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One Barnet - The BIG LEAKS WEBSITE
This blog charts the history of the One Barnet project from it's genesis as the Barnet Future Shape fiasco, through the EasyCouncil embarrassment to the One Barnet Wreckage. If you find any interesting One Barnet related documents or emails which Barnet is covering up, send them to us and we'll publish them here. Barnet says One Barnet is the future of local government. If this was true, they wouldn't be hiding all of the documents which say the wheels are falling off
Freedom Passes - The sad reality
Last night I was having a business meeting in my studio reception area with a client, to discuss a very important project we are working on. As we were discussing it, a young man with learning difficulties entered. He stood and stared at me. He clearly wanted to see me, but was embarrassed as he realised I was doing something important.
As he suffers from autism, situations where he encounters an unexpected scenario can worry and upset him. I know this young man well. He did work experience at our studios. He is also the person who emailed me of his tale of woe, which broke the Freedom Pass story. He contacted me about it in despair.
Although my business is very important, I have learned that some things are more important. So I asked my client if we could break for five minutes. He was more than happy.
I then went over to see the young man. He had simply come down to show me his new freedom pass 'I came down on the bus Roger'. He then excitedly told me he'd been to the council meeting and met Mrs Angry.
He laughed and said 'I thought she would be angry but she was nice'. He then said 'The Tory councillors were very rude to her. All she wanted was to help disabled people. Why did they do that?'
This young man summed up with this question a conundrum Which has been bothering me. Why do the Tory Councillors not simply accept there has been a monumental cock up, apologise and get Capita to sort it out. I am sure they are not spiteful, evil people who take delight in humiliating young autistic disabled people.
The young man then thanked me again for helping him and bade us fair well.
The gentleman I'd been having the meeting with had been listening intently. As we resumed the meeting, he asked me to explain what had happened. He was completely gobsmacked. He simply asked 'How could they do that to a person in that position?'.
All I could do is shake my head and say 'I haven't got a clue'. Sadly in this respect, I am not the only one.
Posted by Rog T at 08:44
Barnet Council shoddy parking markings in Mill Hill
Barnet Council correspondence with the ICO
Notification Correspondence
ICO+Barnet Correspondence Re ENQ0391446
Eversheds briefing note - An Overview of the Transparency Agenda and its Impact on Freedom of Information Law for the Local Government Sector
Welcome to Eversheds' local government briefing note 78/2011
Protection of Freedoms Bill - Part I
An Overview of the Transparency Agenda and its Impact on Freedom of Information Law for the Local Government Sector
The Protection of Freedom Bill was placed before Parliament on 11 February 2011 and in addition to dealing with many other 'freedoms' also proposes changes to the existing Freedom of Information Act 2000 ("FOIA") as part of the Government's commitment to greater transparency. The Bill is currently at Committee Stage in the House of Lords and needs to go through the Report Stage and 3rd Reading in that House before final Consideration of Amendments takes place and the Bill receives Royal Assent.
Key changes to FOIA are:
extending the regime to cover subsidiary companies even if not wholly owned by a single public authority – a significant loophole in the original legislation; and
imposing an obligation on public authorities to disclose datasets in a reusable format.
The Bill will extend FOIA to more bodies and will increase their FOIA obligations. However, in the context of the wider Government changes proposed for transparency and Information Commissioner's Office (ICO") consultations, the impact of changes on public authorities will be potentially complex and onerous. Naturally, they will affect not only those public authorities but also those working with such public authorities.
The Bill does not make changes to FOIA's equivalent legislation in Scotland, so the regimes in the two jurisdictions will continue to diverge. Although the Bill only directly amends FOIA and not the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 ("EIR"), since the definition of an EIR public authority is partially dependent on the FOIA definition, there will also be an impact in relation to the EIR.
Public authority subsidiaries
FOIA applies to public authorities listed in its Schedule 1. In addition, it applies to any "publicly-owned company" defined under FOIA in Section 6 as being any company which is wholly owned by either the Crown or, subject to minor exceptions, by any public authority listed in Schedule 1. As such, companies owned by more than one local authority presently fall outside the scope of FOIA.
As currently drafted, Clause 101 of the Bill widens this definition to cover companies that are wholly owned by the Crown, the "wider public sector" or an amalgamation of the two. The effect of this is that, subject to a few limited exceptions, the FOIA will be extended, as a minimum, to cover companies that are wholly owned by any combination of public authorities.
Unfortunately, at present the Bill has no definition of what is meant by "the wider public sector" which will cause confusion and increase complaints: does it mean FOIA public authorities, any public sector body even if currently outside FOIA, bodies providing public functions or services who may be private and doing so on an outsourced basis, the third sector, or any combination of them? This is a particular risk for local government when working in partnership with other bodies, including in the private sector, such as through joint venture vehicles.
The ICO criticised this aspect of the Bill in February 2011 when it was in the House of Commons and again in October 2011 in relation to its progress in the House of Lords when it stated the term was "unclear and there is a strong need to give legal clarity to the term". The ICO's view is that the reference to 'wider public sector' should extend FOIA to "bodies that are receiving significant public funds, are subject to public sector control and/or are delivering important services to members of the public" – which would significantly extend the ambit of FOIA and is likely to impact private bodies engaged in such service delivery in partnership with or on behalf of the public sector.
Unless the definition is confirmed by the Bill, the meaning of the term will have to be decided by later decisions by the ICO, First-Tier and Upper Tribunal and the High Court, creating uncertainty and causing unnecessary risk and expense in the meantime.
Disclosure of datasets
The proposals put forward in Clause 100 of the Bill will amend Section 11 FOIA (preferences of applicants in relation to information requested). It will insert a new Section 11A into FOIA, the combined effect of which will be to impose additional obligations on public authorities in relation to the release and publication of datasets.
Thankfully a "dataset" is defined and means: "a collection of information held in electronic form where all or most of the information...
(a) has been obtained or recorded for the purpose of providing a public authority with information in connection with the provision of a service by the authority or the carrying out of any other function of the authority,
(b) is factual information which -
(i) is not the product of analysis or interpretation other than calculation, and
(ii) is not an official statistic...and
(c) remains presented in a way that...has not been organised, adapted or otherwise materially altered since it was obtained or recorded."
Interestingly, the definition in the Bill does not refer to or carve out personal data. However, the whole Government transparency agenda is targeted at 'public data', ie factual, non-personal data on which public services are run or assessed and on which policy decisions are based, or which are collected or generated in the course of public service delivery. The ICO seems relaxed about the definition which it believes "should be workable" with the caveat that "it should be monitored closely during early periods of operation". The ICO's concern is not that the definition is too wide, quite the opposite. The ICO is concerned to ensure public authorities do not construe datasets too narrowly and wants to ensure that the ability to exclude information which is the product of analysis or interpretation is not interpreted too widely.
Although it is clear that the provision would capture raw, electronic data such as spend data, it may also capture additional details, such as survey results and metrics on service delivery and performance – depending upon how the definition is interpreted.
Public authorities will in the future have to release such electronic datasets which they hold (or which others hold on their behalf) on written request. In addition, the public authority, must, so far as is reasonably practicable, provide the dataset in a re-useable (i.e. capable of being manipulated rather than, for example, as a PDF) electronic format where the applicant states a preference for the information to be provided in an electronic form.
Once a dataset has been requested, the public authority must, unless it is satisfied that it is not appropriate to do so, publish such datasets held (including up-dated versions) through its publication scheme, in electronic form, capable of re-use.
Where the dataset concerned is protected by copyright which is owned solely by that public authority, when disclosing or publishing the dataset, the public authority must "make the relevant copyright work available for re-use by the applicant in accordance with the terms of [any] specified licence". The specified licence details will be set out in the section 45 FOIA Code of Practice which is currently being revised but which has not yet been published. It seems likely that the licence will either be or be similar to the Open Government Licence terms managed by the National Archives.
The Bill provides that a public authority may charge the fee permitted by the relevant specified licence; there may be different licence terms and fees depending upon the circumstances of the licence and fees may allow for a return on investment. Where the authority already has other powers to charge for particular information, they can continue to do so under that regime. The latest comments on the Bill from the ICO make clear that guidance should be issued to clarify that "charging should not be the default".
The ICO views these provisions as a partial means of achieving its ambition to update FOIA to take account of new internet technologies, sometimes described as 'FOI 2.0' and wants to encourage public authorities to increase their transparency accordingly.
Although the Bill does not prescribe how an authority selects the required re-usable open format, nor explain when it would not be "appropriate for the dataset to be published" the ICO wants further clarification to be added to the Bill to ensure the potential get out is not abused by public authorities. The ICO presumes that "not appropriate" means FOIA exempt but has not mentioned whether any technical (or related financial) issues with the required open electronic format should be considered.
The draft dataset legislation overlaps with a number of other areas of relevant policy development in play at present and which may have a major effect on its impact.
The Transparency Agenda and Open Data
The Coalition Government formed the Public Sector Transparency Board in June 2010. Chaired by Sir Francis Maude, the Board has been driving greater transparency through central government with the aim of improving open data and accountability in respect of 'public data'. This is to be achieved following eleven principles including that: 1) transparency will be driven by the public; 2) public data will be published in re-usable and machine readable format; 3) it will be released under the same open licence to facilitate re-use, including commercial re-use; 4) it will be available and easy to find from a single, on-line access point (the proposed, please click here);
5) it will be published using open standards; and 6) public authorities must maintain and publish their data inventories.
Although specifically excluding personal data, many of the developments in making information available on central government have included, as well as publishing spend information, details of organisation's internal reporting structures, individuals leading organisations or teams within them, their direct reports, their roles and their salary details where £150,000 or more. Where individuals have objected to such disclosure the ICO has supported government and decided that public sector employees earning those amounts must reasonably expect disclosure of those details and that their publication is legitimate.
The roll out of this policy has varied across the public sector depending upon the jurisdiction and type of sector in which a public authority is based. Most attention has been focussed on local government in England only. However, we expect that approach to spread to other sectors and jurisdictions over time, especially bearing in mind proposed developments summarised below.
Local Government has been strongly encouraged voluntarily to publish more public data, very much like central government. Those expectations are set out in the Code of Recommended Practice to Support Local Government Transparency issued in September 2011. Voluntary disclosure of many details, including the following is expected:
Spend data over £500 (including cost, supplier and transaction information, even if with a sole trader in a business capacity);
Senior employee salaries ie £58,200 or more (with names unless consent is refused), job description, responsibilities, budget, staff numbers and overall salary cost of reporting staff;
Organisation chart of staff structure, including salary bands and vacant posts;
The Pay Multiple;
Copy contracts with and tenders to business / charities;
Grants; and
Policies, performance, external audits, key inspections and indicators on fiscal and financial position.
The Code specifically details acceptable recommended open, machine readable formats for publication which facilitate re-use.
The recommended but non mandatory disclosure regime presents challenges for public authorities who, absent the statutory defences provided by FOIA, cannot override third party copyright or contractual confidentiality provisions to make disclosures of those details with impunity.
Government Consultations on Open Data and the Public Data Corporation
The Government had recently closed two related consultation exercises: one on open data and the other on the Public Data Corporation (a corporation to control the Government's information trading funds, such as Ordnance Survey, which have historically charged for their data). We await their outcome but the results will impact public authorities and their approach to disclosing and publishing datasets.
Although the ICO statement on the open data consultation mentioned that the development was welcomed, the detailed response of the ICO to the consultation is more enlightening. The consultation exercise relates only to England, with a proposed sharing of best practice with the devolved administrations who would develop their own approaches to open data.
The paper focuses on 'public services' which the consultation paper states 'are either provided by public bodies, or providers who have been funded, commissioned or established by statute to provide a service.'. In other words, open data may impact both public and private sectors, partnerships between them and all those caught in the 'wider public sector', referenced in the Bill. The ICO is concerned to ensure it is clear what public services / functions and which public service providers are caught and wants to ensure that there is not a two tier system between FOIA / EIR public authorities and other bodies subject to open data obligations. The ICO wants FOIA provisions to be universal but may tolerate very specific open data obligations being limited to specific sectors only. Although the consultation paper also refers to datasets, this does not match the Bill's definition, so its scope is unclear, especially in relation to unstructured data, as the ICO comments in its response.
The paper makes clear that further changes to FOIA and the EIR are likely, not only following the current post legislative scrutiny of FOIA but also following the results of this consultation. Areas of potential change include:
Creating a stronger presumption in favour of disclosure to the public (the ICO would like this adding to FOIA in respect of all information);
A presumption that data should be published unless exempt or excepted;
Greater pro-active and more regular publication by the wider public sector (and potentially relabeling 'publication schemes' according to ICO comments);
Enhanced challenge right to an independent body re non publication, such body to have power to mandate disclosure and the format, quality and regularity of publication (the ICO would like to take on this role);
Reducing the availability of the costs threshold under current fee regulations to avoid disclosures (the ICO is keen to explore this subject to ensuring that the burden of the changes is properly assessed);
Ensuring that the ICO has sufficient FOIA / EIR enforcement powers (the ICO agrees and wants to be able to order disclosure via publication scheme as well as to applicants) and requests audit powers of public bodies);
Imposing statutory time limits for dealing with internal FOIA / EIR appeals;
An 'on-line by default' regime;
Corporate board level responsibility for compliance; and
Extending the approach of the Sector Transparency Board to other sectors which hold datasets of great value.
It is likely that the approach in the Local Government Transparency Code will be extended to apply to other sectors as a result, with corresponding increases in the amount and type of data which should be pro-actively published and the ICO agrees the value of this approach. Although open data raises some concerns in relation to the interaction of privacy issues for personal data with increased transparency – which the ICO agrees must be handled carefully, the ICO does not feel further legislation is necessary to deal with this but will be issuing a Code of Practice on Anonymisation to assist public authorities with this challenge.
In relation to the section 45 FOIA Code of Practice being revised, the ICO may cover the need to use standard contractual clauses and templates with third party ICT providers to ensure that open data standards are embedded in new systems and services.
The consultation proposes high quality open data releases, an approach the ICO agrees is important. It is not clear how this will impact current practice under FOIA / EIR which does not cover data quality, or how this sits with the recommended Open Government Licence terms which specifically state that information is licensed 'as is'.
How this interaction between FOIA, open data and datasets will work is not yet completely apparent.
ICO Consultation on revising publication schemes and 'Tell Me More'
On 25 November, the ICO launched it's 'Tell Me More' consumer campaign, designed to encourage the public to inform the ICO what they want to know upfront about public authorities. Although the publicity refers to local government and central government, this is likely to shape policy for all public authorities in the future. The public, journalists and campaign groups are all being encouraged to complete the survey.
This survey overlaps with the current publication scheme consultation being run by the ICO and which is open until 21 December 2011. The formal consultation picks up the theme of the transparency agenda and references in the Bill to datasets as well as to FOI 2.0. However, the consultation is not limited to datasets but applies to any information (whether structured or unstructured) if suitable for 'general publication on a regular basis'.
For central and local government the ICO will update the definition documents element of their prescribed publication schemes by March 2011. This will include the transparency initiative already underway ie the Code referenced above for local government and the Cabinet Office publication standards for central government. This will change the voluntary nature of compliance with those expectations.
There are queries about the whole current approach to publication schemes, such as whether main sector indexes should be developed, as well as questions about widening classes of information included, although it is clear that the ICO is open to sector specific approaches.
Building on the transparency agenda, the ICO queries whether open data formats should be recommended for use in the 'guide to information' in publication schemes, such as non-pdf format. In relation to the Bill, the ICO proposes recommending that public authorities provide all datasets listed in their publication schemes in open, re-usable formats, in line with current guidance (please click here to view). This may be set out in surrounding guidance, or in the model publication scheme itself.
Finally, to deal with the re-use of public information, the ICO makes clear its support for the Open Government Licence terms. Reference to these may be inserted in the model publication scheme itself, or sector definition documents. In this regard, the ICO wants reference to make clear that the licence does not extend to third party copyright / database material and further will expect public authorities to make clear to users which material is owned by a third party. The ICO may also recommend that all web based publication schemes make use of a permanent URL to facilitate the automated harvesting of publication scheme locations and contents.
Despite the Government's aim of making understanding access to data clear, simple and efficient, the same cannot be said to be true at present for those expected to understand and implement those obligations across the local government sector. It is to be hoped that as the various consultations and deliberations finalise policy and guidance, that the outcome is certain, achievable and fair to those affected and properly takes account of the changes and resources required to implement the new regime.
The most significant of these obligations is likely to be the requirement to proactively publish datasets once they have been released. In the short term these additional requirements are likely to create a significant burden on public authorities, both in terms of time and cost. However, in theory the more that information is made publicly available, the less information requests for such information will be necessary and so the long term effect of the changes should be to reduce this burden. It remains to be seen whether this will be the case or whether this approach will simply ignite further curiosity and thereby lead to more requests for information being made.
Judith Barnes
PartnerTel: 0845 498 4059
Intl: +44 113 200 4059
judithbarnes@eversheds.com
Blog Removed Earlier
Earlier today we removed a blog post, concerning a standards complaint. We were advised that we were misinformed regarding the format and purposes of the standards sub committee meeting on Tuesday evening. This is not the full hearing, just a consideration meeting to ascertain completeness of the information gathering process and to set a timetable. We've also been assured that all relevant paperwork will be posted on the Barnet Council website at the appropriate time. As the report printed here was deemed unhelpful to this process, it was removed. Apologies to all concerned for any inconvenience.
Barnet Council FOI response reveals attempt to harrass blogger via ICO
The following is a response to an FOI request from Barnet Council. Below are SCRIBD links to the attached PDF documents. Apologies for the difficult to follow format, courtesy of Barnet Council. Council Officers details redacted to spare his blushes. The meat is in the attachments.
Dear Mr Tichborne
Request for Information under FOIA
I am writing in respect of your recent enquiry for information held by Barnet Council under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. I apologise for not responding within 20 days.
1. Please detail the number of staff (specify full time, part time, contract, temp) employed by Barnet Council who's job description includes the task of monitoring blogs.
2. Please supply all council reports which specifically mention blogs and bloggers produced since 1st Feb 2011.
The State of the Borough Report. (http://www.barnet.gov.uk/barnet-borough-report-2011.pdf)
3. Please supply any other council communications (redacted if necessary) which refer to blogs or bloggers, sent to entities other than private individuals (ie sent to companies, law firms, media firms etc).
Please find attached redacted correspondence between the council and the ICO in regards to one blogger and the use of personal information. The council has redacted any information that could identify individuals within this correspondence.
4. Please supply a full list of any companies engaged by Barnet Council since 1st Feb who's terms of engagement include :-
a) improving the public image of Barnet Council
b) managing the image of Barnet Council
c) Corporate rebranding of Barnet Council
No companies have been engaged since 1 February 2011 for these purposes. It is the responsibility of the council's corporate communications unit to manage the image of the council.
We trust this satisfies your request.
If you are unhappy with the way your request for information has been handled, you can request a review by writing to the FOI Officer at: The London Borough of Barnet, North London Business Park, Oakleigh Road South, London, N11 1NP (email foi.act@barnet.gov.uk).
If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request or complaint, you have a right to appeal to the Information Commissioner at: The Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF (telephone: 08456 306060 or 01625 545745; website: www.ico.gov.uk).
There is no charge for making an appeal.
J********* S*******
Internal Communications Manager
Chief Executive's Service London Borough of Barnet, North London Business Park, Oakleigh Road South, London N11 1NP Tel: 020 8359 7*** Mobile: 07931 4*****
Barnet Online: www.barnet.gov.uk
Complaint Form to Ico
Complaint Form to Ico2
Email From Council
Ico Response
ico response1
Barnet Council Secret Documents - One Barnet Procurement Principles - part 2
Blog part two - First four pages of secret Barnet Council Documents detailing the "procurement principles" for the One Barnet program
Location: Barnet, Hertfordshire, UK
A link for our Councillors to show them how a proper Tory Council conducts its business
Windsor and Maidenhead Council transparancy and Open Government Policy
Barnet Council Future Shape Resources
Barnet YouTube - Becoming an I Can Brand
Barnet Future Shape Flickr Slides
Education Crisis - Has it occurred to anyone else that maybe the Tories like keeping us plebs thick and uninformed - Teachers are on strike in schools in Barnet as we speak. As someone who is the chair of a charity that oversees fundraising for a local school and has a ...
Broken Barnet
Welcome to the Borough of (Hopefully No Longer Broken) Barnet - Ok. I've been putting it off, but here is a sentence I've wanted to write for ... at least twelve years. Well, longer, in fact, much longer. We now liv...
Citizen Barnet (AKA Vickim)
The Friday joke: civil servants win legal battle against boss Eric Pickles - I was tickled to see this week that the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government *Eric Pickles was taken to the High Court by his own depart...


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Low & Outside: Lessons for Indie Filmmakers Pitching to the Studios
by Douglas Tirola
in Filmmaking, Screenwriting
Douglas Tirola, Pitches, Screenwriting
Filmmaker is sponsoring this week's pitch panels at IFP's Filmmaker Conference. Tomorrow morning at 11:00 AM will be The Art of the Narrative Pitch, Monday the 16th at 11:00AM will be Wild Card New Media pitches, Thursday the 19th at 11:00 AM will be the Art of the Documentary Pitch,. In each session, filmmakers will present short, two-minute pitches, and a panel of experts will dissect them, giving you, the audience, a master class in how to present your material to funders and producers. I'll be introducing tomorrow's session, and Nick Dawson will do Monday's.
Thinking about the art of the pitch reminded me of this article by Doug Tirola, from our Spring, 1997 issue. Yes, over 15 years ago, so things have changed somewhat. But you'll be surprised how much hasn't. In fact, the below is chockfull of good tips for independent screenwriters and directors journeying to Hollywood to find support for their work. — SM
A month before the release of our first film, the independent feature A Reason to Believe, producer Christopher Trela and I scheduled a trip to Los Angeles. The Sunday New York Times had just published a half-page article about us and our film, ads were appearing, and pieces were slated for Rolling Stone and MTV. We had been running on financial fumes since finishing Reason and believed the timing could not have been better to finally go to L.A., pitch the studios, and wind up with some easy cash to develop our next project — a romantic comedy based on a short story I wrote about two guys who travel back to their hometown to find wives.
We set up a screening of Reason at the DGA on Sunset, faxed out invites to various producers and studio execs, and followed up with calls to schedule a week of meetings.
We then put together a three-part pitching strategy. First, to get ourselves psyched, we rented The Player and The Big Picture. Second, we developed a geographically sound plan of attack that grouped meetings according to city locale. All the Culver City meetings on one day, downtown Hollywood the next, etc. And finally, because we were broke — and didn't want people to know it — we avoided lunch meetings entirely. (Unfortunately, we later learned that the executive almost always pays for the meal as it can be written off as a business expense.)
Our first meeting was at Warner Bros. and the first five to ten minutes were great. We sat back and listened to the studio executive tell us how awesome Reason was. We answered softball questions like "Did you do a lot of research on date rape?"
Soon the conversation came to a weird pause and the executive asked, "What are you working on now?"
I humbly explained that I wasn't a good pitcher and had a hard time with the concept of turning a 120-page-long idea into a sales pitch. I would simply tell her the story. A half hour later — about midway through the second act — the executive cut us short and said she would love to look at the script when it was done.
After about 20 identical meetings, we headed home as broke as when we started. On the plane ride back to New York we realized we needed a new pitching strategy.
Our problem, we realized, was that we didn't really want to pitch. We associated pitching with some sort of conspiracy involving commercialism and the decline of cinema. We had an anti-selling complex. We made the mistake of thinking selling is for people who deal with cars and copiers.
But as we soon realized, filmmaking is all about selling. As independent filmmakers we pitch when raising production money from private investors. We sell department heads on how we want them to bring our visions to the screen and actors on how we want them to play our characters. And when a film is done we try and sell a distributor on picking it up.
A good pitch is simply a clear vision of a film, entertainingly stated, that can be repeated all the way from development through production to the film's release. Only when a film's original story has been watered down or changed in the production process or when the distributor loses faith in the original concept is the finished film pitched to the public differently.
Why Pitch?
Most people would rather pitch than write on spec because it takes less time. While this is true for the most part, to create a really effective pitch you must spend a considerable amount of time preparing. Because you never know what you might be asked in a pitch meeting, you must intimately know and be able to relate your whole script, its various plot points, and its characters to your listeners.
The real reason to pitch is that some ideas are actually better presented as pitches than finished screenplays. The buyer is given enough to see that the film could be something great but not enough to say, "There are some good elements here but it doesn't quite work."
When my partner and I first discussed selling a pitch to our agent we were told that because none of my work had been produced by a studio, selling a pitch would be an uphill battle. William Goldman or Shane Black could probably just waltz into a studio and say, "Dreaming of Me — it's Taxi Driver meets Basic Instinct" and walk out with a sack of money and a bungalow. But, being an independent filmmaker, I was told, "Even Ed Burns' follow-up project was sold off a script, and he's friends with Robert Redford. Do you know Robert Redford?"
If I was really passionate about my idea, I was lectured, I would just sit down and pound out the script. For independents, selling spec scripts seems to be the rule and pitches the exception.
Still, I persisted in my idea that a New York independent filmmaker could successfully pitch in Hollywood. Here's what we learned from our second, successful trip to Hollywood.
What to Pitch
When we pitched Warner Bros. with a romantic comedy, we were making a huge mistake right off the bat. Romantic comedies are hard to sell as pitches. In fact, anything character driven is hard to sell. Period pieces and epics are tough too. It's easier to take a character study — say, the story of an amnesiac mother struggling to reconnect to her kid — add genre elements, and sell it as a three-act actioner like The Long Kiss Goodnight. It's easier to sell high-concept material because the studio is essentially buying an idea. If your draft of the screenplay is a failure, the studio can boot you off and hire Judd Apatow, Amy Heckerling or Steve Zaillian to fix it.
Before pitching, stop and make sure your idea is pitchable. What would a pitch of Kids or Sling Blade sound like? Look at three current films — Liar Liar, Donnie Brasco, and Scream. Which makes the best pitch? Scream, a smart homage to teen horror films, is a good idea but execution dependent. It was, in fact, bought as a script. Donnie Brasco is a character-based film based on a book. The studio bought the book and then hired an Academy Award-nominated writer to adapt it. Liar, Liar? The kid of a compulsive liar makes a wish that his father has to tell the truth for a whole day. Wacky stuff ensues. Very pitchable.
For this trip, we decided to pitch a teen comedy. Four girls, the night before graduation, travel into Chicago in an attempt to lose their virginity. Although this piece has some of the character-based traits of our earlier, failed pitch, we presented it as a broad teen comedy in the vein of Clueless.
Preparing the Pitch
My agent at the time told me to watch Richard E. Grant's pitch to Tim Robbins in the hotel scene of The Player. "It didn't suck," he said.
In his pitch, Grant spends a lot of time setting up the first scene, the first act and the main characters. All good advice. When pitching, you'll basically be answering a list of unasked questions.
What's the film about? What's the logline — the short description you would read in TV Guide?
What stars could be in it? Are there any great characters that would entice talent?
Will any directors that the studio has a deal with like the material? Studios all have deals with filmmakers. You have some great mob movie — maybe Coppola would want to do it.
Don't laugh, you never know.
What is the three-act structure? You give them the hook, set up the characters. Now what happens? Without going through every scene, let them know what happens in the second and third act.
What would the poster look like? What would the trailer look like? The full page ad? The commercial? Honest. These are all questions we have been asked.
Who's the audience? The least asked question in independent film is all important at the studio level. Think of all the movies you don't see. Why don't you go? The studio executive's job is to listen to your pitch and figure out if they can sell it to their bosses as a movie that has a chance of grossing $10 million the first weekend. If your film is the sort that is going to build on word of mouth, it's not going to be an easy pitch.
Once you know the answers to these questions, you're ready to work on the pitch itself.
Make sure your writing sample works. Without a studio-produced movie under your belt, you'll be asked to present a screenplay you have written. If you're pitching an action thriller and your sample is about four college kids smoking pot and talking about Jenny McCarthy, the studio won't feel secure about paying you money to deliver the script. Unless you're just trying to sell a killer idea and not the ensuing screenplay, make sure you are pitching something that you can convince them you can write.
Write an outline. Before pitching, write out an outline. My producing partner and I pitch as a team, and he always says that he knows exactly what page and paragraph I'm on as I am giving the pitch. If I get dry mouth or start to ramble, he is able to pick up the ball, give me a second to catch my breath and get me back on my feet. Also, if you have an outline you can have someone read it to you so you can hear what works and what doesn't. Like sitting through a rough cut, you know immediately what has to go.
Edit your story for oral presentation. Some things might be important on the page but boring in the pitch. Discard non-essential points that only work on the page.
Practice to an audience. Before going to L.A. we rehearsed our pitch. A lot. We pitched to friends, people in bars, the family we stayed with in L.A., our moms, the stewardess on the plane. Like a read-through of a script before going into production, hearing it aloud let's you know what's working and what doesn't.
Anticipate questions and have answers. Let's say your movie is about two kids who meet over the internet. An exec might reasonably ask you if kids really spend that much time online. Cite that article you read in USA Today about kids and the internet. In fact. bring it with you to the meeting. It will make them feel more confident about your story.
Bring a fan. Try and make sure someone in the room is a fan of both yours and the material. Like a T.V. laugh track, it will help your performance. (This is usually the job of the producer.)
Who To Pitch
Unless you've got the cachet to waltz right into a studio head's office, pitching is usually a two-part process. First, you'll have to pitch a producer — a Hollywood "creative" producer — on your project and then, with his or her support, the studio execs who will ultimately provide the cash to buy the pitch.
Read the Hollywood Creative Directory. This book lists most every producer in the film business, their numbers, addresses and some of the films they have done. It has a cross reference section in the back that shows which companies have studio deals. This is important because the studios represent people who can buy a project. (The Hollywood Creative Directory costs $50; call l-800-815-0503 for a copy.)
Find a producer. The strategy that most agencies seem lo use when setting up a pitch is to find a producer to go with you into each territory — i.e., a studio or company. Ideally you want a producer who has a deal with that particular studio. The rationale is that the studio is more enthusiastic about doing business with someone who they are already investing in.
And make sure you target producers appropriate for your project. For example, for our teen comedy, Neufeld/Rehme — the makers of Beverly Hills Cop, Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger — were obviously not great people to pester. Robert Lawrence, who made Clueless would be a better bet.
(Producers' studio deals are usually "first look deals"; for the cost of the producer's overhead, office assistants, expense accounts etc., the studio has bought the right to be the first person to see any ideas they have for a film.) Schedule a meeting with at least one producer on each lot. Technically, you're not supposed to go to more than one producer on a lot. We also met with producers who had no studio deals. No matter what producer you go with to a studio, make sure you feel comfortable that the producer has a good relationship with that studio.
Of course you can go into a studio without a producer, but it is generally thought better to go in with a producer who will receive a small development fee against a negotiated fee to make the film if it ever gets that far.
Work with your producer before pitching to the studios. Make sure your producer is as passionate about the project as you are. Ask your producer about each person you'll be pitching to. Does he or she know anything about the person you are going to try and sell to so that you can try and alter the pitch to their tastes?
Schedule the least important meetings first. If you are new to pitching, begin by stacking your least likely prospects first. You'll be giving yourself a chance to practice on a live audience.
Giving the Pitch
Giving a pitch is like giving an audition. The more entertaining it is, the better it will come off. And although a successful pitch requires good performance skills, there are some things you can do to improve your presentation.
Lead off by telling them about yourself. If you don't already know the people you are pitching, start off by telling them about yourself and what made you come up with this idea.
Set up and pay off. Just as you would in the screenplay itself, set things up at the beginning of your pitch and make them pay off at the end. If in your character description you say that the thief carries a puffer because he has allergies, later say the cop suspects him when he sneezes a lot. This makes it feel like you have it all worked out.
Use other movies. Citing a film or two in the beginning of your pitch can help explain the tone of your story. If you can tell your story better by quickly recalling a scene from Jerry Maguire, then go for it. Of course if you say your film's a cross between Joseph Mankiewicz's A Letter To Three Wives and Alan Rudolph's Choose Me, a studio exec might rightfully say, "What?" And beware of using so many film comparisons that your idea starts sounding unoriginal, like a cut-and-paste of other films.
Details. Instead of saying your heroine wears hip clothes, listens to alternative music, likes cartoons, went to a good college and drives a foreign car, say she wears Stüssy, listens to Beck, has a Bart Simpson mouse pad, went to Northwestern and drives a BMW. Anything you can say that describes something in more detail without pontificating for an extra minute makes the pitch more interesting.
Keep it short. How do you turn 120 pages of script into a ten-minute pitch. You don't. Give the log line, the setup, the characters, and speed through the final two acts. An Academy-Award-winning writer/director once told me that it's hard for anyone to listen to a story told verbally in 20 minutes — especially a studio executive worried about what calls they re missing, if they're going to get caught cheating on their expense account for the dinner with their friend, or if the way their boss said "hello" to them today means they are losing their job.
Use Set Pieces. Describing some big scenes like the CIA break in Mission Impossible or the scene in Roxanne where Steve Martin insults the guy who has insulted his big nose is both fun and interesting.
Listen to feedback and respond. Don't get bummed out if your audience starts asking questions in the middle of your pitch. The first question on a studio executive's mind during a pitch is "How do I sell this to my boss?" If the exec can't picture a star big enough to support the film, tell them you read an article in Elle about Julia Roberts saying she's looking to do a character just like this.
Remember, the above is only from our experience. Each pitch is as different as the film it's trying to convey. I've heard stories of people standing to recite lines, taking off their clothes in the sex scenes, and using props during their pitches. Though I'm too nervous to imagine myself doing any of those things, you should do whatever works for you if it helps tell your story effectively.
Tirola and Trela sold their pitch to Paramount and, several months later, a second to another studio. — Ed.
TIFF 2013: Ben Rivers and Ben Russell's A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness By Mike S. Ryan on Sep 8, 2013
Five Questions with My Brooklyn Director Kelly Anderson By Billy Brennan on Jan 25, 2013
Hacking Arts – Using Technology To Connect With Your Audience By Michael Murie on Oct 1, 2013

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Uber have been granted permission to appeal a landmark Employment Tribunal decision that provided that their "self employed" drivers were workers entitled to protection under Minimum Wage, sick pay and Working Time legislation.
The decision meant that thousands of Uber drivers and, potentially, tens of thousand of workers employed under similar terms could claim back pay and unpaid holiday or sickness pay against the taxi app company.
The appeal will be heard in September at the Employment Appeals Tribunal in London and is scheduled to last two days.
If the California based company's appeal is rejected, it could be a significant decision for workers in other industries, such as construction, hairdressing and call centres (to name but a few) in addition to the taxi industry.
If you are self-employed, but primarily provide your services to one business you may be entitled to holiday pay and sick pay following the outcome of the appeal.


31 Dongguan St, Chengdong Qu, Xining Shi, Qinghai Sheng, China.
Dongguan Mosque (Chinese name: 东关清真大寺) in Xining is one of the largest mosques in northwest China with a history more than 600 years. Architecture of the mosque combines traditional Chinese style and the local features, with grand appearance and delicate, dazzlingly inside ornaments. The mosque has a prayer hall which can hold up to 3,000 people. Now this mosque serves as an educational center and institution of higher learning for Islamism, and also is the leading mosque in Qinghai.
With its name "Xining Dongguan Great Mosque" shining at the top of a western-style entrance, the great mosque features a magnificent islamic architecture that combines together towers, walls and a temple-like main service hall. The mosque covers an area of 13,602 square meters now, and the construction area is 4,654 square meters. These buildings have a large scale, and combine the traditional Chinese architectural art with the Islamic architectural form. With the name of the mosque written on it, the gate is 10 meters high and 15 meters wide.
In 1998, a three-story modern building was built between the gateway and the street to house the mosque administration. Visited by as many as ten thousand worshippers during each one of the Muslim holidays, the Great Mosque of Xining is still the most important mosque in Qinghai and serves as a center of religious education for the region. The mosque is not of particularly Muslim architecture, normally easily differentiated from its Buddhist counterparts, but is more in the typical Chinese folk style. Beyond the square itself, the grand Domed Hall, housing up to 10,000 Muslim worshippers at peak times, is the highest Islamic education center in the province.


Smarty :: View topic - addMarkerIcon() - Confused about proper way to use?
addMarkerIcon() - Confused about proper way to use?
Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 9:41 pm Post subject: addMarkerIcon() - Confused about proper way to use?
of database records. It works FINE.
for certain cases. Just as a test i added this code..
icons for certain records, but can't seem to figure out the proper way to use the function.
Well, I think I have it figured iout - partially.
cannot seem to get it to 'switch' icons on a rollover.
order for a 'rollover' to occur??
or do whatever its supposed to do.
2. WHEN is the shadow icon supposed to show up?
that does not seem to be getting generated.


text:
How Artificial Intelligence Works?
AI is also used to classify patients, maintain and track medical records, and deal with health insurance claims. Future innovations are thought to include AI-assisted robotic surgery, virtual nurses or doctors, and collaborative clinical judgment. Self-aware AI, as the name suggests, become sentient and aware of their own existence. Still in the realm of science fiction, some experts believe that an AI will never become conscious or "alive". Weak AI tends to be simple and single-task oriented, while strong AI carries on tasks that are more complex and human-like. Gordon Scott has been an active investor and technical analyst of securities, futures, forex, and penny stocks for 20+ years.
With offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles, we currently operate in 7 markets across the United States.
Larger, More Accessible Data Sets – AI thrives on data, and has grown in importance alongside the rapid increase of data, along with better access to data.
Edward Fredkin argues that "artificial intelligence is the next stage in evolution", an idea first proposed by Samuel Butler's "Darwin among the Machines" as far back as 1863, and expanded upon by George Dyson in his book of the same name in 1998.
To learn more about the purpose of artificial intelligence and where it is used, you can take up an AI course and understand the artificial intelligence course details and upskill today.
More recently, the historic defeat of 18-time World Go champion Lee Sedol by Google DeepMind's AlphaGo stunned the Go community and marked a major milestone in the development of intelligent machines.
This open-source tool is used for creating artificial neural networks, exclusively for Java programs. AI combines vast amounts of data with fast processes and superior algorithms. This makes it possible for systems to learn from patterns, automatically. Clovyr makes it super easy for people and businesses of all technical skill levels to find and use software that treats them better than data-hungry SaaS apps. We help open source projects grow their community of contributors and get their apps into more people's hands. The Clovyr platform makes self-hosting anywhere from a home server to your own cloud account simple and safe. We care deeply about privacy-conscious design, re-decentralizing the web, and building systems that give people choice and control without sacrificing usability. Group travel has never been this easy – check out our homes and locations across the country. Collectively, we've traveled to over 80 countries and know what matters most – creating an authentic experience.
How Long Does It Take To Code And Program Ai?
It will not be an overstatement if I say one who works in the field of artificial intelligence has great endeavours to look forward to. By now, you must have been well familiarized with the noteworthy role of artificial intelligence in today's era. If you are an AI job hunter, you probably would have realized that the employers sought to meet the company's technological requirements with progressing AI talents. For diving into the ocean of AI, you must possess a relevant technical skillset. The role of an ai analyst or specialist is similar to that of an ai engineer. The key responsibility is to cater to AI-oriented solutions and schemes to enhance the services delivered by a certain industry using the data analyzing skills to study the trends and patterns of certain datasets. Whether you talk about the healthcare industry, finance industry, geology sector, cyber security, or any other sector, AI analysts or specialists are seen to have quite a good impact all over.
It is capable of performing tasks intelligently without being explicitly instructed to do so. Spotify, Siri, Google Maps, YouTube, all of these applications make use of AI for their functioning. The concept of Neural Networks has found application in developing trading systems for the finance sector. They also assist in the development of processes such as time-series forecasting, security classification, and credit risk modelling. E-commerce It's defined as AI which has a human-level of cognitive function, across a wide variety of domains such as language processing, image processing, computational functioning and reasoning and so on. AI is redefining the way business processes are carried out in various fields, such as marketing, healthcare, financial services, and more. Companies are continuously exploring the ways they can reap benefits from this technology.
What Is Artificial Intelligence? Types, Trends And Future Of It?
Many researchers began to doubt that the symbolic approach would be able to imitate all the processes of human cognition, especially perception, robotics, learning and pattern recognition. A number of researchers began to look into "sub-symbolic" approaches to specific AI problems. As humans, we have always been fascinated ai works by technological changes and fiction, right now, we are living amidst the greatest advancements in our history. Artificial Intelligence has emerged to be the next big thing in the field of technology. Organizations across the world are coming up with breakthrough innovations in artificial intelligence and machine learning.
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Within contemporary quilt making people are exploring ways of using fabric as a medium for both functional quilts as well as wall hangings. The resultant dialogue between quilting as a pastime of assembling purchased fabrics and quilting as a skill of constructing usable objects from unusable cloth reflects a current societal tension. For each viewer the alchemy is within the craftsmanship and creative eye of the quilter and their work, as demonstrated in the Gee's Bend quilts. They were brought into national attention as they toured the country through contemporary art museums and galleries. Those quilts constructed for warmth from overused cloth became intriguing art objects.


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NextPlay Technologies, Inc. Announces the Formation of Fintech Division, NextCapital, Inc.
NXTP
NextPlay Technologies, Inc.
July 29, 2021, 11:00 AM ·6 min read
SUNRISE, FL, July 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire -- NextPlay Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXTP), a digital business ecosystem for digital advertisers, consumers, video gamers and travelers, today announced the formation of NextCapital, Inc., a consolidation of NextPlay's financial services, fintech, and insurtech operations including its majority ownership of Longroot Limited -- which controls Thai SEC-authorized Initial Coin Offering portal Longroot (Thailand) Company Limited -- and wholly-owned NextBank International, previously International Financial Enterprise Bank (IFEB) headquartered in Puerto Rico.
Appointed to lead NextCapital as Chairman and acting CEO will be NextPlay co-Chairman J. Todd Bonner, a former co-founder and director of Pacific Century Insurance Limited Hong Kong, which was sold to Fortis Insurance Asia in 2007 for approximately $900 million.
Mr. Bonner said NextCapital plans to engage in insurance and alternative asset management business, offering quality alternative assets in blockchain crypto securitized form. The assets will be engineered to perform during market volatility, and will be, in part, derived from cooperation with large multinational conglomerates that have divisions or subsidiaries which are seeing high growth, but which assets exhibit low correlation to stock market volatility.
"With our recent acquisition of NextBank International (formerly IFEB)," he said, "we will offer an array of alternative assets believed more resistant to market declines as well as insurance products, engineered to protect the wealth of our banking clients. The NextBank charter is broad, allowing us to offer asset banking, asset management, investment banking services, and insurance products, subject to licensing."
"NextCapital is now applying for these licenses and expects to have them granted around the end of third quarter – once granted we expect to begin offering previously unavailable protection products and assets that I believe customers will want to adopt for their wealth protection strategies. In this process," he added, "we will include products for the global crypto community and are investing time and resources into NextBank interfaces to allow us to service that segment."
About NextPlay Technologies
NextPlay Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXTP) is a technology solutions company offering games, in-game advertising, crypto-banking, connected TV and travel booking services to consumers and corporations within a growing worldwide digital ecosystem. NextPlay's engaging products and services utilize innovative AdTech, Artificial Intelligence and Fintech solutions to leverage the strengths and channels of our existing and acquired technologies. For more information about NextPlay Technologies, visit www.nextplaytechnologies.comand follow us on Twitter @NextPlayTech and LinkedIn.
This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of, and within the safe harbor provided by the Safe Harbor Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements give our current expectations, opinions, belief or forecasts of future events and performance. A statement identified by the use of forward-looking words including "will," "may," "expects," "projects," "anticipates," "plans," "believes," "estimate," "should," and certain of the other foregoing statements may be deemed forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future activities and results to be materially different from those suggested or described in this news release. Factors that may cause such a difference include risks and uncertainties related to our ability to complete the acquisition of control of International Financial Enterprise Bank (IFEB) promptly and on the terms previously disclosed; our need for additional capital which may not be available on commercially acceptable terms, if at all, which raises questions about our ability to continue as a going concern; the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had, and is expected to continue to have, a significant material adverse impact on the travel industry and our business, operating results and liquidity; amounts owed to us by third parties which may not be paid timely, if at all; certain amounts we owe under outstanding indebtedness which are secured by substantially all of our assets and penalties we may incur in connection therewith; the fact that we have significant indebtedness, which could adversely affect our business and financial condition; our revenues and results of operations being subject to the ability of our distributors and partners to integrate our alternative lodging rental (ALR) properties with their websites, and the timing of such integrations; uncertainty and illiquidity in credit and capital markets which may impair our ability to obtain credit and financing on acceptable terms and may adversely affect the financial strength of our business partners; the officers and directors of the Company have the ability to exercise significant influence over the Company; stockholders may be diluted significantly through our efforts to obtain financing, satisfy obligations and complete acquisitions through the issuance of additional shares of our common or preferred stock; if we are unable to adapt to changes in technology, our business could be harmed; our travel business depends substantially on property owners and managers renewing their listings; if we do not adequately protect our intellectual property, our ability to compete could be impaired; our long-term success depends, in part, on our ability to expand our property owner, manager and traveler bases outside of the United States and, as a result, our business is susceptible to risks associated with international operations; unfavorable changes in, or interpretations of, government regulations or taxation of the evolving ALR, Internet and e-commerce industries which could harm our operating results; risks associated with the operations of, the business of, and the regulation of, Longroot and IFEB; the market in which we participate being highly competitive, and because of that we may be unable to compete successfully with our current or future competitors; our potential inability to adapt to changes in technology, which could harm our business; the volatility of our stock price; the fact that we may be subject to liability for the activities of our property owners and managers, which could harm our reputation and increase our operating costs; and that we have incurred significant losses to date and require additional capital which may not be available on commercially acceptable terms, if at all. More information about the risks and uncertainties faced by NextPlay are detailed from time to time in NextPlay's periodic reports filed with the SEC, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, under the headings "Risk Factors". These reports are available at www.sec.gov. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could have material adverse effects on the Company's future results and/or could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected. The forward-looking statements in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. The Company takes no obligation to update or correct its own forward-looking statements, except as required by law, or those prepared by third parties that are not paid for by the Company. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.
SOURCE: NextPlay Technologies
Company Contacts:
Richard Marshall
Director of Corporate Development
richard.marshall@nextplaytechnologies.com


After multi-decade trends in the bond market were finally breached in 2018, Mark Nash looks at what investors can expect in 2019.
For fixed income investors, 2018 will be remembered as the year that the 36-year bull run in the bond market looked to have finally come to an end.
Bond prices have climbed since former US Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Paul Volcker aggressively raised interest rates in the early 1980s to contain rampant inflation. By October 2018, that rally had started to look precarious as US Treasury yields ticked higher.
Financial markets looked to be finally waking up to the fact that the years of easy money in the form of quantitative easing (QE) was been wound up. In fact, November marked the first time that globally QE went net negative since the global financial crisis.
Even so, we believe the Fed will continue to raise interest rates well into 2019. For the past two years, US policymakers have sought to stop the world's largest economy from overheating. Despite their action, tighter monetary policy has remained elusive with financial conditions in the US actually easing.
Economic growth remains strong, interest rates too accommodative and leverage has slowly started to build up again in the system. It's for this reason that we think the market should be prepared for the prospect of the Fed fund rates potentially climbing above 3%.
This also means bond yields will continue to rise as the central bank attempts to get ahead of the curve. Of course, US monetary policy is only one driver of yields. The other is something called the term premium, that is the extra return (or yield) that investors should get for holding a longer-term bond rather than a series of short-dated instruments.
Volatility. Investors can expect more of this in 2019 as the term premium continues to normalise. In 2018, any upticks in the term premium precipitated a bout of volatility in other asset classes, most notably in the US equity market which sold off heavily in October.
So in this more normalised (albeit volatile) environment, absolute return funds are, in my view, in a better position to outperform long-only funds. Fund managers who have the ability to invest anywhere and go long or short will be best placed to take advantage of the investment opportunities as they arise.


An homage to everything from film noir to Alfred Hitchcock to Philip Marlowe and Mike Hammer, the film plays out at such a rapid pace, you will need to pay really really close attention to keep track of characters that appear and disappear (I'm still not sure who some of them are supposed to be) in the blink of an eye.
But that's a minor infraction in this otherwise fascinating whodunit/whatisit thriller that's sure to leave some questions unanswered. And that's not necessarily a bad thing.
The story centers on a Buffalo, New York, private investigator ("the only one in the phone book"), Charlie Paczynski (Greg Stuhr, the veteran Broadway actor familiar to Chicago audiences for his role two years ago in Bruce Norris' "The Qualms" at Steppenwolf Theater) who makes some extra cash blackmailing married men with wandering eyes and a lust for Charlie's raven-haired stripper accomplice Kat (Kelsey Siepser).
Charlie, trying to find those responsible for Kat's murder, is soon on the trail of a Tesla document — plans for some kind of energy-harnessing mechanism capable of creating an army of killing machine-like super-soldiers who could help any rogue nation (or evil energy company magnate) take over the world. The trail leads the chain-smoking, liquor-swigging PI to an array of quirky characters (thanks to well, quirky, cameos by Robert Vaughn, Janeane Garofalo, Grant Schaud and Harris Yulin), beguiling women (Camilla Belle and Alicja Bachleda-Curus) and harrowing near-death experiences (including a machine-gun-equipped prop plane a la "North by Northwest").
All of it is such a throwback on so many levels (Charlie's car, his clothes, his incessant use of pay phones) that you just go with it, no matter how many confusing twists and turns the conspiracy theory plot takes thanks to co-writers Stuhr and Ricker. That Charlie even goes over the falls in a barrel (in one of the most darkly funny scenes you may ever come across), well, let's just say it's all in a day's work for this gumshoe.
The cinematography by Frank Barrera ("The Mindy Project") is dark and lush, the score by David Shire ("The Conversation," "All the President's Men") the perfect scene-setter.
Does Charlie put all the pieces of the puzzle together? Are the culprits revealed? Does our hero get the girl? I won't tell here. That would be like reading the last page of a murder mystery first.
The Orchard presents a film directed by Jenna Ricker and written by Ricker and Greg Stuhr. No MPAA rating; Running time: 104 minutes. Opening Friday at the Wilmette Theatre. Ricker and Stuhr will participate in Q&A's after the 7 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Sunday screenings.


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Meet the Masterminds
Call this phone number "4 FACTS" and you'll hear a recorded message warning that the U.N. is rushing into a climate treaty that will have major impacts on the U.S. economy, jobs, and lifestyles. The message continues to claim that the still-unwritten treaty will exempt 132 of 166 nations — this despite President Clinton's Oct. 22 announcement of the U.S. bargaining position that no nation should be exempted. The message then goes on to ask for your name and address so you can be sent additional information.
The Climatefacts.org Web site offers a selection of gloomy economic analyses, anti-treaty "grassroots" commentary, and greenhouse counter-science. It also directs readers to a list of just eight "other sites" out of several thousand relating to climate change. These seven are:
The Science and Environmental Policy Project, founded in 1990 as an affiliate of a Moonie think tank. Its director Fred Singer is one of a half- dozen pro-industry scientists who regularly appear before congressional committees and Wise Use conferences to lambast mainstream scientific thinking on global warming. His last scientific peer-reviewed publication was in 1971.
The Competitive Enterprise Institute, a Washington-based conservative think-tank that promotes "free-market environmentalism" and issues policy papers attacking environmental science and environmental organizations.
World Climate Report, funded by the Western Fuels Association to counter mainstream theories on global warming. Its editor Patrick Michaels is another of industry's favorite "climate skeptics." Michaels has admittedly received hundreds of thousands of dollars in research funding from the oil and coal industries.
The American Petroleum Institute is of course the voice of the half-trillion-dollar-a-year oil and gas industry, which would be hardest hit by any reduction of CO2 emissions. Not surprisingly, they argue that such reductions are unnecessary. Surprisingly, British Petroleum has broken ranks, admitting that the science of climate change appears sound, and pledging to reduce its own company emissions, and increase investment in solar and other energy alternatives. BP's position does not appear on the API web site.
The Global Climate Coalition is similar to the Global Climate Information Project. It was founded in 1989 by several dozen major corporations to "counter the myth of global warming." It continues to promote this strategy of sheer denial, while the Information Project focuses on the alleged dire economic consequences of a global agreement to reduce greenhouse emissions.
The George C. Marshall Institute is another conservative think-tank and long-time "Star Wars" promoter funded by Scaife, Bradley and other right-wing foundations. It was the first player to attack the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 1995 finding that the Earth is facing — or has already entered — a period of climatic instability.
The "Cooler Heads" Coalition
For a comprehensive listing of science-related climate change Web sites, try the U.S. Global Climate Change Research Program.


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Could U.S. Whistleblower Laws Open a New Financing Stream for MPAs Worldwide?
Posted on January 24, 2017 - 12:05pm, by MPA News staff
A bit of history: In 1986 the US Government revised its main anti-fraud law — the False Claims Act, which concerns fraud against government programs — to include rewards for whistleblowers. A whistleblower is a person who informs authorities when another person or organization has done something illegal. The new rewards — in which whistleblowers could receive a substantial share of any monetary penalties against the wrongdoers — were the first significant incentive for whistleblowing activity under US law.
Since then, the whistleblower reward system has quietly found its way into many other US laws — including nearly every environmental and wildlife law of the past 30 years. For the most part, the reward system has received little attention from conservationists to this point. But according to one expert, whistleblower rewards could unlock a potentially significant new source of funds for MPAs — including MPAs outside the US.
Stephen M. Kohn is Executive Director of the National Whistleblower Center (NWC), a legal advocacy organization. The NWC has spent 30 years supporting whistleblowers, mostly in the banking and securities sector where awareness of the reward system is relatively high. When Kohn realized in 2015 that the whistleblower reward system also existed throughout US environmental law, he decided that a tool that worked successfully in fighting financial crime should be applied just as energetically to fighting wildlife crime.
The NWC began developing the Global Wildlife Whistleblower Program to raise awareness of the reward tool and provide assistance to wildlife whistleblowers. It then entered the concept in the 2015-2016 Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge, a global contest run by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), TRAFFIC, and other groups. The Global Wildlife Whistleblower Program won the contest's Grand Prize.
"The Grand Prize was awarded so that the NWC can establish a safe worldwide reporting system for wildlife whistleblowers," says Kohn. Through the system, the reports are forwarded to attorneys, who then assist the whistleblowers in filing their concerns with the proper law enforcement agencies. Reports are all strictly confidential, and whistleblowers can file claims anonymously.
How the reward system could be harnessed to fund MPAs
Kohn provides a detailed explanation of how the whistleblower reward system could be applied to wildlife crime in a 2016 article in the Environmental Law Reporter. In synopsis, this is how it would work: Somewhere in the world, a fisherman catches an endangered fish, then sells it to a broker, who ships it to a US port. In this scenario, the fisherman, the broker, and the shipping company have each committed a crime under either the US's Endangered Species Act (which addresses the taking of CITES-protected species) or Lacey Act (which addresses the trafficking). Anyone — US citizen or not — who is able to document the taking and trafficking of the fish, and whose documentation leads to a successful prosecution, would be eligible for a portion of the monetary penalties. "Documentation is necessary for a successful prosecution," says Kohn. "The rewards are based on a successful prosecution, not on simply reporting an alleged violation."
Another scenario: A fisherman fishes illegally inside a no-take area somewhere in the world and sells his catch to a broker, who ships it to a US port. In this case, the fisherman, broker, and shipping company have likely committed crimes under the US's Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Enforcement Act, which was passed in 2015. ("The law is extremely broad and should cover fishes caught in no-fishing areas," says Kohn.) Again anyone — US citizen or not — who is able to document the taking and trafficking of the catch would be eligible for a reward, pending successful prosecution. In this case, the reward would apply even if the taken species were not endangered.
This system could be harnessed by individuals or organizations to do two things at the same time: fight wildlife crime and make money. Both goals should be attractive to MPAs. Conceivably, affected MPAs could work together with NGOs and other interested parties to provide the necessary documentation — and to share in the rewards.
There is a caveat. As indicated above, the illegally caught fish must end up at a US port for the laws to apply. If they remain outside US waters, the reward system is irrelevant. That being said, the US is the world's second-largest importer of seafood (after Japan) and nearly half of the imported seafood is wild-caught. With that demand, there is likely to be no shortage of ships bringing fish to the US, even with the application of whistleblower rewards.
Already in practice in marine pollution cases, some whistleblower rewards have exceeded $1 million
Although the whistleblower reward system is only just now being appreciated for fighting wildlife crime, it has been applied in dozens of marine pollution cases in the US in recent years. These are cases in which ships have illegally dumped waste somewhere in the world — a violation of the MARPOL Convention, to which the US is a signatory. Each pollution incident has been documented, usually by a crew member with a cellphone camera, then the offending ship has entered a US port. The crew member/whistleblower then contacts US law enforcement and the ship is seized. The whistleblowing can be lucrative in marine pollution cases. In some cases the rewards to whistleblowers have exceeded US $1 million.
It remains to be seen how large the whistleblower rewards would be for wildlife crime cases. Cases must emerge first and be litigated. That is one of the purposes of the Global Wildlife Whistleblower Program — to facilitate such cases.
With the change in US government in January 2017 to President Donald Trump, there may be a question of how vigorously US attorneys will prosecute cases like this, including the MARPOL ones. The cases could be viewed by the incoming government as unfriendly to business, particularly shipping, and thus not worth pursuing. Kohn suspects that won't be the case, though.
"Currently there is broad bipartisan support for stopping ocean pollution and prosecuting illegal fishing," he says. "There is no indication that the US government is going to stop prosecuting these cases. Moreover, once more whistleblowers step forward, there will be added pressure to increase the prosecutorial resources already dedicated to these cases. Simply stated, polluting the oceans is not popular. Illegally killing fish is not popular. These are not Democratic or Republican issues."
[Editor's note: As indicated above, for a more-detailed analysis of the potential for US whistleblower rewards to be used in fighting wildlife crime worldwide, see Stephen Kohn's 2016 article in Environmental Law Reporter, "Monetary Rewards for Wildlife Whistleblowers: A Game-Changer in Wildlife Trafficking Detection and Deterrence.]
Stephen Kohn, National Whistleblower Center, US. Email: sk [at] kkc.com
National Whistleblower Center
Global Wildlife Whistleblower Program
Whistleblowing for Wildlife, Mongabay, 28 December 2016 — This article provides a lengthy interview with NWC Chief Operating Officer Ashley Binetti. In it she addresses the potential size of whistleblower rewards for wildlife crime, and the status of whistleblower programs within the US government agencies responsible for applying wildlife laws.
List of ocean pollution whistleblower cases — In many of the cases on this list, the fines and penalties assessed have been used to fund environmental organizations.
Box: Insights from a marine law expert on the impact of whistleblower rewards for marine conservation
MPA News asked attorney Ole Varmer, an expert in US marine law who was briefed on the Global Wildlife Whistleblower Program, for his thoughts on what impact whistleblower rewards could have — both on wildlife crime and on funding for conservation. Varmer responded:
"If establishing whistleblower award programs results in more cases of enforcement along the lines of success under [securities fraud cases] and MARPOL cases, then there would be a corresponding increase in enforcement and revenues for marine conservation. I am not convinced that this is a panacea for new funding. However, I am convinced that this is worth exploring, and that there is real potential to improve compliance — just by setting up the programs and doing a lot of education and outreach. Those doing illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing would start worrying about possible enforcement that hurts them financially and perhaps personally."
Varmer added that he is optimistic the new Trump Administration will be open-minded about the application of whistleblower rewards to fight wildlife crime. "Particularly if it becomes a tool to address IUU fishing," he said. "IUU fishing is an issue that has bipartisan support because it is so unfair to fisherman trying to make an honest livelihood."
January 2017 (18:4)
The $400-Billion Potential for Private Investment in Conservation: With Investors Looking for Projects, What Can MPAs Do to Access the Funds?
Blue Solution: Coral Reef Valuation for MPA Implementation and Management in St. Maarten
Notes and News: 5% MPA coverage - Canada - Deep-sea MPA - Obama's last MPA - Tsitsikamma - Philippines - Marine World Heritage - Climate change vulnerability - Fukushima - MPA Science Corner - MPA News vault


creative and cultural vitality of Qatar and beyond.
Tasmeem Doha 2017 Edited Volume, and on the official conference website.
Note: Accepted submissions will receive an honorarium of $1,000 USD.
contributors are welcome to attend.
and/or other appropriate supplemental material may be included.
Tasmeem Doha 2017 proceedings to be released in the fall of 2017.
– The poster should be readable from approximately two meters.
Tasmeem Doha 2017: Analogue Living in a Digital World, is open to all.
← Du RETRO au NEO: Entre nostalgie et réinvention – objets en mouvement!


Written by Rick Kabra, CEO of CosmoLex, and Pamela Rozsa, president of the consulting firm PWR Resources, the book is geared towards both legal and accounting professionals who manage law firm finances.
I was given an advance copy of the book and found it to be an informative introduction to key concepts of law firm accounting. Although the book uses the CosmoLex platform to show examples of accounting and billing functions, the descriptions of the concepts and functions are generic and therefore useful no matter what systems your firm uses.
Basic accounting terms and concepts.
The components of an accounting system.
Along with the release of the book comes the launch of the legalaccountingguide.com website. The goal for the site, Kabra told me, is to make it a key resource for legal accounting materials and eventually to enable lawyers to engage with expert help. "We hope to build a large community here and offering the online edition of the book at no charge was the 1st step in the direction," he said.


text:
World Wiffle® Ball Championship to Return to Midlothian for 41st Annual Tournament
By Katie Arvia
Midlothian, Ill. – The World Wiffle® Ball Championship will make its return to Memorial Park in Midlothian this September 19 and 20. In its 41st year, the World Wiffle® Ball Championship is the longest running Wiffle® Ball tournament in the world.
In 1980, the tournament originated in Mishawaka, Indiana and later called Skokie, Illinois home for several years before settling in the Chicago Southland region, where the game has a large following. Wiffle® Ball is played with plastic bats and Wiffle® balls on miniature fields. Teams consist of five players and can be made up of players of all ages.
Each participating team is guaranteed to play four preliminary games with qualifying teams advancing to a single-elimination tournament. Last year, nearly 60 teams from 12 different states competed in the tournament, with the World Championship title going to the Cult West Warriors out of South Bend, Indiana after eight innings.
"We are looking forward to welcoming back the World Wiffle® Ball Championship to the Chicago Southland area. This tournament is always a fun opportunity for both players and fans," said Jim Garrett, President/CEO of the Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau.
This year, the World Wiffle® Ball Championship has partnered with Oddball, a new platform that will feature live streams and interviews with players around the country. This also serves as an opportunity to re-introduce the game to adults who haven't played Wiffle® Ball since they were children.
"We are thrilled to bring the Championship back to Midlothian this year. We hope to provide everyone who plays with a fun, safe environment to get back in touch with their inner child, have some laughs and maybe get those competitive juices flowing," said Mike Baniak, Commissioner of the World Wiffle® Ball Championship. "We are grateful for our partnership with the Chicago Southland CVB, Midlothian Park District and, now, the Oddball platform which all give us the opportunity to help grow the game we love both in Chicagoland and nationwide."
The Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau is the official destination management and marketing organization for Chicago's 62 south and southwest suburbs. The CVB markets the Chicago Southland region as a meetings and conventions, group tours, sports and leisure event destination. For more information, go to VisitChicagoSouthland.com.
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Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau
Katie Arvia - Communications Manager
2304 173rd Street, Lansing, IL 60438
Phone: 708-895-8200 Fax: 708-895-8288 Toll-free: 888-895-8233
Katie@VisitChicagoSouthland.com VisitChicagoSouthland.com