BECOME CYBER SMART TODAY!

BY PAUL FARKAS, TECH DIRECTOR

We live in a world where cyber threats are all around us in our business, personal and family lives. It is integral to gain knowledge and take action on how to have better habits and get with protection from safeguard third-party solutions. We found a recent industry panel session hosted by Chubb, "Becoming Cyber Smart at Home, Work and Wherever Life Takes You," to be super-informative and recommend looking at these topics, themes and steps to get your digital lives in top shape!

The panel comprised of cyber industry experts from Chubb, ADT, Carnegie Mellon University and CyberScout, and outlined a range of cyber threats facing individuals and small businesses in today's connected world. It describes real-life examples and anecdotes in bite-size answers, and offers some best practices for individuals and businesses for keeping their personal information safe against some of today's biggest cyber risks.

The session delivered an insightful discussion about cybersecurity and its impact on our personal and professional lives by demystifying cyberthreats as well as highlighting practical protections that can be implemented by anyone.

Patrick Thielen, Senior Vice President, Cyber and Technology Product Lead in North America for Chubb, led the panel discussion. “To frame the risk facing consumers, global economic costs of cybercrime are rising into the trillions of dollars annually, and a large portion of that falls squarely on the shoulders of consumers. Since 2005, there have been over 8000 reported data breaches of businesses, in which over ten billion consumer records have been stolen. As of today, 64% of American adults have been victimized by at least one of these
breaches and most multiple times.. The average email user today has over 130 online accounts and we have more and more internet connected devices in our homes. It is not surprising that according to the 2018 Chubb Cyber Survey focusing specifically on individuals, 86% report being concerned about a cyber breach, yet only a small percentage were taking basic precautions to guide against them.”

In fact, 8 in 10 people experience or know someone affected by cybercrime per the noted US Results, 2017 Norton Cyber Security Insights Report. Incredibly, cyber attacks were found to be happening every 39 seconds by a referenced study by The James A. Clark School of Engineering at University of Maryland.

Summer Craze Fowler, Technical Director of Cybersecurity Risk and Resilience at Carnegie Mellon, is responsible for a team and portfolio of work focused on improving the security and resilience of the nation's critical infrastructure and assets. “Businesses of all sizes are targets for these data breaches as they hold so much information and data, not only about consumers, but also about their employees,” she noted. “Typically when we think about these data breaches, we think about credit card fraud, but it has extended well beyond.. we’re looking at lately W-2 fraud and health insurance fraud,” raising that W-2 phishing is up 870%, where tax returns are being filed on behalf of employees and diverting those funds to the bad actors. “Your health insurance information can be used by others getting care and pretending
to be you.”

The session was well-supported by studies and figures. 27% of data breaches in 2017 were medical or healthcare related per the claims data from the Identity Theft Resource Center. A whopping 24% of all Chubb cyber claims are healthcare related.

Adam Levin, Chairman and Founder of CyberScout and author of the critically acclaimed book, Swiped: How to Protect Yourself in a World Full of Scammers, Phishers and Identity, made some excellent points for business and consumer to note and act upon. “The reality
with the ID theft problem.. is this data can use you as the credentialed person to get into your business network, where they can put malware on the computers of your business; they can steal information involving W-2s; create situations where they do wire transfer fraud; they can steal intellectual property and trade secrets. It isn’t you for you, but as a conduit of all of the other things. The biggest thing they do is phishing attacks, they do drive-by attacks, they find ways to get malware on your computer and do keystroke attacks, ransomware and then they also get into information about kids.” He shared some appalling scenarios, like child-related identity theft, where the scheme can be as long as a 15-17 year run, because kids’ credit isn’t often checked, and often times it is a person in the home as a relative to set up a separate life right under their nose across the table.

Michael Keen, Vice President, ADT Cybersecurity, chimed in, “[a]n additional threat vector is the home network, like a home router.. there are countless folks that have the same passwords or administrative access to those devices and the same firmware when the device
was issued. Compared to all of the threats out there, you have to look at what’s keeping against threats created yesterday to protect us today. And so the motivation of criminals that
attack the home has also extended to the Internet of Things (IOT) devices. In 2017, the average number of internet-connected devices connected to the home was around 13.. talking
about (connected) light bulb, a thermotstat, a lock, a baby camera, a refrigerator, television, and in terms of motivation, frankly it pays.” He added, “Cybercriminals will always take the
path of least resistance” and gave low cost IOT devices as an example, where the ability to put additional layers of security, firmware updates and testing is nowhere near physical security installed by professionals. The strength of your network is dependent on the
weakest devices in your network. It is either focused on things like denial of service attacks or can even be used to mine cryptocurrency using your network’s power to mine Bitcoin.”

Indeed, studies show costly ransomware is on the rise. Per the Symantec 2018 Internet Security Threat Report (ISTR), the average cost of ransomware per attack is $533.

Ms. Fowler continued by pointing to the fact that people need to be practicing good cyber hygiene. “Often times we are offering up the information, like internet quizzes where the data we put online is used by nefarious purposes. Phishing, vishing (voice), smishing (sms) are prevalent and even videos on online dating sites are also being used for ransomware.”

“Unfortunately we are not going to be able to prevent this anymore,” Mr. Levin regrettably noted. “We have hundreds of millions of social security numbers out there due to breaches for many years. Cyberwar has replaced the cold war that we face-off everyday against state-sponsored hackers, for-profit hackers, cause hackers and basement hackers. We have to adopt entirely new paradigm as to how we think about it.” Mr Levin has coined and developed the 3M’s for the industry where “we boil it down to three M's -- minimize, monitor and manage," said Mr. Levin. "It is about minimizing your risk of exposure through adopting best practices, monitoring your accounts effectively and comprehensively, and managing any damage, such as ID theft or stolen accounts that might occur." He elaborated that it was about “minimizing the risk of exposure or reducing your attackable surface; effectively monitoring, and planning for and monitoring the damage.” He said, “it’s not about the technology, it is about creating and following a culture and following it for businesses and
consumers.” Some solid advises Mr. Levin gave were: using strong passwords or getting a password manager; enabling 2-factor identification; creatively changing memorable answers
to security questions; staying away from public wi-fi and using VPN for better protection; updating and backing-up your data; shredding; freezing credit; changing default passwords of
IOT devices; checking and being mindful of credit scores and signing up for transactional monitoring alerts; thinking of more sophisticated monitoring programs; and looking at explanations of health insurer benefits where there are multiple charges due to fraud.

“The culture of security and acting on things today is very important,” Mr. Keen added. “A variety of different service partners can provide installations of hardened security equipment, like how a network is setup.” He gave examples of considering implementing guest wi-fi that can be configured on your behalf, and staying on top of security patches and firmware updates, as well as monitoring – all which are readily available services and solutions by providers.

Ms. Fowler highlighted that it is also a culture of resiliency, “where the internet is a part of our lives and we need to exercise resiliency.. and have a response plan.” Some questions to think
about are, “who would you call as a family as victims of a breach; whether you have an attorney ready with something more serious, like physical attempts and ransomware, and also
knowing how to access financial institutions with bigger problems and whether people have and test backups to make sure they work. She noted that when going away on travel, it is good practice to have other ways to access funds than a primary credit card as a backup plan. “Basic hygiene includes having a response plan,” she stated.

“The 3rd M is manage the damage,” Mr. Levin pointed out. “It really has to do with knowing who to call and knowing what to do. In a business you would create a breach response plan,
game this plan, and know you would have to respond urgently, transparently and empathetically. As a consumer, many institutions have programs available either to policy holders, account holders or employees, so (they can) check with insurance agents, financial
services organization, and HR departments and find out how to be part and the cost is one of the cheapest investments you can make versus the agony and financial loss you can have,” he
warned.

Mr. Keen agreed, “be partial to action, these suggestions are easy and free or inexpensive if implemented today. Think of the prevalent use of mobile phones and whether security has
changed to meet those demands.”

“Technology is moving at breathtaking pace and families should discuss with children and elderly and monitor use online. Often adversaries are coming with sense of urgency, if too good to be true, it likely is, either with big discounts and savings or fear of quick force like threats of governments coming to your home. Take a breath and think about things before doing things that could open you up and expose you,” Ms. Fowler noted.

In response to one of the audience questions, Mr. Levin creatively added, “when you say the word portfolio, the Pavlovian response of most people is investments - but the truth is we also have other portfolios in our lives – we have our credit and our identity, and have to be professional managers, because business, governments, and truthfully, consumers have not done enough, there needs to be a shared responsibility of cooperation, collaboration and communication… It is incumbent upon us to help one another. The AthleisureMag.com extra step is sometimes the harder step to understand the threats and extra things to do to protect yourself, and look to trusted institutions with relationships to get assistance. Be bold, ask and when there is some assistance take it.”

Answering another query to the panel, Ms. Fowler alluded, “from a business standpoint, they need to be cognizant of what they bring into their environment. It is really critical to understand what assets you have inside - people, technology, the facilities themselves – it is a prioritization process.”

Mr. Levin added another array of things to target optimizing for business: 2 factor identification; training; segmenting data as need to use and need to know; mapping data to be readied for incidents; aggressive vulnerability analysis and patch programs, and more. He
forewarned we “have to assume there is going to be an incident. A defining moment can be how a breach is handled. In the future, regulators, class action attorneys and the public will judge businesses on how well they protected the data and how well did they respond for customers, employees and business partners.”

Indeed, within the last few years, there are several products in the market that will offer cyber protection for individuals stated Mr. Thielen. “There are policies that cover financial fraud,
extortion and ransomware, privacy breaches, cyberbullying and other disruption victimization. Incident response coaches will have steps of what to do and facilitate,” noting they should be contacted in the first steps.

Adding layers of redundancy to make a security culture was also stressed by Mr. Keen. “Victimized business owners may face obligations from rules and regulations to notify customers or partners that could lead to loss of revenue, so it makes a lot of sense to mitigate risk through policies. Cyberthreats are evolving constantly, the latest stat is 250,000+ strands of malware are created daily, so if you are not evolving at an equal pace you are continuing to be left at risk. The reason why there is so much cybercrime is because it is easy and because it pays.”

Mr Levin underscored that “the truth is technology makes us powerful, but it also makes us vulnerable. When convenience trumps security, there are issues. And we know as technology
evolves, the protection tends to catch up and there are responses to the flaws and issues, the bad guys find a work-around, because there is more money on the dark side, and so we need to work together and find new ways to do this and find ways to better accurately authenticate people. Especially for businesses, we have to move toward privacy by design and security
by design, and can't be a bolt on - they have to be a core of things from day one. IOT devices should not be allowed to be connected to the internet until a new password is entered to work, so devices can be updated and upgraded automatically.”

“As businesses, the threat is evolving everyday,” concurred Ms. Fowler, “but we are really worried about the impact, be it from a cyberattack or a natural disaster, so it is very important for businesses to think about what is it that is most important for the operations of this business, and then make sure they have the right protections around those things most critical and more broadly than cyber - being resilient to accomplish its most important
objectives. For personal, we look at kids and monitoring what is online and think about what is most important and build protections around that.”

ATHLEISURE LIST | SWITCH PLAYGROUND

Switch Playground came to NYC in fall of 2016 by way of initially launching in South Africa in 2014! Steve Uria, a longtime fitness entrepreneur and personality launched this fitness method which is fueled by a DJ playing as you go through a number of circuits in 2 minute increments. One of our classes started with a quick yoga warmup and continues with a mixture of TRX workouts, treadmills, medicine balls, trampolines and of course, all done
within a blacklight setting! Although you workout individually, we found that we worked in groups of two and through a series of hand signals, we navigated the workout to figure out if
we would do it again or modify it within our 2 minute slot before moving into the next movement. With an array of instructors guiding you through this bootcamp style workout, you're able to see others who are in your class doing moves that you will do later in your
session, which consists of 20 stations. You have 20 seconds to get from one station to the next one before you start your 2 minute drills.

Those who do this workout find that it is truly a total body workout and it consists of plyometrics, strength training and cardio. It's a challenge that allows you to sync in with your instructors (which there tend to be around 10 that float throughout your session) and your partner as you continue with the workout.

Whether you take the class religiously or just from time to time, the workouts change from class to class so there is no way that you will be bored or be able to go on "autopilot". It's all about intensity, intervals and of course - variety.

This nightclub oriented workout complete with fog machines and dancing by the instructors while you complete your stations, are followed by access to bathrooms that have a number of
amenities including showers as well.

---

SWITCH PLAYGROUND
Soho Playground
180 6th Ave
NY, NY 10012

12th St Playground
130 East 12th St
NY, NY 10003

www.switchplaygroundusa.com

www.switchplaygroundsa.com

IG @SwitchPlaygroundNYC

Read more from the Oct Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Athleisure List | Switch Playground in Mag.

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UNDERSTANDING THE POPULARITY OF ONLINE GAMING

The rapid growth of the internet has led to the innovation of various useful online platforms. One of such is the online games that are seemingly still growing. And with the tremendous growth being witnessed on various social media platforms, there is no doubt that people are continuously looking for new and better ways to have some online fun. Since we are all different, we also tend to find comfort in various activities. That explains why the world will keep witnessing various innovations, especially when it comes to games, at least until the end of times. But then what's the real power source of online games? What keeps them so prominent? This article seeks to unveil all that and so much more. Be our guest.

The Accessibility To Fast Internet

The availability of the internet and faster internet speed to be precise happens to be a vital requirement when it comes to online gaming. This factor became more prudent especially with the introduction of incredible video games. But why is this so important? Let's look at it this way, with fast connection comes quick transition, which makes the accomplishment of targets much easier. It also almost instantly eliminates all the unnecessary, time-consuming pauses, glitches and messes and gives you and other playing partners ample playing time. So if your internet connection is top notch, then you won't have to experience connection cut-out on your favorite game spinning endeavors.

Additionally, speedy internet connection easily translates to superfast downloading time. So you get to download your favorite game from LiveMobile99 and start playing within seconds. Therefore, there is no doubt that online games have really increased their popularity thanks to the present times steady internet connection in various parts of the world, including some remote areas. And the fact that you can easily access games 24/7 makes it even more exciting. It has also in some way been made possible with the presence of the cloud.

This is something you wouldn't enjoy with a slow connection. Imagine having to endure all those annoying pauses and having to start your game all over again? Very frustrating, right?

Social Media Platforms Changed The Way People Communicate

Currently, the world is full of extension service providers. And with the overwhelming competition rates, each one of them is trying the best they can to maintain and increase their audience reach. Gone are the days game lovers used to heavily depend on online messaging systems for daily interactions. Nowadays the increasing level of social interactions has taken center stage in the world of online gaming. Little by little, people are rapidly embracing the use of online screens and microphones to communicate.

Other social media platforms such as Facebook has jumped at the opportunity to allow its users to expand their online presence and have lots of fun, by allowing them to use their accounts for direct connections with various gaming sites. This has brought a little bit of realism into this sector as people get too warm towards each other through sharing their photos and seeing real faces.

Also, this means that online game lovers can easily interact and form long-term online-friendships with others across the globe. It's a totally new experience that almost everyone (of course in the gaming sector) could not waste an opportunity to try. So the more people wanting to be part of this fast-rising global movement, the higher the demand for various types of games and the greater the popularity of online gaming.

Variety Tones Down Boredom

Imagine having to play the same type of game every single day or even several times a week? How long will it take for you to sink into the boredom spot? Of course not that long, well, unless you're a rare kind of breed that enjoys repeating same concepts and routines. As already mentioned above, the increase in the demand for online games quickly leads to the innovation of various plays to cater to market demand. Of course, since the demand is huge and from all over the globe, there's no way one company can step-up and fill the gap. This has lead to the emerging of various online gaming service providers with various specialties.

Therefore, once you get acquitted with the concept of a particular game provider, you can easily move from one platform to the next in search of a more challenging game. The fact that you have the power to choose what you want to play and at what time, doesn't leave room for boredom. As it's, there is no way two extinct service providers can present an idea the same way. It's that uniqueness that keeps things more exciting, making people glued to their screens with an anticipation of what to expect next. Think of car games, shooting games, candy games all the way to farm games, it's evident that all the fun lies in the variety. And so long as this trend continues, you can be sure that you haven't seen the end of online gaming yet.

Gives An Opportunity To Skill Improvement

Like any area in life, joining the online gaming sector doesn't only revolve around getting a computer and fast internet connection. In facts, it calls for much more and that includes a commitment from the players. But you cannot simply promote your commitment when you don't even know your way through the playing concept. So this is the reason as to why many gaming platforms have introduced a specific section where interested parties get to sharpen their skills by first learning the basic concepts of the playing before joining actual competitions. In some way, this acts like a coaching section to help players gain confidence.

Here you get to involve yourself in various games without being competitive. The required skills for each game is normally provided in form of simple clear instructions and some rules. Remember rules differ from one game to the other, so the more games you want to learn, the more information you will have to grasp. It's like attending a school with essential guidelines and most individuals are taking advantage of this to be part of the online world.

Embraces The Power Of Sight

Almost everything that our brain processes begin with sight. It's what we see that creates the greatest impact. And maybe that's why it's often said that " first-impression matters." Many individuals will gladly confirm having clicked on various online games because of the graphics they present. When we see something we like, it's natural to have a given form of connection to it. So if you as a player likes cars, guns or magical stuff, then you're also likely to get lured into playing games with similar appeal. Besides, you have to be interested in something to want to try it out. You can't build your curiosity around boring stuff.

Online players seem to understand this very well and that's why they dedicate a lot of time in the creative aspects of the game. They deeply embrace the use of graphics and a blend of colors to achieve their goal. This with a combination of playability significantly contributes to the success of these platforms.

The Secret Of Regular Updates

The world is undoubtedly moving forward at a fast pace and that seems to apply in every aspect of our lives. Everyday, people work towards improving themselves and embracing new ways of making certain processes much easy and convenient. Online game providers seem to understand this very well and have always worked hard to ensure their sites stay up-to-standard. That's why they tend to invest a lot in regular game updates. Through this, players get to enjoy new features, additional characters, and game goals. So they typically evolve with the world.

Developers enjoy so much freedom, get to implement their latest discoveries and players appreciate the convenience. This is one of the most outstanding benefits of online games that have managed to see the sector strongly stand against console games. Who doesn't enjoy trying out new things in this creatively advancing world?

The Affordability Of Online Games

Ever walked into a store to purchase your favorite game? How much does it cost? Of course, it doesn't come cheap, right? It even gets out of limit when it comes to newly released games. In fact, some individuals would prefer letting the dust and hype cool down, before purchasing that a new set of their favorite game. Not convenient at all. But what to do in these hard economic times?

Most individuals find the answer to the above questions on the internet; online games. In fact, it costs a fraction of the store prices to play the games online or even use the download option. So it's normal to have many people playing online. Can you imagine using the money you could have spent on one game to gain access to a variety, that too at your convenient time? Wouldn't you too want to join the movement and get to save some bucks?

Another option is to combine your contributions with your friends and get to soak in the fun. If this isn't enough reason for many individuals to want to play online games and understand the logic behind its popularity, then we don't know what is! The combination of saving and satisfaction has always been a winner. Don't expect it to change any time soon.

Gives You Real Opponents

Nothing can be boring as playing and winning against yourself. Is that even a game to begin with? Well, you might find some comfort playing against the machine but the real fun sets in with knowing you're tackling a real opponent. Someone with blood running through their veins and with probably the same or more skills than you. Doesn't it feel good to know there is someone on the other side of the machine all tensed up and psyched up as you?

Some game providers have even embraced the aspect of teamwork and have an option for team competitions. This makes online games seem line real-time games. People gather to cheer on their favorite teams and even place bets on the same. It's an interesting turn of events that has largely contributed to the popularity of this sector.

Gives Opportunities To Upcoming Developers

It's true that opportunities can present themselves anywhere and without warning. Some well-known developers found the opportunities to exhibit their talents through the internet. And this is one area that the online gaming sector seems to maximize very well. Over the years, various platforms have managed to come up with game development segments that allow their players to demonstrate their specialties in development. This isn't surprising as most individuals who enjoy online games tend to possess various tech skills that they can use to improve the industry.

Some platforms such as Steam and The Happy Wheels are known to give upcoming developers the golden opportunity to develop their unique games and add them to the platform's library. In some platforms, recently developed games have to go through thorough scrutiny, which might include voting by the players before being allowed into the pool. So basically, the more followers/players you get to love your game, the more popular it becomes and of you in the process. It's enough motivation to witness the fruits of your hard work. Therefore, so long as platforms like these ones continue to exist, online games will also continue spreading like world fire. In fact, you can look at it as a way of adding variety to the industry.

In Conclusion

If we look at the online gaming industry in terms of expansion and improvement, then we can attribute most of its success to the evolution of speedy internet connection. But then that cannot stand on its own. People have to be interested in the games and increase their demand for popularity. That's why the availability of social media, games affordability and multi-player features play a huge role in this aspect. Besides, there is so much fun online and the industry is undeniably headed to a bigger and better expansion. Be part of it, enjoy the games!

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BINGELY STREAMING

BUSINESS WARS
Wondery

Netflix vs Blockbuster, Netflix vs HBO, Adidas vs Nike, Nintendo vs Playstation, Hearst vs Pulitzer, Beats vs Monster - we could list a number of business wars of titans that exist today and those that lost ther fight.

These business battles have shaped how we view brands, products, status and more and for those companies that exist, we're able to continue to watch their battles as they play out in real time.

Wondery's David Brown walks us through a number of business battles from their origin story, their awarness of their competitors (sometimes within the series a business engages in a battle with a new company). When possible, at the conclusion of the episodes focusing on a particular business battle, David interviews those who were a part of the company to find out more information on these wars. This is a highly bingeable show that takes you through a brand's history and brings an awareness to what it took for them to reach the success, pivots and failures that came their way.

MAKING A MURDERER S2

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Three years after the docuseries, Making a Murderer appeared on Netflix (which followed Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey who are serving life sentences for the murder of Teresa Halbach), Season 2 drops this month. In these 10 episodes, both men are still serving their life sentences but this season is a followup of additional details and reporting that should give more context to this midwest case.

Season 1 of this True Crime docuseries focused on the theory that both men were framed by a crooked police system that planted evidence as well as creating an enviroment to instigate a confession from the men that they didn't mean to make. Since Season 1, there have been appeals and in June, the Supreme Court decided not to hear Brendan's case - both are still in jail.

This season focuses on Steven's lawyer, Kathleen Zellner and how she plans to fight the State of Wisconsin and how she is building her case. If you have yet to see the first season, it's highly suggested that you start with Season 1 as well as to follow @MakingAMurderer on Twitter for up to the minute news about this case.

THE ROMANOFFS

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With a stellar cast that includes Diane Lane, Christina Hendricks, Noah Wyle, John Slattery, Amanda Peet, Aaron Eckhart and more - this anthology series tells the story of people who all believe that they are descendants of The Romanoffs (Romanov), a Russian royal family.

The series spans over three continents with each of the 8 episodes taking place in a new location around the globe. Mad Men's Matthew Weiner writes and directs each episode which is released every Friday.

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THE HILLS ARE ALIVE WITH WHITNEY PORT

We fell in love with Whitney Port during her days on The Hills as well as The City on MTV! We watched the rise of the budding fashion and PR girl through her internships, love life and more. With the reboot of The Hills coming back, we took some time to chat with one of our fave girls to talk about the importance of fitness, coming back to the show and other projects that she's working on.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We fell in love with you on The Hills and then seeing you step into the next phase of your life with The City! How did you get on The Hills and what was it like for you to be on this reality show?

WHITNEY PORT: I got onto “The Hills” pretty organically. I was an intern at WWD, and I was starting college in the fall in LA. I wanted another fashion internship, and Teen Vogue, which was in the same offices as WWD, was looking for interns. I decided to go in and interview. They told me that they thought I was a great candidate, but asked if I was interested in being on TV because they were starting to film a TV show there. I was unsure at first. They suggested I do a casting tape and see what happens. The next thing I knew I was called back in for the next on-camera interview with Lisa Love at Teen Vogue. Lauren Conrad walked into the waiting room while I was waiting for my interview. I then realized I was auditioning for her spinoff show because I had watched “Laguna Beach” and knew who she was. I had no idea that they had already casted me on the show. The rest was history!

AM: What made you decide that you wanted to continue onto the spinoff and what lessons did you learn from both shows?

WP: I really wanted to start my clothing line, and I saw the power that the show could have in terms of exposure. I joined the cast of “The City” because I thought it would be the perfect platform for me to launch my clothing line. I looked at itcompletely from a business perspetive. I also always wanted to move to NYC and thought that this was the perfect opportunity to do so.

What I learned is that just saying “yes” to things is so powerful and even though you may be scared, just say yes to more things. We are only young once and these opportunities fade so quickly so just really take advantage of these random fun adventures as often as you can.

AM: What can you tell us about The Hills Reboot?

WP: I cannot necessarily share so much at this moment, but we just started filming and its been really fun reconnecting with everyone. I’m excited for fans to see what we are all up to. It’s very different from how we used to spend our time.

AM: Are you excited to be back on the show - how do you think it will be different and what are you most looking forward to?

WP: It’s been ten years since we first started, and we all have grown up so much since then. We all have families and careers, so I think hopefully it will show a different perspective from a career standpoint as well as the intricacies of more mature relationships. A lot of the people that have watched the show have grown up with us, so I think they will be in similar places and have similar situations going on in their lives.

AM: Since being on the reality shows, we have enjoyed seeing you take on a number of projects from your clothing line, TV hosting and more - what are you currently working on that we should know about and feel free to share launches etc.

WP: I’m the Creative Director and Co-Founder of Bundle Organics, which is a tea, snack and vitamin booster line for pregnant and nursing women. We are launching 24 new items in Buy Buy Baby in the beginning of November, so I’m really excited because the new items are really delicious. I’m really excited to be a trusted brand for pregnant and nursing women, who have so many questions about what to put in their bodies and what brands to trust. I’m just excited to be that brand that they can look to.

AM: Health and fitness is important to us as well as to you. Why have you partnered with LACTAID and what is it that you enjoy about it?

WP: I’ve partnered with LACTAID because living a healthy lifestyle is important to me and real dairy is part of my balanced diet, plus I love the taste. I started buying LACTAID Milk because my husband, Timmy, is lactose intolerant. It has become a staple in our home.

AM: We know you created a LACTAID smoothie recipe, what's in it?

WP: Yes, after a good workout, I make sure to refuel with a smoothie made with LACTAID Milk, which has all the good nutrients found in real dairy without the discomfort of the lactose, so my husband Timmy can enjoy it too. The protein and sugar are just what my body needs after a good sweat. Check out the recipe below:

Ingredients:

1 Tsp cacao nibs
3 dates
¼ cup almonds
1 ripe banana
1 cup LACTAID® 2% Milk

Directions: Blend all ingredients and enjoy!

AM: What is your favorite healthy fall meal that you enjoy eating for lunch or dinner and what's a splurge food that you enjoy eating?

WP: My favorite healthy fall meal is my favorite meal year-round. I love steak. It’s always been my favorite food. My husband recently got one of those Big Green Eggs, so he grills the most delicious NY steaks and then we like to make a side of roasted potatoes. I also like an arugula salad for a side. My favorite splurge is French fries!

AM: What are 3 workouts that you enjoy including in your workout routine?

WP: Hot yoga is my favorite because it always feels so refreshing. I also like spinning and Pilates. I love a good sweat. I feel like my workout was worth it if I sweat out a bunch. Pilates is good for strengthening and lengthening. Spinning is just a really good release…

AM: We know you are based in LA, where would we find you working out, grabbing a bite/cocktails for date night and where do you shop?

WP: My favorite workouts are at Core Power Yoga, SoulCycle and Pilates by Amanda! My fave spots to grab a bite to eat are La Scala, Katsuya in Studio City, South Beverly Grill and my new fave Tocaya Organica! I just went to this AMAZING store called Mohawk in Los Feliz that had the coolest stuff ever! I wanted everything! I also love Only Hearts in Santa Monica for lingerie and Barneys just for everything!

AM: How do you balance the demands of being a wife and mother, stepping back into the reality world, running your other businesses/projects as well as taking time for yourself?

WP: I really just try to be as organized as possible with a shared calendar with my husband and all my work comrades! I try my best to be in the moment and stay present at any given time but I find that the need to plan always seeps in. I don’t really find perfect balance, rather I try every day to just be ok with the imbalance. It is REALLY hard and if anyone else has suggestions, I’d love some!

IG @WhitneyEvePort

Read more from the Oct Issue of Athleisure Mag and see The Hills Are Alive with Whitney Port in mag.

5 PIECES TO RUN IN FOR THE TCS NYC MARATHON

Read more from the Oct Issue of Athleisure Mag and see 5 Pieces to Run in for the TCS NYC Marathon in mag.

STYLE FILES | OUTERWEAR

Read more from the Oct Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Style Files | Outerwear in mag.

HOW TO GAIN A COMPETITIVE EDGE IN SPORTS

So, what, do you suppose, it takes to reach and maintain a competitive edge when competing at an elite level of a sporting competition? Training your body is one thing, but your mind is a whole other, separate issue altogether. And still, it is crucial if you, the sportsman or woman, consistently reach the peak of your potential. To get to the bottom of this poser, we have whittled down the main points of maintaining the psyche needed to install that competitive edge and then keep it, either in the face of defeat or consistently driving for success.

Be Passionate

If you even attempt to take on a sport or competition and lack the necessary passion only leads to another nameless player. Passion, also known as a drive, is what will inspire you to work harder and go further. The best footballers make it in professional sports because they put it the extra time after training or even initiate additional sessions to undertake in their time. Talent alone is not enough. It’s passion that makes you want to push yourself harder and achieve your goals to propel yourself beyond the average and into the elite. It makes you get out of bed every morning to improve your skill set. You must have a passion for your sport and to win, which, along with integrity and character, need to be on the top of your list.

Keep Learning

INFOGRAPHIC CREDIT | iPinimg / CC | Be the best you can be.

Firstly, any elite sportsman or woman will tell you that you can’t ever stop learning. That includes masters of their field. Think the Williams sisters, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer or Lionel Messi. These are perhaps the greatest of theirs or any other’s eras in their sport, all arguably the greatest of all time. All of whom who spent more than a decade at the top, who won it all and yet will be the first to admit that there is always something new to learn. With this mindset, these elites never rest on their laurels, accepting that there is always room to improve. This mindset also helps players like these to identify weaknesses, should they possess any, as well as highlight previously thought hidden potential distractions and illuminating remedies that can effectively deal with them.

Believe in Yourself

Arrogance is key. It seems apparent, but you must have faith in your talent and ability to achieve your goals. That, of course, is not to be confused with cockiness, which often serves only to inspire your opponents and typically foreshadows a fall. Instead, self-confidence provides players with a much-needed unshakable belief in one’s abilities. You must have complete faith in yourself, your talent, your abilities and your internal strength if you are to become the best version of you possible. Such, in turn, allows you to achieve your goals as an athlete.

An Optimistic Mindset

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Image Credit: Wikimedia / CC 4.0 Caption: One of the world’s most consistent winners: Michael van Gerwen.

Possessing a glass-half-full attitude rather than a glass-half-empty attitude is essential in maintaining a competitive edge in battle. That’s because you will, at times, need to bounce back quickly and resiliently in the face of defeat. Defeat, by the way, is sometimes inevitable, no matter how good you or your team are. It’s the nature of the sport. In poker, the term used is “tilt”. What this essentially means is that people must not let a bad beat (a bad run of luck at the poker table) to get the better of them mentally. Currently, in professional darts, Michael van Gerwen is so far ahead of his rivals that he is considered the outstanding sports star of the moment and still, even as the odds-on favorite week after week, he has still lost to complete outsiders a surprising number of times. Nevertheless, a week later when the trophies are handed out, there he is on the winner’s podium. It’s that ability to lock out previous defeats and keep a clear head and positive attitude that allows him to make winning titles look little more than routine. To that end, if you want to excel, then you, too, need to have a positive outlook that allows you to bounce back sharply, regroup and push on for the win.

Persistence Pays

You must keep trying in sports. Michael Jordan admits he missed 9,000 shots, 26 winning games, 26 winning shots and sadly, lost 300 games. Still, as the six-time World Champion said, “I failed over and over, that is why I succeeded.” According to the British Journal of Sports Medicine, many sportsmen and women traditionally dedicate a considerable amount of their time to improving their physical conditioning when it comes to a sport. However, you must never overlook the importance of psychological preparation, which can be as critical. Every player will encounter pressure when playing a sport. It doesn’t matter if you’re a boxing contender competing for a championship belt or a world-class poker player playing Texas Hold’em or Omaha Hi Lo in a poker tournament, you need to dig deep every time you play, pushing yourself harder than you ever have before.

Become a Perfectionist

It is imperative that you must consistently strive to improve your weaknesses and build upon your strengths to become the best of the best. After all, did you get to where you are now by being complacent and doing things in a slack way? Of course, not. If you are to be a successful athlete, then perfecting your skills and honing your talent is an essential ingredient to any success that you hope to achieve. Utilizing the above-listed attributes gives you the heart of a champion and instills a winning mentality into your heart and will ultimately help you grow as an athlete or, who knows, even a poker player.

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

PREPPING YOUR GARAGE FOR COLD WEATHER SEASON

We sat down with Home Organization Expert, Marty Basher of ModularClosets.com to get tips on de-cluttering your garage when it comes to the cold weather season!

Do you have any advice for prepping your garage for Fall and Winter?

Cleaning the garage is a perfect first step to setting up for an easier and more convenient Fall and Winter. You’ll enjoy having everything from Summer out of the way and everything you need for the cold weather seasons organized, easy-to-access and ready to be used.

Where do you start?

Start with your goal in mind. Is your garage best described as a mechanic’s dream hangout? Or does the garage double as a storage and laundry room? What equipment, tools and supplies will you need for the upcoming season? Having a plan for the final functionality of the space is key to achieving a successful cleaning and organizing. Prioritizing what needs to stay, what has to go, and how much room you need to maneuver in the garage is a lot easier when you have a goal. Sketch out a rough plan and get started.

What do you get rid of and what do you keep?

When it comes to purging items from the garage, start with expired items like old paint cans, oils, solvents, yard treatments and insecticides. These items break down over time and loose efficacy and quality. Only keep items that will last through the coming season. Before tossing paint, document the color codes for anything in the house you may want to touch up or repaint.

Keeping everything is tempting, especially when you have the space and you don’t need to

Worry about drop in visitors. Deciding what to keep can be determined by itemizing your items into categories: Use regularly, Use Annually, Don’t Use, & Sentimental Storage. If you don’t use it, get rid of it. Check annual and regular use items for signs of wear and tear. Replace or store as needed. When it comes to sentimental storage, focus on what you actually want to keep and what you actually have room to store safely.

What is the best type of organization/storage system?

Depending on the amount of space you have to work with, several options can be useful. Narrow spaces benefit from wall shelves and stackable storage systems. Free standing shelving units give freedom to adapt as your needs change. Built in storage, such as shelving, locker systems, peg boards, or ceiling storage units are extremely functional in addition to making organizing easy.

What should not be in the garage?

Typically, the garage is not a good place for storing food items. Some garages may safely accommodate a second refrigerator or drop freezer. Avoid shelving dry goods or other food items in the garage as this entices insects and rodents. Also note, if you store birdseed or other types of animal feed in the garage, a metal bin away from moisture is best. Rodents can nibble through plastic containers to get to food or birdseed. Also use caution when storing fuels and flammable liquids in the garage. They should be kept separate in an area where they can’t be knocked or spilled easily.

How do you deal with bikes and sports equipment?

A simple solution for bike storage is an S hook and a stud. Using a stud finder, screw a large S hook into the ceiling stud and hang bicycles by the tire. This reduces floor clutter and several bikes can hang in a tight space. Wall rack bike storage systems are another great option. Storing sports equipment can be daunting, especially for multitalented people or families. Wall locker systems can be very helpful for organizing sports equipment. Another option for sports equipment can be found in a stackable bin system. Choose a combination of bin sizes that will hold your equipment and stack. Don’t forget lids for the top layer of bins. The dead space above your equipment storage system can function nicely as a place to store extra paper towels or water coolers in the off season. This system can grow and change with your needs and interests

What about equipment and tools?

Garden equipment can be used and stored easily in a high backed wheeled bucket. Keep the rake, hoe, trowel, gloves and more stored safely in one place in the garage. Keep equipment like snowblowers where it is easy to get them out and back in. Have shovels and snowbrushes for clearing cars off all in one bucket or bin. Keep salt for de-icing in a refillable and easy to carry container with a handle, and where you can easily access it and take it out for use. Another option for gardening items is a lean-to shed attached to the exterior wall of your garage. These small sheds can be built to suit your needs and can double as a gardening shed complete with potting table.

How do you keep it organized

Simple and perhaps cliché, but still useful: a place for everything and everything in it’s place. Assign a home for the items in the garage and be sure to put them there when you finish with them. If you have a family using the garage, you might need to get out the label maker to keep the family on board with the new organization. If you add to your garage collections, avoid reorganizing the whole garage by keeping some open shelf or wall space to assign to new items.

Are there are any rules you should follow?

Rule number 1: It has to work for you. All of the tips on the world won’t help if the job goes against your natural routine. Build and organizational system that accentuates your natural patterns. If you always kick off your shoes by the garage door, put the shoe basket there.

Anything I am missing?

Fall is a perfect time to do a maintenance check on all of the equipment before needing to use them when cold weather season hits. Get a tune up for the snow blower and make sure it's filled with gas.

Read more from the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

BEST MOBILE SLOT GAMES

Imagine yourself waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to fall back asleep so you just pace around the room because you can’t really find anything to do. Now, imagine a different scenario where you actually have the perfect thing to do; something that doesn’t take a lot of mental effort yet, keeps you entertained for hours. What I’m talking about here is slots. Who doesn’t like the mild feeling of anticipation you get when the reels are about to stop? 

What I’m talking about here is slots. Who doesn’t like the mild feeling of anticipation you get when the reels are about to stop? In the old days, you would have had to go to a casino to experience that feeling or just keep yourself busy during the late hours of the night; however, times have changed and now you can spin the wheels without even leaving the comfort of your blankets. Moreover, you can do it without paying a single dime.

All of this and more you can simply do by downloading one of the following mobile slots apps deemed to be the best in the business. 

Finn and the Swirly Spin 

Designed by NetEnt™, this slots game is wrapped whimsical interface that makes your experience much more fun. Once you open the game, you are welcomed into the emerald isle by Finn, a leprechaun who accompanies you on your way to riches. 

It is five reel, five row video slot with a lot of special features like Dragon Destroy and Starfall Wilds random features, in addition to free spins and a highly dynamic spin mechanic that keeps you engaged as the symbols float around the screen. 

Rapunzel’s Tower 

The Swedish game developer Quickspin brings to you a five-reel slot with twenty paylines based primarily on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, Rapunzel. 

On the contrary to other thematic slot games, the graphics here are very compelling due to their high quality. Other than that, the game offers several features like the Bonus Wild, free spins and most importantly, a goal to work towards which is helping the prince reach the top of the tower. 

918kiss 

This game is on the other side of the spectrum; it focuses on bringing the real experience of a casino from its base in Malaysia right to where you are.

The game offers an easy-to-use interface that you can quickly get acquainted with; as well as live sessions where you can play and bet against other people in real time. 918kiss also offers free accounts for you to try the game before officially signing up.

Pyramid: Quest for immortality

Again, from NetEnt™, this game teleports you to the reign of the pharaohs and the ancient Egyptian Gods.

The game is a five-reel, 720-betway video slot with graphics of the same high quality as most NetEnt™ games and a lot of special features like the Avalanche™ to spice up the game.

Lights

An enticing three-row, five-reel, nine-line slot with a Zen motif.

It excels in providing soothing graphics like; natural scenery and fireflies which keeps you relaxed throughout the whole game. Although it doesn’t have as many special features as other games, it promises a unique, dynamic gameplay experience.

Now that you’ve seen our top picks, go ahead, give them a try and tell us your opinions. May the odds be in your favor.

 Read more from the latest issue of Athleisure Mag

ARE YOU REALLY A SOCIAL DRINKER OR COULD YOU BE AN ALCOHOLIC?

Increasingly, women are going head to head with men when it comes to binge drinking. It’s not surprising: society normalizes, encourages, and promotes drinking so heavily that it can be nearly impossible, at times, to know what’s “normal” or not. A 2015 report by the National Institutes of Health, says an exploding number of Americans are in the drinking danger zone. According to the report, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, nearly one-third of American adults at some point in their life have an Alcohol Abuse Disorder, and only 20% seek treatment. Drinking may seem harmless but overindulging in alcohol is responsible for more than 80,000 deaths in this country per year and is the third leading cause of preventable deaths. We turned to Carrie Carlton, Clinical Director (LCSW) of Beachway Therapy Center in Boynton Beach, Florida to outline the differences between social, problem and alcoholic drinking.

Addicted alcoholics hide their habit

Carrie Carlton says, “When people veer from social drinking to alcoholism, they usually try to conceal their drinking from those who are close to them. This is a warning sign because they deliberately wish to hide their drinking habit from their loved ones so as not to alarm or disappoint them. The fact is, the more they try to hide their drinking habit, the more serious their drinking problem becomes.”

Missing work

Alcoholics tend to miss work, damage other people’s lives, and not fulfill obligations because they stay busy drinking. Social drinkers will drink at specific times when they are usually free so that no important work is hampered. Social drinkers make sure that they do not over-drink, which ensures that they can tend to important obligations. “If they start ignoring these obligations because of drinking, they have likely become alcoholic,” says Carlton.

You’re a weekend warrior.

“If you don’t drink daily, but are drinking regularly, such as binges every Friday night, that’s a red flag,” says Carlton. While research shows that having about seven alcoholic beverages per week lowers your risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, abstaining all week only to guzzle five or six glasses in a single sitting negates any of alcohol’s potential health benefits. Moreover, binge drinking can raise blood pressure and interfere with certain medications.

Drinking just “creeps up on you.”

Have you ever told yourself you were going to have only a drink or two at happy hour, and before you knew it you’d downed five? One of the clues that you may be a binge drinker is not knowing your limits—or feeling surprised when you've "suddenly" passed them. “Like diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems, drinking problems develop gradually and alcoholism is progressive,” says Carlton.

Drinking and driving

Alcoholics end up in alcohol-related accidents, while social drinkers do not. However, for a social drinker, they know that drinking and driving is not permitted and can be fatal. So, even if they over-drink on a particular social occasion, they don’t get behind the wheel.

You wonder if there will be enough alcohol available

“This most likely means that you are probably chasing the buzzed feeling and are unable to enjoy yourself without the fear of losing that high” says Carrie Carlton. “It is most definitely a warning sign of addiction and it can be a sign of obsessive thinking around alcohol, which should absolutely raise red flags.”

You “Pre-Game It”

Perhaps you are going on a blind date and don’t want your date to think you drink too much so you have 2 drinks at home and 2 drinks while on the date. You know you’ve had 4 drinks, but your date perceives you as a “normal” drinker. You are aware of your true quantity and have the buzz to go along with it.

You hide alcohol

If you don’t want your spouse, roommate or family member to see you drinking, perhaps you hide alcohol in a closet or bathroom cabinet and put your drinks in a colored paper cup so only you know you’re drinking. Carrie Carlton says, “alcoholics will do this to be able to indulge in their addiction while attempting to “act sober” and deceive others around them.”

You switch drinks or try to make rules for yourself that you don’t follow

Many people will negotiate with themselves. For example, “I will switch from 4 glasses of wine to two Vodkas” or “I will only drink on weekends,” “I will only go to happy hour when I have a new client win.” “Normal” drinkers don’t make these kinds of bargains with themselves because their lives don’t revolve around alcohol or attempts to control consumption of it,” says Carlton.

A ”problem drinker” versus an alcoholic

Carrie Carlton explains that, “A problem drinker is able to self-correct when they are given sufficient reason to do so – negative consequences, painful hangovers, birth of a child, new responsibilities, etc. An alcoholic, on the other hand, is unable to permanently cut back or stop drinking even when they have numerous reasons to do so. When faced with serious consequences and reality, an alcoholic may temporarily stop or limit themselves, but they will invariably return to their regular excessive drinking patterns.”

What to do if you’re not sure you have a problem

Carrie Carlton suggests, “If you are not certain you are an alcoholic, seek the advice of a therapist, or attend an AA meeting and speak with those who have long term sobriety to see if they share similar thoughts and experiences. If you feel that you need more than therapy to stop drinking, in patient treatment (rehab) may be the course of action you need to get both the therapy and tools to live a sober life.

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag

EATALY'S CHEF COLLABORATIONS WITH CHEF ADAM HILL

The month of Sept is always a hectic time of year as it's summer's last hurrah, NYFW kicks off Fashion Month, football season begins and fall is embraced with it's transitional style and food festivities! As we finished our final show of NYFW SS19, we found ourselves enjoying Eataly's Chef Series, which is a collaboration of chefs including Chef Daniel Boulud, Chef Marc Forgione just to name a few, with Manzo's Chef Adam Hill. We took some time to talk to Chef Adam to find out about how he got into the industry, his work at Eataly's open kitchen Manzo, sourcing and sustainability and of course the Chef Collaborations.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us when you knew that you wanted to be a chef.

CHEF ADAM HILL: Believe it or not, probably when I was 10 years old. I started watching this show and it was before Food Network. There was a show called Great Chefs of the USA and The World. It was a very dry show and was not at all created for a 10 year old. It wasn’t like Emeril Live and didn’t have any kind of flash to it. I remember one day in particular that my dad went out for a business meeting and he came back a little over an hour later and I was still sitting in front of the TV fascinated by it! I started cooking dinner for my family at the age of 10 or 11. My mom took a job at night and even though I was the youngest in the family, I started cooking for my 2 older brothers, my mom and my dad. From there, I just fell in love with it. I started reading cookbooks at the age of 11 or 12. It got me at a young age!

AM: That’s a huge part of your culinary journey! Where else did you go and where did you train prior to coming to Eataly?

CHEF AH: I started my Lucibello’s in West Haven, CT. I started working there at the age of 16 as a dishwasher and prep cook. I worked there for about 2.5 years while I was still in high school. I ended up working my way up to prep cook full time. From there, I did some line experience also and working the hotline – starting at a young age. I also worked at a Country Club called The Stanwich Club in Greenwich, CT and I was at The Culinary Institute of America at the Rec Center – a student run restaurant called, The Courtside Café. It was simple things for students like burgers, fries, chicken fingers and cheesesteaks. It’s things that students want to eat when it’s not part of the curriculum. Even with that, after working there a couple of months, I became Student Manager – it was a good learning experience because at the CIA every 3 weeks, you have a new class. So you might be PM for 3 weeks and then in 3 weeks you might be learning Breakfast Class which starts at midnight but ends at 8am or 9am. So every 3 weeks, our staffing would change at Courtside so I got very good at teaching people because your staff may change.

Sometimes you go from having 15 available cooks to 10 and you have to figure out how to make it work with the schedule. Maybe someone has never worked a set station and you have to teach them how to do it and to pick it up as quickly as possible. That definitely helps. When I graduated from CIA, I worked at Chipotle for 6 months and I wanted to learn how they ran their business, how they did their ordering and their overall philosophy. It was also a great experience. My whole plan was to work there as that would be the job that would pay the bills and then train at other kitchens when I had free time. But once I became a manager, they said I couldn’t do that because I needed to have open availability and if I was trailing someone when I had a day off and they needed to call me in if someone couldn’t make it – it would be a problem.

Around that same time, Eataly opened and I started working at the Flatiron location when it opened 8 years ago. I started working at Il Pesce as a line cook and became a sous chef there and then I wanted to do something new, and then about a year and a half/2 years later, I came to Manzo as a line cook and worked my way through the stations. After 2 years, I became sous chef and after about 2 years I became the chef here for 3 years. So I have been at Eataly ever since it has opened and I have been able to stay here so long because there is always something new here, a new challenge to learn and everyday, everyweek there is something new and different going on. It’s great to run your own restaurant while fitting in with the Eataly structure.

AM: What’s an average day like for you at Manzo?

CHEF AH: I don’t know if there is ever an average day especially in the restaurant business and especially at Eataly.

On average, I come in and check in with the sous chef to make sure that we’re on the same page as far as running the specials, double checking with what the line cooks are doing, always walking around and talking with everyone tasting everything to make sure it tastes right before we go into lunch or dinner service. Talking with the General Manager to make sure we’re on the same page in terms of specials and changes to the menu. As we go into service making sure that we are expediting service and that food comes together at the same time. Making sure it’s right before it goes out. As we are getting through service, making sure that we are cleaning up and that everyone is taking their breaks.

The best way to explain the difference between being a cook and a chef is that a cook is a player on the team, but when you are the chef, you have to be the coach and it’s hard for some people to make that adjustment because when you’re the chef, it’s no longer about being the best player, it’s about making sure that your players are doing the best that they can and that your cooks are as well prepared as they can be. Making sure that as a chef, we’re always teaching and always having people think about the next step and training the person behind them to make sure that they are getting ready for a new station. For example, today walking kind of slow so that the person who is on salad station is learning on veg station and maybe the person on veg station learns how to grill meat and the person on meat station begins to learn on pasta. Some of the more advanced people can do the chef thing. It’s all about teaching and making sure that the cooks know that it’s not just a job to them, but that they are learning as much as they can while they are here. In this business, when people aren’t learning, they will put in a year on their resume and they will go elsewhere. The more that you can keep them invested and buying in, it keeps them engaged and hopefully you have a good succession plan so that you have a full circle of training happening.

AM: We truly enjoyed attending a recent Chef Collaborations dinner at Eataly where the menu was created by you and Chef Gabriel Kreuther. What is the purpose of the chefs series that took place there and how did it mold the menu as you partnered with different chefs through this series?

CHEF AH: We had this idea about a year ago as we had done a renovation of Manzo’s dining room. The kitchen is now in the dining room and it was an idea to help cross promote Manzo as well as the guest chefs, with some of the proceeds going to charity. It was a great opportunity for our guest chefs as well as for me to work with them to learn different styles of cooking.

The style of food and chefs definitely brings a different flavor each time. We recently changed the format because when we first did it we had the guest chef’s dish and a dish from Manzo’s menu, but as we continued through the series in the next round – we changed it to be a 4 course menu. So it was a dish of ours, either on the menu or off, a dish from the guest chef, the main course was a collaboration between the 2 chefs and then having the dessert course. This way was much better for the series to run for example at the dinner you attended, Chef Kreuther and I had a great overlap as he is from Alsace and there is some overlap with Alsace cooking and Italian cooking. One of my favorite things on the menu is Testa (it translates to Head Cheese in English, but it’s Pig Head) and I wanted to showcase this as it’s about responsible sourcing and eating sustainably and sometimes using just the pork chop or just the pork tenderloin – everytime an animal dies – the whole animal should be used. To utilize pigs head, it goes along with that ethos. If an animal is going to lose its life, no part of the animal should go to waste. That’s a big part of Alsatian cooking and Italian cooking. For the first course, I wanted to do a mix of Alsatian style and Italian style so the Testa was already Italian and Italian cooking uses a lot of sweet and sour components, which is also true for Alsatian cooking with the German influence. So I wanted to do the sweet and sour cherries and then for the main course, it was a similar idea. We wanted to a trio of pork – the braised pork is kind of Alsatian by braising it in beer which is also common in Northern Italian cooking. The polenta and green tomato sauce was a little sweet and a little sour. When you ate it, it didn’t feel forced there was enough of an overlap between the Alsatian and Italian cooking that it comes together naturally. That’s what those dishes should feel like and if you do a little digging into it – it makes sense historically and the customer finds it enjoyable, accurate and traditional.

AM: What was it like for you to create and work with these chefs throughout this series?

CHEF AH: There have been different challenges. It’s interesting to see the chef’s different styles and influences. Like, Chef Marc Forgione’s influence was a late night French Dip, but deconstructed so there was a carpaccio of dry aged rib eye and there was an au jus component – there was a horseradish sour cream component to it and it still felt natural together. But when you heard the story behind it, it was like cool that makes sense. Culinary-wise there is always a different technique, so there was a dish with Chef Daniel Boulud that was made with clams and andoulie which was very popular. We did a pork belly with kimchi that was pretty successful – so it was interesting to see the techniques and sometimes when we would get the recipes, they were more informal, where others were more precise down to the gram. Overall, it has been fun to learn about the chef’s history, their inspiration for the dish and their style of cooking. In every one, there has been a different learning experience.

AM: For you dishes that you created, how did you go about deciding what it was going to be and what ingredients that you would be using? Do most of them come from Eataly that can be purchased there?

CHEF AH: For the most part, yeah! I would say that when I do a dish, you can purchase the products here at Eataly, but it also depends on the flow of the guest menu that the chef wants to do. If they want to do an antipasta, then maybe we do a pasta. If they want to do a pasta, then it doesn’t make sense for us to do a pasta for the four course tasting, so we will try to do an antipasta. The collaboration is always the main course and it’s about finding that balance and that the flow of the menu is natural.

For this month, the whole menu had a country feel to it. Chef Kreuther’s dish had the apple cider braised rabbit with saffron butter, so we liked this idea of refined rustic cooking, and I love Testa so I thought that would work and he loved it too. So we agreed on this dish which flowed well with the rabbit and then for the main course, pork 3 ways was simple and elegant and continued the sweet sour play.

When we did the collaboration with Chef Akshay Bhardwaj from Junoon it was very natural. We tried to incorporate some thing that were very common in Indian cooking and in Italian
cooking. Naturally, you wouldn’t think that they would go together, but we did a Saffron Risotto with yellow lentils and lamb cooked two ways and this was really successful and I liked the dish a lot. It was because the lamb that we did, one part of it was Sicilian style and the other way was an Indian style where we had marsala and chili peppers and a lot of depth of flavor. We had Sicilian style lamb belly was cooked with garlic and herbs. The risotto was obviously Italian, but with the saffron in there it had the Indian approach along with the yellow lentils. When you ate it all together, it didn’t feel forced, you just loved the taste
playing well together.

AM: Although this series has come to an end, will there be another?

CHEF AH: I’m not sure. I mean, I know that the rest of the year maybe not, but perhaps next year. I know there is an Eataly launching in Las Vegas so maybe this is something that we could do there. It will be a new concept in Las Vegas so maybe getting people to be aware of this location, they can bring in other chefs that are established in Las Vegas through this series. Overall, we loved the concept and I think that going into the end of the year, we will be more focused on truffles and getting our menu ready for the winter.

AM: How many times a year does the menu change at Manzo?

CHEF AH: Constantly ha! It’s an organic thing. You change the menu based on seasonality, availability, for example we recently took off summer squash because it’s fall and even though it’s a bit early to put winter squash on the menu, we can’t call out to summer squash because it’s not summer. Tomato season is winding down so even though we love selling heirloom tomatoes and caprese, we can’t run it all year and it’s not true to the Italian cooking philosophy.

Somethings that are on the menu are mainstays and they don’t change too much like some of the steaks we have – it doesn’t go out of season. But it’s the garnishes that might change and as we go into the winter, we want to make our menu more comfort friendly, so tomato based pastas aren’t so friendly with truffles so we do more butter and cheese sauces because it goes great with truffles. Just keeping the menu flexible for things like that is key.

AM: What are your favorite dishes that you like to create at Manzo?

CHEF AH: Well that’s a tough question! I like doing something that is traditional but a little bit different. A good example of this is the lamb shank that’s on the menu right now. In the spring
time in Italy, much like we do a barbeque here in the US with a whole roasted pig on a spit, they will do lamb in the same way over an open fire. You eat it as soon as it comes off the fire.
You dig into it when it is so hot that it burns your fingers and it’s so hot, but you eat it any way because it is so delicious. The dish translates to “lamb that burns your fingers” – we do a version of that, but it’s not the whole lamb because we’re not going to sell a whole lamb. So we do lamb shanks and it’s marinated with white wine and olive oil, thyme, rosemary, lemon zest and a little anchovy. These are all traditional flavors and we slow cook the lamb for 24 hours and then we cool it down. When the customer orders it, we coat it with salt and sugar and we roast it so it gets crispy on the outside and when you cut into it, it’s crunchy and juicy
and falls off the bone. When you dig into it, it burns the roof of your mouth or your fingertips and it pays homage to the original. There's a story to it and it’s kind of modernized in a way that makes it appropriate to sell into a restaurant. You might sell 10 a day or 2, but if you cooked a whole lamb everyday, that wouldn’t be sustainable.

AM: That sounds really good – we’ll have to try it!

CHEF AH: Well you should come in soon as we’ll be taking it off of the menu soon as it is more of a spring or summer dish.

AM: Oh no!

CHEF AH: Realistically, we probably could change the garnish on it to make it feel more wintery, but the overall story of eating lamb in the spring or the summer time outside in the piazza where people gather around – is just like having a suckling pig for a barbeque – you think of it as more of a summery thing.

AM: Are you constantly thinking of different dishes and coordinating with the sommelier as well as your pastry chef?

CHEF AH: Yeah usually for pastry, there is some sort of collaboration between the party chef and myself, but I try to leave Chef Rebecca to have more creative freedom there and just make sure that it is something that we can execute consistently. As far as coming up with a new menu, we work with Central Kitchen. It’s like a group of chefs that oversee all restaurants at Eataly. I’m the Chef at Manzo, but then there are a team of 5 chefs at Central Kitchen which oversees all the restaurants as another set of eyes. If we weren’t all under one roof like Chef Wolfgang Puck who has 10 restaurants, Wolfgang isn’t in every restaurant every day, but he has a trusted team of people he meets with I’m sure that make sure things are going to plan, food costs are looked after and that the menu makes sense. The same can be applied here with our Central Kitchen, as they are not in everyday but they are making sure things are ok.

AM: How do you define your cooking style and how does that marry with the ethos of Eataly?

CHEF AH: That’s a good question. I like simple food that is well prepared. I like making something that is the best version of something that you have had before. Like, finding what it is that people don’t like about food or something that they could potentially like. A lot of people say that they don’t like mushrooms and when I was younger, I had a lot of bad mushroom – just thrown on pizzas with no seasoning and they got squishy and it’s a texture thing that grosses people out. I love mushrooms now and what changes them is when you get them a little crispy and mix them with a little garlic and butter and thyme. There are only 3 or 4 ingredients but it makes a lot of difference. Eggplant is another one if you eat it and there isn’t enough salt and you roast it – again, it’s a texture thing. If you get it a little bit crispy and roast it in a really hot oven, a good amount of garlic and oregano – people will eat it and the hugest compliment to me is when people tell me that they don’t even like eggplant but they ask me what I put in it to make it taste so good. I like to keep it simple as you don’t need to throw the kitchen sink on eggplant but if you find the right flavors to highlight it and to make sure the texture is correct – people can change their minds about it.

At home, I would say that I don’t cook strictly Italian. I cook some different things. The other day, I was kind of sick so I made some noodles with a lot of garlic, sesame oil and soy sauce – because when I’m sick I want to eat a lot of garlic which is good for your immune system. That’s not traditional anything – just ingredients that I like to cook with. My style is very simple and focuses on seasonality and it matches up with Eataly because our whole style of cooking is about paying respect to the traditions of Italian cooking.

“The best way to explain the difference between being a cook and a chef is that a cook is a player on the team, but when you are the chef, you have to be the coach and it’s hard for some people to make that adjustment because when you’re the chef, it’s no longer about being the best player it’s about making sure that your players are doing the best that they can an that your cooks are as well prepared as they can be.”

— Chef Adam Hill

AM: When you’re not cooking, how do you take time for yourself?

CHEF AH: I like watching football a lot and now that it’s football season, I’m very happy! I’m a Steelers fan. I like to go out with friends and it’s tough in the restaurant business as we don’t all have the same time off. Usually, when we get out of work at midnight, we’ve been cooking all day so we want to eat now because we haven’t all day. Sometimes we’ll go out for late night drinks and to grab a bite and since we're close to Koreatown, we go there as it’s open super late. A lot of people who don’t work in the industry are surprised that when we get out of work we don’t want to cook fancy food, we want comfort food. Like a pot of rice and bulgogi is great. Different kimchis and vegetables that are just stripped down and it’s not messed with too much. You want to be full and happy. I love Bonchon late night with their fried chicken wings. We try to go out once a week to go to the bars which turns into going to Koreatown for some Hot Pot or Korean barbeque. Late night tacos are a go to for me as I love Mexican food.

If I have a day off, I’m just doing laundry and relaxing. I’ll clean the house and if it’s on Sunday, then I am going to be a lazy couch potato and watch football!

IG @ChefAdamHill @EatalyFlatiron

PHOTO COURTESY | Eataly Flatiron

Read more from the Sep Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Eataly’s Chef Collaborations with Chef Adam Hill in mag.

GERM CITY

We attended an exhibit preview of Germ City: Microbes and the Metropolis at the Museum of the City of New York this month to explore and reflect upon the complex story of New York’s long battle against infectious disease—a fight involving government, urban planners, medical professionals, businesses, and activists. It reveals how our understanding of disease has changed us physically, socially, and culturally, and the surprising interplay between people and pathogens in an urban context.

The exhibition is organized by the Museum of the City of New York in collaboration with The New York Academy of Medicine and Wellcome. It is part of Wellcome’s international project Contagious Cities, which explores the interplay of people and pathogens in urban contexts. Drawing on the model of the Wellcome Collection’s “Reading Room,” Germ City features a hybrid gallery and library where visitors can view historical artifacts alongside contemporary artworks created for the exhibition, delve into the exhibition’s themes with a curated selection of books, and access a wide range of perspectives through digital interactives.

Contagious Cities is an international project developed by Wellcome, which supports local conversations around the global challenges of epidemic preparedness and marking the centenary of the 1918 flu pandemic, during which a third of the world’s population was infected and 50 million people died. Cities bring people and germs together. Through the stories it tells, Contagious Cities explores the outcomes of this cohabitation, and the relationship between microbes, migration and the metropolis. Combining different perspectives and expertise, partners in the project are co-producing artist residencies, exhibitions, interactive experiences, events and broadcasts. Together, they are investigating the physical, social, economic and cultural effects of infectious diseases

“Microbes don't necessarily first come to mind as intuitive territory for a cultural exhibition, but Germ City uses scientific models, historical objects, and contemporary artworks to make the very personal stories of New Yorkers who have been impacted by contagious disease over time come alive,” said Anne Garner, Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts at The New York Academy of Medicine Library, and co-curator of Germ City. “Everyone can relate to what it's like to feel afraid or uncertain about illness, and/or comforted by caregivers, and we hope the show will provoke new conversations about responses to epidemic disease."

“The Academy is pleased to partner with our neighbor The Museum of the City of New York and with the Wellcome Trust on this important exhibition and program series,” said Judith A. Salerno, MD, MS, President of The New York Academy of Medicine. “This effort brings together our collective expertise on the history of health in New York and the impact that outbreaks of disease over time have had on New York City’s residents, infrastructure, and its many interlocking systems including housing, urban planning, water systems, migration, and public health policies.”

Rebecca Hayes Jacobs, Andrew W. Mellon, Post-Doctoral Cultural Fellow, with the Museum of the City of New York, added, “we were interested in bringing together historical artifacts, scientific models and contemporary art to try to address this topic of infectious disease, and organized it thematically about responses to disease. It shows artifacts and artwork about containment, investigation, care and stopping disease in the urban environment. And so we selected objects that might be visually interesting, thought provoking, and might surprise people and make them think and also bring up the social meaning of contagion. It is about the cultural side. It's a topic that is underappreciated, infectious disease might sound scary and intimidating, but anyone can learn more if they’re interested. We have a whole interactive space in the reading room, where people can learn personal stories, so hopefully it is a very accessible exhibition for just about anyone.”

After touring the exhibit and listening to opening remarks, we spoke with Seema Kumar, VP of Innovation, Global Health and Policy Communication, Johnson & Johnson, a sponsor of the exhibit.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Can you tell us about J&J's role and work in this field?

SEEMA KUMAR: J&J has a really superb global footprint in terms of multiple disease and therapeutic areas. Specific to this topic, in the global public health and infectious diseases and vaccines arena, we've got a long tradition in working in HIV, in TB, and many other diseases, like Zika and Ebola. We have a vaccines platform, where we are in the process of developing vaccines for Zika; we have actually 2M doses of an Ebola vaccine ready to deploy anytime there is a crisis - and those we developed and accelerated when there was a big Ebola crisis in 2015. We also have a vaccine for HIV, which is in clinical trials in South Africa. It's going to be tested in 2600 young girls and women in Sub-Saharan Africa, keeping fingers-crossed. In TB, we brought forward the first new mechanism of action in 40 years, there was a new compound and new break though and that works against multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB). So for those when all hope is gone and near deathbed when resistant to all of the existing treatments, this particular medicine helps. Especially in South Africa, we have a wonderful collaboration with the government through clinical trials and also access programs, where we made our compound available for use and the transformation that has taken place in those patients is just extraordinary in terms of changing the trajectory of the mortality rates of MDR-TB, so much so that the South African government made a courageous move to put this medicine as part of its drug regimen against MDR-TB. So we have a huge footprint, and then in HIV we have three products which treat HIV, but in addition to that we have a long-acting injectable, we're working together with GSK ViiV.

We've went from multiple pills that HIV patients have to take everyday to one pill, and now we're trying to make a long-acting injectable that can keep the virus in check for longer periods of time, and a vaccine to ultimately prevent it. We also do a lot of education and healthcare systems strengthening, all of that because it's not just the innovation, but strengthening the healthcare system.

AM: We love what you said about storytelling in the opening remarks. Can you please expand upon that?

SK: We have a campaign going on called Champions of Science, and want to make people understand that science and technology are really important for us in healthcare and many other things, like food, fuel and energy.. With the Africa storytelling challenge, there is a lot of science, technology and entrepreneurship going on there. Many people just think of disease and poverty, so we need to tell the positive stories. Winners will be featured on the platform and phase two will start.

Science can seem so complex to people, it sort of happens behind the lab and seems mysterious, so one of things that storytelling does is it really makes the complex simple, it makes it human, and it connects - facts and figures are great because they are needed for credibility and accuracy, but charts, graphs and numbers do not engage the heart. What engages the heart is really storytelling. There is a tradition of storytelling in all of our cultures, because that's how you've learned your value systems and information, when not even knowing you're being educated because you're listening to the story, but somehow it wires your brain with a lot of information. So storytelling is extraordinarily important in engaging people. Not even just the public, anybody can react to a story, so I think it is an important part of public engagement.

A bit before this preview, Jim Allison, Ph.D, Chair of the Department of Immunology, MD Anderson Center, won the Dr. Paul Janssen Award for groundbreaking work with Checkpoint Inhibitors, where the immune system is being used as a way to try attack cancer. Now immunotherapy is becoming a big breakthrough way to attack cancer. This gentleman has figured out, just like a gas pedal and a break, there is a break in the immune system and that break prevents the immune system from going after a cancer, and if you can release that break, the immune system can go and attack the cancer. We have heard stories about women with tumors all over their bodies, and the tumors can shrink after the first treatment and go away, and one woman featured has been living for over ten years. This is about turning on the switch of checkpoint inhibitors to go attack the cancer in cancer immunotherapy.

The Champions of Science – Africa Storytelling Challenge aims to unearth the inspirational stories of African innovators, and invites scientists doing work on the African continent to come forward and share their stories. "A tremendous amount of science is taking place across Africa, with researchers and innovators developing solutions that can have a significant impact on society," said Seema Kumar, Vice President, Innovation, Global Health and Science Policy Communication, Johnson & Johnson. "By amplifying the stories of innovation taking place across Africa and the impact it is having on families, communities and the world, we hope to build public engagement and support for science, and inspire the next generation to pursue scientific fields that will have the potential to drive Africa's socio-economic transformation."

We also spoke with Ken Arnold, Creative Director, and Simon Chaplin, Director of Culture and Society, at Wellcome Trust. The Wellcome Trust is a biomedical research charity based in London, United Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate Sir Henry Wellcome to fund research to improve human and animal health. The aim of the Trust is to "achieve extraordinary improvements in health by supporting the brightest minds", and in addition to funding biomedical research it supports the public understanding of science.

AM: Please tell us about Wellcome and the Germ City: Microbes and the Metropolis exhibition.

KEN ARNOLD: Wellcome has been delighted to collaborate with colleagues at MCNY to co-produce the exhibition Germ City, and further to work in close collaboration with their next-door-neighbours the New York Academy of Medicine. The show explores how New York has shaped – and been shaped by – the fight against contagious diseases such as cholera, and TB. Through a range of intriguing historical objects, powerful contemporary art commissions and interactive features, the exhibition teases out the personal, cultural, political and medical dimensions of contagion in this truly global city.

SIMON CHAPLIN: The show tells stories about health and illness, immune systems and antibiotics, breakthroughs in treatments and vaccinations; and on a more granular individual scale, stories of the lives and struggles of ordinary New Yorkers. But it’s just as much about the structure of urban life: housing, water systems, sanitation, and individual and collective rights. Inevitably, it also touches on issues of social injustice and conflict.

AM: What other exhibitions and projects are part of Wellcome's Contagious Cities international project?

KA: Germ City is the first exhibition in Wellcome’s ambitiously broad international Contagious Cities initiative. Timed to coincide with the centenary of the 1918/19 influenza pandemic, Contagious Cities is a cultural project that spans Geneva, Hong

Kong and New York. Each has its own fascinating, often tragic, but also sometimes hopeful set of disease stories to share. With the World Health Organisation headquartered there, Geneva is arguably the city in the world where most thought is given to contagion and epidemics. Contagious cities commissioned WHO’s first artists in residence. While Hong Kong is perhaps the world’s most connected city, with a vibrant history as a hub of international travel, but also of contagious diseases. A major part of the project there will be an art-led exhibition at Tai Kwun, Hong Kong’s brand-new centre for heritage and arts.

AM: What are some of the upcoming featured artist residencies, broadcasts, events and interactive storytelling experiences?

KA: Across New York ‘Contagious Cities’ features exhibitions, artist residencies, broadcasts, events and interactive storytelling experiences. The Tenement Museum will host a series of special tours of its historic Lower East Side buildings focused on former residents’ tales of disease, medicine, immigration and reform; while WNYC have drawn on their archives and newsroom to offer a series of narratives chronicling the relationship between cities and contagious disease. Other activities are based at the New York Public Library, CUNY’s Graduate School and the Brooklyn Historical Society.

AM: What some key takeaways you hope attendees have when exploring Germ City: Microbes and Metropolis and the Contagious Cities series?

SC: We want to raise awareness of how much germs are a part of all our lives: the reason we wash our hands and cover our mouths when we sneeze. They are a major, if microscopic, feature of our urban environment; and in causing diseases they have brought tragedy, fear, suspicion and destruction to urban environments. But in dealing with them, cities have also witnessed acts of compassion and imagination and globally significant learned lessons. We want people to find out and think about that balance and tension; to comprehend some of the fascinating consequences of those histories, as well as understand and be part of collective attempts to avoid potential disease outbreaks in the future.

AM: What are some highlights of historical significance in NYC's battle with infectious disease?

KA: INFLUENZA - The most deadly flu episode came to New York 100 years ago, in the aftermath of World War I. The global pandemic of 1918–19 killed an estimated 50–100 million people (more than the entire combat death toll of the war). Although over 30,000 New York City residents died, the city’s death rate was actually much lower than other large US cities, in part due to decades of work to improve sanitation and housing conditions by the New York City Department of Health.

“TYPHOID MARY” - Perhaps history’s most famous case of forced isolation of a disease carrier was that of Mary Mallon (1869–1938), who spent the last 23 years of her life held against her will on North Brother Island in the East River. She had spread typhoid to the many families and other clients for whom she worked as a cook, but never fell ill herself. She was outraged at her confinement and refused to believe that she was infected.

TB CARE - Tuberculosis played a particularly pernicious and tenacious role in the urban landscape. Tenements were ideal environments for the disease, which thrived in unventilated rooms and among those whose immune systems were compromised by malnourishment and poor hygiene. TB killed more New Yorkers in the 19th century than any other contagion.

AM: How powerful is storytelling at exhibitions and events to advocate and promote change?

SC: It can be an extraordinarily potent aspect of exhibitions and events, especially in the way it brings personal lived experiences into the context of topics that may otherwise seem challenging, complicated and unrelatably large. Narratives can remind us that shared human instincts reach across time allowing us to empathise with historical figures; but also to show how rich and varied human experience is - that our perspectives are not necessarily shared by others. Less focused on the idea of promoting specific changes, storytelling does provide a powerful platform to make people think openly and differently about big topics such as epidemic preparedness and why they should care about it.

AM: What are some insights into your creative process for designing exhibits, as well as across global show series?

KA: ‘Contagious Cities’ is a profoundly transdisciplinary project: it brings together insights and perspectives from science and culture; from historical investigation and personal reflection. It’s a vigorous attempt to make bold links between medicine, life and art.

SC: It is also a project founded on the principles of co-production. It wouldn’t happen without Wellcome’s core role; but is equally inconceivable without our inspiring partners in each of these cities. We work like this because we believe more exciting public shows can be the result, and because we believe we can all learn much by working collaboratively.

Contagious Cities also aims to make the most of Wellcome’s international reach; it is based on our commitment to the value of supporting locally grounded conversations around global challenges, in this case epidemic preparedness.

AM: Please tell us more about Wellcome and some of its global health initiatives. How does it advance ideas, seize opportunity and drive reform?

SC: Wellcome exists to improve health for everyone by helping great ideas to thrive. We’re a global charitable foundation, both politically and financially independent. And we support scientists and researchers, take on big problems, fuel imaginations, and spark debate. Our funding helps 14,000 curious people in more than 70 countries to explore ideas in science, population health, medical innovation, the humanities and social sciences and public engagement.

We are a well-resourced and relatively independent organization that, we believe, that can make tangible differences. We aim to stimulate research excellence and develop global collaborations to drive change. If we're successful, the research we fund will provide strong evidence for action, which will lead policymakers, businesses and the public to make more informed decisions on things that affect the environment and health.

KA: Wellcome is also helping change the way we think about medicine and its place in society and culture. Through our free museum and library (Wellcome Collection), we seek to challenge how we all think and feel about health. We put on exhibitions, curate collections, produce live and digital programming, broadcasts and publications to create opportunities for people to think deeply about the connections between science, medicine, life and art. Projects like Contagious Cities take our excitement around this approach to the culture of medicine to new audiences in parts of the world important to us, but where we are less well known.

We also caught up with the blood artist and activist behind Blood Mirror, Jordan Eagles. In 2014, artist Jordan Eagles enlisted a group of 9 extraordinary gay, polysexual, and/or transgender men, each with a unique life story, to donate their blood to the sculpture Blood Mirror in protest of the FDA’s ban. The blood in this sculpture has been encased in resin and is fully preserved, ensuring that the organic material will not change over time. In 2016, 50 PrEP advocates gathered in protest to donate their blood to Blood Mirror. Each individual donated a tube of blood – 50 tubes equals a full pint, the amount in a standard blood donation — which was collected into the “community pint”. This blood was preserved inside Blood Mirror, which protests FDA’s current 1-year deferral policy to stigmatize gay and bisexual men without accounting for PrEP, condoms, and other safe-sex practices that can greatly reduce the risk of HIV infection. Viewers can enter Blood Mirror and see themselves reflected through the blood of these 59 preserved donations. A totem of science and equality, Blood Mirror is an archive of the donors’ blood that confronts the 33-year history of the FDA’s ban and current discriminatory policy.

AM: What is this art piece called and what is the message behind the work?

JORDAN EAGLES: The piece is called Blood Mirror. It is made out of the blood donations of 59 gay, bisexual and transgender men to discuss and peacefully protest the FDA’s discriminatory policy on blood donations for gay and bisexual men. Up until recently (2015), there was a lifetime ban from donating if a man had sex with another man once, he was deferred for life. This was put into effect in 1983 during the AIDS epidemic. In 2015, the FDA changed the policy to allow gay and bisexual men to donate blood, but only if they were celibate for a full year, which is as I see it ridiculous, especially when there are no requirements for any other individuals to be celibate.

So this piece was created over a two year period, there are two iterations. The first phase of the project happened before, in 2014 and 2015, and involved the blood donations of 9 very particular men, all with very unique stories and life perspectives about hypocrisy and policy.

AM: Who are some of the individuals who donated blood for the project? Why were they selected, what are their stories?

JE: These are some of those blood donors. Oliver Anene is a LBGT activist from Nigeria who is here in the US on political asylum. It is ironic and sad how his participation of the project has a different meaning now in 2018, even though we’re thinking of the FDA’s policy on blood donations, blood is something that is in all human beings – a life force for everyone in the world. So it was important to ask someone very far away to be represented. Blue Bayer is a bisexual father of two, so it really humanizes his inability to donate blood for his own children should they need it. Howard Grossman, M.D., is the medical supervisor on the project, and well as a blood donor, he is a classic AIDS specialist, on the front lines of HIV/AIDS for 30 somewhat years. Kelsey Louis is the CEO of Gay Men’s Health Crisis. Lawrence D. Mass, M.D., is the co-founder of GMHC and the first writer to write about AIDS back in the 80’s. The Reverend John Moody, he is an openly gay priest and part of Trinity Wall St, coincidentally where the first act of protest was. Reverend Moody was important so someone could speak about the spirituality of the blood and it’s so often connected to a lot of religious iconography, rituals and the deep humanity of it. Loren Rice is a transgender man, who at the time he donated blood he was married to another transgender man. What’s interesting about this that the transgender men can be self-identifiable, but that means if you check the box
you’re with another transgender man, meaning that checking the box confers you slept with another man, and in so, then disqualified from giving blood. What about monogamously married people, there is CPT Anthony Woods who is married, but is also in the project because he led two terms in Iraq, and he could shed his blood on the battlefield and cannot donate blood to save lives. It is so crazy especially when donation is supposed to be this patriotic, symbolic duty. Ty Spicha is an identical twin, he is gay and is brother is straight. They have the same DNA but only one can donate because one is gay and one isn’t. So all of that was done in 2014-2015.

AM: Where else has the Blood Mirror been featured?

JE: The sculpture premiered in Washington DC at the American History Museum and travelled from there to here in New York, at Trinity Wall St. Then from there, it came back to my studio and we did another iteration of the project, where we created a blood drive for 50 men donating a tube of blood, on PrEP to make a joint human pint, and that was added to the piece and preserved. The viewer essentially becomes another participant in the piece because of the nature of being a mirror – you can see yourself through the blood of men whose blood would have been used for life-saving purposes.

AM: What is it like to tell stories with blood, tell us more about yourself?

JE: I’m an artist and have been working in blood for almost 20 years. Most of my work was done from blood procured from a slaughterhouse and addresses different themes, more philosophically driven, spirituality, regeneration, lifecycle, and the body. This is the first human blood project and happy it is here in the Museum of the City of New York. 55 of the donors are New Yorkers, so I really feel it is coming back home. The piece was recently shown as of last year through middle of this year at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in Alabama, so different venues can change the ways it can be discussed. Here it is based on the theme of containment, it is really a contemporary metaphor of even today in 2018, LGBT individuals are essentially quarantined through their blood and not being able to participate the way everyone else can. So hopefully after eight months of it being here, more people will know about the issue and people will wake up and change the policy.

Read more from the Sep Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Germ City in mag.