text:
from St. Louis, MO
September 16, 1993 (age 28)
Within five years of his first output with Future, producer Leland Wayne amassed well over a dozen Top 20 R&B/hip-hop hits and a similar quantity of gold and platinum RIAA certifications. The St. Louis, Missouri native did it with a low-gloss, jet-black sound sufficiently reflected in his alias, Metro Boomin. Wayne got into production during his early teens and also rapped, though he eventually opted to devote all his energy to beatmaking. He connected with artists through social media, and prior to graduating high school, he'd logged thousands of miles on round trips to Atlanta, where he worked with the likes of OJ da Juiceman and eventually, Gucci Mane and Future. Wayne fulfilled his mother's dream with his acceptance to the conveniently located Morehouse College, but he dropped out and invested more in making music than in studying business management.
In 2013, Wayne's name was on Billboard charts for the first time as the producer of Future's "Karate Chop" and "Honest." Just after the latter single was officially released, Wayne self-released 19 Boomin. Once iLoveMakonnen's "Tuesday," another early triumph, hit the R&B/hip-hop Top Ten the following year, Wayne was a constant presence near the top of that chart. Drake and Future's "Jumpman" and Future's "Low Life" were among the early 2016 hits, followed later in the year by "X" -- taken from Savage Mode, his self-released EP made with 21 Savage -- and Migos' "Bad and Boujee," which eventually topped the R&B/hip-hop and pop charts. Among Wayne's subsequent hits throughout a notable 2017 were Big Sean's "Bounce Back," Post Malone's "Congratulations," Kodak Black's "Tunnel Vision," and Future's "Mask Off." The year remained a busy one, as Wayne later released a trio of collaborative mixtapes, including Perfect Timing, with Canadian rapper NAV; Without Warning, with Offset and 21 Savage; and Double or Nothing with Big Sean. The following year brought even more career peaks, not only for his input on notable albums by Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne, but also for his own project, Not All Heroes Wear Capes. Arriving in late 2018, the album featured Travis Scott, Young Thug, and Gucci Mane. In addition to topping the Billboard 200, R&B/Hip-Hop, and Rap charts upon release, seven of the album's 13 tracks charted on the Hot 100. In 2020, Wayne resumed his partnership with 21 Savage and delivered Savage Mode II, which also topped the Billboard 200. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi
Ric Flair Drip
SAVAGE MODE II [CHOPPED NOT SLOPPED]
Savage Mode
Metro Boomin - Space Cadet ft. Gunna
METRO BOOMIN: MILLION DOLLAZ WORTH OF GAME EPISODE 135
21 Savage, Offset, Metro Boomin - Ric Flair Drip (Official Music Video)
Metro Boomin - "No Complaints" feat. Offset & Drake [Official Audio]
NAV, Metro Boomin - Call Me (Official Music Video)
Metro Boomin - Space Cadet (feat. Gunna) [OFFICIAL AUDIO]
Metro Boomin - No More (feat. Travis Scott, Kodak Black, & 21 Svage)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


..and i really wish that this project will take off. I know how big an undertaking this is, and i hope it will foster a quality self-agregating community that will be able to carry it. I'll be sticking around anyway. Now, i actually have an question.. is the content going to be based on initial releases of games with patch-fixes mentioned in the articles, or should we just assume the latest patch is applied and actually delete content that relates to a fixed issue as patches come out? Didn't notice anything relating to this.


text:
package org.insightech.er.editor.view.dialog.word;

import org.eclipse.swt.SWT;
import org.eclipse.swt.events.FocusAdapter;
import org.eclipse.swt.events.FocusEvent;
import org.eclipse.swt.events.ModifyEvent;
import org.eclipse.swt.events.ModifyListener;
import org.eclipse.swt.events.SelectionAdapter;
import org.eclipse.swt.events.SelectionEvent;
import org.eclipse.swt.layout.GridData;
import org.eclipse.swt.layout.GridLayout;
import org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Button;
import org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Combo;
import org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Composite;
import org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Shell;
import org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Text;
import org.insightech.er.common.dialog.AbstractDialog;
import org.insightech.er.common.widgets.CompositeFactory;
import org.insightech.er.db.impl.mysql.MySQLDBManager;
import org.insightech.er.db.impl.oracle.OracleDBManager;
import org.insightech.er.db.impl.postgres.PostgresDBManager;
import org.insightech.er.db.sqltype.SqlType;
import org.insightech.er.editor.model.ERDiagram;
import org.insightech.er.editor.model.diagram_contents.not_element.dictionary.TypeData;
import org.insightech.er.util.Check;
import org.insightech.er.util.Format;

public abstract class AbstractWordDialog extends AbstractDialog {

	protected static int WIDTH = -1;

	protected Combo typeCombo;

	protected Text logicalNameText;

	protected Text physicalNameText;

	private String oldPhysicalName;

	protected Text lengthText;

	protected Text decimalText;

	protected Button arrayCheck;

	protected Text arrayDimensionText;

	protected Button unsignedCheck;

	protected Button zerofillCheck;

	protected Button binaryCheck;

	protected boolean add;

	protected Text descriptionText;

	protected Text argsText;

	protected Button byteSemanticsRadio;

	protected Button charSemanticsRadio;

	protected ERDiagram diagram;

	public AbstractWordDialog(Shell parentShell, ERDiagram diagram) {
		super(parentShell);

		this.diagram = diagram;
		this.oldPhysicalName = "";
	}

	public void setAdd(boolean add) {
		this.add = add;
	}

	/**
	 * {@inheritDoc}
	 */
	@Override
	protected void initialize(Composite composite) {
		Composite rootComposite = this.createRootComposite(composite);

		this.initializeComposite(rootComposite);
		this.initializeTypeCombo();

		this.physicalNameText.setFocus();
	}

	protected Composite createRootComposite(Composite parent) {
		return CompositeFactory.createComposite(parent,
				this.getCompositeNumColumns(), false);
	}

	protected int getCompositeNumColumns() {
		return 6;
	}

	protected void initializeComposite(Composite composite) {
		int numColumns = this.getCompositeNumColumns();

		this.physicalNameText = CompositeFactory.createText(this, composite,
				"label.physical.name", numColumns - 1, WIDTH, false, true);

		this.logicalNameText = CompositeFactory.createText(this, composite,
				"label.logical.name", numColumns - 1, WIDTH, true, true);

		this.typeCombo = CompositeFactory.createReadOnlyCombo(this, composite,
				"label.column.type");

		this.lengthText = CompositeFactory.createNumText(this, composite,
				"label.column.length", 1, 30, false);
		this.lengthText.setEnabled(false);

		this.decimalText = CompositeFactory.createNumText(this, composite,
				"label.column.decimal", 1, 30, false);
		this.decimalText.setEnabled(false);

		if (PostgresDBManager.ID.equals(this.diagram.getDatabase())) {
			CompositeFactory.filler(composite, 1);

			Composite typeOptionComposite = new Composite(composite, SWT.NONE);
			GridData gridData = new GridData();
			gridData.horizontalSpan = this.getCompositeNumColumns() - 1;
			typeOptionComposite.setLayoutData(gridData);

			GridLayout layout = new GridLayout();
			layout.numColumns = 5;
			typeOptionComposite.setLayout(layout);

			this.arrayCheck = CompositeFactory.createCheckbox(this,
					typeOptionComposite, "label.column.array", true);
			this.arrayCheck.setEnabled(true);
			this.arrayDimensionText = CompositeFactory.createNumText(this,
					typeOptionComposite, "label.column.array.dimension", 1, 30,
					false);
			this.arrayDimensionText.setEnabled(false);

			this.arrayCheck.addSelectionListener(new SelectionAdapter() {

				/**
				 * {@inheritDoc}
				 */
				@Override
				public void widgetSelected(SelectionEvent e) {
					arrayDimensionText.setEnabled(arrayCheck.getSelection());

					super.widgetSelected(e);
				}
			});

		}

		if (MySQLDBManager.ID.equals(this.diagram.getDatabase())) {
			CompositeFactory.filler(composite, 1);

			Composite childComposite = CompositeFactory.createChildComposite(
					composite, 5, 3);

			this.unsignedCheck = CompositeFactory.createCheckbox(this,
					childComposite, "label.column.unsigned", true);
			this.unsignedCheck.setEnabled(false);

			this.zerofillCheck = CompositeFactory.createCheckbox(this,
					childComposite, "label.column.zerofill", false);
			this.zerofillCheck.setEnabled(false);

			this.binaryCheck = CompositeFactory.createCheckbox(this,
					childComposite, "label.column.binary", false);
			this.binaryCheck.setEnabled(false);

			CompositeFactory.filler(composite, 1);

			childComposite = CompositeFactory.createChildComposite(composite,
					5, 3);
			CompositeFactory.createLabel(childComposite,
					"label.column.type.enum.set", 1, -1, true, true);
			this.argsText = CompositeFactory.createText(this, childComposite,
					null, 1, false, false);
			this.argsText.setEnabled(false);
		}

		if (OracleDBManager.ID.equals(this.diagram.getDatabase())) {
			CompositeFactory.filler(composite, 1);

			Composite childComposite = CompositeFactory.createChildComposite(
					composite, 5, 2);

			this.byteSemanticsRadio = CompositeFactory.createRadio(this,
					childComposite, "label.column.byte", 1, true);
			this.byteSemanticsRadio.setEnabled(false);
			this.byteSemanticsRadio.setSelection(true);

			this.charSemanticsRadio = CompositeFactory.createRadio(this,
					childComposite, "label.column.char");
			this.charSemanticsRadio.setEnabled(false);
		}

		this.descriptionText = CompositeFactory.createTextArea(this, composite,
				"label.column.description", -1, 100, numColumns - 1, true);
	}

	/**
	 * {@inheritDoc}
	 */
	@Override
	final protected void setData() {
		this.initData();

		if (!this.add) {
			this.setWordData();
		}

		this.setEnabledBySqlType();
	}

	protected void initData() {
	}

	protected void setData(String physicalName, String logicalName,
			SqlType sqlType, TypeData typeData, String description) {

		this.physicalNameText.setText(Format.toString(physicalName));
		this.logicalNameText.setText(Format.toString(logicalName));
		this.oldPhysicalName = physicalNameText.getText();

		if (sqlType != null) {
			String database = this.diagram.getDatabase();

			if (sqlType.getAlias(database) != null) {
				this.typeCombo.setText(sqlType.getAlias(database));
			}

			if (!sqlType.isNeedLength(database)) {
				this.lengthText.setEnabled(false);
			}
			if (!sqlType.isNeedDecimal(database)) {
				this.decimalText.setEnabled(false);
			}

			if (this.unsignedCheck != null && !sqlType.isNumber()) {
				this.unsignedCheck.setEnabled(false);
			}

			if (this.zerofillCheck != null && !sqlType.isNumber()) {
				this.zerofillCheck.setEnabled(false);
			}

			if (this.binaryCheck != null && !sqlType.isFullTextIndexable()) {
				this.binaryCheck.setEnabled(false);
			}

			if (this.argsText != null) {
				if (sqlType.doesNeedArgs()) {
					argsText.setEnabled(true);
				} else {
					argsText.setEnabled(false);
				}
			}

		} else {
			this.lengthText.setEnabled(false);
			this.decimalText.setEnabled(false);
			if (this.unsignedCheck != null) {
				this.unsignedCheck.setEnabled(false);
			}
			if (this.zerofillCheck != null) {
				this.zerofillCheck.setEnabled(false);
			}
			if (this.binaryCheck != null) {
				this.binaryCheck.setEnabled(false);
			}
			if (this.argsText != null) {
				this.argsText.setEnabled(false);
			}
		}

		this.lengthText.setText(Format.toString(typeData.getLength()));
		this.decimalText.setText(Format.toString(typeData.getDecimal()));

		if (this.arrayDimensionText != null) {
			this.arrayCheck.setSelection(typeData.isArray());
			this.arrayDimensionText.setText(Format.toString(typeData
					.getArrayDimension()));
			this.arrayDimensionText.setEnabled(this.arrayCheck.getSelection());
		}

		if (this.unsignedCheck != null) {
			this.unsignedCheck.setSelection(typeData.isUnsigned());
		}

		if (this.zerofillCheck != null) {
			this.zerofillCheck.setSelection(typeData.isZerofill());
		}

		if (this.binaryCheck != null) {
			this.binaryCheck.setSelection(typeData.isBinary());
		}

		if (this.argsText != null) {
			this.argsText.setText(Format.null2blank(typeData.getArgs()));
		}

		this.descriptionText.setText(Format.toString(description));

		if (this.byteSemanticsRadio != null) {
			boolean charSemantics = typeData.isCharSemantics();
			this.byteSemanticsRadio.setSelection(!charSemantics);
			this.charSemanticsRadio.setSelection(charSemantics);
		}
	}

	protected SqlType getSelectedType() {
		String database = this.diagram.getDatabase();

		SqlType selectedType = SqlType.valueOf(database,
				this.typeCombo.getText());

		return selectedType;
	}

	protected void setEnabledBySqlType() {
		String database = this.diagram.getDatabase();

		SqlType selectedType = SqlType.valueOf(database,
				this.typeCombo.getText());

		if (selectedType != null) {
			if (!selectedType.isNeedLength(database)) {
				this.lengthText.setEnabled(false);
			} else {
				this.lengthText.setEnabled(true);
			}

			if (!selectedType.isNeedDecimal(database)) {
				this.decimalText.setEnabled(false);
			} else {
				this.decimalText.setEnabled(true);
			}

			if (this.unsignedCheck != null) {
				if (!selectedType.isNumber()) {
					this.unsignedCheck.setEnabled(false);
				} else {
					this.unsignedCheck.setEnabled(true);
				}
			}

			if (this.zerofillCheck != null) {
				if (!selectedType.isNumber()) {
					this.zerofillCheck.setEnabled(false);
				} else {
					this.zerofillCheck.setEnabled(true);
				}
			}

			if (this.binaryCheck != null) {
				if (!selectedType.isFullTextIndexable()) {
					this.binaryCheck.setEnabled(false);
				} else {
					this.binaryCheck.setEnabled(true);
				}
			}

			if (this.argsText != null) {
				if (selectedType.doesNeedArgs()) {
					this.argsText.setEnabled(true);
				} else {
					this.argsText.setEnabled(false);
				}
			}

			if (this.charSemanticsRadio != null) {
				if (selectedType.isNeedCharSemantics(database)) {
					this.byteSemanticsRadio.setEnabled(true);
					this.charSemanticsRadio.setEnabled(true);

				} else {
					this.byteSemanticsRadio.setEnabled(false);
					this.charSemanticsRadio.setEnabled(false);
				}
			}
		}
	}

	@Override
	protected void addListener() {
		super.addListener();

		this.typeCombo.addSelectionListener(new SelectionAdapter() {

			/**
			 * {@inheritDoc}
			 */
			@Override
			public void widgetSelected(SelectionEvent event) {
				setEnabledBySqlType();
			}

		});

		this.physicalNameText.addFocusListener(new FocusAdapter() {

			/**
			 * {@inheritDoc}
			 */
			@Override
			public void focusLost(FocusEvent e) {
				if (logicalNameText.getText().equals("")) {
					logicalNameText.setText(physicalNameText.getText());
				}
			}
		});

		this.physicalNameText.addModifyListener(new ModifyListener() {

			public void modifyText(ModifyEvent e) {
				String logicalName = logicalNameText.getText();
				String physicalName = physicalNameText.getText();

				if (oldPhysicalName.equals(logicalName)
						|| logicalName.equals("")) {
					logicalNameText.setText(physicalName);
					oldPhysicalName = physicalName;
				}
			}
		});

		if (this.zerofillCheck != null) {
			this.zerofillCheck.addSelectionListener(new SelectionAdapter() {

				/**
				 * {@inheritDoc}
				 */
				@Override
				public void widgetSelected(SelectionEvent e) {
					if (zerofillCheck.getSelection()) {
						unsignedCheck.setSelection(true);
						unsignedCheck.setEnabled(false);

					} else {
						unsignedCheck.setSelection(false);
						unsignedCheck.setEnabled(true);
					}
				}
			});
		}

	}

	abstract protected void setWordData();

	private void initializeTypeCombo() {
		this.typeCombo.add("");

		String database = this.diagram.getDatabase();

		for (String alias : SqlType.getAliasList(database)) {
			this.typeCombo.add(alias);
		}
	}

	/**
	 * {@inheritDoc}
	 */
	@Override
	protected String getErrorMessage() {
		String text = physicalNameText.getText().trim();
		if (!Check.isAlphabet(text)) {
			if (this.diagram.getDiagramContents().getSettings()
					.isValidatePhysicalName()) {
				return "error.column.physical.name.not.alphabet";
			}
		}

		String logicalName = this.logicalNameText.getText().trim();
		if (Check.isEmpty(text) && Check.isEmpty(logicalName)) {
			return "error.column.name.empty";
		}

		if (this.lengthText.isEnabled()) {

			text = this.lengthText.getText();

			if (text.equals("")) {
				return "error.column.length.empty";

			} else {
				try {
					int len = Integer.parseInt(text);
					if (len < 0) {
						return "error.column.length.zero";
					}

				} catch (NumberFormatException e) {
					return "error.column.length.degit";
				}
			}
		}

		if (this.decimalText.isEnabled()) {

			text = this.decimalText.getText();

			if (text.equals("")) {
				return "error.column.decimal.empty";

			} else {
				try {
					int len = Integer.parseInt(text);
					if (len < 0) {
						return "error.column.decimal.zero";
					}

				} catch (NumberFormatException e) {
					return "error.column.decimal.degit";
				}
			}
		}

		if (arrayDimensionText != null) {
			text = arrayDimensionText.getText();

			if (!text.equals("")) {
				try {
					int len = Integer.parseInt(text);
					if (len < 1) {
						return "error.column.array.dimension.one";
					}

				} catch (NumberFormatException e) {
					return "error.column.array.dimension.degit";
				}

			} else {
				if (this.arrayCheck.getSelection()) {
					return "error.column.array.dimension.one";
				}
			}
		}

		SqlType selectedType = SqlType.valueOf(diagram.getDatabase(),
				typeCombo.getText());

		if (selectedType != null && this.argsText != null) {
			text = argsText.getText();

			if (selectedType.doesNeedArgs()) {
				if (text.equals("")) {
					return "error.column.type.enum.set";
				}
			}
		}

		return null;
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Childhood Announce New Album, Share "California Light" Video
Universal High Due Out July 21 via Marathon Artists
Apr 27, 2017 By Christopher Roberts
London's Childhood released their promising debut album, Lacuna, in 2014. And before that we did a Pleased to Meet You feature on them in 2013. Now the band have announced their sophomore album, Universal High, and shared a video for its first single, the soulful "California Light." Universal High is due out July 21 via Marathon Artists. Below is the "California Light" video, followed by the album's tracklist and cover art, as well as some upcoming tour dates.
In a press release, Childhood frontman Ben Romans-Hopscraft says, "ironically, the sentiment of 'Californian Light' has nothing to do with the sunshine state at all. It was written as an ode to my relationships that define me as a person in London." Georgio Barbers directed the video, which was shot in and around the East Street market in South London, near where Romans-Hopscraft and Barbers both grew up.
Universal High was recorded at Maze Studios, Atlanta across the summer of 2016. Ben H Allen III (Gnarls Barkley, Animal Collective, Deerhunter) produced the album. A press release describes the album as such: "You could be forgiven for branding Universal High a rebirth. In places almost unrecognizable from the dub-charged psychedelic indie of their debut, the new sound swells from the southern streets in which it came to life, caked in the '70s soul of The Isley Brothers, Curtis Mayfield, and Shuggie Otis."
Romans-Hopcraft had this to say about the album: "Universal High represents many things to us as a band. It signifies change, both musically and mentally whilst also revisiting influences that confounded our interest in music in the first place. What I think is noticeable is the direct nature of the songs and its influences. Being surrounded by soul music, classic pop songs, and music with any form of groove all my life, these influences began to speak for themselves within these new songs we were writing."
Universal High Tracklist:
1. A.M.D
2. Californian Light
3. Cameo
4. Too Old for My Tears
5. Melody Says
6. Universal High
7. Understanding
8. Don't Have Me Back
9. Nothing Ever Seems Right
10. Monitor
Childhood Tour Dates:
28th April - Nantes L'Ere de Rien Festival, France
29th April - Live at Leeds
30th April - Stag & Dagger Festival, Glasgow
2nd May - Free South London Show (Venue TBA)
19th May - The Great Escape, East Wing, Brighton
19th May - The Great Escape, Horatio's, Brighton
27th May - Amsterdam London Calling, Netherlands
4th June - The Ritz, Manchester supporting Whitney
16th July - Latitude Festival, Southwold
22nd July - Hyeres Midi Festival 2017, France
1st to 5th November - Reykjavik Iceland Airwaves Iceland
For Sierra Madre, go to the Upper Hastings Ranch homes (see below, many homes with lights!) and then head east on Sierra Madre Bl past Michillinda (La Salle Catholic school is on the South West corner). Ez Assignment Help Service That's the border of Sierra Madre, drive around Sierra Madre (tiny town) to find lighted homes.
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Childhood is such a nice singer! I really enjoy to turn him on on my night driving missions. Brings so much satisfaction and joy! I love it! I'm also looking for people who can write my assignment for me. Maybe some writing services or?...
hellenjos
I have seen the album shared here. It is very nice to see this album and the song is the best one. The sound is very different and we can enjoy it fully. Share more interesting articles on the site if possible so that we can hear more songs.wooden beads
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January 1st 2018
formative years is such a nice singer! I virtually enjoy to show him on on my night time using missions. Brings so much pleasure and pleasure! i love it! I'm also seeking out folks that can write a research paper for me. maybe some writing services or?...


text:
Q: How important do you think Progressive Enhancement is? Progressive Enhancement is a web development methodology that not only allows greater portability and accessibility but in my opinion, makes the development process easier.
What I want is to know what the rest of the community think of this approach.
In particular: What do you believe is the minimum set of technologies that a web application should support?

A: If it remains usable in a text-only browser (without CSS and Javascript, of course) and also in a screen-reader, you're on the right track. But these are about the highest standards that you'll find :)

A: I personally block referrers, cookies and JavaScript by default and re-enable them temporarily or permanently on a site-by-site basis.
I'll forgive a web site for not working without cookies for signed-in users, however I get quite upset when they won't work without JavaScript if it's being used for trivial purposes.
Minimum requirements: HTML with basic structural elements + links, HTML forms + maybe cookies for applications.
Site could be run in a vt100, a "normal" browser, a phone, a screen reader...

-z

A: I would feel comfortable targeting HTML4 and CSS2, with the basic content structured with screenreaders in mind as a baseline experience for most websites.  The key is to keep in mind a layout that is functional for text-based browsers and screenreaders and use that as the basis for the enhanced page.

A:
So "Progressive Enhancement" is just
  another term for "Graceful
  Degradation"?
  False. They are two different sides of the coin. It shows where your focus is.

Developing a site that is 100% useful without css, javascript, etc. and then adding all the pretty/fancy stuff for javascript users is an example of Progressive Enhancement.
However, when you code the site with fancy/pretty and then go back and turn off javascript and css to see how it looks, that is graceful degradation.
The group you focus on first really decides this. It is possible that you could arrive at the same conclusion but it is unlikely. Your focus determines the ending point really.

A: So "Progressive Enhancement" is just another term for "Graceful Degradation"?
In which case, it's the way all websites should be done.
Web Apps should be built in HTML (4 or later), semantically and against the standards.
All CSS should be optional - content & forms should work without it, but look prettier with it.
All JavaScript should be optional - pages & forms should work without, but work easier with it.
All code should be written according to the standards & checked in each major rendering engine - but don't work around flaws in browsers unless absolutely necessary; it's up to the browsers to respect standards, not developers to grovel after bad rendering engines.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Laurel trained with Fourth Monkey Theatre Company, The Actors Class and Tring Park School For The Performing Arts. Since graduating she has gained a lot of experience in directing and stage management, she made her acting debut in January 2019 in OFFIE Nominated Arrows & Traps Female Firsts Rep Season at The Jack Studio Theatre. She is an associate artist of The Jack Studio Theatre and an Associate Practitioner of Arrows & Traps.
Ability to sing and dance at an intermediate level.


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Perhaps you are a musician or author who would like to utilize the work of others as an element within your own work. Copyright licensing provides a way to do so while avoiding liability for copyright infringement.
Whether you have intellectual property you would like to license to others, or you would like to obtain the right to use the intellectual property of others, I have the experience to negotiate a license agreement on your behalf.
To maximize the value of my services to my clients, all projects receive my personal attention. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your licensing questions and needs.


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Iraq: Blair Says U.S., Britain To Seek International Support
September 08, 2002 00:00 GMT
Aberdeen, Scotland; 8 September 2002 (RFE/RL) -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair says the U.S. and Britain will seek international support for any action taken against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Blair made the comment after talks near Washington yesterday with U.S. President George W. Bush. Bush and Blair reiterated that they believe Saddam's regime is developing nuclear weapons and therefore poses an international threat. Blair has now returned home.
More top European officials and leaders today joined a chorus of opposition to any military action in Iraq that does not have the backing of the United Nations.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said in an interview published today in the Spanish daily "El Pais" that the stand-off should be resolved within the framework of the UN.
Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis also said he opposes a U.S-led attack without UN backing. And Belgium's Foreign Minister Louis Michel blamed British support of the U.S. for the lack of a unified EU policy on Iraq.
In Germany last night, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac said they opposed any unilateral action by the U.S. against Iraq.
Meanwhile, a former head of UN weapons inspections in Iraq, Scott Ritter, today rejected U.S. charges that Iraq poses an international threat.
Ritter, a U.S. national, made the remarks in an address to the Iraqi parliament. He warned that the United States risks violating UN resolutions if it decides to take unilateral action on Iraq.
Ritter stressed that Iraq's weapons programs were mostly dismantled during seven years of UN weapons inspections. He said that Iraq is not acting in a manner that threatens its neighbors or any countries, and called on the United States to prove its claims that Iraq is developing weapons of mass destruction.
"The rhetoric of fear that is disseminated by my government and others has not to date been backed up by hard facts that substantiate any allegations that Iraq is today in posession of weapons of mass destruction or has links to terror groups responsible for attacking the United States."
But Ritter also appealed to Iraq to readmit weapons inspectors, barred from the country since 1998, to verify that it is not developing weapons of mass destruction. He said that "the path towards peace" depends on Iraq's cooperation with UN resolutions.


New to using essential oils? Here are some suggestions on how to start using and enjoying them.
1. In an oil burner: fill the container on the top with some water and add 3-5 drops of essential oils. Light and place a tea light candle underneath. As the mixture warms up, the essential oils will begin to evaporate.
2. Steam inhalation - Add 3-7 drops of essential oil to boiling water in a large heatproof bowl. Use a towel to cover your head, and breathe through your nose for no more than two minutes at a time.
3. In an essential oil diffuser - Place your diffuser in a well ventilated room and add 3-10 drops of essential all. Be sure to follow the instructions for your brand of diffuser.
4. In a bath - add 3-10 drops to a warm bath. Relax and enjoy.
5. Inhale - add 2-3 drops to a handkerchief and enjoy the aroma throughout the day.
6. Massage - add 3-4 drops of essential oil (depending on the oil used) to a natural carrier oil such as jojoba, grape seed and almond. Apply to skin with gentle rubbing. NB always test on your arm before using on larger part of body in case or irritation.


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Databases for articles on course themes
Below is not an exhaustive list. It depends what subject realm(s) your topic fits within.
You are encouraged to use LibrarySearch (see bottom of this page) and to also search in different databases within the subject area of your particular topic.
You can select an appropriate databases from the U of T Libraries homepage by clicking "Databases" on the homepage below the simple search or in the horizontal submenu, then refer to "Databases by Subject", select an appropriate subject area and perform your searches in the "best bets" databases.
Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Citations and abstracts of scholarly journals, dissertations, books, and conference papers in the social and behavioural sciences.
PAIS Index This link opens in a new window
Political science journals, and international research in public affairs, public and social policies, and international relations. Provides access to journal articles, books, government documents, research and conference reports, and more.
Philosopher's Index This link opens in a new window
A bibliographic database offering informative, author-written abstracts covering scholarly research in all areas of philosophy. The literature covered goes back to 1940 and includes journal articles, books, book chapters such as contributions to an anthology and book reviews.
PhilPapers This link opens in a new window
Philosophical citation information and abstracts, including journals, books, open access archives, and personal pages maintained by academics.
You can also use LibrarySearch from the Library homepage, while it's not exhaustive, it searches many databases at once.
use the "Advanced Search" so that you can enter synonymous terms more easily for each key concept/main theme
You can use a similar search formula in a subject specific database (such as those listed above) and in fact, you can search for those terms more specifically in the following fields, subject, abstracts, titles or even "anywhere except full text" (which encompasses the following 3 fields and is an option in certain databases). Different search results will rise to the top in a subject-specific database search.
<< Previous: eBooks on course themes
Next: Is your source/citation "scholarly"? >>


LONDON, April 1 (Reuters) - Liability claims related to the Ethiopian Airlines crash and the grounding of Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft could be the largest non-war aviation reinsurance claim on record, hitting reinsurers' profitability, reinsurance broker Willis Re said.
Liability claims for the passengers' loss of life and in relation to the grounded aircraft could total around a billion dollars, James Vickers, chairman of Willis Re International, told Reuters by phone, a large sum for the aviation reinsurance market which Vickers said was "very small and very, very specialist".
The losses could erode three to four years of aviation reinsurers' premium in the "global excess of loss" category of reinsurance, Willis Re said on Monday in its summary of reinsurance activity at the key April 1 renewal date.
The world's biggest reinsurers include European firms Munich Re, Swiss Re and Hannover Re, U.S. billionaire global investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway and companies operating in the Lloyd's of London market.


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Welcome To Houston
CitizensNet
> CitizensNet
CITGO Freedom Over Texas July 4th Celebration
Please join the city of Houston's CITGO Freedom Over Texas July 4th Celebration as we recognize America's freedom and the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing!
The event on Thursday, July 4, from 4 to 10 p.m. in Buffalo Bayou Park near downtown, will feature live music, fireworks, a children's play area and a Space City Experience from NASA's Johnson Space Center.
The signature area will include an opportunity to be up close and personal with astronauts, robotic demonstrations, virtual reality fieldtrips to the International Space Station, the Space Exploration Vehicle (SEV), NASA's Destination Station, and other NASA assets and activities.
The musical entertainment headliner is multiple chart-topping singer/songwriter, Jake Owen.
General admission tickets are available online at FreedomOverTexas.org for $8 per person until midnight, Wednesday, July 3, 2019 (children 5 and under are free with a paid adult). On Thursday, July 4, tickets will be $10 online and at gate admission booths.
Download the special, free "MOSECOH" (Mayor's Office of Special Events – City of Houston) phone app to navigate through the largest Fourth of July Celebration in the state. It offers patrons a way to buy tickets and view performance schedules and maps, parking tips and other helpful hints to enhance the experience!
Jake Owen has been an American Country Music fan favorite since his breakout album, "Barefoot Blue Jean Night", which landed at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and garnered four consecutive #1 hits. Originally from Florida, Jake's unique sound, and songwriting helped win him the 2009 Academy of Country Music Top New Male Vocalist award and the 2012 American Country Award's win for Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Owen's new single "Down To The Honkytonk" is rapidly climbing the Billboard Country Airplay charts on his new album, "Greetings from Jake."
Special musical guest on the Main Stage is country music artist, actress and television personality, Kellie Pickler.
Three Houston child prodigies who make up the band, Los Luzerosde Rio Verde, will also perform on the Main Stage.
As is tradition, the evening will conclude with a spectacular blast of fireworks thanks to CITGO, which has provided the finale since 2015. This is the third year that CITGO has been the dual sponsor of the pyrotechnics and the event title.
On Twitter, use the hashtags #thingstodoinhouston or #FreedomOverTX to follow along.
We need volunteers to make this year's celebration the best. Sign up to volunteer at: http://www.houstontx.gov/july4/volunteer2019.html.
Volunteers get in free and receive free parking, a t-shirt, refreshments and more!
Produced by the Mayor's Office of Special Events Houston Civic Events, Inc.
CitizensNet Links
CitizensNet Home Page


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Director and Producer Anne-Marie Hess spoke about the film "Good After Bad"
Director and Producer Anne-Marie Hess spoke about the film "Good After Bad". This film was entered as Competition - Feature Narrative in the Bentonville Film Festival. "Good After Bad" is a story bullied student, Shelly, whose home life is in shambles. Things take a turn when Wes offers to become the teen's guardian. Click below to watch interview.
GOOD AFTER BAD Director(s): Anne-Marie Hess Writer(s): Anne-Marie Hess Producer(s): Matt Leutwyler Cast: Maddie Hasson (Shelly), Billy Burke (WES), Melora Walters (Veronica), Dabier Snell (Greg), Rhys Ward (Shaine).
SHELLY is at a crossroads. At seventeen years old, she must determine which people in her life intend to help her, and which intend to harm her, including her own mother. Without any role models, and with a home situation that is quickly deteriorating,determine which people in her life intend to help her, and which intend to harm her, including herself. GOOD AFTER BAD is a comedic drama that explores the intersection of family, friendship, sexuality, mentorship and love.
Film Facebook Page: GoodAfterBad
Proud Media Sponsor of the Bentonville Film Festival


Today's post is inspired by a big Spring Trend: feathers. From Gucci to Marc Jacobs to Loewe, feathers were everywhere on the spring 2019 runway shows. And while feathers may seem fun in theory, rocking feathers may seem like a challenging trend to rock this year. So today, I'm sharing a fun way to be on trend without looking like Big Bird - with this fun feather blazer!
Apart from denim, the blazer has to be one of the most wearable pieces to have in your wardrobe. They're versatile and classic and are very wearable. For that reason, wearing a blazer that incorporates feathers has to be the most wearable way to rock this trend, apart from a fun party dress. This one is oversized and can easily be worn as a mini dress too.
Because it's winter at the time of writing this post, I chose to add a black turtleneck, tights, coat, and over the knee boots for added warmth. For bag, I opted for this fun plaid one. P.S. if you're traveling, do not pack this bag in your suitcase to prevent damage. This look is perfect for a fun date night, girls night out, or if you have a trendier meeting to go to.
An alternative way to wear this blazer is to style it open and over a black mini dress. Finish the look with a pair of great heels and you have a great party look.
For warmer weather, trying styling with a pair of denim shorts, white blouse, and black pointed heels and bag for a fun weekend ready look!
As always, thank you so much for reading and be on the lookout for more Spring 2019 trends coming your way!


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Here's how to rationalise capital gains tax
The basic principle — to spare the saving asset from tax and charge a tax only on the income from the asset — is perfect and will make savings efficient.
A major spin-off a significantly lower rate of tax on income hinted at by the finance minister would be the possibility to reorganise the taxation of savings and capital gains on a rational basis. That basis is to treat as current income liable to bear tax at the rate appropriate for the relevant income bracket that part of any capital gain, after indexation in the case of non-financial assets, which does not get redeployed in new assets. Such a method of taxation would not penalise portfolio churning across assets, essential for intelligent savings. Such a reform was proposed in the original Direct Taxes Code of 2009, which had sought to scrap the distinction between long-term and short-term capital gains on shares based on the holding period, scrap the securities transaction tax, and include only that slice of capital gains which is not deployed in any other capital asset, as part of taxable income.
Indexation benefits, meant mainly to compute capital gains, are fine. Simply put, there would be no tax on the gains, say, from the sale of a house if the money is reinvested in shares and vice versa. The basic principle — to spare the saving asset from tax and charge a tax only on the income from the asset — is perfect and will make savings efficient. The government should adopt the so-called exempt-exempt-tax system wherein all savings will be exempt from taxation at the time of contribution and accumulation, and taxed at maturity, if not ploughed into another asset.
For example, the income-tax law allows investors who make capital gains to invest in NHAI and REC bonds. The entire gain is exempt if the equivalent amount is invested in these bonds, subject to an upper limit of Rs. 50 lakh every financial year. This principle is sound. The EET method is beneficial to investors, given that it does away with artificial distortions, and raises efficiency and equity in the tax system. It would also help the government garner more revenues. But for this to work, the rate of tax has to be low. Taxation should be uniform across savings products, to prevent inefficient distortions that could lead to say, housing bubbles.
5 days agoNew direct tax amnesty scheme with no penalty on cards
6 days agoBanks, telcos, insurers may be exempted from GST e-invoices
1 month agoSabka Vikas Scheme received 25,000 applications in less than 20 days
1 month ago'CFOs not prepared for tax technology'
2 months agoUnblock! E-way bill blocked for tax defaulters


On the occasion of New Year celebration, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has felicitated with the people of the state in particular and Nigerians in general, urging them to renew their faith in God and be committed to things that would promote peace, unity and progress.
Governor Ugwuanyi in a New Year message promised to sustain the tempo of peace and good governance in the state to improve the living standard of the people as the true heroes of democracy.
The governor reiterated that "Enugu State is in the hands of God", stressing that, "in all we do, we give God due glory, honour and adoration". He prayed that the state will continue to grow from strength to strength.
Governor Ugwuanyi wished Nigerians a happy and prosperous 2018 and thanked the people of the state for their prayers, support, love and solidarity, reassuring them of his resolve to continue to serve them selflessly with the fear of God to fully realize the dreams of the state's founding fathers.


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March 10, 2016 Review, Theatrical Leave a Comment
"…a near perfect triumph …"
By Tom Derwin
Director: Sebastian Schipper
Laia Costa, Frederick Lau, Franz Rogowski, Burak Yigit
Distributor: Madman
Opening in a Berlin club in the wee hours of the morning, a pulsating DJ Koze track emanates from the speakers as blinding strobes fill the screen. As the camera weaves its way through the blurred dancing bodies, it stops only when it reaches its interest: a lone, dancing girl. Once the camera fixes its gaze, it doesn't let the girl out of its sight for the next 134 minutes, as we race through Berlin during a bank heist and its aftermath, all done impressively in one take and with largely improvised dialogue.
The girl dancing is Victoria (Laia Costa), an exchange student from Madrid, alone in Berlin. As she goes to leave the club not long after, she meets the charming and slightly drunk Sonne (Frederick Lau), and his "boys" – Boxer (Franz Rogowski), Blinker (Burak Yigit), and Fuß (Max Mauff). Victoria's first act plays out like a romantic drama, building genuine exchanges between Victoria and Sonne. When the drunken Fuß passes out, Sonne asks Victoria to drive them to an underground car park to make a rendezvous. From here, the adrenaline ramps up as Victoria and the boys are coerced into robbing a bank to pay back a gang for Boxer's protection in prison.
Victoria is a near perfect triumph of pure cinematic joy. It does away with the gimmicks of one-shot films, creating a claustrophobic vacuum that pulls you in and doesn't let you out, building its pressure until you're on the brink of an anxiety attack and pleading for a cut or edit, anything for a sweet gulp of relief. While the film is not perfect, dragging a little in the tail, it is nonetheless an audacious piece of filmmaking, thrilling to its final, sombre shot.


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Eat Conde Nast Puts Epicurious.com Under Bon Appetit's Control
Conde Nast Puts Epicurious.com Under Bon Appetit's Control
The food media world just got a wee bit smaller.
Janaki Jitchotvisut
The publishing world continues to shift and swirl in both print and online forms. Condé Nast has announced that it's merging the sales and marketing teams at Epicurious with those of Bon Appétit.
Epicurious senior vice president and general manager Carolyn Kremins will not be part of this new venture, but Nilou Motamed will remain editor-in-chief of Epicurious. However, Bon Appétit's editor-in-chief, Adam Rapoport, will head the combined editorial unit.
On the business side, Bon Appétit's vice president and publisher, Pamela Drucker Mann, will take charge of both businesses. Approximately one third of the Epicurious sales team is being let go as it is merged with BA, according to the New York Post.
AdAge reports that the goal behind this move is simple: combining the two results in a larger web audience than either has on its own, which should attract more (and better) advertisers. Drucker Mann told AdAge, "We were having separate conversations with advertisers. Now we can have one conversation."
Each site will continue to exist as its own entity, with its own branding and voice. According to comScore (which specializes in digital analytics), Epicurious.com gathered 7.3 million unique visitors in June in the U.S. alone—a 66% increase over June 2013. Meanwhile, BonAppetit.com had 2.8 million unique visitors—a 65% increase.
So basically, the thinking is a bit like this, only with a heavier emphasis on recipes:
[via the New York Post, AdAge]


Jeers and Groaning in "Last Vegas"
Robert De Niro and a scene-stealing Mary Steenburgen star in "Last Vegas."
In theory, "Last Vegas" should work. It has four acting heavyweights in Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Kevin Kline, and Morgan Freeman; the volatile, raunchy locale of Las Vegas; and the priceless opportunity to the mix the two together. Despite the mouth-watering potential of the combination, "Last Vegas" ultimately falls flat, saturated with clichés and expected plot devices. While the film is certainly an amusing viewing, it's not particularly memorable. The film has charm in spades, mostly due to the likeability of its seasoned actors, but it cannot overcome the simple fact that it is just not that funny.
After Billy (Douglas) gets engaged to his 30-something girlfriend, Lisa (Bre Blair), he invites his lifelong friends for his bachelor party in Las Vegas as a last hurrah. Each member of the aged wolfpack is going through his own crisis: Paddy (De Niro) cannot move on with his life after the death of his wife, Sam (Kline) is unsatisfied in his retirement in Florida, and Archie (Freeman) cannot be independent under the watchful eye of his son, Ezra (Michael Ealy). In Las Vegas, old rivalries open up and tensions come to a head.
The film's major flaw lies in its staleness and the predictability of its script. Every known witticism concerning the elderly—including the jiggling women attempting water aerobics, Viagra jokes, and continuous mentions of the prostate—is stuffed into the narrative without precision or care. Each storyline plods from point A to B without any viable, lasting roadblocks, and as a result the characters slip too easily into the clichéd party-film framework. The film neither takes advantage of the oddity of a 70-year-old bachelor party nor the eccentricities of the city, instead putting its characters in rote, tired situations such as a bikini contest, sneaking into the hottest club, and attempting to throw the biggest party of the year (or at least the weekend).
While the film follows the shenanigans of the quartet, at the core of the film is a story of a group of men that must accept, embrace, and work with the sobering realities of their old age. With multiple emotional highs and lows, "Last Vegas" never strikes a balance between the sentimentality of its underlying theme and the inherent raunchiness of its premise. The pacing is off, and the consequence is that each character's emotional climax fails to resonate. After the group happens upon a high-flying penthouse after Archie wins big in the casino, Paddy explodes unprovoked into a vitriolic attack on Billy for a past grievance. The shift from the jovial humor of the previous scene causes tonal whiplash without any logical reason. Screenwriter Dan Fogelman seems to be playing it by the numbers instead of letting scenes develop naturally, using messy, clunky tropes instead of good sense.
The film largely stays afloat due to the delightful chemistry between its stars. Though the material is derivative, the four Oscar winners certainly look like they are having a good time. The camaraderie and loyalty is believable, and it is no surprise that it is in the dramatic scenes, where the actors interact one on one, that the movie finds its stride. In one of the more poignant scenes, Paddy asks Billy whether he is really in love with his fiancée. It's a moment that encompasses the enormity and impact of a decades-long friendship. Though the men acquit themselves tremendously in their roles, Mary Steenburgen shines as Diana, a tax-return lawyer turned lounge singer. In one of film's best scenes, Diana is introduced as she coos into the microphone, a woman full of magnetism and charisma, as the group flocks toward her in awe like moths to a flame. There is a classic Hollywood feel to the scene, and it teases the makings of another film with more heart and class.
—Staff writer Neha Mehrotra can be reached at neham101@gmail.com.
Despite the talented cast's efforts, "The Mikado" still fails to confront its historically racist past, bringing to this revision an unexpected bit of transphobia and an array of technical mishaps.


A few months ago I had a miscarriage. It wasn't a planned pregnancy and I wasn't far along so my husband and I weren't too upset by it. I still wanted to write about it though because I thought it would be helpful to others. If you are going through a miscarriage, perhaps having an idea of what to expect may make you feel a bit better. If you have already gone through a miscarriage, perhaps you may feel comforted by knowing others have gone through the same unfortunate event.
I found out I was pregnant very early on. I kept the secret to myself for quite some time. Like I said, we weren't trying and didn't exactly have the funds for another baby at that moment. But I was happy and excited. A few weeks with the secret (six weeks pregnant now) my husband told me he would be getting a better paying job within a month according to his employer. It was this moment that I told him the news. He was a little anxious at first but within a week he had warmed to the idea and kept calling this new baby his sweetie.
Within a couple of days, he and I both told our immediate families. That evening, I started to bleed. It was very light spotting that I wasn't too concerned about. I had been taken into the care of a midwife only days beforehand, so I texted and told her. She indicated that since I was very early in my pregnancy, nothing could be done but waiting or going for blood tests. It was unlikely that an ultrasound would show us anything. I decided to wait. I knew that blood tests would only tell me what my body was doing, not prevent what was happening. I felt my body knew what it was doing, even if it was a sad outcome.
The bleeding continued and did become heavy over the next few days. I told my midwife and she agreed it was likely a miscarriage. She wanted me to go to a hospital to confirm the pregnancy had passed out of concern for my health. Pregnancies that don't completely pass naturally require a small surgical procedure or, in rare cases, can be life threatening due to infection from remaining tissue or an undiagnosed ectopic pregnancy. I went to the hospital and told them about my bleeding. I was admitted fairly quickly, as most pregnant women are. As many hospital patients would probably agree, you never want to be the one admitted quickly for fear it means that you are likely in peril. Even though this was a natural miscarriage that had no complications, the hospital staff did their due diligence to ensure that I was safe.
previous pregnancies and this one. They asked about labours, births, and procedures. As I'd had two healthy births at home before this, my answers didn't seem to give them any clues on what to expect. They drew blood and did an ultrasound on what looked like a laptop (no joke). No heartbeat or gestational sac could be seen but they told me that their equipment wasn't high tech enough to see a baby this early on anyway. They asked if I had passed anything the size of a fingertip or bigger. I hadn't. The results of the blood test came back and my HCG levels were 66,000 mIU/ml.
The pregnancy hormone HCG can tell you if you are/were pregnant with two or more blood tests taken over the span of a few days. If your HCG levels rise, the baby is likely to be healthy, if they fall, the baby is likely not viable (cannot live without being within Mom). One HCG level could not tell them anything other than I was pregnant, healthy or not was unknown.
By the way, the nurse with me was kind enough to explain that the phrase "she lost the baby" wasn't used by most hospital staff anymore because of the negative connotation. It is more appropriate to say the baby wasn't viable rather than imply it was a fault of the parent. I couldn't have agreed more with her as I sat in my hospital gown, feeling particularly vulnerable. I agreed I should feel no shame and know that the loss, as unfortunate as it was, was not my own.
Afterwards, I was told that I should come back to the hospital the following day to complete a "real" ultrasound with an ultrasonographer. I did return and I'm glad I did. Unfortunately, she did not see a baby either but she did make me feel better. She was a lovely lady in her 50's. She had a soft, delicate voice and an even softer bedside manner. She told me all about the women she had seen coming and going from her room where she usually gave them bad news. She told me that I was not alone, that miscarriages were something she had been witnessing throughout her life. She also emphasized that miscarriages were through no fault of the parents, that they were how our body cared for us in a way.
Of course it is much less sad to say goodbye to a seventh week pregnancy than a new baby, so I agreed with her. From the gentle conversation we shared, I knew that I did not have to feel shame and it was okay to be sad. There were other parents like me and my body was taking care of me. It was comforting.
Her ultrasound confirmed that the gestational sac was now located above my cervix and would pass soon. I was not in any danger and my body was healthy. It was a sad day and it was okay to feel sad but I did appreciate my family as I returned home that day.
Two days later, I was requested to come in for the second blood test. This was the last piece to confirm the miscarriage. I knew I had miscarried but doctors are doctors and they have to do their due diligence. Once again, I returned to the hospital. A very high strung doctor talked with me this time. She was adamant on performing another blood test and ultrasound. I assured her I didn't need another ultrasound but would do the blood test to confirm the miscarriage.
Since I had already missed two half days of work now, I asked if there was any way I could get the results over the phone rather than coming in to see her. She said no but after speaking with her secretary, I learned that I could get the results sent to my family doctor and he could give me the results over the phone. As he was currently on vacation, I would get the results when he got back in two days. This suited me so I was poked one more time and left.
I told her about the first blood test's results. She apologized and said there must have been a mistake and that she would call me back. A couple of hours later, I received another phone call. This time, a lady with more bite than remorse in her voice (I assumed she was the one who made the mistake) told me I had indeed miscarried and hung up. I actually laughed this time. Knowing I've made some terrible work-related errors in my career, none of them could compare to mistaking someone for being pregnant. It was a little like being in a comedy movie.
Over the next few days, we slowly told our families the news about the miscarriage. It was kind of pleasant to let everything escape slowly and let the memories pass and rest. Of course, it's always sad knowing what "could have been" and that we don't have our "sweetie" but it's also comforting to know that a third child would make us happy. We cherish our first and second children all the more now as well.
From this experience, I'd like to share with you these messages that I now know: this type of loss is not your own, you are not alone, and your body can protect you from worse pain.
And it's okay to be sad.
A friend of mine recently had his first baby and, in his new excitement of being a father, he introduced me to a phenomenon between children and colours. Until now, I hadn't heard of the different effects colours had on people and was intrigued when he told me that colours could affect children's moods, even enough to make them go to sleep on time or eat their broccoli. The book he introduced me to is called Start Smart: Building Brain Power in the Early Years by Pam Schiller.
To sum up, Schiller describes how colours can enhance learning and influence mood; she gives her insight as to which colours can do what to children and how colours can be used in a classroom or at home to build brain power (not to mention help parents out too).
Red The colour red can create alertness and excitement. It usually encourages creativity and appetite. This colour can also be disturbing to anxious individuals.
Blue Blue can create a sense of well-being and lower a person's temperature.
Sky blue is especially tranquilizing. Blue also has the effect of decreasing appetite.
Yellow This colour is the optimal colour for maintaining attention and encouraging creativity. It also creates a positive feeling.
Orange Orange can increase alertness.
Green Green creates a feeling of calmness.
Purple Purple also creates a feeling of calmness.
Brown The colour brown can increase the sense of security and relaxation. It also has the effect of reducing fatigue.
Off-white This colour can create positive feelings and help maintain attention.
Over the last couple of weeks, I decided to implement this new knowledge in the lives of my kids, but before busting out the paint to colour the walls of my boys' room, I thought it would be best to perform some harmless experiments to see if Schiller's findings applied to our lives as well.
Red – I started putting red napkins (in lieu of red placemats) under my children's' plates during meals. My kids did eat slightly more food without the continual prompting but my youngest son, Polar Bear, did proceed to tear the napkin into shreds and attempt to eat it. I also introduced a red ball into the playroom. Both children love this new ball and it's the first one they go for when playing catch. It may be that it is the "new toy" and the other balls just don't cut it anymore.
Blue – This experiment was exercised by taking my boys for walks outside. It is true that we take walks outdoors all the time but this time I monitored the children on clear, sky blue days. They did seem to be calmer during this activity. It could also have been the fresh air, but my children seemed to argue a lot less when they were outside, often sharing toys and throwing less tantrums.
Yellow and off-white – Schiller's book portrays these colours as being the best for a school classroom as they have properties to increase and maintain attention. I used yellow during book time to help my children keep their little hands and bodies still while I read to them. I chose only books with yellow jackets which seemed to do the trick (although they may have just been used to the routine). I also broke out an off-white colouring book and provided only yellow crayons to my older son, Grizzly Bear. He did spend a little longer working on his colouring than normal which was a breakthrough since he doesn't enjoy art and crafts that much.
Orange – Like red, this colour did bring a new level of alertness to my children's lives when I brought home pumpkins this Halloween. They both became enthralled by the activity and had no issues zeroing in on the activity, diving into the fun and destroying the kitchen. Admittedly this could have something to do with children loving messy play, but it may have been the colour orange too.
Green and purple – Admittedly I did not use the colour purple for any experiments, but I did use green. I set up a green coloured canopy in their room and laid them under it for nap and bedtimes. They seemed to enjoy the canopy and stare at it. My Grizzly Bear continually asked what it was and why it was there, but he did fall asleep faster each night the week that it was up. I also put on nature documentaries for my children (this wasn't an experiment, just something I do regularly). I did take note that my kids (and I) became calmer and happier when rainforests and oceans dominated the scenery.
Brown – I did not introduce this colour to my children as an experiment but I did take a look at my own life and the influence brown has on it. I noticed that many houses on my street are brown and wondered if the colour choice by the developer was intentional. I also noticed that my parents' vehicle is brown, and I do feel quite safe when in it, although that may be because my Dad is often the driver.
These little activities and experiments were fun to complete and entertaining for my children. While I still don't know if I'm a believer, I did notice a few times that colours really did have different effects on my children (although hunger and exhaustion did trump most effects). All in all, perhaps I will take the plunge to paint the walls green with a tranquilizing blue ceiling!
My husband told me that these same words went through his mind a second time during the birth of our second son. Again, we decided to have a home birth. We planned the birth to take place at the same house, in the same bathtub, as our first born, having it been so successful the first time.
I followed the same birth plan, attended prenatal yoga, and practiced meditation techniques. I relaxed and rested the days leading up to it and prepared the essentials we would need. The one difference was packing a second diaper bag for our oldest son, who would be camping with his grandparents while I had the baby at their home.
I was seven days past my due date. I recall having very mild contractions throughout the day. My husband kept pestering me, asking if these meant the baby was coming. He kept reiterating that he needed an answer so that he could alert his parents. Of course I wasn't sure but eventually said yes, the baby was coming. We packed the family up and made our way into the city. It was an identical journey to the one we made almost two years previously. I had two contractions on the road. He asked if we could stop at McDonald's, which we did. And we waited in line forever, while my husband cursed and anxiously wiped at his face.
We arrived at the house at the same time as my husband's Mom. She took our son with a wish of good luck to us. The day had lingered on but by this time, it was getting late. And the baby was coming. We called our midwife and she informed us that, the same as last time, the barometric pressure had dropped (it was raining) and that many women were going into labour. In fact, both she and the backup midwife were attending other births, and that she would have to send another midwife who was sick with a cold but would make it there in time.
My husband slept on the couch while I watched my favourite funny show and ate all the McDonalds by myself. My water broke around 2 o'clock in the morning. I woke my husband, asking him to pour the bath. He helped me up the stairs as I was under quite a bit of pressure now. He helped me to get into the tub and left to call the midwife again. She was on her way. In the tub, I had one painful contraction and was shocked when I felt the urge to push.
I shouted for my husband to come back, saying the baby was coming. He passed the phone to me so that I could talk to the midwife. She was wonderful, sick as a dog, but still on her way to see me. She told me that if I had the baby in the tub, he would be blue in colour and it would be harder to tell if he was okay. She said it would be best to move to the bed, especially if she didn't make it in time. She also told me that if we were worried, we could call an ambulance. She estimated that they would arrive the same time as she would. She also told me that if I laid on my side, it would slow the progress of the birth a little, allowing her to make it there on time.
We hung up and my husband transported me to the bed. I recall him asking me if we should call an ambulance. I was tired but still in good spirits, especially since this birth already seemed to be much faster and less painful than last time. I laid on my side as I was told, and let my body keep pushing the baby, without assisting the progress. Five contractions occurred in this position, and I kept from birthing our son. It was difficult but not impossible. I knew I couldn't keep it up forever though; it wasn't painful and I wasn't too tired, but I was worried it wouldn't be healthy for my son. My husband watched as I struggled. I could see the torment and shock on his face as he kept straining to hear the sound of a vehicle outside.
Finally, we heard a car pull up. Car doors opened and closed. And opened and closed. We heard the front door open and my husband started to yell that we were on the second floor and that the baby was coming. He was in the doorway, halfway between the stairs to where the midwife was and the room to where I was. Not wanting (or able) to delay my baby's healthy birth anymore, I flipped onto all fours and let my baby be born. Seeing this progression, in slow motion I imagine, my husband lunged into the room and stretched his arms out to catch the baby as if he were a football in the air.
A successful catch, he laid the baby on the bed, allowing me to pick him up and gingerly uncoil the cord from his body. He gave a mighty cry and I hugged him. Our midwife stood there in the doorway giving instructions. I was grateful to her for not coming in to do things herself for fear my new baby would catch her cold. It was also very nice to complete the tasks ourselves, being able to really welcome and bond with our baby. He was chubby and splotchy. Not as pimply and wrinkly as his brother, but he had a squashed nose and humongous cheeks. He was quite happy to nurse and loved to be held.
Before long, a second midwife arrived. I was patched up while my son nursed, not needing as much work as the previous occasion. My husband called our families to greet our newest addition. When they arrived, my husband took him downstairs, greeting everyone by telling them he had a new profession as a doctor.
The Baby Proceedings took place in front of everyone. Our son was carefully weighed and measured, and his body and joints checked over. He was 7 lbs 14 oz and 20 ½ inches in length. He was very sturdy and still is to this day.
Finally, our first born son entered the room. He wanted to sit on my lap and watch the baby. He didn't smile or ask what it was that was resting on my chest. My husband said he had a look that plainly said "I don't like him" written on his face.
After all the congratulations and moments documented into memories, we realized that both our boys were born on Sundays and on the seventh day of the month, almost to within the hour, to a Mom with a belly full of McDonalds hamburgers. It was another lovely day.
The Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) is a tool used to look at children's developmental skills and track important milestones. The tool is essentially a short test that describes actions and scenarios. Parents walk through the activities with their child and answer the questions based on how their child performs. It's a great way to watch your child reach milestones and teach them new skills. The developmental areas included in the questionnaire are fine motor skills, gross motor skills, problem solving skills, communication skills, and personal-social skills. The questionnaire takes roughly 20 minutes to complete and is available from 2 to 60 months (from birth to kindergarten)!
I have been completing these developmental check-ups with my children at KARA since they were two months old. I love doing the ASQs with them, mostly because it's a free, entertaining activity that boosts their self-esteem, but also because it's important for me to know where practice is required. And I'm not the only one; my doctor completes a short one with them during their biannual check-ups. It's incredibly important to catch developmental delays early, so both parents and healthcare professionals get involved! My boys are only three and one, but it's not too early to think about elementary school. I want them to do well and keep up with their classmates. One way to accomplish that is to practice and to know what each ASQ area encompasses in order to complete activities that benefit my children.
Fine Motor Skills: This skill incorporates the use of small muscles, particularly in the hands and fingers, to accomplish tasks that require patience and concentration. Examples include a newborn grasping objects, a one year old holding a toy and changing it from one hand to the other, and a five year old using a crayon to draw a picture.
a great idea for Christmas)!
Gross Motor Skills: This skill encompasses the use of large muscles to complete tasks (and get into trouble)! Examples of these skills include a six month old learning to sit with support, a one year old pulling himself up to stand, and a three year old learning to hop or skip.
At Home: My younger son, Polar Bear, is learning (without much encouragement from me) to throw balls and climb into/onto furniture. My last blog on childproofing is being used to great effect here but I still wish there was a way to prevent myself from getting hit in the face unexpectedly with Mega Bloks Lego.
Problem Solving Skills: This skill encompasses a child's ability to solve problems. Problem solving to a baby can be elusive to parents. Children have no problems, right? I quickly learned that a two month old that uses his hands and eyes to explore his new world is as much of an example of problem solving as a simple math equation is to a five year old!
At Home: Both of my boys were born problem solvers, from learning how to open cupboards from the bottom to help themselves to snacks, to uncovering the heat registers to shove the snacks into spaces where even Daddy can't get to them. Only little encouragement is required at home to develop problem solving skills but one item that does help is a shape sorter! These toys are marvellous but do require encouragement as they aren't easy to master at first and children can get discouraged. I found it's best to use one that is also colour coded for easier mastery.
Communication: This skill includes the ability to use and understand language, another extremely important skill to have and not to be delayed. Examples of this skill include a 6 month old turning towards you when you call his name and a three year old telling you he has to use the potty.
At Home: Books, books, books. We read a variety of books everyday. My Grizzly Bear had a natural interest in books and took to them easily. When our second was born, we would include him in book time but we kept reading Grizzly Bear's favourites. It's no wonder that it took our Polar Bear a little while to warm up to them and through a little pause and think parenting, we realized we needed to separate book time between the two boys when Polar Bear became mobile. When we understood that our boys were going through different communication stages, we had to adapt our parenting strategies to match, even if it took a little longer to complete the bedtime routine. Polar Bear is now very content to sit and read flip-the-flap books while Grizzly Bear works on his Write-and-Wipe books. A win-win!
Personal-social Skills: This skill incorporates the ability to interact with others and self-control.
Examples of this developmental skill includes a two week old making eye-contact with Mom, a ten month old waving his chubby hand bye-bye, and a four year old taking turns in games. At Home: The most successful type of activity we do at home to build this skill in both kids is pretend play, and they love it! My Grizzly Bear is at the prime age for pretending to be a superhero, pouring Mommy an invisible cup of tea, finding superb spots for hide and seek, and building race cars out of thin air. His younger brother also gets so involved with the play that I've sat and waited for a make-believe smoothie for 25 minutes before all the right ingredients were blended and I got to make fake yummy noises. The key to helping children develop this skill is interaction and encouragement. A big cardboard box also works wonders too!
The ASQ is a wonderful tool and makes parent-led check-ups fun! Both of my boys passed most ASQ developmental areas each time, and the times they didn't, we worked a little harder to bring them up to speed, having fun along the way. If you'd like to complete an ASQ with your child or simply want more information on the tool, KARA is readily available for questions and to help you complete the questionnaire. The wonderful staff have thousands of ideas on activities you and your child can do together to improve development, believe me! They incorporate their ideas into their programs everyday to help ready your children for their first days of school too!
"Why are we not in a hospital, why are we not in a hospital, oh why are we not in a hospital." My husband told me he kept thinking these words over and over as I was in the depths of labour. It all started about nine months beforehand when we found out we were going to have our first child. I am an avid researcher, so even then, I was planning on how I was going to deliver our baby. It took a lot of dedication, including continual mental and physical exercise, and even more research. I would spent about two hours a day completing a meditation routine combined with walking, attended weekly prenatal classes, and read every positive home birth story I could get my hands on.
Nine months later, I was ready, or as ready as I could have been. My Midwife gave me one piece of critical information that I couldn't have found in any book. When early contractions start, do not push it along, try to have a nap instead. She told me many women get up and walk around to help it progress, eager to meet their baby. Your body just isn't ready at that moment, it's prepping itself, and you will need the precious little energy your expending as you walk up and down stairs, trying to hurry things up, later. Most dearly, you will need it later.
on the eighth day past due. For two days, I warded off labour with regular naps and gravol.
On the tenth day, I told my husband we needed to go into the city, to his Mom's house, as I was now in labour. In the car on the way there, I had two contractions. They weren't bad at all, totally manageable, so when my husband wanted to stop for McDonalds, I had no issues. He, on the other hand, regretted it entirely as we sat in a lengthy lineup. I recall him saying one thing to me that was just audible through the constant motion of wiping his face in anxiety, "God, I hope our baby isn't ugly." I burst out laughing.
At his Mom's, which was vacant at the time, labour pressures increased. I recall crawling on my hands and knees and leaning on things during contractions. To those women I'd seen walking through contractions, I'll never live up to you. These were hard. My husband kept bringing me ice creams and water. Ice cream, meditation, and breathing exercises were what I used, and they worked wonderfully. We called our Midwife twice. She talked on the phone with me and from my jokes and laughter, said it was still too early.
Apparently all love of the world is lost when you're really in labour, and as far as she could tell, I wasn't in enough pain to stop making jokes. So we waited. I asked my husband to pour the bath. It was pleasant being in there. I had a small tablet and watched my favourite funny show in the dark from the safety of the warm water. As contractions came, I would wake from my reverie, but otherwise, I was able to meditate myself into a shallow sleep between them. This went on for a few more hours. My husband came to check on me a few times and, when I was in enough pain to start crying, he called the midwife (with a little too much ferocity in his voice). She came rather quickly and once there, moved with lightning speed. She had never been to the house before but seemed to know her way around. I could hear her stripping the bed, laying down towels, preparing her equipment, and even moving small furniture.
She came to see me a few times between her prepping. She checked the baby's heartbeat and happily told me that my baby didn't even seem to know it was time to be born, that he was as comfortable to go through labour as I was uncomfortable with it. She told me I had to lay on my right side for a few contractions, so that I would be effaced on both sides (I had been labouring on my left side only). She told me I had to try to use the toilet. I tried twice with no success. The second time, I had the strongest, most painful contraction I'd ever experienced (both labours combined). It caused my water to break.
One more contraction and he was out and on my chest. He was quiet at first, so my Midwife kind of poked him with her finger, making sure his mouth was clear and he let out a wail. We all rejoiced!
The entire (and new) family moved to one of the bedrooms, the one that had been stripped and prepped. We called our families to announce the baby had arrived in the wee hours of the morning. My Midwife did a quick check of our son's vitals, after which, she gave me no warning before she plopped the baby on to my chest to nurse. What an odd sensation. Our families arrived and my husband brought the baby to see them so I could have a bit of privacy to get fixed up. Yes indeed, labour takes a toll on the body and I felt a little like Frankenstein as I was patched up. I was a new woman, my Midwife told me. I didn't feel very new, but was happy all the same. Our families then came to join me as we watched what I call the Baby Proceedings. The Midwife weighed and measured our baby, checked his muscles, joints, mouth, eyes, and tested his blood. He weighed 8 lbs 5 oz. and was 21 ¾" in length. I recall looking over to my Mom and seeing her eyes bulge at the news. She later told me that as far as she new, no woman in our family had ever birthed a baby that big.
The baby was laid to sleep in a crib beside my bed. My Midwife congratulated me and told me I was one of the fastest first timers she'd ever had. She also told me that in these next few hours, I would need to sleep. That many women feel the desire to watch their sleeping baby rather than sleep themselves. She left, promising to return in a few days to check us all again. As my husband laid down next to me, both of us trying to get some sleep, we both found ourselves turning towards our son, watching him snooze peacefully beside us. It was wonderful to fall in love so quickly. At the time, he was the most beautiful child we had ever seen. He was bald and wrinkled, with splotches of pink on his skin. Indeed, he was a little ugly.


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Actors That Should Work with Aaron Sorkin
A list of actors I believe should collaborate with Aaron Sorkin.
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Aaron Sorkin is a legendary screenwriter, commonly referred to as one of the best in the industry. A writer who I myself also look up to. Since 2017 with 'Molly's Game' Sorkin has started directing the movies he wrote. And it works! Molly's Game and The Trial of the Chicago 7 were both well directed films with both public and critical acclaim.
Ideally, actors working in Aaron Sorkin films, should be able to deliver intelligent dialogue at a rapid pace, and bounce off of each other. So actors on the slow-talk end like Christopher Walken are disqualified.
So, based on the style of his films, both written or directed by him, here are a list of actors I think he should work with.
Charlie Wilson's War 2007
The Social Network 2010
& The Trial of the Chicago 7 2020 – read full review here: https://www.thescreenwritersjournal.com/the-trial-of-the-chicago-7/
Emma Watson:
Photo belongs to David Shankbone
License – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en
Over the years the French-born Harry Potter star has proven herself to be more than just Hermoine Granger. Her filmography includes films like: Little Women, The Bling Ring and Noah. Each of which gave her critical acclaim for her portrayals. She may not be the fastest talker, but look no further than The Circle to see how smart she can sound. If Sorkin were looking for a younger female lead, Watson would definately be a solid choice.
George Clooney:
Clooney might honestly be the most Sorkin-suited actor on this list. His charm, his voice, and his personality would jump off the pages of a Sorkin screenplay. The well-mannered gentleman with a dash of boldness to him. Wether a leading role, or a supporting one, he'd fit in perfectly.
John Goodman:
The actor who in part became famous for his work with the Coen Brothers, has managed to make a name for himself. Not only is a veteran of comedy, he can also play characters with a darker tone. Wether it be more lighthearted ones like in The Big Lebowski, or straight up psychopaths like in 10 Cloverfield Lane. Goodman could be a unique choice a Sorkin film, if given the right material.
Leonardo DiCaprio:
Photo belongs to Christopher William Adach
Despite the jokes about him not being able to get an Oscar until recent, DiCaprio is a genuinally talented actor. One of the best working today I might add. Just like a fine wine, his acting chops have gotten better over the years. From the suicidal boy in Titanic, to Hollywood star Rick Dalton, there's a day and night difference in quality. His unique charm and way of saying words would make a great lead in a Sorkin film.
Natalie Portman:
The Israeli actress is argueably one of the most dominant in the world. Ever since making the scene with Leon the Professional, she's starred in hit movie, after hit movie. Having worked with several of the Goats of acting. Take roles like in 2016's Jackie, maybe not stylewise, but just the type of movie Sorkin would make. She's smart ( not only characterwise, but in real life too ), she's strong and she's a talented actress.
Pierce Brosnan:
Photo belongs to Siebbi
License – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en
The former Bond star has had a long career in the acting world. He's been in good movies, bad movies, and great movies. Look no further than his role as the former IRA agent in 'The Foreigner' where he played alongside Jackie Chan. His character was the embodiment of what a Sorkin portrayal should look like. Fast talking, intelligent, bold and terrifically acted.
Simon Pegg:
Photo belongs to Dudek1337
Though I knew about Pegg for a long time, I didn't consider myself a fan of his until I watched him in Edgar Wright's 'Shaun of the Dead'. Followed by the rest of the Cornetto Trilogy ( Hot Fuzz & The World's End ), I aqqquired a certain taste for the unique British actor as well as the before mentioned director. Originally I was going to suggest Pegg and Scott Adkins, but the two are too simular in style to require seperate entries. I believe Pegg would work best as a supporting character, ideally one who was meant to be comedic relief.
That was my list of actors who should work with Aaron Sorkin. Do you agree with my list? If so, lemme' know in the comments below.
All photos from Wikimedia Commons – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en
Tags Aaron Sorkin
← Suggestion Box → Let's Talk About Johnny Depp…


The R-Type is the second series of post-war Bentley motorcars and replaced the Mk. VI. Essentially a larger-boot version of the Mk. VI, the R type is regarded by some as a stop-gap before the introduction of the S-series cars in 1955. As with its predecessor, a standard body was available as well as coachbuilt versions by firms including H.J.Mulliner, Park Ward, Harold Radford, Freestone and Webb and others. Even by this date, there was little difference (other than the radiator grilles and the carburation) between the standard Bentley R-Type and the Rolls Royce Silver Dawn, though Bentley was still the more popular sporting marque. Indeed, the vast majority of cars produced were Bentleys with some 2,500 units manufactured during the R-Type's run. During development, it was referred to as the Bentley Mk. VII; even the chassis cards for these cars describe them as Bentley 7's. The R-Type name, which is now usually applied, stems from chassis series RT. The front of the saloon model was identical to the Mk. VI, but the boot was almost doubled in capacity and the engine increased in displacement from 4¼ to 4½ litres.
This automatic Bentley R-Type has been sourced from a large collection and presents well with black over grey coachwork and Blood Red leather trim. Originally registered on 9th March, 1954, this elegant example has spent much of its recent life in Ireland and boasts a wealth of servicing and maintenance bills covering the past 17 years. Although clearly restored a number of years ago, this example could now benefit from some further light restoration work with the trim just passing the 'patina' stage and the woodwork, although complete, in need of some treatment but by no means in poor condition. Attractively estimated, this very usable example has character and charm in abundance and represents a great opportunity to own and enjoy a 1950's Bentley.


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Prostate cancer treatment falls as PSA test becomes less common
– Prostate cancer treatment falls as PSA test becomes less common
by Law Office of Robert A. Miller | Feb 2, 2017 | Failure to Diagnose |
The prostate-specific antigen test has generally been the standard way for doctors in Oregon and around the country to identify the signs of prostate cancer in older men, but the medical community has started to distance itself from the controversial procedure as questions about its reliability have grown more persistent. Critics of the test point out that it routinely identifies potential cancer in men who are later found to be cancer-free, and they say that this can lead to unnecessary and often debilitating treatment.
A professor from the University of Maryland wanted to know how views of PSA screening had impacted prostate cancer treatment in the United States, and he studied the medical records of more than 67,000 Medicare patients who had been diagnosed with the disease between 2007 and 2012 to find out. The professor discovered that the number of men undergoing prostate cancer treatment fell from 4.3 per 100,000 in 2007 to 2.5 per 100,000 in 2012. The research was published in January 2017 in the medical journal Health Affairs.
Population-based statistical analysis was used to reflect changes in ways that prostate cancer is both diagnosed and treated, and the data suggests that doctors are backing away from treating the disease for a number of reasons. Prostate cancer develops slowly, and treatment may be harmful rather than beneficial to men diagnosed in their late 60s or 70s. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended that men aged 75 or older not bother with PSA screening in 2008, but the independent group of physicians had changed its position by 2011 and advised all men to avoid the questionable blood test.
Medical malpractice lawsuits are often filed after a delayed diagnosis, but patients may also choose to pursue civil remedies when their doctors have ordered unnecessary tests or treatments. Physicians sometimes do this because they fear being sued by unhappy patients, and plaintiffs attorneys may call upon medical experts to determine whether or not testing was appropriate and treatment necessary.


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Home » The Schizophrenic Investor Landscape: The Significance for Boards and Managements of the JANA/CalSTRs Letter to Apple
The Schizophrenic Investor Landscape: The Significance for Boards and Managements of the JANA/CalSTRs Letter to Apple
By Ethan A. Klingsberg on January 8, 2018
Posted in Boards of Directors, Shareholder Activism
Over the past couple of years, we have seen traditional, actively managed funds, such as Neuberger Berman, borrow activist tactics and push for changes to accelerate increases in share prices. In parallel with this arguable trend toward convergence between actively managed funds and activist funds, a chasm appeared to be developing elsewhere in the investor landscape as pension and passive strategy funds increasingly focused on "social good" issues, while brand name activist funds remained primarily focused on nearer term financial performance and returns. But the activists desperately need the support of the pension and passive strategy funds, as evidenced by the proxy contests over the past year where support from these funds was neither predictable nor easily locked up. The announcement on January 6, 2018 by JANA Partners, a high profile activist fund, and CalSTRs, an outspoken pension fund, that they have teamed up to accumulate a $2 billion equity position in Apple for the purpose of launching a specific "social good" campaign is the strongest indication to date that the magnitude of assets under management focused on social good matters cannot be ignored and that even a successful activist fund like JANA needs to burnish its reputation in this area.
The letter from JANA and CalSTRs to Apple, which focuses on forcing Apple to figure out a way to mitigate the horrible impact on teenagers arising from overuse of smartphones, explains, in less cynical terms than this post, the rationale behind this convergence between the goals of maximizing shareholder value and pursuing social good, and emphasizes that this convergence is especially relevant in the technology sector:
"There is a developing consensus around the world including Silicon Valley that the potential long-term consequences of new technologies need to be factored in at the outset, and no company can outsource that responsibility….
"[T]here is also a growing societal unease about whether at least some people are getting too much of a good thing when it comes to technology, which at some point is likely to impact even Apple….
"[P]aying special attention to the health and development of the next generation is both good business and the right thing to do….
"Increasingly today the gap between "short-term" and "long-term" thinking is narrowing, on issues like public health, human capital management, environmental protection, and more, and companies pursuing business practices that make short-term sense may be undermining their own long-term viability. In the case of Apple, we believe the long-term health of its youngest customers and the health of society, our economy, and the Company itself, are inextricably linked, and thus the only difference between the changes we are advocating at Apple now and the type of change shareholders are better known for advocating is the time period over which they will enhance and protect value."
Borrowing from tactics used in numerous campaigns aimed at forcing companies to change operational and financial strategies, JANA and CalSTRs announce in the letter their assembly of a team of experts on the issue in question and call on Apple to meet with JANA, CalSTRs and their experts and to form a committee to address this issue and, of course, for their experts to serve on this committee.
What does this development mean for Boards and managements? Just the way attention to "good governance" hot button issues has been critical to maintaining relationships with your long-term stockholder base, attention to "social good" matters is equally important. The activists are on to the social good angle and are aggressively building bridges with the institutional shareholder community on this front. Look out for activists, in their campaigns to disrupt corporate strategy to accelerate returns, not to hesitate to start leveraging perceptions of weaknesses by companies on "social good" matters into support for their campaigns. Ironically, a lot of the corporate governance provisions of which stockholders are most critical (e.g., dual class capital structures and classified boards) are those that can be most valuable for giving a board and management space to focus on "social good" and the long-termism praised in the JANA and CalSTRs letter.
In sum, there is definitely schizophrenia in the investor community: The activists are now sometimes posing as long-term, social good investors; the traditional actively managed funds are sometimes taking on the role of activists; and the pension and passive strategy funds that purport to be focused on the long-term are continuing to advocate against corporate governance provisions that can give boards and managements space to play the long game. Attention to your approach to corporate governance and social good issues, and understanding their relationships to your baseline fiduciary duties and your stockholder profile, is an important step toward being able to navigate this investor landscape.
Practical Steps for Increased Board Effectiveness
Outlook for Activism in 2023
Selected Issues for Boards of Directors in 2023


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Staturday: CWHL season wrap-up
By Mike Murphy@DigDeepBSB Feb 25, 2017, 10:00am EST
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Dave Holland / CWHL
The CWHL playoffs are about to begin, so this week our focus will be on some of the enlightening numbers and trends from the 2016-17 CWHL regular season.
Last year Les Canadiennes de Montreal had the top-four scorers in the CWHL. This year they had three of the top-five scorers. Montreal's Marie Philip-Poulin and Brampton' Jess Jones both finished the season with 37 points, but Poulin hit her mark in one less game than Jones.
Jones had the most power play points in the league this year (12). She quadrupled her power play production from the 2015-16 season. Jones also eclipsed her point production from last season by 13 points.
Marie-Philip Poulin & Jess Jones co-win 2016-17 @TheCWHL scoring race with 37 points each to capture the Angela James Bowl. pic.twitter.com/1PeouqDTl3
— Angela James Bowl (@AngelaJamesBowl) February 19, 2017
Calgary's Jacquie Pierri led the league with 48 PIM this year. Pierri's penalty minute count is the most since Kelsey Webster's 48 PIM in the 2013-14 season, but Pierri hit her mark in one less game.
Last year 13 different players in the CWHL scored shorthanded goals for a total of 17 shorties. This season nine different players scored shorthanded goals for a total of 14 goals on the PK. Montreal's Ann-Sophie Bettez led the league this year with three goals scored while her team was a man down.
Blades' rookies Kate Leary and Meghan Grieves combined for 15 goals this year. The entire Boston Blades team scored just 17 goals last season. Leary finished 11th in the CWHL in goal scoring with her 10 goals, last year Boston's top goal scorer, Megan Myers, finished tied for 28th in goals. Leary also finished tied for third in the CWHL in power play goals (4).
The Blades were the only CWHL team to not record a shutout this season.
The Calgary Inferno were the only team to have three different goalies post a shutout this season.
Last year Christina Kessler posted a .902 sv% and a 3.34 GAA with the Furies. This season she posted a .920 sv% and a 2.20 GAA. It's safe to say that Toronto's improved blue line was key to their better play this year.
Bettez and Inferno captain Brianne Jenner shared the league lead in primary assists this season. Jenner picked up 11 of her 12 primary assists at even strength, Bettez picked up four of her 12 on the power play.
Amanda Kessel leads the NWHL in primary assists on the power play and is tied with Buffalo's Corrine Buie in total power play points.
Amanda Kessel is currently 6th in the NWHL in points.
Everyone above her has played at least 13 games.
SHES PLAYED 6!!
— My Teuvo Left Me (@GradHawksBlog) February 22, 2017
Alex Carpenter needs 10 points in her next four games to match Hilary Knight's high-water mark of 33 points from the 2015-16 season. The Pride play the Riveters twice and the Whale and Beauts one before the close of their 17-game regular season.
In her first game with the Whale former Pride forward Zoe Hickel scored a goal on her first shift and on her first shot. She finished her debut with two goals and six shots.
NCAA Division I
Since the beginning of the New Year Clarkson's Cayley Mercer leads the nation in goals (14) and points (25). Mercer also leads the nation in shots per game (6.25) since January 1st.
Wisconsin's Annie Pankowski leads women's college hockey in insurance goals. She has scored 15 of her 20 goals this year while the Badgers have had the lead.
Swiss national team player and UMD Bulldog Lara Stalder has 25 points in 15 games this season played on weekdays and 25 points in 16 games played on Saturdays and Sundays. No player has more points during the work week than Stalder.
UNH forward Jonna Curtis has already eclipsed her point total from her junior year. She has 39 points this season with New Hampshire in 32 games, last year she had 32 points in 36 games. She's one of just ten women in the nation with 20 or more goals in the 2016-17 season.
Congrats to our senior captain Jonna Curtis, who reached the 100-point milestone tonight at UConn. #CountdownTo100 #UNWHOCKEY #GoUNH pic.twitter.com/SJTLnEeiYV
— UNH Women's Hockey (@UNHWHOCKEY) February 18, 2017
Ann-Renée Desbiens has 23 victories this season and 13 of those have been shutouts. She is the only goaltender in the nation to have one loss while playing in at least 15 games this year.