text:
Q: np array as optional arguments I have a function that can accept two optional np.array as arguments. In case both are passed the function should do perform some task.
def f(some_stuff, this=None, that=None):
    ...do something...
    if this and that:
       perform_the_task()

This works as expected if none of the optional arguments are passed. If I pass a np.array then I obtain the error
ValueError: The truth value of an array with more than one element is ambiguous. Use a.any() or a.all()

Is there more compact way of checking if the extra args are passed? I guess I can safely assume that if they are passed, then they are going to be np.array.

A: Firstly, you can assume that they will be the right type (especially if you're the only one using the code). Just add it to the documentation. Type checking of arguments Python (the accepted answer even sighs as they explain duck typing)
The exception you're getting is common and is all over SO, like ValueError: The truth value of an array with more than one element is ambiguous. Use a.any() or a.all().
In your case,
if this is not None and that is not None

will accomplish what you want. The issue is not the "and", so much as the fact that the array
     if np.array([True, False]):
         foo()

is ambiguous from numpy's point of view, in that some of the array's values are true, but not all of them... so what should it return?. This behaviour is notably inconsistent with the behaviour of lists (I believe your current code follows the SO-recommended way of checking if a list is None or empty)
If you're thinking of a Java-esk way of overloading your function depending on how many arguments are passed, you're not thinking pythonically enough. You can certainly send whatever comes after that conditional to another function to "concisely" deal with it. The following would also be fine
def f(some_stuff, this=None, that=None):
    ...do something...

       perform_the_task(this,that)

def perform_the_task(this,that):
    if this is None or that is None: return
    raise NotImplementedException

A: As you can see in the sidebar this ValueError has come up before - many times.
The core of the problem is that numpy arrays can return multiple truth values, while many Python operations expect just one.
I'll illustrate:
In [140]: this=None

In [141]: if this:print 'yes'

In [142]: if this is None: print 'yes'
yes

In [143]: this=np.array([1,2,3])

In [144]: if this: print 'yes'
...
ValueError: The truth value of an array with more than one element is ambiguous. Use a.any() or a.all()

In [145]: if this is None: print 'yes'

In [146]: this and this
...
ValueError: The truth value of an array with more than one element is ambiguous. Use a.any() or a.all()

In [147]: [1,2,3] is None
Out[147]: False
In [148]: this is None
Out[148]: False

In [149]: [1,2,3]==3    # one value
Out[149]: False
In [150]: this == 3    # multiple values
Out[150]: array([False, False,  True], dtype=bool)

Logical operations like not usually return a simple True/False, but for arrays, they return a value for each element of the array.
In [151]: not [1,2,3]
Out[151]: False

In [152]: not None
Out[152]: True

In [153]: not this
...
ValueError: The truth value of an array with more than one element is ambiguous. Use a.any() or a.all()

In your function, if you don't give f 2 or more arguments, this and that will have value None.  The safe way to test that is with is None or is not None:
def f(some_stuff, this=None, that=None):
    ...do something...
    if this is not None and that is not None:
       perform_the_task()

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: JDBI/Postgress Select query failed with datetime comparison Postgress Version: 10.4
table column name/type: updated_at timestamp(6) with time zone
SQL query:
final String SELECT_PAYMENT_INFO_QUERY =
    "SELECT i.code, p.*
    FROM information i
    INNER JOIN product p ON i.ref = p.information_ref
    WHERE p.reference = :reference AND p.type = :paymentMethodType AND p.error_state = :errorState
    AND p.updated_at IS NOT NULL AND p.updated_at >= :queryFromTime
    ORDER BY p.updated_at ASC
    FETCH FIRST :numberOfRows ROWS ONLY"

Java Method:
    public List<ProductInformationDTO> retrieveProductInformations(
      ZonedDateTime fetchFromTime, int noOfRecords)
  {
    try
    {
      return dbi.inTransaction((HandleCallback<List<ProductInformationDTO>, Exception>) handle ->
      {
        final List<ProductInformationDTO> productInfos = handle.createQuery(SELECT_PAYMENT_INFO_QUERY)
            .bind("reference", "ABCD")
            .bind("paymentMethodType", "CREDIT_CARD")
            .bind("errorState", "COMPLETED_WITH_ERRORS")
            .bind("queryFromTime", fetchFromTime.toOffsetDateTime())
            .bind("numberOfRows", noOfRecords)
            .map(productInfoMapper)
            .list();

        return productInfos;
      });
    }
    catch (Exception e)
    {
      LOG.error("Failed to complete the retrieve operation.", e);
      throw new TransactionException(e);
    }
  }

This Query and method work fine with the H2 database. However, when it is tested with the Postgress database, I get the below exception

org.jdbi.v3.core.statement.UnableToExecuteStatementException: org.postgresql.util.PSQLException: ERROR: syntax error at or near "$5"
Position: 234 [statement:"SELECT i.code, p.* FROM information i INNER JOIN product p ON i.ref = p.information_ref WHERE p.reference = :reference AND p.type = :paymentMethodType AND p.error_state = :errorState AND p.updated_at IS NOT NULL AND p.updated_at >= :queryFromTime ORDER BY p.updated_at ASC FETCH FIRST :numberOfRows ROWS ONLY", arguments:{positional:{}, named:{queryFromTime:2021-04-15T16:28:20.365795+12:00,numberOfRows:10,paymentMethodType:CREDIT_CARD,reference:ABCD,errorState:COMPLETED_WITH_ERRORS}, finder:[]}]
at org.jdbi.v3.core.statement.SqlStatement.internalExecute(SqlStatement.java:1794)
at org.jdbi.v3.core.result.ResultProducers.lambda$getResultSet$2(ResultProducers.java:64)
at org.jdbi.v3.core.result.ResultIterable.lambda$of$0(ResultIterable.java:54)
at org.jdbi.v3.core.result.ResultIterable.stream(ResultIterable.java:228)
at org.jdbi.v3.core.result.ResultIterable.collect(ResultIterable.java:284)
at org.jdbi.v3.core.result.ResultIterable.list(ResultIterable.java:273)
at au.com.abcd.products.v2.database.store.dao.ProductsDaoImpl.lambda$retrieveProductInformations$6(ProductsDaoImpl.java:260)
at org.jdbi.v3.core.Handle.inTransaction(Handle.java:424)
at org.jdbi.v3.core.Jdbi.lambda$inTransaction$4(Jdbi.java:375)
at org.jdbi.v3.core.Jdbi.withHandle(Jdbi.java:341)
at org.jdbi.v3.core.Jdbi.inTransaction(Jdbi.java:375)
at au.com.abcd.products.v2.database.store.dao.ProductsDaoImpl.retrievePaymentIntents(IntentDaoImpl.java:251)
at au.com.abcd.products.v2.business.services.complete.ProductServiceImpl.reProcessProducts(ProductServiceImpl.java:114)
at au.com.abcd.products.v2.business.background.TransactionReProcessManager.lambda$reProcessProducts$1(TransactionReProcessManager.java:81)
at java.base/java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1128)
at java.base/java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:628)
at java.base/java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:829)
Caused by: org.postgresql.util.PSQLException: ERROR: syntax error at or near "$5"
Position: 234
at org.postgresql.core.v3.QueryExecutorImpl.receiveErrorResponse(QueryExecutorImpl.java:2532)
at org.postgresql.core.v3.QueryExecutorImpl.processResults(QueryExecutorImpl.java:2267)
at org.postgresql.core.v3.QueryExecutorImpl.execute(QueryExecutorImpl.java:312)
at org.postgresql.jdbc.PgStatement.executeInternal(PgStatement.java:448)
at org.postgresql.jdbc.PgStatement.execute(PgStatement.java:369)
at org.postgresql.jdbc.PgPreparedStatement.executeWithFlags(PgPreparedStatement.java:153)
at org.postgresql.jdbc.PgPreparedStatement.execute(PgPreparedStatement.java:142)
at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:62)
at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
at java.base/java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:566)
at org.apache.tomcat.jdbc.pool.StatementFacade$StatementProxy.invoke(StatementFacade.java:114)
at com.sun.proxy.$Proxy120.execute(Unknown Source)
at org.jdbi.v3.core.statement.SqlLoggerUtil.wrap(SqlLoggerUtil.java:31)
at org.jdbi.v3.core.statement.SqlStatement.internalExecute(SqlStatement.java:1786)
... 16 common frames omitted

I tried with fetchFromTime.toLocalDateTime() as well but get the same exception.

A: You can't use a positional parameter in the FETCH FIRST (or LIMIT) clause.  One workaround, assuming you can tolerate running a native query, would be to use ROW_NUMBER instead:
SELECT *
FROM
(
    SELECT i.code, p.*, ROW_NUMBER() OVER (ORDER BY p.updated_at) rn
    FROM information i
    INNER JOIN product p ON i.ref = p.information_ref
    WHERE p.reference = :reference AND p.type = :paymentMethodType AND
          p.error_state = :errorState AND p.updated_at IS NOT NULL AND
          p.updated_at >= :queryFromTime
) t
WHERE rn <= :numberOfRows


Selena Gomez insists that she never said she didn't like the Twilight franchise.
Wizards Of Waverly Place star Selena Gomez has clarified her recent comment that she has never watched Twilight.
The actress, who plays Alex Russo in the Disney series, recently admitted that she "felt bad" for not having an interest in the vampire franchise.
Speaking to E! Online's Marc Malkin, she explained: "All I said was that I didn't watch it and I felt bad for not watching it.
"But of course, now it's like, 'I don't like it'. That's not the case."
Gomez, who also confessed she had not read the original novels by Stephenie Meyer, added: "I feel bad and I'm sorry if I offended anyone for that."


text:
Help Urban Exodus grow by supporting our efforts on patreon
Leaving NYC - Nichollette Shorts, the gardener and actress behind @broadwaygardener
NICHOLLETTE SHORTS
Suburban, New Jersey (zone 7b)
Meet Nichollette Shorts, the woman behind Broadwaygardener. Nichollette is an avid backyard gardener who recently uprooted her small backyard garden in Brooklyn, NY and moved with her partner to a home in the small community of Union Township, New Jersey. For Nichollette, moving out of the city wasn't high on her priority list because her job as an actress has her constantly hopping around the five boroughs for auditions, but her partner dreamed of more space, lower cost of living and a quieter existence.
"Honestly, I thought I'd stay in the city forever, I LOVE the hustle. Originally I thought we would just move to another apartment. But with two huge dogs, city prices, and a partner that was looking for a quiet life, another apartment didn't seem right. We made a compromise that I would move out of New York if I could still get to the city in under an hour, and if I could get a huge space for a garden. So we basically set our Zillow settings to the price, distance, and lot size and went from there. We didn't really have a clear idea of where we were going until we got here."
Nichollette advises people considering leaving the conveniences of city life to really consider how their move will effect their daily routines.
If you're leaving the city, really think about what that means for your day to day life. The biggest adjustment for me was adjusting to public transportation. In NY the trains come every few minutes. Here its a 20 minute walk to the only train in town and it comes once every hour. My greatest advice would be to really think about what you want your day to day life to look like, and how can you achieve that within your budget.
Nichollette and her partner moved to New Jersey in December of 2019. A major selling feature of their new home was the overgrown and neglected lot it sat upon. Nichollette instantly saw the potential and was excited to be able to expand her growing spaces and have more room to grow both edible and non-edible plants. The hardest part of their move was deciding what plants to dig up from their Brooklyn allotment and move with them to New Jersey. Once they moved, she immediately began making plans for tackling the outdoor spaces - transforming the tangled lot into a serene and productive growing haven.
Covid hit right after Nichollette and her partner finished unpacking. It has made it challenging to feel at home in their new community because they really haven't had much of an opportunity to meet their neighbors and participate in community events.
"I'd like to give my new community the benefit of the doubt, because it's a pandemic, and we haven't lived here long. We've met most of our neighbors and they've been wonderful, and I found a farmers market that I really enjoy visiting. But I think I will always miss Brooklyn, and the community I had there. Not only did I know my neighbors, but everyone knows everyone. The store owners, ice cream man, and crossing guard, they all felt like family. I'm hoping once this pandemic lifts a bit then I can find that feeling here too."
Nichollette's career acting opportunities have slowed since Covid and although it has been stressful, she feels so grateful to have the tranquility and extra space.
"I like how quiet it is at night here. I've always liked to sit outside with a beverage or a book, and its so peaceful here. I forgot what it was like to hear uninterrupted sound of nature. Unfortunately, I think it's hard not to feel at least a little stressed during these uncertain times. Due to the fact that I work in the city, my career is at a bit of a stand still at the moment. The fact that we moved to such a peaceful area is something I am extremely grateful for. I have a new found sense of relaxation in the garden that surprised me. Especially early in the morning when everything is quiet except for the birds, which is a welcomed change from the sounds of the city.
Nichollette has channelled her energy and extra time into gardening and it has helped keep her busy during this very difficult time. The biggest challenge she has had to navigate while building her new garden, has been poor soil health. She has had to make significant amendments to keep her plants thriving. She is also battling with an army of hungry little creatures that have been nibbling on everything she puts in the ground. Despite these difficulties, she has made real progress in the last few months and has been enjoying the fruits and veggies of her labor all summer long.
"I am happy to have the ability to plant more beautiful shrubs in the ground here rather than in containers. I had a simple setup of containers and raised beds in Brooklyn, and grew a bit in the ground as well. I was shocked to discover how extremely bad the soil is here at our new home, which has been one of my biggest challenges. Alongside horrible soil, I am convinced the wildlife has a vendetta against me. They are treating my garden like a buffet."
In addition to her bountiful harvest of fresh food, Nichollette has been planting all sorts of blooms to cheer up her outdoor space.
"Honestly, I love anything with a pink bloom. I've been focused on gladiolus lately, as I LOVE the variety of colors you can get on a big bold bloom. Come fall I put a tulip bulb anywhere I can fit one. I think its safe to say Im obsessed with spring color. I also believe, what is a garden without sunflowers?"
For Nichollette, a love and fascination of plants and nature was instilled at a young age by her family, but it wasn't until after she left home for college that she attempted growing her first backyard garden. It didn't take long though, until she was hooked.
"My Grandmother and Mother always had a tone of house plants, but I was more interested nature, animals, and how things grew outside. I remember countless times that I would eat my apple and then attempt to plant the seed in the ground. It wasn't until I moved away to college in New York that I found myself missing nature. My family started to dabble in setting up a backyard garden while I was in college, and I've always been a little bit competitive. Hence, thats the year that I bought a blueberry bush and a tomato plant for my little backyard in Brooklyn, and it just took off from there."
There are quite a few items on Nichollette's endless garden "to do" list but at the moment she is working on building a space for her two dogs to run freely without destroying her plants.
"I have so many plans for the future. We are in the process of working out an enclosed dog run, where my dogs can play wildly without stepping all over my plants. One of my favorite future plans is a fireplace area in our back corner surrounded by a moon garden. I plan to heavily landscape the front of the house with formal hedging and have a front yard garden. I've already ordered some David Austin Roses to begin my rose garden. It's going to be quite sometime until things begin to take shape, but I can't wait to begin to see little changes here and there."
With acting opportunities still in limbo, Nichollette has begun sharing her gardening journey and growing knowledge with her social media following. It is a way to do two things she loves at the same time - gardening and performing. She wants to encourage all people, no matter how much space or money they have, to embark on their growing journey.
"I hope that my channel will showcase that you can achieve so much with hard work, patience, and without breaking the bank. There are so many Home & Garden channels sharing their amazing space with us, but the truth is not everyone can afford big expensive builds/projects to create that space. I truly believe that there is an unmeasurable sense of pride when you put in the work and see your results flourish over time. I want to help people create a space they can relax in and find peace in, just as I have with my garden and new home. "
Thank you Nichollette for sharing your story with us!
Follow Nichollette on Instagram and Youtube
NICHOLLETTE'S INTERVIEW
You are a wealth of plant knowledge in your Youtube videos. Do you have a background in landscape design or agriculture?
I am an avid google-er. I research all day and all night when Im determined to figure something out. Reading gardening books and watching videos is something I truly enjoy, and I am not afraid of the trial and error method. I think I've learned the most by failing first.
With everything that has happened in 2020 do you feel like you made the right decision to leave or do you want to return to NYC in the future?
I go back and fourth with this thought quite often actually. Part of me realizes and appreciates having my own (much larger) space to quarantine in. There was no way to predict what was about to happen back in December when we moved, but it's definitely been challenging. I think it would have definitely been a lot easier for me to have stayed in the city, because it's familiar to me. We were at an affordable place with utilities included, and I felt like I was part of a community. Moving here, leaving my friends, and then basically going into a lockdown was A LOT of change at one time. I expected to have new financial responsibilities that come with owning a home, but I NEVER expected to do it, without a job, feeling isolated with no real community or support system.
How are you navigating auditions and acting opportunities in during Covid?
I'm still extremely focused on my acting career, but at the moment it's come to a very defined halt. Auditions and rehearsals have basically been non existent until recently, and now it seems we're all just trying to find a way to navigate towards a new normal. I'm lucky enough to still be working with Darkness Rising Project at the moment, as the album was already finished recording, so we've been able to do a lot of online releases, and virtual concerts.
Have you noticed a change in yourself since leaving the city? (stress, health, happiness, etc.)
Unfortunately, I think it's hard not to feel at least a little stressed during these uncertain times. Due to the fact that I work in the city, my career is at a bit of a stand still at the moment. The fact that we moved to such a peaceful area is something I am extremely grateful for. I have a new found sense of relaxation in the garden that surprised me. Especially early in the morning when everything is quiet except for the birds, which is a welcomed change from the sounds of the city.
What are the main obstacles standing in the way for gardeners just starting out? Do you have any advice for someone who wants to start their first garden but doesn't know where to begin?
I think the biggest obstacles are pest and disease. In the beginning it can be really difficult to identify whats going wrong with your plant. I encourage you to not give up, do the research, and ask for help. The best thing you can do as a beginner is expect to have losses, and stay determined to grow from them.
Are there any crops, varieties, etc. that you specifically love to work with?
I am a real squash lover!!! I know squash bugs and vine borers are everyones biggest enemies, but I still have an unhealthy addiction to squash. I love to grow as many winter squash as I can, because theres something about wheeling a cart around the garden and harvesting pumpkins and squash that really makes fall the best time of year. Sunflowers and Zinnias are also a garden MUST for me.
Are there any crops that you have a hard time growing in your 7b growing zone?
Brassicas!!! They are so hit or miss for me. Sometimes the spring stays cool enough to form big beautiful heads, and sometimes they bolt so quickly. Not to mention the cabbage moths! Growing brassicas in the fall gives me a better chance of success, but it's just one of those crops that I cant seem to grow consistently.
Do you have any suggestions for creative material reuses to extend your growing spaces and/or growing season?
My suggestion is, use everything you can get your hands on. Cardboard to smoother weeds. Old fencing or cattle panels to grow vining crops. Keep all those leaves and grass clippings, especially if you're a container gardener because potting soil can get pretty expensive. I like to fill my containers half way with composted grass clippings and leaves, and the rest of the way with premium potting soil.
Do you have any books, podcasts, channels, websites, etc. that you would recommend to people wanting grow their own food and become more sustainable and self-sufficient?
I found the documentary The Biggest Little Farm so inspiring. It showed farming/gardening on a large scale, but showed an important process of using the natural benefits of nature to address gardening problems. As a beginner, the show Grow, Cook, Eat on Amazon was EXTREMELY helpful. CaliKim on Youtube is a great source for backyard and container gardening.
Do you have any favorite recipes for your freshly harvested produce that you would be willing to share?
I wish! I tend to throw things together with zero idea how the meal will turn out. Zoodels, BLT's, Ratatouille, and eggplant parmesan are my go-to's. But sometimes I take a picture of my harvest, send it to my friends, and ask them what I can make.
Aside from growing your own food, what other ways do you practice self-sufficiency?
Along with growing my own food, I've found ways to collect rainwater for the garden and practice composting. Something a lot of people don't know about me is I really enjoy crocheting and sewing. I like to alter and transform my clothes, and I've started making my own soaps, lotions, and hair products. Even though my partner thinks I'm a bit of a pack rat, I try to repurpose almost everything.
From Wall Street to Farming in Rural Georgia: Meet Margo of @youngfemalefarmers
Suburban Haven in South Carolina: Meet Janice of @jaysgardenjournal
Growing Goodness: Meet Vegas Homesteader Gerald Owens Jr. of @og_gardenfrenzy
JOIN THE URBAN EXODUS COMMUNITY
© 2020 Urban Exodus, all content by Hessler Creative

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text:
Can Android Pay Be A Success?
With the rise of Apple Pay, can Google replicate the success?
Alternative FinanceInnovationPayments
Simon Barton
The concept of paying for something with your phone is not new. Back in 2012, PayPal, AT&T and even banks like Barclays, were clamouring to have a stake in the mobile payments space.
Yet whilst contactless payments are now commonly used, mobile payments have failed to pick up the same steam. This led the New York Times to suggest that mobile payments were 'a solution in search of a problem', and that people, in the main, see no reason to swap their credit cards for a phone.
Apple Pay arrived in October 2014, and there are now 700,000 retail locations around the globe which accept the service. Softcard, which was at the time Apple Pay's main competition, found that interest in its own platform grew substantially once Apple's service had been introduced. However, only 15% of iPhone 6 users have ever tried Apple Pay, although the majority of that 15% use the service on a regular basis.
Google's former mobile payments system, 'Google Wallet', was released well before Apple Pay, in 2011, and is considered by many a failure. The internet giant's business model, where as much information is stored about an individual as possible to produce targeted adverts, is deemed the main reason why the service failed to capture the public's imagination - with privacy concerns the main sticking point.
As a reaction to the failure of the Google Wallet, a new service, Android Pay, is soon to be released by Google. It has already been praised by a number of different media outlets - with Techradar highlighting the fact that Android Pay incorporates loyalty programmes as one of the reasons why it's a better service than Apple Pay. Google is also so confident that it's made its Android Pay free of bugs, it's willing to give $40,000 to anyone who can find one.
The problem for Google is that there are so many potential providers of mobile payments out there. Some, like Amazon, are just getting started, whilst Facebook is still yet to venture into the space. In addition to this, PayPal is still the most established player in the payments market - and its acquisition of Braintree and Paydiant allows them to support P2P payments, as well as online and in physical stores, just like Apple Pay.
Apple, ironically, has helped Google revive its payment prospects. Apple Pay has allowed more consumers to experience the advantages of mobile payments, and that extra exposure means that that odds of Google's Android Pay being a hit have been shortened drastically.
It's important that retailers have faith in mobile payments and implement the systems needed to give these platforms a chance. It's only then that we'll know if mobile payments is in fact looking for a solution to a problem that doesn't exist, or if we're on the verge of a mobile commerce boom.
How Artificial Intelligence Can Benefit Email Marketing
IBM's blockchain service goes multicloud
Apple set to release three new iPhones
Uber selects Melbourne for flying taxi tests
IT outages left seven million Britons unable to use cards last year
Google launches AI language library TensorFlow.Text
The impact of 5G and IoT on blockchain technology
UK found to be Europe's tech unicorn leader
Apple to buy Drive.ai and add self-driving experts to its roster
Weekend update: The death of iTunes, cloud investment from Microsoft, Google and Oracle...
Uber takes to the skies with new helicopter service
Leading Innovation into the Mainstream


"Harlequin Overwhelmed" on view @ Museum of Shenandoah Valley, "Second Time Around: The Hubcap as Art, on view through March 1, 2015" (Landfill Art Project).
Two pieces selected for the Ann Metzger Memorial National All Media Exhibition at the St. Louis Artist's Guild by Marla Prather, a curator in the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as juror.
Selected by Lisa D. Frieman, Senior Curator and Chair of the Department of Contemporary Art, Indianapolis Museum of Art, for inclusion in New American Paintings 2012 Midwest Edition.


text:
If your child consistently struggles doing tasks in a timely manner—whether that's getting her shoes and coat on to leave for school or fill in a homework sheet or take a timed math test—he or she likely has challenges relating to processing speed. Slow processing speed affects many differently-wired children, and can often be found co-existing with neurological differences like ADHD, giftedness, anxiety, and more. What makes it so difficult for kids to manage and parents and teachers to understand is that there is often a marked disconnect between a child's intellectual capability and the pace at which they execute certain tasks.
Dr. Ellen Braaten is an expert on processing speed issues in kids, and is the author of When Bright Kids Can't Keep Up, which came out in 2014. In this episode, Ellen explains to us exactly what slow processing speed is, describes how it shows up in kids, and gives her insights on how parents (and teachers) can best support kids for whom this is a challenge.
Would you rather READ than LISTEN? Click here to read a blog post of this interview!
About Ellen: Ellen Braaten, PhD is associate director of The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital, director of the Learning and Emotional Assessment Program (LEAP) at Mass General, and an assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. She received her MA in clinical psychology from the University of Colorado, and her PhD in psychology from Colorado State University.
What slow processing speed is and how it presents in children
At what age slow processing speed is typically recognized and why getting a diagnosis is beneficial
The correlation between slow processing speed and other neurological differences such as ADHD, dyslexia, anxiety, etc.
The importance of treating the underlying issue / primary diagnosis
How parents can support a child with slow processing speed issues, including the three A's: Accept, Accommodate, and Advocate
How to make a strong case for accommodations and services in school for a child with slow processing speed
Dr. Ellen Braaten's book, Bright Kids Who Can't Keep Up: Help Your Child Overcome Slow Processing Speed and Keep Up in a Fast-Paced World
The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds
The Learning and Emotional Assessment Program at Mass General
Slow Processing Speed and Anxiety: What You Need to Know (article from Understood)


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text:
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Book an Appointment with Drew Clayton's office
Please click your preferred available date to submit a request. Your Appointment Form will be sent to Drew's assistant, Heather Robarts.
Drew Clayton is in the process of transitioning to full-time mediation as of January 1, 2022.
For 35 years, Drew Clayton's legal practice focused on securities arbitration and business litigation. He worked in the securities industry in mutual fund marketing and as a registered representative in New York and New Jersey for five years before he became an attorney. Drew held a number of securities and insurance licenses as a result of that work. He was also the vice president of operations for a New York based company that drilled oil and gas wells for investment partnerships in various states throughout the United States in the mid-1980s.
Drew has been involved in hundreds of securities-related disputes during his career, and has not only represented customers in cases against financial advisors and brokerage firms, but investors in closely-held businesses, securities industry employees in disputes with their former employers, and in regulatory proceedings initiated by state and federal regulators as well as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. He has also engaged in complex business litigation cases in state and federal courts.
Prior to joining Icard Merrill as a shareholder in 2016, Drew was the founder and owner of The Clayton Law Firm, P.A. in Sarasota, Florida for 20 years. Before that, he worked for highly-regarded law firms in Florida and New Jersey. Throughout his many years of practice, he has been engaged in securities and business-related litigation and arbitration.
During law school, Drew was vice president in charge of operations for an oil and gas operating company, managing 57 oil and gas wells throughout the United States from 1985 to 1987. He was also a registered representative with L.F. Rothschild, Unterberg Towbin (1983-1984), and Smith Barney, Harris Upham & Co. (1984-1985). Prior to that, Drew was in mutual fund marketing with Oppenheimer Management Co. in New York from 1982-1983.
He has been retained as an expert witness regarding attorney's fee issues for plaintiffs and defendants in securities disputes. Appointed by the court to act as a receiver in complex trust litigation. He has represented a bankruptcy trustee in complex corporate liquidation proceedings and related litigation. He acted as a guest speaker and panel member in annual meetings of the Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association.
J.D. Seton Hall University School of Law, Newark, N.J., 1987
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U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, 1988
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Trump opens chasm between himself and Hillary Clinton on Cuba policy
Obama's Cuba policy to be judged by Cuban Americans at the ballot box
Democrat Hillary Clinton versus Republican Donald Trump
Cuban American voters now have a choice not an echo on Cuba policy in the 2016 Presidential election
Cuban American voters now potentially have a reason to turn out in record numbers in the 2016 presidential election. Republican GOP nominee Donald Trump yesterday in Miami announced that he would reverse Obama's Cuba policy if the Castro regime did not meet his demands that "include religious and political freedom for the Cuban people and the freeing of political prisoners."
For the first time ever in a presidential election both major party candidates were backing normalizing relations with the Castro regime. This position would have hurt Republicans more than Democrats because part of their base of Cuban American voters, in Hialeah for example, are working class and vote Republican out of their anti-communism, not economic interests. Until yesterday Cuba policy was going to be a wash in the 2016 presidential election with both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump supporting Obama's failed Cuba policy.
"The last time there was a clear choice, a referendum, on U.S. Cuba policy took place between two presidential candidates in 1980, where Jimmy Carter decided to open the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, lifted the travel embargo on Cuba and began direct negotiations with the Castro regime only to be defeated by Ronald Reagan who promised to reverse the policy," explained Augusto Monge, co founding member of the Free Cuba Foundation. Augusto, also observed that "As in 1980, like today in 2016, the fruits of the normalization policy with the Castro regime are decidedly rotten. The human rights situation in the island has worsened; the regime's subversive influence in Latin America expanded threatening democratic governments friendly to the United States."
"Cuban American voters who care about a free Cuba now have a clear and contrasting choice not an echo on Cuba policy in this election," said FCF member John Suarez who added "let us not forget that President Obama along with his GOP adversaries in 2008 and again in 2012 backed maintaining economic sanctions until political prisoners were freed and the fundamental human rights of the Cuban people respected. This position was also held by previous winning Democratic nominee Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996 who did well among Cuban American voters. Once they entered office and no longer had to worry about getting elected then they took on policies unpopular with their Cuban American constituents. This places Hillary Clinton in a disadvantageous position among Cuban-America voters in South Florida. She might want to join Donald Trump and reconsider her position on U.S. – Cuba policy."
This new contrast over Cuba will test the FIU poll of Miami Cubans that claims strong support for Obama's Cuba policy among Cuban Americans. In stark contrast, Marco Rubio who repudiated the Obama Cuba policy won the Cuban American vote in Miami-Dade County handily even though he lost the rest of Florida in the Republican primary. Trump's about face on Cuba policy is good news for the GOP in South Florida where Cuban Americans upset over the the administration's December 17, 2014 announcement now potentially have a candidate that they can support.
Donald J. Trump addresses Bay of Pigs veterans in 1999
Back in 1999 Donald Trump wrote an OpEd in The Miami Herald on Cuba advocating maintaining the embargo:
Published Friday, June 25, 1999, in the Miami Herald
A choice for human rights
Donald J. Trump is a real-estate investor and head of The Trump Organization in New York City.
Several large European investment groups have asked me to take the ``Trump Magic'' to Cuba. They have ``begged'' me to form partnerships to build casino-hotels in Havana. With the influx of foreign tourists, we would make a fortune, they promise, and they are no doubt right. They are also right to say that this type of arrangement would allow me to skirt the U. S.-imposed embargo.
But rushing to join those who would do business in Cuba would do more than that. It would place me directly at odds with the longstanding U. S. policy of isolating Fidel Castro. I had a choice to make: huge profits or human rights. For me, it was a no-brainer.
I fully understand the familiar arguments for lifting the embargo. The Cold War is over. Castro is on the ropes. Pumping money into his economy would benefit the long-suffering masses. This is the way to ``open up'' Cuba, export democracy, and promote entrepreneurship and independence from the state. We need to put the past behind us.
Each of those arguments is bogus.
The Cold War is indeed over, but it would be instructive to remember the role that Castro played in the struggle between -- yes -- good and evil. He turned his island over to his Soviet patrons. He was quite willing to have nuclear missiles, launched from Cuban soil, destroy American cities. He exported revolution to Central and South America. He abetted Libyan terrorism. He gave asylum to murderers. He posted troops in Africa.
More important, he turned his nation into a maximum-security prison. His regime controls every aspect of human life -- access to food, medical assistance, schools and employment. Castro has not mellowed with age. Terror continues to reign. The secret police are unrestrained. The disappearance and beatings of citizens are still tools of civilian control, as is the suppression of free speech. Castro's ruthless domination of the Cuban people has not lessened even as his regime crumbles.
The real cause of misery of the Cuban people is Castro's Marxist-Leninist economic system -- not the U.S. embargo. Castro's Cuba is a brutal police state; Castro rules through terror, intimidation and brutality.
Castro urgently wants the United States to lift the embargo because he is desperate for hard currency to keep his faltering communist economy afloat. Now, without the generous subsidies from the Soviet Union -- between $5-7 billion dollars a year -- Cuba's economy is reeling.
Of course, he would love Donald Trump to come to Havana and build casino hotels. Why? Not to raise the standard of living for the people of Cuba. Quite the contrary. Almost every dollar would go to prop up his police-state. Why? Because foreign investors cannot legally do business with private Cuban citizens. They can go into business only with the Castro government. It is highly illegal in Cuba for anyone except for the regime to employ a Cuban citizen.
Foreign investors are not allowed to hire or pay Cuban workers. They must pay the government directly for the workers. Castro then pays the workers in worthless Cuban money and keeps the rest. Under these circumstances, my investment cannot help average Cubans -- it can only replace the Soviet subsidy Castro no longer receives.
If I opened a casino/hotel in Havana, I would be required to pay Castro about $10,000 per year for each Cuban worker. But the workers would not benefit. Castro would pay them the equivalent of $10 a month. The rest he uses to pay for the brutal and violent system that keeps him in power -- and deprives the Cuban people of basic human rights. In other words, my investment in Cuba would directly subsidize the oppression of the Cuban people.
Yes, the embargo is costly. If I formed a joint venture with European partners, I would make millions of dollars. But I'd rather lose those millions than lose my self-respect. I would rather take a financial hit than become a financial backer of one of the world's most-brutal dictators, a man who was once willing to aid in the destruction of my country. To me the embargo question is no question at all. Of course, we should keep the embargo in place. We should keep it until Castro is gone.
Copyright 1999 Miami Herald
Posted by Free Cuba Foundation at 11:30 PM 1 comment:
Labels: choice, Clinton, Cuba, Cuba policy, echo, election 2016, Trump
Welcoming Cuba Internet Freedom Conference, and Denouncing Google Complicity with Castro
Free Cuba Foundation Welcomes Cuba Internet Freedom Conference in Miami, Warns of Limitations, and Google Complicity with the Castro Regime
MIAMI, Sept. 13, 2016 /Free Cuba Foundation/ --The Free Cuba Foundation welcomes the Cuba Internet Freedom Conference and its reminder that the United Nations has declared Internet access a basic Human right. Nevertheless, it is important to recall that the Internet is not a panacea:
"We must not mistake the Internet which is a tool, for a strategy to achieve democratic change in Cuba; even so, we must demand that it the Internet be uncensored and Independent of state control. Although Google has demonstrated the technical capability of its Loon project which claims to offer balloon powered Internet for everyone, it refuses to do so where it counts most. Instead of a disrupter Google seeks to act in complicity with the Castro regime."
"Google is choosing to stand with the oppressor rather then with the oppressed, in clear violation of their "Don't Be Evil" code of conduct, partnering with an octogenarian Socialist Dictatorship instead of in favor of millions of Cuban youth; is not only wrong but a terrible business decision." - said Augusto Monge of the Free Cuba Foundation and elected member of the Coordinating Council of the Congress of the Cuban National Conference.
The emphasis on Internet technology by pro-democracy activists should not overlook the role that companies such as Yahoo and Google have played in China to censor information and target dissidents for the dictatorship there in order to conduct business. These practices are now being carried out in Cuba by Google.
This is why it was so important that participants at the Second Cuban National Gathering in Puerto Rico representing activists from inside and outside of Cuba on August 16, 2016, unanimously voted and agreed on the following point:
"DENOUNCED THE INDIFFERENCE OF THE COMPANY GOOGLE IN VIOLATION OF ITS OWN CODE OF CORPORATE CONDUCT AND DEMANDED THAT IT ESTABLISH A CORRECT POLICY TO PROVIDE WIRELESS INTERNET SERVICE WITH NO CENSORSHIP AND WITHOUT DEPENDENCE ON THE REGIME IN BENEFIT OF THE CUBAN PEOPLE."
The Obama administration's Cuba policy that focuses on credits, micro-enterprises, travel, and internet will not lead to a democratic opening in Cuba, not in the short, medium, or long term. Instead, it will serve as a distraction that will prolong the life of the dictatorship in Cuba and the Castro regime's power and influence abroad.
Free Cuba Foundation on twitter: @freecubafndtn Free Cuba Foundation Blog: http://freecubafoundation.blogspot.com/
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/free-cuba-foundation-welcomes-cuba-internet-freedom-conference-in-miami-warns-of-limitations-and-google-complicity-with-the-castro-regime-300326816.html
SOURCE Free Cuba Foundation
Posted by Free Cuba Foundation at 6:59 AM No comments:
Labels: Cuba, Free Cuba Foundation, Google complicity, internet freedom
Human rights defender returns to Cuba her home occupied, and her attacker threatening to murder her
Sirley Ávila León is back in Cuba and her life is in danger
Sirley Ávila León makes the sign of Liberation at Miami International Airport
On Wednesday, September 7, 2016 we reported on Sirley Ávila León's return to Cuba where she was incommunicado and unable to be reached until the following day due to blocked phones, and a delayed text message.
Marti News on September 9, 2016 reported on a phone interview with Sirley, who is currently in Las Tunas at her mother's home, news that is troubling. First, that her property had been illegally taken by the Cuban government and given to others to occupy her home.
Secondly, and more disturbing was the report that Osmany Carrión, the man who brutally attacked her on May 24, 2015 and was supposedly sentenced to six years in prison, is free and threatening to finish the job.
Sirley Ávila León pictured above while in Miami receiving care
The "job" Mr Carrión refers to is the attempted murder by machete attack of Sirley Ávila León. She lost her left hand while raising it to block a machete blow to the head that would have surely killed her wielded by Carrión. He continued the attack striking again at her head and she blocked the blow with her right arm which the machete cut deep and through the bone, breaking it. At the same time Osmany's wife grabbed the severed hand and threw it into a filthy pig pen contaminating it so that it could not be re-attached. The attack went on with further machete blows to both knees leaving her crippled.
Osmany Carrión should have been charged with aggravated attempted murder not with the lesser charge of "bodily injury" that only sentenced him to six years in prison. This trial and sentence have been revealed to be a farce because Carrión is already free and making death threats against Sirley's life to her family. This was done in an effort to terrorize her and her family so that Sirley would not return to Cuba.
Osmany Carrión, the man who did this to Sirley in Cuba says he'll finish the job
Sirley Ávila León was a delegate of the Municipal Assembly of People's Power that although dissenting from government policies that harmed her constituency retained popular support despite the attempts to intimidate the electorate. This is why they have tried to get rid of her and why her life remains in danger.
Posted by Free Cuba Foundation at 10:52 PM 2 comments:
Labels: Cuba, human rights, Osmany Carrión, Sirley Ávila León
Sirley Ávila returned to Cuba today, whereabouts unknown
#SaveSirley
Sirley Ávila León: whereabouts unknown
SOS for Sirley Ávila returned to Cuba today, no news of her whereabouts
Link of video taken before boarding an American Airlines plane bound for Holguín, Cuba: https://youtu.be/d-lIpE9VjzE
Miami, September 7, 2016. The Cuban human rights activist Sirley Ávila León boarded the American Airlines flight 1359 bound for the city of Holguin that landed on the island at 4:13 PM on Wednesday September 7; nevertheless Ávila León's whereabouts remain unknown.
"She spent six months in Miami receiving medical attention after suffering on May 24, 2015 an attack orchestrated by State Security agents when an individual attacked her with a machete to kill her and chopped off her left hand and left lame her right shoulder and both knees," said human rights activist John Suarez.
Five days ago, on September 2, Sirley Ávila León denounced from her twitter account that for several days she had been unable to communicate with her son, and holds responsible the regime of the Castros for what could have happened to him.
"I know the capacity of the Castros to lie and invent crimes, so I hold them responsible for what may happen to me and my son," she wrote in a message over twitter where she also added that she would return to the island.
"Most likely she has been detained, as she has not communicated as planned in the hours following her return to Cuba. During her stay in the United States, Sirley testified before international organizations and the United States Congress on the repression and violence of the Castro regime," added Suarez.
On September 2, 2015, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States (OAS) issued precautionary measures in favor of Avila Leon (precautionary measure).
The video attached to this release was made at the airport in Miami to be released if there was no news of her three hours after her arrival in Cuba.
Hereby issue a call to the international community, and democratic governments of the world, as well as human rights activists to ask officials at the Cuban embassies in their respective countries where is Sirley Avila León.
Please help Sirley!!
Labels: American Airlines, Cuba, Holguín, human rights, missing, Sirley Ávila León
Sirley Ávila León regreso a Cuba hoy, su paradero desconocido
#SalvarSirley
SOS por Sirley Ávila de regreso en Cuba hoy, sin noticias de su paradero
Enlace de video tomado antes de abordar el avión de American Airlines con destino a Holguín, Cuba: https://youtu.be/d-lIpE9VjzE
Miami, 7 de septiembre de 2016. La activista de derechos humanos cubana Sirley Ávila León abordó el vuelo 1359 de American Airlines con destino a la ciudad de Holguín que aterrizó en la Isla a las 4:13PM de este miércoles 7 de septiembre, sin embargo se desconoce el paradero de Ávila León hasta el momento.
"Se encontraba desde hace 6 meses en Miami recibiendo atención médica después que en mayo 24 de 2015 sufriera un atentado orquestado por agentes de la Seguridad del Estado, cuando un individuo la atacó con un machete para asesinarla y le cercenó el brazo izquierdo y le dejó lisiados hombro y rodillas", explicó John Suárez, activista de derechos humanos.
Hace cinco días, el 2 de septiembre, Sirley Ávila León denunció desde su cuenta de twitter que por varios días no había podido comunicarse con su hijo, y que hacía responsable al régimen de los Castro de lo que hubiese ocurrido a su hijo.
"Conozco la capacidad de los Castro de mentir e inventar crímenes, por lo que los hago responsables por lo que me pueda pasar a mí y a mi hijo", escribió en el mensaje de twitter donde además agregó que regresaría a la Isla.
"Lo más probable es que haya sido detenida, pues no se ha comunicado como tenía previsto en las siguientes horas posteriores a su regreso a Cuba. Durante su estancia en Estados Unidos, Sirley denunció ante entidades internacionales y el Congreso de los Estados Unidos la represión y agresiones del régimen castrista", agregó Suárez.
El 2 de septiembre de 2015, la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos de la OEA emitió medidas cautelares en favor de Ávila León (precautionary measure).
El video que se adjunta a este comunicado fue realizado en el Aeropuerto de Miami para ser publicado en caso de que no se tuviera noticia de ella tres horas después de su llegada a Cuba.
Por este medio se hace un llamado a la comunidad internacional y a los gobiernos democráticos del mundo, así como a activistas de derechos humanos que pregunten a las autoridades de Cuba en las respectivas embajadas cubanas de sus países dónde se encuentra Sirley Avila León.
¡¡Por favor ayuden a Sirley!!
Labels: Cuba, Holguín, Sirley Ávila León
With Caracas #ConCaracas at the Freedom Tower in Miami
Sights and sounds from the demonstration
This past Saturday at 3:00 pm we showed our solidarity with free Venezuelans here at the Freedom Tower in Miami, Florida.
Labels: Con Caracas, Freedom Tower, Miami, Venezuela, With Caracas
In solidarity with Caracas and free Venezuelans
Our prayers & thoughts are with Venezuelans in their desire to be free. All eyes on Venezuela! #WithCaracas
Nuestras oraciones y pensamientos están con los venezolanos en su deseo de ser libres. Muy atento con Venezuela! #ConCaracas #RevocatorioYA
Anti-regime protests in Caracas on September 1, 2016
This Saturday at 3pm show your solidarity with free Venezuelans here at the Freedom Tower in Miami, FL
Remember why they protest.
Labels: Caracas, Miami, protest, Venezuela
Trump opens chasm between himself and Hillary Clin...
Welcoming Cuba Internet Freedom Conference, and De...
Human rights defender returns to Cuba her home occ...
Sirley Ávila returned to Cuba today, whereabouts u...
Sirley Ávila León regreso a Cuba hoy, su paradero ...
With Caracas #ConCaracas at the Freedom Tower in M...


Scholars have studied the environmental history field over the years. The field spans from humanities, social sciences, pure sciences and reflects on the prevailing relationships of humans over time. Environmental history is an emerging field that has not been fully exploited by scientists (Langston, 2012). The main challenge lies in the modes of dealing with the extensive field and finding a common ground in the integration of data from other fields of study to obtain relevant conclusions (Eh-resources.org., 2009).
Environmental history can be used to re-think the studies of the past by establishing a common methodology that brings in board all fields of study to have significant solutions to the existing expansive challenges. Environmental history is extremely diverse in a way that it has proved difficult in identifying the directions of future (McKenzie, 2011). Many scholars have come up with conflicting ideas on environmental history. The scientists are in the pursuit of answers on how the world got into the environmental challenges. People have altered the ecosystems with time, and in return, the environment has retaliated in changing the way people behave. Conferences on the environmental issues, particularly the global warming, have raised heated debates. Scientists argue that if we do not conserve the environment, life will cease to exist on earth (Langston, 2012).
Donald Worster approached environmental history from the perspective of nature, challenges and methods that outline environmental history. This is clearly crafted in the podcast 22 (Eh-resources.org., 2009). My initial thoughts on environmental history tallied with the 22 podcast's expression of challenges facing environmental history. Podcast 23 by Paul Warde reflected on environmental history, definitions, challenges and methods of comprehending environmental history (Eh-resources.org., 2009). My initial thoughts on environmental history tallied with the setting of definite boundaries and maintaining ethical agenda.


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Tag Archives: comics
November 26, 2020 by Tim Gardner	- 0 comments
Could Black Widow Get A Wonder Woman 1984-Style Release?
Here I was, putting the finishing touches on a post entitled 'Could Disney do a Mulan-style release for 'Black Widow?'. Yet the perils of writing about film in 2020 overtook me, as things in the movie world have shifted yet again, and there's now a different release strategy that looks far more likely.
To summarise briefly, I was going to argue that between their reportedly underwhelming results from the 'Premier Access' release of 'Mulan', and the upcoming release of Pixar's 'Soul' at no added cost to subscribers, I expected Disney to take the data gained from these two approaches and find a middle ground between them. Arguably it seemed likely Disney wouldn't develop the PVOD infrastructure that we now know is built into Disney+ for a single-use, ultimately leading to them offering 'Black Widow' on 'Premier Access' for a more modest fee and with extended exclusivity.
Now, I'm not so sure.
Warner Bros just confirmed that they'll be releasing the highly-anticipated tentpole 'Wonder Woman 1984' on their streaming service HBO Max on December 25th, the same day as the cinematic release in the US, though it will be available internationally a week earlier where HBO Max isn't an option.
Simultaneous releases for big movies like this have been almost unheard of because the theatrical exhibitors don't agree with them. Until now it's been considered a strategy that would cannibalize their audience, but this year, it's a pandemic that's cannibalized the audience, so studios and theatres are willing to try anything to stay afloat. The theatres know they can't keep their side of the deal like before, the box office numbers they're bringing in are a fraction of what they used to be, so they are more willing to compromise to avoid films going entirely to streaming because they hope to get as many customers as legal capacities allow with a big tentpole like a DC movie to show. There's an eager audience with a strong desire to see it on the big screen as intended, and the number of people wanting that experience doesn't have to fill every seat, it can't, so they just have to equal 50% or less, which dare I say it, should be easy enough for a four-quadrant sequel like this.
There's also the international aspect to consider. 'Wonder Woman' took more than $412 in the US and $409 internationally at the box office, hugely outperforming expectations. Where HBO Max isn't an option, WW84 should be able to fill many cinemas to their reduced capacity limits quite easily, especially around the end of year holidays as it's more likely to appeal to the whole family than WB's last attempt at reigniting cinemagoing, 'Tenet'. Here in the UK, we don't yet have HBO Max unless you want to get clever with a VPN, so I'm already making plans to get a nicely distanced seat booked at the boutique cinema near me, which I believe will adjust their screening schedule to make sure it's there on opening night. So making a big movie like this available in cinemas wherever possible, while also catering to your locked-down biggest market via a home-based option, seems like a pretty good plan.
So, the question now is, will Disney follow a similar approach for their delayed MCU movies like 'Black Widow'? There are some solid reasons to think they might.
Rather than going the route of PVOD for $30 again, it seems there are already signs Disney's moving away from that system. Their subscriber numbers for Disney+ far exceed their original projections, so they're taking more than they were forecasted to anyway, without having to add an additional fee. Currently, there are only 9 million subscribers to HBO Max (though that will jump up in December in time for WW84's release) while Disney+ has over 70 million, the latter having rolled out to a number of countries earlier this year.
Disney+ 'Premier Access' backfired badly with 'Mulan'. Firstly reviews weren't overly glowing, leaving a lot of buyers feeling like it wasn't worth the premium cost they'd just shelled out. Then stupidly just weeks later Disney released it on all other PVOD services, ones that didn't require a Disney+ subscription on top of the cost of the movie, essentially giving a better deal to non-subscribers than their Disney+ customers, which was a really bone-headed move. Now, many who would have been tempted to pay for something via 'Premier Access' will be wary, holding off for a better deal, or just, like myself with 'Mulan', waiting a few more months for it to be included for free.
A few weeks ago Disney announced they'd be accelerating their plans to focus on direct-to-consumer services, restructuring the business considerably in aid of their streaming services. This has had an almost immediate impact on the release schedule as it looks like they'll be moving a number of their big films to premiere on Disney+. There were already some live-action family-focused ones such as 'Godmothered' set to go to the service, but I expect that will soon be followed by others including 'Cruella' and 'Pinocchio', films that would otherwise have been expected to go well in cinemas like the other live-action remakes of classics such as 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'The Lion King'.
Some of those are far off anyway, while 'Black Widow' has been ready to release for months, and it potentially an instant huge earner, maybe close to a billion dollars if it's anything like the rest of the MCU. However, like 'Wonder Woman 1984' I don't think it will be shifted exclusively to streaming on Disney+ as there are still some countries where the service isn't available, and even where it is, there are still some cinemas open and eager to show the film. Some of my local independent cinemas regularly show films that are simultaneously on PVOD, if the film is good and will be worth seeing on the big screen they sell enough tickets to make it worth it. A cinematic simultaneous release could suit 'Black Widow' very well indeed, covering most eventualities if circumstances shift, and presenting tempting avenues for the audience to finally see this film they've been waiting so long for.
I'm really looking forward to finally seeing 'Black Widow' whenever it's released in whatever way I can, hopefully at the cinema though I'll be happy enough to watch it at home if needed, especially if it's included at no extra cost in my Disney+ subscription. While nothing quite makes up for not being able to see films like these on the big screen with an audience, what's worse is not seeing new films at all, especially when we know they're finished and ready to be seen.
October 10, 2020 by Tim Gardner	- 0 comments
Super Saturday Review: Captain Marvel
Is Covid-19 Saving 'The New Mutants' from the Jaws of Failure?
Filmed in the summer of 2017, the first trailer for this Marvel comics movie in the universe of the X-Men came out in October 2017 with a theatrical release date set for April 2018. This was then pushed back, not once, not twice, not even thrice, but at least four times!
The Fox/Disney merger caused huge uncertainty with a number of projects that were in early stages of production but as this was essentially finished already and undergoing some reshoots it seemed to be shelved for a while, surprising many when it did get a new cinematic release scheduled under the Disney ownership. All seemed positive for it to come out in April until the COVID-19 pandemic pushed all movie releases back, making this a punchline and declared 'cursed' by critics and pundits.
Disney announced this week that they're pushing everything else on their schedule back again, most imminent of these was 'Mulan'. It wouldn't have been surprising then for this to be included in the list of films getting new release dates, though as it's already been pushed so many times it seemed like it would be taken off the release schedule altogether and instead just go to streaming, but, as it's not a good fit for Disney+, Hulu isn't international, and pre-existing agreements seem to suggest it would have to go to initially HBO Max (also not international) as an exclusive streaming platform.
With the ComicCon panel online sparking rumours it was about to have a new date (the same day Disney moved a bunch of other titles to new dates) or be dropped on streaming, which would've been a great way to do it if that was what they were going to do, in the end, the panel brought neither. So, when the perfect opportunity to move or release the movie passes with nothing changing, 'New Mutants' now stands as one of the very first new wide releases on the schedule and by far the best known.
That leaves us with two possibilities. One, it's about to be moved back yet again but Disney didn't take the prime opportunity to announce that. Or two, something that could be sheer brilliance, 'The New Mutants' is going to get released as scheduled on August 28th, becoming one of the first new movies in cinemas in months.
Recently there have been other films proudly announcing that they were going to be deliberately releasing as one of the first new wide-releases, some suggesting they were doing it altruistically to benefit cinemas, others admitting they hoped to boost their box office chances. 'The New Mutants' wasn't seen as one of those, it was caught up as a victim of the international cinema closures, yet now, by apparently holding to the once merely optimistic August date, it may give Disney an opportunity to turn a long-shelved, almost scrapped, troubled production, into at least a modest box-office success.
Marketing the movie with a stronger emphasis on its X-Men ties, a young cast popular from 'Stranger Things' and 'Game of Thrones', even highlighting the director's huge success with 'The Fault in Our Stars', could tempt people, especially those who are not in the older, vulnerable groups, back out to cinemas.
When it looked like the film was being shelved and reworked, this seemed unlikely to get people into even a quarter of the seats in cinema screens, now, after there have been next to no new films released for nearly half a year, this has a really good chance of filling every available seat in many cinemas. Being as it was a film that might have originally been put into just one or two of the smaller screens with a few slots per day, it'll now get a far bigger release than even the last X-Men film, potentially taking half, or more if popular, of the empty screens. What a potential turnaround.
I'm hoping this actually is Disney's plan, if so it's a brilliant one, though I've got to resign myself to the more likely scenario that it's either about to be rescheduled or reshelved yet again. I hope not, because I'm not the only one who has gone from originally only going to see this at the cinema if I heard really excellent reviews and found myself with some spare time and money, to planning to see it at my earliest possible convenience because I'm desperate to get back to seeing things at the cinema and a weird psychedelic super-powered horror could be just the ticket!
Golden Globes 2020: My predictions, a few thoughts and printable PDF ballot
Here are my predictions (first and second choice indicated) and a few thoughts especially on the few things I've actually seen so far. The winners will be announced on Sunday, January 5th 2020. Here's my printable ballot sheet for you to make your own predictions.
The full list of nominees for the 77th Golden Globes are:
1. THE IRISHMAN – Seems to almost definitely be the frontrunner here, though Scorsese hasn't endeared himself very well recently, which could work against him.
2. JOKER – Could possibly take it as the critical reception was overwhelmingly positive.
CYNTHIA ERIVO – HARRIET
2. SCARLETT JOHANSSON – MARRIAGE STORY
SAOIRSE RONAN – LITTLE WOMEN
CHARLIZE THERON – BOMBSHELL
1. RENÉE ZELLWEGER – JUDY
CHRISTIAN BALE – FORD V FERRARI
ANTONIO BANDERAS – PAIN AND GLORY
2. ADAM DRIVER – MARRIAGE STORY
1. JOAQUIN PHOENIX – JOKER – Is this even in need of debating? He's a great actor, people were blown away by this performance, it's near enough a lock.
JONATHAN PRYCE – THE TWO POPES
2. JOJO RABBIT – I'm really looking forward to seeing this very soon, it looks wonderful and may manage a surprise win.
1. ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD – Obvious choice which has divided critics a little though not enough to make it an underdog.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
2. ANA DE ARMAS – KNIVES OUT
1. AWKWAFINA – THE FAREWELL – One of the few I've seen so far and it's brilliant. She's wonderful, this should be an easy win.
CATE BLANCHETT – WHERE'D YOU GO, BERNADETTE
BEANIE FELDSTEIN – BOOKSMART
EMMA THOMPSON – LATE NIGHT
DANIEL CRAIG – KNIVES OUT
ROMAN GRIFFIN DAVIS – JOJO RABBIT
1. LEONARDO DICAPRIO – ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD
2. TARON EGERTON – ROCKETMAN – He's local, would be nice to see him win, but I think as attention-grabbing as this role is, it's potentially overshadowed by some of the other nominees.
EDDIE MURPHY – DOLEMITE IS MY NAME – Had some buzz before release but once it was out I heard very little about it and no buzz or praise has lingered so I doubt it's win-worthy.
BEST MOTION PICTURE – ANIMATED
2. FROZEN 2 – Seems like an obvious choice, maybe too obvious and too soon.
THE LION KING – Really beautiful visual work, but it added nothing of value to the story, so very unlikely to win.
1. TOY STORY 4 – The Toy Story films have been infallible, this had a high risk of disappointing, yet it didn't, so I think may clinch a win out of relief and enduring affection.
2. THE FAREWELL (USA) – Not going to win, sorry, the winner is as good as set.
LES MISÉRABLES (FRANCE)
PAIN AND GLORY (SPAIN)
1. PARASITE (SOUTH KOREA) – Clear winner, it's dominating the conversations about foreign language films recently.
PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE (FRANCE)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE
KATHY BATES – RICHARD JEWELL
ANNETTE BENING – THE REPORT
2. LAURA DERN – MARRIAGE STORY
1. JENNIFER LOPEZ – HUSTLERS – There was a lot of buzz about this, though it's not nominated otherwise, so this may be a win to show a general sense of support for a film that only narrowly missed out.
MARGOT ROBBIE – BOMBSHELL
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE
TOM HANKS – A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
ANTHONY HOPKINS – THE TWO POPES
2. AL PACINO – THE IRISHMAN
JOE PESCI – THE IRISHMAN
1. BRAD PITT – ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD
1. BONG JOON HO – PARASITE – I just have a hunch that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association will exercise the foreign aspect of their organisation, going for someone who might otherwise be overlooked.
TODD PHILLIPS – JOKER
2. MARTIN SCORSESE – THE IRISHMAN – He's not endeared himself in the industry recently with some critical comments that suggest some insensitivity to audiences and the current state of cinema and the changing nature of distribution.
QUENTIN TARANTINO – ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD
BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE
1. NOAH BAUMBACH – MARRIAGE STORY
BONG JOON HO, HAN JIN WON – PARASITE
ANTHONY MCCARTEN – THE TWO POPES
2. QUENTIN TARANTINO – ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD
STEVEN ZAILLIAN – THE IRISHMAN
2. HILDUR GUÖNADÓTTIR – JOKER
1. THOMAS NEWMAN – 1917
BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
"BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS" — CATS – I can't see anyone wanting to give Cats an award for anything.
2. "I'M GONNA LOVE ME AGAIN" — ROCKETMAN
1. "INTO THE UNKNOWN" — FROZEN 2 – Seems most likely.
"SPIRIT" — THE LION KING
"STAND UP" — HARRIET
BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
2. THE MORNING SHOW
1. SUCCESSION
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
2. JENNIFER ANISTON – THE MORNING SHOW
1. OLIVIA COLMAN – THE CROWN
JODIE COMER – KILLING EVE
NICOLE KIDMAN – BIG LITTLE LIES
REESE WITHERSPOON – THE MORNING SHOW
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
1. BRIAN COX – SUCCESSION
KIT HARINGTON – GAME OF THRONES
RAMI MALEK – MR. ROBOT
TOBIAS MENZIES – THE CROWN
2. BILLY PORTER – POSE
BEST TELEVISION SERIES – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
1. FLEABAG
2. THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL – The only one I've actually seen in this category, consistently good, maybe not at its very best this last season, however.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
CHRISTINA APPLEGATE – DEAD TO ME
2. RACHEL BROSNAHAN – THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL
KIRSTEN DUNST – ON BECOMING A GOD IN CENTRAL FLORIDA
NATASHA LYONNE – RUSSIAN DOLL
1. PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE – FLEABAG
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
MICHAEL DOUGLAS – THE KOMINSKY METHOD
1. BILL HADER – BARRY
BEN PLATT – THE POLITICIAN
2. PAUL RUDD – LIVING WITH YOURSELF – I really loved this show, it had some great ideas and developed them very well indeed, plus Rudd pulls a double shift so is rightly included in this category.
RAMY YOUSSEF – RAMY
BEST TELEVISION LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
1. CHERNOBYL – I think this could, and should, sweep the awards for which it's nominated.
FOSSE/VERDON
2. UNBELIEVABLE
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
KAITLYN DEVER – UNBELIEVABLE
JOEY KING – THE ACT
HELEN MIRREN – CATHERINE THE GREAT
2. MERRITT WEVER – UNBELIEVABLE
1. MICHELLE WILLIAMS – FOSSE/VERDON
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
CHRISTOPHER ABBOTT – CATCH-22
SACHA BARON COHEN – THE SPY
RUSSELL CROWE – THE LOUDEST VOICE
1. JARED HARRIS – CHERNOBYL – Superb throughout, it was compelling and he anchored the whole series, a clear winner to me.
2. SAM ROCKWELL – FOSSE/VERDON
PATRICIA ARQUETTE – THE ACT
1. HELENA BONHAM CARTER – THE CROWN
TONI COLLETTE – UNBELIEVABLE
2. MERYL STREEP – BIG LITTLE LIES
EMILY WATSON – CHERNOBYL
ALAN ARKIN – THE KOMINSKY METHOD
2. KIERAN CULKIN – SUCCESSION
1. ANDREW SCOTT – FLEABAG
STELLAN SKARSGÅRD – CHERNOBYL
HENRY WINKLER – BARRY
February 3, 2019 by Tim Gardner	- 5 Comments
Oscar Nominee: Incredibles 2
Super Saturday Review: Venom
Super Saturday Review: Aquaman
The Odd Futility of 'Once Upon A Deadpool'
Fox pulled a bit of a surprise out of the bag when they announced in September that there would be an 'Untitled Deadpool Movie' released in December 2018, just 7 months after the success of 'Deadpool 2'.
It transpired that this shock mystery release is a new 'family friendly' edit of 'Deadpool 2', with about 20 minutes of added scenes. Shamelessly edited to obtain a franchise-low rating of PG-13 in the U.S. so it can capitalize on a slightly younger audience that hadn't previously been able to see it in theaters. With needed cuts that all-important target was obtained.
However, here in the U.K. both 'Deadpool' and 'Deadpool 2' were rated 15 (for clarity here that means nobody under 15 will be admitted regardless of if they have an older guardian accompanying them). Therefore the nearest equivalent rating here in the U.K. would be a 12A, which allows 12's and above to see it unaccompanied, while under 12's can also see the movie if accompanied by an adult.
The 'family friendly' re-edit 'Once Upon A Deadpool' has been given its U.K. rating by the BBFC and it's… a 15!
That means with all the edits, cutting out enough to placate the U.S. rating board the MPAA, they've not changed it in any meaningful way in the eyes of the BBFC.
There's a clear and simple reason for this. Though the marketing has said that no 'Fs' will be given in 'Once Upon A Deadpool', meaning we know that the most offensive language has been removed, this was never the biggest hurdle for it's U.K. classification.
Violence seems to be the most obvious explanation. U.S. audiences are far less concerned by that in their PG-13 movies than U.K. audiences are. So while the re-edited movie may be less rude and crude than before, it's no less violent, something we care about on this side of the pond, especially when it comes to what children see.
I am fascinated by what Fox has done here, making two edits of a film to capitalize on a larger audience, and while others may hate it (especially when it comes to a character like Deadpool), I'd not be against having an option of edits for some films, especially in this genre I'm so fond of. Whether this is a one-off oddity or a new trend will largely depend on box-office success, something that will be clear in a few days time once the numbers for the U.K. and U.S. are released.
I do think it will be a success in the U.S. and I think it will have a little success in the U.K. with fans who saw 'Deadpool 2' and now want to see the 20 minutes of new footage and are interested to see what else has changed. If the violence had been largely cut, I think we would be looking at a far larger success story on this side of the Atlantic as teens want something to go see with their friends as they enter the school holidays.
Nevertheless, if it is to become a new technique used by studios to widen their audience, they might want to refine it a little, taking into consideration some international variations that would make a huge difference in overseas markets. All the work of re-editing and drastically changing a film to theatrically release it for a younger audience, seems like a lot of work for a limited reward if it only makes a discernable difference to the American theatres.


I make ACC skins to anyone who follows Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) and sail fair to the best of their ability.
Send mail to goffe.hallman@outlook.com and I'll see what I can do.
Take a look at some of the fast and beautiful yachts delivered from the shipyard.
Just click on the arrows in the slideshows below.


In our first episode on the Imramma, 'The Voyage of Bran Mac Febul, we discussed the monastic preference for settling in lonely and out of the way places. We referred to the practice as 'extreme monasticism'. One of the best examples of this must be early monastic complex on a lonely rock, you can hardly call it an island, known as Skellig Michael. off the coast of Kerry.
I have visited the Skelligs twice Both voyages were in the month of September, nine years apart. I have reprinted below, a couple of extracts from my own notes. The journeys were something of an Imram for me, although I am glad to say, the skipper of the boat was not 'rowing around' but seemed to know exactly where he was going!
We slide down Coomanaspic and into the harbour at Port Magee. We find our boat quickly, a small motor boat, licensed for twelve passengers. While we are waiting for our skipper, we get chatting to a Scottish woman, Sarah. Her brother works in a local hotel. He has been here for three years and has never once been able to land on the Skelligs. He has advised her that we are unlikely to land today. This is the first time the boats have been out in ten days and the season's storms have been aggressive. We will be travelling in hope.
It feels exhilarating to be underway, cutting our path through the green glass of the waves, but I am aware that we have not yet left the shelter of Valentia. When we do, we are rocked and plummeted into fairground laughter as the sea heaves and breathes beneath us.
The mainland is far behind now, but I still cannot see the Skelligs. Then, as we turn into the waves, I understand that we have been heading straight for them and that the view has been blocked by the boat.
Skellig Beag is impressive. Sheer rocks pile up into a crazy, pinacled Gothic edifice, stark against the blue grey sky. The bare rock is white with nesting gulls and iced with crashing foam.
Beyond it lies Skellig Michael itself, black spikes piercing the moss-turfed and impossible slopes. We can already identify the distant, stone hummocks that make up the monastic eerie of those long departed dwellers on the edge of the world. You have to wonder what those hawkish Viking invaders imagined that they would find in this indomitable fortress of spirit.
But it seems that we are less hardy than those Valhalla bound Sea-farers. There are hurried conversations on mobile phones, discussions and shaking heads. Even before our guide leaves the cabin, thumbs down, we know we questing pilgrims are to be repelled. We cannot land.
The sea is rising again, the wind stronger. The boat flies, seal swift, waves parting as we plough a path. The sea concedes our return, but the wild salt spray constrains our vision to a narrow channel and the islands on the edge of the world are lost to us, this time.
The extravagant cone of Skellig Michael bobs and bounces in the white waved water, like a grey inflated iceberg. It looks somehow, unstable as we hang over the boat's rails taking angular photos. It is disconcerting. We are the ones who are rising and falling on our fragile floating platform, but as the boat stills its engines, it is hard to appreciate this.
We have passed by the great rock's sharp bird clad sister and are waiting to see if it will be safe to land on Skellig Michael itself. Raising our eyes, we can see uneven stone steps, carved out by the monks all those centuries ago. There is also the one , unexpected, and recent addition to the rock; a circular helicopter pad.
Our gaze is drawn back to the landing site. The rungs look impossibly small, a slender ladder rising to a paved path. Our sightings of it are in constant motion as the sea rearranges our point of view.
But we are landing. Slowly, carefully, our skipper, eases us in and the boat is tied securely. One by one we gingerly climb the ladder onto the solid, monastic rock.
We are all still wearing motorcycle wet weather 'onesies'. We have been grateful for their cover on the way over.
"Keep them on", calls out the skipper, grinning. But I am familiar with these uncomfortable garments, on my daily bike journeys. I strip off the damp cover'all and send it back down to the boat. The skipper shrugs and waves.
It is finally time to ascend the steps we viewed from the bobbing boat. There are more than two hundred of them, cut into the landscaped slope, leading up to the monks' ancient settlement of beehive stone huts. The sun comes out as we climb, and it becomes warm as we move into the shelter of the rocky peaks. Imagine the monks having to pass this way every day. Imagine this path in the depths of winter!
I am shivering in my fleece, in spite of the sun, as I contemplate this thought, but at that moment, the path opens out. We stand in the centre of the settlement The beehive huts cluster austere, domed, like monumental mole hills in a grassy clearing. A giant cross of ragged stone dominates, a rugged grey ghost of monastic memory. It is startling, the tones of the rock seeming to glow against the suddenly blue sky.
There are more visitors in this constrained space but I am able to enter one of the beehive structures alone. There are no windows, of course and the low door allows in little light. Yet, the interior space feels open, limitless, dim and calm. The corbelling is so fine and precise, that each stone, surely, would fit alongside no other.
Later, I relax in the sunshine looking out towards the narrow terraces thatwere once gardens of precious vegetables. I listen in to a guide who offers information on these hardy aesthetics who had traveled as far as they could go, out into the sunset, out into the Western ocean.
My mobile rings. I answer it almost absentmindedly.
Some time between the sixth and eight centuries, a monastery was constructed on the broad northeastern summit of the island. During the lifetime of the monastery a hermitage, one of the most daring architectural expressions of early Irish monasticism, was also created on the narrow ledges just below the summit of the South Peak (218 m, above sea level), the highest point on the island.


I wrote this specifically for you.
Let me tell you a story about why your life matters so much.
Why it matters to me and to millions of others who you may not realize hold so much love in their hearts for you.
The story goes like this: When we are feeling at our most hopeless, we remember that out there is a stranger who is struggling just like we are, and that all of the pain and rejection and heartbreak and disconnection that we feel are nothing more than illusions.
Because we know that you know what we are going through, and with you among us, we are never alone, and isolation is not real. Because you get it. You get it in a way that so many people never will.
You see, most people aren't brave enough to let anyone see the person behind the mask, but you are.
When you express your pain, you are offering up to the world an unbelievable act of grace.
This is one of the most beautiful gifts we can give each other as human beings: The capacity to feel compassion for one another even when the world is tumbling down around us.
You know better than anyone that the way out of darkness is through courageously speaking out that you cannot see. It is the very definition of strength, in fact: Vulnerability.
It's also one of the hardest things to do, but reaching out to ask for help is nothing less than a radical act of grace. One that we can give each another any time, but it is so easy to forget.
All it takes is one small flicker of light to remember how to see in the darkness, and you offer that light to us all.
When you let others in to give love, it becomes a contagious act of healing.
Your very existence becomes a vessel of grace.
Because if you are willing to keep going and keep trying in spite of all the pain that you feel right now, to tell your story to other people, you are helping to create a kind of love that collectively lifts humanity and connects us all.
Because if you can ask for help, we can all ask for help.
I hope you will hold me accountable on this. Test my theory.
You can do that by calling some of my friends at Lifeline at (800) 273–8255, and tell the person who answers your story of exactly what you are going through. Tell them how you got to where you are right at this moment.
Don't stop there, though. Reach out to several different people in your life, and extend to them the gift of letting them help you. Some people might surprise you. Some might even tell you how grateful they are for the gift you have given them by sharing your humanity.
If they don't, then please let me do it right now: Thank you for sharing your humanity. We need so much more of this in the world.
I know you don't owe me anything, but think of it this way: You are saving my life when you do these things, when you are fearless enough to tell other people exactly what you are going through.
Isn't it incredible how human beings who have never met one another can be so connected like that?
Because we need you here — I know that I need you here — now more than ever. We need you to keep fighting. We need you here so we can give you all the love that we have to give. We can't do this alone.
Please do not give up on us.
You are giving us more than hope than you'll ever know.


When it comes to industry success and marketing strategy, I'm often asked where I get some of my ideas. I'd like to brag about how they are all original thoughts that I developed all by myself, but the truth is there's rarely any new idea on how to manage any business that hasn't been tried before with varying degrees of success or failure. Management and marketing are studies that you never complete. The process continually evolves with the changes in social mores and the behaviour of the market you've selected. All those boring economic theories really do come into play when developing a market strategy, and a good healthy understanding of human behaviour is the most important management skill you can develop. Remember the basic rule of everything: "People with experience don't make as many mistakes as those without, but you don't gain any experience until you've made a whole bunch of mistakes." The trick is to not make those mistakes more than once.
Over the years I've read probably over a thousand motivational and management books. They're easy to find in the bookstore, on the internet, or in the library in my basement. Literally, tens of thousands of books exist on how to be a better sales person, manager, and business owner. Almost all of them deliver a core message that doesn't change much. Know your product, know your customers, and know your employees. Treat everybody well, work hard, and you'll be successful. There's a lot of ground to cover before you figure all that out though, and getting it right more often than not means getting it wrong first.
The best advice is to associate yourself with successful people and pay attention. I've rarely met anyone who has achieved any degree of success who isn't generous with time and willing to help you address issues you face. Following people who are successful has been a favourite pastime of mine since I first learned how to read, and paying attention to the key turning points that contributed to their success is where you should be making notes. Whether reading Homer or Plato, or the biography of Henry Ford or Winston Churchill, there are as important lessons to learn as in following Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, or Bill Gates.
Speaking of Bill Gates, I have a copy of his original book The Road Ahead, which I bought the day it came out. It was a hard read at the time. Mr. Gates is a much better computer programmer than an entertaining writer, but his perspective on things is interesting to note. Unlike Steve Jobs, who was an innovator, Gates developed standard equipment that dominated the marketplace, and his ideas about what the road ahead would look like certainly weren't as exciting to me as understanding how he'd managed to create this empire that continues to dominate the business-machine marketplace. He knocked old mechanical standards off the shelves, leaped over the competition, and introduced subscription-based software advances that are now the norm in an industry that barely existed when he started. He did this with what many would describe as a mediocre product that fell far behind the capabilities of his main competitors' offerings. In doing so, he became the richest man in the world—all from a standing start in a garage in 1975. Quite the story of success. Now Bill Gates and his wife Melinda run a charitable foundation that lets him manage the tremendous amount of wealth he's accumulated toward the improvement of others in the world. The idea of a foundation bettering others and funded by a single individual is not new. The Carnegie Foundation has probably produced more positive advancement in education than any government organized enterprise. However, the global outreach by a single person is truly new and, in my view, the success of such an endeavour will have a serious positive effect on the further advancement of our species.
We started our foundation in 2000 with the idea that by backing innovative work in health and education, we could help billions of people improve their lives. The progress we've seen so far is so exciting that we are doubling down on the bet we made 15 years ago.
Here's our bet: The lives of people in poor countries will improve faster in the next 15 years than at any other time in history. We're putting our credibility, time and money behind this bet because we think there has never been a better time to accelerate progress and have a big impact around the world.
First, child deaths will go down by half. In 1990, one in 10 children in the world died before age 5. Today, it's one in 20. By 2030, it will be one in 40. Almost all countries will include vaccines for diarrhea and pneumonia, two of the biggest killers of children, in their immunization programs. Better sanitation will cut the spread of disease dramatically. And we're learning how to help more mothers adopt practices such as proper breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact with their babies that prevent newborns from dying in the first month after they're born.
Second, Africa will be able to feed itself. Today, the continent has to rely on imports and food aid to feed its people, even though seven out of ten people in sub-Saharan Africa are farmers. Part of the problem is that African farmers get just a fraction of the yields that American farmers get. In the next 15 years, however, innovations in farming will erase these brutal ironies. With better fertilizer and hardier crops, African farmers will be able to grow a greater variety of food and sell their surpluses to supplement their family's diet with vegetables, eggs, milk, and meat.
Even as climate change makes farmers' job more difficult, we can get them enough innovation and information to increase productivity by 50% for the continent overall. Countries like Ghana are also building better roads and adopting policies that make it easier to move food to the places where it's most needed. In 15 years, Africa will still import food when it makes sense to do so, but it will also export much more, eventually achieving a net positive trade balance.
Third, mobile banking will help the poor radically transform their lives. Today, some 2.5 billion people don't have access to cheap and easy financial services—a problem that makes it much more difficult to be poor. If your savings is in the form of jewelry or livestock, for example, you can't very well chip off tiny pieces to cover routine daily expenses.
But in the next 15 years, digital banking will give the poor more control over their assets. The key will be mobile phones. Already, in developing countries with the right regulatory framework—such as Bangladesh—people are using their phones to store money digitally and make purchases. By 2030, 8% of the adults without bank accounts today will be doing the same.
Fourth, as high-speed cell networks grow and smartphones become as cheap as today's voice-only phones, online education will flourish. Before a child even starts primary school, she will be able to use her mom's smartphone to learn her numbers and letters. Software will be able to see when she's having trouble with the material and adjust for her pace. Of course, software will never replace teachers. But by allowing teachers to do things like upload videos of themselves and get feedback from their peers, it can connect them in new ways.
What will it take to make sure life really does improve faster for the poor? We need advances in technology and we need to deliver them to the people who need them most. We also need to close the gender gap. Countries where girls don't go to school or women can't open a business will be left behind.
Another crucial factor will be people who care about helping those in the world's poorest places improve their lives. We're aiming to recruit millions of new advocates—we're calling them global citizens—to urge world leaders to be ambitious when they meet in September to adopt a new set of goals that will guide the world's efforts to tackle disease, poverty, and climate change for the next 15 years.
You can show your support by signing up at www.globalcitizen.org, where you can learn how to get engaged and connect with other organizations working to make 2015 a historic year. We believe that informed, passionate people can work together to make the world a more equitable place. In fact, we're betting on it.
In The Road Ahead, Bill Gates makes many predictions of improvements in human development as a result of technological advancements, but clearly the ones that will level the social condition are the ones on which he's making the best progress.
A Turning Point in the Canadian Insurance Marketplace?
Reading in the industry press this week and hearing from a couple of little birdies attending a conference in Houston Texas, there would seem to me to be on the horizon the biggest change in our Canadian insurance market in my life time. The word is that Aviva is about to launch (effective June 2015) the availability of a water damage endorsement to the standard IBC homeowners wordings that includes coverage for overland water damage. This form will be initially available in Ontario and Alberta. Details are very sketchy, and, try as I have in the past several days, I've not yet been able to get any more information than that about this.
Many questions are being asked about this policy. We are all anxious to know what the sub-limits might be, what the exclusions are, and how pricing compares to the residual market. I, like many of you, am holding my breath in anticipation of this information, but it is absolutely refreshing to see this positive development for our clients. The competitive marketplace is already buzzing about this, and no doubt some anxious reviews are being undertaken by senior underwriting and actuarial managers in all of the companies competing for personal-lines property clients. Brokers should be enthused that this new desirable product is being introduced first through a broker company and not a direct writer. I will predict that the introduction will begin with a limited form that will be substantially increased over time as loss experience is developed and in response to competitive pressures. This policy is long overdue and will quickly become a marketing touch point with your customers and your insurers. If you're not talking with them about this yet, you should be!
I am following this closely and promise to report further in my future columns as the information becomes available. A great big "well done" goes to Sharon Ludlow, President, Aviva Insurance Company of Canada, and her team for leading the way on this. I note that Sharon is well positioned as a director on the Institute of Catastrophic Loss Reduction as well, which no doubt has provided factual insights into the viability of such a program. I've been often quoted as a believer in the viability of this type of product in Canada and am absolutely ecstatic about its development.