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¡Feliz compleaños, Southern Cross! Oldest diaspora publication celebrates 135 years
The oldest newspaper of the Irish diaspora, Argentina's "Southern Cross" celebrates its 135th anniversary this month.
The paper was founded in Buenos Aires on January 16, 1875 by Fr Patrick (Patricio) Dillon, an Irish missionary priest who later became active in politics. At the time, the Irish community numbered only 9,000. Among its editors was the writer William Bulfin, author of " Tales of the Pampas " and "Rambles in Eirinn�?. More recently, Guillermo MacLoughlin Bréard became the 14th editor, the youngest ever to take the position.
The paper was published in English in 1964, when it switched to mostly Spanish, reflecting the changing language of the Irish population as it assimilated. Today the Argentinean-Irish community numbers around half a million.
The Southern Cross is still going strong, with several new contributors, some of them based overseas. A special edition of the newspaper is in preparation, focusing on the history and accomplishments of the community.
The achievement of 135 years is certainly to be celebrated! It's a tribute to the community that it has supported the paper for so long. The oldest Irish paper in the US, New York's Irish Echo, is a mere 81 years old.
Here is the editorial that was published in "The Southern Cross�? this month.
With legitímate pride we celebrate our 135 years of existence as the oldest Irish newspaper in the world published outside of Ireland. Not even our founder, Dean Patricio Dillon, way back on 16th January 1875, when The Southern Cross hit the streets, nor many of his successors, imagined we would surpass the XXI Century border to arrive at this celebration.
During a more than centennial lifetime, our newspaper has known good and bad times, but all along it has managed to maintain unchanged its essential mission as a communicator of all events related to the local Irish-Argentine community, as well as of major developments occurring in Ireland and in Argentina.
Moreover, The Southern Cross is the dean of catholic publications in this country as well as of community newspapers in Argentina. Both distinction are an honour and strengthens our commitment to continue the strenuous task of spreading Christian ideals as well as the most noble republican convictions and unconditional defense of freedom of expression.
Throughout the years we have learned to adapt to technical changes, incorporating modern composition and printing technologies, as a result of which our newspaper is widely recognized by its quality and contents, thanks to the hard work of a valuable team.
This significant anniversary finds us in the middle of a journalistic renewal process, with the inclusion of new contributors and additional subjects, though unfortunately facing financial difficulties that obstruct our daily task. However, with new ideas, with the support of loyal subscribers and generous advertisers, together with the performance of highly professional staff added to the eager dedication of all members of the board of Editorial Irlandesa S.A. we are confident in our ability to stay afloat and reach a safe harbour following the guidelines outlined in our editorial "New Directions�? (May 2009).
This celebration belongs to all of us. We renew our commitment with the entire community and pray to the Almighty and to Saint Patrick for their continued guidance in this noble task. Let it be!
The Southern Cross
Wikipedia.com: Irish in Argentina
Irish settlement in Argentina – article by Edmundo Murray
Embassy of Ireland in Argentina
Call for papers for the annual conference of the Canadian Association for Irish Studies to be held at Saint Mary's University, Halifax, May 19-22, 2010.
IRELAND AND ITS DISCONTENTS
Success and Failure in Modern Ireland
Canadian Association for Irish Studies/ l'Association canadienne d'études irlandaises Annual Conference, 2010
Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
"Anyone who is failing at one thing," psychoanalyst Adam Phillips has suggested, "is always succeeding at another." We invite proposals for papers interrogating the relationship between success and failure in modern and contemporary Ireland, as reflected in its politics, its economic policies, its literature, and its popular culture. The Celtic Tiger is one obvious recent example of a 'success' narrative that was intimately linked to a series of failures on the part of Irish society to safeguard its more vulnerable communities. With the recent publication of the "Ryan Report," to cite another example, it is clear that the success of the Catholic Church in exerting its power over Ireland's educational and reformatory institutions came at the price of a failure to guarantee the safety and welfare of Ireland's youth. By the same token, it might be argued that Fianna Fáil's longtime political success depended on the failure to engage with the 'National Question,' i.e., Partition and Northern Ireland. Success and failure, as manifested in language revival policies, in gender-related issues, in the lives of prominent public figures, and the reality and perceptions of the Irish diaspora, including the Irish in Canada, are also topics worthy of consideration.
We welcome papers that address other topics and proposals for special panels.
Please send proposals including contact information (250 words) by
e-mail to:
Pádraig Ó Siadhail, D'Arcy McGee Chair of Irish Studies, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, B3H 3C3
(padraig.osiadhail@smu.ca) by 15 January 2010.
Are the Welsh jealous of our diaspora?
A group of representatives from Welsh cultural institutions say that Wales should use Ireland as a model for promoting Welsh culture – but note that the power of the Irish diaspora gives Ireland a big head start.
Wales Online reports that experts from the National Museum of Wales, Arts Council of Wales, Welsh National Opera, Welsh Language Board and National Eisteddfod met with representatives from the Assembly Government and Visit Wales to discuss global market strategies. They said that Wales had cultural assets to match those of Ireland, but suffered from a lower profile.
National Museum of Wales director general Michael Houlihan said: "Wales has a job to do on an international front. If you go to the States the Irish diaspora is very strong, whereas for Wales there is still a lot of work to be done."
Heledd Fyhan, advocacy and policy officer at the National Museum of Wales, sounded positively envious of Ireland as she said: "We are still very unclear how to market ourselves. The Irish market their music, their castles and art collections brilliantly – even though they are not as good as ours."
John Wake, a director of Capital Region Tourism, however, blamed some intrinsic differences between the Welsh and the Irish for the imbalance in their global profiles:
What Ireland have got is a happy-go-lucky attitude to life. The culture is drinking, smiling, being one of the lads or one of the girls. I don't think we could copy that. We have our own identity that is very different. To compare us with Ireland is unrealistic.
Ireland has Guinness, pubs and leprechauns and we don't have any of that. What is the biggest parade of the year in New York? St Patrick's Day. In Wales we celebrate St Patrick's Day and Burns Night more than St David's Day. Why don't we have a Dylan Thomas night?
Hmmm… We sound like a sozzled bunch, I guess, but at least our diaspora consumes our culture.
Walesonline.co.uk: Experts call for Wales to promote its image abroad
"Irish in Britain" event debates diaspora role
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
I did up this report for the Irish Emigrant newsletter at Emigrant.ie –
UCD's John Hume Institute brought its third annual Irish Diaspora Forum to London this week, bringing together politicians, historians, writers, business executives and others from the Irish community. UCD president Hugh Brady joked that the "Irish in Britain" event allowed London to become "Connemara East" for the day. He called the forum series "a rolling conversation exploring the nature of the relationship between Ireland and Irish people and people who identify with Ireland." The first two forums, which were co-organised by Irish America magazine and The Ireland Funds along with UCD, were held in 2007 in New York and in 2008 in Dublin.
The speakers at this year's event, which drew about 100 people, included academics Mary Daly, Diarmaid Ferriter, Declan Kiberd, Mary Hickman and Cormac O'Grada; writer Frank McGuinness; Olympian John Treacy; legendary sports broadcaster Micheal O Muircheartaigh; former Taoiseach Garrett Fitzgerald, and many more. The panel sessions explored three themes: the Irish Diaspora as agents of political change, Diaspora as creative impulse, and cultural branding in the Diaspora. The final session asked the question "What does the future hold for Ireland and its Diaspora?" It was a day of lively debate, with contrasting views of the Diaspora and the future role of emigrants emerging.
One of the highlights was the awarding of the UCD John Hume Medal to former president Mary Robinson. While the award recognised the work Ms Robinson had done on raising the profile of the Irish abroad during her presidency in the 1990s, she made it clear that there were many in Ireland who had not appreciated the importance of the diaspora at the time. She described the response in the Oireachtas as she gave her ground-breaking speech, "Cherishing the Diaspora": "it was going down like a lead balloon… there was no doubt in my mind that members of the Oireachtas did not want to hear [about the diaspora]". She said she left the speech, deeply depressed, but then "messages started to come in from all over the world," and Ms Robinson realised her speech had meant a great deal to the Irish abroad. Ted Kennedy even entered the speech into the US Congressional record. The contrast between the response of the Irish in Ireland and the global Irish response "reinforced my sense that we underestimated our diaspora", she said.
Much has changed since then, and the Irish Diaspora, of course, is enjoying a high profile in Ireland these days; the recent Farmleigh Conference in particular has raised questions about what role the Irish Diaspora might play in Ireland's future and its economic development. But the crisis that served as the impetus for this new outreach to the Diaspora has also sparked a renewed uptick in emigration by the young unemployed. It was this dual reality that was at the heart of one of the differences that emerged in the day: whether the dominant image of the Irish worldwide was more accurately portrayed as that of a global professional, entrepreneurial class or that of a sometimes vulnerable, potentially marginalized, migratory workforce at the mercy of the global economy.
Most of the attendees and speakers were at the professional end of the spectrum: this was an event that was pitched at UCD alumni living in London, and with a 55-euro fee and a setting in the Royal Society, the event would probably have seemed inaccessible to less affluent members of the Irish community.
It was a consideration of the most vulnerable Irish emigrants, however, that provoked the most passionate contribution of the day, from writer Frank McGuinness. He discussed Children of the Dead End, the classic emigration novel written by Patrick MacGill, describing MacGill as "one man who spoke out to give voice to the voiceless". McGuinness outlined MacGill's depiction of the Irish dispossessed, who had been failed by their families and their society: "their bodies are their own only insofar as they can be rented out for other's benefits", and their "contact with home would eventually be reduced to letters that said 'Send money home'."
McGuinness said, "May we be forgiven for what we did – and continue to do – to our poorest". Adding that the vast majority of the new class of emigrants are construction workers who left school young, he suggested that he would "give everyone emigrating a copy of this book". It would serve as a warning: "You're up for a fight – and be prepared for it."
One contributor, former Esat Digiphone CEO Barry Moloney, bridged the gap between the two visions of the diaspora when he envisioned that global Irish professionals had a role to play in preventing emigration in the future. Describing the diaspora as "the single most important thing that can help" in developing Ireland's economy in the future, he said, "I take that responsibility very seriously". He said that in forums such as this and the Farmleigh conference, economic strategising by the diaspora was "the number one agenda item if we're going to help so our kids don't have to go abroad again."
The issue of emigrant voting arose during several of the speaker's contributions. Diarmaid Ferriter was the first to bring it up, noting how Polish politicians had courted the vote of the Poles living in Ireland. He asked, "Would the Irish political situation have been different had the Irish of the 1950s had the vote?"
Mary Hickman noted that the issue of emigrant voting rights was "more taboo" than in the past, even though 115 nations allow emigrant voting rights. She also suggested that the diaspora, Northern Ireland and new immigrants presented a three-prong challenge to Ireland, noting that despite the reform of Article Two of the Constitution, "the national territory and its governance remain ring-fenced".
This issue provoked the most heated discussion of the day, as former Taoiseach Garrett Fitzgerald suggested that the American Revolution's famous rallying cry for democracy, "No taxation without representation" needed to be inverted in an Irish context into "No representation without taxation". He also expressed fears about the candidates that the Irish in America, in particular, might vote for.
Dermot Gallagher, the former secretary-general of the Department of Foreign Affairs, also voiced opposition to the idea of emigrant voting, citing a potential example of a woman in California with one Irish grandparent being eligible to vote (although Mary Hickman had explicitly stated that she was not proposing voting rights for second or later generations). Mr Gallagher did welcome an exploration of the idea of political participation by emigrants through representation in the Seanad, however. Judging from the emotional response to the debate, the role of emigrants in Ireland's political structures in the future is an issue likely to arise in the future.
Mary Robinson, in one of the closing comments of the conference noted that the Irish diaspora doesn't just want a connection with Ireland; there is "a notion of being able to reimagine Ireland because we're making more of a link�?. She pointed to the diaspora's ability to bring greater understanding of our history, to act as a bridge on climate change, and to unite to create huge numbers of jobs as potential benefits of making and remaking connections within the diaspora.
UCD's John Hume Institute – Global Forum page
Irish Post.co.uk: Co-existence is the way forward
Irishtimes.com: We must learn from diaspora, says Robinson
Irish gems of early cinema showcased in Boston
The Boston Irish Film Festival looks like it's up to great stuff these days. The website is out of action at the festival rebrands, but this month moviegoers are being treated to a look back at the earliest days of Irish cinematic history.
"Blazing the Trail: The Story of the Kalem Film Company in Ireland" is being billed as
a unique multimedia event that takes you back to the early 1910s when pioneering screenwriter/actress Gene Gauntier and director Sidney Olcott of the Kalem Film Company blazed a trail from New York to Killarney-and into history!
Affectionately known as the "O'Kalems," Gauntier, Olcott, and their crew became the first American filmmakers to shoot overseas and the first to produce films that reflected the realities of the Irish experience. A sentimental mix of rebel dramas, folk romances, and tales of exile and emigration, their films proved tremendously popular with the Irish in America and helped ease the pangs of being so far from home.
I love the idea that these films were made in part to assuage the pangs of homesickness in an immigrant audience. How thrilling – and heartbreaking – it must have been to be able to see Ireland on screen in the earliest days of cinema, thinking that the black-and-white images might be the closest thing to home you might ever see again.
The programme will consist of a number of these short films, all digitally restored. The original films – some of which haven't been screened in a century – will be accompanied by a pianist and two vocalists; there will also be a series of recently produced short films recounting the adventures of the Kalem film-makers.
Watch this quirky little preview:
The Boston Film Festival celebrated its tenth anniversary a year ago. Organisations like this (and the New York-based Irish-American Writers and Artists, for example) are a great reminder of the appetite for intelligent contributions on Irish-American heritage, and how much vitality there is on the Irish-American cultural scene; this vitality is far too often underestimated here in Ireland, where many people cling to inaccurate and outdated stereotypes of our diaspora.
The event is sponsored by Reel Ireland, the Arts Council, and Culture Ireland. In recent years, there has been an increase in funding available from Ireland for Irish cultural events taking place outside of Ireland – this will surely have a great impact in strengthening the relationship between arts communities abroad and in Ireland, and also with deepening the understanding between Ireland and its diaspora communities.
The programme will be screened on Monday, November 23 at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, Harvard Street in Brookline; tickets cost $9.75.
If you're not near Boston, you can watch (most of) "The Lad from Old Ireland" on YouTube (I think it's from a German print, so it's complete with a little bit of German text). Directed by Sydney Olcott and released in 1910, it's the first American film shot on location outside the US. Eleven highly entertaining minutes of melodrama! Part 1 and Part 2.
Boston Irish Film Festival on Facebook
Boston Irish Film Festival website
IrishEmigrant.com – Blazing the Trail: the incredible story of early film in Ireland
Political participation by the Irish abroad – Irish Times
Paul Gillespie has an article in today's Irish Times calling for the formation of an organisation that would act as a representative body for the 70 million Irish abroad.
He mentions this website as a source for more information on global emigrant voting rights — here are some links to more of what I've written on the topic:
Factsheet on emigrant voting
Expat Voting, Global Style
Letter to the Irish Times on emigrant voting rights
I've also got a factsheet on diaspora strategy, although it's in need of some updating.
Emigrant citizenship and diaspora policy publications roundup
I have long had an interest in the diaspora strategies of other European nations, and I'm the Irish representative and vice-president of Europeans Throughout the World, a body comprised of the expat representative associations of the nations of Europe.
Here are some posts highlighting their activities:
European group calls for EU Commissioner for European expats
ETTW issues response to Paris declaration
Proposals on European emigrants passed at Paris meeting


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Is the Patriots Dynasty Over?
James Porter-Delgardo, Freelance
The National Football Conference Wild Card Round game that aired on Saturday between the Tennessee Titans and the New England Patriots shocked the world. The underdogs, the Tennessee Titans handsomely beat the patriots 20 to 13. Ryan Tannehill put on an exceptional performance against Tom Brady
"[Opinion:] Tom Brady and the New England Patriots' stretch of dominance is over""
— Nancy Armour
, outpacing him in only passing touchdowns. This game has created a lot of questions and controversy on the different fixtures and things to happen to the NFL teams for days to come. Although, out of all of the questions that have been asked, one stands out, "Is the New England Patriots dynasty over?".
The New England Patriots have reigned over the NFL for about all of the 2000s with Tom Brady leading the charge. Since 2001, the world has become accustomed to the New England Patriots dominance. Now after the defeat against the Tennessee Titans, the world is in shock. The title of Nancy Armours' article states, "[Opinion:] Tom Brady and the New England Patriots' stretch of dominance is over". Also, Colin Cowherd from the show, "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" has a video titled "The Patriots Dynasty is Coming to an end". Other factors come into play when talking about what could be the Patriots' quick demise. Tom Brady is just heading into free agency. Brady has a good reputation with the Patriots. Although, the season-ending interception that was returned for an interception has put a strain on his reputation.
There is still hope Patriot fans. Tom Brady is not leaving yet. In a postgame press conference he stated, "We just didn't do enough things right," and later he announced that he is not going to retire. Also, on the show the NFL countdown the former NFL wide receiver Randy Moss said that "Brady needs more help," and the former coach Rex Ryan agreed and said the same thing. After the performance the Patriots had all season they will definitely be making changes come preseason. I predict that next year if the Patriots get a better offensive lineup, Brady will have to prove himself and make a comeback to show the world that he is the best quarterback we've seen to date. Only time will tell for the New England Patriots.
James Porter-Delgardo, Staff Writer
What is Wrong With The Big 12?
NFL Saturday Games Prediction and Preview
Top 3 Heisman Contenders
Lebron James wanted to open a 'Team Lebron' at Nike with Luka Doncic as their first signing
NBA Season Predictions
Reigning 2-time NBA MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo remains with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Russia banned from Olympics
The Buffalo Bills Defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers Joining the AFC's Elite Tier of Teams
Mendham Fache ~~ A Reflection on the Past Four Seasons
Could This Be the Cause of Diego Maradona's Death?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The online Master of Public Administration program at Marist College provides its students with the knowledge and skills they will need to be effective public sector and not-for-profit program management.
The curriculum for this online program offers students new to the field the introduction and background they will to begin a successful careers, while also preparing seasoned professionals to assume managerial and administrative positions. Marist's online MPA program can be especially relevant for individuals who are in or want to join the health care, criminal justice, or human service professions, as well as those interested in public sector and not-for-profit administration.


In an apparent case of first impression, Judge Terrence R. Nealon of the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas addressed an important discovery issue surrounding the scope of discoverability of a claims representative's mental impressions in yet another of his opinions handed down in the case of Church of the Forgotten Souls v. NGM Ins. Co., No. 2010 - CV - 7078, 2011 WL 5244490 (C.P. Lacka. Co. Oct. 5, 2011 Nealon, J.).
The issue in this case arose from a subpoena sent by the Plaintiff to secure a "complete copy" of the adjuster's file, including all documents related to the initial handling of the file in this property damage case. The defendant carrier objected to the wide scope of the subpoena request, particularly with respect for the request for the production of the adjuster's mental impressions, conclusions and opinions on the file.
The Plaintiff argued that only those mental impressions, conclusions, and opinions of the adjuster created after the filing of the lawsuit were protected under the Rules of Discovery. Judge Nealon disagreed.
Rule 4003.3 provides work product protection for an attorney's mental impressions prepared in anticipation of or connection with litigation, as well as for a non-attorney representative's opinions regarding the value or merit of a claim or defense that were prepared in anticipation of litigation (e.g., a claims representative, property loss adjustor, etc.).
Noting that there were no appellate cases on point on the question presented, and a dearth of any trial court opinions to refer to for that matter, Judge Nealon found that since there was no temporal limitation expressed in the Rules, all mental impressions, conclusions, or opinions generated in anticipation of litigation were therefore protected from discovery in that litigation.
In other words, the court found that there was no definitive line of demarcation---the filing of suit---for non-attorney mental impressions to be deemed "in anticipation of litigation." As such, according to this ruling by Judge Nealon, Rule 4003.3 protects the adjuster's or claims representative's mental impressions expressed and documented in the file both before and after the commencement of the lawsuit.
Anyone desiring a copy of this opinion by Judge Nealon in the case of Church of the Forgotten Souls v. NGM Insurance Company may contact me at dancummins@comcast.net. Please be sure to specify that you would like the "discovery" opinion on this case as I posted a summary of a more general opinion by Judge Nealon in this same case last week pertaining to property damage subrogation issues. Thanks.


The conveyancing process when selling a property can be a lot more straightforward than buying, with a lot less administrative duties to take care of, however there are a few things that you can do to help avoid delays.
Peter Robinson & Co. are here to guide you through the process of selling your property, so you can ensure the conveyancing process goes as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
Get in touch with your conveyancer as soon as you decide to sell your property. It may be wise to follow the recommendation of a trusted friend or family member who has sold their house.
Your house could face being on the market for months, so once you find a buyer you will want to get the conveyancing process moving as quickly as possible. Did you know that you and your solicitor could prepare for your sale before an offer is even agreed? This could take a number of weeks off the process.
Once you have decided you want to sell up, you will then need to instruct an estate agent, negotiate and accept an offer price for your home.
Your conveyancer will send you a number of forms and questionnaires to complete about your home. These forms will include things like information on boundaries, known proposed developments, which fixtures and fittings you are going to include with the property and the arrangements for handing over the keys. This will eliminate any uncertainties your buyer may have about the property.
Your conveyancing solicitor will use the information from the questionnaires to prepare a draft contract that you, and the buyer will need to agree and sign. Once this has been approved at both ends you will need to sign the official contract. Both parties are legally bound to the transaction after the contracts have been exchanged.
After the exchanging of the contracts, you should receive the buyer's deposit of 10%.
It's advisable to begin moving out a few days before completion to save yourself the stress of a last minute move.
Once you have vacated the property, hand the keys over to the estate agent to give to the buyer.
It is important to have an understanding of the various aspects of the conveyancing process to avoid encountering any problems during the sale. Choose a property lawyer that suits your requirements whilst offering a high level of service.
Contact us at Peter Robinson & Co to get in touch.


This post originally appeared in the January 2017 edition of LexisNexis® Emerging Issues.
Young professionals in a wide array of fields will have the opportunity to become a trusted advisor—someone to whom more senior executives or partners, clients,colleagues or friends turn when contemplating important decisions or in times of trouble. There is no playbook for how to either become someone's trusted advisor or perform this critical role well. Richard Rothman has spent the past three decades as a law firm partner counselling CEOs and other business clients, as well as having served in the management of a global law firm. We asked him to talk about what he views as the key ingredients to serving as an effective advisor, and about one of the biggest challenges an advisor faces: When and how to disagree with, or "push back" on, your client.
Please Discuss the Value of a Trusted Advisor—What's In It For "Them"?
Many clients need someone with whom they can "let their hair down." Particularly when dealing with CEOs or others in positions of power who must convey an air of confidence, control, and calm, clients want a confidant to whom they feel comfortable revealing their worries, self-doubts and insecurities—and often venting their frustrations and anger.
What is the best way to build a client's trust?
Easy to state, but not always easy to do, you must convey—and more importantly, honestly believe—that your goal is to advance your client's interests, not your own. And when you do have some competing self-interest, as sometimes happens, you should reveal it and then continually check your motives to minimize the risk that your personal interest will skew your judgment. Building the trust necessary to be an effective advisor requires developing a personal relationship—not merely a business connection—and giving your client confidence that you will operate under a cone of silence. One of my trusted advisors, a legend in the legal profession, commented after reading a draft of this article that his goal was always to develop genuine friendships with his clients whenever he could, tempered by the ability to be candid and firm when necessary. Developing that type of bond requires, first and foremost, producing results to which your advice contributed and that often benefit your clients personally. For me it has involved getting to know my clients well, beyond the lines of professional engagements: learning about their personal history, careers and families—often during flights and dinners on the road; hearing about their passions and discovering our common interests—books, music, sports or cooking, to name a few in my experience. And in many cases engaging in common passions, sometimes with spouses or "significant others"—sports events, concerts or theatre and, in my case, playing tennis, running (in olden times), fly-fishing and other wilderness trips. This type of true friendship, which is not always possible and can only evolve over time, can make it easier to handle the challenges discussed below, provided that you don't let that friendship impair your ability to be candid with your client.
How do you recommend "pushing back" on a client without damaging the relationship—or potentially losing that client?
This brings us to the delicate judgment calls concerning when and how to offer personal views that you anticipate will be resisted or resented by your client. This conundrum arises in various contexts, including: When to disagree or push back—and how hard—if your client suggests what you believe is a bad idea or plan, and whether to sound an unpopular alarm—and how loudly—when you believe your client is going astray. Offering candid, and possibly unwelcome, advice at these and other times is essential to serving as an effective counselor. Indeed, a classic pitfall that can doom people in positions of power is to become isolated and insulated from opposing views.
Not surprisingly, there is no one-size-fits-all guide for how to effectively "push back" or disagree with a client. The best approach will depend on many factors, including: your client's personality, as well as your own; how long the two of you have known each other and how many battles you've been through together; how your client tends to receive, respond to, and process opposing views; and, the importance or urgency of the strategic or ethical issue at hand. Recognizing that there's no correct formula, I'll offer a few thoughts, all of which are related to the overriding theme: It's not about you.
First, when you feel the urge to voice a contrary opinion, remember that the object is not to make yourself feel good or go "on record" as having expressed your view in case things go badly later. Rather, the goal is to offer your opinion at such a time and in such a way that your client is most likely to be receptive and seriously consider it. The key is to "know your customer": Is she very aggressive and/or arrogant, or modest and/or introspective? Does she have a sense of humor? How does she respond to criticism? How does she process information and make decisions—is she quick on the trigger or does she tend to ruminate? What else is going on in her personal life or the business (i.e., is she in the midst of some other crisis)?
Over the years, I've come to accept that there are times I can't persuade clients to accept my opinion even when I firmly believe I'm right and that they're headed in the wrong direction. I should note that I fear I may sometimes not be forceful enough in pressing my contrary view to a client. In any event, while individual styles differ, it is important to know when to quit. You need to decide when you've conveyed your view in a way that your client is likely to consider it, and then leave the decision to her. Beating a dead horse will only impair the relationship and brand you as a lousy team player. An exception is when you feel strongly that your client is about to engage in conduct that crosses the line of the law or clear ethical boundaries. When this happens—and I've only faced that dilemma once—you need to put your foot down, whatever the consequences. In my case, it marked the end of the relationship.
I can't tell you that what I've suggested here is the right way to do things; others will disagree with my approach and certainly have their own. All I can say is that this is what I've done over the years, building relationships of trust and struggling with these delicate judgment calls along the way. And things seem to have worked out pretty well so far. I've been fortunate to have advised, and hopefully helped, quite a few clients and friends, a number of whom are both.
At what point did you realize you had evolved from legal counsel into a trusted advisor?
The honest answer is that I don't know exactly when this happened. As I got to really know my major clients' businesses and the people with whom I bonded, we started discussing—and I began advising them about—non-legal issues concerning the businesses and their careers. At the same time, a number of personal friends would talk to me about their business and career challenges—and sometimes their personal issues. I gave them my advice based on the experience I'd gained over the years.
During the past year, I had lead responsibility for our law firm's representations of Sanofi Aventis in a major arbitration, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in a series of complex litigations. Having survived a bout of cancer, a bone marrow transplant and open-heart surgery, I'm now working part time—doing a mix of work for select clients; pro bono legal work—much of it on behalf of human trafficking victims; and non-legal public interest work, including serving as Vice Chair of the Board of Graham Windham, the nation's oldest non-sectarian child welfare agency—founded by Eliza Hamilton, Alexander's widow.


Both the driver and the passenger were brought to the hospital for treatment. Their injuries, while serious, are considered non-life-threatening.
The state of New Hampshire is regionally renowned for its rugged and natural beauty. However, the wilderness that makes our state great comes with a price: wild animals regularly wander onto our roads and cause accidents.
You hit the animal, and do not hit anything else.
You do not hit the animal, but end up hitting a stationary object like a tree.
You do not hit the animal, but end up swerving into another vehicle.
For the unfortunate driver who is behind the wheel when this happens, the first outcome is usually the best because insurance policies typically cover the damages caused by wild animals on the road. Of course, you might still have to meet your car insurance policy's deductable, and your coverage might only be limited to some kinds of damage, but not others.
The last outcome, on the other hand, is usually the worst outcome for a driver in this situation. Drivers are expected to make decisions that a reasonably prudent person would make, and putting other drivers at risk in order to avoid a collision with an animal—even if that decision is little more than a reflex or a quick reaction, and even if that animal is a massive moose—is rarely considered reasonable. In cases like these, the resulting car accident is frequently considered the fault of the driver who tried to avoid the animal.
New Hampshire Personal Injury Attorneys at Tenn And Tenn, P.A.
Car accidents with wild animals are scary and traumatizing experiences. The property damage and the injuries that you can suffer in one are not insignificant.


I was sheltered, blah blah blah. I haven't ever spiraled into worldly darkness at the mercy of a bottle nor have I ever hung out with people who have.
Maybe that's what keeps a steady hope hanging out under my eyelids. Maybe that's why I'm pushing against the callouses people wear around like fashion in this line of work.
The conversations are circular because I want so desperately to believe that people can change, that they can tell the truth, that they can love their kids more than they love their addictions. But people in this line of work have watched people never change, never tell the truth, and always choose their addictions over their children.
So, experience says I'm foolish and green and too wide-eyed.
And I don't want to be foolish about my hope. But, there is one thing I wish was more culturally acceptable to introduce into conversations about addicts.
And so I pray. I pray that things work out differently – for softened hearts and humble spirits. I pray for the addicts who are helpless against their vices. And in them I see me. I see the human condition. I see that we need Jesus. And so I pray.
I've seen them change! (I've seen them not change too), BUT I've seen the power of Jesus!!!
Keep praying in faith…Our God is Mighty to Save!
There is always hope with faith and kindness. To save one life is a miracle. I enjoyed your logic and blog.
Caroline, I am praying along with you. Just this week at the staff meeting @ Bethany we watched an excerpt from a Jim Cymbala study "When god's People Pray." A hopeless heroin addict whose life was changed by God who used people like us to pray for him, speak truth in love to him briefly and never give up on him! God has you in the job you 're in because you will do that for some and they may have stories to tell of HIM in their future!!
Thank you for your prayers! The Lord hears and answers and puts death in its grave with the power of Christ. I'm claiming His mercies today while saying "this, too, shall pass." Thanks, friend!
You make an excellent point and I admire what you wrote. True lasting change comes from having Jesus working in our life. I too have not had such experiences, and I thank God He spared me from that struggle. But, we all have things we need to change about us, all have fallen short of the glory of God.
Thank you for reading and for your kind comments. You are so right – lasting change comes in and through the person of Jesus Christ!
Hard not to become jaded when you see these situations daily. But I certainly agree, our God is bigger and we cannot limit Him and put Him in a box.
Amen! God is bigger than anything we can see (and things we can't!). We just have to hold on to His promises – believing that what He says is true. Thanks for your thoughts, always!
Wow. Sounds like you've had a crazy ride and your dad has certainly experienced the power of addiction. It is so unbelievable to witness God's power breaking the powers of this world! Thanks for sharing!


text:
Q: Make textview take up half of the width of the screen with relativelayout I have a TextView that I want to have 1/8 of the whole screen, and dp just works to get half of the height but how do I get the 4 TextView's to each share the bottom half of the screen equally?
Right now they share the height equally, but the ones on the left are wider than the ones on the right.

A: Inside of your RelativeLayout you need to make a horizontal LinearLayout just for these TextView's.  Then to make them all take up an equal amount of space, assign an equal weight to them all with weight="1".
If you want a TextView to take up more or less space than the others, just assign a proportionate weight to it.  For example if you have 4 views and want the first one to take up 1/2 of the space and the other 3 to share the rest equally, set the weight of the first view to 3 and the others to 1.

A: You can't with a relative layout-  consider a PercentRelativeLayout

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


But there's more to effecting change than wearing a black tux.
After the sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein and many other powerful men in Hollywood came out, people began sharing their experiences with sexual assault and harassment using the hashtag #MeToo, which was created a decade ago by Tarana Burke. Now, the movement is moving to the red carpet: In December, it was reported that several prominent actresses were planning to wear black dresses to the Golden Globes in solidarity with those who have been victims of sexual harassment and assault. However, this gesture of solidarity shouldn't be limited to women, and it won't be: Celebrity stylist Ilaria Urbinati wrote on Instagram that her male clients will be wearing black as well, Refinery29 reports.
"Because everyone keeps asking me... YES, the men WILL be standing in solidarity with women on this wearing-all-black movement to protest against gender inequality at this year's Golden Globes," she wrote. "At least ALL MY GUYS will be. Safe to say this may not be the right time to choose to be the odd man out here... just sayin..." The Rock confirmed in the comments that he'd be joining the protest.
When men speak out about so-called women's issues, the public's tendency is often to pat them on the back and herald them as feminist heroes. But sexual misconduct does not discriminate by gender or sexuality; shortly after #MeToo began trending in October, actor Terry Crews came forward with his own story of sexual harassment. He's not alone, either; people of all identities are survivors, and those who are not still have a responsibility to support marginalized groups. Men should be using their privilege to stand up for oppressed genders and amplify their voices.
But wearing black to an award show ceremony isn't enough, not least of all when the color is black — and most men wear black tuxes to these events as is. When it was first announced that women would be wearing black to the Golden Globes, some people on Twitter called for people to instead skip the ceremony altogether, or invite survivors and activists with them as dates.
A number of people, including actress Heather Matarazzo and #OscarsSoWhite creator April Reign, have been critical of the initial plan to wear black to the Globes, in part because doing so could be seen as a surface-level move. If the act helps survivors feel seen and heard, that is great, but the same actors should remember to do the hard work of truly eradicating sexual misconduct from Hollywood and other industries. Such work includes refusing to collaborate with people accused of sexual misconduct.


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Reviews & Reccomendations In the World of Entertainment
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them | Movie Review
Release date: 18 November 2016 (United Kingdom)
Film series: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Film Series
Box office: 812.5 million USD
Screenplay: J. K. Rowling
This is a film that I have been meaning to watch for ages. Literally ages. Because I am the biggest Harry Potter fan and I love Eddie Redmayne so why it has taken me six months to watch it, I have no idea. But a few weeks ago I finally got around to watching it. And I was not disappointed. The film was quite different to what I was expecting, especially in how dark the film went, but I loved it nevertheless. I adored all the characters, particularly Queenie because I could really connect to her on a personal level, because they were all very complex and interesting and had their own individual quirks and backstories. I did think that a little more time could have been spent on the world building because I think that people who aren't die hard Harry Potter fans may have had a bit of trouble understanding things. However, the visual effects were brilliant and I loved how all the magical creatures were presented. This was a really surprising film for me as it was very different to what I was expecting but I really enjoyed it all the same.
The year is 1926, and Newt Scamander – played by Eddie Redmayne – has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident, were it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt's fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.
Let's just get this out there – Newt's a real sweetheart, isn't he? He is so loving and warm and good-natured but still very determined and protective and I love that a Hufflepuff is getting their chance in the spotlight for once (because yes, I am a Hufflepuff). I thought that Eddie Redmayne did a fantastic job, particularly as he had to work with so much CGI in the film, and really brought this socially-awkward yet very intelligent character to life. I also adored the Goldstein sisters and they are both two of my favourite female characters ever. Tina is so dedicated and hard-working and loyal and I love her relenting resilience that never once wavers in the film. But I also loved that she isn't stone-hearted and goes through a lot of emotions in the film and isn't afraid to openly show them; she is human and that's what I love. I also adored Queenie because I think out of all the characters she is most like myself (though I am quite like Tina too). She isn't ashamed or embarrassed of her kindness and warmth and actually uses this to her advantage when people underestimate her for being a giggly, dumb blonde. She's also very funny and protective of her sister and I loved seeing Queenie and Tina's relationship.
This film was a whole lot darker than I ever could expected; there are themes of child abuse, discrimination and a level of intense hatred and disgust towards certain groups of people that I certainly wasn't expecting. There were also several comments towards society which I also wasn't expecting, seeing as this is a 'kid's film'. But it's no ordinary 'kids film', this story tells several very important and deep messages about people's attitudes and what we do when we tell groups of people to suppress themselves and hide away from society because who they are is unnatural – we create the results and consequences of what that individual then does and the results of that are clearly shown in the story. On a lighter note, I thought all the CGI was done brilliantly and I loved seeing all of the magical creatures and the wizarding world come to life. The plot is quite slow at the beginning with a lot of flitting around between different characters but at the half way point, it really picks up and builds into something fantastic.
This film was definitely a surprise but it was a welcome surprise because I loved all the different elements and all the sub-plots that wove together to create this historical and moving film that even though it is about wizards, still has a lot of relevance to our society today. This is definitely a film for slightly older children to watch because it does get quite dark but both kids and adults can enjoy it – kids can enjoy the wonderful CGI and humour whereas adults can pick up on the hidden sub-text and the themes that the film is trying to get across.
July 3, 2017 Abi	Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, Harry Potter, Movies, Review	Leave a comment
Belle | Movie Review
Release date: 13 June 2014 (United Kingdom)
Director: Amma Asante
Screenplay: Misan Sagay
Music composed by: Rachel Portman
Awards: The British Independent Film Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film
BELLE is inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), the illegitimate mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Captain. Raised by her aristocratic great-uncle Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife (Emily Watson), Belle's lineage affords her certain privileges, yet the color of her skin prevents her from fully participating in the traditions of her social standing. Left to wonder if she will ever find love, Belle falls for an idealistic young vicar's son bent on change who, with her help, shapes Lord Mansfield's role as Lord Chief Justice to end slavery in England.
June 2, 2017 Abi	Belle, Movies, Review	Leave a comment
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo | Review
I first gave this book a shot what must be almost a year ago and I couldn't even get past the first few pages. Terrified that all the hype surrounding the book had ruined it for me, I put it down and didn't touch it for a while. I recently gave it another try and I honestly have absolutely no idea what was wrong with me. I absolutely adored this book this time around and now I can fully understand why there was so much hype surrounding this book when it came out. It's worlds away from the Shadow and Bone series and it's amazing how much she's improved as an author in just a few years, which alone makes me excited about her future books. I absolutely adored the characters in this book as they are all so unique and not characters that I've ever read about before. Their dynamic is fantastic and the way they joke around and yet still care deeply about each other is something I loved reading about. I loved the plot because who doesn't live a heist and all the political commentary that was hiding under the surface. I thought that this book was absolutely amazing and now I need the sequel because this ended on the biggest cliffhanger ever!
Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker has been offered wealth beyond his wildest dreams. But to claim it, he'll have to pull off a seemingly impossible heist: Break into the notorious Ice Court (a military stronghold that has never been breached). Retrieve a hostage (who could unleash magical havoc on the world). Survive long enough to collect his reward
(and spend it). Kaz needs a crew desperate enough to take on this suicide mission and dangerous enough to get the job done – and he knows exactly who: six of the deadliest outcasts the city has to offer. Together, they just might be unstoppable – if they don't kill each other first.
First, let's talk characters because the characters in this book are amazing. I have a new all-time favourite character in the form of Nina Zenik. She is exactly what I adore in a character: she's confident and sassy and intelligent and vivacious and I absolutely love her to pieces. I also love Inej because I could really relate to her on a lot of grounds – particularly her relationship and her thoughts on religion which is something that I've never been able to see in a character before. All of the characters are so complex and interesting and all have their unique pasts and flaws and quirks which I'm really looking forward to exploring more of in the next book. For the majority of the book, our 6 main characters are stuck with each other and their joking, sarcastic conversations made me so happy because I love witty conversations between witty characters.
Who doesn't love a heist novel? And this book is pretty much entirely a heist novel. Obviously, there is a lot more to the plot but the basis is that our fabulous main characters have to pull off a heist. It's fast and action-packed with twists and turns around every corner and because the story switches between each characters perspective you never really get the full story meaning there are lots of gaps and unanswered questions and as you don't fully trust any of the characters, it makes everything a lot more interesting. I understand that the switching POVs could be hassle for some people but I thought they really added another layer to the story and made everything more interesting. The world is also wonderfully complex and layered and so vivid and I love it!
This book was engaging and heartbreaking and moving and it's definitely a 5 star read for me. Now I need to read the next book!
May 8, 2017 Abi	Books, Leigh Bardugo, Review	Leave a comment
Doctor Strange | Movie Review
Release date: 24 October 2016 (United Kingdom)
Director: Scott Derrickson
Budget: 165 million USD
Music composed by: Michael Giacchino
If you know anything about me, then you know that I am an absolutely massive, humongous Marvel fanatic. This film came out at the latter end of last year and, come the middle of March, I was still yet to see it. And this didn't sit right with me and I desperately needed to give it a watch, so I did. And while it may not be my new favourite Marvel film, it still made extremely enjoyable viewing and was definitely a very different film to what is currently out in the Marvel universe. I really loved the main character Stephen Strange and his partner in crime Christine and the bantering, almost sibling-like relationship like they had with each. The visual effects were also stunning and, as per usual, there was plenty of humour as well as some really deep and powerful messages about time and the meaning of life. This was a really fun, moving and unique film with some strong scientific elements that I think is a must-see for any movie fan.
Dr. Stephen Strange's – played by Benedict Cumberbatch – life changes after a car accident robs him of the use of his hands. When traditional medicine fails him, he looks for healing, and hope, in a mysterious enclave. He quickly learns that the enclave is at the front line of a battle against unseen dark forces bent on destroying reality. Before long, Strange is forced to choose between his life of fortune and status or leave it all behind to defend the world as the most powerful sorcerer in existence.
Going into this film I was slightly apprehensive about Benedict Cumberbatch playing the main role. This wasn't because I doubt him as an actor – I think he's an absolutely fantastic actor – but I was slightly wary if he would be too famous and well recognized from other roles such as Sherlock for me to be fully immersed in his portrayal of Stephen Strange. But I really had nothing to worry about because within the first five minutes I was completely engaged in his character. I think that his American accent helped too for me to be completely immersed in the character of Stephen Strange. He is at the beginning of the film an arrogant idiot but he goes through a lot of character development throughout the film and by the end he still has his incredibly sarcastic humour that is part of his character but is a much nicer guy. My favourite character in the whole film was probably that of his partner-in-crime Christine who, at least in my opinion, deserved a heck of a lot more screen time. She was really kind and considerate but was definitely not a pushover and wasn't afraid to stand up to Stephen and was probably the most realistic character in the film. I really enjoyed their chemistry because it was believable and still very entertaining.
As I've already said, this film was very mind-bendy and that is the only way that I can really describe it. There are so many colourful special effects that are quite overwhelming at first, mainly because it is very unlike the rest of the Marvel films that are currently out there, but once you get into the film and understand the tone and style of the film then it's something that really makes this film stand out. The plot of this film was fairly straight-forward and not exactly original but it was executed very well and particularly the end third of this film is extremely action-packed and fast-paced. It wouldn't be a Marvel film if it wasn't jam-packed with humour and this film certainly was, with lots of sassy comments and pop-culture references as well.
This definitely isn't your typical Marvel movie but did a great job of setting up some future movies with a little bit of history and backstory. It was engaging and entertaining, while maybe being a little too crazy for some viewers, but I immensely enjoyed myself regardless.
May 1, 2017 Abi	Doctor Strange, Marvel, Movies, Review	Leave a comment
Beauty and the Beast | Movie Review
Release date: 23 February 2017 (London)
Director: Bill Condon
Featured song: Beauty and the Beast
Costume design: Jacqueline Durran
Music composed by: Alan Menken
You may not know but Beauty and the Beast is my joint favourite Disney movie of all time ever (it shares this accolade with the highly underrated The Princess and the Frog) so it's safe to say that I was absolutely shaking with excitement to this film. Honestly, I don't think I've ever been so excited for a trip to the cinema and was probably more excited than all the six year olds who dressed up in Belle costumes for the occasion. And, guess what? I now have a new favourite film of all time. And I'm not even joking. I absolutely adored it. I haven't stopped listening to the soundtrack since and I keep reliving the film in my mind. I loved everything about it – the characters, the music, the visual effects, the humour, the plot, the costumes and everything else. It was absolutely gorgeous and romantic and quite moving at times and definitely reminded me of why I love this story but was by no means the same as the cartoon. I loved it.
Belle – played by Emma Watson – a bright, beautiful and independent young woman, is taken prisoner by a beast – played by Dan Stevens – in its castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle's enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the beast's hideous exterior, allowing her to recognize the kind heart and soul of the true prince that hides on the inside.
The first thing that I'm going to say is not to be intimidated by all the hype surrounding this film because it's unlikely that you're going to adore this film as much as I did. This story means an awful lot to me – which is probably why I kept squealing during the opening number – but that certainly doesn't mean that you won't absolutely love it either. I firstly want to talk about the characters but it's impossible for me to fully explain all of my feelings in less than 10,000 words because I loved every character in this film so much. But I adored Belle. I absolutely adored her. She is so feisty and strong-willed but still kind and intelligent and still has a sense of humour. She's one of favourite movie heroines of all time. I also adored the Beast and as well as the huge character development that he goes through throughout the film, I loved his humour and his kindness and selfless that even is terrible upbringing couldn't destroy. My darling Plumette was amazing – and I loved her and Lumiere's relationship – as were all the other objects. Gaston was such an arrogant prick that you hate him with a scary ferociousity but I was certainly sidetracked by the good looks of Luke Evans (like it's not fair how hot he looks in this film). But I thought that all the performances were brilliant and I can't imagine anyone else playing any of the roles.
The main thing that I really enjoyed about the plot of this film, and the thing that I appreciated the most, was the way that it filled in some of the plot holes that existed in the original cartoon and gave all of the characters much more backstory and reason for being the way they were. But they did it in such a clever way that it made everything seem much more realistic and entertaining and also made sense in the context of the story; it wasn't just shoved in to fill up a plot hole. The Beast's backstory for example perfectly explained how he turned out to be the rude and arrogant person that he is at the beginning of the film. Something else that particularly appealed to my inner Francophile was how the entire film looked. Everything looked absolutely beautiful; all of the colours were vivid and rich and I loved everything about the castle and its blues and golds. The costumes were also absolutely stunning and wholly transported you into the world of the film. I can't believe I haven't mentioned the music yet because I really have had the soundtrack playing on repeat since the moment I left the cinema. I love every single song and I just – I can't cope with how much I love it.
So yeah. This film might as well have been made for me – from the adaptation of my joint all time favourite Disney movie to Emma Watson, Luke Evans and Gugu Mbatha-Raw to France and the sarcasm and the fact that it's a musical. I mean, it's 5 billion stars from me and I honestly urge you – on a wholly personal level – that if you only watch one film make it this.
April 10, 2017 Abi	Beauty and the Beast, Disney, Movies, Review	Leave a comment
The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson | Review
I've had this book sitting on my shelves for zonks. Literally. And it's been sitting there un-read and un-loved and I've absolutely no idea why because I love Morgan Matson and have loved every single one of her previous books. All this considered, I finally managed to pick this book up and give it a read and I am so glad that I finally did. It reminded me just how much I love Morgan Matson's books and also got me very excited for spring and summer, which was a feat in itself (funnily enough I am absolutely loving spring at the moment which is a completely new sensation for me). The characters in this book are all realistic and flawed and engaging and they all go through some crazy character development through the course of the story. This book is filled with humour and emotional moments and was a really enjoyable read. I can't wait for the next Morgan Matson novel!
Andie has a plan. And she always sticks to her plan.
Future? A top-tier medical school.
Dad? Avoid him as much as possible (which isn't that hard considering he's a Congressman and he's never around).
Friends? Palmer, Bri, and Toby—pretty much the most awesome people on the planet, who needs anyone else?
Relationships? No one's worth more than three weeks.
So it's no surprise that Andie's got her summer all planned out too.
Until a political scandal costs Andie her summer pre-med internship, and lands both she and Dad back in the same house together for the first time in years. Suddenly she's doing things that aren't Andie at all—working as a dog walker, doing an epic scavenger hunt with her dad, and maybe, just maybe, letting the super cute Clark get closer than she expected. Palmer, Bri, and Toby tell her to embrace all the chaos, but can she really let go of her control?
I have to say that at the beginning of this book, I was too sure whether I was going to really like it or not and that was for a couple of reasons. Andie, our main character, isn't the best person at the beginning of the book and I was struggling to find anything to connect with her about. And secondly, the plot seemed to be very politics heavy at the very start which I didn't immediately get engrossed with. But my worries were very quickly quashed. The politics soon take more of a back-seat and Andie soon begins to develop as a character and this was one of my favourite parts of the book. The amount of character development that happens in 500 pages is frankly terrifying and Andie in particularly changes so much into a much more likable and compelling character. As for her friends, I loved the character of Palmer and how strong-willed yet optimistic she was, I liked Bri and I didn't really care about Toby. In fact, she annoyed me the majority of the time and I felt like she was a bit winey. I really loved the romantic sub-plot between Palmer and Tom and the cute moments that they shared together as well as Clark because who doesn't love a cute author?
Another element of this book that I really enjoyed was the development in the relationship that Andie has with her father. These were some of the funniest and most enjoyable scenes as well as the most moving and I really enjoyed watching them grow closer as a family. I really could relate to Andie, particularly at her tendency for over-planning and trying to control the situation too much. As per usual, I found Morgan Matson's writing to be really entertaining and quick to read. I did think however, and maybe it's just because I've read so many of her books, that sometimes her description and action scenes dragged a little and some of her sentences were a little clumsy.
However, on the most part I absolutely loved this book. I was still thinking about it days after I read it and it really put me in the spring mood. I'd give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars and now I'm super excited to see what Morgan Matson comes out with next!
April 3, 2017 Abi	Books, Morgan Matson, Review	1 Comment
Far From The Madding Crowd | Movie Review
Release date: 1 May 2015 (United Kingdom)
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Box office: 30.2 million USD
Music composed by: Craig Armstrong
Costume design: Janet Patterson
I read this book a while ago and if I'm being completely honest the only reason I bought the book was because I wanted to watch the film that stars one of my favourite actresses, Carey Mulligan. But, because this is the way I am, I wanted to read the book before I watch the film. So I did read the book and I adored it which meant I could now watch the film. I thought that this was a very good book-to-movie adaptation and a lot of details from the book were carried on into the film which I was very happy to see. I thought that all the performances were brilliant and they all managed to perfectly capture the characters that they were playing. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous and the whole film felt very sunny and fresh and heady, which perfectly summarizes the setting of the countryside. If you love the book or Carey Mulligan or just fancy a visually-beautiful and quite relaxing film then I'd recommend you give this film a shot.
The story of independent, beautiful and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene – played by Carey Mulligan – who attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak – played by Matthias Schenaerts – a sheep farmer, captivated by her fetching willfulness; Frank Troy – played by Tom Sturridge – a handsome and reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood – played by Michael Sheen – a prosperous and mature bachelor. This timeless story of Bathsheba's choices and passions explores the nature of relationships and love – as well as the human ability to overcome hardships through resilience and perseverance.
The first thing I want to talk about is Bathsheba. She was my favourite aspect of the book and became one of my favourite all time female characters because she was just so strong. And I think that Carey Mulligan did a brilliant job of portraying all the different sides to her personality, as I knew she would do. She managed to show Bathsheba to a be a very intelligent, strong-willed and determined woman who also has a sense of humour and who also gets upset and feels lonely and makes mistakes. I also loved the part that Liddy played in the film because she's a relatively small character in the book but her friendship with Bathsheba is another one of the things that I really enjoyed about the book and I was really pleased to see that Bathsheba had a female friend that she could confide in as well as add some comic relief.
Another thing that I really liked about this film in general was how they expanded a lot of the smaller book characters in order to give them more personality and life and to add some humour. The farm workers, for example, play a much bigger part and have a much stronger relationship with Bathsheba in the film than they do in the book. I also liked the portrayal of the three main men because they all have very different and contrasting personalities and this was really clearly shown throughout the film. On the plot front, I was actually quite surprised how intense and impactful a lot of the scenes were but with the mixture of the beautiful countryside and the dramatic music really made the film feel very action-packed and fast-paced, which contrasts with the calm, relaxing feel of other parts of the film.
I did really enjoy this film and I thought that it was a really true adaption of the book which, for a book obsessive, was extremely good to see. I really liked the characters and fell in love with Bathsheba again. It's probably not the best pick for a thriller or action-film fan but it has some beautiful scenery as well as being very emotional and action-packed too.
March 17, 2017 Abi	Book-to-movie, Movies, Review, Thomas Hardy	Leave a comment
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I bought an old fashioned 1972 Original MasterMind on eBay in a bid to play with my kids and teach them some logical reasoning… Mind you, they are 6 months old and 2.5 years old, so there's a bit of time until it happens.
A bit of time that can conveniently be allocated to develop a MasterMind solver in Excel and VBA! A solver and a game also, as it's easy to generate randomly a combination and hide it with VBA: who would think at work you are not working with Excel on your screen?
It reminds me the very clever site for the purpose of slacking at work: www.cantyouseeiambusy.com. It doesn't exist anymore… Unfortunately!
The other player (codebreaker) has 10 attempts to decode it (once again there are some variants, but 8/10 is more than enough). After every attempt, the codemaker needs to give an indication: how many colours pegs are correctly placed (without disclosing which one, symbolised by a black peg on the side of the board) and how many colour pegs are incorrectly positioned (without disclosing which one, symbolised by a white peg on the side of the board).
A white per if the red peg in the attempt is not in the position of both of the two reds in the code.
In other words, no indication is provided on whether a colour is duplicated if the codebreaker is not duplicating himself a colour in his attempt. Also if the code breaker has duplicated colours while the codebreaker has not, no indication is given about which one is correctly positioned or not. The following should cover all the possibilities to avoid misunderstanding.
In Excel, rather than colours, we will use numbers from 1 to 6.
As a kid, the intuitive way to start is to 'waste' up to five attempts to identify all the colours by creating single-coloured attempts. Five attempts as the three first one might identify a colour, the two following not and the sixth colour would not need to be attempted as it would be obvious it is in the code (or not). In case of luck and or duplication, it can take four attempts only. This is why duplicating colours is probably not the best strategy as a codemaker.
In the below example, we know 1,2,3 and 6 will be the component of the code but there is no clue yet about their respective position.
Anyway, the issue with a such strategy is that with the 4 colours identified, there are still 24 permutations (if there is no duplicated colours), not easy by any means to crack in 5 or 6 attempts, especially we have no clue yet about any of the position of the colours in the code! Luck is actually needed to break the code in the 5 or 6 next rounds. But kids or beginners will intuitively start from there and hopefully frustration of failing will make them evolve to a more consistent approach.
Indeed, the normal evolution of a player would be to keep a colour on the code when identified to start playing with its position, this is much more effective.
Let's assume a 1,2,3,6 code (although displayed, unknown until the end obviously). Player is starting with a full house of 1's, he gets on black peg.
He knows there is a 1, he keeps one and complete with 2's. Let's assume he gets a black and white peg. It can only mean the there's a 2 in one of the three positions and the 1 is misplaced. If the output were two whites, it would give away the position of the 2 (where the 1 is currently sitting).
Anyway, he keeps a 1, change its position, he keeps a 2 and complete with 3's. Bad luck he gets three white pegs.
But it now means the 1 and the 2 are in the two first positions (without knowing the order yet) and there is a 3 in one of the two last positions. He carries a 3 and introduce one 4. Bad luck he keeps having three whites.
However, he now know that he will gain two blacks by inverting the 1 and 2, he knows there is no 4 (he will switch to 5) and know the 3 can only go in the third position!
Switching to a 5 is unsuccessful to identify the fourth colour but at least he got the three other in correct positions.
Therefore, last attempt can only be the good one.
It took six attempts to break the code. Including a bit of bad luck, lets say the two first attempts are not identifying any colour, that would be eight attempts worst case. Eight attempts is really the maximum any decent player should reach, decent number of attempt is six. The number of attempt will make a difference to break a tie between the players (the codbreaker and the codemaker will obviously switch, a bit like in cricket!).
Therefore, they key of the game is to use the information gathered on the previous attempt in order to succeed in a quicker manner.
A standard strategy is to run initially two colours at the same time and the next attempt should be consistent with all previous feedbacks. However, sometimes there can be an advantage to post an inconsistent attempt (in other word an attempt that cannot be the code considering attempt received on previous attempts).
c – One 1 and one 2, one of each being correctly positioned, the other incorrectly.
We'll have to take assumption and progress consistently while this assumption is not proven wrong. Let's assume we have two 1's and no 2, assumption a, and let's introduce 3's.
One black and two whites: it confirms there is at least one 1 and one 3, nothing much more. Also, assumption b can be ruled out: there can still be a 2 but only one.
Let's assume we are still under the assumption a, as it cannot bu ruled out just yet, in other words, there could only be one 3 and we therefore can introduce a 4.
The 1 is not in the first position, else it would mean on attempt number two the two 3's are white pegged and they would steal the spot of the 1.
Quite overwhelming and finally convincing for a first impression of bad luck! This is the why it is a wonderful game, played efficiently, the previous attempts will give a great amount of feedback retrospectively.
Back to attempts 1, we can still consider the black was pointing at a 1, but the other one. Therefore, the 2 could only be in the first position, and the two 3's on the right.
Bad luck, four whites. And it shows why duplicating colours is not necessarily good. Next attempt is the good one, if the 3's are white pegged, they can only be on the two other positions. It means on attempt two the black peg was for the 3 in the second position, therefore the 1 has to come last!
Job done! Five attempts is pretty good, but the response on the first two attempts were pretty good, so there was a bit of luck. Luck will help not solving the code but solving it in a quicker manner if first couple of attempts are lucky enough to give a lot of information. If computer algorithm is averaging 4.34 attempts (with worse case scenario at 7 attempts), 5 is good for a human being.
But these are the most consistent human strategy. A human being will fail ruling out every possibility at every turn as a universe of 1,296 possibilities would require some kind of brain power. But what about using a computer program as hinted before?
Let's start by building the game before building the solver on it.
The obvious first step will be to generate the code and hide it.
There is a random number generator in VBA. But it generates a number between 0 (included) and 1 (excluded), a uniformly distributed (it is what we want, we don't want the tails (1 and 6) to occur less often than 3 and 4. We will check the distribution obviously!
By multiplying our random number by 6, we will have a number between 0 (included) and 6 (excluded). By adding 1 to this number, we will have a number between 1 (included) and 7 (excluding). By keeping the integer part of the generated number, it should give us an integer uniformly distributed between 1 (included) and 6 (included)Let's generate 12,000 random numbers with this process just to double check.
It seems fair enough. The hypothesis that it is an actual uniform distribution could obviously be statistically tested but we will trust our instinct from now, empirical results are enough proof for the purpose.
We fill the cell in black (to avoid seeing the code).
We generate the 4 numbers.
We allocate them to our cells.
It starts to be interesting there. It will be straight forward to compute the black pegs. Indeed, we will create a function and arguments will work by pair, if the pair is matching, black peg, if not, no black peg. This one is very straight forward, not much comments needed. Here is the complete formula.
'!!! Order must be respected !!!
The white pegs formula is more interesting. If it is also all about matching the arguments of our function, the challenge is that we must exclude situations where it would be a black peg, and we should not double count matchings. When a white peg is awarded, the colour in the code and in the attempt will be taken out of the equation.
For easiness, we will store the arguments in 2 different array variables, one for the code, one for the attempt. Array variables need to be dimensioned. We will then first check if there is some potential black pegs and if so, we will clear the variables accordingly, in order not to consider them for awarding a white peg.
Then we will try to match code colour to attempt colour, if there is a match, we increment the number of white pegs and we need to clear the variable in order the pair no to be matched again. Not too complicated after all!
To start playing, click 'Manual Play', it will clear the data, create a hidden code and off you go! 'Reveal Code' button will show the code. 'Clear' button will clear the attempts (not the code) and reinitialize the database of ruled out combinations.
Let's now work on the solver.
By iteration, it is conceptually very easy to scan all the possibilities and ultimately find the good one. The most common approach was developed by Donald Knuth in 1977.
Let's start with a first attempt, whatever it is. This combination will get a feedback like on black peg and one white peg. The program is going to rule out all combinations that would not give a such feedback considering the attempt.
Indeed, let's assume first attempt is 1,1,1,1 and gets two blacks and no white. The algorithm will rule out any combination where if it was the code, the feedback on a 1,1,1,1 attempt would not be two black and no white.
If 1,2,3,1 was the code, the attempt of 1,1,1,1 would give two black and no white, therefore, 1,2,3,1 can be the code and is kept in the universe of the possibilities.
In other words, a single attempt is ruling out two third of the total possible codes and none of the ruled out codes should be played. In the vast majority of the cases, there is no advantage posting an inconsistent attempt (an attempt that has already been ruled out as a possible code).
For the second attempt, the program will pick a combination in the 432 remaining available and will go through the same process, eliminate codes that can't be the good one, select a new one in the remaining, etc,… Until either there is only one code available, or until the attempt is luckily successful.
Indeed, there is a bias in a simple iteration. The order of the iteration and the first code will impact the number of attempt before success.
We have chosen a standard rotation order, from the right, to the left.
First try will therefore be 1,1,1,1. Let's suppose 1,1,1,1 and 1,1,1,2 are ruled out, first available code in the list would be 1,1,1,3 and would therefore be the next attempt. There is nothing optimal in the approach. It does the job for sure, but it probably uses more attempt that a computer should require.
As a matter of fact, a code of 4,5,6,3 would take seven attempts to be broken by the algorithm that way!
If we force the first trial to be something cleverer like 1,1,2,2, the algorithm is doing it in 6 attempts, which is not optimal either. 1,1,2,2 gives no black or white peg, therefore, the first available code in the list becomes 3,3,3,3, not optimal either, 3,3,4,4 would be where a human goes.
But let's focus initially on just making the job: the algorithm will find the solution with a standard iteration in the list of a standard rotation.
First, let's write the 1,296 possibilities. It's going a quadruple 1 to 6 For To Next imbricated loop! Sounds more complicated that it is, it is actually quite straightforward. We're coppying the list in 2 different sheets as we'll also need it at a later stage for optimizing the solving.
Then we will cater for 10 possible attempts (1 to 10 For To Next), look for the first not ruled out combination, use them as an attempt, checking the number of white and black pegs, and if there is 4 black pegs, the program can end, if there is no 4 black pegs, the program will continue and will obviously rule out current attempt.
Program will therefore take the current attempt and scan all combinations that have not been ruled out yet. Program will therefore compare the selected combination with the current attempt and the feedback in terms of white and black peg should be the same one, else the combination cannot be the code and will be ruled out. When process over, algorithm is going to the next attempt.
Do Until ThisWorkbook.Sheets(1).Cells(Line, 5) = ""
'If four black pegged, algo won!
And eventually, we will get there! Not in the optimal way but it works!
Let's take back our 4,5,6,3 code.
We can see that the first three attempts are clearly not optimal. We can easily implement a forcing of the first attempt, let's try with 1,1,2,2. As mentioned before, it only gains a step as the first available combination in the list becomes the 3,3,3,3, still not optimal.
Sometimes it won't even gain a step and program will actually struggle to make it below six.
Is there a way to make the program chose a better combination among st those available for testing? A Minimax approach is required.
It will take a great amount of time, probably 10 minutes, especially if program is not optimized… Which is most probably the case! One of the obvious lack of optimization is the fact our Black and White formulas are used as Excel formula and result is picked up from the Excel cell and it is using a lot of memory, it should be used as formula also inside VBA. The program can be optimized, this is a certainty, and to gain some execution time, we need to switch off the automatic calculations where not required.
e- When all the Max are recorded, we pick the combination that has the minimum Max, hence the name Minimax (if there are several matching Max, some discretion has to intervene, but we will take consistently the first minimal Max available).
f- Then we use the selected combination, check the feedback, rule out more combinations and program is looping back to step a.
The solver part of the code is barely changing, we need to set the trial one to 1,1,2,2 then the subsequent trials, another macro (MinMaxMac) is called to select it. MinMaxMac is outputting in the second sheet in cell V1 the line of the attempt to consider.
Let's have a detailed look at MinMaxMac.
We are going to get the fedback trying all the potenital attemps with other potential attempts, a matrix really, so this is a very straight forward double loop imbricated.
We have copied the attempt in X2:AA2 and the code in X1:AA1, in AB2 and AC2 stands our formulas Blanck and White for the feedback, hence, we will create a string like 1,2 if the feedback is one black and two whites, as similar notation is used at the top of the colum of the matrix.
In the correct feedback column, we increment the code by 1.
The aim, is to know how many potential 0,0 a code will have considering all the attempts, how many 0,1, how many 0,2, etc,… The matrix is done the other way around in the program but this is irrelevant, the following is showing the output. In the following (not meant to be realistic by the way, just for illustration purpose), there are 209 attempts that have not been ruled out. The number of feedbacks against all other combinations are summed. We want to keep the one that has the minimum maximum. In this case, maximum on 1,2,3,4 is 75 (on 0,0) and maximum on 3,4,5,6 is 85 (on 0,0 as well but it's irrelevant on which feedback it is). We will therefore chose 1,2,3,4 rather than 3,4,5,6. Why? Because this maximum means that the 0,0 feedback on 1,2,3,4 is the most probable (75/209=35.89% chances) and if this feedback occurs, it will rule out 209-75=132 combinations. On the other hand, 3,4,5,6, the most probable feedback has 85/209=40.67% chances of occurrence and would only rule out 209-85=124 combinations.
The maximum is calculated through an excel formula in U1298, is hard coded in the accurate line. Ultimately, cell V1 is looking up the minimum of the maximum to retrieve the line number of the corresponding combination (or the fist one in the list should there be identical minimums, the one that will be used for the next step.
Let's take our 4,5,6,3 code and compare the methods.
The top one is the algorithm using at every attempt the first available non-ruled out combination (listed as a standard rotation): it is solved in 7 attempts.
The top one is the algorithm using at every attempt the first available non-ruled out combination (listed as a standard rotation), but the first attempt is forced to 1,1,2,2: it is solved in 6 attempts.
The bottom one is the algorithm starting with 1,1,2,2, with the Donald Knuth optimization for the selection of subsequent attempts: it is solved in 5 attempts.
Very useful to see the improvement! However, this is not systematic, one attempt won't be won with every single code.
It is highly dependent on the position of the code, for example, 1,1,1,2 will be solved in 2 attempts with our 2 first methods as 1,1,1,1 will be ruled out on the first attempt, and the next available attempt is the code! The Knuth optimization is solving it in 3 attempts!
Even more obvious, if the code is 1,1,1,1 our first algorithm is getting it at attempt 1, the same algorithm forcing the first attempt at 1,1,2,2 will get it in 2 attempts and Knuth in 4 attempts!
Try all different first attempts.
Possibilities are endless and that's why the game is never boring!


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Bathyechiniscus tetronyx är en djurart som tillhör fylumet trögkrypare, och som beskrevs av Steiner 1926. Bathyechiniscus tetronyx ingår i släktet Bathyechiniscus och familjen Halechiniscidae. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

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tetronyx

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