Disappearance of Melanie Ethier

Melanie Nadia "Mel" Ethier (born 25 December 1980) was a Canadian teenager who disappeared in New Liskeard, Ontario in 1996. As of 2021, Ethier's whereabouts and the circumstances of her disappearance remain unknown.
Background.
Melanie Ethier was an honours student at École secondaire catholique Sainte-Marie in New Liskeard, Ontario. Ethier was bilingual; a ballerina, highland dancer, and roller skater; and has been described as having a "lovely personality". Melanie was the daughter of Celine Ethier and acted as a "second mother" to her younger sister, Jessie, who was five years old in September 1996. She was one of only three Black girls in the community; her father (with whom she had no relationship) was from Africa. Her favourite song was "Give Me One Reason" by Tracy Chapman.
At the time of her disappearance, Ethier was employed at a local daycare - the Garderie Richelieu, where her mother Celine also worked - and learning self-defence from a family friend. In September 1996, she stood 5'5" tall; weighed approximately 120 lbs; and had brown eyes and long, braided black hair. Ethier was fond of wearing hair extensions.
Disappearance.
On the day of Saturday, 28 September 1996, Melanie Ethier and her best friend visited several locations in New Liskeard. Ethier also purchased a new cake pan and a cake in preparation for her grandmother's birthday, which was being celebrated the next day. At some point, the girls met up with Ethier's new boyfriend and three male friends; another person, the girlfriend of one of the boys, also joined them for a while but left for home around nightfall. The group stopped in at a video rental store in the early evening around 21:00-21:30 EST and rented a movie. At 22:00 that evening, the group arrived at the Ethier home to watch the film they had rented. Ethier was reminded by her mother, Celine Ethier, that her room was too disorderly for hosting guests, and the teens left to watch the movie elsewhere.
Shortly after 22:00, the group relocated to a residence on Pine Avenue where one of the boys lived. Another boy returned home around this time. The house was a roughly ten or twelve-minute walk from the Ethier home, or about six blocks. According to those present, the teens watched the movie quietly in the basement while the boy's parents were asleep upstairs and consumed no alcohol or drugs that evening; investigators later stated that they believed this to be true.
Before the movie finished, one of the boys left the house and returned home. Ethier's female friend also left early in order to catch a ride back to the neighbouring town of Haileybury, departing at around 00:30. While leaving the house, she encountered a suspicious vehicle which slowly approached her as she crossed through an intersection, as if assessing her. The girl was so unnerved by the incident that she ran from the scene to meet her ride. At the time of this friend's departure, only three people remained in the basement: Ethier, her boyfriend, and the boy whose family lived in the home.
The last confirmed sighting of Ethier was at around 01:30-02:00 on 29 September 1996 when she left her friend's house and began making the walk to her home alone and on foot. It was uncommon for Ethier to walk home by herself. One of the boys escorted her to the door and watched her walk west down Pine Avenue East. A witness later reported seeing Ethier walking on the Armstrong Street bridge, crossing south over the Wabi River. At this time, she was wearing a green Nike jacket, blue jeans, a white t-shirt with a blue heart "Pepe" logo, and black boots.
The Armstrong Street bridge was the only portion of Ethier's route that was brightly lit, and the street would have been reasonably busy even at the late hour when she was seen crossing it. After the bridge, the last stretch of her walk home involved a poorly-lit back road where the video rental store she had visited earlier in the day was located. The weather that evening was clear, and as it had only been two days since the previous full moon it is believed that there would have been some natural light along Ethier's route.
Celine Ethier became aware of her daughter's absence the next morning when Melanie's alarm clock roused her at 06:00 or 07:30 and she discovered Melanie was not in her bedroom. As it was not uncharacteristic of Melanie to spend the night at her friend's house, Celine went back to bed. In the afternoon, Melanie did not appear at her daycare job as scheduled, prompting her mother to first contact the friends she had spent the evening with and then the New Liskeard Police Service. Celine Ethier reported Melanie missing on a phone call to New Liskeard Police Chief Doug Jelly.
Investigation.
Initial search.
The search for Melanie Ethier began on the afternoon of Sunday, 29 September 1996 at around 14:30-15:00. New Liskeard police dispatched officers to the Ethier residence and called for a search of the area around the Armstrong Bridge and along the banks of the Wabi River. Local police requested assistance from the Ontario Provincial Police the next day (Monday, 30 September); a helicopter from Sudbury, a police dog team from North Bay, and a search and rescue dog from the Office of the Fire Marshal of Ontario were dispatched to expand the search around Pine Avenue, as were an OPP emergency search and rescue team and an Ontario Hydro helicopter the following day (Tuesday, 1 October).
More than a dozen police officers and volunteer firefighters canvassed the areas where Melanie Ethier had last been sighted, and police forces across Ontario were alerted to the disappearance. Although authorities conducted a door-to-door canvass, no homes in the area were searched. Two New Liskeard police officers were assigned to lead the investigation, and were joined by two detectives from the OPP Major Crimes Unit in Orillia during the first week of October. All of the friends who were with Ethier the night of her disappearance were questioned by police. In the days following, police surveillance was conducted on three local girls who may have been the intended targets of the attack on Ethier. These girls, other local teens, and an exotic dancer in Quebec who bore a strong resemblance to Ethier were occasionally spotted by witnesses and mistakenly reported to police.
The weekend of 5–6 October, one week after Melanie Ethier disappeared, the 424 Transport and Rescue Squadron performed training exercises in the area and also participated in the search. On Tuesday, 8 October, an underwater search and rescue team began a three-day search of the Wabi River between the Armstrong Bridge and Lake Temiskaming. By mid-October, Ethier's case was listed with Crime Stoppers and the public was implored to phone in tips which could help investigators locate her.
Search teams were unable to find any evidence indicating where Melanie Ethier had disappeared from or where she was taken. OPP statements to the media made it clear detectives believed she had no reason to leave the community and suspected foul play. Police never recovered any security footage from the Night Owl convenience store, located one block away from the Pine Avenue residence. Shortly after Ethier's disappearance, missing person posters and billboards with Ethier's face were put up in New Liskeard and surrounding communities; some of these remain in place as of 2020, and others have since been placed. One particularly well-known billboard pairs a photo of Ethier with the question "You know what happened to me - So why don't you help?".
Celine Ethier distributed posters in New Liskeard and just across the provincial border in Quebec; wrote a letter to the editor published in a November issue of the "Temiskaming Speaker" newspaper; and sent information about Melanie to media companies in Toronto in the hopes of keeping attention on the case. ChildFind, a national charity dedicated to finding missing children and supporting their families, had begun circulating information about Melanie and her disappearance across Canada by December 1996.
1997-1998.
Two officers assigned to work the case full-time, New Liskeard Police Sergeant Dwight Thib and OPP Detective Constable Bill Deverell, began reinterviewing witnesses in early 1997 in order to exhaust all possible leads in the case. OPP Inspector Pete Burns had taken the lead on the case by September 1997 and Thib returned to regular police duties on 25 February 1998. The task force dedicated to searching for Ethier was formally disbanded in 1998, but both Thib and Deverell would continue to work on the case when new leads appeared. Deverell later claimed that he remained on the case up until the day of his retirement, 31 December 2002; Thib continued working on the case until he was attached to the OPP in 2007. Over the course of their investigation, the two officers interrogated hundreds of suspects and persons of interest. The OPP conducted another search for Melanie on 26 April 1999, focusing on the Dawson Point area to the east of New Liskeard which had previously not been investigated. In summer 2000, police seized materials from the landfill in McGarry as part of the investigation.
Shortly before Christmas 1996, the Tri-Town Region Crime Stoppers doubled the reward money offered to anyone who could resolve the case, bringing the value up to $2,000; in December 1998, the reward was increased to $25,000.
Later years.
New Liskeard was amalgamated into the city of Temiskaming Shores in 2004, joining with the neighbouring communities of Haileybury, Dymond, and North Cobalt. Ontario Provincial Police took over law enforcement in the community in 2007. OPP Constable Jennifer Smith later admitted that some tips issued to New Liskeard police about the case may not have been passed on during the transfer of duties.
In 2010, an eyewitness account of Ethier crossing the Armstrong Street bridge was made public. In 2020, the OPP declassified parts of Ethier's friend's account of the evening, in which she described being spooked by a vehicle after leaving the Pine Avenue residence.
Current status.
The police investigation into the disappearance of Melanie Ethier has remained active since 1996. The investigation is currently handled by the Temiskaming Branch of the Ontario Provincial Police in collaboration with the OPP Crime Unit, and is led by Detective Inspector Rob Matthews and Detective Sergeant Lisa Laxton. The province of Ontario currently offers a $50,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest or conviction for those responsible for Ethier's disappearance.
All of the OPP's information about the case has been uploaded to Powercase, a newly implemented major case management system which alerts detectives to similar details in other investigations and could tie Ethier's disappearance into a wider crime spree. Tips generated by this system have led to several digs in the Temiskaming area which have failed to uncover Ethier's remains. In 2010, the OPP claimed to have received over 700 tips from 500 witnesses relevant to the Ethier case, as well as having over 300 persons of interest; in 2020, they were receiving on average 2-3 tips per month about the case. The OPP has also gone on record to say they follow up on tips offered to them by psychics.
Celine Ethier told reporters in 2017 that she no longer believed her daughter was still alive. Investigators also believe Melanie Ethier is deceased.
Theories.
Suggestions about what happened to Ethier are mostly speculative, as almost no evidence is known to the public. The OPP has disclosed very little information in the hopes of preserving the integrity of their investigation. The theory favoured by the OPP is that Ethier was driven away from the search area by a car on the night of her disappearance, either abducted by a stranger or lured into the vehicle by someone she knew. The search is complicated by the Trans-Canada Highway, which passes by the community and makes the possibility of a random assault by someone from outside the community more likely.
The suggestion that Ethier was taken by her estranged father has been dismissed by the OPP, who have eliminated him as a suspect. Celine Ethier has criticized the unlikely theory that her daughter was roped into a sex trafficking ring. A relative of Ethier claims to have been contacted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Canmore, Alberta in 2005 to alert them that a man in their custody had claimed responsibility for the crime but had died by suicide.
Locations identified as possible places of interest in the investigation have included the Dawson's Point peninsula, investigated by police after a tip claimed Ethier was buried there; Mowat Landing, where multiple suspects claimed to have spent the weekend fishing; a cemetery in North Cobalt, where a homemade headstone dedicated to Ethier was erected; and a bridge on the road between New Liskeard and Rouyn-Noranda, another site where her body was allegedly buried. In 2010, the television documentary "Chasing Ghosts" suggested Ethier could be one of over 600 unidentified decedents whose remains are kept in Canadian morgues and cemeteries.
Gauthier murders.
In April 1996, 47-year-old Louis Gauthier had been murdered in Thornloe, twenty minutes north of New Liskeard, by two minors: a boy who Gauthier had engaged in a sexual relationship (identified in court documents as "M.L.") and his half-brother, 17-year-old Robert Goulet (identified in court documents as "R.G."; also known in the media as "Robert Laffrenier"). The boys' uncle, Gregory Crick, helped plan the attack. Crick suspected Goulet was drawing unwanted attention to their family and that he had informed the police of their involvement in Gauthier's murder. Goulet went missing in New Liskeard on 6 or 8 November in what appeared at the time to be another teen vanishing. Goulet's body was found in a Hilliardton gravel pit in April 1998, and it was ultimately determined that he was stabbed and killed by either M.L. or Crick. The surviving brother and Crick were arrested for the murder of Louis Gauthier in December 1996.
No link was ever formally established between the Gauthier murders and the disappearance of Melanie Ethier. Investigators - including OPP Detective Constable Bill Deverell, who worked both cases; and then-New Liskeard Police Chief Doug Jelly - have denied any connection. However, a teenage girl who was incarcerated in a juvenile detention facility with M.L. in 1998 claimed that he confessed to murdering Ethier; he has since denied any involvement. According to police, Robert Goulet attended a party in October or early November 1996. A witness who attended this party had informed police that Goulet had admitted to disposing of a body by putting it through a wood chipper. Wire taps used by police to monitor Crick, Goulet, and M.L. failed to produce any evidence which would suggest they had a hand in Ethier vanishing. The movie "Fargo", released in spring of that year, may have inspired the rumours that Ethier's body was destroyed with a wood chipper.
Mistaken identity.
In 1996, Robert Goulet and his half-brother M.L. publicly accosted two Black girls in New Liskeard with racial slurs and threatened to shoot them. One of the targeted individuals, known in the media only as "Sarah", was often said to look very similar to Ethier, to the point they were often confused for each other by locals and even their own relatives. Sarah occasionally purchased drugs from the brothers. On Friday, 27 September 1996, Sarah told a friend that she owed money to a local drug dealer and was afraid for her life, telling the confidant not to be surprised if she went missing over the weekend. She had also spoken to police before the incident, providing information on the activities of a group of three local boys. Sarah, who lived on Pine Avenue at the time, was not made aware of the Ethier disappearance until Monday, 30 September. At this point, Sarah (who also went by the name "Sierra") began to refer to herself as "Melanie" and dress in clothes similar to those worn by Ethier on the night of her disappearance. Days after the incident, Sarah told several people that she was Melanie Ethier at a bowling alley in Haileybury. Sarah moved to North Bay sometime after 1998, and appears in her school yearbooks in 1997 and 1998, despite a rumour which alleged she left town weeks after the disappearance. She then moved to Vancouver, British Columbia. Aside from a voicemail left for her mother in February 2020, she has cut off all contact with her friends and family; her current whereabouts and status are unknown.
Melanie Ethier and Sarah were familiar with each other, and with the only other Black girl in town. In a 2020 interview, the third person in this group rejected the notion that Ethier was the target of a racially-motivated hate crime and stated she did not believe the attack was random. She also suggested that violent and racist threats made against her by Robert Goulet and his brother could suggest she was their intended target that night.
Melanie Louise Ethier has also been suggested as a possible target for the attack. Born in 1979, she was only a year older than Melanie Nadia Ethier and both attended École secondaire catholique Sainte-Marie at the same time. After the disappearance, police told Melanie Louis Ethier that they believed she may have been the intended target the night her namesake went missing. In a 2020 interview she recalled that police were interested in her friendship with another student who was actively dating M.L. and suspected that the brothers may have believed she knew about their criminal activities. In addition, Ethier's mother was the cousin of Louis Gauthier, who they had murdered in April 1996. After questioning why they would mistake someone of a completely different height, build, and race for her, police told Ethier the brothers may have asked someone else to attack her and, knowing only her first and last names, that person had gone after the wrong individual. Ethier alleges that the last time she spoke to M.L. was in a park near her home, where he behaved anxious and insisted somebody was watching them. He asked Ethier if she believed he had killed her cousin; she denied any suspicions, but later stated that she did believe he was involved in both the murder of Gauthier and the disappearance of Melanie Nadia Ethier.
Local suspects.
Drunk drivers may have killed Melanie Ethier. After May 1996, bars in Ontario were able to remain open until 02:00, while bars in Quebec could stay open until 03:00. Witnesses who were in the bar Doc's the night of 28–29 September 1996 have submitted tips to investigators claiming they saw an intoxicated patron leave the bar early in order to reach a bar across the provincial border before last call, and that one of these drivers may have struck Ethier with their car. A 1999 search of the area east of New Liskeard was sparked by a tip sent to police alleging that Ethier had been hit by a car on the night of her disappearance. The tipster claimed that the person responsible was driving with a suspended license and had only recently been let out of jail, and in a panic loaded Ethier's body into their trunk and buried her at Dawson's Point. Although police investigated the site, no remains were found. In 2000, police retrieved materials from the landfill in McGarry Township while investigating a rumour suggesting a group of teens from Virginiatown was responsible for Ethier's disappearance.
Several key oversights in the investigation may also point to the possibility that a police officer or someone associated with the police department was responsible for the crime, and the resulting errors made by investigators were to cover up their involvement. One witness has alleged that in the days prior to her disappearance, a police officer had asked around town about Melanie Ethier as though concerned for her well-being.
White supremacist groups were active in the Temiskaming area in the 1990s, and Ethier's disappearance was considered a likely hate crime in the early days of the investigation. Before Ethier went missing she was one of only three Black girls in New Liskeard; following her disappearance, the other girls were placed under police surveillance in case they were targeted next.
Assault by stranger.
Bars in the area (including Doc's, located on Armstrong Street only a block away from the Pine Avenue residence) would have been closing at around the time Ethier began walking home, putting her on the streets at the same time as the bar's inebriated patrons. Witnesses described two female hitchhikers seen outside Doc's at 02:10 who were later identified by police and ruled out as suspects. As it was a busy Saturday night, police officers in two cruisers had been assigned to monitor the bar but did not note any suspicious activity; they were the only officers on duty that night. There were also three weddings and possibly a small party going on elsewhere on Pine Avenue on the weekend of 28–29 September 1996, and someone who had been drinking at a get-together or was from out of town may have come across Ethier and seized on the opportunity to assault her. Ethier's route would also have taken her past two gas stations, an Esso and a Mr. Gas, both of which are likely to have been open at the time she walked by.
Pete Gilboe, a decorated conservation officer with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry who operated in New Liskeard from 2001 to 2020, said in a 2020 interview that he doubts one popular theory which suggests Ethier was killed by hunters from the United States. At the time of Ethier's disappearance, the only hunting seasons that would have been open would be for small game and bear, and in the 1990s most bear hunting took place in the spring rather than the fall months. The small game season rarely draws anyone to the community, and big game hunters would be required to stay with a licensed outfitter or lodge.
Of particular interest to the case is the suspicious vehicle encountered by the two girls who were with Ethier on the day she disappeared. The girlfriend of one of Ethier's friends had spent some time with their group on the afternoon of 28 September 1996 but left them to return home after sunset. While walking home with her large dog, a white delivery van with a side door pulled over to ask her for directions. The driver and his passenger were reported as being men in their 30s, both unkempt and wearing tank tops. She found the conversation uncomfortable, and when her dog began to bark aggressively at the vehicle the men drove off. The van was also spotted that night by a video store employee. The employee, who was the sister of one of the male friends Ethier was with, had seen Melanie earlier that day and had even paid for the movie the group rented. One man, either the driver or his passenger, entered the rental store at around 22:30 and loitered around, ignoring the clerk's offer to help him find what he was looking for, and left without ever saying a word. He was wearing blue work pants which looked unwashed and discoloured, a grungy white shirt which had been extensively yellowed, and work boots. He was described as being of an average build with dirty blond hair, in his mid-40s, standing roughly 5'8"-5'9". She described the van as being a "beat up" white utility van with no signage, and was unable to inconspicuously take down the license plate number because it was parked in a dark spot. After the man left, the clerk, who would normally walk home but felt threatened by the stranger's odd behaviour, called her father to pick her up when the store closed at 23:00. Police did not question the clerk until 2020.
Another vehicle reported in the area on the night Ethier disappeared was a light-coloured (white, light blue, or light grey) car with a vinyl roof, possibly an older-model Cadillac Eldorado, Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Ford Elite, Ford LTD, Ford Tempo, Ford Thunderbird, Mercury Topaz, Oldsmobile 88, or Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. The car was spotted driving around New Liskeard after dark with its headlights turned off, behaviour considered suspicious by witnesses. The vehicle was seen by witnesses on the Armstrong Street Bridge at around 02:00. It is unknown if this vehicle, the white van, or the slowly-moving car encountered by Ethier's friend on Pine Avenue are connected to each other or the disappearance. Police Sergeant Dwight Thib stated in a 2020 interview that he did not believe the vehicle was connected to the case.
Assault by serial killer.
At the time of Ethier's disappearance in 1996, as many as three known serial predators were active in the Temiskaming area.
Richard Bouillon was a convicted sexual predator who murdered his 16-year-old neighbour Julie Sruprenant in Terrebonne, Quebec on 15 November 1999. Bouillon had been suspected for the murder of Julie Surprenant by her family as well as police but was never arrested, only offering a deathbed confession in 2006. Bouillon also admitted to other crimes which were communicated to police but not investigated. As is the case with Ethier, Surprenant's remains have never been recovered. The community of Terrebonne is a roughly eight-hour drive from New Liskeard.
Paul Alan Hachey was a repeat violent offender who was ultimately convicted of three sexual assaults which took place in Edmonton and two murders which took place in Ontario. Hachey murdered 46-year-old Larry Arnold on 14 October 1994 and hid Arnold's body in a ravine in Rosedale, Toronto, where it remained hidden until 19 November nearly five weeks later; and 20-year-old Sarah Whitehead on 7 August 1997 while she was walking home from the mall along a footpath in North Bay. Hachey was arrested in Calgary in December 1997 for another sexual assault. Police in Hachey's hometown of Sturgeon Falls, Ontario made the connection between him and the murder of Sarah Whitehead using DNA retried from a cigarette butt at the crime scene in Calgary to tie Hachey to the crime as well as the assaults in Edmonton; he also confessed to the murder of Larry Arnold while in police custody. Although he was active in the area, his "modus operandi" (or "MO") does not match the details of the Ethier disappearance and the OPP do not consider him a suspect.
Michael Wayne McGray was a serial killer who was active and transient at the time of Ethier's disappearance. Between 1985 and 1998, McGray killed at least six girls between the ages of 7 and 18 years old, and has since claimed to have been responsible for eleven more which have yet to be linked to him. McGray's confirmed crimes took place in Dartmouth, Moncton, Montreal, Saint John, and Weymouth; but he claims that his yet-undiscovered crimes occurred in more distant locales including Calgary, Seattle, and Vancouver. McGray's was arrested on 1 March 1998.
Public reaction.
Initial reaction.
The New Liskeard community helped search for Melanie and support the Ethier family. A special prayer service was held at New Liskeard's Church of St. John the Evangelist on 2 October 1996, three days after Melanie disappeared; and a second was held shortly afterwards at Paroisse Sainte-Croix. Parents whose children were enrolled in the Garderie Richelieu, the daycare where both Celine and Melanie Ethier worked, began organizing a trust fund for the Ethier family after the disappearance. On 18 November 1996, a vigil of about a dozen people led by Celine Ethier decorated a tree near the intersection of Armstrong Street and Whitewood Avenue in downtown New Liskeard, just south of the bridge where Melanie was last sighted. Another vigil was held on 9 December, and was attended by roughly sixty people. The tree, located behind the Holy Cross Parish church, was adorned with yellow ribbons and photos of Melanie in order to keep the public aware of her case, and throughout the holiday season other trees were similarly decorated with gold ribbons. Celine Ethier later stated:
"My house felt like a big funeral for the first two weeks because I had people dropping off food, flowers, gifts. I had a lot of contact with the police, they really kept me up-to-date. I did mini-searches myself with friends."
The principals of New Liskeard Public School, Haileybury Public School, and École secondaire catholique Sainte-Michel reported in October 1996 that the event incited much discussion about personal safety among the students, but that the public awareness of Ethier's disappearance did not increase the number of parents who dropped off and picked up their children from school. Conversely, schools in the nearby communities of Earlton and Belle Vallee noted a significant increase in the number of parents transporting students to and from school. Local students later stated that many were afraid for their lives. In November, a seminar hosted by an OPP constable at Englehart High School about the dangers of children walking alone was attended by 150 students, far more than the 30 that were expected. New Liskeard Police Sergeant Dwight Thib noted that more parents were driving their children to school functions for about six months to a year, but that concern had dwindled by the end of 1997. Some teens in the region would put on outfits resembling the one Melanie wore on 29 September and walk along roadsides and highways, leading locals who spotted them to call in false tips to police.
"The Temiskaming Speaker" named the disappearance of Melanie Ethier as their News Story of the Year for 1996, and one article referred to the case as the "story of the decade".
Continued interest.
Despite passing polygraph tests and being eliminated as suspects by police, much of the public's suspicion and distrust fell on the male friends who were present the evening of 28–29 September 1996. Ethier's then-boyfriend would later claim that his biggest regret in life was not walking her home that night. He has also stated that even in 2020 some locals continued to accuse him of being responsible for Melanie's disappearance, either through negligence or by murdering her. The boy whose family who lived in the Pine Avenue residence where Ethier spent her last night has also stated he felt extraordinary guilt for not having the foresight to walk her home. With the exception of the man who was dating Ethier at the time of her disappearance, no other person who was present that evening still resides in the Temiskaming area.
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection has provided support to the Ethier family for over 20 years. The Missing Children Society of Canada has tried to bring attention to the case, citing Melanie Ethier as a case of a missing child who had yet to be located and may still be living after the victims of serial child abductor Ariel Castro were found alive in May 2013.
In 2016, the City of Temiskaming Shores Public Works Committee turned down a proposal to install a bronze memorial dedicated to Melanie Ethier on the Armstrong Street bridge.
Approximately 300 masked marchers attended a "Walk for Awareness: Bring Melanie Ethier Home" event on 7 November 2020, raising awareness for the case and advocating for better child welfare.
Social media.
Celine Ethier created a Facebook page entitled "Let's Work Together to Find Melanie Ethier" on 11 August 2009 to raise awareness for her daughter's case. Ethier has concentrated her search for Melanie online, telling reporters in 2015 that "I feel that Facebook, because it is so known to everybody, it's going to give Melanie more exposure" and "I am going to get the tip that I need to be able to find her".
In January 2020, the Ontario Provincial Police released a series of videos on historical and unsolved criminal cases including the disappearance of Melanie Ethier, interviewing her mother Celine Ethier as well as Detective Sergeant Lisa Laxton and Detective Inspector Rob Matthews from the OPP.
Interest in the case increased in September 2020 when Michael Jolicoeur, a medium, began posting vlogs to his YouTube channel claiming to have been contacted by the spirit of Melanie Ethier.
Criticism of police.
Police have been criticized for their unfair treatment of the friends who Melanie Ethier spent the day with on 18 September 1996. The boys were treated harshly by police, who sometimes questioned them at school and without any parents present. Ethier's female friend, who reported that she encountered a suspicious vehicle after leaving the Pine Avenue residence, was only questioned informally by officers in a parking lot.
Michael Andrew Arntfield, a professor of criminology at the University of Western Ontario and former police detective, criticized the OPP in 2017 and again in 2020 for withholding details about the case from the public which could engage tipsters or other people who may not know they have pertinent information that investigators are unaware of. Arntfield also questioned the Ontario government's strategy of offering a monetary reward for information that would resolve the case, suggesting that the funds could be better used incentivizing persons involved in the drug trade to come forward as informers. In 2020, the hosts of the true crime podcast "Shedding Light" also criticized the investigation for inefficiently handling resources and inconsistently reporting facts related to the case.
Editorials by staff at the "Temiskaming Speaker" newspaper criticized law enforcement and the government of Canada for not expanding the National DNA Data Bank of Canada to include missing persons and unidentified remains, which may have stymied investigations like the Ethier case. Celine Ethier also criticized the federal government for voting down legislation which would expand the DNA database. In 2019, another editorial in the paper praised the passage of the Missing Persons Act on 1 July 2019.
OPP Detective Constable Bill Deverell has refuted criticism that the police overlooked tips and didn't consider every possible lead in the investigation.


Chattahoochee (film)

Chattahoochee is a 1989 American drama film directed by Mick Jackson and starring Gary Oldman and Dennis Hopper. The film is based on the real-life experiences of Chris Calhoun, who met screenwriter James Hicks, who then wrote a script based on his internment in a Florida state mental institution. It was turned down by several major studios before being accepted by Hemdale Film Corporation, a small British-owned, Los Angeles-based company that also produced "Platoon", "Hoosiers", "The Last Emperor", and "Salvador".
Plot.
Emmett Foley is an American hero of the Korean War who attempts to commit suicide, first by provoking local police and then by shooting himself in the chest. After his recovery, he is sent to the Florida State Hospital, an institution in Chattahoochee, Florida, where he fights against doctors and staff who are terrorizing and torturing their patients. His efforts eventually led to sweeping reforms in the Florida mental health system.
Basis.
The movie is based on Chris Calhoun. The main character, Emmitt Foley, is a fictional character based on Calhoun. "Chattahoochee" appeared in theaters nationwide May 11, 1990. "(Theatrical Release Date: April 20, 1990)"
This film was well-researched, and is a great resource for viewers who want to know what conditions were in state mental hospitals prior to the 1970s when radical legislative reform swept the nation. Another famous person institutionalized at Chattahoochee was Ruby McCollum, the African-American woman who shot state senator-elect, Dr. C. Leroy Adams in 1952. Her case brought many of these same practices to light.
Reception.
The film holds a 14% rating at Rotten Tomatoes based on 7 reviews, with an average score of 4.48/10. Oldman compared the responses to "Chattahoochee" and his 1986 film "Sid and Nancy", feeling the former was underappreciated and the latter overrated. He described "Chattahoochee" as "really good" work.


Jack Daniels (coach)

Jack Tupper Daniels (born April 26, 1933) is an exercise physiologist, running coach and a coach of Olympic athletes. On March 21, 2013, he was named the head coach of the Wells College men's and women's cross country programs. He received his doctoral degree in exercise physiology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Named "The World's Best Coach" by Runner's World magazine,
he led SUNY Cortland runners to eight NCAA Division III National Championships, 31 individual national titles, and more than 130 All-America awards. Daniels outlined his training philosophies in the 1998 book, "Daniels' Running Formula". He mentors and coaches some of America's top distance runners in the country.
Daniels won a team silver medal in the 1956 Summer Olympics and a team bronze medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics for his participation in the modern pentathlon.
VDOT.
In the 1970s, Daniels and his colleague, Jimmy Gilbert, examined the performances and known VO2max values of elite, middle and long distance runners. Although the laboratory determined VO2max values of these runners may have been different, equally performing runners were assigned equal aerobic profiles. Daniels labeled these "pseudoVO2max" or "effective VO2max" values as VDOT values. According to Daniels, VDOT is a shortened form of V̇O2max, properly stated as "V-dot-O2max".
With the result of a recent competition, a runner can find his or her VDOT value and determine an "equivalent performance" at a different race distance. Given that runners with identical VO2max values may have differences in running economy/efficiency, biomechanics, and mental toughness, Daniels concludes that VDOT is, due to this holistic view, a better value from which to assess fitness and determine training paces.
Training philosophy.
Daniels divides running performance into six components. Daniels argues that each of these components requires a specific training intensity to improve.
Training intensities.
Daniels uses five specific training intensities to improve the different components above. A runner can determine the correct speed for each intensity based on the VDOT from a recent performance.
Easy / Long (E/L) pace.
At 60-79% of maximum heart rate (HRmax), this non-straining intensity is used for recovery runs, warm-up, cool-down and long runs. The primary purpose is to build a base for more intense workouts by strengthening the heart and increasing the muscles' ability to use oxygen, and to recover between hard workouts. Daniels recommends that most training miles are performed in E pace.
Typical E runs include continuous runs up to about an hour.
Marathon (M) pace.
At 80-85% HRmax, this intensity is primarily aimed towards runners training for the marathon. The pace is one at which the runner hopes to compete. The pace can be included in other programs for a more intense workout, especially if the runner feels fresh and there is enough time to recover afterwards.
M-runs are performed as continuous runs up to about two hours, or as long interval training.
Threshold (T) pace.
At 82-88% HRmax, this intensity is aimed to raise the lactate threshold. The runner should be able to sustain this pace for up to 60 minutes during racing. Daniels describe this intensity as "comfortably hard". In elite runners, the pace matches the half marathon one, while less trained runners will run at around 10k pace. Daniels points out the importance of keeping the given pace to reap the benefits of the training.
T runs are typically performed as continuous "tempo" runs for 20 minutes or more, or as "cruise" interval training with 3 to 10 long bouts of about 3 to 15 minutes each, having 20%-25% rest intervals in between. "T" runs of longer than 20 minutes can be done at slightly reduced pace, according to a table in his book. No more than 10% of the weekly miles should be run at T pace.
Interval (I) pace.
Intensity at 97-100% HRmax. This intensity stresses the VO2max to raise the maximum oxygen uptake capacity. Since the pace is very intense, it can only be sustained for up to 12 minutes during racing. To cope with the intensity, and to train for longer periods of time, this training is performed as interval training, hence the name. The interval between each work bout should be a little less than the time of the work bout. Optimum intervals are 3–5 minutes long. There is no benefit to exceeding 5 minutes at this pace, under Daniels' theory, which means that despite the popularity of mile-repeats in many running groups, Daniels discourages them for people whose pace is slower than about 5:00/mile, preferring shorter intervals such as 1200 meters.
For example, an I session can be 6 x 800 m at I pace with 400 m recovery jogs. At most 8% of the weekly training miles should be I pace.
Repetition (R) pace.
R pace is very fast training aimed to improve speed and running economy. The training is performed as short interval training, with typically 200 m, 300 m, or 400 m work outs, with full recovery intervals in between. No more than 5% of the weekly miles should be R pace.
Coaching.
Daniels was hired as the head coach of the Wells College men's and women's cross country programs on March 21, 2013. Prior to joining the Express, Daniels served as the men's and women's track and field/cross country coach at the State University of New York at Cortland for 17 years while also serving as a physical education professor for the college. Across his coaching career with the Red Dragons, Daniels has coached 30 individual Division III NCAA National Champions, eight NCAA National Team Champions and 130 All-Americans.
Daniels began coaching online in 2008 and is currently part-owner and head coach of The Run SMART Project.
Critique.
Tim Noakes has proposed that maximal exercise performance is regulated by a "central governor" rather than a limiting cardiorespiratory function (i.e. VO2 max). Noakes challenges the explanatory power of Daniels' training model (Cardiovascular/Anaerobic) stating that there is a lack of published evidence supporting the claim that each training intensity only improves one of the six physiological components described above. He also states that Daniels' division in components is also not considered complete, e.g. leaving out the muscles' ability to absorb the pounding of running a marathon. But he has acknowledged the efficacy of Daniels' training methods, and stated that Science may one day catch up with the explanations, but his methods are effective.


Families First Coronavirus Response Act

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act is an Act of Congress () meant to respond to the economic impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The act provides funding for free coronavirus testing, 14-day paid leave for American workers affected by the pandemic, and increased funding for food stamps.
The bill was sponsored by House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey (D–NY) and passed the United States House of Representatives early on March 14, 2020, before moving on to the United States Senate. President Donald Trump had voiced support for the legislative agreement. The Senate passed the legislation on March 18, 2020. Trump signed the bill into law later that day.
Contents.
In a statement, the White House said the law "provides paid leave, establishes free coronavirus testing, supports strong unemployment benefits, expands food assistance for vulnerable children and families, protects front-line health workers, and provides additional funding to states for the ongoing economic consequences of the pandemic, among other provisions."
The Act is effective on or by April 2, 2020.
Employers that are required to provide Emergency Paid Sick Leave and Emergency Paid Medical Leave must put a notice of employees' rights in a conspicuous location at work sites or its web sites, or send the poster to all employees by mail or email by April 1, 2020. The notice is free to download and print on the U.S. Department of Labor's web site.
Emergency leave.
Paid sick leave.
An employer with fewer than 500 employees must allow an eligible employee to take Emergency Paid Sick Leave. Certain public employers are covered as well. All employees of the employer are counted toward the 500, not only the ones at any particular employee's work site. An employer is not required to give Emergency Paid Sick Leave to an employee who is a healthcare provider or an emergency responder.
An employee may use Emergency Paid Sick Leave if the employee is quarantined, a doctor advises the employee to self-quarantine, or the employee has COVID–19 symptoms and is waiting for a diagnosis. Under these circumstances, the employee must be paid at their regular rate of pay, up to a maximum of $511 per day or $5,110 total. An employer cannot require an employee to find a replacement worker to cover their shift. An employer cannot require an employee to take other paid vacation, paid sick leave, or paid personal leave before taking Emergency Paid Sick Leave.
Employees may also use Emergency Paid Sick Leave if the employee is caring for an individual under quarantine or medical self-quarantine, or if the employee is caring for a child whose school or place of care has been closed or is unavailable due to COVID-19 precautions. The child must be the employee's biological child, adopted child, foster child, stepchild, or legal ward, or a child of the employee standing in place of a parent. The child must be under 18 years of age or incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability. Under these circumstances, the employee must be paid at least two-thirds their regular rate of pay, up to a maximum of $200 per day.
Emergency Paid Sick Leave must be in addition to any benefits that employees already accrue. Emergency Paid Sick Leave cannot reduce existing employee benefits or rights.
A full-time employee may take up to 80 hours of Emergency Paid Sick Leave. A part-time employee may take up to the amount of hours they work in an average two-week period. The employee must give the employer as much notice as is practical. After taking Emergency Paid Sick Leave, the employer may require the employee to continue to notify the employer in order to continue receiving Emergency Paid Sick Leave.
Emergency Paid Sick Leave is not subject to the employer's share of social security tax, but it is taxable for the employer's share of Medicare tax.
Emergency Paid Sick Leave expires on December 31, 2020. Unused Emergency Paid Sick Leave does not rollover to the following year. Employers are not required to pay unused Emergency Paid Sick Leave if the employee's employment ends.
Employers receive refundable tax credits to offset the cost of providing employees with Emergency Paid Sick Leave, subject to certain caps. The tax credit is a dollar-for-dollar reduction to the employer's portion of social security tax. A self-employed individual may take their credit against their self-employment tax. The U.S. Treasury will makes deposits to the Social Security Trust Fund equal to the amount of tax credits given.
Paid family medical leave.
An employer must give Emergency Family Medical Leave to eligible employees if the employer is a private employer and had fewer than 500 employees for each working day during each of 20 or more calendar weeks of the current or preceding year. All employees of the employer are counted toward the 500, not only the ones at any particular employee's work site. An employer is not required to give Emergency Family Medical Leave to an employee who is a healthcare provider or an emergency responder.
Emergency Family Medical Leave is available if an employee cannot work or telework because the employee needs to care for a child under 18 and the child's school or place of care is either closed or unavailable because of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
An employee may take up to 12 weeks of Emergency Family Medical Leave. The first 10 days of Emergency Family Medical Leave may be unpaid, but the employee must be allowed to use accrued paid leave in order to be paid during the first 10 days.
An employee who has already taken 12 weeks of leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act within the last 12 months is not eligible for an additional 12 weeks of Emergency Family Medical Leave. Such an employee could still be eligible for two weeks of Emergency Paid Sick Leave though.
After the first 10 days, the employer must continue to provide leave and pay the employee at least two-thirds of the employee's usual rate of pay for the employee's usual number of scheduled hours. If the employee's hours vary, then the employee's usual number of scheduled hours must be based on the employee's average scheduled hours during the last 6 months or the employer's reasonable expectation of hours to be worked at time of hire. The maximum required pay is $200 per day or $10,000 total to the employee.
After returning from Emergency Family Medical Leave, the employer must restore the employee to the employee's former position. An employer with fewer than 25 employees need not restore the employee to their former position if the position no longer exists, although the employee must later be restored if the position is restored to exist before the earlier of 12 months or the end of the COVID-19 emergency.
Emergency Family Medical Leave is not subject to the employer's share of social security tax, but it is taxable for the employer's share of Medicare tax.
Employers receive refundable tax credits to offset the compensation paid to employees while on Emergency Family Medical Leave and the group health insurance cost that is allocable to the Emergency Family Medical Leave. The tax credit is a dollar-for-dollar reduction to the employer's portion of social security tax. A self-employed individual may take their credit against their self-employment tax. The U.S. treasury will make deposits to the Social Security Trust Fund equal to the amount of tax credits given.
Coverage for COVID-19 testing and other health provisions.
Employer-sponsored group health plans, Medicare, Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), TRICARE, Veteran's Affairs, federal worker health plans, and Indian Health Services are required to provide coverage for COVID-19 testing for all individuals enrolled and covered by the health plan with no copay or any other cost to the individual.
Treatment for an individual after being diagnosed for COVID-19 is neither required to be covered nor required to be free of cost to the individual.
Personal respiratory protective devices are considered to be countermeasures under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act. A covered entity is immune from lawsuit and liability, except for willful misconduct, under federal and state law related to the device and the coronavirus pandemic, through October 1, 2024.
Expansion of unemployment benefits.
The U.S. Department of Labor will provide $1billion of emergency funding to state unemployment trust funds. The purpose of the emergency funding is to reduce eligibility requirements and increase access to unemployment benefits for individuals directly affected by COVID-19. Requirements to search for work and to wait a week before receiving unemployment benefits are waived.
Supplemental appropriations and program modifications.
U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Act provides additional funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The Act gives grants to the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa for nutrition assistance.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's food assistance and nutrition programs now allow waivers of certain requirements related to school and adult-care food programs.
States are allowed to request waivers related to providing certain emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. These benefits were previously limited to three months over any three-year period for most able-bodied adults without dependents who did not work or participate in certain work or workfare programs. According to the Act, that time limit only applies if a state offers the individual a slot in a work or workfare program and the individual did not have good cause for failure to comply.
U.S. Department of Defense.
The Act provides additional funding for the detection and diagnosis of coronavirus and testing-related visits by the Department of Defense.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The Act provides additional funding for home-delivered nutrition services, congregate nutrition services, and nutrition services for Native Americans. The Act provides funding to Indian Health Service for the detection and diagnosis of coronavirus and testing-related visits. The Act also provides funding to pay for the detection and diagnosis of coronavirus and testing-related visits for uninsured individuals.
U.S. Department of the Treasury.
The Act provides additional funding to the Internal Revenue Service to provide taxpayer services for carrying out the Act.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Act provides additional funding for the detection and diagnosis of coronavirus and testing-related visits by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Negotiations.
Substantial negotiations for the bill happened between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin on March 12 and March 13; "Pelosi and Mnuchin exchanged at least 20 phone calls on Thursday and Friday as they tried to hammer out a proposal that Trump could support." Points of negotiations included the effectiveness of tax-credits being used "to offset the cost of Democratic-proposed sick leave provisions" and "how businesses can receive a tax credit for providing paid sick days and emergency leave for workers who are suffering from the coronavirus or helping take care of family members who contract the disease."
In a March 13 letter to her Democratic colleagues, Speaker Pelosi wrote, "Today, the House is taking the next step to put Families First. We are proud to have reached an agreement with the Administration to resolve outstanding challenges, and now will soon pass the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. We take great pride in the leadership of Chairs Lowey, Neal, Pallone, Scott, Peterson and McGovern, all the Committee and Subcommittee Chairs of Jurisdiction and the Rules Committee to craft this landmark legislation to protect families, which contains the priorities and provisions that Leader Schumer and I called for last weekend. We are especially grateful to the staffs of the Committees."
Soon after the draft of the bill was first released, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tweeted that the draft was "off-base" because "It does not focus immediate relief on affected Americans. It proposes new bureaucracy that would only delay assistance. It wanders into policy areas that are not related to the pressing issues at hand."
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy stated the bill "comes up short," criticizing the bill for the way it ensures "paid sick leave would take months to administer, long after the relief is needed." Some Senate Republicans said the bill would be too harsh on small businesses.
On the evening of Friday, March 13, President Trump tweeted his support for the bill. The President wrote, in a series of tweets, that "This Bill will follow my direction for free CoronaVirus tests, and paid sick leave for our impacted American workers. I have directed..." "...the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Labor to issue regulations that will provide flexibility so that in no way will Small Businesses be hurt. I encourage all Republicans and Democrats to come together and VOTE YES! I will always put..." "...the health and well-being of American families FIRST. Look forward to signing the final Bill, ASAP!"
On March 16, Congressman Louis Gohmert (R–TX) threatened to hold up the bill if certain technical problems are not worked out. Pelosi and Mnuchin worked to solve the problems.
At Republican insistence, the initial House version of the bill allowed the emergency leave provision to expire in a year and also allows the federal government to exempt certain employers with fewer than 25 employees from certain requirements.
Votes.
The House of Representatives passed the bill with broad bipartisan support in a vote that concluded at 12:30 AM on Saturday, March 14, 2020, in a 363–40–1 vote, with 26 not voting. Forty Republicans and no Democrats voted against the bill. Independent Representative Justin Amash voted present.
Senator Rand Paul introduced an amendment to the bill to require a social security number in order to receive the child tax credit, to allow the President the authority to transfer funds as necessary, and to end United States military operations and reconstruction activities in Afghanistan by December 31, 2020. The amendment failed in a vote of 3–95 with 2 not voting.
Senator Ron Johnson introduced an amendment to the bill to financial support provided through state-administered unemployment insurance systems and funds rather than having the provisions for Emergency Paid Sick Leave and Emergency Paid Family Medical Leave. The amendment failed in a vote of 50–48 with 2 not voting.
Senator Patty Murray introduced an amendment to the bill to provide Americans with paid sick time and paid leave for their own health needs and their families' health needs. The amendment failed in a vote of 47–51 with 2 not voting.
On March 18, the Senate passed the bill with broad bipartisan support by a vote of 90–8 with 2 not voting. The two Senators not voting were Cory Gardner of Colorado and Rick Scott of Florida who were in quarantine after exposure to people who tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019. Later the same day, the President signed the bill into law.


Pilar tumor


University of Montenegro Faculty of Applied Physiotherapy

The University of Montenegro Faculty of Applied Physiotherapy (Montenegrin: Fakultet primijenjene fizioterapije "Факултет примијењене физиотерапије") is one of the educational institutions of the University of Montenegro. The building is located in Igalo, and the Faculty is the only physical therapy school in Montenegro and the region.
History.
In 1976, the High School of Physiotherapy was founded in Igalo as a two-year post-secondary school.
In compliance with the new Law on Higher Education, the Post-secondary School of Physiotherapy was transformed into a Higher School of Physiotherapy in 2004 and one year later was renamed the Faculty of Applied Physiotherapy as an organizational unit of the University of Montenegro.


Elizabeth A. Winzeler

Elizabeth Ann Winzeler is an American microbiologist and geneticist. She is a professor in the Division of Host-Microbe Systems and Therapeutics of the School of Medicine at the University of California at San Diego. Although she works in a variety of different disease areas, most research focuses on developing better medicines for the treatment and eradication of malaria.
Early life and education.
Dr. Winzeler is the daughter of American Anthropologist, Dr. Robert L. Winzeler . She grew up in Reno, Nevada, and attended Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. She received her B.A. in Natural Sciences and Art in 1984. After college, she worked as a professional programmer and systems analyst for four years before moving to Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon to earn a M.S. in Biophysics and Biochemistry. In 1996, she was awarded a Ph.D. from Stanford University in Developmental Biology for her studies on "Caulobacter crescentus" with Lucy Shapiro. She stayed at Stanford for postdoctoral work with Ronald W. Davis, joining a long academic family tree (https://academictree.org/chemistry). At Stanford she played a leading role in developing seminal post-genome analysis methods in "Saccharomyces cerevisiae".
Career.
In 1999, Winzeler was recruited by Peter G. Schultz to the newly-established Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation. In 2000, she obtained a secondary position as an assistant professor in the Department of Cell Biology at Scripps Research. In 2012, she moved to the University of California, San Diego where she is currently a professor in the Department of Pediatrics and director of Translational Research at the UCSD Health Sciences Center for Immunity, Infection, and Inflammation. She is a member of the Division of Host Microbe Systems and Therapeutics and the Institute for Genomic Medicine.
Research.
While she was still at Stanford University, she began working at the interface of genetics and informatics in the new field of functional genomics. After establishing her own lab, she began applying the powerful, high throughput methods that worked well in yeast to organisms that were both more medically-relevant and experimentally-challenging, namely the protozoan Plasmodium parasites that cause human malaria. She showed that malaria parasites produce coordinated sets of gene messages as they progress through their complex lifecycle and developed methods for studying parasite genetic variation and genome evolution especially in relationship to the emergence of drug resistance. She is also known for developing phenotypic screening methods as well as contributions to drug development and Open Source Drug Discovery. Her group has developed screening methods that have led to the discovery of several new antimalarial chemotypes, two of which have been developed into clinical candidates. These include Ganaplacide (KAF156) and Cipargamin (KAE609). In addition, her lab discovered the targets of a variety of antimalarial compounds, including PfATP4, and Pf1-phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase. In 2017 she became director of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Malaria Drug Accelerator (MALDA), an international consortium that seeks to develop better treatments for malaria. She is a member of the governing board of the Tres Cantos Open Lab Foundation.


Oxyana

Oxyana is a 2013 documentary film produced by Sean Dunne. The film documents prescription drug abuse in rural Southern West Virginia, based in the town of Oceana and surrounding Wyoming County. The film highlights the abuse of the prescription drug oxycodone. It was released in April 2013 at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Plot.
Oceana was once a coal mining town that prospered, but in recent years, has been faced with poverty and addiction.
Oxycodone's introduction to the town in the early 1990s has led to widespread addiction. Many residents are involved in the drug trade, with one woman in the video stating "you either work in the mines or sell pills." The film further portrays the effects drugs have had on individual families.


We Are With You

We Are With You (formerly known as Addaction) is a British charity founded in 1967 that supports people to make positive behavioural changes, most notably with alcohol and drug misuse, and mental health. The charity works extensively throughout England and Scotland, with an administrative base in Farringdon, central London. Previously named Addaction, it changed its name to We Are With You in February 2020.
Beginnings.
In February 1967 The Guardian published an article written by a mother whose son was addicted to heroin. The author was a woman called Mollie Craven, and she appealed for other parents like herself to form an association.
"At present", she wrote, "us parents of addicts are a neglected and ignored group. Some parents have eventually despaired of their child and closed their doors. Perhaps with help and encouragement they might be able to try again with a fuller understanding of the problem, and with support".
Out of this article an organisation called the Association of the Parents of Addicts (APA) was born. At first APA delivered a small number of services funded by grants and private fund-raising. When more harm reduction policies were introduced in the UK to reduce the spread of blood-borne disease, APA developed their treatment services accordingly.
Relationships were built with Government, and policy-makers were invited to visit the services themselves. When illicit drug use and availability of drugs in the UK increased, APA campaigned for more and better treatment responses, including greater and earlier interventions with children, young people and families.
Renaming as We Are With You.
In February 2020, Addaction changed its name to We Are With You . We Are With You provide free and confidential support to people experiencing issues with drugs, alcohol or mental health . the charity provided services to over 75,000 people a year in sites across the country from Argyle and Bute down to Cornwall in England. 80 services offer drug and alcohol treatment support to adults, young people and families in community-based programmes.
The charity had previously changed its name in 1997, from APA to Addaction.
Legal status.
We Are With You is registered charity no. 1001957, with registered office at Part Lower Ground Floor, Gate House, 1-3 St. John's Square, London, England, EC1M 4DH.


Martin Emond

Martin Emond (June 4, 1969 in New Zealand – March 5, 2004 in Los Angeles, California, United States), also known under the pseudonyms "Martin Fuckin Emond", "Martyfuck", "Martywood", "Mickey Martin" and "MFE", was a New Zealand cartoon illustrator and painter.
Emond's work is said to be reminiscent of rock n' roll tattoos and classic sign art, and characterised by darkly sardonic humour.
Biography.
Emond found success early in his career illustrating Gordon Rennie's "White Trash" comic, which led to other high-profile cartoon work including designing album covers for Glenn Danzig. He drew the (extremely violent and bloody) strip "Accident Man" for the short-lived UK comic Toxic! in 1991. Later he created memorable characters such as the irreverent streetkid Switchblade and girl gang the Rolling Red Knuckles.
Many of his illustrations were also produced extensively as screenprints on clothing for the popular New Zealand streetwear label Illicit. The company signed a two-year deal with California-based clothier Cinder Block, through assistance from intellectual property agency Sharpeco, to create fashions based on a variety of Emond characters. An article on the partnership noted, "Cinder Block were especially taken by a character called Switchblade, a street urchin orphan brought up in a town called Tragedy," noting this character would be the first project of the clothing range. Illicit co-founder Steve Hodge remarked, "[Emond] left a huge amount of work behind. It's all catalogued and storylined," with the article going on to state that the range included more than 150 characters. Illicit also planned a collaboration with Oregon-based publisher Dark Horse Comics to create a coffee table book on Emond's work.
Emond committed suicide by hanging in 2004.
Several of his images were used without authorisation in Pink's music video for "U + Ur Hand."
Bibliography.
Comics.
Comics work includes:


Ingel Fallstedt

Ingel Fallstedt (20 October 1848, Stockholm - 13 May 1899, Copenhagen) was a Swedish sculptor. He committed suicide before the unveiling of his statue honoring John Ericsson; his first major project.
Biography.
His father, Hampus Ludvig Fallstedt, was an official of the Riksbank. His mother, Maria Charlotta Wallander, was the sister of painter and art professor, Josef Wilhelm Wallander. After completing his primary education, in 1866, he began studying agriculture and entered the (Agricultural Institute) in 1867. He graduated two years later with a degree in agronomy. He worked keeping records at Lövstabruk, Stenhammar Castle and .
He had shown an early interest in art, but it was a year after his father's death before he began formal studies, at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts (1872-1874). This was followed by studies in Munich and Paris; all funded by his inheritance. He also squandered much of it on amusements, but had enough remaining to establish a studio on the Rue de Tilsitt; although it was little more than a decorated shed. He had started sculpting during his time at the Academy, but it was in Paris that he established his impressionistic portrait bust style. In 1878, he participated in an exhibition at the Salon, but was not very successful.
Around 1880, he married the Swedish actress, Maria Lovisa Hammarstrand (1845-1929). The following year, he participated in another exhibition, in Sweden, at the "". This time, his busts received some positive critical attention and he received numerous orders; including one from King Oscar II.
Following that, he moved to Italy, where he spent several years in Florence, then relocated to Copenhagen. From 1883 to 1885, he received several orders from the Danish Royal Family. Around 1890, he moved to Gothenburg, where he continued to attract orders. One was for a bust of the merchant, , who became a major patron. He soon became an indispensable feature of the cultural life of Gothenburg; advocating for reforms in art education, the establishment of exhibitions, and financial support for struggling artists. In 1897, he was named a member of the Swedish Academy.
His last sculpture, and only major work, was a statue of the inventor, John Ericsson, which he completed in 1899. Shortly after, he was admitted to the hospital at the University of Lund, where he was diagnosed with neurasthenia; most likely depression, resulting from extreme fatigue. After fourteen days at the clinic, he and Maria decided to take a vacation in Copenhagen. One early morning, he locked himself into a room. Later that day, he was found dead; hanging from a hook on a window post.
Work on the statue had been stressful. His initial design, a bust on a column, had been rejected in favor of a full figure. It was also to be cast in bronze; a medium that was unfamiliar to him. He worked it over several times, but was not satisfied with the results; becoming very agitated, then indifferent. In the opinion of his assistant, Ludvig Brandstrup, "it was the statue that killed him".


Coalition of Hope

The Coalition of Hope Foundation, Inc. (COH) is a US-based 501(c)(3), not-for-profit, charitable organization that provides global humanitarian assistance and disaster-relief support. COH was founded by Timothy J. Keegan in 2010.
The primary goal of COH is Project Excelsior, a plan to utilize recently decommissioned "Tarawa"-class amphibious assault ships as its primary operations platforms. These vessels, referred to as a humanitarian assistance disaster relief vessels (HADR/V), will serve as a sea-based platform for conducting humanitarian assistance disaster relief (HADR) operations.
Operations.
Haiti earthquake.
Coalition of Hope Foundation CEO Tim Keegan was active in the response to the January 2010 Haiti earthquake. Keegan solicited corporations for donations of relief materials. Corporate sponsors responded and donated an estimated 1.2 million pounds of supplies for Haiti relief operations. Keegan worked with Operation Big Heart Brigade and the 143rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command (ESC) to transport the donated supplies to Haiti from the Florida collection-point at Opa-Locka Airport in Miami FL.
Hurricane Sandy.
In October 2012 Hurricane Sandy devastated the US Northeast. The Coalition of Hope Foundation partnered with Catholic Relief and focused on providing assistance to residents of Rockaway Beach, Long Island, NY.
A fundraising concert to benefit Rockaway Relief featuring 'Celtic Thunder' was sponsored by Coalition of Hope on 3 December 2012
Coalition of Hope also began a mold-remediation program in partnership with TruPro Restoration of Spring Brook Township, PA.
Coalition of Hope Foundation ended its involvement with Hurricane Sandy relief operations in June 2013. On 18 June, CoH held a "Post Superstorm Sandy Rebuilding Resources Conference" at the Museum of Modern Art, Rockaway New York. This conference served to close out CoH's involvement in relief operations and provide the remaining stakeholders a forum to discuss best practices and lessons learned.
Project Excelsior.
The Coalition of Hope Foundation's Project Excelsior focuses on acquiring LHA’s and rebuilding them as dedicated HADR/V vessels.
The United States Government last released a former US Navy vessel for humanitarian missions in 1960. From 1960 through 1974, the People to People Health Foundation operated the former as the SS HOPE, cruising to bring medical relief to underdeveloped areas of the world, including South Vietnam, Peru, Ecuador, Guinea, Nicaragua, Colombia, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Jamaica, and Brazil.
Recent media coverage.
"Tallahassee Democrat" "An FSU grad's big plan: Acquire a retired Navy ship to respond to humanitarian crises" September 2018
"Defense Update" "Navy Asked to Donate Ex. USS Nassau to Support Humanitarian Relief Worldwide" November 2013.
"Rock Thiz Magazine" and "The Pulse Magazine" both ran feature stories about CoH and Project Excelsior in April 2014.


The Collector of Bedford Street

The Collector of Bedford Street is a 2002 documentary film about director Alice Elliott's neighbor, Larry Selman, a community activist and fundraiser who had an intellectual disability.
Film content.
When Larry's primary caregiver becomes unable to care for him, his New York City neighborhood community rallies together to protect his independent lifestyle by establishing an adult trust fund in his behalf.
Larry is the beneficiary of an Adult Supplemental Needs Trust, which was sponsored by the Bedford-Barrow-Commerce (BBC) Block Association through the UJA-Federation Community Trust for Disabled Adults. The BBC's sponsorship of Larry marked the first time a group outside of a beneficiary's family established an Adult Supplemental Needs Trust.
"The Collector of Bedford Street" DVD is being used by Kiwanis International for training Key Leaders in service around the world.
Nominations and awards.
"The Collector of Bedford Street" has screened at more than 70 film festivals around the world, including the Black Maria Film Festival, Aspen Short Film festival and Heartland Festival. The film was nominated for the 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject).


Disappearance of Asha Degree

Asha Jaquilla Degree (; born August 5, 1990) went missing at the age of nine from Shelby, North Carolina, United States. In the early morning hours of February 14, 2000, for reasons unknown, she packed her bookbag, left her family home north of the city and began walking along nearby North Carolina Highway 18 despite heavy rain and wind. Several passing motorists saw her; when one turned around at a point from her home and began to approach her, she left the roadside and ran into a wooded area. In the morning, her parents discovered her absence. No one has seen her since.
An intensive search that began that day led to the location of some of her personal effects near where she was last seen. A year and a half later, her bookbag, still packed, was unearthed from a construction site along Highway 18 north of Shelby in Morganton.
At the point where she ran into the woods, a billboard now stands appealing for help finding her. Her family hosts an annual walk from their home to the billboard to draw attention to the case.
While the circumstances of Degree's disappearance at first seemed to suggest she was running away from home, investigators could not find a clear reason she might have done so; she was younger than most children who do. They have speculated that she might have been abducted instead. The case has drawn national media attention. In 2015, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) joined state and county authorities in a reopened investigation, offering a reward for information that could help solve the case.
Background.
Harold and Iquilla Degree married on Valentine's Day in 1988. Their son, O'Bryant, was born a year later; Asha was born in 1990. The Degrees raised both children in their house on Oakcrest Drive in a residential subdivision amidst a generally rural area north of Shelby, North Carolina, on the western edge of the Charlotte metropolitan area. Both worked regular jobs nearby. The children let themselves in after school, where their parents expected that they would either be doing their homework or finished with it by the time they returned.
They made sure their children were insulated from outside influences and had a life centered around their extended family, church, and school. The Degrees did not have a computer in the house. "[E]very time you turned on the TV there was some pedophile who had lured somebody's child away, via the Internet," Iquilla recalled in a 2013 "Jet" interview. Iquilla said Asha handled this well; she was cautious, shy, and content mostly to stay within the limits her parents set. "She was scared to death of dogs," she recalled years later. "I never thought she would go out of the house."
Asha was in fourth grade at nearby Fallston Elementary School, going into a three-day weekend on the second week of February 2000. The Cleveland County Schools were closed on Friday, February 11, while the Degrees still had to work; the children spent the day at their aunt's house in the same neighborhood, from which they went to their youth basketball practices at their school. The following day, Asha's basketball team, on which she was a star point guard, lost its first game of the season. Asha had fouled out. Her parents recalled that she was somewhat upset about this, crying along with her teammates afterwards, but seemed to have gotten over it and watched her brother's game afterwards.
Disappearance.
On February 13, a Sunday, the children went to church from a relative's house and then returned home. Around 8 p.m. that night, both children went to bed in the room they shared. Almost an hour later, the power went out in the neighborhood after a nearby car accident. The power came back on at 12:30 a.m., at which time Harold checked on his children and saw both Asha and O'Bryant asleep in their beds. He checked again shortly before he went to bed at 2:30 a.m. on February 14 and again saw them both.
Shortly afterwards, O'Bryant, then age 10, recalls hearing Asha's bed squeak. He did not further rouse himself, as he assumed she was merely changing positions in her sleep. Apparently around this time, Asha got out of bed, taking a bookbag she had previously packed with several sets of clothes and personal items, and left the house. Between 3:45 and 4:15 a.m., a truck driver and a motorist saw her walking south along Highway 18, wearing a long-sleeved white T-shirt and white pants, just north of its junction with Highway 180. They reported this to police after seeing a TV report about her disappearance. The motorist said that he turned his car around because he thought it was "strange such a small child would be out by herself at that hour". He circled three times and saw Degree run into the woods by the roadside and disappear. It was a rainy night, and the witness said there was a "storm raging" when he saw her. County sheriff Dan Crawford said, "We're pretty sure it was her because the descriptions they gave are consistent with what we know she was wearing." He added that they also saw her at the same place, heading the same direction.
Iquilla awoke at 5:45 a.m. to get the children ready for school. On the morning of February 14, an important day since it was not only Valentine's Day but also the Degrees' wedding anniversary, this involved drawing a bath for them because they had not been able to take one the night before due to the power outage. When she opened the children's room to wake them up before their 6:30 alarm and call them to the bath, O'Bryant was in his bed; Asha was not, and Iquilla was unable to find her in the house or in the family cars. She told Harold she could not find their daughter. He suggested Asha might have gone over to his mother's house across the street; when Iquilla called there, her sister-in-law said Asha was not there. "That's when I went into panic mode. I heard a car next door ... I put shoes on and ran outside." Iquilla called her mother, who told her to call the police.
Search.
By 6:40 a.m., the first police officers had arrived on the scene. Police dogs called to the scene could not pick up Asha's scent. Iquilla went through the neighborhood calling Asha's name, which she said had awakened everyone by 7 a.m. Friends, family, and neighbors canceled their plans for the day to assist police in searching the vicinity while the pastor of their church, along with other area clergymen, came to the Degrees' home to support them. By day's end, all that had been found was a mitten, which Iquilla Degree said did not belong to her daughter, noting that no winter clothing had been taken from the house. Local news coverage prompted the two drivers who had seen Asha walking along the road early that morning, including the one whose attempt to approach her apparently prompted Asha to flee into the woods, to report the sightings to police.
On February 15, candy wrappers were found in a shed at a nearby business along the highway, near where Asha had been seen running into the woods. Along with them were a pencil, marker, and Mickey Mouse-shaped hair bow that were identified as belonging to her. It was the only trace of her found during the initial search. On February 16, Iquilla realized that Asha's bedroom was missing her favorite clothing, including a pair of blue jeans with a red stripe. A week later the search was called off, after 9,000 man hours had been invested in a search of the of where she had last been seen, flyers had been posted all over the area, and 300 leads had been submitted that ranged from possible sightings to tips about abandoned houses and wells where Asha might have ended up. "We have never really had that first good, substantial lead," said county sheriff Dan Crawford at a news conference. He urged the media to keep the story alive.
Later developments.
At the news conference on February 22, Crawford said he was going "long-range" with the search for Asha. Both the FBI and North Carolina's State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) got involved and put her on their respective databases of missing children. While the agencies were done searching in the area of her home and route, "we're following everything," he insisted.
From Iquilla's account of what Asha had taken with her, investigators believed she had planned and prepared for this departure over the several days preceding her disappearance. "She's not your typical runaway," observed SBI agent Bart Burpeau. Another expert, Ben Ermini of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, noted that most children who run away are at least 12. An FBI agent also pointed to the lack of an issue she might have been running away from, such as a dysfunctional family or poor academic performance. Still, investigators believed that was the most likely explanation for her departure, but that for some reason, she either got off track or was abducted.
The media attention went national. A month after Asha's disappearance, the Degree family appeared on "The Montel Williams Show" to call attention to the case. "America's Most Wanted" and "The Oprah Winfrey Show" also devoted segments to it.
On August 3, 2001, Asha's bookbag and other items were discovered during a construction project off Highway 18 in Burke County, near Morganton, about north of Shelby. It was wrapped in a plastic bag. The worker who found it said the bookbag contained Asha's name and phone number. The FBI took it to their headquarters for further forensic analysis; results from that testing have not been shared publicly. To date, it is the last evidence found in the case. On the 20th anniversary of Asha's disappearance, the FBI confirmed that the bookbag contained a copy of Dr. Seuss's "McElligot's Pool" and a T-shirt depicting the band New Kids on the Block. Neither appeared to have been her property before they were found in her bag; the book was from the library at her elementary school.
Later leads have turned out to be dead ends. In 2004, acting on a tip reportedly received from an inmate at the county jail, the sheriff's office began digging at an intersection in Lawndale. The bones that were found turned out to be from an animal.
The Degrees took steps to keep Asha's memory, and the case, alive in the public's mind. In 2008, they established a scholarship in her name for a deserving local student. They host an annual walk to raise awareness and money to fund their search. The walk starts at their home and ends at a missing person's billboard for Asha along Highway 18, near where she was last seen. It was originally held on February 14, but it was changed to February 7 in 2015 and February 6 in 2016, as Harold and Iquilla felt it was not fair to participants to make Valentine's Day a somber occasion. Pictures of Asha, both real and those showing her as she might appear in later years created by investigators to help the search, still decorate the Degree house. "I fully expect her to walk through the door," Iquilla says.
Iquilla Degree lamented in a 2013 interview with "Jet" that her daughter's disappearance had not gotten as much media attention over the years as some subsequent cases of missing children because Asha was black. "Missing white children get more attention. I don't understand why," she said. "I know if you ask them they will say it's not racial. Oh, really? I'm not going to argue because I have common sense."
In February 2015, the FBI announced that FBI agents, Cleveland County Sheriff's Office investigators, and State Bureau of Investigation agents were re-examining the case and re-interviewing witnesses. They also announced a reward of up to $25,000 for "information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for her disappearance." A community group is offering an additional $20,000 reward.
The FBI announced 15 months later, in May 2016, that their reinvestigation of the case had turned up a possible new lead. They disclosed that Asha may have been seen getting into a dark green early 1970s Lincoln Continental Mark IV, or possibly a Ford Thunderbird from the same era, along Route 18 near where she was last seen later that night. It was described as having rust around its wheel wells.
In September 2017, the FBI announced that its Child Abduction Rapid Deployment (CARD) team was in Cleveland County to assist in the investigation and "provide on-the-ground investigative, technical, behavioral analysis, and analytical support to find out more about what happened to Asha". The team worked alongside FBI Charlotte employees, Cleveland County Sheriff's Office investigators, and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation agents for ten days. The agencies also meet "several times a month to go over the latest on the investigation." Since September 2017, local agents and investigators have conducted approximately 300 interviews.
In October 2018, the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office detectives appealed for information from the public about two items of interest that were found in Degree's bookbag: "McElligot's Pool", a children's book by Dr. Seuss, which was borrowed from the Fallston Elementary School library in early 2000, and a New Kids on the Block concert T-shirt. An investigator said the items are vital clues.
In November 2020, an inmate named Marcus Mellon, who was convicted of sex crimes against children in 2014, wrote a letter to The Shelby Star, claiming that Degree was murdered and he knows where to find her. These claims are under investigation and have not yet been verified.


British Journal of Pharmacology

The British Journal of Pharmacology is a biweekly peer-reviewed medical journal covering all aspects of experimental pharmacology. It is published for the British Pharmacological Society by Wiley-Blackwell. It was established in 1946 as the "British Journal of Pharmacology and Chemotherapy". The journal obtained its current title in 1968.
The current editor-in-chief is Amrita Ahluwalia. Previous editors-in-chief include Ian McGrath, Humphrey Rang, Alan North, Phil Moore, Bill Large, and Tony Birmingham. A sister journal, also published for the British Pharmacological Society by Wiley-Blackwell is the "British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology". The journal publishes research papers, review articles, commentaries and correspondence in all fields of pharmacology. It also publishes themed issues, as well as supplements.
"The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY".
The "Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY" is a supplement of the "British Journal of Pharmacology", replacing the "Guide to Receptors and Channels". It is produced in association with the Nomenclature Committee of the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology. The current version, "The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2019/2020", was published in December 2019, and edited by Stephen Alexander, Eamonn Kelly, Alistair Mathie, John Peters and Emma Veale. This edition is a compilation of the major pharmacological targets divided into seven sections: G protein-coupled receptors, ion channels, catalytic receptors, nuclear receptors, transporters, and enzymes. These are presented with nomenclature guidance and summary information on the best available pharmacological tools, alongside suggestions for further reading. It is freely available online and also available in hard copy. Previous editions of the "Guide to Receptors and Channels" are available through PubMed Central. The content of the "Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY" is also available through the online portal Guide to PHARMACOLOGY.
Abstracting and indexing.
The journal is abstracted and indexed in:
According to the "Journal Citation Reports", the journal has a 2019 impact factor of 7.73, ranking it 9th out of 270 journals in the category "Pharmacology & Pharmacy". In the year 2017 and 2019, the journal had the highest impact factor of journals in the category "Pharmacology and Pharmacy" when excluding journals that publish solely review articles.


Windburn

Windburn is a condition whereby a sunburn obtained in cool or cloudy conditions is incorrectly attributed to the effects of the wind rather than the sun mostly in North America. The main reason for this is that in cool or cloudy conditions many people are unaware that they are still vulnerable to the burning effects of the sun's UV radiation, so fail to take precautionary sun protection measures. This increases their risk of sustaining a sunburn, which they may then falsely attribute to the wind.
The fact that windburn was really misattributed sunburn, rather than an actual condition in its own right, was shown as early as 1936 by English skin specialist Charles Howard White of Cambridge and American physicist William Henry Crew of New York University. Nonetheless, the accepted existence of windburn remains a popular and widely held misconception.
Prevention and treatment.
The treatment of windburn is the same as for sunburn. Prevention measures involve wearing protective clothing, sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, and seeking shade.
Wind as a contributing factor.
There may be contributing factors of the wind to windburn, and similarly, sunburns. Most importantly, the cooling effects of the wind decrease the perception of heat and burning, meaning individuals are less likely to seek shade or to protect themselves against the sun, and are more likely to stay exposed to the burning effects of the sun's UV radiation for longer. Along with being cooling, the wind also has a drying effect on the skin, which may exacerbate the symptoms of a sunburn. There are also some claims that the natural oils and moisture in the skin are reduced in cold conditions, making the skin more vulnerable to the drying effects of the wind and the sun's UV radiation, and thus more easily burnt in situations where people may not expect to be sunburnt, such as in the snow.


Unknown White Male

Unknown White Male is a 2005 documentary film directed by Rupert Murray, covering the life of his childhood friend Doug Bruce, a British resident of New York who appeared to suffer from sudden amnesia, who woke up on a subway train in Coney Island in 2003, not knowing who or where he was.
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival 2005. It was nominated for a British Independent Film Award, a Grierson and a Directors Guild of America award. It was also shortlisted for a Grierson and an Academy Award. It was theatrically released in the US by Wellspring and shown on Court TV. In the UK it was released by Shooting People, the filmmakers community whose members made the film and shown on Channel 4 TV who had commissioned the film originally.
During the film, medical experts opine that Bruce is suffering from a syndrome called retrograde amnesia, a form of amnesia where the sufferer cannot recall events from before the onset of the amnesia, although it remains unclear how or whether Bruce suffered a trauma which caused the amnesia.
Amnesia hoax theory.
The authenticity of the film has been questioned by some critics, who allege that it is an elaborate fraud. The filmmakers have consistently denied this allegation. Roger Ebert, film critic for the "Chicago Sun-Times", initially said he found the documentary "faintly fishy", but after meeting the filmmakers subsequently wrote that he was "convinced of its truthfulness".
Objections to Bruce's claims include:
The film makers address the hoax theory with a six-minute-long DVD feature titled, "Questions With The Director & Producer." It opens with a written message responding to the allegations of a hoax with: "We, the film makers, Douglas, his friends and family categorically deny this claim." Director Rupert Murray states that he finds it shocking when people believe the film to be fake, because it raises the question "Is my "life" a fake?" Of Bruce, he admits, "He coincidentally happened to film himself [thus providing footage used in the documentary], which people find strange." Producer Beadie Finzi explains her belief in Bruce's amnesia with, "The bottom line is that anyone and everyone who has ever known Douglas, [his] friends and family, is completely convinced that this traumatic event did indeed happen to him. And indeed, every physician that has treated him is also convinced that this has happened to him."


Evgeny Pokushalov

Evgeny A. Pokushalov (Tomsk, Russia, November 7, 1974) is a Russian electrophysiologist.
Professional qualifications.
MD (Б-1 077979; University of Russia, 2002), PhD, Professor of Medicine
Present appointment.
Deputy Director of the clinics network "New medical technologies center"; Advisor to the Chairman of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Undergraduate education and qualifications.
From 1997 to 1999 Pokushalov studied at the Residency of Cardiology in the Tomsk Research Institute of Cardiology (Russia), where he got clinical training on cardiovascular disease. He got practical skills in electrophysiologic studies both with a catheter and intraoperatively. Then he engaged in a postgraduate course of Cardiosurgery during 3 years in the Tomsk Research Institute of Cardiology (Russia), where he got practical experience in conducting scientific clinical research. He also engaged in a postgraduate trainings in Hopital Haut-Leveque, Bordeaux-Pessac, France; St Georg Hospital, Hamburg, Germany; San Raffaele University Hospital, Milan, Italy; Harvard Medical School, USA.
Clinical and scientific activity.
Since the completion of the training in 1999 Pokushalov devoted his professional time to clinical cardiac electrophysiology, including both clinical and scientific activities serving as the primary operator in the electrophysiology laboratory, collecting and analyzing clinical data, initiating inner clinical studies, follow-up clinic etc.
At the moment Pokushalov has presentations and original publications. His h index is 28 (the h Index considers Scopus articles published after 1995).
Pokushalov took a part as a principal investigator and co-investigator in 30 international multicenter clinical studies since 2005.
Since 2016 Pokushalov became a member of the Expert Council of Russian Academy of Sciences.
Membership of professional associations and colleges.
Pokushalov is a member of Russian Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology, Member of European Society of Cardiology, Member of American Heart Association, Fellow member of European Society of Cardiology, Fellow member of American College of Cardiology and Fellow member of Heart Rhythm Society. Since December 2016 - Fellow of European Heart Rhythm Association.


Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering alternative medicine published by Mary Ann Liebert. It was established in 1995 and is the official journal of the Society for Acupuncture Research. The editor-in-chief is John Weeks, who succeeded the founding editor, Kim A. Jobst.
Abstracting and indexing.
The journal is abstracted and indexed in:
According to the "Journal Citation Reports", the journal has a 2015 impact factor of 1.395.
Reception.
In 2005 the BBC used a report published by the journal as the basis of a story claiming that homeopathy was effective for some patients. The article contradicted the findings of a study that had recently appeared in "The Lancet", reporting that homeopathy was ineffective. The methodology of the article in the "Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine" was criticized by pharmacologist David Colquhoun on his blog, saying that its questionnaire-based approach was "not really research at all" and that the published conclusion drawn from it was "quite ludicrous". In his view, "papers like this do not add to human knowledge, they detract from it". Quackwatch has included the journal on its list of "nonrecommended periodicals", characterizing it as "fundamentally flawed".
The "Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine" is included in the Brandon/Hill listing of books and journals recommended for a small medical library. The Osher Collaborative for Integrative Medicine, which includes Harvard University, Karolinska Institutet, Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, University of California at San Francisco, University of Miami, and the University of Washington, has a partnership with the journal to publish regular invited commentaries as of February 2017.