Click here to read our spring 2025 issue, featuring Caught by the Tides' Jia Zhangke and Zhao Tao, our annual spotlight on locations and more... Filmmaker is proud to continue our annual partnership with the Filmfort Film Festival by exclusively hosting eight short films from this year’s lineup which will be available to view on our site through Saturday which occurs during the Treefort Music Fest in Boise highlights an array of emerging independent cinema Filmfort also features DIY panels and filmmaker Q&As in the heart of the city’s downtown area See the Filmfort ’25 line-up here, and check out this year’s selection of films below. Synopsis: An experimental portrait of overlapping histories, extractive capitalism, rewilding, and the tension between nature and its representation—all within the boundaries of Tijuca National Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Synopsis: In this Surrealist cinema poem, a woman processes the waves of grief and finds solace in becoming one with her art. Synopsis: A momentous cliff draws near a pained woman as she makes an offering to her former self. Synopsis: After accidentally inflaming her failing relationship, a performance artist searches for comfort and intimacy in unexpected places. Synopsis: Would you rather be a car, or a very deep hole? A movie about the mystery of friendship. Synopsis: Over drinks, an old friend reveals a masturbation technique that must be experienced to be believed. Synopsis: When a chance encounter on a dating app reveals his father’s double life, a troubled young man must face the parallels between his own destructive patterns and his alcoholic father’s infidelity. Synopsis: Pressured into giving away his clothes, an emasculated young man obsessively attempts to reclaim his cherished sweater before it vanishes into the donation abyss. Volume 6 - 2021 | https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.704663 This article is part of the Research TopicSocial Justice in Teacher Education: Equity, Diversity, InclusionView all 14 articles and storied experiences during the pandemic on teachers’ narratives of teaching and education The narratives illuminate deep knowledge and insight into pre-existing school systemic barriers prior to the pandemic and how those same barriers are magnified during the pandemic in what has become a global watershed moment that calls for equity reform in school systems as well as an ethic of care framework that informs the study with further focus on topics of technology access and teacher-student identity and relationship Recommendations to eradicate systemic barriers in schools are explored highlighting suggestions for equity reform in areas that include: enhancing professional practice; building a school culture of care and; developing partnerships and relationships While the data from the 2020 report card illustrates that urgent and timely action is needed to eradicate dire poverty rates and income inequities across Canada the onset of COVID-19 has magnified pre-existing disparities and systemic barriers within school systems and society at large This literature review details such barriers below as evidenced in a study conducted within the Netherlands during school closures: COVID-19 has exacerbated systemic barriers currently faced by marginalized In the report entitled, Technology in Schools–A Tool and a Strategy, People for Education (2020) write An undeniable reality has emerged in the COVID-19 pandemic: Technology can be a very useful tool in education but it cannot act as a replacement for the rich learning and human development that happens in the myriad face-to-face settings and relationships that exist in schools (p Vulnerable students especially suffer and bear the brunt of systemic inequities and barriers throughout the pandemic given their deprivation of physical learning spaces and resources that offer social and emotional supports available in schools coupled with essential services such as school meal programs such disparities in mental health and social-emotional well-being have been profoundly highlighted by the pandemic given that many students lack access to vital necessities offered by school systems and within their communities at large ranging from counselling to social and medical services and stereotypes of what it means to be poor We must focus on conditions of poverty rather than attributing the problem to students and families who experience poverty” (p The relationship between socio-economics and systemic barriers in educational landscapes has garnered much attention in the wake of school closures due to COVID-19 and fundamental social justice activist global movements poverty is the root cause of many systemic barriers grounded in economic inequity Coronavirus hasn’t caused the educational inequities that impact students. But it has shed a light on how our most vulnerable communities are marginalized, silenced and oppressed systemically due to lack of access to opportunities perpetuated historically, socially, economically and politically via Canadian institutional policies and practices including by schooling (Eizadirad and Sider, 2020 closely examined how African American students from low-income working families were the most vocal about issues related to socio-economics and “about issues of class” (p hooks 1994) found that African American students “express [ed] frustration and sadness about the tensions and stress they experience trying to conform to acceptable white middle-class behaviors in university settings” (p What remains significant is that systemic barriers ranging from students’ lack of technology to systemic biases and prejudices held against marginalized and/or oppressed youth set the precedent for students’ access to curriculum knowledge (e.g. type of curriculum work assigned) and academic success (e.g. academic achievement in terms of grades attainment) 89) for students of diverse SES: differing curricular and classroom practices were offered for low-income These varying classroom curricula and practices serve to replicate socioeconomic disparities as they prepared students for particular educational and career trajectories aligned with their current socio-economic status these curricular inequities illustrate how hidden barriers students from low-income must overcome have a lasting impact on their educational and career aspirations and success systemic biases and prejudices were held against the most vulnerable and oppressed students according to factors such as SES and teachers’ (biased) expectations of student achievement based on demographics this still remains a permeating practice and lived reality for many students of diverse backgrounds and identities in Canada and beyond where unconscious assumptions of diverse and vulnerable groups of students result in students being deprived of an equal education based on stereotyping and systemic discrimination One such systemic practice has been the streaming of students away from academic pathways based on implicit bias of students’ academic achievement ability What follows are examples of streaming practices as reported in the literature is not an isolated example of how academic outcomes and limited access to curricular knowledge—what we would now call as “dumbing down the curriculum”— vary because of implicit systemic biases attributed to specific student demographics and are aligned with unconscious discrimination and stereotyping educators hold about particular students In order to contextualize such biases for diverse student demographics we provide a review in the subsequent section of the literature review Unless we assume that wealthier students are inherently more academically capable, this correlation is disturbing, all the more so given the international and Ontario evidence that suggests that taking applied courses itself may not merely reproduce disadvantage, but actively exacerbate the risk of problematic academic outcomes (People for Education, 2013 The recurring issue here is the intrinsic connection between 1) systemic streaming that offers limited and fewer academic opportunities for students and 2) a child’s SES The BLM protests have brought to the surface a history of systemic racism and discrimination which permeates the politics of race and that of education This history of discrimination is found in the ways Black students are treated by school teachers counsellors and administrators who do not see education and career preparation as processes that matter for the future of Black students It is these privileged gatekeepers who apply a complex process through which African students are subjected to differential and/or unequal treatment (para In an article published in the Harvard Graduate School of Education Magazine entitled, “The Troublemakers”, Lander (2018) writes about her experience as a secondary school teacher in the United States by responding to a permeating question in her writing: why do we seek out flaws in their character Shouldn’t we instead search for the flaws in our schools and our teaching Shouldn’t we find better ways to understand the problem children we can conclude it is due to the student’s perceived race and not aspects of the misbehavior” (p the researchers found that Black students were not only more likely to be considered as “troublemakers” compared to other White students but also received harsher punishments from their school administrators such as the assignment of a greater number of detention days highlights the labelling process that is inherent to biased disciplinary actions for “troublemakers” by virtue of systemic discrimination and the legacy of labelling students The higher rate and length at which Black students are excluded also raises concerns of how these more severe patterns of punishment are impacting marginalized students’ academic success The drive for improving standards in education has led to a standardisation of education (through national curriculums) a measurement culture (through incessant national and international tests) all combined with a rapidly changing society means that young people need to be resilient just to navigate the systems and structures of a formal education system (p Schools are not just places where students acquire academic skills; they also help students become more resilient in the face of adversity feel more connected with the people around them and aim higher in their aspirations for their future schools are the first place where children experience society in all its facets and those experiences can have a profound influence on students’ attitudes and behaviour in life (p in deconstructing the resilience literature cited herein we can see that there is a critical call to action for educators to support students in developing not only the resilience to cope with daily challenges both in and outside of the classroom but also developing the resilience to cope and then appropriately respond to systemic structures and barriers in society that prevent them from achieving their fullest potential and personal-professional aspirations In Restacking the Deck, Clandfield et al. (2014) argue: The way the system has been structured by those in power and the ways in which teachers are required to work within these prescribed boundaries are mainly at fault: the grouping the pressure on teachers to cover a standardized curriculum the lack of opportunities and resources for teachers to offer innovative curricula not to mention the multitude of regulations policies and procedures that determine where and how teachers will carry out their duties (p Indeed, schooling for a new normal will meaningfully and effectively manifest only when teachers and students are placed at the center and are actively involved in all phases of reformation (i.e., planning to implementation to useful assessment and evaluation for all students) and advocate for the particular needs of their school community (Clandfield et al., 2014) At no other time during this pandemic global crisis and as the world waits in hope for a healthier tomorrow is it ripe for a meaningful new normal of schooling for an equitable education for all students in addition to in-school activities and educational research; 5) Resilience and transformation through investment in research within the field of education Narrative inquiry is the research form as well as the research method; that is, it is both method and phenomenon (Clandinin and Connelly, 2000). To help researchers deconstruct storied data, a 3R narrative element framework (see Figure 1) was used (Ciuffetelli Parker, 2013; Ciuffetelli Parker, 2014). Ciuffetelli Parker (2019) writes 3R narrative framework (Ciuffetelli Parker) Narrative inquiry gives first-hand and authoritative voice to the life stories … The terms narrative reveal revelation and reformation are useful to help burrow deeply into issues of bias and systemic barriers in educational landscapes Observing from a wider perspective using the elements of reveal helps untangle how teaching and learning get enacted when assumptions also get enacted in classrooms Narrative reveal is used to help excavate participants’ stories that surface in the living and telling of experiences of teaching in systems that have barriers affecting under-represented students how it can be interrogated further against systemic issues in schools to gain further perspective of students’ and teachers’ lived curriculum in particular in the present telling of these stories during a pandemic-hindered experience of schooling What results is a magnified revelation on the barriers that already existed pre-pandemic Narrative reformation shows how lived narratives of educators can begin to help reform newer understandings through an awakened mindset towards change—in this case towards change of practice in schools to begin to eradicate systemic barriers for students who lack social capacity All teachers should be prepared to respond to the needs of students who are suffering from the death of friends and other troubles so rampant in the lives of today’s children Too often schools rely on experts—“grief counselors” and the like—when what children really need is the continuing passion and presence of adults who represent constancy and care in their lives (p Evidenced in the above passage is the fundamental importance and moral imperative of diversifying and enhancing the curriculum to meet the academic, emotional, cognitive, and psychological needs of all learners. It is through this diversification that Noddings (1995) argues how “[o]nce it is recognized that school is a place in which students are cared for and learn to care that recognition should be powerful in guiding policy” (p exemplifies the profound interconnection between care and commitment to student success an educator’s identity is fundamental to knowing each unique student that comprises the teacher’s community of learners; advocating for students identified needs through practices that are equitable and specifically address vulnerable and oppressed students is the crux of how educator narratives are illuminated in this paper This paper drills down to capture the intimate and storied experiences during the late fall and winter of 2020 of educators in one of the project’s school sites The school site is described as a suburban large high school mixed social economic demographic (low-income with about 20% of the population identified as Black Educator narratives illuminate deep knowledge and insight into pre-existing school systemic barriers prior to the pandemic and how those same barriers are spotlighted during the pandemic which garner rapid change practice and necessities This paper has its focus on data collected in the COVID-19 pandemic year 2020 with two educators who were participants of the expansive research project conducted by the principal author since 2015 Kelsie is an experienced decades-long high school teacher finishing her last year of her career before retirement with an additional speciality in teaching English Language Learners and Special Education Catherine is a veteran educator who heads the district school board’s equity and inclusive unit and is a member representing provincial assessment and evaluation for her district; as well in her role as a consultant and liaison for K-12 schools Catherine provides ample collaboration within and outside of K-12 school systems on topics of research and approximately ten email correspondences between the principal investigator (first author) and participants Also relevant is data collected from the participants in this paper from 2015 to 2020 This data provides background context and a narrative continuum of their teaching lives as it relates to systemic barriers in schools as well as their curriculum philosophy on students’ social capital and access due to living circumstances The first author as principal investigator and second author as research assistant conducted the interview by Lifesize call The first author then followed up with telephone conversations and email correspondences with the participants for any missing details relating to questions asked The second author transcribed the recorded interviews and both authors triangulated the data We asked the general question: How has schooling been successful or not during this global pandemic and in already challenging circumstances for the most vulnerable students Other examples of the focus group questions/discussions that generated narratives were: 1) If you can reflect on yourself as an educator five years ago to the educator you are today and what have the conditions of our rapidly changing world revealed about you as an educator or as part of what you believe about schooling and curriculum 2) What is your experience or revelation about teaching during a pandemic as it relates to students’ accessibility to learning and pathways for secondary and post-secondary education 3) How has this pandemic shifted the way you think about or how your students think about issues of equity (i.e. the Black Lives Matter justice movement; diversity 4) How do you view accessibility for learning especially for students as it relates to technology accessibility How have you processed this and enacted issues of accessibility in your teaching or work with students 5) What reformations do teachers and society need to embrace p.79) over a longitudinal research program and we ensure authenticity and defensibility by paying attention to understanding how this inquiry is anything more than trivial or personal We set the data garnered against the larger research project where these same participants have been a part of over the last several years as well as what the narrative inquiry helps us learn about the phenomenon of schooling and systemic barriers during COVID-19 The findings are presented in themes generated from the analysis of data (see Figure 2) The themes focus on interviews and storied responses from educators Kelsie and Catherine while in the midst of the pandemic as they tell and share: their past and present experiences in teaching and leadership; their relationship with students and colleagues and; how systemic barriers and accessibility in schools have been further magnified by the pandemic While both Kelsie and Catherine engaged in sharing their storied experiences it is Kelsie that shares in abundance her personal teaching narrative particularly as the discussions took place in the midst of the pandemic while she was teaching in person and because Catherine’s role is as educator consultant her storied perspective is in response to Kelsie’s narrative but with a system-wide point of view and present system-based practices and policies that she oversees The themes are titled: 1) Pandemic spotlight on systemic barriers: Uncovering what was always there; 2) Breaking rules to create a new normal; 3) Lived curriculum: Teacher-learner relationship 4) Students at the table: A move for reforming streaming practices; 5) Resilience: Connection to identity and breaking down barriers 3R framework intersection with themes/results (Ciuffetelli Parker and Conversano) Kelsie identified decades-long shortcomings and accessibility issues for students and teachers in school systems and how the pandemic shone a spotlight on these barriers that have existed for many years She is passionate as she describes necessary tools that all students should have access to in publicly funded schools: [W]hen we look at the timeline like thirty years and we look at how things have changed dramatically … if we were back even ten years ago we wouldn’t have had technology [during a pandemic] We’d all be in isolation as we would have been in 1918 the mandate has always been—and correct me if I’m wrong—if you are expecting students to perform in a certain way the tools necessary for them to do their learning … in the past it was a textbook You provided textbooks … So if the expectation is that all students are going to have to have internet access at home [the system] is going to have to have technology at home outside of school—then it must be provided for by the [system] And it has to be equal across the [school]board have students stand out because “well how come she gets that and he doesn’t get that?” Right when it came to textbooks everyone got a textbook since we’re not spending on the textbooks we’re not spending on the pencils and the paper then I think we need to provide students—every student regardless of socioeconomic status—with the exact same tools And then we are leveling the playing field Kelsie further shares that there can be other changes made that pertain to scheduling I don’t think that you can deliver during a pandemic Monday to Friday It’s not healthy for the children because they’re going to be competing for time slots It’s gonna create more issues than not I think moving to more of a post-secondary style of delivery where you are meeting once a week you just have to re-imagine this so that way there is consistency she explains why scheduling similar to post-secondary systems There is … a schedule because children need a schedule [Students] need to know when things are happening and this will reduce anxiety for those that are highly anxious But then those that aren’t anxious at all concerns … because their world is turned upside down I think changing it up and being open to saying Tuesday is Period 2 … and Friday is … like our office hours I think that there has to be a way of supporting the teacher the student … and allowing for us to not have to be tied to a particular routine because that’s what it always has been My quote that I use regularly with class: “If you always do what you’ve always done you will always get what you’ve always got.” And we can’t keep doing what we’ve always done I’ve been doing this for thirty years—it wasn’t working Kelsie’s values and how she thought about how to create a new way of teaching with technology a new way of scheduling her courses in high school and a new way of listening to student needs required revealed that sometimes what needs to happen is a ‘breaking of the rules’ of sorts of school working policy and traditional Eurocentric ways of schooling: (Laughs) … My thought process was: if students are gonna make a TikTok out of me They’re still gonna do a little video of me and I have to tell you I had at the very beginning … about 95–100 percent [student attendance] This is not to say that Kelsie did not have complications as she reveals her Grade 12 students’ anxieties and sadness about how the pandemic had affected their last year of high school: Now the students … a lot of them fell apart But … my very first meeting with them was: “Hi We’re just gonna talk about how we’re coping or not coping.” And it was a beautiful opportunity for them to look at each other It shows the impact and it also opens up the conversations for the comfortable ones saying “I really didn’t want to get out of bed you know … it opened up the world for them and then that segued into my lessons because I teach Social Science It was as if Kelsie had no choice but to break the rules despite her being a “rule follower.” She explains: I’m going to address the rule breaking I am a rule follower and … when it comes to getting in trouble But I also knew … the benefit of this outweighs any type of repercussion that I would have faced because I knew that my students needed this as much as I did there was a little bit of selfishness in this decision as well but I also knew in the long run it would benefit my students [to break the rules] we do have to ease off a little bit on these protocols where it comes down to: you’re not allowed to go to a student’s house [to deliver a Chromebook] you’re not allowed to phone a student from your personal device [to arrange for technology home support while you are teaching some students in class and some at home]….where we have such a boundary—which is important to have boundaries but in this particular time we [have] to throw everything out … And so that we can maintain some sense of normalcy We need to re-imagine how we’re teaching And we need to not have such stringent rules around that And I think there has to be more flexibility with regard to when we’re [teaching live] and when the students will be in class if we’re [teaching] virtually I think that we have to move to this flex time versus this eight o’clock till 2:15 timeline [8 o’clock to 2:15] doesn’t work became Kelsie’s new normal of scheduling What Kelsie long argued during her career as a high school teacher such as early start times in the morning for still-developing adolescents was something that caused tension for her during her thirty years as an educator It took a pandemic for her revelation to rouse and a compel her to “break the rules” for the equity of learning for her students Both Catherine and Kelsie reveal their inner deep-set thinking of the teacher-learner relationship and how they both envision the making of curriculum that is both subject specific but also a lived curriculum that plays close attention to the lives of students and the context in which they live I’ve taught every grade—K to 8—but mostly Grade 8 And when I left the classroom several years ago we were having more holistic conversations around students’ learning and achievement based on their grades but also the learning skills and work habits there was this sort of shift to: “Okay you know”—from the high school lens— “if students are achieving a solid B Then still they can do academic.” And then I saw some What teachers believe about students can either cripple them or empower them umm … they can’t get their homework done how are they ever going to survive in an academic classroom And that’s our job—is to be the greatest observers of all The ones to notice … to see the person I say: “I see you.” And then they know that I’m seeing their potential regardless of the mess that they’re living in And I can see what you can bring to this table I think that’s something that … maybe it can’t be taught It may become part of who you are as a person and how you deliver and how you perform … And when we’re looking at offering more as an educator … I used to teach just these students whereas now my role has changed so dramatically that I’m not just their teacher and disseminator of information … I’m assisting them in the next step to wherever they’re going in life … It’s lovely to have this beautiful curriculum and these lovely expectations but… if you share your stories with your students to some degree—they see you as a person that gives you an opportunity to be even greater and to have a greater influence I really think that’s key for new educators: don’t be afraid to show that you’re human And don’t be afraid to show your emotion and with a progressive pedagogy for teaching revealed a systemic issue of streaming students that has caused ire throughout the years She relays how several guidance counsellors mislead elementary students going into high school: if you take applied you only have to take this course to get to academic.” No Kids need more time to feel where they’re at and we need to really revisit what we’re doing about [streaming students into applied courses] and how we’re teaching them … because the applied classes have been offered to the kids with “behaviour problems” and the academic [courses] for the kids who “do their homework.” And that’s how it’s playing out in schools and it’s not right And I feel really badly about that … And I’ve been playing on this de-streaming with Senior Admin for a while And when … recommendations came out from the Minister of Education [to eliminate streaming by de-streaming students] … I forwarded it to my Superintendents that: “I wanna spearhead this work at [our district school board] I believe in de-streaming.” I’ve been talking about de-streaming for years and no one listens to me There’s a logistical … there’s unions to work with and what not I’m so glad to see [destreaming] coming and I hope it’s coming for all the right reasons and to empower our Black and Indigenous students and all students who don’t see themselves as learners And we need to help them so they find their way And when I think back to my career teaching Grade 7 and Grade 8 we get into that whole we’ve pegged them at a certain spot and then there’s their life … and as a Grade 8 teacher … I did my job I was very open and looking at the holistic child and made recommendations based on the entire picture I don’t know that’s necessarily the norm and I can only speak to my direct experience with my students and my own children who have gone through the system that feeds our school And I’ve unfortunately witnessed some negative outcomes in making sure and allowing students themselves at the table to make decisions about their own education pathway especially those students who are the most marginalized and racialized in school systems: And I’d like to add to that I think what you’re saying is sort of connected to what I’m saying Because I work closely with our student management system operator the documentation that is currently happening within these notes that are secured are not the flavour of notes you would expect to read about students and you wouldn’t want to read some of these notes And there’s the whole privacy issue I think what we’re really talking about … is how do we create more opportunities for these conversations to happen with the students at the table we even talk about the transition meetings eight to 9—why aren’t the kids there having a conversation Because if we can say something about that child the child should be at the table to explain their own learning journey needs … In our student voice surveys we ask how many students have been involved in those processes and usually the reporting on that is very few they should be at the table and perhaps alongside their families Students [should be allowed] to talk more intimately around their needs and how we can support them And I think that’s super important when we’re thinking about our own identities We can’t say that we understand when we don’t especially during the pandemic when all seemed exposed and highlighted as it regarded students’ needs was a topic taken up by both Kelsie and Catherine Kelsie spoke of resiliency past and present: Resiliency of the students … when I reflect back It’s a different type of resilience that we’re seeing And I think that them being able to roll with change is really important This [pandemic] has really kind of put things in the forefront We’ve had to disconnect from everything that we have normally done and find a whole new way of re-connecting And I think this [pandemic] has truly created an opportunity for Canadians to see how important our education system is to the fabric and the fibre of our country of our people … And I think that this pandemic has really sort of put in the face of society “This doesn’t work this way without [teachers].” And I think that’s kind of like still a key element with the resilience factor that we have trained our students to become more resilient Catherine acknowledges Kelsie as an extraordinary educator and provides her own understanding of the term resiliency and how it bumps up against students whose world offers little equalizing of the “playing field,” especially as it relates to student identity and educator identity: The disclaimer on resilience for me is—I know we reduce it to a set of practices like lessons on empathy when we talk about being in institution and system level and rules that could … block our attempt to develop resiliency in each other I think it’s important to remember that … Resilience sounds nice but it’s not always possible if everything else is working against us … So within systems like publicly funded education … what are we doing in our systems and institutions that are disabling these sorts of things a principal—whatever—to know yourself That identity piece is huge - knowing it and then it sounds like the people who are comfortable enough like the extraordinary educators we have here … knowing it well enough and being comfortable with it to share it so you can build some trust and connection with your student so they can see that to be resilient is possible while hopefully we’re breaking down any barriers for them to be able to act as resilient people The issue of technology and access to technology has been a barrier in schools for many years and certainly prior findings that have come out of this research project on marginalized and vulnerable students has highlighted this inequity prior to COVID-19 Kelsie acknowledges there has been a systemic problem for years and adeptly compares textbooks and pencils—the basic necessities for elementary and high school students might not have been a well-received argument for institutional leaders to hear or pay attention to leaving this accessibility barrier unanswered for online learning has become a dire necessity for schools to function and accessibility for every student in every school district in Canada and other developed and developing countries The pandemic spotlight on school systems forces educators like Kelsie and Catherine to give voice and evidence to what basic necessities for schools actually mean It is no longer pencils and paper and hard copy books it is technology advancement itself that forces necessary technology access for every student in order for school systems to “catch up” to our modern world Technology itself has been the saving grace during this pandemic to allow for curriculum teaching and learning to occur how many students did not have access to technology The pandemic was the catalyst that unveiled what was behind the curtain—outdated systems that tout middle-income assumptions that all families have access to tools and technology But this is the farthest thing from the truth The pandemic has shown clearly that there is dire inequity for students that have little to no access to the modern tools of society which includes not only technological tools What Kelsie and Catherine help us realize is that the pandemic has emphasized the reality of the multitude of students in systems that continue to experience severe barriers and disadvantaged learning because of lack of accessibility Important not to ignore is the assumption that society and systems enact a technology-abundant world for all people technology is not accessible to at least one out of seven students in Ontario in homes where racialized and minoritized families have little access or easily accessible access to the same resources of mainstream families The pandemic has exposed this reality to those that either made assumptions or were complicit in their understanding; we have witnessed this aftermath after the pandemic forced school closures that then began a forced online teaching and learning in K to 12 schools Kelsie understands that it is a necessity to ‘level the playing field’ and the pandemic has helped her articulate this in a manner that has shown what is possible for an equitable education for all children and adolescents Every student in her school system was provided a Chromebook and Internet access for families who required it Kelsie was forced to “break the rules” of teacher student boundaries and she delivered the Chromebooks and telephoned for easy access to Internet for her students’ families So now the question we ask is: is Kelsie breaking the rules or is Kelsie breaking down barriers to even the “playing field” for all students Kelsie illustrates how she breaks the rules by not having a regular scheduled lesson in order to have a discussion about “coping or not coping” during the pandemic out of compassion and deep understanding of what they were going through and then she taught her lessons after taking care of the socio-emotional condition of her students and herself both in the context of what the world was experiencing and in particular on what her Grade 12s were experiencing during the turmoil of final high schoolyear a year that what would have otherwise been a joyful rite of passion as graduating seniors is one that gives value to students’ experienced context where every educator needs to take notice and honour that context rather than judge the capability of a learner with implicit bias or stereotypical understandings of students’ lives Kelsie echoes the same sentiment and suggests that new educators should “not be afraid to show that you’re human.” She insists that her role as she ends her teaching career has been not as a disseminator of knowledge but as a human being who assists her students “in the next step to wherever they’re going in life.” Catherine lays bare the issue of systemic racism and bias against the most vulnerable of students: Black and all students who have been implicitly discriminated against in school systems based on race Her warning is palpable given the reality in schools “What teachers believe about students can either cripple or empower them.” Herein lays the critical importance of relationship and care in systems Is the teacher-learner relationship given the critical importance it requires in our modern-day school systems and especially post-pandemic where the reality of online learning as a default mode of teaching may remain An ethic of care is essential as we transition to a new face of education there was much discussion in Ontario about eliminating the streaming of elementary students entering high school into general applied-level courses based often on implicit systemic discrimination regarding ability and in relation to achievement expectation Christine believed it devalued and oppressed students and families as she firmly articulated “how it’s playing out in schools is not right … I believe in de-streaming … and I hope it’s coming for all the right reasons.” For all the right reasons for educators like Catherine and for those whose mindset has shifted perhaps because of the pandemic and the inequities on so many students means that students’ rights to an equitable education may be a little closer to a hopeful realization Catherine advocates for students to be present at the table to talk openly and intimately about their hopes and dreams for their own pathway Catherine suggests further that educators’ own identity is connected to reforming past practices especially by listening intently to a student’s context and life circumstance we can’t say that we understand when we don’t … We need to learn The topic of resilience was complex throughout the duration of this research program over the years and the conversation with Kelsie and Catherine unpacked this complexity further Kelsie valued her teacher-learner relationship with students and the many in-class and online conversations with students because “students need to have this grounding … a key element with the resilience factor that we have trained our students … to cope in a different way.” Conversely albeit acknowledging the extraordinary teachers like Kelsie in the field has noticed over the years that teaching and preaching resilience to students Catherine notes a disclaimer on resilience and this has been her position over the years in advisory board meetings She posits that the reduction of resilience to “lessons on empathy,” in the face of systemic barriers She warns us that teachers need to be mindful and pay close attention to “what we are doing in our systems and institutions that are disabling … like being resilient.” Her solution as she has brought these complexities to the surface is found in identity itself: “That identity piece … knowing it well enough and being comfortable … build some trust and connection with your student so they can see that being resilient is possible while hopefully breaking down any barriers for them to … act as resilient people.” To be clear the disclaimer here is that resilience for all students can only work if it is immersed in identity: identity of students’ lived context and learning; identity of teachers and their full understanding of their own context vis-à-vis their students’ context of living and; breaking down barriers to be able to realize the full potential of resilience to be able to have a pathway to success for all students divided into three pillars of opportunity: enhancing professional practice; building a school culture of care; developing partnerships and relationships Influenced from the data in this paper and correlating to a recent report of the larger research program written by Ciuffetelli Parker (2018) entitled “Youth Strategy Research Partnership” we suggest beginning reform practices that can bear fruit now as we await a post pandemic world of schooling: Enhancing professional practice should take root by challenging deficit conceptualizations 1) Offer professional development as a requirement on topics of equity 2) Implement equity-based action research projects by practising teachers alongside youth will promote an equity-rich and resilient-positive conceptualization of students 3) Offer tutoring and peer tutoring programs within schools by teachers and teacher candidates for students requiring academic support in courses including support for accessibility to learning tools (e.g. 4) Educate with high expectations rather than lowering the bar based on implicit bias Higher order teaching strategies readily include lessons and in class participation that engage youth to learn by: applying Building a school culture of care begins with knowing intimately the environment and people within the community where educators service youth To hold the view that it is a privilege to service a community of learners within the community where they live is a beginning step to understanding deeply the call of teaching and the ability to create a safe The following recommendations are suggested: 1) Reconsider school rules and policies that strip dignity from youth including educator use of unintended sarcasm yelling or unrealistic punishable penalties are examples that scar a student’s ability to succeed as well as a student’s human right to learn in a healthy space 2) Address systemic barriers and discrimination as an educational system Pay attention to the life of students and offer reprieve for those living in challenging circumstances 3) Consider resources and school policies that matter up-to-date and new literacy technology is required in schools and in homes Assumptions that homework and reliance on Internet for homework assignments is not a viable solution for most youth in challenging circumstances 4) Implement innovative school-based strategies for educators and leaders such as parent teacher student meetings—where the student has voice and is affirmed for their learning and successes and goal setting 5) Consider more funding for youth with disabilities that offers sustained learning and a place of well-being and care Creating partnerships (between people and between schools and universities etc.) has its foundation in the relationship that is built between teachers and students Successful teachers do not give up on their students Successful schools do not give up on their community 2) Pay attention to the life narratives of youth and embed a relationship-based and higher order pedagogy that adds context rich academic rigour and citizenship along with relationship building through care 3) Enrich and foster social services and health related community agencies for both physical and emotional well-being of youth Socio-emotional well-being is directly correlated to academic achievement 4) Combine an ethic of care with a pathway to resilience that is understood through the life experiences of each student by listening and understanding contexts that are not always similar to your own bias and stereotyping by understanding the lived experiences of students The poignant narratives of systemic barriers and accessibility for students shared by the study participants make it clear that the outbreak of COVID-19 and pivot to remote learning has become a watershed moment on school systems COVID-19 did not create systemic barriers and inequities cited in the storied data but amplified such disparities for our most vulnerable youth The narrative findings from the present research study reaffirm that the following inequities are pervasive in educational school systems: access to technology; the academic streaming of youth; the perpetuating stereotypes and systemic biases that serve as an impediment to student success beyond secondary school and; the complexities associated with proposing resilience training as a catch-all solution for students and particularly those students most vulnerable and minoritized The data also reveals the dangers in following a traditional paper and pencil/textbook pedagogy that does not align with or reflect students’ 21st century lived contexts (i.e. especially in the context of pandemic teaching-learning there remains an undeniable and intrinsic connection between resilience and the identity of both students and educators What we have learned from the narratives of Catherine and Kelsie is that we must consider the value of identity for both educators and students in order to deepen the teacher-learner relationship founded upon an ethic of care which thereby advances the possibility and hope of resilience especially in the face of a post-pandemic new normal Topics and issues that compel educators to take notice and inclusion and their effects on schooling has rained down on systems by the pandemic’s magnification As Catherine passionately advocates and reminds us “We can’t say that we understand when we don’t … We need to learn The use of narrative inquiry has been invaluable to our understanding of how we can better deconstruct and rebuild new pathways to teaching and learning in order to support and meet the needs of our most vulnerable students By deploying the 3R narrative framework to closely examine the narrative data cited herein the present research reveals how the pandemic has made it possible for educators like Kelsie to engage in the practice of ‘breaking the rules’ as a means through which educators can successfully value students’ lived contexts as a living curriculum Administrative and teaching practices that emerge from shifting practices can translate into effective post pandemic policy and equity reforms necessary for contemporary schooling that incites a new horizon of schooling free of systemic barriers for all students Such equity reforms will significantly advance the face of education in and beyond the global pandemic and developing partnerships and relationships towards the eradication of systemic barriers and a new normal of schooling accessibility for every student The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by the Brock University and NCD School Board REB #02-03-15-10 and REB #14–198 The patients/participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study is the principal investigator of this paper involved in a longitudinal research program on poverty and schooling in elementary and secondary school settings This paper focuses on narratives of systemic barriers during 2020 is the research assistant for this paper and was involved with the principal investigator in the data collection for this paper as well as contributing to the literature review The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest American Psychological Association (2020). 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Northern Ontario Schools Face Additional Challenges for Reopening—And Staying Closed. Glob. News. Available at: https://globalnews.ca/news/7169781/northern-ontario-schools-coronavirus/ Google Scholar Narrative Inquiry for School-Based Research CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Citation: Ciuffetelli Parker D and Conversano P (2021) Narratives of Systemic Barriers and Accessibility: Poverty and the Call for a Post-Pandemic New Normal Received: 03 May 2021; Accepted: 05 July 2021;Published: 15 July 2021 Copyright © 2021 Ciuffetelli Parker and Conversano. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Darlene Ciuffetelli Parker, ZGFybGVuZS5jaXVmZmV0ZWxsaS1wYXJrZXJAYnJvY2t1LmNh Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish to lead the glutton to a magical place: Evviva Maria Trattoria Veloce It is a corner of Puglia where time seems to stand still and where the beauty of slow living has not been spoiled by the hustle and bustle of everyday life is Maria Cicorella - until 2018 chef of the Michelin-starred Pashà Restaurant - capable of leading guests on a journey of getting to know Puglia “at the table,” the kind that makes the mouth water and the eyes moisten are her splendid orecchiette di Conversano "compared to the others are definitely larger calloused and able to better hold the sauce and seasoning In addition to Cicorella and his son Antonello Magistà in the project is the Apulian agency Brainpull which already has successes such as Pescaria under its belt has already won important recognition: it was in fact ranked seventeenth among the 50 Best Trattorias in Italy and received the Special Novelty Award of the Year 2024 according to 50 Top Italy the trattoria was included in Gambero Rosso's Street Food Guide 2024 and the Espresso Group's Guide to Italian Restaurants So many awards that denote how much this place is a sign to watch out for here at Evviva Maria Trattoria Veloce you can do something unusual for a restaurant: you can get orecchiette (or whatever delicacy you want to order) and you can eat it anywhere perhaps while enjoying a good glass of wine from Spaccio Mortadella Jazz the nearby “modern food store,” or while chatting with your neighbor or the butcher in Conversano's historic center where “the concept of ‘good neighbor’ has been transformed into community.” If one had to describe a meal at Evviva Maria Trattoria Veloce in one word a few words would suffice: it is a sublimation of Apulian gastronomic culture a typical appetizer that prepares the stomach to welcome all the regional goodness Next comes a ricotta and spinach tart with flavors that conquer in one bite Then a lunch at Evviva Maria's cannot miss the timballi masterfully prepared by chef Cicorella with chicories and potatoes or with chicories and meatballs Dulcis in fundo (you always have to keep a little space) the amazing orecchiette the center of the dreams of every glutton who lunches or dines at Maria's There are so many varieties (now available the ones made of grano arso) and finally the orecchiette alla San Giuannidd with capers There is also no shortage of main courses such as chard is Maria Cicorella's dessert: the Evvivamisù an all-personal version of tiramisu with toasted almonds and coffee granita Tradition and creativity always go hand in hand to write a history made of authentic flavors and pages to be savored Web site Do you want to discover the latest news and recipes of the most renowned chefs and restaurants in the world La nostra società utilizza inoltre cookie funzionali per registrare informazioni sulle scelte dell’utente e per consentire una personalizzazione del Sito; ad esempio Questi cookie possono essere installati dalla nostra società o da Terze parti In caso di disabilitazione di questi cookie la qualità e l’esperienza di navigazione potrebbe non essere soddisfacente Questi cookie sono installati da social media per consentire la condivisione dei contenuti del presente Sito Essi sono in grado di monitorare la navigazione compiuta anche in altri siti e creano un profilo dell’utente sulla base dei suoi interessi Ciò potrebbe avere un impatto sul contenuto e messaggi visualizzati sugli altri siti visitati non sarà possibile utilizzare o visualizzare questi strumenti di condivisione per l’installazione e l’uso di tali cookie occorre il consenso dell’utente Per maggiori informazioni consulta la pagna cookies policy and advisory services with a strategic focus on building construction and infrastructure announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Conversano Associates a New York City-based code consulting and permit expediting firm SOCOTEC USA acquires Conversano Associates further strengthening its Code Consulting Conversano Associates has built a reputable business delivering outstanding service to its clients throughout the permit application and approval process on more than 500 projects annually through various city agencies across the five boroughs All three leaders are joining SOCOTEC as Principals within the organization Principal of SOCOTEC USA and Practice Leader responsible for Strategic Partnerships and Integration summarized the partnership as follows: "The acquisition of Conversano Associates strengthens SOCOTEC USA's code & planning offering and further promoting its commitment to building and code compliance." In addition to providing building and zoning code consulting and compliance services Conversano Associates provides a wide range of services throughout New York City including obtaining and expediting permits Mike and the entire team from Conversano as we build upon the strong presence we have in New York City and continue to buildout our service offerings throughout the country" Conversano experts bring greater depth and experience to SOCOTEC USA through their collaboration with various agencies such as the New York City Department of Buildings (throughout the 5 boroughs) Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) Selected renown projects that Conversano Associates serviced include The New York Public Library "We at Conversano are thrilled to be joining the SOCOTEC team. This will strengthen and expand the services that we provide our clients with an even stronger code consulting and permitting team Joining SOCOTEC allows us to expand into additional complimentary services including the greater sustainability field which we are passionate about." said Lori Boccadoro "We are excited to continue to build on our success and add depth of expertise with the addition of the Conversano team." leading SOCOTEC's existing Code and Zoning practice and former New York City Building Commissioner "SOCOTEC Group is a leading international group with a business footprint in 26 countries As an independent trusted third party for the integrity of built assets the expertise on compliance to regulation and Building codes is at the heart of our mission With Conversano Associates joining our US team we are constantly working on building the best ever value proposition to the American market on how we can make a difference for a sustainable and safer building environment." added Hervé Montjotin has built its reputation as an independent trusted partner assisting companies in the areas of quality Today a leading $1.2 billion EUR company that more than doubled in size in 6 years (CAGR of 15%) SOCOTEC's mission is to ensure the integrity and performance of building and infrastructure assets and people's safety SOCOTEC helps to optimize the performance of companies in every sector by managing the risks inherent in their activities Drawing on its expertise and positioning itself as a long-term partner SOCOTEC supports its clients throughout their project's lifecycle As a leader in construction inspection and a major player in TIC for the construction and infrastructure sectors the SOCOTEC Group has 200,000 clients with operations in 26 countries 11,300 employees and over 250 external recognitions an industry leader in the building and infrastructure sectors offers the combined highly technical expertise of an expansive and holistic network of experts across six service lines: (i) Building Envelope; (ii) Energy & Sustainability; (iii) Code & Planning; (iv) Project Advisory; (v) Dispute Resolution; and (vi) Specialty Engineering SOCOTEC employs over 425 professionals in more than 20 offices Visit www.socotec.us for more information a global leader in risk management and technical consultancy in construction and advisory services with a strategic focus on.. Computer & Electronics Computer Software Computer Software Construction & Building Do not sell or share my personal information: Grant and Adam Conversano (Photo by Théadora Williams) By Joshua Encinias Kids from the mid-90’s were seemingly born with cameras in their hands so how do you stand out when anyone can point had the advantage of learning storytelling from a young age (as opposed to mere content creation) and Grant stumbled across a summer job playing an extra on Showtime’s “Homeland” thanks to a Facebook post he was picked from a crowd of kids to be a teenage actor’s stand-in — that actor was Timothée Chalamet This fall, the brothers released a horror comedy short called “We Want Faces So Bad” under Apple House Pictures the production company created out of their Bushwick artist’s loft who must “face” the comedic repercussions of accidentally growing one Elsewhere, the brothers are breaking into political media. In 2021, Andrew Yang’s 2021 mayoral campaign hired them to make a series of videos Adam edited videos for John Fetterman’s senate campaign I still don’t know how to make sense of the fact that I got to know two guys who became important actors in our generation they were just trying to figure it out like everyone else Joshua Encinias writes about entertainment His work appears in MovieMaker Magazine and LOST iN He's based in NYC and you can find him on X @joshencinias School of Filmmaking Third-Year Films May 7 School of Filmmaking Fourth-Year Films May 16 Grant and Adam Conversano / Photo by Conor Murdock Apple House Website: https://applehousepictures.com/about Ronnie Long Story:  https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=5801 Other helpful links: https://applehousepictures.com/press We encourage you to enable Javascript to enhance your enjoyment of our website ShareSaveAsiaCasino Designer Conversano's Legacy Stretches Tahoe To South Africa -- Via Trump TowerByMuhammad Cohen Nightclub singer turned interior designer Henry Conversano worked with casino mavericks Steve Wynn,.. The New York Times called his work “the Rolls Royce of the genre,” appropriate since he got started in automobile design he brought theatrical flair to the hospitality stage he pioneered what one mentee calls “spague,” specific yet vague with just enough information to keep clients engaged a founding father of the modern casino and broader integrated resorts concept who passed away in September at age 86 “Henry’s influence on the current gaming industry was monumental,” leading casino design Paul Steelman says “Henry realized that casino design was the key to financial success for the owners and operators.” Conversano studied industrial design at Pratt Institute and went to work for General Motors in Detroit The meeting didn’t go well for the designer prompting an exasperated Harrah to ask if Conversano could do better Conversano became Harrah’s interior designer for personal and casino projects The northern Nevada property was the first five-star rated casino resort featuring themed suites and dramatic public spaces but most of all it was [financially] successful,” Steelman says “Bill Harrah was in the gaming business since the late 1930s he’d just created the most successful new casino in the world the Steelman Partners CEO says Conversano absorbed Harrah’s know how “He followed religiously one of Bill Harrah’s rules: the casino design needs to be five-star to attract the higher end five-star gamblers all of the gamblers with less to spend will want to have that opulent Harrah’s Experience.” When casinos were legalized for Atlantic City in 1974 developers reached out to Nevada designers Conversano decided to limit his involvement to friend and previous client Hugh Hefner and a 30-something upstart who’d revived the Golden Nugget in downtown Las Vegas (Conversano later worked with another brash and even designed his Trump Tower residence two wives ago.) Cornucopia Restaurant at Golden Nugget Atlantic City “There was natural chemistry,” Friedmutter “Henry was a master of reading people in the room during meetings,” Friedmutter says Conversano would be spague enough to tease out their views and then with “a little squint and little twinkle in his eye” seize on them Friedmutter says Conversano carried a small satchel “a magic bag and he would pull out something appropriate” for the situation “He said we have to design with a punchline,” Friedmutter recalls casinos became Friedmutter’s professional focus with a portfolio that includes architectural and design work at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas and the casino in Macau’s Studio City for Lawrence Ho’s Melco Resorts and Entertainment After teaming on Lost City for Sol Kerzner’s Sun City in South Africa Steelman worked with Conversano “for four years heralding the Las Vegas Strip’s transition to luxury built a full-size sample of the Mirage ceiling and Steve walked in and rejected it in 30 seconds,” Steelman says Don’t be ‘the architect’ – be a customer and take the owner’s design vision and shape it for him he was a great listener.” With Conversano’s passing “One thing is for sure: Heaven will be getting a makeover.” The Polo Museale - Conti Acquaviva D’Aragona Castle in Conversano will host from April 20 to October 27 curated by Dolores Duràn Ucàr promoted and supported by the City of Conversano City of Art and Museco - Museums in Conversano The Italian voice of the exhibition is entrusted to art historian Francesca Villanti.To narrate the entire life and work of Marc Chagall more than one hundred works including paintings watercolors and etchings by the artist will be on display; a nucleus of rare works certified and authorized by the Fondation Chagall Intended to have a strong emotional impact the exhibition aims to tell the story of Chagall’s world of intense hues that give life to landscapes populated by characters who crowd into the artist’s imagination: a dreamlike imagery in which it is difficult to define the boundary between reality and dream Love is the common thread that unites all of Chagall’s production: love for religion The exhibition will also be enriched by many multimedia supports such as videos to 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m Torna al sito the polyptych was commissioned for the cathedral of Conversano (Bari central Puglia) and was then bought by the state in the 1880s after it had been on the antiques market Two inscriptions on the central panel of the polyptych date the work to 1475 and connect it to the Murano painter Bartolomeo Vivarini are articulated in three registers: the bottom register depicts Christ blessing and the twelve half-figure Apostles on a gold background; the middle register whose central scene is a Nativity flanked by full-figure saints and Theodore on the right; the upper register completes the polyptych with its cymatium depicting the Passion of Christ flanked by two angels The Nativity scene seems to propose a more robust and plastic composition on the same subject in Vivarini’s 1447 polyptych with qualitative and stylistic differences between the various registers has led some to hypothesise that the polyptych is a collaboration between the maestro and his workshop Compared to the figures in the predella and cymatium the saints in the middle register and the Nativity are presented according to a more coherent plastic and perspectival construction THE TICKET DESKS CLOSE AT 1 PM ON MONDAY TICKET SALES END AT 6.00 PM ©Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia, OFFICIAL SITE Privacy e cookie policy Johnnie Walker owner Diageo has appointed Benedetto Conversano as its new chief information officer who has more than 25 years of experience in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and retail will step into the London-based role on 15 May 2020 “It is an honour and a privilege to join a company like Diageo,” said Conversano “I have admired the company over time for its prestigious and historical brands world-class business practises and processes “So much has been already accomplished by Diageo and I am positive this is a very solid foundation to build an even brighter future.” Conversano has worked at Procter & Gamble where he held the role of chief digital and information officer Following the departure of Diageo’s chief productivity officer Brian Franz Conversano will lead the company’s new digital and technology function The unit will bring together all technology elements under one umbrella providing end-to-end IT support across the business Conversano will report to Diageo’s chief financial officer Kathy Mikells “I am delighted to welcome Benedetto to Diageo as chief information officer,” said Mikells “His international experience and leadership across a variety of FMCG roles will be a real asset as we transition to the new Diageo Digital & Technology function.” We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. 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Volume 11 - 2020 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01683 This article is part of the Research TopicPsychological Factors as Determinants of Medical Conditions, Volume IIView all 18 articles Health care professionals (HCPs) are a population at risk for high levels of burnout and compassion fatigue The aim of the present systematic review was to give an overview on recent literature about mindfulness and compassion characteristics of HCPs while exploring the effectiveness of techniques such as MBSR or mindfulness intervention and compassion fatigue-related programs was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and the methodological quality for this systematic review was appraised using AMSTAR-2 (A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews-2) The number of articles that met the inclusion criteria was 58 (4 RCTs 11 cohort studies and 7 qualitative studies) MBSR intervention was effective at improving mindfulness and self-compassion levels and to improve burnout The most frequently employed interventional strategies were mindfulness-related trainings that were effective at improving mindfulness and self-compassion Compassion-related interventions have been shown to improve self-compassion mindfulness and interpersonal conflict levels Mindfulness was effective at improving negative affect and compassion fatigue while compassion satisfaction may be related to cultivation of positive affect This systematic review summarized the evidence regarding mindfulness- and compassion-related qualities of HCPs as well as potential effects of MBSR mindfulness-related and compassion-related interventions on professionals' psychological variables like mindfulness Combining structured mindfulness and compassion cultivation trainings may enhance the effects of interventions limit the variability of intervention protocols and improve data comparability of future research these results suggest that though the focus of compassion meditation does not involve regulating attentional processes on a specific object compassion training does have an impact on attentional processes involved in DMN these results suggest that beneficial effects of mindfulness and compassion practices may act through different mechanisms: mindfulness reduces negative affect system's activity while compassion increases activity of positive emotion brain systems The aim of the present systematic review was to give an overview on recent literature about mindfulness compassion and self-compassion characteristics and to investigate the effectiveness of techniques involving MBSR or mindfulness-related interventions and/or compassion- or self-compassion-related programs to identify the interventions with the best level of evidence available to prevent HCPs' burnout and to improve their levels of mindfulness and/or compassion- or self-compassion This review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) (Liberati et al., 2009; Moher et al., 2009) Searches were conducted using PubMed and PsycInfo databases Searches were conducted from January 2004 to May 2020 and were limited to English and Italian language papers PubMed and PsycInfo databases were searched by three independent reviewers (CC and AP) using a combination of the keywords “Health Personnel,” “Mindfulness,” “Self-Compassion,” “MBSR,” using the Boolean operators AND/OR PRISMA Flow chart for literature search and screening results All studies included in our review examined the effect of MBSR, MBIs (interventions including predominantly mindfulness elements; Spinelli et al., 2019); and compassion-based interventions (CBIs, interventions including predominantly compassion elements; Kirby, 2017); on mindfulness and self-compassion qualities of HCPs and MBIs that used the key therapeutic approaches such as body scan meditations or acceptance or non-judgmental strategies titles and abstracts were screened for eligibility by one reviewer (CC) to characterize abstracts as highly relevant Full texts were then accessed for all abstracts characterized as highly or potentially relevant and read in full by three reviewers (CC and AP) to determine whether they were eligible and consensus was reached for all articles included The following data was extracted from each eligible study report by RC and verified by CC The appraisal of the methodological quality for this systematic review was based on AMSTAR-2 (A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews-2) (Shea et al., 2017) approach It enables a more detailed assessment of systematic reviews that include randomized or non-randomized studies of healthcare interventions Two independent raters assessed each study (CC and RC) and seven discrepancies were found regarding AMSTAR-2 checklist coding a discussion took place to resolve divergences meta-analysis was not considered suitable as there were insufficient studies with the required level of homogeneity regarding MBIs the findings are summarized using a narrative The included experimental studies showed several different types of design such as: randomized controlled trials (4) Among the included articles, some of the experimental studies investigated the effectiveness of an intervention based on MBSR (Kabat-Zinn, 2009) or compassion-related interventions (Neff and Germer, 2013) in relation to psychological variables and factors related to quality of life in HCPs compassion-related interventions with untreated control groups while other studies cross-sectionally probed mindfulness or compassion variables in the investigated sample trying to find correlations with other professional variables such as burnout and empathy that did not undergo any kind of intervention We highlight that some studies have concerned online interventions both in terms of their creation and impact on health outcomes With regard to mindfulness interventions, Ripp et al. (2017) highlight its importance in the fight against burnout in graduate medical trainees together with “resilience training reflection opportunities and peer support grounded in group discussions.” Hunter et al. (2018) conducted a qualitative study through an interpretative phenomenological analysis of semi-structured interviews The measures were operated on midwives after a MBI Nine midwives selected to take part in the study and the findings were divided in four superordinate themes: being challenged and committing reconnecting and moving forward with confidence despite an initial and normal skepticism about mindfulness practice those that committed to the concept of living in the present moment benefitted from an increased self-awareness of self which presumably leads to both an increase of positive workplace relationships and individualized and relation patient care The research trio of McPherson et al. (2016) conducted a study to explore the experiences of managing work pressures of staff caring for older adults with dementia through compassion and mindfulness skills The interviewer used a constructivist grounded theory approach which is guided by participants themselves finding two main types of work-related pressure (structural or interpersonal) and two different types of responses (helpful and unhelpful) but did not reach a sufficient level to be considered practice The authors also found some barriers to the full experience of the self-compassionate and mindful state which leads to their suggestion of increasing structured mindfulness interventions in HCPs Platt et al. (2015) wrote a qualitative paper about a workshop which was planned for general practitioners This workshop's aim was to help the participants develop a better self-awareness when facing stress situations and identify different ways to manage the stress response The 25 participants were interviewed during the workshop and 2 months after it (by an online survey) Results showed that this kind of intervention was well-received with immediate to medium-term impact on the individual Lyddy et al. (2016) explored how health professionals which had previously followed a mindfulness-based course and use and perceive mindfulness practice during their work The measurement was carried out through a semi-structured guide with open-ended questions also including questions about role and recent prototypical job experiences Their results highlight that participants varied in the subsequent adoption of mindfulness exercises often struggling with the formal meditation practice routine and using the informal practice models taught during the course The authors suggested that mindfulness training in hospitals should include practice in the actual workplace to increase realism and integration of practice on a daily basis and practice in identifying the value of mindfulness at work through guided experimentations In their interesting work, Valley and Stallones (2018) also aimed at confirming the role of mindfulness interventions in the development of self-awareness using the Health Belief Model (HBM) to help explain and predict the adoption of a variety of preventive and treatment health behaviors In their research of what is needed to improve mindfulness interventions in health care workers they found that adapting the course timing and materials to meet the HCPs' schedule and a didactic material which explains the evidence of those interventions should be provided to the participant in order to increase the participation and adherence to the courses Looking at the issue from the opposite point of view, Powell et al. (2018) have raised the question of what makes some health professionals more protected from the risk of burnout than others administered to some multidisciplinary staff members about their activities outside work which “provides a balance to the daily triumphs and challenges of their work–life in case management” and if the activity “enhance their life at work” and how Although only 32 of those staff members replied to the survey we can highlight that the findings included meditation family and friends as activities indicated by the participants which could lead to some sort of balance during work Shapiro et al. (2005) conducted a RCT on the effectiveness of MBSR training in a population of HCPs in particular measuring the stress and distress response and job burnout lower stress level and higher self-compassion was reported these results didn't differ significantly from the control group their findings suggested a decreased stress and burnout of the participants to a greater extend that an assigned extra break hour for 10 weeks Finally, Valley and Stallones (2017) RCT study examined the impact of mindfulness training on occupational safety of hospital HCPs measuring safety outcomes (compliance and participation) Their results indicated that mindfulness was able to stably decrease workplace cognitive failures while increasing the following of safety rules The authors highlight the importance of these findings which could impact the degree of occupational injuries nurses' unit was significantly associated with compassion satisfaction while time and experience in service were not protective factors for compassion fatigue burnout and compassion satisfaction were significantly correlated Al-Majid et al. (2018) assessed the degree of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue in both care and charge nurses of care units The measurement was conducted through the ProQOL-5 leading to an average overall result concerning compassion variables with significantly lower compassion satisfaction in less experienced nurses (<10 years of work) while other scales such as secondary traumatic stress showed high levels among charge nurses Likewise, Roney and Acri (2018) investigated pediatric nurses' levels of compassion satisfaction and job satisfaction while considering any correlations among the constructs Their results found participants with higher than the norm levels of compassion satisfaction and slightly lower than the norm levels of secondary trauma and burnout highlighting an interesting significant relationship between female gender and the compassion satisfaction subscale Allie et al. (2018) focused their cross-sectional analytic study on HCPs' bereavement overload defined as a situation where an individual must deal with loss or death in a continuous and close way with the unfortunate result of an abnormal adjustment process Their study investigated through an interviewer-administered questionnaire various quantitative variable such as bereavement overload Findings showed that half of the participants reported a suffering from bereavement overload of which three quarters reported compassion fatigue (especially doctors and final-year medical students) also half of the health providers which didn't show bereavement overload The authors have deduced that while compassion fatigue may be an effect of bereavement overload it could lead to dysfunctional coping mechanisms such as emotional detachment also from their findings the most experienced nurses in the sample reported higher compassion satisfaction lower burnout and secondary traumatic stress Moreover, with the intention of observing the relationship between burnout, self-esteem and compassion, Erkorkmaz et al. (2018) conducted an analytical cross-sectional study on nurses, finding that burnout was affecting both compassion satisfaction and personal accomplishment (subscale of the Maslach Burnout Inventory) (Maslach et al., 1997) negatively Using the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS)-Short Form (Raes et al., 2011) and the Barriers to Physician Compassion Questionnaire (Fernando and Consedine, 2014). Dev et al. (2018) evaluated the associations between burnout and barriers to compassion in a large sample of nurses Their findings showed the expected association in which higher levels of burnout predicted greater barriers to compassion while higher levels of trait self-compassion were associated with lower burnout and predicted lower barriers to compassion Brown et al. (2017) explored the association between compassion fatigue and mindfulness in mental health professionals, considered that the purpose of the study was to explore whether there is an inverse relationship between the two variables, measured by the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) (Baer et al., 2008) and the ProQOL-5 negative correlation between compassion fatigue and mindfulness These findings suggest that high levels of compassion fatigue are associated to lower levels of mindfulness meaning that mindfulness traits may be helpful in ameliorating compassion fatigue Similarly, Olson et al. (2014) collected data regarding burnout, emotional intelligence, empathy, mindfulness, self-compassion and resilience, in pediatric medicine residents of an urban children's hospital. Their measure was carried out also through the FFMQ and the SCS (Neff, 2003) and the results reported a negative association between mindfulness/self-compassion and burnout with a positive association between the two and resilience factors and less emotional exhaustion The authors suggest that both mindfulness and self-compassion may protect professionals' personal health and well-being Gracia-Gracia and Oliván-Blázquez (2017) analyzed the ability of self-compassion and mindfulness associated to burnout in nurses of intensive care units also investigating the relationship between self-compassion as a positive mental state in association with mindfulness The results of this study showed that compassion variables were predictive for burnout (emotional exhaustion depersonalization and personal accomplishment) in particular the years of overall professional experience self-judgement and the humanity-isolation factor of compassion the mindfulness subscale appeared to have an inverse significant correlation with emotional exhaustion The research group of Montero-Marin et al. (2016), while confirming the validity of the burnout subtype model, assessed the explicative power of the self-compassion construct as a protective factor. According to a previous described study (Gracia-Gracia and Oliván-Blázquez, 2017) Their findings were that negative self-compassion dimensions might play an important role in the development of the burnout subtypes in Spanish HCPs suggesting that negative self-compassion dimensions should be considered as vulnerability factors Silver et al. (2018) conducted a research with the aim of assessing relationships between mindfulness and some professional variables such as burnout, compassion fatigue, work engagement, and empathy on genetic counselors that provide immediate clinical aid to patients. They used the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) (Brown and Ryan, 2003) to evaluate mindfulness levels and the ProQOL-5 for burnout and compassion fatigue Their findings showed that half of the participants reported engaging in activities which are typically associated with mindfulness (such as yoga there was a significant positive correlation between empathy/work engagement and mindfulness and moderate negative associations between mindfulness and burnout/compassion fatigue the authors suggest that mindfulness could affect positively professional satisfaction and quality of patient care Brady et al. (2012) assessed the impact of the MBSR program on managing work stress and improving patient outcomes in 16 hospital staff members consisting of psychiatrists The structured 4 week MBSR program was successful in influencing the levels of personal stress and intrapersonal presence of inpatient psychiatric staff members Cohen-Katz et al. (2005) reported results exploring the effects of MBSR on 25 nurses Treatment group subjects significantly decreased scores on 2 of 3 subscales of the Maslach Burnout Inventory compared to wait-list controls while within-group comparisons for both groups pre-treatment and post-treatment revealed similar results Changes were maintained as long as 3 months post-treatment Duarte and Pinto-Gouveia (2017) evaluated the effects of an MSBR program on 29 oncology nurses with respect to 19 nurses of a waitlist comparison condition Changes in mindfulness mediated changes in burnout and satisfaction with life; changes in self-compassion mediated the influence of the intervention on burnout stress and satisfaction with life; and psychological inflexibility mediated decreases in burnout Lamothe et al. (2018) considered the feasibility and acceptability of an MBSR-based intervention and its impact on psychological variables identification of one's own emotions and those of others emotional acceptance and recognition of emotions in others 12 students completed the 8 week MBSR program Participants who completed the program improved on all measures except the identification of others' emotions and empathy Wylde et al. (2017) compared the effects of an 8 week MBSR intervention to a smartphone delivered mindfulness intervention an audio-guided mindfulness meditation program at the beginning of their internship and 3 months after entering the program Nurses in the smartphone delivered mindfulness group showed significantly more “acting with awareness” and more “non-reactivity to inner experience” skills with respect to the MBSR group The smartphone intervention group also reported more compassion satisfaction and less burnout smartphone delivered mindfulness interventions may be more beneficial A controlled mixed methods pilot study (Verweij et al., 2016) investigated the feasibility and effectiveness of MBSR on burnout assessed before and after the intervention in 43 general practitioner trainers of two Dutch hospitals The MBSR group showed a greater reduction in depersonalization than the control group while mindfulness and dedication increased significantly in the MBSR group than in the control group There was no significant difference in empathy Raab et al. (2015) carried out a pilot study on the effects of an MBSR educational intervention on 22 female mental health professionals' self-compassion Changes in the SCS total score proved to be significant Regarding mindfulness-related interventions, an evaluation of the impact of a group-based training program, known as “Occupational Mindfulness” (OM), on coping strategies and well-being of 34 employees within a disability service was carried out by Brooker et al. (2013) The program was positively evaluated by participants and found to be associated with significant increases in positive affect and the mindfulness facet of observing extrinsic job satisfaction showed a significant reduction from baseline to post-training and negative emotional symptoms showed a significant increase Paradoxical increases of negative emotional symptoms are explained by considering that participants were developing higher levels of awareness of their current circumstances Mindfulness is not directly related to changing circumstances but about developing awareness to what those circumstances are Farina et al. (2018) induced professional nurse educators to offer a 10–12 min mindfulness experiential learning session during the institute's annual professional development forums The nurse educator shared a biofeedback card and survey and asked the nurses to obtain and document their pre-practice and post-practice biofeedback card color and conclude the survey The difference in the self-reported biofeedback card colors indicating calm or relaxed states before and after the session Fernando et al. (2017) evaluated whether a brief mindfulness intervention increased compassionate responding to difficult patients and assessed whether the self-compassion trait moderated the impact of this experimental manipulation in a sample of 83 medical students The intervention elicited mindfulness equivalently at both high and low levels of self-compassion mindfulness predicted greater patient “liking” and “caring,” but only among students lower in self-compassion while mindfulness predicted greater helping behavior but primarily among students with higher self-compassion The Mindful Nursing Pilot Study (Horner et al., 2014) was a quasi-experimental research where 46 nurses belonging to a nursing unit participated in the 10 week mindfulness training program while an additional nursing unit served as the control group Classes were held once a week and lasted 30 min The group that underwent the intervention showed improvement in levels of mindfulness and stress as well as patient satisfaction (though mindfulness and burnout scores did not reach significance) while the control group showed no significant differences Klatt et al. (2017) administered a brief experiential introduction to mindfulness to 286 HCPs during the meetings and at 3 month follow-up participant's previous awareness and use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine techniques and consequent probability of deepening the knowledge of these modalities for personal and professional use Immediately after the experiential introduction 94.79% of respondents reported a probability to deepen the knowledge of mindfulness for personal use and 92.58% for professional use 58% had used mindfulness personally and 28% reported that they had used mindfulness techniques professionally Pakenham (2015) investigated the effects of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) training and the personal acquisition of ACT strategies in 32 clinical psychology trainees that completed measures of work-related stress before and after university-based ACT training Results showed that clinical psychology trainees reported improvements from before to after training on measures of counseling self-efficacy and a marginally significant improvement on somatic symptoms despite a trend toward increased work-related stress A pilot study (Pflugeisen et al., 2016) evaluated the feasibility of implementing an 8 week video-module based mindfulness pilot program aimed to reduce stress and develop mindfulness skills in 23 physicians in a community hospital setting Participants experienced three 90 min in person trainings acceptance without judgment) were evaluated and emotional exhaustion and improvements in all mindfulness skills were observed at end-of-program Sansó et al. (2018) evaluated the outcome of a 6 week mindfulness training program on mindful attention and professionals' quality of life in 36 HCPs of palliative care teams Steinberg et al. (2016) explored the feasibility of a workplace intervention for improving resilience to stress of 32 of surgical intensive care unit HCPs randomly assigned to an intervention or control group The intervention consisted of a MBI including meditation and music and was carried out in a group format 1 h a week for 8 weeks compassion fatigue and work engagement were obtained before and after the intervention Work satisfaction improved significantly in the intervention group with no difference in the control group Participants reported that recognizing their stress response was a main benefit of the intervention The study conducted by Taylor et al. (2016) examined the feasibility and impact of a 10 day mindfulness meditation intervention on 33 pediatric residents using a free smartphone application Measures of burnout and mindfulness were administered before and after the intervention an increased percentage of residents perceived mindfulness as a useful intervention for patients and there was a significant increase in the number of residents who planned to discuss mindfulness as a therapeutic option for their patients while there were no changes in burnout scores A field study (Wacker and Dziobek, 2018) evaluated a 3 day employee training in non-violent communication on non-violent communication skills empathic distress and perceived social stressors at work in 29 HCPs Participants filled out questionnaires before and 3 months after training Results showed that communication skills were fostered in training participants evidenced by the higher levels of emotion verbalization behavior and the enhanced use of non-violent communication at work and the elevation of social stressors at work was hindered by enhanced emotion verbalization Wahl et al. (2018) aimed to conduct a peer support network pilot project through the inclusion of education/training peer support and resiliency training and to investigate how interventions impact compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue of 20 nurses that completed pre-intervention and 6 week post-intervention surveys Results revealed statistically significant improvements in compassion satisfaction and non-significant improvements in compassion fatigue Ofei-Dodoo et al. (2020) examined a group of 43 HCPs that participated in 8 week workplace Participants completed online measures regarding depression and compassion at baseline and post-intervention HCPs showed significant improvements on personal accomplishment Thirteen nursing professionals underwent a stress reduction program, including mindfulness and loving kindness meditation. Quality of life assessment revealed significant increase as well as perceived stress, burnout, depression, and trait anxiety, while self-compassion did not show significant differences (Santos et al., 2016) An observational, mixed-method pilot evaluation study (Orellana-Rios et al., 2017) enrolled 28 staff members of an interdisciplinary palliative care team and explored the feasibility and effectiveness of a 10 week group program with four aims: development of a mindful presence Tong-len practice in difficult situations and the integration of these practices into daily work occupations perceived job situation and goal attainment Significant ameliorations were found in two of three burnout components (emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment) two emotional regulation competences and joy at work A pilot study (Pfaff et al., 2017) with an embedded experimental mixed-methods design evaluated the impact of 6 week formalized pilot compassion fatigue resiliency intervention on 32 HCPs participants at a regional cancer center was evaluated on compassion fatigue and satisfaction Participants showed diminished clinical stress at intervention completion suggesting that the MBSR intervention may modulate staffs' manner of relating to patients with an enduring effect up to 6 month follow-up Differences on different subscales on the WAS may indicate that the affect-consciousness intervention is different in its effect as compared to the MBSR including three 1 h modules (introduction to stress clinical effects of the relaxation response and physiological effects of the relaxation response) on resilience positive and negative affect and flourishing variables online training was associated with small but significant improvements in relaxation Luthar et al. (2017) reported on the effects of an intervention to foster resilience among women health care providers who are mothers at high risk for stress and burnout. 40 mothers were assigned randomly to either 12 weekly 1 h sessions of a structured, relational supportive intervention, the Authentic Connections Groups, including minimizing rumination, “good enough” mothering and shame (Carmassi et al., 2017a) vs or to 12 weekly hours to be used as needed and 3 months follow-up on general symptomatology self-compassion and burnout plus plasma cortisol results showed higher levels of improvements for mothers in the Authentic Connections Groups than control condition for depression and global symptoms significant changes were found for depression and global symptoms and self-compassion Participants in the Authentic Connections Groups (but not control group) condition also showed significantly diminished cortisol levels at both after the intervention and follow-up O'Mahony et al. (2017) evaluated the preliminary outcomes of a group-based 9-session multimodal mindfulness training pilot designed to improve indicators of burnout and mental health symptomatology in 13 health care providers who interact with children in the context of end-of-life care and at the end of the program and were PTSD symptomatology Results revealed significant improvements in depressive and PTSD symptoms among HCPs Riley et al. (2016) carried out two studies to compare the impact of Cognitive Behavioral Stress Management (CBSM) and an 8 week Yoga-Based Stress Management (YBSM) interventions for HCPs Study 1 evaluated YBSM intervention in 37 mental HCPs and gathered data regarding depression Study 2 investigated YBSM and CBSM in 40 randomly assigned mental health care providers and collected data regarding depression and general health data at four time points Results of Study 1 showed statistically significant increases in relaxation while results of Study 2 showed significant improvement in compassion satisfaction Suyi et al. (2017) examined the efficacy of a 6 week mindfulness program in improving mindfulness and diminishing perceived stress and burnout The program comprised 2 h sessions offered once a week and utilized a range of mindfulness techniques to instruct participants to cultivate compassionate and non-judgemental attitudes toward their inner experiences Data was gathered at three time-points: pre- and post-intervention Participants showed significant amelioration in four of the five mindfulness domains (observe non-react) and in compassion and self-compassion levels The improvements in mindfulness and self-compassion levels were maintained at three months follow-up No significant difference was observed for burnout variables Wen et al. (2017) assessed how the self-guided stress and negative emotions variables in 43 medical residents Measures were collected before the intervention and at the end of the intervention (after 30 days) Results showed that both the mindfulness and positive affect scores showed a significant improvement with increasing use of the app while the negative affect score did not show significant change Completion of MBS training was related with significant ameliorations in stress suggesting that this training is able to reach diverse HCPs Scarlet et al. (2017) studied the effects of an 8 week Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) (Jazaieri et al., 2013) on work-related burnout fear of compassion and job satisfaction scores of 62 HCPs The questionnaires were administered by email during the first Results showed significant improvements in participants' self-compassion The number of articles that met the inclusion criteria was 57 (4 RCTs the suggestion that we could gain from this information collection is to effectively increase mindfulness training in healthcare settings and provide professionals with less formal tools to tackle their job These findings should elicit some reflections on the role played by the excessive stress load on the behavior of health personnel redesigning both the therapeutic and interventional approach to this topic these findings should elicit a reflection about the negative impact of self-compassion dimensions which could be studied as a vulnerability factor Taken together these results suggest that MBSR intervention is able to improve, and maintain, mindfulness levels, self-compassion levels and to improve burnout, depression, anxiety, stress (Lamothe et al., 2016) MBSR intervention has been shown to be able to modulate anger and aggressive behavior as well with a suggestion that a smartphone-delivered audio-guided mindfulness meditation program Remarkably, Egan et al. (2019) reported that HCPs are aware of the burnout potential and their experiences of the necessity to access help to cope with a demanding environment HCPs were not tired of being compassionate (compassion fatigue) tired of having to overcome the organizational barriers to being compassionate Participants did not state that they were tired of caring but they were tired of not being able to care as they would like to mindfulness- and compassion-related interventions may prevent HCPs' burnout and promote their enduring compassion and caring The search strategy used in this review limited the search with the inclusion criteria of English or Italian language and peer-reviewed articles only though an extensive search was carried out it is not correct to claim that the review is exhaustive given the papers excluded that were written in other languages or articles published in other formats (e.g. to limit the variability of intervention protocols and to improve data comparability All 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This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) *Correspondence: Andrea Poli, YW5kcmVhLnBvbGlAZ21haWwuY29t Why we’re fascinated: Because the Conversanos are probably on a first-name basis with your favorite filmmakers — and will likely rank among them before long The Conversanos have worked with everyone from Timothée Chalamet for his early-career gig on “Homeland” to Andrew Yang for his run for mayor Look for their production company Apple House Picture’s new movie “Summer’s End” later this year or early next they’re adapting Mesha Maren’s novel “Sugar Run” for the screen ShareSaveCommentBETAThis is a BETA experience. opt-out hereBusinessHollywood & EntertainmentRavenscoon Talks ‘Periphery’ LP, Bipolar II Disorder And SobrietyByLisa Kocay Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights psychedelic and uplifting style is created by merging influences from death metal hip-hop and punk rock with experimental bass music The producer originally hails from Atlanta and pays homage to his Southern roots by fusing those sounds with his dreamy basslines and kaleidoscopic arpeggios Today, December 1st, Conversano delivers his chameleonic sonic abilities with the fourth EP installment of his Periphery album The extended play dropping coincides with the complete LP release Periphery kicks off with “Boundary,” boasting syncopated synths Halfway through is “Falling Up,” taking center stage with reverbing bass erratic synths and haunting beats that turn into uplifting sounds “Event Horizon” closes out the LP with its ominous tunes Conversano’s production prowess and diverse sonic textures are further showcased through the entirety of the 18-track body of work as it takes audiophiles through liquid and driving bass smoldering vocals and sensations of audacity Periphery proves to be masterfully produced Conversano says the former was a seminal LP for him as it was part of his introduction to the world of dubstep He adds that while the songs on it changed in BPMs and genres the records still featured similar elements allowing Welcome Reality to flow as a cohesive body of work is a concept he aimed to translate into Periphery While the tracks on his long play vary in cadence and genre He says the latter album follows the same theme as NERO’s LP Although A Color Map of the Sun was entirely created with samples and analogs differing from how Conversano produced Periphery his goal was to curate something as sonically connected and “timeless” as it The last installment can be heard on Periphery Conversano says he created numerous tracks that fit those five categories using templates he created for the album and his other songs pads and synths to produce an LP with “the same palette.” In addition he worked with a mixing and mastering engineer named Seth Drake who also acted as a mentor for Conversano when it came to writing the records is this feeling of being on the outer edges or of existence I've always felt like there's something different about me I know a lot of other people have those feelings But [it’s] also a nod to the psychedelic experiences that I've had in my life as well where you're pushing your experience to the periphery—the outer edges So periphery is basically like a journey from this reality all the way to the edge of space and back again.” Conversano says he released the LP in four parts because he feels that attention spans have dwindled in the current climate of singles He worried that 18 tracks were too much for people to digest properly and he didn’t want listeners to skip through songs he feels it was the best way to tell a narrative so I wanted it to feel like a story and not just songs put together.” is “a love letter to the songs that really capture your attention as a listener and make you feel something that's almost unexplainable,” the spiritual artist says Creating emotional and experimental music was paramount to him when curating Soul He adds that the extended play is ideally meant to be heard live or listened to “while you're looking out the window The banger creator says the overarching motivation for pushing his distinct sound and image is to create the community he found when he first entered bass music at the age of 15 Conversano notes that it was the first time he felt “comfortable” just being himself surrounded by others dancing and enjoying the tunes is what has kept him in the scene for the past 15 years “I want to continue to create something bigger than myself that makes people feel comfortable with who they are,” he says “I tell people on my tour that I'm doing right now Look at it as something bigger than that.’” I want it to be accessible," Ravenscoon says More use the term nostalgic because there are sounds that I use that seem familiar to people but [have] a new take on it." Conversano began pursuing music full-time in January 2022 The song selector says he found it to be a “really grueling job” as he was “basically on call all the time.” He realized he didn’t have the same passion for this demanding career as he did for music which he says felt “natural” and not like work he had more time to produce music and curate livestream sets a popular entity during the height of the pandemic since he wasn’t going into the office for his full-time job He then began getting more opportunities for his music career such as being part of the 2021 Peekaboo tour “It was becoming impossible to juggle a 50-hour work week and travel to play shows,” Conversano says I was leaving on Friday after work at 5:00 p.m Upon finding a team that made him feel “very secure,” he quit his job at CBS and moved back home to Atlanta into his parent’s house to do music full-time Conversano defines himself as a political person who comes from a family interested in the subject the musical storyteller says his enthusiasm for history helps educate him on what’s currently happening in political spaces Some of the topics he is passionate about include homelessness “I think that everybody deserves a safe place to sleep and have food available especially in the quote ‘wealthiest country in the world.’” He is also a supporter of reproductive health rights and immigrant rights “I think that it's important to speak up on things that you believe in and try to use your platform to help other people,” he says. “I do donate to various organizations. I have a membership of the ACLU I've also always encouraged people to vote in elections and I've been a registered voter since I was 18.” The genre-defying artist is also a vocal advocate for mental health harm reduction therapy and responsible substance use Conversano says he has Bipolar II Disorder and that he has dealt with substance abuse and addiction He will celebrate five years of sobriety this coming February getting sober has probably been the biggest hurdle for my life,” he says having a good support network of friends and family going to therapy and taking things day by day I don't think there's been anything else that's been as challenging as that.” “I am not like the typical sober advocate,” Conversano adds I also don't believe that sobriety means complete abstinence if it's not what you need am completely abstinent from drugs and alcohol But if you're addicted to heroin and you still smoke weed I'm obviously not against people doing that I want people to be the healthiest and most in control of themselves that they can be I want them to know that it's okay to make mistakes and I think you should listen to yourself and take care of your mind and body Anybody that's on a sobriety journey should be proud of themselves because it's not easy.” The producer says he knows various people who have “silently suffered,” so it’s his goal to utilize his platform “to speak up for people who don't always have voices and give them a good example.” As for those who also have Bipolar II Disorder and I was very resistant to getting medicated for anything But I got to the point where I needed help I feel more like myself than I've ever felt before I want to let people know that they're not alone and that it's okay to ask for help if you need it because Bipolar [Disorder] is difficult because it affects your entire mood But also [for] anybody else that suffers from any other mental health problems There are a lot more people out there than you realize that are going through something similar.” Mindfulness disposition is associated with various psychological factors and prevents emotional distress in chronic diseases. In the present study, we analyzed the key role of mindfulness dispositions in protecting the individual against psychological distress consequent to COVID-19 social distancing and quarantining. Multivariate linear regression run on socio-demographics, COVID-19-related variables, and mindfulness disposition as moderators of overall psychological distress showed that mindfulness was the best predictor of psychological distress (β = −0.504; p < 0.0001). High negative correlations were found between mindfulness disposition and the overall Global Severity Index (r = −0.637; p < 0.0001), while moderate to high associations were found between mindfulness and all SCL-90 sub-scales. Findings showed that high dispositional mindfulness enhances well-being and helps in dealing with stressful situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Mindfulness-based mental training could represent an effective intervention to stem post-traumatic psychopathological beginnings and prevent the onset of chronic mental disorders. Volume 11 - 2020 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01900 Objective: Mindfulness disposition is associated with various psychological factors and prevents emotional distress in chronic diseases we analyzed the key role of mindfulness dispositions in protecting the individual against psychological distress consequent to COVID-19 social distancing and quarantining Methods: An online survey was launched on March 13 and quarantining were assessed together with psychological distress and mindfulness disposition Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to study the influence of predictive factors on psychological distress and quality of life in Italian responders during the early days of lockdown Pearson correlations were calculated to study the relationship between mindfulness and psychiatric symptoms Results: Multivariate linear regression run on socio-demographics and mindfulness disposition as moderators of overall psychological distress showed that mindfulness was the best predictor of psychological distress (β = −0.504; p < 0.0001) High negative correlations were found between mindfulness disposition and the overall Global Severity Index (r = −0.637; p < 0.0001) while moderate to high associations were found between mindfulness and all SCL-90 sub-scales Discussion: Findings showed that high dispositional mindfulness enhances well-being and helps in dealing with stressful situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic Mindfulness-based mental training could represent an effective intervention to stem post-traumatic psychopathological beginnings and prevent the onset of chronic mental disorders we have analyzed the impact of mindfulness dispositions as a protective factor against psychological distress regarding the Italian population during the COVID-19 pandemic we sought to (1) identify individuals at higher risk for psychological distress while measuring the weight of mindfulness disposition in protecting their mental health and (2) assess the relationship between mindfulness and several psychiatric symptoms of distress we expected that socio-demographic characteristics and lockdown duration would negatively affect psychological well-being while higher mindfulness would lower the levels of distress we expected that higher mindfulness disposition would be associated with lower self-rated psychiatric symptoms and lower overall psychological distress From March 13 to April 6, 2020, we collected 6,412 responses from people living in Italy to an online survey about the psychological impact of COVID-19 during the lockdown. Responders were mostly middle-aged adults between 30 and 50 years old, while approximately 33 and 27% were younger and older, respectively. Most of the sample was represented by females, living with close relatives, without children (see Table 1 for descriptive statistics) Participants prevalently came from Central Italy (N = 3,463; 54%) whereas 25% (N = 1,603) and 21% (N = 1,346) were in the North and the South of Italy The rates of reported positive cases and deaths among close relatives or friends were about 7% (N = 417) and 3% (N = 167) Descriptive statistics of responders’ socio-demographic characteristics (N = 6,412) An online questionnaire was launched online on March 13 2 days after the Italian Government Decree of lockdown for slowing the diffusion of the COVID-19 outbreak Participants were recruited using snowball sampling among all Italian residents living in Italy at the time of data collection They were informed about the purpose of the study and asked to give their approval on personal data treatment All procedures followed the ethical standards and were approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Pisa (n The Anderson-Darling test and Normal P-P plot were used to verify normality of distributions Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated t-test and simple linear regressions were performed to study the relations between the variables and the outcome Multivariate analysis was carried out to study the influence of predictive factors on psychological distress Tolerance index and Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) were calculated to verify the level of correlation between predictors Tolerance values were > 0.5 and VIF values were < 2 these results showed no evidence of multicollinearity Goodness of fit of the multivariate analysis was verified Post hoc power analysis was used to evaluate the sample size and the probability of type II error; the range of statistical power was 0–1 and the power of the sample was 1 The significance level was set to 0.05 and the analyses were performed with R version 4.0.0 Table 1 shows descriptive statistics for socio-demographic characteristics of participants. In line with previous studies, young, female, living with parents, and not having children were more frequent among responders. Descriptive statistics for psychological variables are displayed in Table 2 Mindfulness mean scores assessed around normative values for healthy individuals (M = 2.881; SD = 0.653) while psychological distress mean score ranged slightly below the cut-off for clinical significance (M = 0.730; SD = 0.536) These results indicated that responders represented a community sample experiencing a stressful life event such as the lockdown as a consequence of the COVID-19 outbreak Descriptive statistics of responders’ psychological characteristics (N = 6,412) with the only exception of having children that was no longer significant in the final model Mindfulness resulted the best predictor of GSI about 10 times more effective than other predictors included Each increase of one unit of MAAS results in a decrease of -0.5 in GSI (β = -0.504; p < 0.0001) quarantining negatively affected mental health increasing GSI of 0.05 for each week passed in lockdown Younger subjects and females were at higher risk for mental health problems while living with one’s spouse resulted in them feeling slightly protected in terms of psychological well-being VIF < 2 demonstrated low collinearity level between independent variables Univariate linear regressions for socio-demographic variables and mindfulness predicting psychological distress Multivariate linear regression for socio-demographic variables and mindfulness predicting psychological distress Table 5 shows Pearson correlations between MAAS and SCL-90 High negative correlations were found for mindfulness disposition and overall psychological distress (r = -0.637; p < 0.0001) obsessive compulsive (O-C; r = -0.627; p < 0.0001) and psychoticism (PSY; r = -0.593; p < 0.0001) The remaining SCL-90 sub-scales showed moderate negative correlations ranging from 0.386 to 0.565 (all p < 0.0001) In descending order of magnitude they were: depression (DEP) with a very tight 95% confidence interval demonstrating excellent goodness of fit Pearson correlations between mindfulness disposition (MAAS) and psychological distress (SCL-90) The current study contributes to a growing literature on the benefits of protective factors on psychological functioning during high stress situations dispositional mindfulness may represent a stable protective factor from the current intensity of mental distress of individuals; in fact increasing levels of mindfulness corresponded to significantly decreased mental discomfort This particular result is extremely significant as it shows that “being mindful” helps in dealing with stressful situations such as the one we are experiencing at the moment and leaves open the possibility for mental health professionals to use mindfulness-based mental training to stem the post-traumatic psychopathological beginnings that are likely to manifest in the future The present study has several strengths and innovative features, as well as a number of limitations. First, the cross-sectional research design does not allow us to determine causal relationships between studied variables (Pearl, 2010; Orrù et al., 2020, 2020a, b) which could be possibly biased by uncontrolled variables all measures are self-reported and thus they might be biased by the responders’ self-observation attitude psychological information was collected online and without any independent evaluation of the health status of the respondents In order to stem the psychopathological consequences lying ahead in the future due to the traumatic nature of the recent pandemic and quarantine we therefore suggest paying accurate attention to mindfulness disposition and training with the purpose of enhancing resilience to high-stress events and preventing the onset of chronic mental disorders The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Pisa All authors critically revised the manuscript and approved the final version to 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Volume 6 - 2020 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fams.2020.577050 We develop a general framework to apply the Kelly criterion to the stock market data using Monte Carlo simulations with different scenarios we prove that the Kelly criterion beats any other approach in many aspects it maximizes the expected growth rate and the median of the terminal wealth the Kelly criterion has the best performance in the long run we optimize a portfolio with the Kelly criterion with no leverage and no short selling conditions and show that this portfolio lays in the mean-variance efficient frontier and has higher expected return and higher variance respect to the tangent portfolio optimized under the Markowitz approach we implement a dynamic strategy applied on the European stock market data and compare the results between the tangent and the optimal Kelly portfolios the rolling Kelly portfolio outperforms competitors particularly in the case of rebalanced portfolios optimized with a 2-years window width When an investor allocates his money in the market, what he aims to is making much money as possible at the lowest level of risk. In literature, many researchers have come up with different solutions for the investor problem. One of the most famous is proposed by Markowitz [1]. An alternative approach is the Kelly criterion. It derives from the work of John Larry Kelly Jr, who was a researcher at Bell Labs. In his seminal paper [2] Kelly utilizes the logarithmic function for the solution of investment problems He demonstrates that the logarithmic function maximizes the long period growth rate as it maximizes the capital in the current interval only Kelly defines how much fraction it is best to invest in a single bet and consequently in a series of bets when the probability and the net outcomes are known The Kelly criterion not only works at its finest when we know the actual probability and net income of our bets but it is also superior to any essentially different strategy when we just know the probability distribution of the returns Empirical results show that Kelly portfolios are more risky but they bring a much higher reward in terms of final wealth whilst the Tangent portfolio cannot reach its goal leading to a lower Sharpe ratio respect to the Kelly portfolio A sensitivity analysis demonstrates that the choice of the period length to compute both the variance-covariance matrix and the expected returns and the choice of the frequency of rebalancing are fundamental for reaching the highest returns a short length of the window width using in a rolling portfolio optimization framework guarantees that the Kelly portfolio outperforms competitors w.r.t the out of sample annual growth rate and despite the frequency of rebalancing The remainder of the paper is organized as follows Section 2 explains briefly the theoretical background of the Kelly criterion and its critiques Section 3 describes the method analytically and introduces an ad-hoc defined optimization method for the maximization of the expected growth rate of a portfolio based on the Kelly criterion An extended simulation study investigating about the effectiveness of the Kelly criterion and its properties is presented in section 4 Section 5 shows the results obtained from the application of the Kelly criterion on real data from European stocks and to both the static and dynamic portfolio optimization case Section 6 ends the paper with some concluding remarks which is the first gambler who uses the Kelly criterion to beat the Las Vegas casinos playing black jack he focuses the attention on the stock market and he became one of the most efficient trader on Wall Street Thorp shows how to use the Kelly criterion as a portfolio optimization method based on an unconstrained optimal solution as well as how to use it to decide which position is better to take w.r.t argues that stock prices are not log-normally distributed and that both excess kurtosis and skewness cannot be sufficiently captured the Kelly fractions under the hypothesis that returns follow a Student t-distribution is derived analytically Their strategy is based on some entering signals we discuss the Kelly criterion and prove its most interesting properties with various Monte Carlo simulations under different scenarios The Kelly criterion is implemented in a realistic investment situation using data from the European equity market both for a single asset and a portfolio of securities The main innovation with respect to previous studies is that portfolios are implemented such that in each period the expected growth rate is maximized despite the length of the period This is done taking into account the correlation among the assets and the hypothesis of normal distribution of returns We compare the results with the traditional portfolio optimized under the Mean-Variance approach that assumes that the investment decisions are solely made with regard to the mean and variance of returns we introduce the fundamental concepts of the Kelly criterion for discrete and continuous probability distribution as well as for both the univariate and multivariate cases Following Rotando and Thorp [27] where a favorable bet is a bet where the following condition holds An example of a favorable bet might be a biased coin where the winning probability is p > 1/2 Let us imagine that for deciding how much of our capital is allocated to the wager amount we maximize its expected value in each trial we invest all of our wealth in the game The problem with this strategy is that ruin becomes almost sure as the number of trials tends to infinity minimizing the probability of eventual ruin is not desirable as it corresponds to minimizing at the same time the expected average gain Starting from the scenario described above Kelly introduced an alternative strategy that is intermediate between maximizing gain and minimizing the probability of ruin Let's assume that the condition specified in Equation (1) still holds and we observe a winning probability 1/2 < p ≤ 1 associated to the outcome 1 and a losing probability q = (1−p) associated to the outcome −1 we suppose to bet a faction f of the initial wealth the exponential rate of the asset growth per trial is Kelly chooses to maximize the expected value of the growth rate coefficient G(f) we need to derive Equation (2) respect to f: The value of f that maximizes G(f) is f* = p − q It is also shown that f* is the unique maximum of G(f) G′(f) is monotone strictly decreasing in [0 whilst G′(0) = p − q > 0 and limf→1-1G′(f)=-∞ Plugging f* = p − q into Equation (2) we obtain since G(0) = 0 and limf→1-1G(f)=-∞ there is a unique value fc > 0 and 0 < f* < fc < 1 The growth rate function G(f) is represented in Figure 1 w.r.t different values of the fraction of wealth f Growth rate function G(f) for different proportions of wealth (f) Breiman [6] and Thorp [7] demonstrate that the final wealth of the player Wn exceed any fixed bound M when 0 < f < fc ruin is going to happen almost surely if f > fc the wealth after n trials will oscillate randomly between 0 and +∞ the Kelly criterion beats any other strategy over a long period of time and it asymptotically minimizes the time required to reach a certain level of wealth The criterion is still valid even if the probability changes over the trials a subject must choose the optimal fi* in each trial in order to maximize E[log Wn] To implement the Kelly Criterion for a portfolio of securities, it is necessary to consider the case of continuous probability distributions. Following Thorp [8] let us suppose we have an initial wealth W0 and we want to determine the optimal betting fraction f* to invest each time in a financial asset for a financial asset there is no finite number of outcomes of a bet thus we cannot use discrete distributions but we need to refer to continuous distributions where P(x) is a probability measure for the outcome and f is the fraction of invested capital We assume a constraint 1 + fx > 0 in order to avoid undefined logarithms If the outcomes of x are distributed as a symmetric random variable around E(x) = μ with Var(x) = σ2 With this assumption we are simplifying the experiment of investing in the stock market by splitting it into two separate outcomes the return per unit of investment is μ + σ otherwise it is μ − σ where r is the return obtained on a risk-free asset the expected growth rate g(f) is defined as if the time interval is divided into n sub-intervals of the same length it is possible to consider n independent random variables xi with mean μn and variance σ2n The ratio between the final wealth Wn(f) and the initial wealth W0 is The expectation of the natural logarithm on both sides of Equation (4) gives g(f) which is represented with a second order Taylor approximation centered in f = 0 U = ±1 is a symmetric Bernoulli random variable and the expansion log(1+u)=u-u22+O(u3) As n→∞,O(n12) approaches 0 The optimal Kelly fraction f is found maximizing g∞(f) the limit value W=defW∞(f) of Wn(f) corresponds to a log normal diffusion process with an underlying security having mean μ and variance σ2 This is a well-known model for securities' prices g∞(f) is the instantaneous growth rate of the invested capital characterized by a betting fraction f Betting the optimal fraction f* leads to a growth rate Beside investing in a single financial asset it is also possible to compose portfolios optimized under the Kelly criterion In the following we use the term Kelly portfolio to refer to such a kind of portfolio Consider a risk-free asset with a portfolio fraction f0 and n risky assets with portfolio fraction f1,… Let r be the return of the risk-free asset corresponding to the borrowing rate as well as to the rate paid in the case of selling is the variance-covariance matrix of assets' returns and M=(μ1,μ2,…,μn)T is the row vector of the expected returns for the n assets Equation (11) corresponds to a quadratic maximization problem with an unconstrained solution: A unique solution of Equation (12) requires the existence of Σ−1 In the case of uncorrelated assets' returns the variance-covariance matrix Σ is diagonal and the optimal fraction The Kelly portfolios are optimized under the no leverage and no short selling conditions Applying roughly Equation (12) under these conditions would lead us to consider a unconstrained portfolio we consider the maximization of the expected growth rate g* under no short and no leverage constraints and M have been defined in Equations (10) and (11) and Σ^ is the plug-in estimator of the variance-covariance matrix Σ The maximization of g* is constrained on portfolio weights fi defined in [0 that is: to the fully invested capital condition The optimization criterion specified in Equation (13) is a quadratic maximization problem allowing us to determine the fractions of wealth to be allocated to each single equity All the computations presented in the following are performed using the R software for statistical computing [29] installed on a PC equipped with a Intel i9 5.3 GHz processor. In particular, the quadprog [30] library is used to implement the optimization method introduced in section 2.2.3 for Kelly portfolios and the library fPortfolio [31] is used to define portfolio compositions based on the Markowitz method In the previous sections we have described the Kelly criterion and its properties we perform some experiments through Monte Carlo simulations to test if the optimal Kelly strategy outperforms risk-averse and risk-seeking analogs of a financial asset whose returns are normally distributed The stock prices are considered continuous random variables that moves up and down in a random way stock prices are supposed to be realizations of stochastic processes A model that fits well with these assumptions is the Geometric Brownian Motion (GBM) we assume we have two financial assets only: the first one is risky with annual mean return μ = 12% and annual volatility σ = 40%; the second one is a risk-free asset with constant annual interest rate rf = 1% thus converting the above-mentioned risk-return measures to daily rates we get: Based on Equation (9) the optimal Kelly fraction is f* = 0.6875 The daily returns are defined through the following GBM specification: where Zi has a standard normal distribution an investor that puts the Kelly fraction f* will receive: the fraction of wealth not invested in the risky asset is placed in the risk-free one whilst the part invested in the stock market with the simulated return rt is added to the wealth at the end of the previous period Wt besides the Full Kelly strategy other alternative strategies are considered • Half Kelly: where fHK=12f*=0.34375 • Double Kelly: where fDK=2f*=1.375 • Triple Kelly: where fTK=3f*=2.0625 The Half Kelly strategy represents a more risk adverse investor whilst the Double and Triple Kelly strategies indicate investors that are seeking for risk Since double and triple Kelly fractions are >1 the investor is forced to leverage his wealth going short on the risk-free asset He borrows money to invest more than his wealth the data generating process is repeated 100 an equivalent number of trades is considered each time Those different scenarios are run using Monte Carlo simulations with 10,000 trajectories Table 1 shows the value of the final wealth after 100 trades realized on the 10,000 simulated GBM trajectories defined in Equation (14) and obtained from an initial wealth equal to 1 The results show a trade-off between mean and standard deviation of the final wealth Increasing the bet size induces an increase in the average final wealth although the highest median value of the final wealth is obtained from the Full Kelly strategy the more the amount invested in the stock at each individual trade increases the more the probability to lose money at the end of 100 trades increases the probability to double the initial wealth increases as the fraction size increases while the time to reach the target level of wealth decreases there is no strategy able to increase 10-fold the initial wealth with the number of maximum trades fixed at 100 These results contradict the theory underlying the Kelly criterion and lead us to the conclusion that 100 trades are too few for the criterion to work properly Table 2 shows the results of the final wealth after 1,000 trades realized on the 10,000 simulated GBM trajectories defined in Equation (14) and obtained from an initial wealth equal to 1 still provide evidence about a trade-off between mean and standard deviation and confirm that the Full Kelly strategy has the highest median value of the final wealth compared to the other strategies whilst the median of the final wealth always increases except in the case of the Triple Kelly The probability that the final wealth is below the initial one always decreases except in the case of the Triple Kelly it is possible to argue that over betting can still bring high returns in terms of the final wealth but at the cost of a very high risk the probability for the final wealth to exceed a pre-specified target value increases in the case of risk-seeking strategies The riskiest strategies need less time to reach these goals These results are still not sufficient to support the properties of the Kelly criterion thus 1,000 days of trades are not enough to be considered as a long term investment in a Kelly's perspective Table 3 reports the information about the final wealth after 10,000 trades realized on the 10,000 simulated GBM trajectories defined in Equation (14) and obtained from an initial wealth equal to 1 we can notice that mean and standard deviation increase as the bet size increases This result is consistent with the previous simulations The full Kelly has the highest median value of the final wealth whilst the corresponding result for the Triple Kelly is lower than the initial wealth The probability that the final wealth is below the initial one decreases considerably compared to the previous two simulations except for the Triple Kelly the investor is losing his wealth almost 80% of the times over betting three times the optimal Kelly fraction is not really a wise strategy because the higher risk is not compensated by a corresponding higher reward These results demonstrate that 10,000 trades seems sufficient to prove the well-known problem of over betting but still the Full Kelly does not beat the other strategies the Full Kelly strategy beats all the other essentially different strategies even if we do not know the exact outcomes of the bets but we just know their probability distribution we summarize the main findings of the three experiments based on 100 The results obtained for the short term scenario do not support the main property of the Kelly criterion the only meaningful outcome is that the Full Kelly has the highest median value of the final wealth and that over betting leads to higher reward but at the cost of higher risk The results do not change much in the 1,000 trades case: over betting still lead to high return but again at the cost of a higher risk whilst under betting tends to reduce the risk as in the Half Kelly strategy In the very long term scenario (40,000 monthly trades) the Full Kelly is finally able to beat any other essentially different strategy the Full Kelly is the fastest strategy to reach any wealth goal and provides the highest value of the final mean wealth the Triple Kelly strategy implicates sure ruin leading to a higher growth but with a lower risk Figure 2 shows the experiment counterpart of Figure 1 the most plausible scenario for the Kelly criterion to work well standard deviation and median obtained from the simulations are summarized in the levels of mean log wealth The Full Kelly maximizes the expected logarithm of the final wealth and it is possible to notice that under betting can still have a positive growth requires more attention as it could lead to disastrous events in the long run This is the case of the Triple Kelly strategy (the final wealth is very close to zero) the mean final wealth is higher than the initial one but nevertheless lower than that obtained with both the Half and Full Kelly Mean log-wealth obtained for the different Kelly strategies in the 10,000 trades case we evaluate the performance of the Kelly Criterion used either on single stocks or on portfolios composed with equities listed in the EuroStoxx50 We evaluate the performance of different portfolios created using the mean-variance approach We consider Banca Intesa as the reference stock It concerns one of the major Italian banks and it is listed in both the FTSEMIB and the EuroStoxx50 indexes Daily returns are computed from the adjusted prices observed on daily basis from January 1 The distribution of the observed returns has mean μ = 0.000407 and variance σ2 = 0.000712 We consider an annual constant risk-free rate of 1% that converted on daily basis corresponds to: rdaily=0.01252=3.968254e5 To compute the optimal (Full) Kelly fraction we plug the risk/return information into Equation (9) The trading strategy is implemented as follows We consider a full Kelly portfolio composed of Banca Intesa and the risk-free asset that is rebalanced in each trading day to keep the portfolio weights of the two assets fixed The portfolio value at time t + 1 is given by where rft and rBIt are the observed returns for the risk-free asset and Banca Intesa whilst Wt-(Wt·f*) and Wt·f* are their portfolio weights This strategy is compared with the Half Kelly the Triple Kelly and the buy-and-hold strategies considering Banca Intesa as a unique asset and that the risk-free rate corresponds to the borrowing rate The cumulative returns obtained from the different strategies are represented in Figure 3 The Full Kelly strategy has the highest final wealth and reaches the maximum wealth during the sample period The Triple Kelly goes almost close to ruin thus the investor using this strategy would have lost most of his wealth after 12 years of investment The Half Kelly has the second highest final wealth and in the periods of high volatility and negative returns is the best-performing strategy This result supports the motivations underlying the widespread use of this strategy among practitioners Both Half Kelly and Full Kelly over performed the buy and hold strategy (Banca Intesa) and this finding further supports the good properties of the Kelly criterion Cumulative returns for Kelly strategies on the Banca Intesa equity (daily data) we report three performance indicators for the compared strategies namely the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) The Half and Full Kelly over-perform the Buy and Hold strategy Results obtained for the Triple Kelly portfolio confirm that over-investment can have disastrous outcomes Risk-Return performance measurements for the compared strategies in the single equity case (daily data) this simple example shows that the Kelly Criterion can suggest the optimal way to maximize the final wealth in all cases when the mean and variance of a stock are known or they can be estimated accurately we use real data to compute the optimal Kelly portfolio aimed at maximizing the expected growth rate g* according to Equation (13) and compare these portfolios with that created under the standard Markowitz approach We perform both an in-sample and out-of-sample analysis either in a static or rolling way We compare the portfolio optimized under the Full Kelly criterion and the optimization method introduced in section 2.2.3 with the efficient portfolio optimized using the mean-variance approach on a data set composed of daily returns of 42 equities listed in the EuroStoxx50 index: Adidas The other equities composing the Eurostoxx50 (Airbus and Volskwagen) are excluded from the analysis as they show missing values and/or were included in the index after the year 2000 Table 6 shows weights, return and risk of the tangent portfolio (the portfolio that maximizes the Sharpe Ratio) composed considering an annual risk free rate of 1%, whilst Table 7 shows the characteristics of the optimal Kelly portfolio Composition of the Tangent Portfolio for in-sample (monthly) data Composition of the Optimal Full Kelly Portfolio for in-sample (monthly) data Results show that the Kelly portfolio is less diversified with respect to the tangent portfolio as it is composed of three assets only whilst the latter includes eight assets Comparing the expected returns and risk of the two models the Kelly portfolio gives the investor a higher expected return of0.256% per month but it bears a greater standard deviation (2.342%) the difference in risk is really negligible if considered in relative terms comparing the values of coefficient of variation These findings are consistent with the previous literature, particularly with Laureti et al. [32] which called this phenomenon “portfolio condensation,” and with Estrada [4] which reports that portfolios built under the Kelly criterion are less diversified and higher risk compared to those composed with the goal of maximizing risk-adjusted returns The same findings can be observed in Figure 4 It shows the efficient frontier composed of 50 portfolios optimized using the Markowitz criterion the equally weighted portfolio and the tangent portfolio the capital market line and the optimal Full Kelly portfolio are also represented Efficient Frontier and optimal portfolios (monthly data) we can see that the optimal Full Kelly portfolio is located on the efficient frontier but rather far from the capital market line Its position in the mean-variance space confirms that it shows both a higher risk and a higher return compared to the other represented portfolios Finally, Figure 5 shows the cumulative returns of the four portfolios previously represented in the mean-variance space (Figure 4) In-sample cumulative returns of portfolios (monthly data) It is possible to notice that 1 unit of wealth invested in the Full Kelly portfolio grew more than 25 times at the end of the period whilst in the same period the min-variance and the equally-weighted portfolios are valued less than one third of the value of the Kelly portfolio The latter is also valued more than the tangent portfolio but In the previous section we discuss the similarities and differences of portfolio composed with respect to the Kelly or the Markowitz optimization criteria we investigate about the behavior of the two criteria when portfolios are optimized in a dynamic manner using a rolling optimization approach The latter considers a lookback period th = (t − h,… t) and defines the portfolio composition at time t~ (t~=th,th+1,…,Th) according to the following algorithm: Compute mean and variance-covariance matrix of the assets' returns observed in t~ Compute the portfolio weights using a specific optimization method [Kelly portfolios implemented in Equation (13) or Markowitz] with inputs identified in step 1 Repeat steps 1 to 3 for t~∈(th+1,...,T) at each time point the portfolio is rebalanced based on the results obtained when optimizing w.r.t data observed in the most recent h time points we use data of the 42 equities listed in the EuroStoxx 50 and consider their monthly returns from January 2007 to December 2018 (144 observations) The rolling lookback period h is set to 24 months (2 years) we assume the investment starts on the 25-th month and the portfolio is rebalanced monthly we compare the performances of the tangent portfolio the minimum variance portfolio and the optimal Full Kelly portfolio The results can be seen in Figure 6 Out of sample cumulative returns for 24-months rolling portfolios (monthly data) that they call the “1/N rule” has an important advantage over classical diversification methods: it is not exposed to estimation errors that cause investors who follow for example the Markowitz rules to either over-invest or under-invest in a given security the “1/N rule” may actually outperform the classical diversification methods in the out-of-sample framework Out of sample performance of the 24-months rolling portfolios (monthly data) which measures the performance of a portfolio compared to a benchmark index in our case the Equally weighted portfolio Results for IR shows that the only portfolio having a positive IR thus over-performing the equally weighted portfolio is the rolling Kelly whilst the other two portfolios do not consistently beat the benchmark We investigate about the effect of changes in the width of the rolling window or in the frequency of returns on the compound annual growth rate through a sensitivity analysis, whose results are shown in Table 9 We compared the CAGR and the annualized standard deviation of the mean-variance portfolio and of the Kelly portfolio considering different lengths of the window width Results in Table 9 reports values of the two metrics (CAGR and annualized standard deviation) using a short window width (2 years of returns) to compute both the expected average returns and variance-covariance matrix the rolling Kelly portfolio performs outstandingly better than the tangent portfolio the 2-years window width case produces the best performance of the rolling Kelly portfolio despite of both other possible lengths of the window width and the time frequency of returns (daily The opposite happens for the tangent portfolio: longer windows lead to higher returns We conjecture that this result is driven by the nature of the Kelly criterion The latter points out the best size of the bet that maximizes the final wealth of the gambler/investor it is reasonable to argue that the Kelly criterion is able to capture very well the short term trends of the returns a set of stocks the Kelly portfolio still works fine when the width of the rolling window increases in length CAGR is usually unfavorable if we use weekly returns results provide evidence that daily returns lead to portfolios with higher CAGR and higher standard deviation respect to monthly and weekly returns This is probably from the higher frequency of rebalancing that portfolio optimized on daily returns have compared to those optimized using weekly or monthly returns the rolling Kelly portfolio performs well if the window width is small (2 years in our study) and it is possible to create small portfolios rebalanced on daily basis the rolling Kelly portfolio performs worst compared to the rolling tangent portfolios the standard deviation of Kelly portfolio is larger and of course it tends to grow as the frequency of returns increases This paper shows the theoretical framework of the Kelly criterion as a portfolio optimization method The criterion was introduced with the purpose of improving information theory but thanks to the work of various economists and researchers it was applied as a stock market investment strategy all the properties of the Kelly criterion for a continuous probability distribution of returns We also showed that ignoring the optimal bet size can lead to unpleasant outcomes if the fraction of the capital is greater than that suggested by the Kelly criterion whilst it can be a reasonable risk adverse strategy if the bet size is lower Increasing the number of trades and the frequency of rebalancing increases the performance of the Kelly portfolio but with higher risk this increasing number of trades increases the transition costs which were not taken into account in this work rebalancing too frequently does not seem a wise decision both the Kelly and the Tangent portfolios is not wise the optimization works at its best if the window width is large 2 years and with daily rebalancing If the gamble is favorable or the probability distribution of returns is known no other strategy can beat the Kelly criterion in the long run if it is followed diligently Estimation 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This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) *Correspondence: Claudio Conversano, Y29udmVyc2FAdW5pY2EuaXQ= Nicole Gillo has rejoined EnsembleIQ as senior editor of CGT after spending several years helping a major retail corporation grow its e-commerce presence. She previously served as group managing editor for CGT and its sister publication, RIS. Gillo is a graduate of Monmouth University with a B.A. in English.  The position will fill the vacancy being created by the retirement of Sue Liddie, group vice president and chief information officer, but will encompass additional responsibilities including leading Avon's digital strategy. Conversano will report to Jonathan Myers, executive vice president and chief operating officer, and to chief executive officer Jan Zijderveld in his duties leading a new digital board for Avon. He will be responsible for developing a new digital strategy as a foundational element of Avon's future plans while building, developing and standardizing technology solutions and delivery across the global organization. The digital board will comprise digital, commercial and other business leaders. "This is an exciting time for Avon and I am eager to jump in ... during a turnaround," said Conversano. "I look forward to working with Jan, Jonathan and Avon's executive leadership team to grow the company's digital platform for the six million representatives and their customers and to execute a strong global IT strategy to drive efficiencies across the organization." Conversano has experience developing and implementing digital, e-commerce and IT strategies across global organizations. He most recently served as global CIO at Jeronimo Martins, an international food, health and beauty retailer, where he was responsible for global strategy to "grow efficient, digital and consumer-relevant" transformation.    "I would like to thank Sue Liddie for many achievements during the last eight years with the business.  She has helped to transform the IT function, while helping to deliver some key representative IT initiatives into key markets," added Zijderveld.   Additionally, Avon has appointed Heather Payne as chief technology officer, reporting into Conversano. She previously served as CTO for DMG media (Daily Mail Group) where she oversaw IT changes across all functions of the business, including completing the transformation of technology and change process and co-creating the innovation strategy for the business.  Prior to this, Payne was group head of IT for hotel inventory and complementary at Thomas Cook Group, where she was responsible for a program that established a new business model, platform and organization, leading teams across Europe. She also held senior roles in IT for Hotels4U, Avis and Ford.  The field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has seen a major shift in recent years due to the development of new Machine Learning (ML) models such as Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT). GPT has achieved previously unheard-of levels of accuracy in most computerized language processing tasks and their chat-based variations. The aim of this study was to investigate the problem-solving abilities of ChatGPT using two sets of verbal insight problems, with a known performance level established by a sample of human participants. A total of 30 problems labeled as “practice problems” and “transfer problems” were administered to ChatGPT. ChatGPT's answers received a score of “0” for each incorrectly answered problem and a score of “1” for each correct response. The highest possible score for both the practice and transfer problems was 15 out of 15. The solution rate for each problem (based on a sample of 20 subjects) was used to assess and compare the performance of ChatGPT with that of human subjects. Volume 6 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/frai.2023.1199350 Backgrounds: The field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has seen a major shift in recent years due to the development of new Machine Learning (ML) models such as Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) GPT has achieved previously unheard-of levels of accuracy in most computerized language processing tasks and their chat-based variations Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the problem-solving abilities of ChatGPT using two sets of verbal insight problems with a known performance level established by a sample of human participants Materials and methods: A total of 30 problems labeled as “practice problems” and “transfer problems” were administered to ChatGPT ChatGPT's answers received a score of “0” for each incorrectly answered problem and a score of “1” for each correct response The highest possible score for both the practice and transfer problems was 15 out of 15 The solution rate for each problem (based on a sample of 20 subjects) was used to assess and compare the performance of ChatGPT with that of human subjects Results: The study highlighted that ChatGPT can be trained in out-of-the-box thinking and demonstrated potential in solving verbal insight problems The global performance of ChatGPT equalled the most probable outcome for the human sample in both practice problems and transfer problems as well as upon their combination ChatGPT answer combinations were among the 5% of most probable outcomes for the human sample both when considering practice problems and pooled problem sets These findings demonstrate that ChatGPT performance on both set of problems was in line with the mean rate of success of human subjects indicating that it performed reasonably well Conclusions: The use of transformer architecture and self-attention in ChatGPT may have helped to prioritize inputs while predicting contributing to its potential in verbal insight problem-solving ChatGPT has shown potential in solving insight problems thus highlighting the importance of incorporating AI into psychological research it is acknowledged that there are still open challenges further research is required to fully understand AI's capabilities and limitations in verbal problem-solving The latest and most advanced language model developed is known as GPT and has been trained on a massive amount of text data from the internet It can generate human-like text and perform various language tasks such as translation GPT-3 enables a personalized conversation with an AI bot capable of providing detailed responses to questions (prompts) at significant speed GPT-3 is a deep learning autoregressive language model (a simple feed-forward model) that produces human-like text from a set of words given in a specific context the ability of the LLM to mathematically represent words in context is presumably largely responsible for its success The Transformer-based model is a specific neural network architecture introduced by Vaswani et al. (2017) in “Attention is all you need” (2017) and has become the foundation of many state-of-the-art models in Natural Language Processing (NPL) The main innovation of transformer architecture is the use of attention mechanisms which allow the model to selectively focus on different parts of the input during its processing and thus to understand more effectively the relationships between words and phrases in the input attention allows the association of distant portions of text within a sentence; for example it enables the understanding that in the sentence “the boy chasing the horse is fat,” “fat” refers to the boy and not the horse that are trained on vast quantities of text and rely on an attention mechanism One of the most efficient training systems is the one used in GPT-3 which involves predicting the next word in a sentence; for example by displaying the sentence “the dog barks and the cat…,” it predicts the word “meows.” Fine-tuning is a method used for training a pre-trained transformer-based model on a new dataset with the aim of adapting it to a specific task This is achieved by training the model on a smaller dataset that is specific to a certain task while maintaining the weights from the pre-trained model fixed This procedure enables the model to employ the knowledge that it has learned from the larger dataset to quickly learn how to perform a new task The purpose of the present work was to evaluate the ability of ChatGPT in solving verbal insight problems from two sets of problems, both of which were originally solved by a group of 20 human participants in a study conducted by Ansburg and Dominowski (2000) The aim of this evaluation was twofold: firstly to determine whether ChatGPT could solve these types of verbal insight problems which are typically associated with human intelligence and have been previously considered challenging for computers to solve; secondly to compare ChatGPT's problem-solving abilities to those of humans the present study sought to assess the potential of ChatGPT as an intelligent tool for problem-solving and to explore the extent to which machine intelligence can match or surpass human intelligence in this domain the study begins by providing (i) a framework to better understand problem-solving; (ii) a summary of the state-of-the-art classification techniques used in speech contexts and of the transformer architecture emphasizing the components involved in encoding and decoding; (iii) the major findings are then presented; (vi) finally and potential futures directions are discussed This type of classification requires only a single model to learn all those stages in between initial inputs and the final outputs There are two basic methods for analyzing sequential data in text or speech; these methods are referred to as Transformers and Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) RNNs generate a vector from a sequence in order to capture the meaning of an entire sentence a strategy that performs poorly when dealing with long and complex sentences the transformer architecture was specifically designed to overcome this RNN limitation by introducing a self-attention mechanism Encoding and decoding components in a machine translation application Encoder and decoder structure and sublayers Thirty verbal insight problems were administered to ChatGPT, as listed in the study by Ansburg and Dominowski (2000): the first set of 15 problems was referred to as “practice problems,” while the second set of 15 problems was referred to as “transfer problems” (see Ansburg and Dominowski, 2000; Appendix A The two sets of problems were only used to verify the ability of ChatGPT to solve verbal problem-solving tasks not to replicate their experimental procedure The remaining verbal tasks were then subsequently presented and relevant feedback was provided to ChatGPT based on the correct/incorrect answer given The correct answer is + solution” or “The answer is not correct The correct answer is + solution.” Our intention was to utilize only the stimuli from Ansburg and Dominowski Problem-solving tasks: the 15 practice problems and solutions (correct answers) the score attributed (answer accuracy) and solution rate of the human sample Problem-solving tasks: the 15 transfer problems and solutions (correct answers) Putative between-set differences were estimated both for ChatGPT and for the human sample (n = 20) In the former case significance was assessed using Fischer Exact Test while in the latter by performing a Wilcoxon rank sum test on the solution rates descriptive statistics are presented as median and interquartile ranges (25 percentile-75 percentile) For both problem sets, the probability distribution related to each possible total score (i.e., number of correct answers) on the human sample (see Supplementary material 1) was estimated Note that the most likely outcome is the score showing the higher occurrence probability The kth score probability was obtained as follows: - The set of all possible answer combinations was first identified let us consider a score of three (three correct answers out of fifteen): such a score can be obtained by various combinations of answers their number equalling the binomial coefficient (153) for each kth score (kth ranging from 0 to 15) all answer combinations composed by k correct answers were identified (the total number of combinations Ckth(n,k) is equal to: n!k!(n-k)!) the probability associated with the ki combination was computed (ki∈kth as: pki=∏j∈kipj*∏j∈(n-ki)(1-pj ) the total probability of obtaining a total score of kth was obtained as the sum of the related probabilities over the entire set of combinations (Ckth): pkth=∑ki∈ Ckthpki the most likely outcome in the human sample was compared (i.e. the total score showing the highest occurrence probability) to the total score obtained by ChatGPT It should be noted that this test accounts for the similarities between humans and ChatGPT global performance on a set of problems irrespective of paired differences/similarities related to the performance on the single problems within the set Among possible answer combinations leading to a total score equal to that obtained by ChatGPT those corresponding to ChatGPT answer combinations were identified and subsequently compared to the occurrence probability of all other answer patterns leading to the same total score The same analyses were then conducted by pooling together the two problem sets This choice was motivated by the utility of having a general view of ChatGPT performance as compared to that of the human population independently of the problem type and the related solution strategy The appropriateness of the pooling in based on the fact that the number of problems is balanced across the two sets (15 problems each) The performance of ChatGPT on practice and transfer problems are shown in Tables 1, 2 Each table displays the problems assigned to ChatGPT as well as the proper solutions (correct answers) the score obtained (answer accuracy) and the solution rate of the human sample The performance of ChatGPT was subsequently compared with those of a sample of individuals (n = 20) in the two sets of problems Notably, for both sets of problems, ChatGPT performance (i.e., the number of correct answers) was equal to the total score of the human sample showing the highest occurrence probability, as clearly apparen from Figures 3A, B Human sample outcome probabilities: outcome probabilities for each possible total score (i.e. range 0–15) are presented for the Practice set (A) the Transfer set (B) and the pooled set [(C) the outcome with the highest probability is highlighted in black the total score with the highest probability is equal to the performance of ChatGPT for both for each set of problems and for the pooled set For each problem set, all answer combinations leading to the total ChatGPT score was identified (see Figures 4A, B) and their occurrence probability on the human sample estimated (see Figures 3A, B) the ensemble of combinations included that of ChatGPT: Answer patterns equalling the ChatGPT total score: for each set of problems all possible answer combinations leading to a score equal to that obtained by ChatGPT are presented [Practice set rows correspond to all possible combinations and columns to the answers Each matrix element identifies a possible answer within a combination (black = correct The matrix related to the pooled set is not presented as the number of possible combinations exceeded 86,000,000 and as such the image would have been unintelligible First set of problems (practice problems): [0 Second set of problems (transfer problems): [1 Distributions of answer combination probabilities equalling ChatGPT score: for each set of problems the distribution of probabilities associated with all possible answer combinations leading to a total score equal to that obtained by ChatGPT is presented using a scatterplot and 95th percentiles of the distribution are highlighted by black horizontal lines whereas the probability associated with answer combinations equalling that of ChatGPT is identified by a black dot in each plot a down sampled number of combinations and probabilities are presented using a logarithmic scale (y-axis) As a further step the two sets of problems were pooled together This choice was supported by the following three main points: The number of problems was balanced across the two sets (15 problems each) 2. ChatGPT performance on the Practice set was not significantly different from that obtained on the Transfer set (Fischer Exact Test, p < 0.72, see Supplementary material 1) 3. The median solution rate of the human population on the Practice set was not significantly different from that obtained on the transfer set (Wilcoxon rank sum test, z = 1.53, p < 0.13, Supplementary material 2) When considering the pooled datasets, ChatGPT performance (i.e., number of correct answers = 12), was again equal to the total score of the human population showing the highest occurrence probability (Figure 3A). The ChatGPT combination (p ≅7.61e-09) was above the threshold identifying the 5% percentile of those patterns showing the highest occurrence probability in the human sample (p ≅ 7.35e-09, see Figure 5C) thus indicating an association between the human sample problem by problem performance and that of ChatGPT including when considering the entire dataset In the current study, ChatGPT was provided with two sets of verbal insight problems, namely one set of practice and one of transfer problems (each set consisting of 15 problems, for a total of 30 problems). The score was assigned based on the accuracy of the answers provided by ChatGPT. The study's findings revealed that the global performance of ChatGPT was equal, as apparent from Figure 3 to the one showing the highest occurrence probability in the human sample: this finding is consistent for the practice These results indicate that ChatGPT performance on both tasks (and on the pooled tasks) were completely in line with those of the average human subject indicating that it performed similarly to humans both when considering the practice and the pooled problem sets the ChatGPT answers' combination occurrence probability was above the threshold identifying the 5% percentile of those combinations (producing the same total score) showing the highest occurrence probability in the human sample This was not the case for the transfer problems set It is therefore evident that the number of tasks that an associator is unable to solve is gradually reducing and future research will have to identify limits that cannot be pushed any further as LLMs become ever more competent While this study sheds light on the “behavior” of ChatGPT when dealing with verbal problems it presents some limitations: (i) the size of the sample representative of humans (n = 20) to which ChatGPT was compared additional testing is required to validate the results herein presented; (ii) the study examined the performance of ChatGPT using only a single version of the model it would be beneficial to replicate the current study with more recent and/or advanced versions of the model in order to verify whether there has been any improvement; (iii) finally the study only examined ChatGPT performance on verbal insight problems; it would be of utter interest to investigate how the model performs on other types of problems or tasks while this study provides some evidence that ChatGPT performance on verbal insight problems is similar to those of an average human subject it is important to recognize its limitations and to continue exploring both the potential and limitations of the model in future studies Additional research may be carried out in order to expand on the methods and findings presented in this study allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of the capabilities and limitations of ChatGPT and other LLMs The data analyzed in this study is subject to the following licenses/restrictions: The dataset used and analyzed during the current study is available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Requests to access these datasets should be directed to Z3JhemllbGxhLm9ycnVAdW5pcGkuaXQ= GO and AP: contributed to data acquisition and writing the final version of the manuscript All authors revised the manuscript critically and gave final approval of the version to be published All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frai.2023.1199350/full#supplementary-material CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Neural machine translation by jointly learning to align and translate Google Scholar Dell'Osso The inflammatory hypothesis of mood spectrum broadened to fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome Bert: pre-training of deep bidirectional transformers for language understanding Google Scholar Alternate fluency in Parkinson's disease: a machine learning analysis The Principles of Psychology Volume II By William James CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Google Scholar Google Scholar A simple way to initialize recurrent networks of rectified linear units Google Scholar “Independently recurrent neural network (indrnn): building a longer and deeper rnn,” in Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (Salt Lake City Loconte, R., Orrù, G., Tribastone, M., Pietrini, P., and Sartori, G. 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This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) *Correspondence: Graziella Orrù, Z3JhemllbGxhLm9ycnVAdW5pcGkuaXQ= Over one year, we conducted 300 FNAC procedures under ultrasound guidance, employing both 22-gauge and 25-gauge needles. In no patient was local anesthesia performed before starting the procedure, which in all was performed by the same operator. Similarly the cytological examination of the material taken was performed by a single operator. Patients, 105 males and 195 females, were divided into two groups of 150 each based on the needle size used. Patients treated with 22-gauge needles reported higher levels of pain during the procedure and increased discomfort afterward. Similarly, a greater incidence of hematomas and vasovagal reactions was noted in this group. However, the cell sample obtained and diagnostic response rates were consistent across both groups. On the basis of our observations we concluded that the size of the needle used is irrelevant for the purposes of the diagnostic result, as long as the procedure is performed by expert personnel. However, the 25-gauge needle is preferable because it's more tolerated and accepted by patients. Our results do not represent a single and conclusive verdict, but they could represent the starting point for further research. Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Volume 11 - 2024 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fsurg.2024.1368614 This article is part of the Research TopicThyroid and Parathyroid Surgery: New and Emerging ConceptsView all 11 articles Background: Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is an invasive diagnostic technique which is widely used for the cytological diagnosis of thyroid nodules This procedure is generally widely tolerated by patients albeit often accompanied by local pain and discomfort Despite various proposals of execution methods no approach is universally accepted,especially regarding the size of the needle to be used for sampling Needle gauge preferences vary across regions with 25-gauge needles more common in Western countries and 22-gauge needles favored in Asian countries Complications associated with larger needles have been studied but remain inconclusive we conducted 300 FNAC procedures under ultrasound guidance employing both 22-gauge and 25-gauge needles In no patient was local anesthesia performed before starting the procedure which in all was performed by the same operator Similarly the cytological examination of the material taken was performed by a single operator were divided into two groups of 150 each based on the needle size used Results: Patients treated with 22-gauge needles reported higher levels of pain during the procedure and increased discomfort afterward a greater incidence of hematomas and vasovagal reactions was noted in this group the cell sample obtained and diagnostic response rates were consistent across both groups Conclusion: On the basis of our observations we concluded that the size of the needle used is irrelevant for the purposes of the diagnostic result as long as the procedure is performed by expert personnel the 25-gauge needle is preferable because it's more tolerated and accepted by patients Our results do not represent a single and conclusive verdict but they could represent the starting point for further research Few studies have compared the results obtained using needles of different gauges, and in most cases, the results are controversial, as other factors likely contribute to the determination of outcomes (10) we wanted to initiate a study in our group where the results obtained using two different gauges of fine needles for the procedure were compared: needles with a gauge of 22 G and needles of 25 G We conducted our observations prospectively assigning patients to one of the two groups with a 1 to 1 ratio All procedures were performed by a single operator and a single cytopathologist this to minimize biases due to the technique Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science Data are presented as number and percentage For bivariate two-sided comparisons between the Group 22G and the Group 25G Chi-squared test or Fisher's exact test were used for categorical variables whereas the Mann–Whitney U test was applied for continuous variables Differences were considered significant at p-values <0.05 The mean value of the procedure time was the same (p-value 0.150) as well as the comparison of the samples obtained (p-value 0.906) and the cytology results divided into Bethesda categories (p-value 0.679) showed no differences Our observations indicate that the only differences found were in patient-reported pain and the occurrence of postprocedural hematoma and that the 25G needle offers fewer complications Table 3 Results of thyroid aspiration cytology using 22- and 25-gauge needles The high costs and the difficulty in finding them influenced our choices however in the near future it is our intention use them to have a broader and more conclusive comparison Our results represent only a single experience and certainly cannot be considered conclusive The studies involving humans were approved by Head of the Department of Surgery and Traumatology The studies were conducted in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements The participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study Written informed consent was obtained from the individual(s) for the publication of any potentially identifiable images or data included in this article RT: Writing – review & editing The author(s) declare that no financial support was received for the research The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy: historical aspects Thyroid nodules; interpretation and importance of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) for the clinician - practical considerations Causes of misdiagnoses by thyroid fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC): our experience and a systematic review SFE-AFCE-SFMN 2022 consensus on the management of thyroid nodules: epidemiology and challenges in the management of thyroid nodules Features and diagnostic accuracy of fine needle aspiration cytology of thyroid nodules: retrospective study from Oman Accuracy and cost-effectiveness of fine needle aspiration biopsy The 2023 Bethesda system for reporting thyroid cytopathology Management of surgical diseases of thyroid gland indications of the united Italian society of endocrine surgery (SIUEC) A comprehensive assessment of the harms of fine-needle aspiration biopsy for thyroid nodules: a systematic review Optimal needle size for thyroid fine needle aspiration cytology Thyroid aspiration cytology: current status Clinical complications following thyroid fine-needle biopsy: a systematic review Effects of fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) nodule depth on pain score Frequency and intensity of pain related to thyroid nodule fine-needle aspiration cytology Comparison of cytological adequacy and pain scale score in ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration of solid thyroid nodules for liquid-based cytology with 23- and 25-gauge needles: a single-center prospective study Ultrasound-guided thyroid nodule fine-needle biopsies–comparison of sample adequacy with different sampling techniques and with/without onsite cytological analysis Needle size and sample adequacy in ultrasound-guided biopsy of thyroid nodules Google Scholar Comparison study of the adequacy and pain scale of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration of solid thyroid nodules with a 21- or 23-gauge needle for liquid-based cytology: a single-center study Comparison of 21 and 27 gauge needles for determining sample adequacy in the aspiration biopsy of thyroid nodules Comparison of different-gauge needles for fine-needle aspiration biopsy of thyroid nodules Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration of thyroid nodules: a consensus statement by the Korean society of thyroid radiology Fine-needle aspiration biopsies of thyroid nodules Do anticoagulation medications increase the risk of haematoma in ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration of thyroid lesions Safety of ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy of neck lesions in patients taking antithrombotic/anticoagulant medications A rare case of fatal thyroid hemorrhage after fine-needle aspiration: case report and review of the literature Bilateral thyroid hematomas after fine-needle aspiration causing acute airway obstruction PubMed Abstract | Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration of thyroid nodules: factors affecting diagnostic outcomes and confounding variables Complications after fine-needle aspiration cytology: a retrospective study of 7449 consecutive thyroid nodules Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration and thyroid disease Transient vocal cord paralysis after fine-needle aspiration biopsy of thyroid tumor Comparison of ultrasound-guided fine-needle cytology quality in thyroid nodules with 22- A blinded randomized trial comparing 2 needle gauges for fine-needle biopsy of thyroid nodules Curci FP and Restini E (2024) Needle size for thyroid fine needle aspiration cytology Received: 10 January 2024; Accepted: 10 June 2024;Published: 5 July 2024 © 2024 Cianci, Tumolo, Conversano, Travaglia, Trigiante, Lantone, Lizzi, Cappiello, Montagna, Curci and Restini. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) *Correspondence: Pasquale Cianci, Y2lhbmNpZG9jMUB2aXJnaWxpby5pdA== build it over 1/11 Architect Todd Conversano is reflected in a window of his home north of Beverly Hills 2/11 Architect Todd Conversano looks toward the dining room area of the original 3/11 A detail of the “second-story” master bedroom features art and a vase of flowers 4/11 Architect Todd Conversano on the staircase that leads to the master bedroom addition a separate structure above the original house 5/11 Original shelving still stands in the center of the dining and living room area on the first floor of architect Todd Conversano’s home 6/11 Architect Todd Conversano looks into the new master bedroom on the second story.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 7/11 One of two built-in bookshelves can be found in the new master bedroom of architect Todd Conversano’s home 8/11 A pair of vases rest on original shelving in the living room.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 9/11 Architect Todd Conversano is reflected in a mirror in a new bathroom that features custom tiles.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 10/11 Todd Conversano’s master bedroom addition is built upon a framework that doesn’t actually connect with the original home other than through a staircase hidden within the aluminum siding it appears to float above the house as a second story 11/11 A side view of the home shows where the new structure rests slightly above the old structure with the gap masked by the aluminum facade Print Architect Todd Conversano never thought he’d be able to enlarge the 1950s ranch-style home he and his wife bought a decade ago Two previous geological reports on the property north of Beverly Hills suggested that it would cause drainage problems or as the couple’s young son began inviting friends to play and sleep over the need for more space away from the hubbub — specifically a master bedroom and bathroom — prompted Conversano to revisit the possibility of adding on Home tours: A peek inside the houses of Los Angeles >> “We couldn’t do it on the ground without tearing into the hillside and building a huge retaining wall,” he says “And because of the extra weight involved and earthquake requirements we couldn’t just plop something on top of the house.” Todd Conversano’s master bedroom addition is built upon a framework that doesn’t actually connect with the original home second-floor additions typically require extensive and costly structural reinforcement of the existing home two deal-breaking considerations for Conversano He designed a completely separate structure that only appears to sit on the main house “I figured out how to do it without touching the building,” he says Stunning photos, celebrity homes: Get the free weekly Hot Property newsletter >> In consultation with structural engineer Hooman Nastarin Conversano created what’s known as a moment frame to be used as a strong earthquake-resistant platform for the new construction Four concrete caissons were poured deep underground (under the existing structure) and topped with steel columns tucked in out-of-the-way locations (one in the laundry room one in the garage and two along an exterior garage wall) Steel-and-concrete beams connected the caissons below grade and steel beams linked the columns in the air A side view of the home shows where the new structure rests slightly above the old structure rectangular assemblage became the base from which Conversano cantilevered the 460-square-foot master suite over the garage leaving a gap between the underside of the addition and the shingles on the pitched roof Fire-resistant corrugated aluminum siding and smooth-troweled visually blending the two structures into one seamless hybrid facade Architect Todd Conversano on the staircase that leads to the master bedroom addition A staircase to the addition was carved out of former closet space with dry wall and paint bridging and concealing the gap between old and new Conversano estimates that he would have spent up to 50% more on the addition had he taken a traditional route which would have entailed more caissons and more beams Using just four steel columns minimized demolition and reconstruction which in turn reduced the time needed to complete the job And because only the garage and laundry room were affected his family was able to live at home with little disruption during the nine-month process “What Todd did is done in commercial projects all the time but it’s very uncommon in residential projects,” Nastarin says “I call it bypass surgery because he bypassed the house The complexity of the project was offset by working around an intact building The key was not messing with the original house.” One of two built-in bookshelves can be found in the new master bedroom of architect Todd Conversano’s home which incorporates a walk-in closet and built-in bookshelves features an exposed-beam ceiling and wood floors that echo details in the living room An angled window seat aligned with the central ceiling beam brings in natural light while glass doors in one corner of the space draw the eye past a small deck and out toward a view of the distant hills shares finishes with the bathrooms downstairs: walls of glass tile cabinetry covered in Italian laminate and countertops of engineered quartz “I like that it feels similar to the old house and not foreign,” Conversano says progressive but not crazy.” Sometimes two buildings are better than one home@latimes.com L.A. artist bends time and space in restored 1905 home Solutions to a home-building challenge in the Hollywood Hills Home of The Times: They found a Fickett house, bought into the neighborhood California Business Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map Pashà is the alter ego of Antonello Magistà that has always been his nickname: elegant A touch of austerity distinguishes him in his attire and in welcoming guests to his establishment It all began with a space where one could have tea in what had perhaps been conceived with a somewhat cosmopolitan perspective for a southern town in the '90s leading him to envision an elegant osteria capable of bringing his mother Maria Cicorella's traditional dishes to the table with Maria handling the kitchen and Antonello managing the front of the house Maria brought with her the ancient family techniques those tied to the land and cooking over an open flame Her past had made her an unwittingly knowledgeable chef but it was her studies alongside Chef Claudio Sadler that refined her skills solidifying a team effort that found its strength in the mother-son relationship a delicate balance where the bond of two nurtured the entire team the restaurant moved to the impressive seventeenth-century structure of the Seminario Vescovile: an elegant outdoor terrace surrounds the interior dining room The living stone then leads to the main dining room adorned with a few tables and Italian-made ceramics with an oriental influence and the lights create a suggestive play of shadows along the ancient arches brought his experience from working alongside renowned chefs like Carlo Cracco and Enrico Crippa to Conversano Chef Zaccardi joined Maria in the kitchen for a few months to an essential Puglia that played with renewed elegance using a few humble ingredients symbolizing a region in rebirth leading to desserts created by Pastry Chef Angelica Giannuzzi hailing from nearby Castellana Grotte and married to Antonio Zaccardi Her extraordinary skill in using plant-based ingredients in pastry earned her the title of Pastry Chef of the Year for the 2023 edition of the Gambero Rosso Guide driven by the highest ethical principles of sustainability tradition becomes a source of inspiration to go beyond simple good food and perhaps that's what earned it a rightful place on the list of the 50 Best Italian Restaurants in 2023 thanks to the young team led by floor manager Rossana Minunni and sommelier Juan Pablo Nieva capable of enchanting with tales of terroirs from distant lands The dinner begins with a welcome that subtly hints at the chef's passions: his oriental influence acquired after years with Crippa and travels in Japan and the promotion of the region and its products the indulgent flavors of the South seamlessly blend with oriental ingredients such as the squid cracker with wasabi and nori seaweed or the rice ravioli with purple cabbage and miso mayonnaise Italianity then explodes with the tartlet with the taste of onion calzone and the iconic aperitif - a Crodino popsicle with peanuts and capers mirroring the slow rhythm of nature and its fruits it encapsulates the summer in the South: memories of Bari focaccia and sun-soaked slow-cooked tomato sauce flood the senses where the best tomatoes are found in the summer blanched and blended with cucumber and ginger A fresh and almost balsamic note is added by acidic herbs The result is a tribute to "cialledda," a humble dish that regains its splendor here and the idea of sitting by the cliffs to enjoy sea urchins becomes increasingly vivid with sea urchins The dish is presented inside a black ceramic sea urchin that pricks the hands of those intent on savoring it the bitterness of coffee blends with the natural sweetness of the almond ice cream balancing the pronounced flavor of the sea urchin The local green beans are at their sweetest in the summer to mitigate the acidity found in the seasonings It's a balanced dish that doesn't seek to amaze but convinces with its simplicity this time with curiosity upon seeing camone tomato presented in thin discs topped with incredibly fresh clams and a daring tomato sauce A dish that embodies a cuisine expressed through a few ingredients It's time for barbecue baby cuttlefish with almonds and parsley Seared at the base and left almost raw on the surface it evokes the deep-rooted traditions of the Bari coast and their raw seafood takes center stage; enhanced by almond milk The first of the pasta courses is the parmigiana spaghetti paying homage to Sicily and its "pasta alla norma." Thus a red spaghetti with tomato-based dough envelops fried eggplant cream and salty sheep's ricotta pays tribute to the South with its rich yet never sharp flavors Not the same can be said for the second pasta course acidity and boldness in taste are immediate which follows the principle of "no waste" and circular cooking We move on to mushroom scaloppine a true signature of the '25 Menu created to celebrate Pashà's 25th anniversary The goal for the chef was to bring back the cult dishes of Italy a cream of champignon and porcini mushrooms Angelica Iannuzzi's touch is felt with the pre-dessert The visceral connection to the land brings vegetables into the desserts resulting in an absolute explosion of flavors where fresh hints accompany the crunch of seasonal vegetables thinly sliced and laid on a reduction of cream with passion fruit A chia seed and caramel pastry encloses cream Rosemary acts as a thread connecting the kitchen in a mutual effort to present not-so-sweet desserts where sugar yields to the natural sweetness of the raw materials used The perfect conclusion for an establishment that has made territoriality its strength and has drawn the concept of cuisine in motion from nature Tel: +39 080 495 1079 Website the Fortitudine Pares coming from the Cathedral Museum in Malta is dubiously attributed: scholar Roberta Lapucci is even speculating that it may be a work by Caravaggio) and Massimo Stanzione as well as several other notable artists Onofrio Palumbo All of these authors are presented to the public in that specific light with paintings and drawings often previously unpublished “Many of the artists presented in the exhibition,” the presentation reads “are to be found in the commissions that came to Naples for the Buen Retiro Palace of Philip IV of Spain and in the undertaking of the Pozzuoli Cathedral demonstrating a precise cultural orientation of the viceregal capital in the 1730s of which the Count of Conversano was a singular participant Completing the picture are coeval works by Neapolitan artists (Jusepe de Ribera but also Andrea Vaccaro and the celebrated battalionists Aniello Falcone and Andrea de Leone) with selected pieces from their repertoire the best possible re-setting of the themes of the Acquaviva picture gallery as deduced from the inventory but left there without attribution An antecedent and a short section of more strict Caravaggesque observance (between anonymous first- and second-decade painters and the well-known Carlo Sellitto and the Master of Fontanarosa) introduce and better illustrate to the general public the naturalist and then Baroque ’reasons’ of the works on display some specifically from the Apulian territory (such as those of the Master of Bovino possibly also an artist linked to the family).” titled as follows: Symbols and Repentance; Patron Saints: John the Baptist and Jerome; Cavalier Guido’s Escape to Egypt; Caravaggesque Masters; Massimo Stanzione; Artemisia Gentileschi and Onofrio Palumbo; Saints and Nudes; Bacchanals and Battles The exhibition then continues in the church of San Giuseppe a place associated with Countess Isabella Filomarino and located in the vicinity of the castle: the church houses the largest paintings including Finoglio’s Triumph of Bacchus (kept at the Prado Museum) which returns to Conversano after about four hundred years and the copy by Paolo Veronese mentioned in the 1666 document an excellent witness to the count’s passion for 16th-century Venetian painting the public is invited to visit the church of Santi Medici Cosma e Damiano known to be Paolo Finoglio’s “Sistine Chapel”: it is a building commissioned and decorated at the expense of Giangirolamo and Isabella Acquaviva location and date not specified | Photo by Donna Conversano courtesy of Red Cliffs Mall location and date not specified | Photos by Donna Conversano courtesy of Red Cliffs Mall CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — Have you stopped by The Terrace at Red Cliffs lately It’s a new outdoor area featuring exciting amenities surrounded by great shopping and fabulous food Red Cliffs aims to further showcase The Terrace with a concert series featuring dazzling performances from a diverse lineup of musicians […] This spring, Red Cliffs aims to further showcase The Terrace with a concert series featuring dazzling performances from a diverse lineup of musicians based right here in Southern Utah “We really have a mix of great local artists,” general manager Cory Ashby said The spring concert series will kick off with back-to-back performances from Groovonix on Saturday was formed in response to the age-old request that bands have heard for as long as there has been live music: “Can you play something we can dance to?” With beats that compel listeners to move and grooves that are simply irresistible the band is Southern Utah’s ticket to a night of pure musical enjoyment Groovonix brings a unique blend of regional flavors to their electrifying sound the band’s membership includes lead singer Louis Cheramie from New Orleans keyboardist Tony Ricci from Southern California and Jeff Culligan from Salt Lake City on drums Identity Crisis has been rocking venues and events in and around the St The band features local professionals with a passion for high-energy live performances guaranteed to entertain any music lover Identity Crisis plays songs from the ’60s to today with an emphasis on ’80s and ’90s classic rock The lineup includes John Liddell on lead vocals Arne Olsen on keys and Jim Haendiges on drums Red Cliffs will continue to support and highlight exciting local talent all season long The Ed Tracey Band will take the stage on Saturday OK & The Last Light are sure to get everybody moving with their unique mix of funk so guests are encouraged to bring a chair or a blanket and make themselves comfortable on the grassy area near the stage Concertgoers can browse a variety of vendor booths and grab a bite to eat while they rock out has been Southern Utah’s premier retail destination since opening in 1990 As the only major indoor shopping center between Las Vegas and the Wasatch Front it features more than 60 stores and nearly 450,000 square feet of retail space waterfalls and seating built into the landscape The Terrace is the centerpiece of a significant rejuvenation project that aligns the mall’s offerings with what today’s customers want and need That includes even more shopping and dining options WannaCinn and Kaiseki Sushi locations that opened last year “It’s a great place not only to shop but to spend your time,” Ashby said “Holding these concerts and other free events throughout the year is a way that we can give back to the community for supporting us as we continue to grow.” Follow Red Cliffs on social media for event announcements Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC summary of the weather details and news of any severe weather We'll send breaking news and news alerts to you as they happen Receive Sunday Local Offers Coupons from St Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account the Aragonese Castle of Conversano will host the Antonio Ligabue exhibition promoted and supported by the Municipality of Conversano City of Art and Museco - Museums in Conversano with the contribution of the Region of Puglia under the patronage of the Metropolitan City of Bari Pugliapromozione and Teatro Pubblico Pugliese in collaboration with the Municipality of Gualtieri and Antonio Ligabue Museum Foundation This is the first major exhibition dedicated to the painter in Puglia and more than sixty of his works will be on display for the occasion.Among the most beloved painters of the 20th century Antonio Ligabue is considered the naïf painter par excellence self-taught and unfortunate artist who managed to enter the soul of the general public He was able to speak with immediacy and genuineness to everyone to those who have the tools to understand his art-historical value as well as to those who simply enjoy the absolute beauty of his works An extraordinary human and artistic story that over the years has fascinated thousands of people so much so that it has become the protagonist of films and television scripts since the 1970s Salvatore Nocita ’s 1977 RAI screenplay starring Flavio Bucci is memorable as is Giorgio Diritti ’s recent 2020 film Volevo nascondermi (I wanted to hide ) with Elio Germano’s masterful performance the exhibition aims to offer a narrative of Ligabue’s life and work The public will be able to delve into the artist’s thematic nuclei a few always repeated subjects from which his extraordinary sensitivity and the sweetness of his fragile soul strongly emerge Suffering and talent that find in creativity the means to fill the void of abandonment and overcome the discomfort of marginalization and mental illness The exhibition has BCC Conversano and Master Italy as sponsors The Local Europe ABVästmannagatan 43113 25 StockholmSweden Search operations aided by dog units and drones started on Wednesday evening and were ongoing on Thursday Rescue teams were focusing their efforts on a specific area of rubble where the woman’s cell phone signal was detected, according to reports the building had been deemed structurally unsafe and was evacuated by local authorities in February last year Renovation work reportedly started last week Italian media reports said the missing woman was on the fourth floor when the building collapsed it was still unclear why she was in the building The head of the Bari fire service, Rosa D'Eliseo, said the collapse was caused by structural failure which then brought down the rest," she said The mayor of Bari, Vito Leccese, said “firefighters have been removing the rubble with their bare hands” in an attempt to find the missing woman "I still hold out hope that she will be found alive," he said He added that around 80 people had been evacuated from the homes adjacent to the collapsed building said he had given “full availability of personnel and resources from the regional Civil Protection [department] for rescue operations as well as the relocation of citizens evacuated from buildings” near the collapse The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Bari has opened an investigation into the incident, according to news agency Ansa Please log in here to leave a comment Sign in Join now, it's FREE! Mike Swan started helping move University of Guelph students as a student himself on May 1 He put up flyers on U of G bulletin boards With advertising he got clients and got paid.  Fifty years later he is still helping people move as Swan Moving and Storage is celebrating 50 years in the moving business the company employs 20 people and offers services all of southern Ontario.  Swan has moved three generations of the same family and they remember him from when he first moved them many years ago “When I started as a university student the people I moved were sort of my age Now they’re grandparents,” he said Over 20 years ago Swan offered his daughter a job at the moving company and she now runs it She argues she has worked there since the age of eight “I remember getting paid as a kid five cents an envelope to stuff flyers So if I wanted money to go buy candy I needed to bring home all the flyers and envelopes,” said Nicole Conversano.  “Young brains and young minds to an old formula and made it better,” said Swan when his daughter started implementing changes to help the business.  Conversano said it was a bit of a boys club when she started working at Swan Moving “I made a lot of changes when I got here just to maybe feminize it and make it a little more accessible and less like all the guys running everything,” said Conversano.  and it’s easier for ladies to deal with ladies especially for an important job like this,” said Swan He has some advice to entrepreneurs who want to run a successful business “Pick something you’re good at and stick with it Be careful what you’re good at,” said Swan “Fifty years later you’re still doing it “I’m grateful to own this business I’m thankful to my clients and I’m thankful to the good people we employ,” said Swan “I’m very appreciative of where I am in life That I’ve had this successful business “the days are long but the years are short.” Swan and his daughter don’t know if the moving company will be around for another 50 years This story was made possible by the support of our GuelphToday+ members. Become a +member today The world famous white stallions of The Spanish Riding School of Vienna are set to return to Britain this week for a two-centre tour sponsored by Horse & Hound The tour will visit two venues – Birmingham NEC and Wembley Arena – and will also feature the Band of the Blues and Royals the Drum Horse and State Trumpeters from the Household Cavalry The great tradition of classical riding and the extravagant “airs above the ground” which date back to 1572 will once again be demonstrated by the Lipizzaner stallions and their trainer-riders in quadrilles under the artistic direction of First Chief Rider Arthur Kottas-Heldenberg The Band of the Blues and Royals with the Drum Horse and Mounted Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry welcome the Lipizzaners Steps and movements of the classical school Introducing those horses which have been trained in the principles of classical horsemanship The rider and the horse execute the most difficult movements with apparent ease and effortlessness These exercises are required of dressage riders in the most demanding international competitions A performance by highly trained horses in perfect lines and figures to the strict rhythm of the music These exercises prepare the stallion for the “Schools above the Ground” and also teach the piaffe (a trot on the spot with the haunches deeply bent) When this movement is mastered it is performed between the pillars The exercises on the short hand rein enable the trainer to decide for which of the movements of the “Schools above the Ground” each stallion is best suited A challenge to which only the best trained stallioncan respond Controlled only by the long reins and the touch of a light switch the riderless horse executes all the dressage steps and movements of the haute ecole with great physical strength and an unusually high intelligence can perform these movements which are based on natural behaviour LEVADE – Squatting deep on its haunches the stallion slowly lifts his forefeet off the ground and maintains this position in perfect balance COURBETTE – One of the most difficult of the “Schools above the Ground” and then takes several leaps forwards on its hind legs CAPRIOLE – The horse leaps with all four feet off the ground and at the height of its leap and with its body horizontal in the air which recalls the baroque splendours of Imperial court celebrations in Vienna’s Hofburg This demands the utmost concentration form horse and rider to be able to perform the intricately choreographed figures with such precision and apparently playful ease For more information visit www.spanishridingschool.com Last Updated on 16th September 2024 by Sophie Nadeau Puglia is the sun soaked heel of Italy’s boot known as the “land of two seas” you’re never too far from crystal clear waters and breathtaking coastlines It is a region of Italy filled with charming historic centres and uniquely littered with traditional Trulli Here’s your guide on how to spend one perfect week in Puglia this part of the country is where Italians have been known to holiday for generations A region steeped in tradition and until fairly recently Puglia remained relatively undiscovered by travellers with a recent surge in popularity thanks to social media and the Italian government’s interest in drawing people to visit and live in the area the heel of Italy is rapidly modernising and opening up to the world (and for good reason!) Retaining the balance between tradition and modernity is important for the people of Puglia and its heritage while an increase in visitors is good for economic reasons those who travel to destinations like this must do so responsibly and respectfully The region of ‘Apulia’ as it is known in English or ‘Puglia’ in Italian and ‘Les Pouilles’ in French is a little more rural than other parts of Italy Puglia is most famous for its unique cuisine (which is very vegetarian focused) olive oil is more than just a Puglian pride the region produces an impressive 40% of Italy’s annual olive production output Home to some 60 million olive trees (including ancient ones) this means that Puglia alone currently has one olive tree per person to Italy’s entire population Puglia has also earned the nickname the “breadbasket of Italy” dry Mediterranean climate; it is one of the best places to produce wheat bread and pasta are staples in the Apulian diet Due to limited public transport and many remote or secluded locations in Puglia the best way to explore the Italian region is by car you’ll need your own means of transport to see every destination mentioned this itinerary is ambitious and in its entirety it is best suited to those who love to do something at every moment of every day We wanted to share every place and the joys of the Puglian region we fell in love with (hence why we were so eager to fit everything in!) However you can still see enough to fall in love with southern Italy Feel free to pick and choose your favourite destinations from the following mentioned Start your adventures in Puglia by exploring the small commune of Acaya one of the few fortified villages left in Apulia This small settlement dates back to the 16th century and is among one of the oldest villages in all of Italy crumbling hamlet home to a mere 400-something residents and evokes a time warp as you wander through what feels like the Middle Ages One of the best things to visit while exploring Acaya is the Castello di Acaya The Renaissance fortress was built between 1535–1536 it houses a fascinating collection of archaeological artefacts Around a 20 to 30-minute drive from Acaya is an unmissable stretch of coastline where you can soak up some of the weird and wonderful rock formations that carve out Salento’s East coast Torre San’Andrea is a picturesque beach which is most popularly visited for its remarkable white rocky towers or as they are geologically referred to as These fascinating cliffs have been shaped by the erosive powers of the Adriatic sea and wind for millions of years beating against the malleable stone and forming natural archways and hidden coves Heading further down Italy’s heel you’ll find the Zinzulusa Caves which extend around 150 meters inward and stretch up to 15 metres high These impressive caves were first officially discovered in 1793 though it’s likely that fishermen would have entered before this time Zinzulusa Caves are best known for their beauty and fascinating stalactites and stalagmites Exploring the deep depths of the caves will bring you across the “Corridor of Wonders” which is as enchanting as it sounds or the “Duomo” where you may even spy some of the bats hanging out The caves are huge, and only part of the excavated portion of them can be explored by the public. You can only visit Grotta Zinzulusa by guided tour, which usually lasts around 30 minutes. Book a boat tour of the caves like this one. End your day in Italy’s easternmost town This Puglian city is best known for its proximity to the strait of Otranto the stretch of water which connects the Adriatic Sea with the Ionian Sea and separates Italy from Albania Otranto is home to two UNESCO-listed sites the old town ‘centro storico’ and the remains of its medieval castle Some of the town’s unassuming ecclesial buildings include the Cathedral of Otranto which is considered to be one of the largest it Italy and a fine piece of Romanesque architecture It houses a 12th-century floor mosaic which depicts the ‘tree of life’.  Spend your first evening in Puglia (and every evening after for that matter) the Italian way ‘La passeggiata’ is a cultural tradition which essentially just means an evening walk The Italian “passeggiare” translates as “to stroll” and its an opportunity for locals to exercise in the Mediterranean fresh air as well as see one another and share the tranquil hours of the evening Spend a few hours shopping for Puglian delights or exploring the port area, before you head out for dinner in Otranto. Then you can choose from sushi joints to rooftop bars, with breathtaking views over the Adriatic sea and beyond. There’s no shortage of incredible nightlife experiences to have in Otranto. Read our guide on the best things to do in Otranto. then you could also consider checking out Grotta della Poesia or as it’s translated into English ‘the Cave of Poetry’ surrounded by limestone cliffs and fed by sea water that tunnels in from the open sea It has been listed as one of the 10 most beautiful natural pools in the world by National Geographic. Though, it’s worth noting that this kind of destination is what comes to mind when thinking of the definition of over-tourism. However, if crowds don’t bother you then it’s definitely worth a trip! Read our guide on how to visit Grotta della Poesia here. Spend the morning exploring and embracing the fishing port city Located in the province of Lecce in Apulia It’s stunning old town sits on a tiny island in the centre and is connected to the rest of the settlement and its sprawling suburbs via a series of bridges Visitors to the Gallipoli of Puglia should ensure that they aren’t confused by the name ‘Gallipoli’; the name is also used for a peninsula in Turkey which was the site of a WWI  military campaign Perhaps the most defining architectural feature of Gallipoli is that of its 13th-century fortified castle Though the fortification dates back to the Middle Ages The other striking landmark in old town Gallipoli is the city’s main ecclesiastical building The cathedral of Saint Agatha was constructed between 1629 and 1696 to replace a previous church on site It is built up from local stone in the beautiful and ornate Baroque style Just outside of the old centre is The Greek Fountain an interesting architectural water feature that dates back to the 16th century and is intricately carved with mythical creatures and symbols of Gallipoli As one might expect from a town which was historically constructed on the fishing industry one of the best places to get a true sense of Gallipoli is to head to the fish market in southern Italy it’s not uncommon to eat raw seafood straight from the vendor The “sushi of Italy” has been consumed since the 1500s just be sure not to eat right in front of the market itself The very tip of the heel of Italy’s boot and indeed the most southern point of the country is found in the form of Santa Maria di Leuca which is often abbreviated as just ‘Leuca’ This area comprises the very end of Salento’s peninsula and is most famous for its striking white-washed lighthouse which was constructed in the first half of the 18th century and stands 47 metres tall Another highlight to visit while exploring Leuca is the ecclesial building the Basilica of Santa Maria De finibus terrae (at the ends of the earth) This beautiful 18th-century stone cathedral stands at a place where the Adriatic meets the Ionian Sea.  The speck of a town that is Specchia boasts as being one of the most attractive towns in the region thanks to its honey-hued buildings Much of the interest in Specchia can be found centred around its main piazza, Piazza del Popolo. Like many towns in Puglia the settlement of Specchia centres itself around a ‘centro storico’ (historic old town) and it’s here where visitors will soon discover the most architecturally interesting and ancient buildings It’s worth noting that although much of the town has been renovated and restored over recent years, there’s an enchanting draw to Specchia that feels as though it could crumble away at any moment, and a chance to visit the town feels that bit more magical. Read our guide on the best things to do in Specchia. Less than a half-hour drive away from Specchia the wonderful town of Presicce which spreads out from one of the most beautiful Baroque churches you’ll ever see and is interspersed with piazzas la panetterie (bakeries) and gelaterias (ice cream shops) The true heart of the town lies underground One of the biggest draws to Presicce is the 23 olive oil mills that are embedded below its historical centre where the ancient presses and millstones are still preserved It’s worth taking a peek to truly understand the workings behind the process for which most of the region’s economy has long been based on In recent years, authorities in Presicce have been offering a sum of money to encourage people to live here, in hopes of breathing new life into a part of Italy which is slowly depopulating. So, if you fall in love with Presicce, you could be in with a chance of having your own Under the Tuscan Sun moment End your day in the honey-hued historical city which is renowned worldwide for its Baroque architecture; as such the city is often referred to as ‘Signora del Barocco’ or ‘Lady of Baroque’ Thanks to the distinctive golden-yellow and malleable Lecce stone Lecce shines warm tones from morning till evening Lecce is also nicknamed “The Florence of the South” unlike some of Italy’s bigger cities where the architecture is much more refined and clean wonky and full of charm- every building wants to be seen this can be seen through the two Roman sites which were uncovered in the 1930s The Roman Amphitheatre and Roman Theatre of Lecce are well-preserved sites which offer a glimpse into the city’s past Another absolute must-see while in Lecce is Museo Faggiano pieces of ceramics and several artefacts that are believed to span over 2,000 years of archaeological history; all of which was accidentally discovered thanks to a leaky pipe when Luciano Faggiano was renovating for his restaurant Other fascinating places to visit in Lecce include the three ancient city gates or as they are known in Italian ‘portas’ the magnificent Lecce Duomo and the underground Jewish Museum which illustrates the history and lives of the Jewish community in the city. Read our guide on the best things to do in Lecce Start your morning by exploring one of the lesser-visited attractions of Puglia yet fabulous and eccentric house museum created by artist Also known as Vincent’s Eremo or Vincent’s Hermitage Alice in Wonderland-like palace is nestled in swathes of olive trees and found in Guagnano Vincent is one of Salento’s colourful characters and a local celebrity His hermitage is an explosion of creativity religious depictions and a strong influence from the hippie culture can be found in the form of mosaics Vincent has created an inspiring playground that can only be summed up as you’ll likely find it wandering away to the next part you’ll find yourself staring at the facade for at least 10 minutes or more Vincent’s world opens up a new and playful perspective and the philosophy of life he holds has been conveyed through his art he emphasises his joy for disco music (so it might be worth bringing headphones if it’s not already playing in the house itself that is!) In a world where art, religion and nature have been fused, Vincent’s Hermitage feels somewhat akin to Antony Guadì’s Parc Güell in Barcelona Read our guide on how to visit Vincent’s house no trip to Puglia would be complete without visiting at least one vineyard Puglia is one of Italy’s oldest and most important wine regions and has a history of winemaking that dates back centuries Vast stretches of sun-kissed vineyards cover Apulia to be precise the Puglia wine region covers 83,000 hectares of land 80% of which is planted with red wine varieties of grape Some of the popular wines from Puglia include Primitivo, Nero di Troia and Negroamaro which are known for their velvet texture and richly intense flavours typically of darker fruits like plums and blackberries where you are taken through a journey of history Cantine San Pancrazio Winery produce all colours of wine San Vito dei Normani is a small Medieval town which you’ll only want to set aside a couple of hours to explore including the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria and the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista there are also a few historic castles to visit For even more insight into Puglia’s renowned olive production you can also visit The Museo dell’Olio where you can learn about the process as well as sample some of the delicious golden liquid for yourself which is known as the ‘White City’ (La Città Bianca in Italian) thanks to the white-painted old town which crowns the very top of the city Rising above a sea of olive groves and the twinkling Adriatic coastline Ostuni was strategically built here to protect the town from invaders in centuries gone by The magnificent Duomo di Ostuni (Cathédrale Santa Maria Assunta) can be found at the highest point of the town Its Romanesque architecture has blended with the Gothic style thanks to renovation works done after a significant earthquake in the 15th century One of the best things to do while exploring Ostuni is to simply get lost in its maze of little lanes and forgotten streets, allowing the town and its crumbling facades to slowly reveal themselves to you, layer by layer. Read our guide on the best things to do in Ostuni Spend your afternoon taking a (probably well-needed) respite from the heat and enjoy soaking in the crystal clear waters of the Adriatic Sea Torre Beach Pozzelle is the closest beach to Ostuni and aside from its obvious stunning beauty one of the unique aspects to this beach is that you’re surrounded by the luscious green hillsides that roll down the landscape from the white-washed town a town best known for its growing of grapes and olives This unassuming town is a little quieter than some of the more popular ones it’s for this reason that wandering around as a tourist here can feel as though you’ve accidentally happened upon a hidden gem Highlights of Mesagne include a Norman castle and a maze of streets that form its historic centre or as it’s more beautifully pronounced in Italian I highly recommend reserving a table at Osteria Braceria Tigelleria Antico Forno This cosy ristorante serves delicious traditional cuisine which you can indulge in under the twinkling lights of the stars on their charming terrace Start your day by exploring one of Puglia’s most underrated towns Monopoli is a picturesque fishing town which lies on the southeast of Bari The sleepy seaside town is known for its beautiful coastlines “Monos polis” derives from the Greek to mean unique and singular Some of the best things to do in Monopoli include: exploring the old town and spying out the influences of the various cultures that have left their mark going swimming out by the rocks like a local and people watching in Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi Upon visiting the ancient harbour area, you’ll likely notice the 16th-century fortress, Castello Carlo V. This impressive fort was built during the Spanish domination of the town and was constructed to accommodate the Spanish military and their families. Read our guide on the best things to do in Monopoli here One of the most iconic and popular towns in all of the Puglia region can be found clinging to the cliff face Polignano a Mare is most famous for its incredible viewpoints and breathtaking beauty The best time to experience this small resort town is in the late afternoon when you can soak up the final hours of sun at the beach indulge in a late lunch of traditional Apulian cuisine or sip on a refreshing Aperol spritz as you slowly let yourself absorb the definition of “good living” Some other highlights of Polignano a Mare include heading to the contemporary art museum of Fondazione Museo Pino Pascali and watching the world go by on the main square, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II. Read our guide on the best things to do in Polignano a Mare. Located just 3 miles from Polignano a Mare is the delightful town San Vito which is centred around a little fishing harbour (known in Italian as the porto antico) The town itself remains somewhat of a hidden gem of the Puglian coastline One of the most popular things to visit is the Abbey of San Vito a former monastery which sits on the waterfront and was built in the 10th century was drowning in the Sele River in Campania she managed to escape from death thanks to St The town is sprinkled with little coves and beaches to explore all of which make for the perfect evening passeggiata as you watch the sun melt into the horizon If there’s one street you should visit when exploring the gateway to Puglia as it’s now more commonly referred to Strada delle Orecchiette or The Pasta Street a tradition which has been going on since the 1950s has become a ritual and way of life for the local women the women had to fend for themselves and make a living to get by what better way than to rely on the humblest of ingredients that the region has been gifting them for centuries Over the years this pasta making community has become an act of solidarity where passion and love is shared between the women who work here A wander down this street offers a glimpse into the coming together of tradition as well as the joy and excitement that can be brought by the simplicity of semolina and water these pasta-makers aren’t legally allowed to sell the pasta as there are no regulations you’ll find that tradition struggles against bureaucracy so much so that they will end up outlasting it selling for personal use is loosely permitted Found on the outskirts of the bustling city of Bari is the quaint coastal village An important historical sight to see is the impressive Castello Angioino which protected the settlement for centuries It stands as a stark reminder of the vulnerable position Puglian towns once had Another landmark and meeting point of the village is the Piazza XX Settembre where a monumental fountain lies at the centre and is dedicated to the local sailors The mother church of Mola is a beautiful 13th-century Romanesque building that can be found in the old quarter The greatest way to experience Mola is to simply wander around soak up the history and enjoy the peaceful pocket of life that exists just outside of the region’s main transport city Another sleepy town on the outskirts of Bari which is worth visiting is Conversano an ancient commune best known for its cherries which translates to “Railway Cherry,” is the variety of cherry that grows here between mid-May to early June The fruit is celebrated annually on the final weekend of May at the Cherry Festival One of the most striking architectural features in the town itself is the beautiful Monastero di San Benedetto You’ll likely only need an hour or two to wander around this settlement End your day by visiting the nearby and fascinating Castellana Caves A complex karst cave system where shards of limestone pierce out the ceiling and piles of stalactite and stalagmite formations form the kind of surreal landscape you only see in cinema Castellana Caves are Italy’s longest natural subterranean network and they comprise several “rooms” The main cave is known as La Grave (as abyss) the others being Black Cavern (Caverna Nera) White Cave (Grotta Bianca) and Precipice Cavern (Caverna del Precipizio) you’ll have to book a guided tour to go around and you’ll explore around 1 km into the depths of the caves Start your day in one of the most popular (and busiest) towns of the region This quintessentially Apulian town is a charming settlement where the traditional trulli dwellings reside by one another in harmony standing as the perfect picturesque scene of life in southern Italy This is a particularly special place to visit if you have specific interests in Apulian architecture which translates as ‘king’ or ‘ruler’ and stands as the only two-story trulli in the town trullo) are traditional Italian dwellings that are typically built from a dry construction method as residents could simply remove their roof when the taxman did his rounds These beloved structures have become synonymous with the region; thanks to their use of prehistoric building techniques they are considered to be so important that UNESCO has designated the buildings in Puglia as part of its World Heritage List Another important historical building with an interesting past is the Casa D’Amore which was built in 1797 and was the first house in the area to include terracotta & mortar in its façade It’s worth emphasising that Alberobello can be extremely busy so if you plan to visit (especially during peak season) I suggest aiming to get here as early as possible The crowds can swell making the experience of the town is somewhat non existent as you have to battle through people to see the main sights Home to a population of around 11,600 residents Cisternino is a tiny Puglia settlement that offers unparalleled views over the Itria Valley visitors need simply to head to Cremeria History Vignola which serves light snacks Cisternino is indeed one of a trifecta of delightful towns in central Puglia; Martina Franca and Cisternino are all a stone’s throw away from one another (all within 10 km of one another) Martina Franca is the largest of the three towns and Pick up a tourist map for free from the tourist office (Piazza XX Settembre n and you’ll soon discover that there are several self-guided routes to follow One of the greatest joys while exploring Martina Franca has to be simply marvelling at the stunning Baroque architecture When it comes to eating in the Puglia town We personally loved our meal at the well-reviewed La Tavernatta The dishes were well-cooked simple and local Italian cuisine such as pasta dishes served with local wine End your day in the white-washed gem Locortondo Sitting perched on a hilltop among swathes of olive groves the picturesque little town of Locorotondo has often been nicknamed the “round place” due to its circular structure Simply wandering around the labyrinth of narrow streets and allowing the town to slowly reveal itself to you is one of the best ways to experience Locorotondo which boasts breathtaking views overlooking the Itria Valleyand where huge stretches of vineyards and olive groves sprawl across the landscape A particular highlight while visiting Locrotondo is seeing Trullo Marziolla which dates back to 1559 and is believed to be the oldest traditional dwelling of its kind End your evening in town by indulging in the local cuisine (and wine!) Apulian cuisine is renowned for its vegetable-focused dishes and simplicity one of the best dishes to sample while in Locrotondo is Eggplant Parmigiana Your final day in Puglia will be spent exploring just the two cities giving you a chance to soak up the region’s beauty at a more leisurely pace for the last time… that is Taranto is known as the ‘city of two seas’ thanks to its location between the Ionian Sea and an inland basin named the Mar Piccolo this destination has quite a tumultuous past having been used at one time as a huge naval port which ended up being striked in November 1940 Taranto remains a bustling hive of activity and is the second-largest city in Puglia Offering visitors a fascinating glimpse into the region’s history French and the Normans can be found to have left their mark here Right in the heart of the city lies The Cattedrale di San Cataldo a beautiful 11th-century Baroque-style cathedral with  Byzantine influence Another important landmark to visit is the 15th century Aragonese Castle which was built by King Ferdinand of Aragon During the 18th century the fortress was used as a prison If you’re looking for somewhere traditional consider having lunch at Trattoria L’Orologio This beautiful stone-vaulted restaurant serves delicious Apulian cuisine Taranto is particularly famed for its “cozze” (mussels) If you fancy seeing a little more history before leaving the city head to the National Archaeological Museum Roman and Apulian artefacts that illustrate the city’s rich cultural heritage Nearby Taranto is a small town built atop a rock of limestone that is synonymous with ceramics Grottaglie is one of the thirty Italian towns which is allowed to use the official designation as such the city has been nicknamed ‘Citta di Ceramiche’ (City of Ceramics) but Grottaglie takes its name from the fact that the countryside surrounding it is littered with deep ravines opening into the limestone surface and creating beautiful caverns The origin of these caves dates back to the Palaeolithic age though most of what is seen today is when they were inhabited in the Middle Ages One of the best things to do while exploring Grottaglie is to discover ceramics in the ceramics quarter As a destination where this tradition has been ongoing for over 1,000 years there are several family run ceramic shops selling all kinds of treasures and even making pottery before your very eyes There’s also the Museo della Ceramica, which is a museum showcasing the history and importance of this craft. And, if you want to get your hands deep into clay and learn for yourself, you could even consider taking a ceramics workshop. Book a workshop like this one. Other sights in the town include Casa Vestita a beautiful artistic residence and gardens and the Monastero di Santa Chiara which dates back to the 16th century and is adjoined to a church opt to head to Matera (though technically not in the Apulia region) the city is found in Southern Italy located on the border of Basilicata and Puglia Historically Puglia is Italy’s poorest region Matera is one of those destinations where poverty and hardship are a recent memory and it’s important to know this before visiting The ravine city was once dubbed ‘the shame of Italy’ and was a place where less than 70 years ago people were crammed into cave houses Matera is Italy’s ancient archaeological gem It is the third oldest city in the world (after Aleppo and Jericho) and is known for its ancient habitations and as such has been hailed with the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site Read our guide on How to Visit Matera & The Best Things to Do we suggest spending your first four nights based in Lecce and then the remaining three nights in the Itria Valley Here are suggestions of where to stay based on places we have been to ourselves (twice now!): Lecce – Torre Del Parco – Situated just a 10-minute walk from Lecce’s Old Town. There are only a few rooms in the hotel, and it was super relaxing. There are several courtyard areas to relax in, and they offer a delicious breakfast. Check prices and availability here Itria Valley (Locorotondo) – Trulli Pentassuglia – This is a great base for which to explore the Itria Valley plus you get to stay in a traditional trullo We booked the accommodation via the Airbnb website it’s a family run guesthouse where the owners are living on site Enjoyed reading about how to spend one week in Puglia Sophie Nadeau is a full time travel writer and photographer focused on cultural experiences in Europe and beyond When she's not chasing after the sunset (or cute dogs she sees on her travels) she can be found reading and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. I started this site back in 2015 with one mission in mind: I wanted to create useful travel guides with a historical and cultural focus Today it has blossomed into my full time job and together with a small team of writers (including my husband and sister) we craft articles to help you travel better throughout Europe © 2015- 2025 Sophie Nadeau. Nadeau Pasquier LTD. All Rights Reserved. solosophie participates in various affiliate marketing programs. solosophie is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Privacy Policy Frankenstein THE WEDDING of Miss Sharon Lynn Frankenstein and Mitchell Keith Cohen took place July 23 at Rockdale Temple Simon officiated and a reception was at the temple The bride and bridegroom are graduates of the University of Cincinnati Conversano THE WEDDING of Miss Jan Mary Conversano and James Philip Besl took place July 16 at Little Flower Church Timothy Bunch officiated and a reception was at Stardust Knights of Columbus Hall The bride graduated from Miami University and the University of Cincinnati The bridegroom is a graduate of the University of 'Cincinnati Pierce THE WEDDING of Miss Elizabeth Jean Pierce and Kevin Robert Casey took place Aug Andrews officiated and a reception was at WrightPatterson Air Force Base Maid of honor was Miss Dorothy Lynn Pierce of Fairborn The bride graduated from Wright State University The bridegroom is a graduate of Rensselear Polytechnic Institute and the University of New York Waters-Umphrey THE WEDDING of Miss Janelle Beth Umphrey and Clyde Richard Waters took place July 30 at Pleasant Run First Baptist Church Paul Harbach officiated and a reception was at Mount Healthy American Legion Hall Maid of honor was Miss Julie Veeneman of Cincinnati Louis Guntzelman officiated and a reception was at the Sharonville Hilton Inn Maid of honor was Miss Patricia Buescher of Cincinnati The bridegroom attended Ohio State University Mederer of Cincinnati and Tony Huelefeld of Verona Eugene Wolfzorn officiated and a reception was at Town and Country Supper Club The bridegroom is a graduate of Thomas More College and attends Chase College of Law Mac Roy officiated and a reception was at the University of Cincinnati Faculty Club The bride attended the University of Cincinnati The bridegroom graduated from Alma College and the University of Michigan Medical School Kuehnle-Guethlein THE WEDDING Miss Janet Elizabeth Guethlein of Cincinnati and Joseph Michael Kuehnle of Tucson William Long and Celsus Griese officiated and a reception was at Wyoming Civic Center Howard Elliott officiated and a reception was at Charles F Maid of honor was Miss Martha Clements of Norwood Best man was Steven Shepherd of Cincinnati The bride graduated from the University of Cincinnati The bridegroom attends the University of Cincinnati James Manning officiated and a reception was at Lakeridge Hall Maid of honor was Miss Alma Ruehl of Cincinnati The bridegroom is a graduate of Thomas More College Thomas THE WEDDING of Miss Elizabeth Jane Thomas of Cincinnati and Gordon Alexander Turnbull of Mobile took place July 30 at Presbyterian Church of Wyoming Miller officiated and a reception was at the University of Cincinnati Faculty Club The bride and bridegroom are graduates of Davidson College Webster-Melhorn THE WEDDING of Miss Pamela Ann Melhorn of Covington and Robert Dale Webster of Anderson Township took place Aug Steven Pettit officiated and a reception was at Monte Lane Civic Club Maid of honor was Tamela Ann Melhorn of Covington The bridegroom graduated from Morehead State University Gregory THE WEDDING of Miss Lisa Anne Gregory and Jeffrey O Strine took place July 30 at Our Lady of the Rosary Church Nastold officiated and a reception was at Beckett Ridge Country Club Maid of honor was Miss Laurie Gregory of Cincinnati The bride and bridegroom are graduates of Ohio State Universi- ty Playforth THE WEDDING of Miss Katherine Diane Playforth of Lexington and James Joseph Grawe of Fort Wright took place 30 at the Bodley House in Lexington Frank Hixon and Michael Williams officiated and a reception was at Iroquois Hunt Club The bride and bridegroom are graduates of the University of Kentucky 6 at Anderson Hills United Methodist Church Preston officiated and a reception was at Hearth Supper Club The bride graduated from Bowling Green State University The bridegroom is a graduate of Ohio State University Reber-Wampler THE WEDDING of Miss Julene Dawn Wampler and Robert George Reber took place July 30 at The Wedding Chapel Lawrence officiated and a reception was at Delmonico's The bride is the daughter of Thelma Wampler of Sharonville The bridegroom is the son of Hilda Reber of Mason Matron of honor was Sandy Morris of Park H.ils Lehn nee Mary Ann Burwinkel THE WEDDING of Miss Mary Ann Burwinkel and James D Wessling officiated and a reception was at Greenhills American Legion Hall Thomas Dawson nee Darcell Wilson THE WEDDING of Miss Darcell Wilson and Thomas Dawson took place July 30 at Bethany Evangelical Congregational Church in Ninevah William Sedwick officiated and a reception was at Clintonville Fire Hall Maid of honor was Carol Wilson of Emlenton Rimer THE WEDDING of Miss Cathy Jean Rimer and Joseph Anthony Rizzo took place July 16 at St The bridegroom graduated from the University of Cincinnati Arbino THE WEDDING of Miss Patricia Marie Arbino and Michael Eugene Helton took place Aug Jones officiated and a reception was at Georgian Hall Maid of honor was Miss Lisa Beatty of Cincinnati The bride is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati Bedenk THE WEDDING of Miss Martha Ellen Bedenk and Curt Matthew Bimschleger took place Aug John Wolbert officiated and a reception was at Ramada Inn Best man was David Bimschleger of Columbus The bride and bridegroom are graduates of Miami University Von Moll THE WEDDING of Miss Lauren Mae Von Moll and John Thomas Suckow took place Aug 13 at Mount Washington Presbyterian Church Davies officiated and a reception was at the Harley Hotel Best man was William Richard Suckow III of Denver The bridegroom attended Cincinnati Technical College Hartmann THE WEDDING of Miss Janet Kaye Hartmann and Patrick R Ralph Thomas officiated and a reception was at the Business Club of Montgomery Maid of honor was Miss Judith Hartmann of Mason The bride graduated from The Christ Hospital School of Nursing The bridegroom is a graduate of Miami University and attends Texas Women's University O'Brien officiated and a reception was at Sheraton-West Port Inn Maid of honor was Miss Karen Smith of Lexington The bride graduated from Cincinnati Technical College The bridegroom is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine THE WEDDING of Miss Mary Ann Powers and Dr