One of the great mysteries of art is why it exists. Although our desire to create and enjoy art is so widespread that it appears as natural as eating or reproducing -– nearly every culture draws, dances, sings, recites poetry and tells stories -– the origins of human aesthetics are not clear-cut. What’s peculiar is that from a biological point of view art appears to serve no adaptive advantages whatsoever. Why, for instance, would our prehistoric ancestors spend time painting or decorating instead of hunting and gathering? And it seems unlikely that poetry ever helped anyone eat or reproduce. Our brain demands about 20 percent of our metabolic energy and 40 percent of our blood glucose even though it makes up only 2 percent of our body weight. It’s a costly organ, so why waste it on peripheral interests like art?
The impassioned orator, bard, or musician, when with his varied tones and cadences he excites the strongest emotions in his hearers, little suspects that he uses the same means by which his half-human ancestors long ago aroused each other's ardent passions, during their courtship and rivalry.
Later on in the 20th century evolutionary psychologists including Geoffry Miller and Daniel Levitin endorsed (partially) and expanded this line of reasoning: music, they say, is about getting the girls. But other psychologists including Gary Marcus question this idea by pointing out several problems including the fact that females are just as capable musicians as men. In addition, says Marcus, an investment in music for the sake of propagating one’s genes seems like a horrible bet considering the disproportionate ratio between failed and successful musicians. Besides Hendrix, Jagger and a few others, musicians rarely garner enough success or recognition for their songs to give them a significant sexual advantage. Most importantly, as Marcus points out, musicians usually pursue music because they are passionate about it, not because they want to impress.
And that’s what’s puzzling about music: it’s ability to put us in a wondrous state of flow. What’s more is that music gives the musician and the listener meaning, purpose and comfort. As Nietzsche said, life without it is a mistake. It should seem strange, then, that we humans get so much from something that is so biologically frivolous. Whereas the deliciousness of cheesecake is obvious in the context of the African savannah where fat and sugar were hard to come by, the benefits of music are difficult to trace on evolutionary terms.
Neurobiological monitoring, in particular measurements of the damping of alpha waves during perceptions of abstract designs, have shown that the brain is most aroused by patterns in which there is about a 20 percent redundancy of elements or, put roughly, the amount of complexity found in a simple maze, or two turns of a logarithmic spiral, or an asymmetric cross. It may be coincidence (although I think not) that about the same degree of complexity is shared by a great deal of the art in friezes, grillwork, colophons, logographs, and flag designs.
The overarching point is that we don’t compose music for bats or dolphins and we don’t paint paintings for the naturally blind star-nose mole. Rather, our aesthetic output and preferences are bound by our biologies. The arts are actually quite limited in this context. Our sense of smell and taste are vastly inferior to most of the animal kingdom, and we only see a thin slice of the electromagnetic spectrum. As boundless as the arts appear, we can only perceive and express a narrow slice of reality; our audiovisual orientation of the world will always be confining.
Yet, artists insist on challenging expectations and breaking norms. Stravinsky did it with The Rite of Spring, Picasso did it with cubism, and Joyce did it with Finnegans Wake. What characterizes these artists is their craving for novelty – they wanted to keep their audience in a state of flow. And this craving – the desire to transcend form – might be the bigger mystery. How do you explain a Jackson Pollock or Andy Warhol on evolutionary terms?
It's strange that art exists; perhaps stranger is that we are constantly exploring new ways to express this unexpected cognitive byproduct.


Iqbal Habib, Member Secretary, Urbanisation & Governance Programme, Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (Bapa), talks to Naznin Tithi of The Daily Star about why lack of coordination among the agencies concerned is the main barrier to solving Dhaka's waterlogging.
Dhaka has been plagued with severe waterlogging for the past few years. Although research and studies have been done on this and several projects have been undertaken by the government to solve this problem, no palpable improvement is in sight. Where are the gaps that still paralyse this city every time it rains?
Dhaka's waterlogging problem cannot be solved through any isolated project. If the government is really sincere about reducing Dhaka's waterlogging, it needs to make a well-coordinated and comprehensive plan. Any project that is taken whimsically without considering all the factors contributing to the problem is destined to fail. Many such projects had been taken in the past and a large amount of money had been spent, but we have hardly seen any improvement of the situation.
Dhaka once had at least 52 canals. But according to Dhaka Wasa documentation, there are only 26 of them. Over the last two decades, most of the canals, water bodies and retention areas, and even the rivers have been encroached upon by powerful people. Regular dumping of solid waste or garbage by locals has clogged many canals and drains. The city's drainage system is on the verge of a total collapse due to lack of proper maintenance. The increased rainwater runoff is creating acute waterlogging as there is a decreasing trend of groundwater recharge due to rapid concretisation of urban spaces. All these factors combined have contributed to this problem and we need to solve this problem through comprehensive solution-based efforts.
It is true that the government had cleaned and recovered some of the canals of the city in the past, but within a short period, those canals got blocked again with solid waste or garbage. There are many areas in the city without any designated place for garbage disposal. As a result, locals use these water channels and open drains as their garbage dumping ground, resulting in waterlogging. Stinky and polluted black water is flowing through these open channels or canals due to an absence of any sewer network. Therefore, as long as we do not have an integrated solid waste management system with comprehensive sewer coverage, no project will yield any result.
In the last few months, because of only 40 or 50 mm of rain, many areas of the city remained under water for three to six hours, whereas previously 80 to 100 mm of rain would create such waterlogging. In the previous years, only some particular areas faced extreme waterlogging but nowadays an increased number of areas get submerged under knee-deep water even after a regular seasonal shower.
The government has taken a new project worth Tk 1,100 crore to recover 33 channels. According to the LGRD minister, after the project is implemented, the city's waterlogging problem will be totally solved. What's your view on this?
I don't think the new project will have any impact, as these are random projects taken without any consideration of the bigger picture. As usual, under this new project, some of the canals will be recovered while several others will be re-excavated. Even the total number of canals is misleading: there is one canal in Kallyanpur that has been shown as five canals, with the same name with extensions 'Ka,' 'Kha,' 'Gha', etc.
What I do not understand is why Wasa has been given this job in the first place; it should have been given to the city corporations instead. Although after 1988 Wasa assumed the responsibility to clean and maintain the drainage system of the city (it was even preparing a drainage master plan), it has failed to perform its duty. And last year, its managing director claimed that Wasa was not responsible for maintaining the drainage system of this city. Later, it was unanimously decided that the responsibility of Dhaka's drainage management would be given to the two city corporations. Besides, the clogged runoff water, created due to our misleading "Cordon Approach" oriented city planning with embankments around, could not be pumped out due to the poor mitigation capacity of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), as it has failed to set up more pump stations for doing the job.
It is obvious that there is a lack of coordination among different government agencies. How do you think this problem should be addressed?
In July 2017, at the initiative of late Mayor Annisul Huq, a meeting was held at the Dhaka North City Corporation's office where the LGRD minister, Water Resource minister, Housing and Public Works minister and high-ups from different relevant government ministries and members from various related agencies were present. I also attended the meeting. We took several decisions to solve Dhaka's waterlogging. One of the major decisions was that the city corporation, being the only elected body out of all the 54 service providers under 11 ministries, would take the role of the lead agency and coordinator for a comprehensive drainage solution for Dhaka, and Wasa would assist them with their human and technical capacity. But unfortunately, after the mayor's death, everyone seems to have forgotten the decision taken at the meeting.
Other important decisions taken at the meeting were: a) All in-hand drainage related projects of all agencies must be completed before the beginning of the next monsoon with utmost urgency; b) A time-based "Comprehensive and Integrated Drainage Master Plan" would be prepared with short- and long-term targets; c) Solid waste management and sustainable sewer network management would have to be considered an integral part of the drainage master plan; and d) The participation of the public has to be ensured at all levels, from planning to implementation, with the involvement of political and social organisations.
Currently, the two city corporations, Dhaka Wasa, Rajuk and DC's office have been working to recover the city's lost canals and water bodies. But there is a serious lack of coordination among the government agencies that are largely responsible for managing the city's storm water drainage system. It is still not clear as to which agency does what. We know that the Ramchandrapur canal has been freed recently. But I am sure, without any solid waste management system in the area, this canal will be blocked again soon.
If we want to save this city, we need to revive its natural system of water flow with due importance. And to do so, there is no alternative to implementation of the DAP. No doubt that land grabbers are powerful but they are small in number. The majority's interests must be given preference to the few unscrupulous realtors' interests. Already Rajuk has taken some measures to recover the wetlands and retention areas grabbed by realtors. The High Court has also given some commendable rulings on this issue. The Hatirjheel Integrated Project is an example that recovering land from the clutches of powerful people is possible. In order to implement that project, 304 acres of land were recovered. Furthermore, if land could be acquired for building elevated expressways or flyovers, it can also be done to recover canals and water bodies. What we need is strong political commitment on the part of the government and the involvement of the public in making and implementing the plans.


Jack in the Box climbs after the burger chain beats Wall Street's fiscal first-quarter earnings expectations.
Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK) today reported financial results for the first quarter ended January 20, 2019.
Looking at options trading activity among components of the Russell 3000 index, there is noteworthy activity today in Jack in the Box, Inc. , where a total volume of 2,383 contracts has been traded thus far today, a contract volume which is representative of approximately 238,300 underlying shares (given that every 1 contract represents 100 underlying shares).
A study of analyst recommendations at the major brokerages shows that Jack in the Box, Inc. is the #49 broker analyst pick among those stocks screened by The Online Investor for strong stock buyback activity.
Johnson & Johnson, Goldman Sachs and Jack in the Box are some of the top stories on TheStreet.
Jack in the Box shares are rising after the company says it's exploring a potential sale.
Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ:JACK) today announced that its Board of Directors and management team, with the support of legal and financial advisors, is exploring a range of strategic and financing alternatives to maximize shareholder value.
Jack in the Box jumped following reports that the fast food company was exploring a sale.
Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK) today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.
Investors in Jack in the Box, Inc. saw new options become available this week, for the November 16th expiration.
Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK) today reported financial results for the third quarter ended July 8, 2018.
Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK) will report third quarter fiscal 2018 operating results after market close on Wednesday, August 8, 2018, and the company will host a conference call to review the results on Thursday, August 9, 2018, beginning at 8:30 a.
Looking at options trading activity among components of the Russell 3000 index, there is noteworthy activity today in Jack in the Box, Inc. , where a total volume of 3,595 contracts has been traded thus far today, a contract volume which is representative of approximately 359,500 underlying shares (given that every 1 contract represents 100 underlying shares).
A study of analyst recommendations at the major brokerages shows that Jack in the Box, Inc. is the #47 broker analyst pick among those stocks screened by The Online Investor for strong stock buyback activity.
Enrique Hernandez Jr. stepped down from the board of directors of Wells Fargo in April following the costliest scandal in the U.S. bank's history, amid widespread criticism from corporate-governance experts and regulators. That legacy has trailed him as chairman of the board of McDonald's, the largest U.S. publicly-traded restaurant chain, which is set to hold its annual shareholder meeting this week.
Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK) today reported financial results for the second quarter ended April 15, 2018.
U.S. stock futures are modestly lower on news North Korea could cancel a planned summit with the U.S. and as government bond yields trade at multi-year highs.
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz slammed politicians on Thursday during an event in Washington, DC.
Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK) will report second quarter fiscal 2018 operating results after market close on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, and the company will host a conference call to review the results on Thursday, May 17, 2018, beginning at 8:30 a.
A study of analyst recommendations at the major brokerages shows that Jack in the Box, Inc. is the #43 broker analyst pick among those stocks screened by The Online Investor for strong stock buyback activity.
We are calling up The Habit Restaurants from the Bullpen.
The Jack in the Box Foundation today announced it has donated a total of $310,000 to two non-profit organizations: No Kid Hungry and Every Monday Matters.


That's a whole lotta airspace.
Any ideas what you'll be getting for the holidays? According to the FAA, about 1 million of you will be getting drones, whether that's a high-end quadcopter or low-end $20 knockoffs from Walmart. Regardless, the FAA is very, very worried about what happens when 1 million new aircraft enter the airspace.
As reported by Aviation Week, the FAA's Rich Swayze put it this way while speaking at the Airlines for America (A4A) Commercial Aviation Industry Summit: "A lot of people who don't have a pilot background are operating these things in the airspace."
"UAVs a very serious issue and there's considerable concern that it's going to end in tears."
Hawaiian Airlines CEO Mark Dunkerley was more blunt. "From an operating perspective, [small UAVs are] a very serious issue and there's considerable concern that it's going to end in tears," he said. "It's not just in and around airports where drones present a danger to the traveling public. There are many areas outside of 5 miles of an airport where a drone conflict could occur."
And if those million drones cause serious headaches? Some legislators would like to see hard limits placed on UAVs capabilities. According to Congressman Peter DeFazio of Oregon, (the head of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in Congress),"a lot of what pilots are seeing is irresponsible use of toys. The toys, in my opinion, should be set up so they can't be sold unless they're geo-fenced for altitude and perimeters."
In other words, that new drone you got for the holidays just may end up having some hard ceilings placed on it.
FAA Declares the Super Bowl a "No Drone Zone"


Can Abbasi leave a lasting impression?
Operating like a hands-on chief executive officer, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is leaving a mark on government functioning within the short span of a couple of weeks, sometimes with mixed signals towards long-term economic governance.
He was quick to reconstitute all economic decision-making committees of the cabinet and become their head himself, directly getting control of important sectors and reconsolidating the centralised position of the prime minister’s office on economic issues, once enjoyed, a decade ago, by former prime minister Shaukat Aziz.
This was a departure from recent examples when former rulers of PPP and PML-N had devolved economic decision-making to finance ministers who virtually acted and behaved like deputy prime ministers.
Mr Abbasi highlighted challenges of a narrow tax base in his maiden speech and saw to it that the first meeting of the federal cabinet took a serious briefing from the Federal Board of Revenue even in the absence of the minister for finance and revenue, Ishaq Dar, who had air-dashed to the UAE on an unannounced visit.
Those who attend meetings on economic matters under PM Abbasi appear more impressed with his interest in the minute details of the challenges and solutions in socio-economic areas like health, energy and finance, unlike Nawaz Sharif who had sublet these areas to Mr Dar.
But if Mr Sharif kept with himself the portfolios of his interest — the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Communications — Prime Minister Abbasi has centralised the ministries of power, planning and petroleum under his direct control. This has drastically reduced the powers of Finance Minister Dar who is now just another minister in a bloated cabinet.
Mr Abbasi has kept mostly unchanged the team of bureaucrats and technocrats at Prime Minister Office, perhaps to maintain a working bridge with the centre of political power and the ousted prime minister Sharif, but some of them may already be showing independent muscle, albeit discreetly.
This is evident from two related but separate decisions in recent days. Nawaz Sharif had declined appointing a retired bureaucrat Jawaid Jehangir as Auditor General of Pakistan in April when the post fell vacant and resisted afterwards.
The officer grabbed the constitutional position four months later under Mr Abbasi as the prime minister and would lead the agency examining and certifying accounts of the PML-N government for four years.
Merit, transparency and governance in the FBR are another determinant of overall economic governance in the country.
Three postings in the revenue administration last week raised many eyebrows as the FBR gave three of the top grade-20 positions to grade-19 officers denied promotion by the Central Selection Board (CSB) as well as by the former prime minister since 2014.
These three grade-19 officers of the Customs Group have been posted against grade 20 slots as collectors of few most important collectorates at Peshawar, Lahore and Sialkot.
On the Supreme Court’s direction given in March this year, the CSB reconsidered in June the promotion cases of officers of all Groups and Services who had been denied promotions in 2015.
The CSB reconsidered the promotion cases on the basis of criteria not fundamentally different from those used in 2015. The results of reconsideration are not therefore likely to be any different.
Although results have been kept confidential, one thing that is known for certain is that they are yet to be seen and approved or disapproved by the prime minister.
If the CSB or the prime minister change their six-month earlier decision of denying promotions to these officers, many would wonder how an officer declared corrupt and denied promotion consistently for three years transformed into an honest and upright individual just in six months.
If those officers were not corrupt to begin with and yet denied promotion, the question should be why they were persistently tortured for three years.
The aggrieved may love to take such contradictory positions before the courts to prove that something other than corruption charges had been working in the background to entitle some officers for promotion.
They may be encouraged to ask for the constitution of a JIT to uncover the actual factors driving for so long the promotion drama.
An unfavourable decision, although consistent with earlier ones and safer for the decision makers, will lose meaning at least to the extent of officers who have managed to occupy BS-20 positions without their promotion in BS-20.
This underlines a fundamental flaw in the governance structure that tends to promote corruption instead of prevention.
The subjective and arbitrary decision-making helps the corrupt and well connected bureaucrats to beat the promotion policy of the government as evident from the fact some senior bureaucrats reported corrupt by intelligence agencies and denied promotion were later reported honest by the same intelligence agencies and promoted by the CSB.
This means such officers were caught unaware first time when the agencies and parent organisations filed reports but then came into action, putting their resources and influence at work to undo initial dossiers, resulting in many visibly corrupt officers managing to climb the promotion ladder and reach the highest grades.
When those responsible for the county’s economic governance appear to be grappling with government’s arbitrariness and selective promotions on questionable standards and spend most of time discussing their fate instead of public affairs, it is not hard to predict their quality of governing public affairs.
Prime Minister Abbasi would need to keep his mind and eyes open to curb such tendencies. He has the benefit of carrying limited political baggage, unlike his predecessor, to leave a lasting impression on governance.
No he can't. He is Nawaz's minion.
Yes. PM Abbassi can leave a lasting impression for the work he is doing in his own constiturency.
Please remember every newcomer does something like what Abbassi is doing. This, however, eventually proves to be a flash in the pan.
What is actually required is prudent, short term and long term policies and even more than that their implementation.
In Mr. Abbassi's case he may appear to be overactive with something in mind i.e his dream for permanent Priemership as PML's candidate.
I personally do not expect anything good from PML, be it Mr. Abbassi or someone else.
Sooner or later Nawaz Sharif's grip on his party will loosen. Only then Abbasi will be able to show his talent if he has any. Until then he is just lucky to be the PM.
This answer to this simple but intriguing question is a big no.
Dear Honorable PM: please note that three Canadian Ministers rented a "share a ride" cab after they arrived and got out of the airport. No "protocol" came to pick them up!!!! I hope that your cabinet ministers and advisors have chuffer driven cars, roads and traffic is blocked and police convoy takes them where they need to go. If my assumptions are correct about your ministers then can you please stop this so that our nations resources are not wasted? Just my two cents!
PM is just like others who came to power and promise many things just to make a good impression. end of the day everything will be same like before. all we need is a prudent,long term and short term policies and their implementation as well.
This is a golden chance for him. To do something good for the country . So that people remember him for ever. Would he do it?. I doubt it.


Before Patrick Stewart got a Twitter account and taught the world how to really use social media, he was known around the world as Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Under the guise of this character, Patrick Stewart starred in 176 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and four Star Trek films. And now he’s suggesting that he’d like to return for another film.
"Absolutely … if it were a really good script. But, the poor soul is getting old and long in the tooth. He would probably need some help mounting his horse unlike the youthful captain of 30 years ago."
But would anyone really like to see Patrick Stewart portraying Captain Jean-Luc Picard once again? Sorry, that’s the stupidest question that I’ve ever written. Patrick Stewart instantly makes anything umpteen times better with his presence. Just look at him. He’s godlike. In fact, I seriously think that it’s impossible to hate Patrick Stewart even a smidgen. Not only does he deliver wonderfully poetic answers to hypothetical questions, but he’s also responsible for the greatest series of memes to have ever hit the internet. And it’s all because of one fantastically well-acted scene. Sit, watch and enjoy Sir Patrick Stewart simply being superb.
Because of this supreme performance, Patrick Stewart went on to feature in a number of perfectly pitched memes. At this point I will tell you to type in "Patrick Stewart, Star Trek GIF," to your local browser. There are literally hundreds of thousands of examples to choose from. And they are all sensational.
Is there actually any chance that Patrick Stewart will once again step aboard the USS Enterprise on the big-screen though? It’s highly unlikely. J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot set the franchise off into a brand new direction that is hip, modern and fantastically entertaining. Most importantly though it has already incorporated William Shatner’s James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy’s Spock into its narrative. To try and feature Picard too would only add to the confusion. But make no mistake; if he did pop up in Star Trek 3 then it would be the best cameo of all time. Someone should really start a petition to make it a reality. Plus if he popped up in Star Trek 3 and William Shatner didn't, then I'm pretty sure Shatner would end up going certifiably insane. I can already picture the vitriolic tweets and blogs that he would send out to the world.


For many, it may be hard to envision such a job, where one feels inspired to go to work each day, and in earlier years, I have had my share of monotonous, uninspiring jobs, too. We have all likely had such jobs that were necessary to pay the bills. Those experiences hold important lessons too, but I did not realize until I was in college that there was another kind of job — or that education could truly expand my opportunities.
As a child, the adults I knew were clock punchers, and my parents lived for 5:00, for the weekend, for paid vacation days. At the end of the work day, they came home exhausted from the monotony and self-sacrifice, collapsing into recliners or bed. In those days, it seemed to me that work was something one “had to do” just to pay bills, and I was thankful that my parents had steady employment.
My parents came from small, rural communities and had limited educational opportunities. What schooling they did have revolved around planting and harvesting seasons. They missed countless days of school because they had to barn tobacco.
Compared to the drudgery and heat of that work, my parents must have felt fortunate to have secure jobs that included insurance and vacation. We had no idea that someone like Steve, someone who loved his work, even existed.
I did not know that career satisfaction was possible until after I graduated from college. As a teacher, for the first time, I felt a sense of excitement, fulfillment, wonder and even joy. Teaching allowed me to help other people, and it was interesting, engaging, stimulating; it sparked my imagination and energized me. I learned that when you’re doing something you enjoy, you feel invigorated and creative.
Dr. Love is the dean of Lander University’s College of Arts and Humanities; contact her at crlove@lander.edu.


EATON — Brenda K. White, Preble County Treasurer, has announced to all Preble County taxpayers, according to Section 5721.03 of the Ohio Revised Code, a list of current year delinquent property owners will be published in this newspaper. The said list will be published the weeks of Oct. 15, and Oct. 22.
To avoid publication, a taxpayer may pay the delinquent taxes or enter into a written payment plan contract with the County Treasurer before fourty eight hours of the pubication. To avoid any additional interest charges, taxpayers may pay delinquent taxes or may enter into a written payment plan agreement before Dec. 1.
White also advises taxpayers, if there has been a transfer of property ownership during the past year, taxpayers should contact the treasurer’s office to confirm payment of taxes. Also, anyone having an escrow account may want to make sure taxes have been paid by the bank.
The Preble County Treasurer urges anyone with questions regarding the payment of their taxes to contact her office at 937- 456-8140.


Regarding an editorial in The Record ("State must pump out a solution," last Tuesday), let me add perspective on what the state is doing to assure environmental safeguards for Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta fish while providing water to 25 million Californian consumers and farmers.
Department of Water Resources officials appealed an Alameda County court order to shut down State Water Project pumps unless additional authorization was received for the "incidental take" of Delta smelt and chinook salmon.
Our position is that the state historically has been in compliance with endangered species law, a position we feel will be vindicated on appeal.
However, recognizing changing conditions and new science on the Delta ecosystem, our department is working with state and federal wildlife agencies on an updated biological opinion that will be used to guide future decisions on Delta water operations.
In the meantime, we voluntarily will take action to reduce impacts to fish from water-project operations.
It should be noted that the department has been taking aggressive actions to help protect Delta smelt and so far this year hasn't taken any Delta smelt at its pumping plant.
While pumping is a factor in the changing Delta environment, it's merely one of many.
Pesticides, chemical and agricultural waste, invasive species and human population increases also are relevant and can't be ignored.
Our department has a long-term commitment to safeguarding the Delta.
The Record's continued coverage of this important issue is appreciated.
Do The Record's restaurant reviewers consider the food server, bus person, dishwasher and kitchen staff when they write articles that are almost always negative?
These people work hard and might have families to support.
Let's have some positive reviews and nice things to say for a change.
Anyone can find fault with any place if they try hard enough.
I get really upset when I see a person who can walk just fine parked in a handicap parking spot with either a plate or a tag on the rearview mirror.
Who is enforcing this law? I've seen obese people with a limp using these parking spots. They shouldn't be.
Someone should be enforcing this law and overseeing doctors who endorse these permits.
The sign shows a person in a wheelchair, and that's what the parking spot is intended for.
In the past, work being done on Stockton's streets often was uneven or soft after one day, making dips, bumps and hazards.
Those repaving the streets now are doing a marvelous job. It's about time Stockton residents had decent streets to travel.


The NSW Electoral Commission (NSWEC) has confirmed its electronic voting system, iVote, will not be used in the upcoming local government elections in September due to legislative restrictions.
NSWEC CIO, Ian Brightwell, told Computerworld Australia the agency had put forward several applications to use iVote and a combination of iVote and call centre based phone voting which were rejected by the government.
“The use of iVote or any form of phone voting for local government elections would require legislative change similar to the changes made to legislation for the parliamentary elections,” Brightwell said.
At this stage, the use of iVote is legislated to operate for all state elections, including both by-elections, unless the NSW Electoral Commissioner decides it should not be used.
“We will need additional funding approval to use iVote at the next state general election in March 2015 and we would expect to apply for this funding in early 2013,” he said.
Once funding approval is gained, the agency will move to begin a tender process for a supplier for the system’s core technology. The current system was provided by US-company Everyone Counts under a contract that will not cover the next state election in March 2015.
According to Brightwell, before the iVote system is next used it will undergo some updates, primarily around the vote verification process.
“Currently we only give a receipt which allows the elector to track that their vote has passed through our system and entered the count,” he said. “Best practice now is end-to-end verification of the vote.
At the time iVote system was initially procured, end-to-end verification was not an option as it poses numerous technical and electoral problems for which solutions are only now emerging, Brightwell said.
At the last NSW election, there were three times more voters using the iVote system than the electoral commission expected.
Despite this, the system will remain much the same from the user’s point of view, he said, with access to a Web browser or phone option which will use either dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) technology or a call centre approach.
Just 218 blind and vision impaired voters (of a total 2259 iVote users) used the system at the last state election in March 2011, which offered only the DTMF option. The number of such voters increased some 400 per cent at a recent by-election in Clarence with the advent of the call centre option.
Down the track, Brightwell did not rule out the development of an e-voting mobile application, as the number of voters using the Web interface via their smartphone continues to rise, but said it would not be without complications.
“We know changing the layout of the upper house ballot paper for a small screen would help both voting on smartphones and on Web browsers, but ballot layout is a delicate electoral issue.


CANNES — “The Seamstress,” a Globo mini-series, sports a credit sequence which begins with a burnished brown cloth being sewn. The color is a reference to Brazil’s bone dry scrubland backlands in the North-East, the sewing to the occupation of two sisters, Emilia and Luzia, who grow up at a small homestead on the sertao with their doting aunt.
Emilia dreams of moving to the big city Recife; Luzia thinks she’ll die on the serrao, just fears losing Emilia the only person she has. Luzia is abducted by a local cangaceiro, a bandit, Hawk whom she falls in love with. Emily meets her Prince Charming, a rich city boy, moves to glamorous Recife, suffers loneliness as she realizes her husband is in love with another man.
Directed by Breno da Silveira but written by Patricia Andrade, “The Seamstress” is an intimate epic, charting two sisters’ dramatically different life journeys, who never, however, betray their bedrock loyalty to each other.
The four-part mini is one of the current drama series at Globo. It is also bears the hallmarks of new generation Globo fiction: It is written by a woman, co-produced by a leading movie (and TV) company, Conspiraçao, made with ample means, including streets from a 1935 Recife; and is a liberal fiction which, based on the novel of Chicago-based Frances de Pontes Peebles, reworks the traditional telenovela, not only in its brevity but sense of female empowerment.
“Do you believe in fate?” one sister asks another at the beginning of the series. Both stand up to authority, powerful men, forge in the end their own destinies. Varietychatted to Patricia Andrade in the build-up to MipTV.
I have a sense that this “The Seamstress” recasts elements of a traditional telenovela in an original new form: This is a story of interclass love, but not between a poor woman and rich man but the sorority love of two sisters whom circumstances throw apart. It also has a novel take on fate and plot motors. In more traditional telenovelas, characters are not in control of their destiny. This is about at least one character, Emilia, learning to take control. Could you comment?
‘The Seamstress’ is a story about women above all else, embodying the essence of the female figure. It is the story about two orphan sisters who, despite having very different tempers, are bound by very strong values and principles passed on by their aunt, who raised them. The phrase “The only thing you have in this world is each other” defines their lives. And that is the truth that they discover throughout their lives. Emília (Marjorie Estiano, ‘Under Pressure’ and ‘Side by Side’) and Luzia (Nanda Costa, ‘Brave Woman’) leave the barren Northeast backcountry of the 1930s, taking with them only their sewing skills and this unconditional love for each other. Emília is a romantic who learns that the world doesn’t fit in her dreams and, as she grows up she begins to take control of her own life to deal with the hardships and disappointments. She eventually becomes what we Brazilians refer to as an “empowered” woman.
The mini-series also comes in at modernity from various levels. One, of which it approves, is women forging their own destiny. Another, which I think it sees more ambiguously, is the building of the road across the “sertão”. Could you comment?
There is a historical element to this road through the backcountry. The Brazilian President at that time, Getúlio Vargas, wanted to find a way to bring together all of the country’s states, which operated under their own set of laws back then. For the leader of the “cangaço” – who called himself “Governor of the Backcountry” – the road was a huge threat, since it represented a path to a new and different future.
“The Seamstress” was imagined from the beginning as both a theatrical feature film and mini-series. Could you explain why?
Yes, it was conceived to be both things. It is a strategy to make sure the product appeals to as much people as possible. In my opinion, they are different languages that complement each other.
Again, as a mini-series, “The Seamstress” was a digital-first series on Globo Play, then went free-to-air. ¿How did you reconcile writing for online and free-to-air audiences in terms of narrative structure?
In terms of narrative structure, I did not make this distinction. It happened during editing, which in my opinion is nothing more than a new script, in the sense that it allows changing the narrative without altering its core. And since we had a lot of footage in the case of ‘The Seamstress’, it was very hard to decide what would be left out. The difference between broadcast TV and online platforms is that the latter offers more freedom. However, regardless of the format, I always try to reach out to people’s basic emotions. As a writer, I cherish emotions.
One of the revolutions at Globo has been the emergence of new lead series/telenovela screenwriters who are women. Raphael Correa sent me over a list of I think 17 new screenwriters, nine women. Do you feel part of this new generation – in artistic terms – of Girls From Brazil?
I hope to be able to contribute to this revolution, not only in drama, but in the whole world as well, because I am also a mother to two young girls and I hope that their generation doesn’t have to struggle with the hardships that mine had to face. It took a lot to get here, but we have earned our respect on both a professional and personal level. But now we are finally starting to be appreciated as we should.
When writing “The Seamstress,” what were your influences?
Some of my references were movies like “The Color Purple”, by Steven Spielberg, which is also about the separation of two sisters, and “Little Women”, by Gillian Armstrong, for the same reason. But my main source of inspiration was the book “The Seamstress” by Frances De Pontes Peebles. I remember immediately falling in love for the story the first time I read it. Although I’ve created many different situations both for the film and the series, the essence of what she wrote in the book is all there. Another great source of inspiration was actress Nanda Costa. When I read Luzia’s description, I felt that she was perfect for the part. Not to mention my admiration for the culture of the Northeastern backcountry.
“The Seamstress” marks part of an international discourse which is both liberal and feminist. Did that come from the original novel – Frances is after al Brazilian but lives in Chicago – or from Brazil, the film and TV shows which companies such as Conspiraçao, Gullane, O2 Filmes and I indeed feel Globo are producing, a stance indeed common to most of the creative community in Brazil?
This was definitely a part of the book, and it is what made me fall in love with it: the strength and courage of two women who faced all kinds of adversities to defend their passions and ideals. But I would say that Frances’ story is much closer to our current reality, either in Brazil, the U.S., or Europe. Speaking for myself, I can assure you that the choice for this story was much more intuitive than rational.


GBPUSD: The pair's cap at the 1.6262 level in early trading today and its subsequent collapse now leaves the 1.6076/56 zone as the next downside target.If that zone is broken, further weakness will develop towards its psycho level at 1.6000 with a loss of that level allowing for further declines towards its Mar 28'2011 low at 1.5934.
Its daily RSI is bearish and pointing lower suggesting further weakness. On the contrary, GBP will have to climb back above the 1.6546 level, its May 31'2011 high to prevent a return to the 1.6056 level, its May 18'2011 low. Above the 1.6546 level will call for a run at the 1.6743 level, its 2011 high and then the 1.6877 level, its Nov'2009 high.
All in all, with GBP remaining under bear pressure, risk of a return to the 1.6076/56 levels is expected.


A 25-year-old Army dog handler was found dead Wednesday at his home in North Pole, Alaska, the Army said.
Alaska law enforcement officers discovered the body of Sgt. Jorden Thomas Williams during a welfare check that had been requested by family members living outside the state, the Army said Friday in a statement.
North Pole is located between Eielson Air Force Base and Fort Wainwright, where Williams was stationed. The town is about 13 miles southeast of the central city of Fairbanks.
The Army did not release information about the circumstances of the soldier's death. It is being investigated by the Alaska State Troopers and the Army Criminal Investigation Command.
Williams was a dog handler with the 549th Military Working Dog Detachment, 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, the Army said.
He was assigned to Fort Wainwright in November 2014 and had deployed to Qatar from September 2015 to May 2016 and to Afghanistan from June 2017 to February 2018.
He joined the Army from Cambridge, Ohio, in December 2013.
Williams' awards included the Combat Action Badge, the Army Commendation Medal with "C" device to denote it was awarded for his actions in combat, two Army Commendation Medals, a Good Conduct Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, a NATO Medal and a Combat Action Badge, the Army said.


JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The father of Heidy Rivas Villanueva was in the car with her and a younger child Saturday evening when a bullet entered the vehicle and struck the 7-year-old in the head.
They were waiting while the wife and mother was shopping for groceries at El Tapatio on 103rd Street. About 6 p.m., a shootout began between two groups of people elsewhere in the strip mall, and the family was caught in the crossfire.
"She died in my arms," said Heidy's father, who we are not identifying since the gunmen have not been caught. "I was with my daughter until the last second of her life. I don't know how I am going to live with this. It's going to take time to recover. I don't think I can."
Rather than taking his daughter for her first day of first grade at Sadie Tillis Elementary School, this Honduran couple had to begin planning how to get her body back to where they came from and hold a funeral.
"I going to send her back home to my country because that where we came from," he said. "Maybe, one day, I will go back and take flowers to her grave, because I am not going to be able to do it here."
The man said he moved his family here with the hope of giving his two daughters a better life. He said Heidy was full of joy, loved playing outside, drawing and dreamed of a bright future.
"She had already planned out her future, her life. She had already chosen her career path and all her dreams are gone," the man said. "They destroyed me as her father."
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with the travel and funeral expenses. Click here if you would like to help.
A memorial of flowers, Teddy bears and toys continued to grow at the mall where Heidy was killed. A memorial for Heidy will be held at the strip mall at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said two groups were in the strip mall when they began shooting at each other. Investigators estimated between 13 and 15 shots were fired.
"It all unfolded right in front of me. They started shooting. We were just in the car in the middle of all the shooting."
The grieving father is begging for the shooters to turn themselves in.
An $11,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the shooters. Anyone who saw or knows anything about the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS.
Police posted photos of the persons of interest and a vehicle, hoping someone can help locate them.
According to News4Jax records, Heidy is the fourth child under 17 years old who has been killed by gun violence in Jacksonville this year, and the 20th child in Jacksonville be killed by gunfire since 2016.


I cannot agree more with Dr Yik Keng Yeong that many seniors at the workplace are not only as competent as their younger colleagues, but also understand their organisation, its clients and critical processes better (Stop regarding older workers as financial burdens; Oct 30).
Changes to the Retirement and Re-employment Act represent official acknowledgement that most current white-collar work is knowledge-or technology-based. Therefore, employees are theoretically able to continue their careers well into their 60s and even 70s.
However, urging companies to hire or retain mature staff is an uphill task. As employers are not required to provide reasons for terminating workers, seniors still do not receive protection from age discrimination.
Based on my decades of experience in the corporate world, management is rarely, if ever, swayed by ethical convictions when it comes to hiring or retaining older staff.
Discriminatory practices against older workers may even be seen as a necessary evil to resolve the growing problem of unemployment and underemployment of younger degree holders.
Ageism is widely practised by many employers who consider older workers to be more costly to hire believe that it is tougher for them to acquire new skills, and would rather invest in training and development programmes for younger staff.
It is hardly surprising that mature professionals, managers and executives are the most vulnerable group of workers since they cost their companies more to hire, possess skills that are more employer-specific and are less likely to re-enter the job market within a six-month period after being retrenched.
The Government has acknowledged in Parliament that ageism is a problem in Singapore. However, it has long maintained that putting in place anti-discriminatory laws could increase business costs and undermine economic competitiveness.
Apart from limited provisions protecting older workers or women from being fired because of their age or pregnancy, there is no legislation concerning discrimination in the workplace.
Without legal powers to investigate cases or take errant employers to task, the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices may be seen as an organisation that merely holds talks and sends out public awareness messages to advocate fairness in the workplace.
Aggrieved workers would say that such an approach is an exercise in futility.


Joe Barton (R-Tex.), ranking member on the House Telecommunications & Internet Subcommittee, wants the Justice Department to take a "close look" at what he calls the "largely unexplored" privacy and price issues surrounding the search advertising partnership between Google and Yahoo!.
In a letter to Justice, Barton—who has registered his concern about the deal before, as well as about the privacy implications of Google's merger with DoubleClick—cited seven pages worth of redactions in Yahoo!'s eight-page response to his inquiry into the deal. He suggested the company's responses seemed designed "to obscure rather than clarify" how the deal will work.
"It is unclear why Yahoo! feels such an acute need to hide its actions from the public," Barton wrote to Assistant Attorney General Thomas Barnett.
The deal would give Yahoo nonexclusive access to Google’s AdSense ad-display technologies for search and content advertising—which means Google ads would run on Yahoo, too—and work to make their respective instant-messaging services more interoperable.
Advertisers have also registered their concerns with Justice over the merger, concerned it could drive up prices. Microsoft, which is looking to get deeper into search, has also pushed for a thorough vetting, arguing it could create a de facto monopoly.


Niger State Governor, Sani Bello, on Thursday said that those pressurising the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar to challenge outcome of the February 23rd Presidential election in court could be doing so to get money from him.
He made the remark while speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with President Buhari at the State House.
According to him, he was at the Presidential Villa to congratulate Buhari on his victory at the poll.
He said that with his victory in Niger State, people of the state should be assured his administration was committed to providing dividends of democracy to them and to complete ongoing projects.
The new projects to be embarked upon, he said, will be of benefit to the general public.
On the Atiku’s claim that he won the election, governor Bello said: “It is not unusual, when you lose elections, you go to court for so many reasons.
“It could be that you think you won or it could be that someone is telling you that you have won or it could be that someone is telling you some miracles can happen.
“It could also be that someone wants to get money off you. So there is no reason why after free and fair elections had been conducted and it is clear in the eyes of the world one still believes that there are shoddy dealings.
Despite the declaration of election inconclusive in some states by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the governor said that the elections were the fairest election so far conducted in the country.
He said: “I think INEC did extremely well, the security agencies did very well as well. It is not unusual when you hold elections in a country like Nigeria where you have so many units to have issues with one or two units.


Another Try at Food for Starbucks Corp.
Earlier in July, Starbucks(NASDAQ: SBUX) announced it was teaming up with Italian baker RoccoPrincito once again try to perfect its food offerings. It's been down this road before, having purchased a specialty bakery, but it didn't pan out as well as hoped. While it continues to sell its baked goods, the individual stores have all been shuttered.Maybe a partnershipwithout actually having to own the operation will work better.
In this clip from theMotley Fool Moneyradio show,Chris Hill and Simon Erickson talk about the most important things that'll come of this deal and how Starbucks is proving its drive to stay innovative and enjoyable.
Chris Hill:Starbucksis taking yet another run at trying to improve theirfood offerings. The company is teaming up with RoccoPrinci, a highly regardedItalian baker, to bring artisan bakery items into the storesstarting in 2017.Simon, you look at LaBoulange...I'm not saying it was a flop,but it certainly didn't work out as well as they were hoping.Simon Erickson:Yeah. LaBoulange,obviously, Starbucks, last year,ifinvestors remember, they closed down the 23 stand-alone stores that were offering pastries that Starbucks had an interest in as well. Theinteresting thing to me, Chris,is that they're still selling those pastries in theexisting Starbucks locations. So, I think whether or notPrincicontinues as a stand-alone location in the future or it doesn't,the more important part of this is, are theygoing to continue to sell those foods inStarbucks locations? Keep in mind,food still accounts for about 20% of sales withinall of Starbucks's restaurants. We saw a7% increase in comps last year, so it's still doing very well.Hill:It'll beinteresting to see what happens to throughput as well,because this is the first time that they're actually going to bebaking stuff on the premises. If that has anegative effect on throughput,then I think they might need to rethink it.Erickson:AndStarbucks has always been the third place where you go outside of home and work. The thirdplace isgetting a lot more awesome. They'reopening now roasteries and reserve-only locations,which are multiple times larger than thetraditional ones, but theyhave things like in-store baked goodsand different types of coffee fromareas of the world you wouldn't typically get coffee from.I think they're adding a premium to their brand.I think this is a good move for the company.
Simon Erickson has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Starbucks. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


SAN DIEGO -- Hannah Wilder's teenage son came home to a ransacked home and valuables gone, but the big shock came when police revealed how the burglar likely got in.
“It’s violating and you feel like, ‘How dare you!’” said Wilder.
On Friday – just before 4 in the afternoon -- her son Owen, 15, returned home from school and found the home tossed.
The $1,500 laptop he had saved for two years to buy was gone and missing from his drawer: cash and gift cards. One other laptop and two iPads were also taken.
“When I heard about it, fear gripped my heart. I’m just relieved my son did not walk into the burglary,” said Wilder.
An open door to the garage was the burglar's likely exit point. But with no signs of forced entry and after looking over the house, the police officer came to an unexpected conclusion.
“He was pretty sure that's how they came in -- through the dog door,” said Wilder.
The door measures 7 1/2 inches wide by 11 inches high.
Who could have fit? Neighbors spotted three people with caps with the letter “A” going door-to-door offering stucco services. Was it them?
“I never would have thought someone could have gotten in this way. I want neighbors to be aware and to look out for each other,” said Wilder.
Wilder says the stucco people spotted in the neighborhood -- two men and one woman -- were spotted parking a white van with green lettering in her driveway.
Wilder has plans to take out the dog door and install a security system.
A Gofundme campaign has been set up to help replace her son's laptop.


(MENAFN - Pajhwok Afghan News) FARAH CITY (Pajhwok): Flash flooding caused by heavy rains killed at least seven people and rendered hundreds of families homeless in western Farah province.
A resident of Pusht Koh district, Jalil Ahmad, told Pajhwok Afghan News the flooding followed heavy raining and snowfall on Wednesday.
He said seven people had been killed, including two children and two women , and 80 houses swept away in the flood in Anzeer area of the district, displacing 800 families.
Abdul Hakim Noorzai, the district's administrative chief, confirmed Jalil Ahmad's account and said they had received reports about the death of four people.
Mohammad Nasir, a resident of Anar Dara district, said a dozen houses and shops were damaged in flooding in the district on Tuesday night.
Natural Disaster Management director Abdul Qader Elham said a team had been dispatched to Posht Koh district to assess the damage and deliver immediate assistance. He said floods caused damages in Farah City and Khak-i-Safid district as well.
Elsewhere, four people died and six others wounded due to heavy flooding in Injil and Guzra districts of Herat province.


Home » Pro » Private Practice Kickstart » Why You Need a Website YESTERDAY… even though it won’t get you clients tomorrow.
Why You Need a Website YESTERDAY… even though it won’t get you clients tomorrow.
A website is a VERY powerful marketing tool… one that once it has been written, honed, launched, and on the first page of Google can provide consistent referrals without requiring you to constantly on the phone, going to coffee, sending notes, dropping by businesses, etc. Today we are going to be talking about what can keep your website from triggering phone calls right now- as well as why starting a website NOW is an integral key to long-term success!
Once a website is published- people have to be able to find it. Many therapists struggle with understanding what their potential clients are googling for, and so they don’t know how to set up their website so that the search engines (like Google) know that their website can be helpful to the person who is in pain. Google is committed to giving great search results- that is why so many people use them. It can be tricky to figure out how to ensure your website is the kind of search result that is going to make clients smile and happy- so that Google moves you up to the first page. Until you are on Page 1 for the search terms- odds are low you will get consistent phone calls.
Why you need to start now: While there are lots of factors that Google uses to build trust- one is the age of your website and how long your website has been around. The sooner you start a website and establish yourself with Google- the sooner Google can see that you are awesome!
What Are People Really Searching For?
I LOVE the scene in The Princess Bride “You keep using that word- I do not think it means what you think it means.” The truth is, writing your website is really hard and really easy. The first step is always making sure your community can relate. While the second step is ensuring it can be found by the people who need it! It can be tricky to find the right balance of using technical terms that people might be searching for, while defining them so that lay people can understand, connect, and stumble upon what they are looking for when they just don’t have the words.
How Many People Are Really Looking?
There might not be as many people searching for what you think they are searching for. If there are only 10 people in your area searching for a particular issue- at best you should only expect 1-2 calls a month if your website is on point. Remember the stages of change- many people searching are in the contemplation stage and they aren’t quite ready for action. Great websites help people move from contemplation to action by giving them education, empathy, and a sense of hope and safety to move to the next stage.
Therapists are often tempted to try to make their website show up for very general searches or “all the searches” in order to combat this issue. However, it often leads to their websites not being very impactful (people don’t call) or Google doesn’t quite know what you do or see you as an expert (it won’t show up on Page 1).
Why you need to start a website now: Some people are going to need to look at your website several times before they feel confident enough to pick up the phone. I’ve had clients tell me that they bookmarked my site MONTHS before they called and peeked at it several times- every time they are looking in on you- they are building trust! AND- if you happen to have added a video or a blog over those months- that could help them break through their self-doubt and get started!
A good therapy website educates and empathizes with clients. A GREAT therapy website makes a person feel so incredibly heard and safe that it causes them to pick up the phone right this second because they KNOW this is the time to get started. While I’ve seen some therapists who are great at connecting- it is pretty hard to connect to everybody that deeply without getting a wee bit specific. This does NOT mean you have to ONE niche or specialization. In fact, in some cases- you really shouldn’t! It DOES mean you need to learn how to write in a way that is empathetic, impactful, and a bit specific. You might have several pages that describe how you help people in specific situations!
Why you need to start a website now: Google looks at the amount of content on your site, and how long you’ve been posting. Writing up 30 pages on a site overnight is recommended and may not be helpful! However, breaking it down and expanding your website over time by writing a new article, post, or specialty page every few months can be incredibly impactful to your community- and to the number of phone calls you get.
While I can build a basic website and write something impactful in just a few hours- that is NOT a skill that just happened. It took me years of practice and training to be able to do that! While we do NOT recommend this- many therapists take weeks, months, and sometimes years to finally feel confident enough to press the “publish” button. Until it is published nobody can possibly call you, google can start to trust you, and you can’t take this off your mental to-do list!
Is your picture on the front page?
Do you make sure that the name of your city and what you do is worked into every page of your website in a few different places (technical terms: headings, url, image alt tags, meta descriptions)?
Do you have at least one niche or specialty page on your site where you get really heart-felt and specific about your passion?
Does every page on your website invite people to further connect with you?
Is your website written to the type of clients that you love working with- in a tone and way of speaking that best connects with them?
Do you know what your clients are googling? Are you showing up when you put those search terms in?
If you aren’t showing up where you want to show up- make a plan to write articles (blogs) about those topics or even record videos about those topics.
If you aren’t sure how to set-up those articles or videos so that they give you the most findability juice- consider getting an assistant that understands SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to get those loaded up properly.


A downward dog may not sound strenuous to the non-yogi, but after 60 minutes of yoga push-ups, inversions, and balancing in a room that’s as hot as the Holy City in August, even the most muscular bodies will shake. The majority of the classes at Charleston Power Yoga are taught in a heated room, a steamy 90 degrees plus body heat. These hot-hot sessions help folks relieve stress while releasing some exercise-induced endorphins and a whole lot of sweat.


Literature in South Africa is an exciting space, but it’s fundamentally broken for several reasons, says author and publisher Nick Mulgrew.
Many flaws were caused by apartheid, and others are caused by literary professionals accepting the status quo and not pushing boundaries. To help change the face of South African literature, Mulgrew founded a publishing house, uHlanga, to focus on new, experimental and classic works of Southern African poetry.
In the past year it has published 10 books, including Collective Amnesia, a debut collection of poetry from Koleka Putuma. Mulgrew himself holds a Thomas Pringle Award for Short Fiction and a National Arts Festival Short Sharp Stories Award. His collections of short stories are Stations, The First Law of Sadness and The Myth Of This Is That We’re All In This Together, his first poetry collection.
His stories are a blend of comedy and despair set in South Africa’s dingiest suburbs, with killer eagles, tattoo removal parlours, punk guitarist-auditors, turtle sanctuaries, plane crashes, amateur pornographers and biltong-makers. The First Law of Sadness was named one of the books of the year by the Sunday Times last year.
It’s important, though, that this writing doesn’t seem polemic but is readable, well-written and engages with society in an oblique way, he says. “That’s something a lot of young South African writers are having trouble with balancing. Life is political, and literature is political inherently. But politics can’t lead the story. The story must lead the politics,” he says.


LAVAL – The Montreal Canadiens’ AHL affiliate will be just a stone’s throw away from the Bell Centre – and the Bell Sports Complex – come the fall of 2017.
On Monday, the Canadiens officially announced that the city of Laval would be welcoming an AHL franchise that would make its home at Place Bell beginning with the 2017-18 season.
Several days ago, at the AHL Annual Meeting in Hilton Head, SC, the league’s Board of Governors approved the relocation of the St. John’s IceCaps to Laval in a year’s time, paving the way for Canadiens president and CEO Geoff Molson to make the news of the future move public at the brand new state-of-the-art facility on the North Shore.
Bergevin believes there are many advantages that come with having the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate so close to home.
Molson is adamant that a Laval-based AHL franchise will also serve to better prepare prospects within the organization to handle the inevitable media attention – and scrutiny – that comes with playing in a pressure-packed market like Montreal. Players will have the opportunity to experience it first-hand on a daily basis, so they'll be well-equipped to handle it effectively when the Canadiens eventually come calling for their services.
Monday morning’s announcement took Bergevin back in time to his playing days as a youngster in Quebec. Laval, he says, was a good place to play all those years ago, and it has remained that way ever since.
Community, according to Molson, is what Laval's AHL franchise will be all about.
The first step in that process is inviting hockey fans in Quebec aged 18 and over – and specifically those in Laval – to submit names for the new club via www.placebell.ca beginning on Monday. The “Name The Team Contest” is divided into three separate phases, with the winning name scheduled to be announced this fall.


These Best Things nominations that didn't make it in the contest were just too entertaining not to share.
When we asked for your nominations for Best Things Indianapolis more than three months ago, you gave us thousands of suggestions. Not all of them made sense, and some were too entertaining to not share.
We cut out the profane ones (and there were plenty), but here are 13 of the most ridiculous nominations.
1. The 34th Street Citgo was nominated in the "best food truck" category.
In theory, food and trucks both have been present at this gas station at one point or another in time.
2. "Roofing contractors" was nominated for "best suburb."
That's all it said. No specific company name, just "roofing contractors."
3. Doug, no last name, was nominated for "best human."
Dougs everywhere missed out on this one.
4. Many spelling versions of St. Elmo Steak House nominated for "best steakhouse."
Sure, they ended up winning in spite of the misspellings. Our favorite? St. Emo.
5. Butler "Pink" was nominated for "best mascot."
Last time we checked, Butler University's Butler Blue III wasn't pink. He is, however, adorable.
6. "My husband" was nominated for "best human."
We love your love an'all, but we need just a hair more context next time.
7. Domino's Pizza was nominated for "best local burger."
None of that. Just, ahhh, it's none of that.
8. St. Vincent Hospital was nominated for "best whiskey/scotch list."
Oh, no. No no no no no.
9. Restaurants that don't serve Indian food nominated for "best local Indian restaurant."
These nominations include: A sushi restaurant, a Chinese restaurant, two Thai restaurants, a barbecue restaurant, a Mexican restaurant and an Italian restaurant.
10. An apartment complex nominated for "best fine dining restaurant."
There definitely aren't enough salad forks.
11. A bartender was nominated for "best food truck."
Now you've given us a great idea for traveling booze.
12. "None" was nominated for "best human."
13. "Turds" was nominated for "best restaurant."
Oh come ON. Every knows Turds is a close second to Pee-Pee Poo-Poo.


Jamal Murray (27) of the Denver Nuggets shows signs of frustration after not being able to force a turnover against the San Antonio Spurs during the third quarter of the Spurs’ 101-96 win on Saturday, April 13, 2019. The Denver Nuggets hosted the San Antonio Spurs during game one of the teams’ first round NBA playoffs series at the Pepsi Center.
It was early Sunday morning before Jamal Murray walked through the Nuggets locker room, his exit delayed after reliving the jumper that might’ve given Denver Game 1.
While his teammates showered and addressed the media after their grueling Game 1 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, Murray was up on the second floor of the Pepsi Center, painstakingly reenacting his 8-of-24 shooting night. His dad, Roger Murray, was there with him, presumably rebounding and offering comfort.
Murray’s clean elbow jumper would’ve given the Nuggets a 98-97 lead with 13 seconds left. Instead it hit back iron.
“A shot that he’s made 1,000 times, and he’ll make it again,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone.
RELATED: Kiszla: Hey, Nuggets: Who’s your daddy? Denver drops NBA playoff opener by losing mind game to Pop.
The in-game version came following a timeout and was born out of Denver’s bread-and-butter pick-and-roll with Nikola Jokic. It’s a shot the Nuggets would take every time. Especially in this series, with a plodding LaMarcus Aldridge forced to retreat after Murray rolls right around the screen, it was the right look.
Murray took 8 shots in the final quarter, including 7 over the final 3:06 of the game. Aside from a baseline jumper, his only other points came off sheer determination. Spurs forward Rudy Gay had corralled a missed Murray floater and had earned clear possession of the ball, both hands gripping it in his gut. That was before Murray surprised Gay, ripped the ball clean, laid in a reverse layup and got fouled. It was one of six steals he had on the night. The three-point swing cut the deficit to 95-92.
Denver trimmed the lead to 97-96 on the aforementioned jumper from the baseline but could never regain the lead.
That didn’t stop Murray from trying. He caught the same 3-point shooting bug that plagued the rest of the team and missed all six of his shots from beyond the arc.
The 22-year-old is uncommonly poised in tense situations and confident regardless of any prior struggles. He’s also famously stubborn, a result of the rigorous shooting drills his dad put him through as a child. While growing up, Roger also preached mental toughness to Jamal, a principle he learned from studying famed martial artist Bruce Lee. All of that is baked into the composition of Murray, who posted career-highs across the board in his second full season running the Nuggets offense.
That tough love has harbored confidence between coach and player. It wasn’t surprising to see the play called for Murray, especially since Jokic had passed on plenty of good looks throughout the game.
That’s why, even as his shooting drills took him well into the night, it wasn’t hard to imagine a scenario where Murray responds with a big game on Tuesday.


The Sun’s crime reporter is to be charged in relation to an investigation into alleged corrupt payments to public officials.
Anthony France will appear before Westminster magistrates court on 21 August, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
France faces two counts of conspiring to commit misconduct in public office between 31 March, 2008 and 1 July, 2011 and 19 July, 2009 and August 14, 2009 respectively.
Charges are being brought under Scotland Yard’s Operation Elveden, which is being run alongside two other inquiries – Operation Weeting, which looked at alleged phone hacking, and Operation Tuleta, examining claims of computer hacking and other privacy breaches.
The first charge states that France conspired with Timothy Edwards – a police officer previously charged in relation to Operation Elveden – and with others unknown to commit misconduct in public office.
The second charge states that France conspired together with others to commit misconduct in public office.


A January deadline looms for cities across Ontario mulling a move to block private pot stores from setting up shop in their communities — a decision that will be one of the first navigated by London’s new city council.
There’s an early sense from some members of the committee that will handle the issue next week that opting out would be the wrong choice for London, discouraging new businesses from coming to town and losing out on thousands of dollars in government funding to manage the impact of those cannabis retailers.
And already residents can buy cannabis online, so nixing the stores won’t keep the drug out. Since marijuana was legalized on Oct. 17, Ontarians have been able to buy their weed online and have it mailed — a system riddled with delays — or grow up to four of their own plants.
Councils across the province must decide whether to allow pot shops by Jan. 22.
Some municipalities that had already opted out, including Norfolk County and Dutton Dunwich in Elgin County, will have to weigh up the question again with their new councils.
The provincial government gave municipalities the right to opt out, with the ability to opt in later. But for communities that give the green light to private cannabis retailers, there’s no backing out later.
Last week, London police and OPP raided illegal marijuana dispensaries in London, the first crackdown since legalization. No bricks-and-mortar stores can legally sell cannabis until April, though online sales opened Oct. 17.
Ward 2 Coun. Shawn Lewis said there’s “no upside” to blocking the way for private pot shops in London.
City manager Martin Hayward said London has already received $450,000 from the province to deal with the introduction of legal cannabis.
Communities that opt in to private retailers will receive a cut of another $15 million being doled out by the province — part of $40 million to be distributed among Ontario cities over the next two years.
Hayward said there is a lot about cannabis policy that’s “up in the air.” But first, council has to rule on whether or not to allow retail locations.
“The basis of the report is to say, ‘Hey council, you’ve got to make a decision: opt in or opt out.’ There are some financial implications,” he said.


This asset, located in a historical mining district in Coahuila, is highly prospective for silver and zinc.
Silver Bull Resources Inc. (SVB:TSX; SVBL:NYSE.MKT) announced in a news release it launched an 8,000-meter drill program at its Sierra Mojada project in Mexico after receiving the necessary permits.
The campaign will initially test four historic mining areas on the property. Drilling in one previously drilled location will test the sulphide extensions of the main deposit at depth as mineralization at the deposit remains open to the east, west and north. This will be the first drilling ever done in the other three places.
2) The following company mentioned in this article is a billboard sponsor of Streetwise Reports: Silver Bull Resources. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. As of the date of this article, an affiliate of Streetwise Reports has a consulting relationship with Silver Bull Resources. Please click here for more information.
5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article until three business days after the publication of the interview or article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of Silver Bull Resources, a company mentioned in this article.


Here are just some of the activities that are scheduled for “31 Days of Jazz.” Many of the events are free, but some are ticketed and there is an admission charge. For details please check our web site, www.atlantafestivals.com.
While you are out enjoying jazz at the various venues, pick up a brochure and enter the Passport Program contest. The grand prize includes a two-night stay at the Loews Atlanta Hotel, dinner for two at one of the festival restaurant partners, a commemorate t-shirt and poster, and a special VIP Experience for two at the festival in Piedmont Park!


With immediate effect Christoph Horak will be in charge of sales for the airberlin group in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia as Regional Manager for the region. Horak has over 18 years of professional experience in sales, having previously worked for EVA AIR Vienna, Swissair/Sabena and NIKI, where he was already responsible for the same markets. Horak will report to the Regional Director for Eastern Europe, Stefan Magiera.
Since 6th February airberlin has been operating daily flights from Budapest to Berlin.
The new route is integrated into the hub structure at Berlin, which offers customers from Hungary numerous connection possibilities throughout Germany and Europe with Germany’s second largest airline.
From its hub in Vienna airberlin also offers customers from the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia some attractive travel options. The airberlin group’s summer schedule for 2012 includes 54 connections from Vienna to a wide range of destinations in Germany, Spain and Austria.


After the turbulent situation in Catalonia following the independence vote on 1 October, Serbia was quick to accuse the international community of double standards regarding Kosovo.
Whenever there is an issue regarding territorial disputes, international recognition or independence, Kosovo is the first topic to be brought into the discussion by Serbia.
But, in fact, Kosovo's independence is completely dissimilar to the Catalan scenario.
Kosovo has different historical, legal, and factual specifics in relation to other such cases. This makes it a unique case and, as a result, incomparable with other situations.
For a start, the country went through a long negotiation process with Serbia to attain its independence, facilitated by the international community.
The negotiations in Vienna were a direct result of a UN-led international process for determining Kosovo's political status.
A former Finnish president, Martti Ahtisaari, who served as the UN secretary-general's special envoy, was the international mediator during the negotiations on Kosovo's statehood.
That was followed by the declaration of independence, which was in full accordance with international law and in compliance with the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 of 10 June 1999.
Moreover, this was also asserted by the International Court of Justice's opinion of 22 July 2010.
In this advisory opinion, the court concluded that "the adoption of the declaration of independence of 17 February 2008 did not violate general international law."
Accordingly, the UN's principal judicial organ concluded that "the adoption of that declaration did not violate any applicable rule of international law."
Following on from that, on 9 September 2010, the UN general assembly welcomed the EU's willingness to facilitate a dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo to normalise bilateral relations.
The EU's involvement follows its stated intention of promoting peace, security and stability in the Western Balkans.
In 2011, Kosovo and Serbia started a regular technical and political dialogue under EU mediation, with the aim of normalising relations before mutual diplomatic recognition takes place.
As a result, the first trilateral agreement between Kosovo, Serbia and the EU was reached in April 2013.
Kosovo had been a part of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which no longer exists.
During its existence, Kosovo had the same state attributes as the other federal units, including a constitution, and had its representatives in all federal institutions - in the collective presidency, the assembly, the executive council or federal government, and the constitutional court.
It also had its own presidency, assembly, government, police, territorial defence, constitutional court, intelligence service, central bank and secretariat for international relations.
At the federal level, Kosovo had the right to veto, and equal participation - along with other federal units - in all key federal institutions such as: the collective presidency, the federal government and the federal assembly.
Kosovo's well-defined boundaries - as well as the international borders of the former Yugoslav Federation and those of other entities - were protected by the constitution, and could not be changed without the consent of the federal units, for instance the parliament of Kosovo.
The dissolution of the former Yugoslavia began with the violent destruction of Kosovo's federal status in 1989 by Serbia, which illegally stripped Kosovo's autonomy through the police duress and military force.
Now, to compare with the Kosovo case, Catalonia's autonomy was not illegally revoked by Spain.
The Catalan people did not face the violent repression, crimes against civilians and ethnic cleansing by Spain - the way Serbia did in Kosovo toward Albanian majority.
The events in Kosovo between 1989 and 1999, caused by Serbia, were characterised as a humanitarian catastrophe and a serious threat to international peace and security - something that fortunately did not happen in Catalonia.
Kosovo's independence is also a result of the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia, which was confirmed by UN Resolution 777.
In Kosovo, there were almost 1 million people forced to flee the country and some 25,000 people killed by the Serbian regime. This was not the case in Catalonia.
Kosovo citizens from the Albanian majority - or 93 percent of the population - were committed to gaining independence. This is not the case in Catalonia, where there is division between proclaiming independence and mediating with Madrid.
The factors mentioned above, regarding Kosovo, are not found in any other cases - including Catalonia - making Kosovo's independence completely unique and also in line with norms in international law.
Serbia - what about Crimea?
While Serbia is complaining of the EU's double standards and finds similarities between Kosovo and Catalonia, we should not forget Serbia's attitude towards Russia's annexation of Crimea.
In fact, Serbia never condemned the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, despite the fact that Ukraine was a state and Crimea formed an integral part of its territory.
Even before the USSR's disintegration, Crimea's status as part of Ukraine's territory should have been respected from the perspective of international law.
In light of this, EU member states confirmed that Kosovo's independence was legitimate under international law and diplomatic policy, whereas the annexation of Crimea was an act of illegitimate of aggression by Russian power.
Serbia, as an EU candidate country itself, should align with EU foreign policy and condemn the annexation of Crimea. Although this was required by the EU, Serbia has never showed any will or commitment to align with the bloc on this matter.
Every intention of Serbia to compare Kosovo with other cases in the world is to buy time. It is to avoid fulfilling the EU-facilitated agreements reached with Kosovo, and an intention to block the independent country on its path towards international recognition and state building.
Following the vote in Catalonia, Serbia should instead pay more attention to a possible referendum for the independence of Vojvodina or Sanxhak, instead of Kosovo, whose independence is a one-way road, especially after the signing of the first contractual agreement with the EU - the Stabilisation and Association Agreement.
Kosovo's independence is already determined, and this agreement is the country's first step towards the EU accession negotiation process.
Mimoza Ahmetaj is a former Kosovan minister for EU integration.
Vetevendosje, which has been labelled as a radical, anti-EU party, doubled its support in Sunday's poll and is now Kosovo's largest party.
Catalan president has until Tuesday to decide whether to unilaterally declare independence in the face of growing political and economic pressure.
Catalonia's independence plans have come under more pressure from the financial sector, with banks deciding to move their HQ and ratings agencies downgrading the region's notation.
Germany has many challenges to face - at home and abroad - but EU enlargement for the Western Balkans should remain a top priority for Angela Merkel.
The EU commission has endorsed the idea of a Kosovo-Serbia border change, going against Germany and breaking a former taboo.
The door to EU enlargement has at last creaked open, three years after European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker slammed it shut.


The singer was joined by her kids for the football game.
She does exist! Ciara often posts photos and videos of her first child, Future Jr., whom she had with her rapper ex-fiancé, but has yet to reveal her second child, Sierra Princess, whom the singer gave birth to back in April. That it, until now!
It’s easy to miss her because she is so tiny, but Ciara shared a candid of herself, her son, and her daughter, rooting for NFL star Russell Wilson as he and the Seahawks destroyed the Colts.
As fans know, Ciara and Russell, who married last July, remained abstinent until they exchanged wedding vows. She was pregnant three months later.
"Knowing that you'll always have the friendship and that you can always go back to it is very important, and very powerful,” she continued.
And on top of showing off her baby girl, Ciara has also been parading her body around, after posting her intense workouts on Instagram and losing the reported 60 pounds she gained.
What are your thoughts on Ciara finally showing Sierra off? Let us know in the comments section.


As an ek-junkie and Oscar-winning writer of "Traffic," Stephen Gaghan knows a thing or two about the drug smuggling business, knowledge that will serve him well on one of his new projects. Let's hope he doesn't have as much personal experience with human trafficking for the other.
Gaghan will direct "The Snakehead," an adaptation of the book by the New Yorker's Patrick Keefe, about Sister Ping, an elderly woman in Chinatown who used to run a noodle shop on Hester Street, while at the same time smuggling countless Chinese immigrants into the U.S. She made tens of millions, charging folks $18,000 a head, but the party ended in '93, when a shipment--of people--ran ashore in Queens.
But the first film on Gaghan's docket is an untitled project based on Richard Marosi’s four-part series in the Los Angeles Times this summer, about the cocaine pipeline from Sinola, Mexico, to LA. The operation hid drugs in everything from cars to frozen chickens.
"After 'Traffic' I felt there was too much money spent on interdiction and not enough on treatment, and I still feel that you have to change the consumption engine in human behavior," Gaghan told Deadline in talking about the film.
Gaghan hasn't directed or written a film since 2005's fantastic international thriller, "Syriana," starring George Clooney and Matt Damon, it'd be good to have him back.


(Reuters) - Brighton and Hove Albion defender Bernardo is hopeful that his Premier League stint with the club will boost his chances of being selected for the Brazil national team.
The 23-year-old full-back joined Brighton from RB Leipzig last week after two seasons at the Bundesliga side, where he played 49 matches, including three Champions League appearances and five in the Europa League.
“It’s (Leipzig) a small club but it reached second place in the Bundesliga and I was not even on the radar,” Bernardo told Brighton’s website. “I was a player that played many matches, but my name was not even being speculated.
“Richarlison, from Watford, he is playing for a good club but not in the top six. Everyone is now talking about Richarlison, so the Premier League brings you to another level, because everyone is watching it.
Bernardo feels his nationality attracts a higher pressure to perform tricks and dribbles but believes his calmer style of play is harder to achieve.
“People think you are going to be like Ronaldinho, get the ball, do tricks, dribble around everyone and score,” he added.
Brighton take on Watford in their opening league fixture on Aug. 11.


Promoting Live Events on Social Media: What to do before, during and after a community event.
2013 NICAR’s Greatest Hits: A report about all of the cool stuff that was on display at the premier event for news data geeks.
Reporter Quickstart: A guide to the essentials that StateImpact reporters need to know.
Participating in local and regional events is a great way to build your relationship with your “core communities.” Sometimes these are events that we organize. But other times, we’re asked to be part of a panel discussion on a topic. And while these are great opportunities to interact with people who care deeply about the subject you cover, the role can be challenging for journalists.
WHYY's Chris Satullo moderates a community event with Susan Phillips and Scott Detrow. Having audience members write their questions on index cards for the moderator to read is one way to maintain control of a program.
We never sought this role. We usually say yes, although there’s never any compensation, rarely any food, and it often requires a long drive. That said, it does give you exposure and helps you meet potential sources.
As teachers become more active on Twitter, StateImpact Ohio is working to engage them.
Learn about the shift away from using social media to simply promote content to an “audience” and instead use it to have a two-way dialogue with a “community”: Corralling Your Core Communities.
What’s the difference between a heifer at a county fair and a box of Girl Scout cookies? StateImpact Idaho has the answer, proving once again that policy can be fun and interesting.
Molly Bloom of StateImpact Ohio talks about seclusion room policy on a podcast of the Student Press Law Center.
Jessica Pupovac and Chris Swope got to explore Concord, N.H., last week as guests of New Hampshire Public Radio. They spent the better part of two days planning stories with the StateImpact New Hampshire team and training reporters Amanda Loder and Emily Corwin.
Reporters Amanda Loder and Emily Corwin, and News Director Sarah Ashworth, get Excel tips from Data and Digital Coordinator Jessica Pupovac.
Marie Cusick is joining StateImpact Pennsylvania.
StateImpact Pennsylvania will soon be back up to full strength when Marie Cusick joins Susan Phillips in covering the state’s energy economy.
Most recently, Cusick was a multimedia reporter at WMHT in Albany, New York. She contributed TV, radio, and digital reports about the economy, technology, and state politics to public stations across New York for the Innovation Trail, a reporting collaborative between six stations. She appeared regularly on WMHT’s award-winning, statewide public affairs TV show, New York NOW. Her work has also aired nationally on NPR and in New York City on WNYC and WNET Thirteen.
Cusick already has some experience covering gas drilling in the northeast, including filling in for Scott Detrow in December. On her first day, she reported that Pennsylvania Gov. Corbett had taken a vacation paid for by a central Pennsylvania businessman with ties to the gas industry.


One measure rarely factored in board performance is innovation.
This may be because the question is too big: "How innovative is your board?" is almost impossible to answer in any measurable way.
But one function of innovation we can all measure is diversity. And I believe the more we view diversity as a driver of innovation, the better Canada's boards, companies and economies will perform.
I have recently returned from the Institute of Directors in Southern Africa conference in Johannesburg, and it's clear that just as diversity is a big competitive advantage for Canada in attracting the best and brightest from around the world, so, too, is good governance a growing force in attracting capital, business and people to our shores.
These three concepts are all connected, of course. Greater diversity promotes better governance, which in turn promotes more innovation. After all, what is innovation but new thinking translated into the marketplace?
By diversity, I don't just mean promoting gender, ethnic and age diversity on boards. That said, if your board looks much as it did 10 years ago, you have a problem. I also mean diversity in being able to master the context and environment in which companies operate.
To say we live in an era of unprecedented change wildly understates the speed, scope and hurricane power of the forces at work in the marketplace, the boardroom and the corridors of power.
Given this, innovation in the makeup and thinking of boards is not just nice to have; it's critical to an organization's survival. When an app created in a teenager's garage can cause the boards of big banks to adjust their entire business models, those boards have to be even more agile, disruptive and innovative in their thinking.
To my mind, the one tangible way to both understand this level of innovation, and demonstrate it, is through diversification. I say this because now more than at any time in Canada's history, there is a direct connection between an engaged, knowledgeable, ethical and prepared board of directors and an organization's ability to advance, innovate, profit and grow.
If you're going to be ready for the astoundingly different world tomorrow will bring, you need the right people at the table.
But do we have enough of these right people on our boards?
Frankly, no. At least not yet.
In September, the Ontario Securities Commission reported that only 21 per cent of issuers have adopted a board diversity policy, and that only 12 per cent of total board seats are occupied by women.
So we have a choice. We can moan about it or we can do something about it.
And the companies choosing not to wait are the ones poised for performance. They have made the case for board diversity by implementing rigorous board evaluation processes and skills, competency and behavioural matrices. They have drafted diversity policies that set targets for the percentage of women who will serve on their boards against realistic timelines.
They have also recognized that identifying experienced, talented female candidates is not a barrier to board diversification. The Institute of Corporate Directors has over 3,500 women in the ICD Directors Register. Nearly a thousand of them have their ICD Directors' Designation, which means they're not only board-ready, but in many ways innovation-ready. One reality is becoming clear from the recent political upheavals in the United States and Britain: They were a function of the precipitous decline of trust in institutions of all kinds. Yet, Canada has been faring well because of our strong systems of oversight and accountability.
All the more reason I believe Canadians should recognize and exploit our emerging competitive advantage. However, as with all our natural resources, good governance is renewable only if it is continually renewed. Establishing greater diversity on our boards is long overdue – recognizing that it's about performance, not conformance.
We just have to exert the will to make diversity happen.
Think of it this way. In the time it took you to read this article, that teenager in the garage could have said, "Why don't we have an app for that?" and set in motion an innovation that could transform your industry.
Will your board have the agility in action that comes from diversity in thinking? Will they be able to turn an unknown threat into an unheard of opportunity?
They should. They can. And more and more, they must.