the second round.
5. Kansas - South (North Texas)
As the first team from the Big 12, there are no conference restrictions here. As I noted last week:
KU is roughly the same distance to Indy and Dallas. If KU and B10 champ are close, could see KU sent to S to accommodate B10 champ in Indy.
— Crashing the Dance (@crashthedance) March 6, 2013
That was referring to the Jayhawks being on the No. 1 line, but they still get their choice here as the first No. 2 seed. So Jerry's World, it is.
6. New Mexico - East (Washington, D.C.)
7. Georgetown - Midwest (Indianapolis)
8. Miami - West (Los Angeles)
The Lobos are actually marginally closer to Arlington than to L.A., but with Kansas already there we'd next like to put them in California.
However, the next two teams cause conflicts, so we have to end up sending them all the way to D.C.
(Aside: For what it's worth, I think the seeding model is slightly overrating the Lobos at #6 overall. If New Mexico is on the 3 seed line, they may avoid being shuffled for other conflicts and could stay west of the Mississippi.)
As host of the East regional, Georgetown is prohibited from playing in D.C. The next closest site is Indianapolis, and since with the first Big East team (Louisville is still in the Big East, right?) already slotted to North Texas, we have no conflicts.
With Duke already in D.C., Miami can't go there because of conference restrictions. Since Georgetown is higher on the our imaginary seed list than Miami, the Hurricanes unfortunately have to head west.
This assumes that the committee puts a higher preference on keeping a team on their natural seed line near the top of the bracket than keeping them closer to home.
Additional bracketing principles can come into play on the third line, including:
No more than one team from a conference may be seeded in the same grouping of four in line Nos. 1-4 and 13-16 in a region, unless a conference has four or more teams seeded in line Nos. 1-4. In lines No. 5-12, two teams from the same conference may be placed in the same group of four
9. Michigan State - East (Washington, D.C.)
10. Michigan - South (North Texas)
The next two are essentially the same from a bracketing perspective - same conference, roughly the same distance from each regional site. Indiana is already in the Midwest, so neither get their first choice. The eventual relative order these two could come down to the B1G tourney, but for now we'll send the Spartans to Washington and Michigan to to North Texas.
11. Florida - Midwest (Indianapolis)
The Gators will be the first team from the SEC, so they don't have to worry about conference conflicts of their own creation. They may still fall prey to other conference conflicts or relative balance between regions, but for now we'll put them in the Midwest.
12. Ohio State - West (Los Angeles)
A fourth B1G team in the top 12. The first three have to be in different regions, but there is more flexibility with the fourth. However, putting them in Indy doesn't really help with balance, and it sends a team above them on the seed list to an unfavorable location. So, California it is for the Buckeyes.
13. Marquette - East (Washington, D.C.)
14. St. Louis - Midwest (Indianapolis)
15. Arizona - West (Los Angeles)
16. Syracuse - South (North Texas)
We're going to keep these four together because the initial slotting is fairly straightforward and the interesting stuff doesn't come up until afterward. Marquette is closer to Indy, but we already have Georgetown there. St. Louis and Arizona get their preferred site, and Syracuse heads south. That does set up a potential Big East Sweet 16 matchup, but that's allowed as long as there are four Big East teams in lines 1 through 4. It also slightly helps the regional balance. Speaking of that…
After the top four seed lines have been assigned, determine the relative strengths of the regions by adding the "true seed" numbers in each region to determine if any severe numerical imbalance exists. Generally, no more than five points should separate the lowest and highest total.
Uh oh. Here's how the numbers add up:
East: 29
South: 34
Midwest: 34
West: 39
So much for Duke always getting the easy bracket, right? We do have a bit of an imbalance, but our hands are tied somewhat because (1) there are four teams from each of the Big Ten and Big East and (2) Georgetown can't play in D.C.
We presume the committee won't tweak the No. 1 line to keep geographical preference, and the restrictions mean can't really do much on the No. 2 line. We also presume the committe won't swap teams between the No. 2 and 3 lines.
The big problem with tweaking the No. 3 line is that there are three Big Ten teams and they're currently in order of geographical preference. If we shuffle them around, we could be sending the second best Big Ten team to California while keeping the fourth best closer to home. What would the committee do in this case?
It looks like we might be able to make it good enough by tweaking a few things on the No. 4 line. Let's put Marquette in L.A., move Arizona to Dallas (their second-closest site) and put Syracuse in D.C. The downside is that the fourth-best Big East team is the closest to home, which seems unfair. The committee's bracketing principles give them flexibility, but it also leaves ambigutiy and makes it hard to know what they'd do in a situation like this.
Much better now:
In "true seed" order, the committee then assigns each team (and, therefore, all teams in its bracket group—e.g., seeds 1, 8, 9, 16) to second-/third-round sites.
In other words, we need to assign pod sites for each of the 16 teams we've placed in regions. Most in the first several lines get their preferred site.
1. Duke - Philadelphia
2. Indiana - Dayton
3. Louisville - Lexington
4. Gonzaga - Salt Lake City
5. Kansas - Kansas City
6. New Mexico - Salt Lake City
7. Georgetown - Philadelphia
8. Miami - Lexington
9. Michigan State - Auburn Hills
10. Michigan - Auburn Hills
11. Florida - Dayton
12. Ohio State - Kansas City
13. Marquette - Austin
14. St. Louis - Austin
15. Arizona - San Jose
16. Syracuse - San Jose
Indiana is slightly closer to Lexington, but I doubt the committee will send the Hoosiers into Wildcat country. The Wolverines and Sparty hanging together in Auburn Hills could be fun. One or both has a pretty good chance of being there unless they slip a bit.
Time permitting, we'll tackle the remainder of the seed lines in Episode II. There are fewer restrictions in the 5-12 lines, and generally fewer conference conflicts in the 13-16 lines, so they may not be quite as exciting. There is also more chance of predicting the wrong seeds in the 5 to 12 range, so it may not be all that useful.
See anything wrong with this post? Have any suggestions? Let me know about it or suggest a change!
Copyright © 2005-2016 Andy Cox. All rights reserved.


text:
Opinion|Using Tweets and Posts to Speed Up Organ Donation
https://nyti.ms/1T7kUeT
Using Tweets and Posts to Speed Up Organ Donation
By David Bornstein
First of two articles.
In 2004, Rick Segal, a father of four living in Rye, N.Y., found his stamina inexplicably failing him as he did his regular runs. He went to see his doctor, and learned he had a genetic disease that enlarges and weakens the heart. Segal was about to turn 50, but his heart was pumping at one-eighth of a normal heart's effectiveness. He needed a transplant.
He got on a waiting list, and for the next five years, he was in and out of hospitals while his heart deteriorated further. He underwent multiple 12-hour operations. A defibrillator was installed in his chest. Then came mechanical pumps for both ventricles. "I got a belt from a police wholesale site to carry around these huge batteries," he said. Because the heart pumps had an 18-month life span, an imminent transplant became his only option.
So he and his family played a risky card. "You are allowed to choose a 30-day period where you can be listed as '1A,'" he said, referring to the highest priority designation for transplant. During that month, Segal needed to be matched with a donor with blood type O who weighed at least 180 pounds. It didn't help that he lived in New York, which ranked 49th of the 50 states in the percentage of people registered as organ donors.
On Monday, Feb. 9, 2009, the 29th day of his 1A status, he and his wife were driving on the Hutchinson River Parkway to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital to seek end-of life-counseling — "We had pretty much given up hope," he said — when the phone rang. "They said: Go home, pack your bags. A heart has been found." A 26-year-old intravenous drug user from Boston had overdosed. The next day his heart was pumping in Segal's body.
"They tell you in six months, you'll feel like you're 20 or something," he said. "It was true."
Over the past 60 years, since the first kidney transplant was performed in Boston in 1954, there have been astonishing advances in the field. Today, donors and recipients can be precisely matched through tissue typing, organs can be transported long distances, and organ rejection and debilitating side effects can be controlled with improved immunosuppressant drugs. Last year, nearly 31,000 lives were saved in the United States through transplants.
But there is a problem: Demand for organ transplants vastly outstrips supply, as my colleague Tina Rosenberg has reported. In 2015 in the United States, there were only about 9,000 deceased donors (each of whom can save up to eight lives) and 6,000 living donors (who most often donate a kidney or liver lobe). Today, more than 121,000 people are on waiting lists, roughly 100,000 for kidney transplants, 15,000 for livers, and 4,000 for hearts. And the lists keep getting longer — 3,000 people are added to the kidney list each month. Last year, more than 4,000 people died while waiting for a new kidney; 3,600 dropped off the waiting list because they became too sick to qualify for a transplant.
Although 95 percent of Americans support organ donation, fewer than half of American adults are registered as donors. Research suggests that the number who donate organs after death could be increased greatly. Moreover, surveys indicate untapped support for living donation, too; nearly one in four people have told pollsters they would be willing to donate a kidney to save the life of a friend, community member or stranger. "If one in 10,000 Americans decided to donate each year, there wouldn't be a shortage," said Josh Morrison, who donated a kidney to a stranger and founded WaitList Zero, an organization that works to increase living kidney donation.
What could be done to harness people's generous impulses more effectively to save lives?
One group attacking the question is Organize, which was founded in 2014 by Rick Segal's son Greg, and Jenna Arnold, a media producer and educator who has worked with MTV and the United Nations in engaging audiences in social issues. Organize uses technology, open data and insights from behavioral economics to simplify becoming an organ donor.
This approach is shaking up longstanding assumptions.
For example, in the last four decades, people have most often been asked to register as an organ donor as part of renewing or obtaining a driver's license. This made sense in the 1970s, when the nation's organ procurement system was being set up, says Blair Sadler, the former president and chief executive of Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego. He helped draft the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act in 1967, which established a national legal framework for organ donation. "Health care leaders were asking, 'How do we make this more routine?'" he recalled. "It's hard to get people to put it in their wills. Oh, there's a place where people have to go every five years" — their state Department of Motor Vehicles.
Today, governments allow individuals to initiate registrations online, but the process can be cumbersome. For example, New York State required me to fill out a digital form on my computer, then print it out and mail it to Albany. Donate Life America, by contrast, allows individuals to register online as an organ donor just by logging in with email or a Facebook or Google account — much easier.
In practice, legal registration may be overemphasized. It may be just as important to simply make your wishes known to your loved ones. When people tell relatives, "If something happens to me, I want to be an organ donor," families almost always respect their wishes. This is particularly important for minors, who cannot legally register as donors.
Using that insight, Organize is making it easier to conduct social media campaigns to both prompt and collect sentiments about organ donation from Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Greg Segal and Jenna Arnold, co-founders of Organize.Credit...Ángel Franco/The New York Times
If you post or tweet about organ donation, or include a hashtag like #iwanttobeanorgandonor, #organdonor, #donatemyparts, or any of a number of other relevant terms, Organize captures the information and logs it in a registry. In a year, it has gathered the names of nearly 600,000 people who declare support for organ donation. Now the big question is: Will it actually increase organ donation rates?
We should begin getting an idea pretty soon. Organize has been working with the Nevada Donor Network to test its registry. And in the coming months, several other states will begin using it.
Most of the time, when a death occurs under circumstances that qualify for organ donation, it's still the next of kin who authorize donation. "When families are going through the most horrific, tragic time of life, when family advocates on the ground talk about donation, the words they hear almost 100 percent of the time are, 'I just wish I knew what they wanted,'" explained Simon Keith, the chief operating officer of the Nevada Donor Network. (Keith was the first person to play a professional sport — soccer — after undergoing a heart transplant.)
"It's a moral imperative to help next of kin make the most educated decision about their deceased loved one," said Arnold, the Organize co-founder. "They're often desperately looking for a sign. Seeing 'I want to be an #organdonor' explicitly, in someone's own words, could be that sign."
Each year, organ procurement organizations identify thousands of potential donors in cases that don't lead to donations. Organ donation rates are lowest among people between the ages of 50 and 75. Many assume wrongly that organs from older people are not as valuable as those from someone younger. Others worry that donation violates religious beliefs, although mainstream religions strongly encourage it as an act of charity.
What's needed are more conversations among parents, spouses and children, so everyone can be fully informed and understand one another's convictions. "The beautiful thing about social media, especially Facebook, is that it's cross generational," says Arnold. "We target millennials in our marketing because they tend to be the earliest adopters of new technology, but we specifically feed them content to share with their parents."
Of course, concerns arise from using social declarations to inform major decisions. Can identity be confirmed? Is a tweet a compelling indication of intent? In the end, families must decide these questions based on information available. Legally speaking, any "statement or symbol" that indicates a donor's wish can serve as consent. "The law is written broadly enough that you could write it on a cocktail napkin," Greg Segal says.
Since 2015, the Nevada Donor Network has been using Organize's registry experimentally, said Keith. "In 2015, we identified 10 additional matches that would have provided another 35 organs," he said. "That translates to an 11 percent increase over the 320 organs we transplanted that year. We're now at a point where if we get a match, we'll begin using the information in conversations."
He's captivated by the potential. It took 40 years to reach 150 million registered donors, he said. "How many of the others have phones? All of them. You can literally have Taylor Swift stand in front of 60,000 people and say, 'If you support organ donation, tweet #isupportorgandonation.'"
Through Instagram, Arnold added, celebrities could share photos of transplant beneficiaries and reach millions of people in demographics that are largely untapped for organ donation education.
"The game change of what Organize is doing — and I think it will save lives — is to build on the increasing acceptance of people making public declarations about their beliefs on a whole variety of things and applying that to their wishes about organ donation," said Sadler, who helped draft the original organ donation act. "Most of us don't have these conversations. This could change the dynamic for grieving families — being able to acknowledge the wishes of their family member and find purpose in a tragedy."
For Rick Segal, as the recipient of a gift of life, there is a dimension to Organize's work that has brought an added measure of comfort. "There's something called survivor's guilt," he said. "You know that if you were given an organ, three other people didn't get it. You are walking around every day with the very thing that would have saved their lives — so you have this tremendous drive to prove that you are worthy. This phantom competition never leaves your mind. I feel that at least, by having what happened to me instill the vision and motivation in Greg and Jenna to take on this challenge, I'm doing good in terms of payback."
I'll continue to track Organize's work. And next week, I will report on efforts to increase living organ donation, an area of great potential.