Taking the scenic (and surreal) route across Mulholland Drive

For Cineversary podcast episode #39, host Erik Martin tackles a tantalizing but tricky cinematic text, David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive, which celebrates a 20th anniversary this year. Joining Erik this month are two terrific guests: Dennis Lim, director of programming at the Film Society of Lincoln Center and author of the book David Lynch: The Man From Another Place; and Chris Rodley, a UK-based filmmaker and editor of the book Lynch on Lynch. Erik, Dennis, and Chris claim a front-row seat at Club Silencio as they attempt to make sense of the movie and examine why Mulholland Drive is worth celebrating all these years later, its cultural impact and legacy, what we can learn from the movie in 2021, and more.

Dennis Lim

Chris Rodley

To listen to this episode, click here or click the "play" button on the embedded streaming player below. Or, you can stream, download or subscribe to the Cineversary podcast using Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Castbox, Pocket Casts, PodBean, RadioPublic, and Overcast. Learn more about the Cineversary podcast at anchor.fm/cineversary and email show comments or suggestions to cineversegroup@gmail.com.

Even a lingering pandemic can't kill Halloween

In 2020, Midnight Terror Haunted House in Oak Lawn, Illinois, proved that a commercial haunted attraction could operate safely and successfully, despite the pandemic—and without compromising on scares. Fans rewarded that commitment to quality by coming out in droves and selling out most dates on the calendar, with no resulting cases of coronavirus reported.

This year, Midnight Terror plans to up the fright factor by going bigger and better than ever for its seventh consecutive season while also implementing COVID-19 safety precautions. It will nearly double the number of days on its schedule from last year, operating across a record 22 dates beginning Sept. 24 and ending Oct. 31. Additionally, Chicagoland’s favorite Halloween destination will add more actors, animatronic props, rooms, and special effects to its labyrinth layout, which boasts two connecting haunts under its roof, each with a different theme but both included with a paid ticket.

Read my latest story for Patch.com on this commercial haunted attraction by clicking here.

RCM: A modern Rx for maintenance

Traditionally, most hospitals have maintained their equipment per manufacturer recommendations or some form of preventive or scheduled maintenance based on regulatory or equipment need. Problem is, these approaches do not address a system’s need to be managed for minimum failure as opposed to the failure of a system’s components.

The solution? Reliability-centered maintenance (RCM), an organizational-level strategy that can enhance the maintenance program in a facility by following four key principles: (1) preserve system function; (2) identify failure modes that can impact system function; (3) prioritize the failure modes; and (4) choose suitable and effective tasks to control the failure modes.

RCM as a concept started snowballing in 1960, when the Federal Aviation Administration and the airline industry studied why conventional maintenance approaches were inadequate for contemporary aircraft. They determined that many equipment failures could not be prevented or reduced by simply abiding by the “right age” principle, which espoused that every piece of complex equipment has an ideal time at which complete overhaul is needed to ensure reliability and safety. Before long, RCM principles and best practices—which called for balancing resources used with the inherent reliability expected of a given piece of equipment—were put into practice by the military and health care industry.

Learn more about RCM and its effectiveness in health care settings by reading my latest article for Health Facilities Management, available here. 

You bought the house--so when do you get the keys?

The day you found your home was an important one. The day you chose to purchase the home was also a big day on the calendar. But the closing day is arguably the most crucial date in the homebuying process. That’s when you sign your closing documents and make things official.

But that’s not necessarily when you get your keys and begin moving into the home. There are actually two key terms and concepts to better understand here: funding date vs. closing date. Learn the difference between these two by reading my latest article for Home.com, available here.

Picture perfect on its golden anniversary

 

For Cineversary podcast episode #38, host Erik Martin welcomes back Barna Donovan, film professor at Saint Peter’s University and author of several books on the cinema, including Blood, Guns, and Testosterone: Action Films, Audiences, and a Thirst for Violence, and Conspiracy Films: A Tour of Dark Places in the American Conscious. Erik and Barna revisit the Royal Theater, turn that dusty old projector on, and examine Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show as it prepares to celebrate a 50th anniversary this autumn, exploring why the film is worth celebrating all these years later, its cultural impact and legacy, what we can learn from the film in 2021, and more.

Barna Donovan

To listen to this episode, click here or click the "play" button on the embedded streaming player below. Or, you can stream, download or subscribe to the Cineversary podcast using Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Castbox, Pocket Casts, PodBean, RadioPublic, and Overcast.

Learn more about the Cineversary podcast at anchor.fm/cineversary and email show comments or suggestions to cineversegroup@gmail.com.

Hopes on the horizon

This year, approximately 30% of newly diagnosed cancers in women are expected to be breast cancers. That’s a sobering thought. But also consider that breast cancer incidence rates in the U.S. started to decrease beginning in 2000 after two previous decades of increases. In fact, the rate of death from breast cancer has decreased from 40% between 1989 and 2017.

This slowdown in new breast cancer cases can be attributed to several factors, including increased awareness of the need for a healthier diet and lifestyle. But it’s the latest screening methods, techniques, tools, and treatments that have helped matters considerably, as well.

Learn more about the newest research, tools, and treatment approaches to detect and fight breast cancer by reading my latest article for CTW Features, available here.