For the past week or so, the press has been covering what it calls a dangerous new strain of COVID-19 (B.1.1.7 ). You’ve probably heard and/or read about it.

The increase in risk, the reports say, is 30% higher.

That’s misleading.

In terms of relative risk, it’s a fact. But the actual, absolute risk of the new virus is only a small fraction higher than the original. So small, it could be a rounding error.

Here’s how it works: With the original COVID-19, out of 1000 people aged 60 or older, about 10 might be at risk of death. But with the new B.1.1.7 variant, 13 or 14 out of 1000 who are 60 or older might die.

This is a common problem with published reports on the relative risks of any disease: The average reader is misled into thinking the difference is significant. And that misconception sells. It sells drugs. And medical procedures. And it sells papers.

“Bad actors try to cry, and good actors try not to. Bad actors try to laugh, and good actors try not to.” – Martin Landau

It’s Not All About the Director 

The same is true with making movies. Contrary to what the auteur school of film criticism would have you believe, a great director is not the sole reason for a great movie. There are others involved: the cinematographer (also known as the DP or Director of Photography), the editor, and the actors.

Yes, the actors.

I’ve made four movies, and the most surprising thing I learned about the process is how important acting is. As an amateur film buff, I had subscribed to the preeminence of the director. And when I got on the set and saw how the director really is the boss of just about every aspect of the filming, it made double sense to me.

But even at the level I was working at (low budget), I could see a huge difference in how a scene worked, with the same direction, when we auditioned several actors to play the same role.

Good actors can make a good or even a mediocre script into a compelling scene. Bad actors can ruin the best script in the world.

Gifted actors don’t need a director to tell them how. Here’s an example: Henry Thomas’s audition for E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. Watch how this 9-year-old boy plays the lead role of Elliott without direction…

o start and grow a good business, you need more than yourself – even if you are a natural-born entrepreneur. You need to surround yourself with a small team of talented, super-smart, and relentlessly determined people, each of whom can do their job as well as or better than you.

“Okay kid, you got the job.”