Soprano paved the way for today's antiheroes

TV

Ree Hines TODAY contributor

7 hours ago

Showtime / AMC

Michael C. Hall as Dexter on "Dexter," Bryan Cranston as Walter White on "Breaking Bad," and Jon Hamm as Don Draper on "Mad Men."

When "The Sopranos" hit the small screen in 1999, there wasn't a leading character on television to compare to troubled patriarch Tony Soprano. Sure, the big screen had long since made room for complex antiheroes. Heck, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Clint Eastwood crafted careers by bringing those types to life. But TV is different.

Viewers develop long-term relationships with the familiar faces on weekly dramas. Audiences were used to cheering for the good guys they knew and loved and waiting for the baddies to finally get what was coming to them. So why would they tune in to see a lead like Tony Soprano?

Because of an actor like James Gandolfini.

It would have been easy to play Tony bigger than life -- he was a bigger than life character. He was equal parts tough guy, wise guy, ruthless killer and devoted father, flawed husband and struggling soul. That's what made him a tough sell. But Gandolfini somehow balanced the exaggeration that was inherent to the world of a crime boss with the mundane, every-man existence behind it. Sure, he cracked open a few heads, but he also fed the ducks that called his pool home. He was quick on the trigger, but he was also a hit around the barbecue.

He made Tony real. He made the unlikable, likable.

In doing so, Gandolfini, unintentionally, helped change the face of TV. His appealing portrayal of a gritty, unappealing guy ushered in the era of the modern TV antihero. The bad guys, the morally ambiguous guys, the not-your-typical-leading-man guys -- their time had finally come.

Which means there are plenty of actors who owe a debt of gratitude to Gandolfini. If viewers hadn't connected to his portrayal of Tony Soprano, would they have even had the chance to connect to Michael C. Hall's portrayal of Dexter Morgan in "Dexter"? The serial killer with a moral compass may seem miles away from the mobster, but both characters possess a strong sense of right and wrong, as well as a taste for bloody business. Tony came first. He was the test. In passing the test, Gandolfini made way for Hall and many others.

Jon Hamm's downward spiral as Don Draper on "Mad Men" is often Tony-esque, especially in the way he can hop from his mistress's arms to his marital bed without a moment's regret. Bryan Cranston's far darker descent as Walter White on "Breaking Bad" sees a basically good -- or at-one-time good -- man find a way to justify death and destruction, just as Tony did again and again. And Michael Chiklis' brutal-with-cause Vic Mackey on "The Shield" shared Tony's satisfaction in "convincing" an enemy to divulge hidden information.

They all benefitted from the ground Gandolfini broke -- as do audiences, who get to enjoy some of the most complex characters to ever grace the small screen.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/tony-soprano-character-altered-face-tv-paving-way-antiheroes-6C10387810

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Brown Bag Lunch and Learn focuses on Strategic Planning

Strategic planning shouldn't be something companies dread said Carol Rovello of Strategic Workplace Solutions during her presentation at January's Lunch and Learn.

Too often strategic plans are tedious lengthy documents that gather dust on a shelf, but approaching the process with simple tools and process can make strategic planning beneficial for businesses of all sizes.

"Only when you think strategically can you identify the organizational direction that has the best chance of leading to business success," Rovello said. "It is important to remember that your strategic plan should be fluid."

Steps to strategic planning:

1. Define where you are, where you want to be and how you will get there.
2. Examine pertinent data (internal and external)
3. Explore strategies
4. Implement the plan
5. Monitor and revise as needed
6. Evaluate your results

Rovello recommended a SCOT (strengths, challenges, opportunities, threats) analysis in place of the traditional SWOT. (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats). A SCOT analysis takes a broader approach. "Not all challenges area a sign of weakness," she said.

Additional tips:

• If you are solo, get trusted advisers to help you in the planning process. Outside input is helpful.
• Take a collaborative approach but remember you don't need consensus on everything.
• Make sure someone in the organization is paying attention to what is changing in your business environment so that tweaks can be made to the plan.
• Even a basic written plan can be beneficial to an organization with employees. Ensures that people have a clear picture of how their work fits into a bigger plan. Without a written plan, too much can be left to interpretation.

Download a pdf of the presentation which includes a strategic plan and action plan template.

Source: http://blog.ashevillechamber.org/2013/01/brown-bag-lunch-and-learn-focuses-on.html

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Groggy Knicks arrive to little fanfare in London

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Iman Shumpert will likely make his season debut for the NY Knicks Thursday at London's O2 Arena.

LONDON ? At least when the Beatles touched down on New York soil nearly 50 years ago there were screaming girls and television cameras to welcome the Liverpool Lads.
?
When the NBA?s oldest roster arrived here early Tuesday, it was with little fanfare, few fans and a lot of grogginess from the red eye flight.

?I think guys are kind of dragging,? Mike Woodson said. ?I don?t know if I?ll get much out of anybody today.?

LONDON DIARY: NO MISTEAKING THE CUISINE

The Day 1 itinerary for the Knicks abroad did not include personal appearances, media obligations or even a light practice. Woodson called it a ?pampering day? in advance of the Knicks? first regular-season game outside of North America when they face the Detroit Pistons on Thursday at O2 Arena.

The NBA is hoping to generate interest in the sport following last summer?s Olympics when Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler helped the United States win the gold medal. Basketball has a long way to go in Great Britain, where the locals say they ?fancy? soccer, cricket and rugby. The Knicks and Pistons cannot even lay claim to the most anticipated sporting event of the week in London with Chelsea-Arsenal scheduled for Sunday at Stamford Bridge.

A British journalist asked Woodson if it felt odd being in such a large city where few people know who they are and, better yet, why they?re here in the first place.

?It?s okay,? Woodson said. ?I?m not into all that so it doesn?t matter to me. The players are the ones who get all the hoopla. It?s kind of nice when you can walk in, check in, kind of coast and take it easy. You don?t have to deal with a lot of the hustle and bustle that goes on around you.?

Woodson addressed a small group of reporters for 15 minutes at the Knicks? posh hotel and was the only member of the team?s entourage who was made available. Woodson revealed that assuming Iman Shumpert goes through Wednesday?s practice pain-free that the second-year guard will make his season debut against the Pistons. In fact, Woodson wouldn?t rule out the possibility of Shumpert, sidelined since early last May following major knee surgery, starting the game. ?We?ll see,? Woodson added. ?That could be a possibility as well based on him loosening up. If the doctors said that might be a way to go, I wouldn?t be scared of putting him in the starting lineup. He?s been there before.?

Shumpert?s return would make the Knicks better defensively and allow Woodson to cut back on Jason Kidd?s minutes. All 15 players on the roster? ? including Marcus Camby, who is out for at least another 10 days with a left foot injury ? made the trip. Rasheed Wallace, who is closing in on his fifth week away with a stress fracture in his left foot, is said to be closing in on returning. Woodson isn?t sure that the forward will face his former team on Thursday.

Anthony is expected to comment Wednesday for the first time since a report surfaced that Garden Chairman James Dolan used high-powered microphones at the Garden to record conversations on the court. Dolan, according to sources, is upset that Kevin Garnett wasn?t penalized for allegedly making disparaging comments about Anthony?s wife last week during a Celtics win at MSG. Anthony was suspended one game for confronting Garnett three times after the loss, including once by the Celtics? team bus.

Woodson sidestepped the issue of his boss ?spying? on opposing players by saying ?That?s not my concern. It really isn?t. When I step on the floor, I?m not thinking about camera guys. All I?m focusing on is the guys running up and down the floor.?

The Knicks, who broke a two-game losing streak on Sunday with a home win over New Orleans, are trying to treat their short journey as a business trip. Woodson and his coaches watched film on Tuesday and were preparing to put the team through a regular training session on Wednesday.

Still, the players were encouraged to bring their wives and children on the trip. Woodson had his daughter and his nephew?s daughter travel with him although he doesn?t think he?ll have time to tour the Tower of London or Big Ben ? the clock, not the former Pistons center.

?I?m going to take it easy,? Woodson said. ?We have to treat it as a regular game. The fact that we travel this far, I feel a little groggy myself. I know how the players feel. I?m going to let them rest up today and we?ll get out there tomorrow.?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nydnrss/home/~3/T1WS4i37XhQ/story01.htm

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iPhone demand said to be ?robust,? recent cuts don?t reflect weak demand

iPhone 5

Following recent?reports from?Nikkei?and?The Wall Street Journal?that suggested?Apple?(AAPL)?slashed?iPhone 5?component orders in half due to weak demand, ?the company?s stock fell?significantly and opened below $500 for the first time in nearly a year. The reports have been called into question, however, with many believing they do not represent true consumer interest. Shaw Wu of Sterne Agee wrote in a note to investors on Tuesday, per Apple Insider, that his supply chain checks have indicated that demand for the iPhone 5 ?remains robust.? The analyst believes the recent reports are a result of improved yield rates and possibly Apple?s recent supplier changes.

[More from BGR: PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 could cost just $350, expected to launch this fall]

Despite the recent concerns, Wu expects Apple to post better-than-expected earnings for the December quarter led by sales of 47.5 million iPhones with a gross margin of 38.7%. Both estimates are above Wall Street?s expectations of between 46 to 47 million iPhones and a 38.3% gross margin.

[More from BGR: HTC One SV review]

Sterne Agee reiterated its Buy rating on shares of Apple with a price target of $840.

Wu?s expectations remain bullish compared to other Wall Street analysts. Stuart Jeffrey of Nomura is the most recent analyst to cut his outlook on Apple stock. Nomura reduced the company?s price target to $530 from $660 Tuesday morning, citing weak demand for the iPhone 5 and increased pressure on Apple?s margins.

This article was originally published on BGR.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iphone-demand-said-robust-recent-cuts-don-t-000539091.html

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Cutting down on sugar has a small but significant effect on body weight, study finds

Jan. 15, 2013 ? Reducing sugar intake has a small but significant effect on body weight in adults, finds a paper published on bmj.com today.

Although the effect is relatively small (an average reduction of 0.8 kg), the findings provide some support for international guidelines to cut sugar intake to less than 10% of total energy to help reduce the global obesity epidemic.

Excessive sugar in the diet has been linked to obesity, and a higher risk of chronic diseases. The most consistent association has been between a high intake of sugar sweetened beverages and the development of obesity, but not all studies have reported a statistically significant link.

The World Health Organization has suggested that intake of "free sugars" should be less than 10% of total energy intake, but no upper safe limit has been agreed. So a team of researchers at the University of Otago and the Riddet Institute in New Zealand analysed the results of 71 studies (30 randomised controlled trials and 41 cohort studies) of sugar intake and body fatness to summarise evidence on the association between intake of dietary sugars and body weight in both adults and children.

Free sugars were defined as sugars that are added to foods by the manufacturer, cook, or consumer; plus those naturally present in honey, syrups, and fruit juices. Differences in study design and quality were taken into account to minimise bias.

They found that advice to reduce free sugars was associated with an average 0.8 kg reduction in weight (in studies that ran for up to 8 months), while advice to increase intake was associated with a corresponding 0.75 kg increase.

This parallel effect, they suggest, seems be due to an altered energy intake, since replacing sugars with other carbohydrates did not result in any change in body weight.

The evidence was also less consistent in children, mainly due to poor compliance to dietary advice. However, for sugar sweetened beverages, the risk of being overweight or obese increased among children with the highest intake compared with those with the lowest intake.

The authors say that, given the many causes of obesity, it is unsurprising that the effect of reducing intake is relatively small, and they point out that some other unmeasured (confounding) factors may explain some or all of this effect. But they add "the overall consistency of the findings, regardless of study type, is reassuring."

They also acknowledge that the extent to which population based advice to reduce sugars might reduce risk of obesity "cannot be extrapolated from the present findings, because few data from the studies lasted longer than ten weeks." But conclude that "when considering the rapid weight gain that occurs after an increased intake of sugars, it seems reasonable to conclude that advice relating to sugars intake is a relevant component of a strategy to reduce the high risk of overweight and obesity in most countries."

In an accompanying editorial, US experts say the association between sugar and poor health has remained contentious over the past few decades, but that accumulating evidence "points towards a role for sugar and other refined carbohydrates in the development of overweight."

They say reducing the intake of sugar sweetened drinks "is a high priority" and point to policies such as taxes on sugar laden drinks, restrictions on advertising to children, and limits on serving sizes. They also call for action at many levels, including educational programs, improvements in foods and drinks in schools and worksites, and nutrition programs for people with low incomes.

Finally, a feature comments on the 40th anniversary of the publication of the popular book -- Pure, White and Deadly -- written by the British physiologist John Yudkin, which claimed that high sugar consumption was associated with heart disease.

It considers new evidence linking fructose (found in nearly all added sugars) with insulin resistance -- a pre-cursor of heart disease -- and suggests that Yudkin's warnings are finally being recognised, despite ongoing opposition from the sugar industry.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by BMJ-British Medical Journal.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal References:

1. L. Te Morenga, S. Mallard, J. Mann. Dietary sugars and body weight: systematic review and meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials and cohort studies. BMJ, 2013; 346 (jan15 3): e7492 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.e7492
2. W. C. Willett, D. S. Ludwig. Science souring on sugar. BMJ, 2013; 346 (jan15 3): e8077 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.e8077
3. G. Watts. Sugar and the heart: old ideas revisited. BMJ, 2013; 346 (jan15 3): e7800 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.e7800

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/1-z4Q78wxo8/130115190208.htm

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Urban baby blog: My family is sick with the flu and I'm losing my mind

When it comes to health, I?ve always been pretty lucky. Flu season always passed over my apartment. Friends, family, and neighbors would get sick year after year and I would be fine. I never got flu shots either. The first and last time I got the flu was when I was seven. Aside from the occasional common cold, and that one time I got food poisoning, I never got really sick ever again.

Then I had a kid.

It?s a vicious cycle. Adi gets sick from somebody at the playground. Then Adi gets me sick. Then Adi gets my mother sick. My mother gets my father sick. I get Mike sick. Mike gets Adi sick again. Adi gets me sick again, and I can?t call my mother for backup because she?s already sick. I?m stuck inside all day now, so Adi and I trade worse and worse mutations of the same disease back and forth for a couple of weeks. When it all passes, Adi gets sick from someone at library story time.

Flu season lasts for months around here.

I?ll never be healthy (or leave my apartment) again.

Let?s say your child is sick. Really sick. Not hospital level sick, but vomiting and sneezing everywhere, and terribly grumpy sick. Three phone calls an hour to the pediatrician sick.

How do you entertain? her? How do you entertain yourself? How many Disney movies can you watch in a row before your IQ starts to drop? How many Blue?s Clues do you have to solve before you start feeling good about yourself again?

I can solve Blue?s Clues after the first clue now. I found three plot holes in Yo Gabba Gabba. I?m turning into one of those mindless TV 24/7 addicts everyone talks about. All TV and no work makes Rachel an insane stay-at-home-mom stereotype.

I can?t go outside. I can?t even watch the news. Adi has total control over media consumption. If I even think about watching something without bright colors and alphabet songs Adi starts screaming.

If Chris Matthews could incorporate puppets and some current-events based alphabet songs into his show I would be eternally grateful. A is for Abortion rights. B is for Barack Obama. C is for Chuck Hagel. D is for Debt Ceiling! It?ll be great.

And then there?s the medication.

Adi hates taking medication. She hits. She scratches. She?ll force me to force her mouth open. It doesn?t matter what the medication tastes like. It could taste like bubblegum, or rainbows, or cupcakes sprinkled with the ground up bones of unicorns. She won?t take it. I swear she throws it up on purpose. Since it?s so important for her to take medication now, I have to make sure it stays inside her. So what does that mean?

It means medicated suppositories.

I literally had to shove medication up her a**. As you can imagine, I was dreading it. How the hell am I going to explain to a medication-averse toddler that I have to stick a vegetable glycerine bullet up her butt? Someone told me to just do it, and not tell her. That didn?t seem right to me. If somebody was about to shove something up me, I?d want a heads up.

So, when it came time for a diaper change, I told Adi that after I was done wiping her, I would be putting a suppository up her butt. She just nodded. I figured she didn?t understand. I braced myself for a kick in the throat and stuck it in.

Adi didn?t resist. After everything was?in there, she got up and ran to play with her toys.

They should make suppository versions of everything.

I found myself standing there offering prayers of thanks to the merciful G-d who saw it fit to make my child okay with suppositories. It?s the little things.

And then I read the part of the New York Times that nobody threw up on.

If you have flu symptoms stay away from moms. Please. Wash your hands every time you see a sink, coat yourself in hand sanitizer, spray that disinfecting stuff on everything you touch and cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. Until we have a cure for the flu, just stay home. If you?re a pediatrician please consider having wi-fi in your waiting room.

Also, if we had paid sick leave in my city, I probably wouldn?t get sick so often. Just throwing that out there.

Rachel Figueroa-Levin is a soapmaker,?cofounder and educator at Urban Babywearing, a?hyperlocal Inwood blogger and organizer, a?political/life/religion/parenting satirist, and all around trouble maker.? She is also the creator of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg?s Spanish-speaking alter ego @elbloombito.? You can reach her via twitter @Jewyorican.?

Source: http://nbclatino.com/2013/01/15/urban-baby-blog-my-family-is-sick-with-the-flu-and-im-losing-my-mind/

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NBA All-Star Game 2013: adidas unveils uniforms for Houston

The NBA and adidas have unveiled the uniforms for the 2013 NBA All-Star Game, set to take place in Houston, Texas on Feb. 17, 2013.

This will be the NBA's third trip to Houston for the All-Star Game and first since the 2006 edition. Here is your first look at the 2013 edition of the uniforms:

According to a news release from adidas, "the uniforms take inspiration from Houston?s rich aeronautical history and the speed of the jet planes that dot its skies. The uniforms? eye-catching impact camo pattern evokes the world?s fastest fleet of aircraft with the classic silhouette of a basketball net."

And here is more from the news release on what players will be wearing.

"The adidas 2013 NBA All-Star uniforms feature specially-engineered mesh to provide maximum mobility and breathability. The West (red) and East (royal blue) uniforms also feature the adidas iconic three-stripe design flanking the side of both the jersey and shorts. The uniform lettering and numbers are inspired by the stenciled style on jet planes."

"Players will take to the court in black-and-white aviator-style NBA All-Star warm-ups featuring metal zippers made with a similar anodized finish used on airplanes. Each player?s jacket will be customized to represent individual career accomplishments such as NBA All-Star Game appearances and All-Star MVP awards, NBA titles, in addition to regular season awards and Scoring Championships."

This year's uniforms will look nothing like the two previous All-Star jerseys worn in Houston. The 1989 edition is considered one the classics. See them in this cilp from the game below.

The 2006 Houston game featured something entirely different, as well. Look back on the game below.

Source: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2013-01-16/nba-all-star-game-2013-uniforms-jerseys-pictures-photos-houston-east-west

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