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Therapy Dogs Can Reduce Your 'Ruff' Days
by Rebecca Thair on 22 May 2017 Read in
TheraPaws dogs and volunteers take centre stage at the National Theatre to spread awareness and promote positive mental health
For Mental Health Awareness Week (8–14 May 2017), the Mayhew Animal Home's TheraPaws programme teamed up with the National Theatre in London to help raise awareness of the importance of mental health and wellbeing.
The Mayhew Animal Home is an animal welfare charity that looks to save thousands of cats and dogs from cruelty and neglect each year, through caring and rehoming them. The charity also works with the community in London to help encourage people to take better care of their pets, and reduce the crisis of pets being given to shelters or abandoned in the first place.
TheraPaws is their incredible initiative that takes dogs into hospitals, hospices and care homes in London to visit elderly patients as animal therapy. As well as encouraging social interaction and helping to reduce stress, playing and petting the dogs can have other positive effects on people, such as promoting compassion towards animals, and gives those lovely doggies some well-deserved attention.
The Mental Health Foundation has previously said about the benefits of animals on a person's mental health, particularly for the elderly who can find comfort in a four-legged companion. They say, "It is thought that a dog can be a stress buffer that softens the effects of adverse events on a person." And even that, "With an animal in the home, people with Alzheimer's are thought to have fewer anxious outbursts."
At this event, TheraPaws volunteers Ilonka Scaman with her dog BenJecky, Helen Liu with her dog Java, Kelly Scarrott with her dog Winston and Peter Waldman with his dog Tobi visited the National Theatre in South Bank on Friday 12 May. The theatre stages up to 30 productions each year, ranging from classics to modern masterpieces and new work by contemporary writers and theatre-makers. But it was most definitely the TheraPaws pups who took centre stage, and received plenty of praise, cuddles and attention from everyone there.
Luke Berman, TheraPaws project manager, said, "Our TheraPaws programme is a great way to promote and raise awareness of mental health. As well as enhancing people's lives by helping to reduce social isolation, stress and unlocking memories and emotions, the initiative also helps animals by raising awareness of the positive effects dogs can have, including promoting respect and compassion towards animals."
If you'd like to find out more about the incredible work the TheraPaws dogs and volunteers do, and how these furry friends bring happiness to people's lives, visit their website. You can also head there to request a visit from their lovely canine team, to volunteer with them, or to donate and support them in helping bring some happiness and companionship to the elderly.
I think they deserve a round of ap-paws.
Rebecca Thair
Rebecca is the Editor of Happiful magazine
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Music et al, Peace Love Art and Activism, Today in history
October 30 Peace Love Art Activism
October 30, 2015 Woodstock Whisperer	Leave a comment
Anarchism in the US and Emma Goldman
October 30, 1906: police arrested Goldman in Manhattan while attending an anarchist meeting called to protest police suppression of free speech at a previous meeting. She was charged with unlawful assembly for the purpose of overthrowing the government under the new criminal laws against anarchy. (NYT article) (see Goldman for her story)
October 30, 1947, McCarthyism
HUAC
Ring Lardner, Jr., an Oscar-winning screenwriter, refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) about his political beliefs and associations. As a result, he was convicted of contempt of Congress and sentenced to prison. Lardner was one of the "Hollywood Ten," who refused to cooperate with HUAC, went to prison, and were then blacklisted by the film industry. He famously told the committee that he could answer one of their questions, but "I would hate myself in the morning." Variety magazine commented about the end of the HUAC Hollywood hearings: "Commie Carnival Closes: An Egg is Laid." Lardner later earned his second Academy Award as the screenwriter of the enormously successful film M*A*S*H (1970), which then became the basis for the hugely successful and Emmy-winning television series of the same name.The Hearing.
The famous German playwright Bertolt Brecht testified before HUAC on this day as one of the hostile witnesses in the HUAC investigation of alleged Communist influence in Hollywood. The day after his testimony, Brecht left the U.S. for East Germany and never returned. Brecht is best known among Americans as the co-author of the musical, Threepenny Opera, with composer Kurt Weill, which features the now-famous song, Mack the Knife. One of the ironies of Threepenny Opera is the Brecht was a committed Marxist and yet earned considerable income from the original state production in Germany and then considerably more from the royalties from Mack the Knife. (see Nov 24)
The Photo League
October 30, 1951: The Photo League was a non-profit organization created in 1936 to promote photography as an art form. It conducted photography classes, held exhibitions, and sponsored photography projects.
A number of its members held left-wing political views and sought to use photography to promote social justice. Because of its members' political views, the League was included in the Attorney General's List of Subversive Organizations (ordered by President Harry Truman on March 21, 1947, and published on December 4, 1947). Membership and support quickly fell off, and the League formally disbanded on this day, a victim of the Cold War anti-Communist hysteria. [2012 Time article] (see Dec 13)
NSC 162/2
October 30, 1953: President Eisenhower formally approved National Security Council Paper No. 162/2 (NSC 162/2). The top secret document made clear that America's nuclear arsenal must be maintained and expanded to meet the communist threat. It also made clear the connection between military spending and a sound American economy. [PDF] (see Dec 8)
USSR/58 megaton
October 30, 1961: the Soviet Union performed an above-ground nuclear test of 58 megatons—4000 times stronger than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
It is the most powerful human-made explosion in history. [Tsar Bomba] (see Oct 31)
US/8.3 megaton
October 30, 1962: US detonated 8.3 megaton nuclear bomb above ground. (CW, see Nov 6; NN, see Dec 2)
Armed forces desegregated
October 30, 1954: the Department of Defense announced the armed forces had been fully desegregated — seven years after President Truman had instructed the Secretary of Defense to "take steps to have the remaining instances of discrimination in the armed services eliminated as rapidly as possible." (see January 7, 1955)
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR
October 30, 1967: Martin Luther King Jr. and seven other clergymen were jailed for four days in Birmingham, Ala. They served sentences on contempt-of-court charges stemming from Easter 1963 demonstrations they had led against discrimination. Public Safety Commissioner Eugene "Bull" Connor had twice denied them a parade permit. Two years later, the law was declared unconstitutional. (BH, see Nov 7; MLK, see April 3, 1968)
"Rumble in the Jungle"
October 30, 1974: Muhammad Ali fought the reigning champion George Foreman in an outdoor arena in Kinshasa, Zaire, The fight is known as the "Rumble in the Jungle."
Using his novel "rope-a-dope" strategy, Ali defeated Foreman and after seven years, reclaimed the title of Heavyweight Champion of the World. (NYT article) (see October 1, 1975)
FBI cover-up
October 30, 1982: a newly released report said the FBI covered up the violent activities of their informant, Gary Thomas Rowe Jr., but his lawyer said the Government knew it was not getting "a Sunday school teacher" when it asked Mr. Rowe to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan. Mr. Rowe, who was a Klan informant from 1959 to 1965, was charged with murder in the 1965 killing of Viola Liuzzo, a civil rights worker. A Federal appeals court barred him from being brought to trial because of an earlier agreement giving him immunity. The 1979 report was released publicly for the first time because the Justice Department lost a Freedom of Information suit filed by Playboy magazine. In the report department investigators said agents protected Mr. Rowe because the informant "was simply too valuable to abandon." (see Liuzzo for more about Liuzzo)
SOUTH AFRICA/APARTHEID
October 30, 1996: saying many of Eugene de Kock's actions had been cruel, calculated and without any sympathy for the victims Judge Willem van der Merwe sentenced the former head of a South African police assassination squad to two life sentences and more than 212 years in jail.
He was paroled after 20 years. (SA/A, see Dec 10; EdK, see January 30, 2015)
Church Burning
October 30, 2015: David Lopez Jackson was arrested and charged in connection with a pair of recent church fires in and around St. Louis. Authorities charged Jackson with two counts of second-degree arson. His bail was set at $75,000. Chief Sam Dotson of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said the investigation was ongoing, and that Jackson was a suspect in the other five fires that were set earlier that month. [St Louis Today article]
October 30 Music et al
The Beatles before their US appearance
October 30, 1961: two days after Beatles fan Raymond Jones (apparently) asked for The Beatles' German single "My Bonnie" (recorded with Tony Sheridan) at Brian Epstein's NEMS record store, two girls asked for the same record. Brian Epstein begins to search foreign record company import lists to find the single. Since Epstein had already sold at least 12 dozen copies of Liverpool's "Mersey Beat" magazine (and had written a column for it), it is highly unlikely that he doesn't already know who The Beatles are. Still, Epstein's difficulty in locating the record is probably due to his not knowing that the record was released, not by The Beatles, but by Tony Sheridan and 'The Beat Brothers' ('Beatles' resembles a vulgar slang word in German, so The Beatles' name was changed for this historic single). (see Nov 9)
March to support war
October 30, 1965: 25,000 marched in Washington in support of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. (see Nov 2)
DRAFT CARD BURNING
October 30, 1968: Republican Vice Presidential candidate, Spiro T. Agnew, was confronted at a disorderly Republican rally by the spectacle of youthful antiwar demonstrators burning a draft card. (Vietnam, see Oct 31; DCB, see May 29, 1969)
Jack Kevorkian
October 30, 1995: a group of doctors and other medical experts in Michigan announced its support of Jack Kevorkian , saying they will draw up a set of guiding principles for the "merciful, dignified, medically-assisted termination of life." (see JK for expanded story)
Immigration History & AIDS
October 30, 2009: The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009 signed by President Barack Obama, who announced plans to remove a ban on travel and immigration to the U.S. by individuals with HIV. Obama called the 22-year ban a decision "rooted in fear rather than fact." (LGBTQ, see Nov 3; AIDS, see January 5, 2010; IH, see Dec 10)
October 30, 2013: a Gallop poll measured that sixty percent of Americans say they favor the death penalty for convicted murderers, the lowest level of support Gallup has measured since November 1972, when 57% were in favor. Death penalty support peaked at 80% in 1994, but it has gradually declined since then. (see Nov 18)
October 30, 2017: in Washington, DC, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly barred PresidentTrump from changing the government's policy on military service by transgender people.
Trump had announced in an August memo that he intended to reverse course on a 2016 policy that allowed troops to serve openly as transgender individuals. He said he would order a return to the policy prior to June 2016, under which service members could be discharged for being transgender.
Kollar-Kotelly wrote that transgender members of the military who had sued over the change were likely to win their lawsuit and barred the Trump administration from reversing course. [ChiTrib story] (next LGTBQ, see Nov 3; military transgender, see March 23, 2018)
Previous PostJefferson Airplane Grace SlickNext PostOctober 31 Music et al

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


SOUTHINGTON — In the midst of his second Major League campaign, former Southington High baseball star and current Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Sal Romano is finding his groove.
Some folks from his hometown got a first-hand look at his progress this week, when the 24-year-old tossed an absolute gem on Tuesday night against the New York Mets at Citi Field to earn his seventh win of the season.
"There were probably about 200 people there," Romano said of friends and family who attended the game. "It always extra special and I love to get that extra thing inside you where you want to be successful and put on a show for them and pitch really well.
Romano, who was drafted out of high school in the 23rd round by the Reds in 2011, did just that. The right-hander tossed six innings of two-hit, one-run baseball while striking out five to lead Cincinnati to a 6-1 victory.
A one-hour and 40-minute rain delay pushed back the start of Romano's homecoming game. That didn't stop him from turning in one of his best performances of the season.
Romano ventured into the seventh, then was pulled after walking Todd Frazier and Brandon Nimmo to open the frame. Regardless, given the delay, even getting to the seventh was an impressive feat.
The exact total ended up being 84 for the young right-hander, who threw 54 strikes to 30 balls. He also threw first-pitch strikes to 18 of the 24 batters he faced, something Romano believed was one of the keys to his success.
Tuesday marked the third time in four starts that Romano turned in a quality start. Since June, he has compiled a 4-3 record to go with just a 3.92 earned run average.
"I've been working hard in my bullpens," Romano said. "The biggest part in pitching the big leagues is you've got to be able to get guys out in the strike zone. They're not going to chase stuff all the time. They go up there with an approach, so you've got to be able to make quality pitches inside the strike zone.
Romano came out of the bullpen on two different occasions in the past month. He tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings against the St. Louis Cardinals on July 15 and picked up his first career hold against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 28.
Coming on in relief requires a whole different mindset for Romano. But, at the end of the day, it still comes down to execution and hitting spots.
"You come in and you want to attack," he said. "Hopefully, the starter has established the inside corner and you want to make sure you're able to come in there and throw strikes and get guys out as much as you can.
After going 5-8 with a 4.45 ERA in 16 starts with the Reds last season, Year 2 has had its challenges for Romano. He struggled in the month of May, going 2-3 with a 7.45 ERA.
However, as his past 2½ months have shown, Romano has continued to make positive adjustments pitching Major League Baseball.
He has dropped his walks and hits per innings pitched (WHIP) from 1.47 to 1.39 from his first to second season, and he has improved in other areas, including ERA, WHIP, strikeout to walk ratio and batting average against, in every month since May.
And while his strikeouts per nine are down this season, Romano has been much more efficient since the All-Star break, improving his strikeout-to-walk ratio from 1.8 to 3.25.
Romano has allowed just a .239 batting average against in four second-half appearances. That number has steadily decreased since May, where opponents hit .298.
With the Reds currently sitting at 50-65 and are in last place in the NL Central, developing a promising young pitcher like Romano would benefit them for future playoff contention.
Romano's next scheduled start is Tuesday against Cleveland, and the plan going forward is very clear.


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Mike Leach Is New Maryland Football Coach, According To Report
By Daniel Shiferaw Dec 18, 2010, 6:47pm EST
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Maryland has a new head football coach, according to Chip Brown of Orangebloods.com:
Mike Leach is going to be the next head coach at Maryland, a key Big 12 source told Orangebloods.com.
When Maryland coach-in-waiting James Franklin took the Vanderbilt job last week, it apparently spelled the end for current Maryland head coach Ralph Friedgen in the mind of new Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson, my source said.
But when Maryland AD Kevin Anderson was asked about Friedgen's future last week, he told reporters, "Next week, everyone will understand where we're going."
The news of Leach's hire, along with Friedgen's buyout of his contract, is a stunning turn of events for the Maryland football program. When Friedgen led his Terps to an 8-4 record (a 6 game improvement over the previous year), it was believed he would be able to play out the last year of his contract, which ended in 2011.
But new athletic director Kevin Anderson apparently had other plans.
Leach's teams went 84-43 over ten seasons, with his 84 wins being the most by a coach in school history. The Red Raiders were a team that were consistently ranked over the last several seasons and were always in the mix for a Big 12 championship. He will bring his experience to a Maryland club that went 8-4 this season, led by freshman quarterback Danny O'Brien.
Gary Crowton Accepts Offer To Become Maryland's New Offensive Coordinator, According To Report
Gary Crowton Accepts Offer To Become Maryland Offensive Coordinator, According To Report


Working capital support proves crucial to this podiatry and orthotic provider's exporting success.
Algeos began exporting when it identified an opportunity as countries in the Middle East experienced a spike in diabetes. The company produces specialist footwear to prevent lower limb loss caused by diabetes. In 2010, Algeos opened an office in Dubai to supply its life-changing products to the region's diabetes sufferers.
Soon after, it won a major 2 year-long contract to provide these products to the procurement body for hospitals in six member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Algeos has continued to win this tender in each year since.
The 2015 order was nearly double the value of previous years at $4.2 million, and required extended payment terms. Coupled with long lead-in times for ordering supplies and making this sizeable order, the contract meant that Algeos needed significantly more working capital than it was able to access through its existing arrangements.
Working with Dan Green, International Trade Manager at Natwest, the company's bank, UK Export Finance (UKEF) was able to provide a solution. By guaranteeing part of a £650,000 working capital loan, UKEF was able to help it access the finance it needed to fulfil this major contract, paving the way for continued success in the region.
Without the short term financial support UKEF and Natwest were able to provide, we would not have had the resources to fulfil this significant order. Working with UKEF has given us the opportunity to realise a substantial increase in our revenue and to grow our presence in an important market.
UKEF is here to help make exports happen. By providing a solution to finance this export order, we were able to support Algeos' ambitions to grow its sales abroad.
Established in 1881, Algeos was bought by Alan Sheridan in 1990. Under the Sheridan family's ownership, Algeos has grown from a turnover of £65,000 to a £10 million business today. This growth has been driven by diversification into supplies for the orthopaedic and podiatric industries. By finding alternative uses for its products, they were able to expand their market range.


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« Jonno's word: Nerves hit Palace as Watford march on | Main | Jonno's word: Morgan can sharpen Blades but Bournemouth are the team to watch in League One »
Watford are more than just a foreign legion, insists Doyley
By Joe Ridge (@JoeRidge87)
When the Pozzo family took over at Watford last summer and brought Gianfranco Zola and a raft of foreign imports with them to Vicarage Road, some Hornets fans could have been forgiven for thinking the heart and soul was being ripped out of their football club.
A club that has prided itself on its academy and links with the local community saw 12 players arrive on loan from abroad - 10 of which came from Pozzo-owned sister clubs Udinese and Granada - while a promising young manager with the club close to his heart in Sean Dyche was harshly given the boot to make way for Zola.
A stuttering start to the season would have done little to ease those fears, but Zola has turned around Watford's fortunes to the extent that they are favourites to earn promotion to the Premier League - be it automatically or through the play-offs - with five games of the Championship season left to play.
Italian job: Zola has been a resounding success at Watford this season
Mud has been slung at the Hertfordshire club for the way in which they have taken advantage of a loophole in the Football League loan rules - temporary signings from abroad are exempt from the limit of five loan players in each matchday squad - but scratch beneath the surface and it is plain to see that Watford's success has come from marrying their foreign imports with a core of British players who were already at the club.
One such player, long-serving defender Lloyd Doyley, feels Zola has got the blend just right.
'He always said that it doesn't matter what players come in, he will pick the best team available to him and the best team to win each game,' explains Doyley. 'It has been that way throughout the season.
'It is important for the fans. If everyone was foreign maybe the fans would feel it is not their club, but you have still got guys like me - I have been here since I was 11, I'm 30 now so that's a long time!
'There are a lot of youngsters who have been given four, five year contracts, so it shows that they are still putting faith in youth system. We have always had a good youth system here so let's hope it progresses and kicks on again.'
The club did clear the decks to make room for the likes of Championship Player of the Year Matej Vydra, but a home-grown core of the likes of Doyley, Troy Deeney, Fitz Hall and Jonathan Bond was retained.
Doyley - a one-club man who made his debut back in 2001 - admits he was unsure of his future when Zola came in, but he praised the Italian for quickly settling things down at the club and giving everyone a chance to prove themselves.
One-club man: Doyley made his Watford debut back in 2001
He said: 'I think that happens any time you get a new manager. They are going to have their own opinions, their own style of play. So most players do get nervous, or for some players it's another opportunity to show that they are worthy of a new contract or worthy to play.
'But once everyone came in at the beginning of the season everything settled down. We knew exactly what we wanted to do and it settled down pretty quickly, the boss made sure everybody spoke English even though it was a bit difficult for some players.
'For some of the players English is their second or third language but they can all speak really good English now, so we've all gelled and it's shown out on the field.'
Having been a fixture in the Hornets side for so long, Doyley is currently working under his seventh manager at the club. He tasted the Premier League under Aidy Boothroyd in 2006-07 and has worked under Brendan Rodgers, Malky Mackay and Gianluca Vialli - so how does Zola compare?
'He is a nice mannered person, he's calm but you still know he is boss,' said Doyley. 'You can talk to him, he has got good management skills. He tells you things honestly and as a player that is all you want.
'All you want is a bit of honesty from the manager because we have got a big squad so sometimes you may get dropped, but he makes everyone feel part of the squad, so that's good.
'Our most successful time was when we got promoted with Aidy Boothroyd, but this is equally just as good.
'I enjoy being around Zola, he is teaching us a different way to play. We play with three at the back and it suits me. I've grown up as a centre half but I'm a bit short to be a centre half, so with three at the back it quite suits me.
'I quite enjoyed playing for Brendan Rodgers as well. He was only here for six months but he gave me a lot of confidence and he helped me along in Watford career quite a bit, so I would probably say I have learned the most from those two (Zola and Rodgers).'
Mentor: Doyley enjoyed playing under Rodgers (left)
Both Watford and Hull - a point clear of the Hornets in second place in Championship - have played with three at the back all season. The system has enjoyed something of a renaissance over the last year or two and Doyley is enjoying his new lease of life.
He said: 'It's quite different to what I have been used to, I have been used to playing four at the back but when I made my debut back in 2001 under Vialli we were playing three at the back, so I'm quite comfortable.
'It suits me, I get a little bit more time on the ball and obviously I'm defending, so it's the best of both worlds really.'
Watford are the highest scorers in the division this season and have earned rave reviews for their attacking style of play - and Doyley sums up the mantra rather well.
'The first way to defend is to attack,' he insisted. 'We have got some great strikers and midfielders that have got good tallies. Troy Deeney has got 16, Matej Vydra has got 20, we've got Almen Abdi who has got 10.
'Everyone is scoring, even I've got one! Everyone is attacking and it puts less pressure on the defence... which I like.'
Having been made among the favourites for relegation at the start of the season, Watford have undoubtedly been the surprise package in the Championship, but while Doyley admits their league standing has exceeded expectations, they are not about to take their foot off the gas with promotion in sight.
New role: Watford have been playing with a back three this season
'I was hoping we would (be challenging for promotion), but in reality I was probably not expecting it,' admits Doyley.
'The first 10 games I don't think we could buy a win, but after that we got into a good formation that suited us and we've shown a lot of people that we are a good team.
'We have been quite consistent this year, at the beginning of the season we weren't expecting to be here but we are here and we deserve to be here.'
With 12 of the current Watford first-team squad on temporary deals, the make-up of next year's side - regardless of which division they are in - is something of an unknown quantity.
But while those outside of the club may scratch their heads at what the future could lay in store for the Hornets, Doyley insists that Zola's squad are a united bunch of players with eyes focused only promotion.
'All the loan players that have come in have been here for the whole season - other than Matthew Briggs,' explains Doyley.
'Everyone feels like they are here permanently and maybe in the summer there will be a lot of permanent moves, but I don't know - we just need to take every minute as it comes.
Striking it rich: Vydra (left) and Deeney have formed a lethal partnership
'I think we have gelled into a really good team. We're third at the moment and we're striving to finish second. At the moment they are our players and whatever happens in the summer happens.'
Doyley made his 400th Watford appearance in the crucial 1-0 win at Hull last week - a poignant statistic for a club who have been criticised for their short-termism - and the defender spoke of his immense pride at reaching the landmark.
'Four hundred games in 11 years... it's a long time that I've been here,' he reflected. 'I've only played for one club.
'Now that I've been here so long you do notice these milestones. I'm in the top 10 on the all-time Watford appearance list, so it is a proud moment for me, but I'll be even prouder if we get promoted.'
Forward thinking: Doyley is hoping for another opportunity in the Premier League
If Watford do get promoted then Doyley - who has spent 11 of his 12 seasons as a professional playing in the second tier - could be in line for a season in the top flight followed by a World Cup appearance.
The defender made his Jamaica debut last month and while the Reggae Boyz are bottom of their Concacaf qualifying group, they are only two points from an automatic qualifying spot.
'I think we've still got a good chance of making it to the World Cup. We are bottom but it's very tight an everyone is beating each other,' enthused Doyley.
'That's everyone's dream. When you're growing up you always watch Match of the Day and think "I want to play in the Premier League and be on there very week".
'That could happen, and obviously playing in the World Cup is the biggest stage in football, so doing those two things would be big dreams realised for me.'
April 10, 2013 Comments (0) | Permalink


text:
<?php

namespace artworx\omegacp\Alert\Components;

class TitleComponent extends AbstractComponent
{
    protected $title;

    public function create($title)
    {
        $this->title = $title;
    }

    public function render()
    {
        return "<strong>{$this->title}</strong>";
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


and we are back online! quite literally. My roommates and I finally have wifi in our apartment. The modem is all shiny and black with blue flashing lights which reminds me of a scifi movie.
today's drawing challenge is inspired by a true story.
There is a time and place for everything. an undergraduate club fair is not the time for shameless self-promotion. remember that please!
brilliant cartoon! love your art style.
« I can't really photograph things but I can draw them!


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Dave Land and Micky Neilson
Collected for the first time, The Howling: Revenge of the Werewolf Queen Vol. 1 picks up where the cult-classic 1981 film left off. Three weeks have passed since Chris Halloran revealed on national TV that werewolves walk among us. No one believed him. Now Marsha Quist has returned for revenge--and now there is no colony to hold back her blood lust. This collection includes The Howling: Revenge of the Werewolf Queen Issues 1-4 by New York Times Best-Selling author Mickey Neilson. With art by Jason Johnson.
About Dave Land
Dave Land has worked as a comics editor since 1996 including fifteen years as a Senior Editor with Dark Horse Comics, working on titles including Star Wars, Tony Millionaire's Sock Monkey, Sergio Aragonés' Groo, and Conan. Dave's books have won three Eisners and one Harvey and he has worked with two successive Russ Manning award winners, Jerome Opeña (2003) and Eric Wight (2004). He's worked with licensors including Lucasfilm, Fox, Blizzard, Pixar, and Disney as well as some of the world's best comics creators including the legendary Jerry Robinson, Al Williamson, and Carlos Meglia. Dave is also proud to have written the series Werewolves on the Moon: Versus Vampires with the Fillbach Brothers and the series Star Wars: Infinities — The Empire Strikes Back.
Dave spends his time trying not to take life too seriously with his wife, daughter, and two cats in Portland, Oregon.
About Micky Neilson
Micky Neilson is a two-time New York Times best-selling author whose graphic novels, Ashbringer (#2 on the list) and Pearl of Pandaria (#3) have both been published in six languages. As one of the first writers at Blizzard Entertainment, he has more than two decades of experience in the cutting edge of the gaming industry. In 2016 Riverdale Avenue Press published his memoir Lost and Found: An Autobiography About Discovering Family, available wherever books are sold. He has also self-published his first full-length horror novel, The Turning, and its prequel, Whisper Lake, both on Amazon. Most recently, Micky was tapped to write the comic book series The Howling: Revenge of the Werewolf Queen, a continuation of the beloved 1981 Joe Dante horror film The Howling.
CGN004060 (COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Media Tie-In)
CGN000000 (COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / General)
Paperback 9781640171107 164017110X 2017-12-01 96 0.00 x 6.90 x 10.00 in $19.99


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Learning disability is no barrier to success
Category: Blogger's Corner, Disabilities, success, healthcare and pharmaceutical, fitness
Health and Fitness Educator says Learning Disability is no barrier to success
According to the Office for Disability Issues over 11 million people in Great Britain have a limiting long term illness, impairment or disability and yet people with disabilities are majorly underrepresented in the health and fitness industry. This is something fitness educator and 2015 Active Training Awards finalist Danielle Sharrock is keen to change. Danielle is a tutor for Lancashire-based health and fitness educators HFE, as well as working as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor. In her job supporting students in their studies, she has worked with people with depression, Asperger's syndrome and dyslexia as well as a wheelchair user and a blind student. Through personal experience, she understands how rewarding a career in fitness can be and is passionate to ensure any individual has the opportunity to succeed in the fitness sector if they have the motivation.
Her work recently involved supporting Joanne, a student with Down's syndrome, in achieving her Level 2 Exercise to Music Certificate. Danielle says of her student's success: "Don't believe that just because you have a disability you can't succeed. Joanne started working as a general assistant in a Manchester gym and wanted to make more of herself. We worked together for eight months and she has now secured work as a group fitness instructor, alongside her general assistant role. We offered her the flexibility to re-sit her practical and theory assessments where necessary. Where courses usually take place over a weekend, we were able to break them down into stages, allowing her to complete every exam individually."
Danielle maintains that this flexibility and support should also extend into the workplace: "Joanne had people in her environment that supported her goals, which helped. It is up to the individual whether or not they choose to let their employers know about their condition. With equality policies in place there are more employees willing to take on employees with learning difficulties." It is Danielle's hope that more people are encouraged to work in this industry, asserting that inspiring others to achieve their goals is one of the most rewarding parts of working in fitness.
VERCIDA works with over one hundred clients who are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. If you are an employer and interested in working with VERCIDA to promote your diversity and inclusion initiatives and attract the best candidates, please call 02037405973 or email [email protected] for more information.
We are also officially recommended by Disability Confident as a step on achieving Employer status, please click here for more information.
Tags: clicking on links loads other articles with the selected taglearning disability disabilities blog Disability success Health health and fitness learning difficulties Fitness healthcare and pharmaceutical Down's Syndrome
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Tag: Batman Begins
The 10 Best Superhero Movies of All Time Blog Relay
On August 14, 2014 By ruthIn Blog Events50 Comments
Yet another Blog Relay is circulating on the blogosphere! When I first saw this awesome relay idea on Bubbawheat's Flights, Tights and Movie Nights Blog, I thought boy that's something I'd love to participate. Well, waddayaknow, the fantabulous Andrew from A Fistful of Films passed the baton to me, hurray! 😀
The rule here is slightly different than a typical blog relay you might've seen in the past, so I'll let Bubbawheat explain it in his own words:
Now the first thing you might be asking is "why are there 12 movies in this top 10 list?" Well there are a couple changes that I'm making to the typical blog relay. Here are the rules for my relay.
1. The list of movies will be passed to another blogger who will post their list within a week.
2. The blogger will take their list, remove 3 movies – with explanations, and replace with 3 new movies – with explanations.
3. If a movie lasts five rounds without being removed, it is locked into place.
4. If a movie is removed three different times, it is locked out and can no longer be chosen by someone else.
5. Once four movies are locked into place, bloggers will replace 2 movies.
6. Once eight movies are locked into place, bloggers will replace 1 movie.
7. Once all ten movies are locked into place, the relay will be complete.
I will keep the current status of the relay here and you can also follow the steps of the relay as it goes along.
Check out the original relay post to see which initial 12 films made the list.
Andrew removed Hellboy 2, Batman: Under the Red Hood, and X-Men.
He then added Chronicle, Mystery Men and The Rocketeer.
So here's the list as it currently stands:
Mystery Men
The three I'm removing: Chronicle | Blade 2 | Mystery Men
Sorry Drew for removing two of the ones you added, no hard feelings? 😉 As I often say in other blog relays, I'm not so much removing them as I'm just moving them down the list if this were a top 2.
Now, I like Chronicle a lot (I gave it a 4/5 in my review) and if I only need to take out two instead of three movies, I might've let that in. I do think that even though it's inventive, there are plot holes abound and the finale might've been a bit too bombastic that it felt like an abrupt shift in tone. As for Blade 2, I LOVE Wesley Snipes in the role but I just don't know if any of the Blade movies deserve to make the top 10. I hardly remember much about them, so they didn't leave a lasting impression to me other than Snipes look cool as a bad ass ninja vampire. Lastly, I took out Mystery Men because I haven't seen it yet. Sorry again Drew, but I really tried to see if there's another movie on the list I could take out but in the end I had to let this one go. But since you included it, I might give it a rent 😀
The three I'm adding:
Batman Begins | Captain America: The Winter Soldier | X-Men 2
I'm a huge fan of Nolan's first entry to the Batman trilogy. In fact, I dare say that Batman Begins is as good as The Dark Knight and sets the bar high for a superhero film. I like that it focuses on the hero instead of the villain, and Christian Bale makes for a caped crusader who's truly worth rooting for. I love it so much I'd even be willing to forgive the Katie Holmes casting! Now The Winter Soldier is still quite fresh in my mind and I do believe it deserves to be in the final top 10 because it has everything you'd want in an entertaining superhero flick and then some. It's a successful genre-mashup, mixing the traditional superhero genre with a Cold-War espionage story, that expands the characters' arc and takes the story forward in a thrilling way. As for X-2, well I think at least ONE X-Men film deserved to be on the list and I agree with Drew's rationale that X-Men 2: X-Men United is a better film than the first film. The opening scene at the White House is fantastic and Brian Cox is one of my fave superhero movie villains as covert government operative Stryker. The multi-layered story combined with great performances gave the film a dramatic weight that transcend beyond fun entertainment. Not to mention the most indelible and emotional finale involving one of my favorite X-Men characters Jean Grey, as mutant vs. human struggle continues… ever closer to the brink of war. Powerful stuff!
Well I hope that at least one of my three pics would stay to the end 😉
I'm passing the baton to my pal & fellow superhero movie fan Terrence of The Focus Filmographer! I'm pretty sure he's seen all or most of these movies so I'm VERY curious to see how he'd shake up the list.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on my picks. Agree/disagree? Well, let's hear it!
Weekend Viewing Roundup, Quick Thoughts on Comic-Con, & RED 2 review
On July 21, 2013 August 26, 2013 By ruthIn Flix Reviews, Weekend Roundup51 Comments
Hello everyone! Hope you had an awesome weekend. If you happen to be at Comic-con the past few days, then I'm sure you had a blast (and you know I'm so green with envy!!) It made me feel a bit nostalgic seeing all those SDCC pics, maybe one day I'll make it there again. Now, I haven't read all the highlights from the big event but if I were at Hall H on Saturday, these two would've surely been the most scream-worthy panels!!
Click for a larger version
Just LOOK at this X-Men: Days of Future Past cast… I mean seriously!!! It's incredible how good Hugh Jackman still looks after his breakthrough role as Wolverine thirteen years ago. Can't wait for this movie already!
Thor who? Loki ruled Hall H!
I LOVE Tom Hiddleston's theatrical style and boy, this would've been the closest thing a lot of the Comic-con goers to seeing him 'on stage.' He certainly brought the house down with his performance! You can watch a video of it here.
Well, my weekend was ok (well considering I wasn't at Comic-con), but hey, I got to see TREMORS, thanks to Cinekatz' Not-So-Secret Santa Review Swap in which I was "gifted" the monster flick from 1990 (review coming soon). I also rewatched Pacific Rim at IMAX Saturday night, which looks absolutely glorious in the giant screen. So that's TWO monster movies in one weekend, which is a record for me 😀
I also got to re-watch one of my favorite superhero movies of all time. Well, even with a slew of comic-book movies since, I still rate this very high on my list. Batman Begins is one of the movies I'd bring if I were stranded in a desert island and I'd definitely pick it again in a heartbeat!
Now, here's my new release review from the screening a few days ago:
Though I enjoyed the first movie, I wasn't exactly looking forward to the sequel. The only main draw for me is the cast and really, that's the main highlight of this movie and the filmmakers knew that. You don't go into these kinds of movies looking for an engaging story or character study, but you know what, they didn't pretend to be a bombastic, over-the-top action flick so I still end up enjoying this quite a bit.
There's really no point talking about the plot here, as the story is set up in such a way where it actually suits the actors playing these cartoonish characters. It's as if the filmmakers had a checklist of what they want these actors to do in the movie and so the plot is written around that, if that makes sense. Seems like the actors are hired to do what they do best, some of them even did a parody to their famous characters they've done in the past (you'll know it when you see it). The Retired-Extremely-Dangerous gang is once again on the run, being chased left and right as they attempt to solve the puzzle of finding a portable nuclear device.
It's too bad Karl Urban isn't back to reprise his role as he was one of the highlights for me in the first movie. Also, instead of Morgan Freeman, we've got another seasoned actor (both happen to be 76 years old!) Anthony Hopkins. Nice to see him doing a comedic role though he's not as fun to watch as Freeman.
Bruce Willis is back as Frank, which is basically a variation of John McClane (seems like Bruce is done with playing any other characters these days). Mary Louis Parker gets more screen time this time as his love interest Sarah, which is fine by me and she, along with John Malkovich's Marvin are the real comic relief in this movie. Their scenes together, especially the car chase all over Paris in a white Citroën, are preposterous fun. I guess you could describe the movie in that way as well. I don't think I'd have enjoyed this movie as much if it weren't for the actors. I love watching Dame Helen Mirren reprising her bad ass role of Victoria and her car case with Byung-hun Lee is hysterical! It's right up there with all the outrageous action in those Fast & Furious movies.
I think the weakest link for me is Catherine Zeta-Jones as a Russian femme-fatale who used to be Frank's lover. Her character is so darn boring and her romance with Willis' character just falls flat. "Katja's Frank's 'kryptonite," Marvin explained to Sarah, which then drives her to do all kinds of jealous-driven shenanigans to one-up Katja. I do like charismatic Korean actor Byung-hun Lee here (not a bad replacement for Mr. Urban) who has a personal vendetta with Frank. He's clearly hired for his awesome fighting skills and he totally delivered on that front.
Final Thoughts: The A-list cast seems to have a great time making this and it shows. Whilst it still brings the laughs and I was entertained for the most part, I do think the writing is so lazy and derivative. I hope they're done with this movie, I mean how many franchises does Bruce Willis need?! I'm being generous here with my rating, because Mirren, Parker and Malkovich made me laugh so hard in this movie! Oh, there's also Brian Cox in a small but memorable role, so yeah, there are TWO British thespians who've played Hannibal Lecter on screen!
3 out of 5 reels
Well, that's my weekend recap. What did YOU watch this weekend?
On February 11, 2013 January 17, 2021 By ruthIn The Flix List72 Comments
Hello friends! Today happens to be my birthday so I'm taking today off from work as part of my birthday present to myself 😀
A few years back I chose a birthday-related movie to mark the occasion, which was David Fincher's excellent-but-underrated thriller The Game. I highly recommend that if you haven't seen it already.
Well, for today, I thought I chose five memorable movie birthday scenes which happens to be from five of my favorite films. I wish could embed the clip, but I'd have included this one from Gone with the Wind. It's the celebration of Ashley Wilkes' birthday where Scarlett O'Hara suddenly showed up as everyone was singing 'Jolly good fellow'… wearing the sexiest red outfit hand-picked by Rhett Butler himself. If you've seen the film you know why it's such an uncomfortable scene but definitely a memorable one.
Anyway, here are the four other embed-able birthday scenes, involving four great characters from four different genres!
Happy Birthday Bruce Wayne!
Great soiree and Bruce looks dapper in this tux… too bad Bryan Mills, er Ra's Al Ghul has to be such a party pooper!!
Happy Birthday Bilbo Baggins!
Life in the Shire sounds so awesome! The hobbits sure knows how to party, and having Gandalf the Great supplying the fireworks entertainment can't be beat!
An Unexpected Guest at Honey's Birthday
I LOVE, LOVE this scene from Notting Hill. It's one of my favorite rom-coms ever (leave it to the Brits to make a rom-com nary of schmaltzy scenarios). Emma Chambers as Hugh Grant's kid sister is pure comedic gold!
Another continuation of that scene that's equally hilarious is this one with the always so reliable Hugh Bonneville.
A Birthday Toast from a Count
Well lookie here… two of mankind's saviors in one party 😀 Jim Caviezel (two years before he was cast in The Passion of the Christ) as the mysterious Count giving a then 18-year-old Henry Cavill on his birthday. I wonder if that's how he later became Man of Steel? 😉 I actually whispered to my husband during this scene that Cavill should've become Superman when he grows up. Yes I know, I should be a casting agent, ahah.
Well, hope you enjoyed these clips, folks! Kindly leave a comment, and better yet, share away 😀
Feel free to supply your own favorite Birthday scene in the comments.
Musings on the case of Great trailers, bad films & Bad trailers, great films
On January 8, 2013 January 9, 2013 By ruthIn Flix Trailers, Random Thoughts56 Comments
Movie trailer is the greatest selling tool in marketing for Hollywood. Heck even tech start-up companies today are using short trailers to sell their product. Case in point, a start-up company I'm involved with just got done with a short intro/trailer about the product, I saw it and I thought it was awesome, well maybe I'm biased since I'm part of the company and I designed the site. Anyhoo, back to movie trailers, they're meant to get audiences excited and film bloggers, critics and cinephiles everywhere will talk about it for months before the actual film hits theater.
Think back to last spring when Fox unleashed the trailer for Prometheus, many people got excited and said it's going to be the greatest sci-fi film ever and so on. Well when it finally hit theaters, those same people were disappointed and blame Fox for duping them into thinking the film was going to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. Well that's their goal, to dupe you into theaters and pay to see the film, they don't care if you like or not, they already got your money. Heck I got duped into seeing two bad films because their trailer looked great, the remake of Total Recall and The Bourne Legacy.
Ruth's note: Now, just as I was prepping this article, another trailer for Pacific Rim came out. I like Idris Elba but I thought the trailer is terrible, and Ted aptly called it 'Transformers meets Godzilla' ahah. We'll see if this would end up in the 'Bad trailers, Good Movies' category.
Once in a while though studios tend to release some not so great trailers but the actual films were quite good. Anyway, here are some good examples of what I'm talking about:
Great trailers, bad films
First off I would like to confess that I enjoyed this film but I also have to admit that it's a lousy film. The trailer made it look like it's going to be a non-stop thrill ride but most of the action scenes didn't happen until the last 40 minutes of the movie. I like the concept of IMF team taking on the evil pharmaceutical company and a rouge agent but the love triangle between the hero, villain and heroine just didn't work and it's way too cheesy. But I love the motorcycle, cars and helicopter chase near the end and Anthony Hopkins delivered the best line in the film: "It's not mission difficult Mr. Hunt, it's mission impossible. Difficult should be a walk in the park for you."
Star Wars Episode 1: Phantom Menace
Nothing much to say here since most of us have seen the film and we're pretty much in agreement that the film sucks. But the trailer was pretty great, hearing that famous theme music by John Williams, seeing light sabers and space ships just got everyone excited. Unfortunately the actual film was filled with bad dialogues and wooden acting. But the light sabers battle between Darth Maul, Obi Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn was pretty great.
Fun fact, the trailer played in front of Meet Joe Black and a lot of Star Wars fanatics paid just to see this trailer. I took my then girlfriend to see Meet Joe Black and I remember a few people left the theater after EP1 trailer finished. Just FYI young readers, this was few years before internet trailers became the norm, people would actually paid tickets just to see trailers, I know it's stupid and I've never done it myself but that was the only way to see trailers of big films back then.
After the awful X-Men: Last Stand, Fox was hoping this film will reboot the franchise in the way that Batman Begins did for Batman. With Hugh Jackman back as Wolverine and a respectable director behind the camera, all of X-Men fans expected greatness. Of course our excitement jumped to new heights when a trailer debuted a few months before its release. The trailer made it look like the film is going to be a gritty take on the popular character, I must've watched it like 10 times when it debuted.
Unfortunately when the film finally opens, it was an incoherent mess; there were rumors that Fox didn't like the dark tone of the film and demanded director (Gavin Hood) to make changes. Whatever happened behind the scenes really destroyed what could have been a great film about Wolverine's origin.
The last Bond film of the 20th century looked great and since I'm a Bond fanatic I was stoked to see this film. With the promised of a new great villain and a respected director, many thought this could be an excellent Bond film. Even with the silly casting of Denise Richards as a scientist, I was still convinced this could be a great film and after seeing the trailer, I got super excited.
Well as we all know the actual film was pretty bad, I actually thought the franchise might be over because of this film. Of course I was wrong since it's a box office hit and it took another awful Bond flick to convince the producers that they need to reboot the franchise.
Bad trailers, great films
With the huge success of The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, most people often forget that the first film in the series was a modest success. In fact, this film's opening weekend was a measly $47 mil. When Warner Bros. announced they were going to reboot the franchise, I was super excited because Batman is my favorite comic book superhero and I needed to get the bad memory of Batman & Robin out of my mind. With a young and upcoming director Chris Nolan behind the camera and a new Bruce Wayne/Batman, all Batman fans everywhere were super excited.
Unfortunately when the trailer came out, I was very disappointed. I thought it looked clunky and wasn't well put together. The pacing was a bit off, too much of the plot were revealed and it just didn't flow well. Compare that to The Dark Knight's and The Dark Knight Rises' trailer, Begins' trailer was quite weak in my opinion.
In my opinion this film is the best of the franchise but when I saw the trailer, I thought it looked awful. Just like Batman Begins' trailer, it wasn't well-edited, very clunky and sort of gave away too much of the plot. Again fortunately the actual film was great.
Most trailers of older films tends to give away too much of the story and this one is no different. Seriously this trailer is over 3 minutes long! If I was old enough around the time this film came out, I might've skip seeing it in theater. I thought the final cut trailer that came out back in 2007 was much better, see them for yourself.
Original trailer
Final cut trailer
– Post by Ted S.
So those are some examples and I know there are tons of other great trailers, bad films and bad trailers, good films out there. Feel free to share your own list of trailers in the comments section.
Tube Watch: Musings on CW's ARROW's Pilot
On October 11, 2012 October 11, 2012 By ruthIn Tube Watch45 Comments
It's been almost a year since I actually have a TV show to watch on a weekly basis, those I was initially anticipating either got canceled or I simply didn't have time to watch 😦 Now, I've blogged about ARROW a few times before and I posted the trailer here. I'm even more excited to see the positive reviews, and now that it's here, I'm happy to report that it was pretty good.
For those of you who aren't into comic book stuff, Arrow is basically the DC comics' The Green Arrow. The show revolves around young billionaire playboy Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) who was stranded on a deserted island for five years and returns to his hometown Starling City a changed man. There's not a lot of exposition on his life on the island, in fact, it only showed Oliver, looking very much like Robinson Crusoe being rescued by local fishermen sailing in the South China Sea.
Oliver quickly assumes a vigilante identity, a la Bruce Wayne as Batman, becoming the city's 'savior' as a way to atone for his selfish behaviors of his former life. In fact, someone on Twitter suggested Bruce Wayne making an appearance on the show, as you can see in my tweet, that'd be a geeky girl's dream!!
@scifinow I second @safcinexile's suggestion about pre-Batman Bruce Wayne making an appearance on #ARROW. That'd be awesome!
— FlixChatter (@FlixChatter) October 4, 2012
According to comicbookmovie site, Torchwood's alum John Barrowman's been hired to guest star, but his role is top secret. I wouldn't be surprised if there'll be a DC-crossover thing happening. Fingers crossed!
Now, as a superhero fan, you know why this type of stories appeal to me. But yet there hasn't been any TV show that keeps my interest because of bad writing/awful acting, etc. [cough Smallville cough] but this one certainly has a lot going for it in the pilot that hopefully would keep me tuning in!
I definitely like the darker tone of the show. I must say there are a LOT of resemblance to the first hour of Batman Begins as far as Oliver's journey is concerned, but to be fair, their identities are very similar to begin with,except that Oliver's mother is still alive [more on that later]. Some reviewers have said this isn't like in the comic books, but since I didn't read the comics, I don't mind the fact that the show's creator took a lot of liberties, even shortening the name to make it less comic-book-ish. I'm also glad this character has NOTHING to do with the Green Arrow character in Smallville, though they use the same mansion of the Luther estate for the Queen manor.
Canadian Stephen Amell is a perfectly-cast as Oliver: he's got the tall, dark and handsome thing going on, all good recipes for a superhero, but he's also got that mysterious quality about him that works for the role. He hasn't exactly displayed much range, I think he's charismatic enough as the protagonist. His transformation from up-to-no-good playboy to a brooding, fierce bow-wielding hero who's not afraid to kill when necessary. The action stuff is done pretty well and Amell's um, athleticism is in full display. CW certainly makes the most of his washboard abs during Oliver's training in his dad's former factory, but who am I to complain? 😉 The archery stuff seems pretty authentic to me, Amell had said in interviews that his trainer was adamant in getting the form right. He said the coach started the training by showing him a 45-minute video of all the ways archery has been done badly in film and TV.
Overall I think the quality is an improvement over Smallville, I say that because at least I did not cringe every two seconds like I did on that show, and this coming from a huge Superman fan! The gritty look and well-shot action set pieces are quite fun to watch.
Oh, it's interesting to see Colin Salmon here though, as a Bond fan I noticed him as one of MI-6 agent in two of Pierce Brosnan's Bond movies, in fact if he were younger, I'd love to see him play a black James Bond! I hope the producers will give him something worthy to do here, I certainly would love to see more of him on this show!
The not-so-good
Ok this is only the second show on CW I watch, but it has the same weaknesses in that some of the lines are cheesy and the acting is questionable. I'm talking about the supporting cast, especially the guy playing his best friend Colin Donnell, his character is just annoying and it doesn't help that Donnell is not an experienced actor. I hope they keep his screen time at a minimum. Katie Cassidy fares a bit better as the love interest, but I'm not exactly impressed by her yet.
I talked about that there's a lot going on in the pilot, now you could say it's a bit overstuffed. Yes, the mysterious plot definitely opens up to a lot of interesting possibilities, but seems like it could be one twist too many. Even in just one episodes, there are a bazillion thing our protagonist has to deal with… the mysterious death of father, shady mom who marries an even shadier business partner of his late dad, not to mention the love triangle between two sisters, one of which died on the boat that capsized. As if that weren't enough, the city's top detective Quentin Lance happens to be the father of the two sisters, so you could imagine he's not exactly fond of Oliver.
With all the characters not being who they seemed, it feels like a big action-packed soap opera, so I think the producers have to be careful not to overdo it. There seems to be a lot of conspiracies within the Queen family itself, what with the revelation at the end involving his mother. I can't help but roll my eyes, I mean, another twist?? [face palm]
Is it worth watching?
It remains to be seen but for sure it's got potential. Of course there are a ton of unanswered questions that I'm hoping will get at least partly answered in future episodes. I mean, how in the heck that nobody ever sailed near that island in the entire 5 years, is it possible that Oliver just didn't want to be rescued just yet? If so, why?? Then, how did he even train himself archery to the degree of being a professional assassin? What's up with his dad's drastic decision on the lifeboat?? That's just the tip of the iceberg, but so far I'm pretty hooked to find out more!
I think the USA Today review says it best:
"By almost all measures, Arrow is one of the season's more promising pilots. And yet, fairly or not, it must hurdle a substantial problem most other pilots don't face, and it can be summed up in two letters: CW. Whether from budgetary restraints or management problems, there's no company out there, broadcast or cable, with a worse record for turning promising pilots into terrible series."
Let's hope CW breaks that pattern. One thing for sure, the show is a hit. Apparently it scores the network's highest ratings in 3 years so it might be around for a while. I do like what I've seen so far, but it really has to be worthwhile over time for me to keep tuning in, Amell's abs-tastic notwithstanding.
Anybody else seen this show? Well, what did you think?
Special Birthday Post: Ranking Christopher Nolan's 7 Feature Films
On July 30, 2012 July 30, 2016 By ruthIn Featured Actor/Filmmaker, The Flix List61 Comments
As part of my Inception-countdown series, I ranked five of Christopher Nolan's movies. Well, now he's got two more under his belt, making his total of feature-length film to seven [excluding Following which wasn't widely distributed].
Just a quick bio per Wikipedia:
Born in 1970 in London, Nolan was one of three sons of a British father, who owned an advertising business, and an American mother, a flight attendant for United Airlines. Nolan and his brother Jonathan spent their childhood in both London and Chicago. He began film-making at the age of seven using his father's Super 8 camera and his toy action figures.
For his undergraduate, Nolan studied English Literature at University College London Union (UCLU). He chose it specifically for its film-making facilities, which consisted of a "Steenbeck editing suite (real film, real spools) plus a couple of 16mm cameras." Nolan was president of the college film society from 1992 to 1994; a contemporary described him as talented and focused on learning as much as possible about the mechanics and technology of film-making.
His big break in Hollywood came with Memento, starring Guy Pearce, which was nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Oscar for best screenplay.
So in honor of his 42nd birthday, I thought I'd rank those seven Christopher Nolan feature films in order of favorites. By favorites I mean those that have the best re-playability value to me, as I do think all of these seven are great-to-excellent. So far, there is none of his films that I didn't like, and Nolan is the only director whose ALL of his work I have seen.
Without further ado, here…we… go:
1. Batman Begins (2005)
The ultimate origins story and I think it's still the one to beat in terms of the um, inception of a superhero goes. Christian Bale is perfectly cast as the dark, tormented caped crusader and he's surrounded by a slew of top notch actors such as Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Tom Wilkinson and Cillian Murphy, etc. The movie also benefits from a fantastic script and a formidable villain in Ra's al Ghul (Demon's head in Arabic). I've always loved a villain that starts out as friends of the hero, and Neeson's makes that transformation from fatherly mentor to sinister nemesis convincingly. I'd even overlook the miscasting of Katie Holmes on this one, it's THAT good!
2. Inception (2010)
Perhaps Nolan's nod to the Bond franchise, Inception is one of those films that gets better and more satisfying with each repeated viewing. The cast is top notch, with scene-stealing performance from Tom Hardy and fun, rousing action set pieces. What I love most is the intriguing 'idea heist' sci-fi concept, and whilst the romance between Cob and Mal wasn't as compelling as I would've liked, I've warmed up to it a bit more than I did the first time I saw it.
3. The Dark Knight (2008)
It's rare that a sequel lives up to the original, especially when one already sets the bar so high, but Nolan did just that! It's nothing short of casting genius to have Heath Ledger play the Joker, though a lot of people were skeptical at first, the late Aussie actor's iconic performance forever defined that character that it's hard to imagine anyone else playing that role (neither did Nolan as he said here he won't bring back the Joker character for Batman 3). The complex story and the level of character development in this film makes me forget this is a superhero film! Gone are the circus-y and frivolous-ness of the previous Batman flicks, as both Nolan's versions become the quintessential thinking person's superhero movie. This is definitely a welcome trend for this genre!
4. The Prestige (2006)
As I said in this post, I wasn't blown away by this film on initial viewing. But about a year later I rewatched it and wow, I was riveted. We've got a brilliant tale of two magicians who become friends as well as rival, which intensified when one of them came up with the ultimate magic trick, and Nolan cast two great actors in those roles: Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman. Nolan's good luck charm Sir Michael Caine also has an important part, and plus who doesn't get a kick seeing David Bowie's cameo as the genius inventor Nikola Tesla!
I have a whole new appreciation for it after the second viewing and felt that I could connect to the characters more, especially with Borden (Bale). The whole twist and turns are utterly perplexing (in a good way) and that ending is just WOW! Set against the backdrop of turn-of-the-century London, Nolan did a fine job in setting up a beautifully-shot period piece with gorgeous cinematography, costumes and wonderfully-rich atmosphere.
5. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Now that I've seen all three, I think The Dark Knight Rises is my least favorite, though by a very small margin. If you've read my super long review, then you'll know that there are quite a bit of issues I have with it that no amount of cool action pieces would solve. That said, I have only seen it once by now so there's a chance I might change my mind 😀 I do think visually it just gets better and better, this latest film does boast a visual spectacle that's meant to be seen on IMAX.
Seriously though, I think Nolan's Batman trilogy is ace and no doubt I'd buy the Blu-ray box set when it comes out. I think that's quite a feat considering Nolan didn't envision a trilogy when he first signed on to do Batman Begins, at least that's what I learned from various interviews.
6. Insomnia (2002)
Did you ever notice Nolan's really skimpy when it comes to his movie titles? His one-word-titled movie starting with an 'i' is a small film with a budget of less than $50 million. Under less capable hands, the story of two Los Angeles homicide detectives set to investigate a methodical teenage murder in Alaska might've end up to be a run-of-the mill thriller. But the smart, twist-ridden script and excellent performances from the cast made this into something memorable and thrilling to watch. Al Pacino as the increasingly unhinged LA detective and Hilary Swank as the young cop who adore him work well together, but it's Robin Williams' as the creepy nutcase who's the scene-stealer. I think comedians actually make for the eeriest villains. Despite the title, Nolan certainly kept the audience wide awake with this one.
7. Memento (2000)
One of the most original story and most innovative narrative structure, it's one that rewards with multiple viewings. Nominated for two Oscars for Best Editing and Best Original Screenplay, this is the first time mainstream audiences are introduced to Nolan's genius work. A tale of a man who, suffering from short-term memory loss, uses notes and tattoos to hunt for the man he thinks killed his wife. Guy Pearce is astounding as Leonard, it's a shame he was snubbed of any major acting nods! As #28 in IMDb's Top 250 Movies (along with three other Nolan's movies), this movie is etched in many people's memories for years to come. That said, this is perhaps the one film from Nolan that I have yet to see again and I'm not as keen to revisit it as I do the others.
Well, I'm sure everyone will have their own ranking of Christopher Nolan movies, so let's hear it!
Flix Blog-a-thon: Double Feature Theater
On August 9, 2011 By ruthIn Blog Events, The Flix List52 Comments
A few weeks ago, my blog pal Marc from Go, See Talk invited a bunch of us to participate in this fun blog-a-thon called "Double Feature Theater".
The idea here is that we all get to imagine ourselves as bona fide Theater owners. As such we set up our schedule for a week's worth of Double Features Monday-Saturday, with a Triple Feature on Sunday. The criteria is completely up to you to pair the movies be it actors, directors, a common theme, original/remake, you name it. Start your post beginning what you'd show on Monday, a sentence or two of why or how they're related and so on for the rest of your fictitious week.
Truthfully, I rarely go see two movies back to back. The only time I've actually seen a Double Feature in a theater was when I was 15 with my mother and one of my brothers on New Year's Eve (it was the last time I went to the movies with my mother as she passed away six months later). The movies? Tango & Cash and Showdown in Little Tokyo! Yes, my mom was pretty cool indeed 😀 I still smile every time I remember that, I actually don't recall much from either films, but the experience of going to see them with my mom will always be dear to my heart.
With that in mind, I'm going with a bit of nostalgia them for most of my Double Feature Cinema week. Ready? Here we go…
MONDAY – Comedy
Well, what else could beat the Monday blues but a pair of side-splitting comedies! If you haven't seen The Gods Must be Crazy yet, then you're in for a treat! I picked this one as a movie that always makes me laugh meme last year, and once you see the trailer you'll know why. Top Secret is one of my all time guilty pleasure, this spoof of WII spy movies is a brainless, riotous fun in the vein of Naked Gun and Hot Shots. Val Kilmer is a hoot as a rock 'n roll singer getting caught in a Resistance scheme, oh and Omar Sharif also had a silly cameo!
TUESDAY – Action
Ok, with work piling up and workload mounting, why not get some release by watching some bombastic shoot-em-up? Both Die Hard and Face/Off have some awesome villains (both Hans Gruber & Castor Troy get a mention on my bad boys list), plus the full-on action with quotable one liners make these two fun to watch back to back.
WEDNESDAY – Science Fiction
These two are considered the top of this genre for good reason. I had recently re-watched The Matrix on Blu-ray and it still delivered that 'whoa' moment. The thought-provoking 'what is reality?' premise as well as the kick-ass action sequences set the bar for sci-fi action movies since. As for Jurassic Park, it's definitely in my top 3 favorite Spielberg movies. I can never forget the moment the chopper descended on the island with John Williams' iconic theme song in the background. I still get goosebumps when John Hammond says with utmost glee, "Welcome to Jurassic Park."
THURSDAY – Crime Thriller
It might be a bit heavy to watch two of the most intense crime thrillers on the same night. But if you can handle Heat and L.A. Confidential combo, I think it would be one helluva time at the movies! The ensemble cast & performances are top notch here, and so are the plot twists and turns that will get you talking about 'em all over again. I think these two films are the best work from director Michael Mann and Curtis Hanson, respectively.
FRIDAY – Romance
Ahhh… Friday is here. Why not take your dates to see a little… ok, a lot of romance 😀 Both Moulin Rouge! and Somewhere in Time are both period dramas that takes place just a couple of decades apart, both are hopelessly romantic, even if they're a bit on the dismal side. But hey, you've got some wonderful music and gorgeous people falling head over heels in love to keep you spellbound for a few hours, what's not to love?
SATURDAY – Period Dramas
It wouldn't be a complete week in my theater without some mesmerizing period dramas. It's no surprise I adore Sense & Sensibility. It's one of the movies I love with a passion and one that has a bunch of memorable rain scenes. Throw in the best crop of British cast, including one of my all time favorite Alan Rickman, naturally it's one that I would always recommend.
The second feature, The Age of Innocence takes all that pent-up passion up a few notches, courtesy of Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer's explosive chemistry. The unrequited love story is heartbreaking, and never has the display of unbridled desire coupled with intense anguish be more bewitching to watch. As if that wasn't enough, you can also marvel at the gorgeous cinematography, oh and the stunning opening sequence.
TRIPLE FEATURE SUNDAY – Superhero movies
Well, after all that romantic stuff, do you think I gonna let my geeky side go by the wayside? Not a chance! 😀 So for the Triple Feature Sunday, I'll be featuring three of my favorite superhero movies! Trust me, it's really hard to narrow it down to just 3. I was going to include the first Superman movie which I think is still the best of the franchise, but I decided to go with Bryan Singer's X-Men and Chris Nolan's Batman Begins instead. For the third feature, I figure it might be interesting to combine both the Marvel and DC superhero movies with a film that deconstructs the whole superhero mythology altogether: Unbreakable. I admire M. Night Shyamalan's original concept, an impressively poignant and nuanced film that delves deep into the basic notion of good vs. evil.
Well, I hope you enjoy what I've got playing on my theater for the week. Which day(s) would you be stopping by?
My review of #NewsOfTheWorld » wp.me/pxXPC-e6l I didn't even know a news reader profession existed, but hav… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 54 minutes ago


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Teavana Is Closing Down All 372 Stores — Forever
By	Jaclyn Anglis	 August 1, 2017
Get your free tea samples while you still can, because all of Teavana stores are set to close. Yes, even the one at your mall with the tempting scents of peppermint and cinnamon wafting through the air. Starbucks announced that all 379 Teavana stores in the country are shutting down for good. The move will impact 3,300 employees.
According to Starbucks, the move is a decision made based on the "underperformance" of all these stores. The coffee chain had first announced plans to purchase the struggling Teavana in 2012. But Teavana still didn't perform as well as Starbucks had hoped.
MUST-SEE: J.C. Penney Is Closing Down 138 Stores in 2017—Forever
"The company concluded that despite efforts to reverse the trend through creative merchandising and new store designs, the underperformance was likely to continue," Starbucks said in a press release.
Most of the Teavana locations will be shut down by Spring 2018, Starbucks said. In the meantime, people who are currently employed at Teavana are invited to apply for work at Starbucks locations to preserve their jobs.
MUST-SEE: Kmart and Sears Are Closing Down Many of Their Stores in 2017—Forever
This announcement marks yet another wave of store shutdowns in malls across the country. Companies like JC Penney and Gamestop have made announcements that they would be shutting down many of their locations this year. All in all, there have been a whopping 5,300 store closing announcements during the first six month of this year. And what's really jarring? That's triple the amount of closings during the same time period last year.
Moral of the story? If you love a store's products (Who doesn't love stopping by to inhale the yummy aromas at Teavana, not to mention those sweet samples?), consider spending a few dollars there. Our favorite stores truly need our support, or they won't stay around.
h/t CNN Money
Devoted Dad Is Fired Because He Attended Son's Birth
She Was in an Ambulance Suffering from Deadly Allergic Reaction When She Got a Jaw-Dropping Text from Her Boss
She Was Fired From Her Job for the Most Unfair Reason, Now She's Speaking Out to Get This Law Changed


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Q: Yahoo OAuth 2.0 invalid_grant when issuing an access token I tried to implement Yahoo OAuth 2.0 with following guide: https://developer.yahoo.com/oauth2/guide/
I was able to authorize and I received Authorization Code but I sucked at step 4. When my code tries to exchange Authorization Code for Access Token using /get_token 401 Unauthorized Error is thrown.
{
"error": "invalid_grant"
}
According to https://developer.yahoo.com/oauth2/guide/errors/index.html invalid_grant means that an invalid or expired token was provided. I am little bit confused why the 401 is thrown.
Have somebody experienced similar issue?
public class YahooOAuthClient : OAuth2Client
{
    private const string AuthorizeUrl = "https://api.login.yahoo.com/oauth2/request_auth";
    private const string TokenEndpoint = "https://api.login.yahoo.com/oauth2/get_token";

    private readonly string clientId;
    private readonly string clientSecret;

    public YahooOAuthClient(string clientId, string clientSecret)
        : base("Yahoo")
    {
        this.clientId = clientId;
        this.clientSecret = clientSecret;
    }

    protected override Uri GetServiceLoginUrl(Uri returnUrl)
    {
        var uriBuilder = new UriBuilder(AuthorizeUrl);
        uriBuilder.AppendQueryArgument("client_id", this.clientId);
        uriBuilder.AppendQueryArgument("redirect_uri", returnUrl.ToString());
        uriBuilder.AppendQueryArgument("response_type", "code");
        uriBuilder.AppendQueryArgument("language", "en-us");

        return uriBuilder.Uri;
    }

    protected override IDictionary<string, string> GetUserData(string accessToken)
    {
        return new Dictionary<string, string>
        {
            {"id", accessToken}
        };
    }

    protected override string QueryAccessToken(Uri returnUrl, string authorizationCode)
    {
        var postData = HttpUtility.ParseQueryString(string.Empty);
        postData.Add(new NameValueCollection
            {
                { "grant_type", "authorization_code" },
                { "code", authorizationCode },
                { "redirect_uri", returnUrl.GetLeftPart(UriPartial.Path) },
            });

        var webRequest = (HttpWebRequest)WebRequest.Create(TokenEndpoint);

        webRequest.Method = "POST";
        webRequest.ContentType = "application/x-www-form-urlencoded";
        String encoded = Convert.ToBase64String(Encoding.GetEncoding("ISO-8859-1").GetBytes(clientId + ":" + clientSecret));
        webRequest.Headers.Add("Authorization", "Basic " + encoded);

        using (var s = webRequest.GetRequestStream())
        using (var sw = new StreamWriter(s))
            sw.Write(postData.ToString());

        using (var webResponse = webRequest.GetResponse())
        {
            var responseStream = webResponse.GetResponseStream();
            if (responseStream == null)
                return null;

            using (var reader = new StreamReader(responseStream))
            {
                var response = reader.ReadToEnd();
                var json = JObject.Parse(response);
                var accessToken = json.Value<string>("access_token");
                return accessToken;
            }
        }
    }
}

A: This answer may be late but I ran into the same problem as you though I was implementing with PHP. This is what I realized was my error:
Intially my return_url is of the form
http://example.com/oauth_handle?route=something/path/like&param1=value&param2=value

I was implemting oauth for facebook, twitter(blah), google linkedin and yahoo. Google oauth api didn't like the route=something/path/like so I url-encoded it to
http://example.com/oauth_handle?route=something%2Fpath%2Flike&param1=value&param2=value

So that is the return_uri that was sent to the /request_auth endpoint as-is.
Then for the /get_token then parameter return_uri was url-encoded again which means I was now doing a double url-encoding for the route=something/path/like part which makes the return_uri different in the two requests.
Correcting this by doing url_encode just once solves my problem. Hope this helps!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The free scrap car collection service in South Leverton (DN22), Nottinghamshire. Got an old scrap car then you will still be expected to keep the vehicle taxed if your vehicle is still on the road, even if you are not actually driving the vehicle. you are not advised to pay to have your car towed away. Use us for our free collection service!
As well as offering a completely free collection, we are also currently able to offer cash for scrap cars in South Leverton depending upon the weight of the vehicle!
After trading in Nottinghamshire for over a decade we have built up our company based on very happy customers. Covering South Leverton we know the area well and will be with you at the agreed time and we will not be late. We are proud to be able to offer an unrivalled service and will arrive to collect your car at the agreed time slot. We are able to collect vehicles day or night, seven days a week, even on bank holidays, and we will work round you.
We always ensure that your vehicle is scrapped in the best possible way. Unreliable car collection companies might sell your vehicle on for profit, in some cases they do not even inform the DVLA of any change of ownership. This will leave you very vulnerable in the eyes of the law, and can easily result in you being fined a large sum of money. When we tow away any old scrap car we always ensure that the DVLA are notified, giving you complete of peace of mind. Any car that we scrap we ensure that it is scrapped in the most environmentally friendly way possible, we like to do our bit.
Please try to ensure that your vehicle is disposed of correctly as we want to keep Nottinghamshire clean and tidy. When your street is filled with old abandoned cars it can seriously damage the image of an area, scrap your car and clean up your street. Get your car scrapped, call the specialists!
We make it simple to scrap your car in South Leverton. Just by picking up the phone you can be told the process by our members of staff. Otherwise, just take a look at our helpful guide to scrapping your car so that you know the procedure before calling.
The car scrappage scheme for South Leverton may seem like a great idea. However, you are in fact limited to what type of new car you can get. You cannot simply go out and purchase any car you wish. People seem to get very frustrated as this deal is not available on all cars, only certain cars are available in the car scrappage deals.


ROSE Tyler is back again, but this time she is without the Doctor.
Billie Piper, who gave birth to her third child over Christmas, has signed on to return for a new audio spin-off due out at the end of 2019. Rose Tyler: The Dimension Cannon is one the latest audio series from Big Finish Productions in association with BBC Studios.
Producer David Richardson said the new audios would follow Rose's journey through dying parallel worlds. The audios will also star Camille Coduri as her mother Jackie, Shaun Dingwall as Pete Tyler, Mark Benton as alien investigator Clive Finch and Elli Garnett as Caroline Finch.
Explaining how the new series came about, Richardson said, "I approached Russell T Davies with the idea of Big Finish making a Rose Tyler spin-off.
"I'm absolutely delighted with what we have – a family drama about the end of worlds. It's about love and loss and things that might have been – and our brilliant cast have embraced the emotional scripts," Richardson said.
Rose Tyler: The Dimension Cannon will be available from the DWCA Shop in November of this year. Three audio adventures alongside the Tenth Doctor – Infamy of the Zaross, Sword of the Chevalier and Cold Vengeance – are available now.


text:
Korean Affairs
Philippines Lifestyle News
Home News Environment
UK sets up mega-fund to fight malaria around the world
Timothy Walker
United Kingdom Sets Up Mega-Fund to Fight Malaria Around the Globe – www.philippineslifestyle
The UK government will create a new £1-billion fund aimed at eradicating malaria and other infectious diseases.
The Ross Fund will be run in partnership with US philanthropists, Bill and Melinda Gates.
It is named after Sir Ronald Ross who became Britain's first Nobel Prize winner in 1902 for his discovery that malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes.
The number of people dying from malaria is falling but a child still dies from the disease every minute in Africa.
Ministers say the partnership with the Microsoft founder and his wife Melinda marks a "fundamental restructuring" of the UK's aid budget.
The £1-billion will come from the UK's overseas aid budget over the next five years.
Of the total:
£115-million is earmarked for research into new drugs, diagnostics and insecticides for malaria, TB and other infectious diseases
A further £188-million will be spent on improving bio-defenses and rapid response systems to fast-spreading epidemics such as Ebola
Chancellor George Osborne said one billion people were infected with malaria and 500,000 children die from the disease each year.
He said the government's commitment to overseas aid helps to "promote our national security and interests around the world".
Working with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will help us in "our joint ambition to see an end to this global disease in our lifetimes", he added.
Mr Gates, co-chairman of the foundation, said eradicating malaria and other poverty-related infectious diseases would be "one of humanity's greatest achievements".
"With the combined skill and expertise of British scientists; leveraging the weight of both public and private financing; and the continued leadership of George Osborne and the UK, [the] announcement of the Ross Fund will play a key role in reaching that goal," he added.
The UK's International Development Secretary Justine Greening said a "healthy, prosperous world is in Britain's interest" and that preventing deadly diseases is a "smart investment".
The "restructuring" plan is expected to be set out by the chancellor in Wednesday's Autumn Statement.
The international development department is protected from cuts and has seen its budget increase year-on-year since 2010.
The government is expected to continue spending 0.7% of GDP on overseas aid.
A report published in the journal Nature earlier this year showed 663 million cases of malaria have been prevented in Africa as a result of concerted efforts to tackle the disease since 2000.
Researchers from Oxford University attributed the reduction mostly to bed nets. The drug artemisinin and spraying homes with insecticide also played a part.
Bill Gates malaria
infectious diseases philippines
malaria philippines
Ross Fund
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Last month, I presented live at a meeting of Organization Change Alliance in Atlanta, a presentation called "Inside Influence: Leading Change from the Middle." It went so well, I thought I would provide an opportunity for internal change agents who are not in Atlanta (or who missed the original presentation) to attend!
In this free webinar, we will explore the role of the internal change agent, with its risks, rewards, advantages and challenges. You will learn how to leverage the role and how to best influence organizational change without authority.
Registration for this event is now closed. Please see the Programs page for upcoming events!


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