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Manuscript preparation
1. General information
Development is moving to a new submission system; for more information, see our FAQ page. To submit a manuscript, please use our online submission system.
Authors are required to read our journal policies before preparing their manuscripts, and all manuscripts should adhere to the journal's terms of submission.
All pre-submission or general editorial queries should be directed to the Editorial Office.
1.1. New submissions – format free
In order to make manuscript submission as easy as possible for authors, Development has introduced format-free submission.
At first submission, authors may submit their manuscript in any format; however, we do still encourage authors to read the manuscript preparation guidelines below and to consider how easy a manuscript is to read by reviewers and editors (e.g. line spacing, line numbers).
All manuscripts must adhere to our guidelines regarding manuscript length.
1.2. Revised submissions
On Development, >95% of revised submissions are accepted for publication.
All revised manuscripts should adhere to the guidelines below on preparing text and tables, figures, movies and supplementary information.
Authors should complete and submit our submission checklist with their manuscripts. This form asks authors to confirm that they have followed best practice guidelines regarding experimental subjects, data reporting and statistics. The checklist is based on the NIH Principles and Guidelines for Reporting Preclinical Research and is intended to help ensure high standards for reporting and to aid reproducibility.
2. Manuscript length
Research articles: the total length of the article should not exceed 7000 words, including the main text and figure legends, but not the title page, abstract, materials and methods section or reference list (reference citations in the text do count towards the word limit).
Research reports: the total length of the article should not exceed 3000 words, including the main text and figure legends, but not the title page, abstract, materials and methods section or reference list (reference citations in the text do count towards the word limit). The total number of display items (Figures and Tables) must not exceed four (4).
Note that final word limits will depend on the paper submitted and are at the discretion of the Editors.
3. Preparing the text and tables
The information below relates to a standard Research Article. For all other article types, please refer to the style and layout guidelines provided on our article types page.
3.1 File formats
For manuscript text and tables, our preferred file format is Microsoft Word .docx (or .doc). We also accept Pages (rtf format) and LaTeX.
Please include tables as part of the manuscript file. Tables must be editable and not embedded as an image.
Authors working in LaTeX can download and use our template. Please upload a single PDF at first submission and include any component files, such as .st (style file), .cls (class file) and .bib (bibliography file) at revision submission. Please note that LaTeX files will be converted to Microsoft Word files during the production process and that authors will be required to check the conversion of symbols and special characters carefully at the proofing stage.
For mathematical equations, our preferred file format is MathType. We also accept Equation Editor (Microsoft Word) and LaTex.
3.2. Article sections
3.2.1.Title page
This section should include a title of 120 characters or less that clearly and concisely summarises your specific findings and avoids specialist abbreviations, a running title of 32 characters or less, the full names (including middle initials) and affiliations of all authors (including present addresses for authors who have moved), and the corresponding author's email address. Please note any cases where authors contributed equally to the work. Please also include 3-6 key words for indexing purposes (select key words that will make your manuscript easily searchable).
3.2.2. Abstract
Provide a brief abstract of no more than 180 words. This should succinctly and clearly introduce the topic of the paper, summarise the main findings and highlight the significance of the data and main conclusions. The abstract is used by abstracting services without modification and is often read more frequently than the full paper and therefore needs to be comprehensible in its own right. Do not include subheadings or references, and avoid any non-standard abbreviations.
3.2.3. Summary statement
Provide a brief Summary Statement for use in emailed and online tables of content alerts. The text should be between 15 and 30 words, and should explain, without overstatement, why someone should read the article. Please do not simply repeat the title, and avoid unfamiliar terms and abbreviations, as the text should be comprehensible to non-experts. We reserve the right to edit the text.
3.2.4. Introduction
This section should succinctly provide the background information that is required to set the results into their proper biological context. It should not contain subheadings.
3.2.5. Results
This section should describe the results of the experiments performed and should be broken up by subheadings to organise the findings presented and walk the reader through the results. Reproducibility of results must be included – see our submission checklist for further information. Please ensure that the distinction between new results and published findings/established facts is clear.
3.2.6. Discussion
This section should explain the significance of the results and should place them into the broader context of the current literature. The Discussion may contain subheadings to highlight important areas that are expanded on in the text. Please note that, for Research Reports, the Results and Discussion sections should be combined, while they should be kept separate for Research Articles.
3.2.7. Materials and methods
This section should include sufficient detail to understand and to replicate the experiments performed, in conjunction with cited references. To facilitate detailed description of materials and methods (allowing the reader to fully understand and replicate the experimental protocols), this section does not count towards the word limit for article length. The materials and methods should be divided into sections, and should include subsections detailing reagents, animal models and statistical analysis. Please provide names for ALL equipment and reagent suppliers. Give Latin names for all experimental species. Reporting standards should follow those recommended in our journal policies and submission checklist. Where the Materials and Methods are particularly lengthy, more detailed experimental protocols or descriptions of computational analyses should be included as Supplementary Materials and Methods (though all methods must be mentioned in the main text). Materials such as primers, antibodies and strains may be provided as supplementary text or tables. Note that the editor or production team may request changes to the materials and methods to ensure compliance with these guidelines.
Authors who use AI tools in the writing of a manuscript, generation of code or production of images, or in the collection and analysis of data, must disclose this in the Materials and Methods section. They should describe which AI tool was used and how it was used (note that this section does not count towards the word limit for article length). Please note that authors are fully responsible for the content of their manuscript, including those parts produced by an AI tool.
3.2.8. Acknowledgements
This section should mention any individuals or groups that do not qualify for authorship according to our authorship guidelines, but have contributed to the research presented (e.g. in terms of reagents, time, expertise) or writing of the manuscript. Please also include details of support from core facilities (e.g. microscopy, sequencing, proteomics facilities); an example of how this can be done is included below.
"The authors thank the WEHI core facilities for their important contributions to this work, particularly The WEHI Advanced Genomics Facility, The Centre for Dynamic Imaging and the WEHI Bioservices Facility."
3.2.9. Competing interests
Include a statement to identify any potential influences that readers may need to know about when thinking about the implications of the presented research. For more specific information regarding the affiliations and associations that must be disclosed, please see our journal policies page. Authors without financial or competing interests should explicitly assert this and include the statement 'No competing interests declared'.
3.2.10. Funding
Details of all funding sources must be provided. It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to provide the relevant funding information from ALL authors. Please provide the official funding agency name as listed on the Crossref Open Funder Registry, i.e. 'National Institutes of Health', not 'NIH', and all relevant grant numbers. If your Funder is not listed in the Registry, please provide the name in full.
Where individuals need to be specified for certain sources of funding, please add initials after the relevant agency or grant number. Please use the following format: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health [AA123456 to C.S., BB765432 to M.H.]; and the Alcohol & Education Research Council [hfygr667789]. Where no specific funding has been provided for the research, please state 'This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors'.
3.2.11. Data availability
All publicly available datasets supporting your work should be included in the Data availability section. Details should include repository name, identifier such as accession number or doi and, where possible, include a hyperlink to the URL of the dataset. Datasets should be made publicly available at the time of publication. For more information on our data deposition requirements, see please see our Journal Policies.
Please note that Development endorses the Force 11 Data Citation Principles and recommends that references to datasets should also be included in the reference list with DOIs/accession numbers and hyperlinks, where available.
If all data are included only within the manuscript itself and/or its Supplementary information, please include a default statement as follows:
Data availability: All relevant data can be found within the article and its supplementary information.
3.2.12. Diversity and inclusion statement
Authors may provide a Diversity and inclusion statement in their paper. This can document diversity and inclusion practices relevant to both the scientific content of the paper, and authorship and attribution.
3.2.13. References
All references cited in the text, tables and figure legends should be included in a single reference list at the end of the article. We strongly encourage the citation of the primary literature over review articles wherever possible, and for this reason do not have a limit on the number of references that can be included. For specific information about reference formatting, please see the references section below.
3.2.14. Figure legends
Figure legends should be listed at the end of the manuscript. The first sentence of the legend should summarise the figure and be in bold. Each figure legend should stand alone and should contain enough information to ensure that the figure is understandable without having to refer to the main text. Figure panels should be labelled with uppercase letters (A, B, C, etc.), and each panel should be described in the legend. Any abbreviations not given in the main text should be defined. For further details on what should be included in figure legends, please refer to our submission checklist.
3.3. Preparing the text
3.3.1. General information
- Prepare manuscripts in English (either US or UK spelling is acceptable but be consistent within the manuscript). Your writing should be comprehensible to editors and reviewers, and your writing style should be concise and accessible. If English is not your first language, please consider using a language editing service prior to submission.
- Ensure that the language in your manuscript is original and does not contain previously published passages of text (including those from your own publications) – see our journal policies for more details. All accepted manuscripts are routinely screened using plagiarism-detection software.
- Use 1.5 line spacing and continuous line numbering throughout the paper in order to facilitate online reviewing.
- Do not embed figures in the text.
- Cite each figure, table and movie in the text in numerical order. Figure or table parts should be labelled with uppercase letters (A, B, C, etc.). Use the following format for citations: Fig. 1A,B or Figs 1, 2 or Table 1 or Movie 1.
- If necessary, display equations should be cited using the following format: Eqn 1.
- For supplementary figures, tables and equations, cite as Fig. S1, Table S1, Eqn S1.
- Define abbreviations at first mention.
- For special characters not available on a standard keyboard (e.g. Greek characters, mathematical symbols), use the Symbol font or the 'Insert Symbol' function in Microsoft Word, where possible. For special characters that are not available via this route, please use MathType characters; do not use embedded images (e.g. GIF).
3.3.2. Units and nomenclature
- Units of measurement should follow the SI system, e.g. ml s-1 rather than ml/s. See guidance on using the SI convention from NIST. Type a space between a digit and a unit, e.g. 1 mm (except 1%, 1oC).
- Use s.e.m. and s.d. for standard errors, etc.
- Taxonomic nomenclature: the Latin names and taxonomic authority (e.g. Linnaeus) should be provided for all experimental species. All species names should be italicized.
- Genetic nomenclature: gene symbols should be in italic type, but the protein product of a gene should be in Roman type. Genetic nomenclature should be in accordance with established conventions and should be approved by the relevant nomenclature curator if applicable. See below for some relevant links.
- HGNC list of genome databases: https://www.genenames.org/useful/all-links#ovgdb
- Caenorhabditis elegans: https://www.wormbase.org
- Dictyostelium: https://dictycr.org/
- Chicken: http://birdgenenames.org/cgnc/guidelines
- Drosophila: https://flybase.org/wiki/FlyBase:Nomenclature
- Human: https://www.genenames.org/about/guidelines
- Maize: https://www.maizegdb.org/maize_nomenclature.php
- Mouse: http://www.informatics.jax.org/mgihome/nomen/index.shtml
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae: https://www.yeastgenome.org/
- Schizosaccharomyces pombe: https://www.pombase.org/submit-data/gene-naming-guidelines
- Xenopus: https://www.xenbase.org/gene/static/geneNomenclature.jsp
- Zebrafish: https://zfin.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/general/pages/1818394635/ZFIN+Zebrafish+Nomenclature+Conventions
3.3.3. References
126.96.36.199. References in text
References in the text should be cited using the Harvard (name, date) referencing system.
Each reference cited in the text must be listed in the Reference list and vice versa: please check these carefully. Where references are cited only in supplementary information, please provide a separate supplementary reference list and do not include these in the main reference list.
Literature citations in text are as follows.
- One author – (Jones, 1995) or (Jones, 1995; Smith, 1996).
- Two authors – (Jones and Kane, 1994) or (Jones and Kane, 1994; Smith, 1996).
- More than two authors – (Jones et al., 1995) or (Jones et al., 1995a,b; Smith et al., 1994, 1995).
- Manuscripts accepted for publication but not yet published: include in Reference list and cite as (Jones et al., in press).
- Manuscripts posted on preprint servers but not yet published: include in Reference list and cite as (Smith et al., 2016 preprint).
- Citation of unpublished data: we strongly discourage the citation of unpublished data or data not shown. Where it is necessary, use the format (S.P. Jones, unpublished observations/data not shown); note that the editor or journal office may request that these data should be included prior to publication. Personal communications (the unpublished observations of scientists other than the authors) can only be cited with written permission from the scientist in question, and should be cited in the text using the format (full name, institution, personal communication). Unpublished work can not be included in the Reference list.
- PhD theses: include in Reference list and cite as (Smith, 2016 ).
- Datasets: we recommend that all publicly available datasets are fully referenced in the reference list with an accession number or unique identifier such as a DOI. Cite as (Jones and Jane, 1994).
- Authors should avoid citing articles from journals that are suspected to be predatory in nature (see https://thinkchecksubmit.org/ for an online resource designed to help researchers identify trusted journals).
- Citation of retracted articles is strongly discouraged. If it is necessary to cite a retracted paper, the notice of retraction must also be cited and it must be obvious to the reader that the article has been retracted. Editors may question why a retracted publication has been cited.
188.8.131.52. Reference List
References are listed in alphabetical order according to surname and initials of first author.
- Use the following style:
Rivera, A. R. V., Wyneken, J. and Blob, R. W. (2011). Forelimb kinematics and motor patterns of swimming loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta): are motor patterns conserved in the evolution of new locomotor strategies? J. Exp. Biol. 214, 3314-3323.
Hochachka, P. W. and Somero, G. N. (2002). Biochemical Adaptation: Mechanism and Process in Physiological Evolution. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Book chapter
Feller, G. (2008). Enzyme function at low temperatures in psychrophiles. In Protein Adaptation in Extremophiles (ed. K. S. Siddiqui and T. Thomas), pp. 35-69. New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
Preprint server
Baillie-Johnson, P., van den Brink, S. C., Balayo, T., Turner, D. A. and Martinez Arias, A. (2014). Generation of aggregates of mouse ES cells that show symmetry breaking, polarisation and emergent collective behaviour in vitro. bioRxiv doi:10.1101/005215.
PhD thesis
Jones, A. R. (2016). Title of thesis. PhD thesis, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
Dataset with persistent identifier
Zheng, L.-Y., Guo, X.-S., He, B., Sun, L.-J., Peng, Y. and Dong, S.-S. (2011). Genome data from sweet and grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor). GigaScience Database. https://dx.doi.org/10.5524/100012.
Kingsolver, J. G., Hoekstra, H. E., Hoekstra, J. M., Berrigan, D., Vignieri, S. N., Hill, C. E., Hoang, A., Gibert, P. and Beerli, P. (2001). Data from: The strength of phenotypic selection in natural populations. Dryad Digital Repository. https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.166.
- If there are more than 10 authors, use 'et al.' after the 10th author.
- Within a group of papers with the same first author, list single author papers first, then papers with two authors, then et al. papers. If more than one reference exists for each type, arrange in date order. Use a and b for papers published in the same year.
- 'In press' citations must have been accepted for publication and the name of the journal or publisher included.
3.4. Preparing tables
Prepare tables in 'cell' format and include in the same file as the main text. Tables must be editable and not embedded as an image.
The title of the table should be a single sentence and should summarise the contents of the table. Details referring to one or more isolated item(s) in the table are best given in a table footnote. Units should be given in parentheses at the top of each column (do not repeat in the table).
3.5. Preparing display equations
Our preferred file format for equations is MathType. We also accept Equation Editor (Microsoft Word) or LaTex.
Please number all display equations, consecutively. They should take the form:
Units should be defined in the text rather than included in the equation.
4. Preparing figures
4.1. General information
Figures should be numbered in a single series that reflects the order in which they are referred to in the text.
Figures should be prepared at the smallest size that will convey the essential scientific information; final figure size is at the discretion of the journal. For further information on how to arrange your figures to optimise viewing by reviewers and readers, download our figure layout guidelines.
At initial submission, you may submit a single PDF file containing all text and figures. Once an article has been accepted for publication, you are required to submit separate files for each figure (see below for file formats).
Figure legends should be included in the main text file and not in the figure file.
There are no charges for the use of colour in figures, although gratuitous use of colour in graphs and diagrams should be avoided and colour should only be used to improve scientific clarity.
For best practice and transparency, and to allow better assessment of the quality of the data and whether the data support the conclusions, we strongly recommend that you use graphs that allow the reader to see the true data spread (unless an N=1 is stated). See this article for further information. For bar graphs with error bars, please show individual data points. If data points are too numerous, please indicate variance using an acceptable alternative approach (e.g. box-and-whisker plots, super plots). If using box-and-whisker plots, please state what the whiskers represent (more information can be found here).
Development strongly encourages the use of colours that are suitable for readers with colour-vision impairment (a.k.a. colour blindness), particularly in the preparation of fluorescence microscopy images and in heatmaps. Authors should avoid the use of red/green for the display of 2-channel images; authors should consider an alternative colour combination (e.g. magenta/green). Guidance is available here and here. Free tools are available for you to check whether your images are compliant with BiO's policy. These tools will change the image colouring to replicate common forms of colour blindness, showing which adjustments need to be made.
4.2. Preparing photographic images
4.2.1. General information
Photographic images (also known as bitmap images) are made up of pixels (e.g. light, fluorescence and electron microscopy, gels, and traditional photography)
- The maximum figure size, including lettering and labels, is 180 mm x 210 mm.
- Images should be saved at a resolution of 300 pixels per inch. Any image quality option should be set to maximum.
- For figures that contain both photographs and line art or text, 600 pixels per inch is preferred.
- For micrographs, use a scale bar to show the magnification and give the length of this in the figure legend.
- Colour: supply images in RGB (not CMYK) mode, as this maximizes colour quality and is how the figures will be displayed online; do NOT use Spot, Pantone or Hex colours and do NOT assign a colour profile.
- Text labelling: use 12 pt bold uppercase letters (A, B, C, etc.) to distinguish figure panels; other labelling should be 8 pt Arial font (sentence case) (headings should be bold); for gene sequences, use Courier font to ensure that each letter is the same width; use Symbol font for Greek characters.
4.2.2. File formats
Accepted file formats are: EPS/PDF/TIFF/JPEG
- ARIAL or HELVETICA must be the font choice used throughout figure preparation.
PowerPoint images: we do NOT accept PowerPoint files. Instead, please save as PDF using the instructions below.
- Go to 'print' and then choose 'Save as PDF' in the print dialogue box
- You can download free software which will enable you to print EPS/PDF files to disk:
4.3. Preparing graphs and diagrams (line art)
4.3.1. General information
- The maximum figure size, including lettering and labels, is 180 mm × 210 mm.
- Line thicknesses and symbols should be of sufficient size to ensure clarity if the figure is reduced in size.
- For graphs, our preferred symbols are filled and open circles, triangles, squares, or diamonds; where possible, the same symbol should be used for the same entity in different figures.
- Colour: supply line art in RGB (not CMYK) mode, as this maximizes colour quality and is how the figures will be displayed online; do NOT use Spot, Pantone or Hex colours and do NOT assign a colour profile.
- Text labelling: use 12 pt bold uppercase letters (A, B, C, etc.) to distinguish figure panels; other labelling should be 8 pt Arial font (sentence case) (headings should be bold); for gene sequences, use Courier font to ensure that each letter is the same width; use Symbol font for Greek characters.
4.3.2. File formats
Authors should submit their source figures in an editable format (vector graphic) that retains font, line and shape information. This format ensures that we can edit where necessary and produce high-quality print and online PDFs.
We accept the following file formats for graphs/line art: EPS, PDF, and WMF.
- Applications such as Adobe Illustrator, Canvas, DeltaGraph, Corel Draw, Freehand, MatLab and SigmaPlot provide these formats.
- Please ensure that you 'export' or 'save' with (text/font) information included
- Save text/font information as 'text' not 'curves' or 'outlines'.
- If combining images, always 'embed' images; do NOT simply 'link' them. In Adobe Illustrator, copying and pasting or dragging an image directly from Adobe Photoshop will embed the image. Alternatively, if you use the 'Place' command, uncheck 'Link' in the dialogue box. For other software applications, please refer to the documentation (often there will be a 'link', 'proxy', 'OLE' or 'OPI' option, which must NOT be used with EPS files).
- Note that submission of JPEG or TIFF format for graphs/line art may delay production of your article.
4.4. Image manipulation
Any alterations made to figures using computer software must be consistent with our image manipulation policy. The images presented in the manuscript must remain representative of the original data, and the corresponding author will be asked to confirm this at submission. Please read our requirements for preparing your figures to avoid a potential delay in the publication process or rejection on the basis of non-compliance with these guidelines. This guide also includes recommendations for improving figure layout to help reviewers and readers appreciate your data.
All accepted manuscripts are routinely screened by our production department for any indication of image manipulation. If evidence of inappropriate manipulation is detected, the journal's Editors might ask for the original data to be supplied and, if necessary, may revoke the acceptance of the article.
4.5. Figure permissions
It is the responsibility of the author to obtain permission to use figures from another publication in any article submitted to Development and to ensure that any such use is credited to the source. Any fees associated with use of the figure are the responsibility of the author. Written permission from the author and/or publisher of the original material, as appropriate, should be provided at the time of submission, otherwise publication may be delayed. If a figure has been modified from a previously published figure, please check with the copyright owners to see whether permission is required and include a complete citation/reference for the original article.
5. Preparing movies
Our preferred file format for movies is .mp4, but we also accept .mov. Movies should be prepared at the smallest file-size that will convey the essential scientific information. We have a limit of 500 MB for all movie files. If your movies exceed this limit, please contact the Editorial Office for advice before submission.
Please include the titles and captions of all movies in your supplementary information PDF (see section on preparing supplementary information). Please keep captions as short as possible and ensure that they explain what is being shown in the movie and any necessary details of how the movie was made.
Movies should be numbered in a single series that reflects the order in which they are cited in the text, e.g. see Movie 1. Movie 2, etc. Please do not use alphabetical labelling, e.g. Movies 1A-C should be relabelled as Movies 1-3.
All movies will play in place in the full-text online version of the article and a link to each movie will be included in the supplementary information PDF.
When preparing your movies, please note the recommendations below:
- Use a resolution of no greater than 1280x720 (720p), as most readers will view on a desktop or mobile device
- Use a well-characterized video compression codec such as H.264 and use multi-pass encoding if available
- Do not exceed a bitrate of 2500mbps for 720p H.264-encoded video
- Keep duration to the minimum required to illustrate your point
- Do not include an audio track unless it is essential
- If including audio, use a well-characterized audio compression codec such as AAC
- Do not exceed a bitrate of 128kbps, sample rate of 44.1kHz, or channel count of 2 for encoded audio
Please note that we reserve the right to make movies or other data forms available on an Open Access basis via The Company of Biologists' website, YouTube and other online channels. Where we do, the movies and other data forms may on occasion be made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY) Licence (the terms of which are set out at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode). These terms permit the copying and/or adaptation of the movie and the distribution of the movie or any such adaptation by any means and in any medium or format to any other person, including for commercial purposes, provided that you are credited as the original author. There would be no additional cost to you, the author.
6. Supplementary information
Data that are essential for interpretation of the results of the main paper should be included in the main paper. Supplementary information provides access to supporting data that do not appear in the printed article or PDF but that accompany the final version of a paper online.
These data are peer reviewed and subject to the same criteria as the data that are to be published in the paper itself. During peer review, editors and reviewers are asked to assess whether supplementary information is appropriate and essential for supporting the findings of a paper.
All supplementary data will be strictly limited to a total of 50 MB per article (excluding movie files and cover art submissions).
Supplementary material may include movies, figures and tables. Descriptions of computational/mathematical analyses and further details of experimental protocols already described in the Materials and Methods section of the main article may be included as supplementary Materials and Methods; the main article must however contain sufficient information in the Materials and Methods to allow the reader to understand all experiments performed. Tables comprising datasets or listing materials such as oligonucleotide primers, antibodies or strains may be provided as supplementary material. We do not accept additional Results or Discussion text as supplementary material. Very large files or those requiring specialist software are not suitable as supplementary information. For large datasets, e.g. imaging data, please see our guidelines on data deposition.
With the exception of movies (see section on preparing the movies) and large tables, all supplementary information, including movie titles and captions, should be collated into a single PDF file. If your table is very large, or you wish readers to be able to export and/or manipulate the data, we would prefer you to submit it as a Microsoft Excel file.
Use a separate numbering system from that used in the main article and use the format Fig. S1, Fig. S2, Table S1 etc. If a supplementary figure relates to a particular figure in the text, please cite it as close to this figure as possible. For the convenience of readers, please place each figure next to the corresponding legend in the supplementary information PDF. Please include a legend for each figure and a title for each table.
Please note that supplementary data files are not copyedited by Development and therefore authors must ensure that all files are checked carefully before submission and that the style of terms and figures conforms to that of the article. Modification of supplementary information after publication will require a formal correction.
Refer to each piece of supplementary information at least once within the text of the main article (the article that is published in the print issue of the journal).


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Our subject for tonight's conference is "The Eucharist and Chastity." It could just as well be, "The Necessity of the Eucharist for Chastity," or even, "There Can Be No Chastity Without the Eucharist."
To understand how indispensable the Eucharist is to the practice of Christian chastity is to understand the meaning of Christianity. When Christ told us, "Without me, you can do nothing," He meant this to be taken literally. Without the constant help of His grace to enlighten our darkened minds and strengthen our weak wills, all the moral precepts of the New Testament are so much pious rhetoric or religious jargon.
But then arises the hard question of where do we get the light and strength we need to follow Christ and reach the destiny for which we were made? Our answer is the verdict of two millennia of Christian history. It is the Eucharist as the triple sacrament of the Real Presence, the Sacrifice of the Mass and Holy Communion.
The bedrock of Christian morality is the virtue of humility. The most demanding practice of humility is the humility of mind in believing what God became man to reveal to the human race. The most fundamental mystery which He revealed was His incarnation in the womb of the Virgin Mary and His birth as a speechless child in Bethlehem.
But this mystery is not only something which took place in the past. It is a mystery which lives among us in the Holy Eucharist.
The simplest way to express what Christ asked us to believe about the Real Presence is that the Eucharist is really He. The Real Presence is the real Jesus. We believe that the Eucharist began in the body of His Virgin Mother; that the flesh which the Son of God received from her is the same flesh into which He changed bread at the Last Supper; that the blood He received from Mary is the same blood into which He changed wine at the Last Supper. Had she not given Him His flesh and blood, there could be no Eucharist.
It is this humility of mind in believing the incomprehensible which is necessary for the practice of chastity. The Latin word castitias existed among the Romans before the time of Christ; but there was no Christian chastity until God became man and elevated morality beyond anything conceivable since the dawn of human history.
St. Paul explains why the Romans of his day became such slaves of sexuality.
Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or give Him thanks, but became vain in their reasonings and their senseless minds have been darkened. While professing to be wise, they have become fools.
Therefore, God has given them up to the lustful desires of their heart, to uncleanness, so that they dishonor their own bodies among, themselves for this reason God has given them up to shameful lusts; for their women have exchanged the natural use for that which is against nature. In like manner, the men also, having abandoned the natural use of the woman, have burned in their lusts one towards another (Romans 1:21-27).
I thought it was worth quoting at length from the Apostle to bring out the close relationship between humility and chastity. Only humble people are chaste; only humble believers can practice Christian chastity. God punishes the proud in mind by depriving their wills of the power to control their lust.
We return to the Real Presence of' Christ in the Eucharist. The humility which faith in the Eucharist requires is also the precondition for the chastity which the Savior requires of those who profess to believe in His name.
The implications of what I am saying are enormous. Jesus Christ is present on earth in the Blessed Sacrament. He is now as ready to give us the grace we need to live chaste lives as He was in first century Palestine. But we must believe; we must believe; we must believe.
The Savior told us that those who believe in Him, as the living God in human form, could say to a mountain, "Move!" - and the mountain would move. I dare say it is even more miraculous for lustful human beings to practice Christian chastity then it is to move the Rocky Mountains. No matter. Provided we believe that the omnipotent God who became man is in our midst, within feet of our hearts when we visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament, we can expect from Him the superhuman strength we need to be chaste.
When we pray before the Blessed Sacrament, our souls are fed by the Person of the Savior in the two faculties of spirit that need to be constantly nourished. They are the mind and the will. In the mind we need light; in the will we need strength. Both needs are met in an extraordinary way through earnest prayer before the Eucharist.
We might ask, why not? Is it not the same Christ who taught the multitudes, who gave the Sermon on the Mount and who took time, a lot of time, to tell His disciples and to share with them the secrets that until then had been hidden from the minds of men? It is Jesus and He is here. You would not expect His lips to be sealed. He has a message to give and we have much to learn. All we need to do is to believe sufficiently, to come to Him in the Blessed Sacrament and ask very simply, "Lord teach me how pleased you are if I practice chastity. Give me the strength to live up to what I believe."
If there is one premise which underlies the meaning of Christian chastity it is the need for sacrifice. As we commonly teach in theology, sacrifice is the surrender of something precious out of love for God.
As human beings, the most precious object of our spontaneous love is our self-will. People will give up anything; they will surrender everything, except their own wills.
Our present focus is on the Sacrifice of the Mass as a divinely ordained means for giving us the grace we need to give up our own wills, by surrendering them to the will of God. Although not commonly adverted to, and only dimly realized by most; people, Christian chastity is a revealed mystery, Certainly restraint of the sexual passions is reasonable and giving in to one's lustful drive is irrational. But at root, the chastity proclaimed by Christ is more than prudent self-control. It is a divine mystery, that was inconceivable before revelation and is incomprehensible after being revealed.
Behind the observance of Christian chastity is the surrender of our wills to the mysterious will of God. Christ told His married followers to remain two in one flesh all their lives. He forbade His married followers to divorce their spouses and "marry" someone else. He commanded those who believe in Him to practice chastity of the eyes, chastity of the. ears, chastity of thought and chastity of desire. You do not prove this form of morality from mere reason, nor do you conclude to its practice from human experience. You either believe it on faith or you dismiss it as a hallucinatory dream.
Christ instituted the Sacrifice of the Mass as the sacrament of the Mass. He died on the Cross to merit for us the graces we need to surrender our wills to His divine will in obedience to His commands. He told us, "If you love me, keep my commandments." Among these commandments, none is more demanding than the surrender of our self-will in the practice, shall I call it, the mystery of chastity.
As Catholics, we believe that Christ's death on Calvary won the graces of salvation for the whole human family. But we also believe. that these graces must be communicated by Christ through the sacraments which He instituted precisely as channels of the supernatural light and strength we need to be saved.
Among the sacraments is the Holy Eucharist which, as the Sacrifice of the Mass, is the principal source we have for obtaining the distinctive grace we need to practice Christian chastity. What is this grace? It is the grace of surrendering our wills to the will of God. It is the grace of directing our wills to command our reproductive powers to conform to the will of Jesus Christ.
No one in his right mind has any doubt that to live a chaste life, whether in marriage, or the priesthood, or as religious, or in the single state in the world - is easy. It demands sacrifice. That is why Jesus died on the Cross, to merit the wisdom and power we need to follow His example and obey His commands. But that is also why Jesus gave us the Sacrifice of the Mass as a divinely ordained means of living a pure life
In the first three centuries of the Church, the faithful assisted at Mass every day. They realized that, without the Mass, they would not be able to remain faithful to Christ's teaching on the "difficult commandment."
About the year 150, Diognetus, a learned Greek, expressed a desire to know what Christianity really means. "What is this new race of men who are neither pagans nor Jews? What is this new interest that has entered into men's lives now and not before?" In the Letter to Diognetus, the answer is given. It is not a long letter but one thing it says deserves to be memorized.
Like others, Christians also marry and have children, but they do not expose these children. They do not kill their children. Christians share their meals, but not their wives. They, live in the flesh, but they are not governed by the desires of the flesh. They pass their days upon earth, but they are citizens of heaven.
The most basic means which the early Christians had for living in the flesh but not being governed by the desires of the flesh, was the Sacrifice of the Mass.
In our day, when the world in which we live is so widely paganized, we must follow the example of our forebearers. Either we assist at Mass as often as we can or we shall not remain faithful to Christian chastity.
St. Leonard of Port Maurice once wrote that, "Except for the Mass being daily offered on thousands of altars, the world would long ago have been destroyed because of its sins." Among these sins is certainly lust which has destroyed whole nations and, in our day, has become a cosmic disease.
What are we being told? It is not only that our own frequent, even daily, assistance at Mass is a powerful source of chaste living. The Holy Sacrifice, offered on so many altars, is a reservoir of divine strength against the demon of lust for all mankind.
So far in our conference, we have stressed the importance of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and assistance at Mass as channels of grace for chastity.
For most people, however, the first meaning of the Eucharist as sacrament is Holy Communion. This is not surprising since the reception of the Holy Eucharist is commonly recognized as our primary source of grace in the following of Christ.
In opening this conference, I said that without the Eucharist there can be no chastity. I meant especially that without Holy Communion it is impossible to live the life of purity required by Christ of His faithful followers
Over the centuries, the Church has consistently taught that Holy Communion is our principal source of preserving, increasing, strengthening and refreshing our spiritual life. At the center of the spiritual life is the virtue of charity.
At the Last Supper, it was not coincidental that Christ both gave us His new commandment of loving one another as He has loved us, and instituted the sacrament of Holy Communion. Why? Because without Holy Communion we could not practice the selfless charity by which, as He told us, we are recognized as His disciples.
We have touched on this before in our conferences on Christian chastity. But here I wish to stress the fact that Christian chastity is really Christian charity. As we have seen more than once, at the root of all failures against chastity are manifestations of self-love.
Every sin against chastity, we have said, is a sin against charity. But where can we obtain that selfless love which is at the heart of Christian charity? We cannot obtain it from other people, or from more reading, or even from more prayer. All of these are helpful, but one thing is indispensable. It is Jesus Christ, whom we must receive in Holy Communion if we hope to remain faithful to Christ's command of purity, not to say grow in the. virtue of continence.
From the dawn of Christian history, Holy Communion has been called the sacrament of love. It is the sacramentum amoris on two counts: it deepens our love for Jesus Christ, and enables us to love others even as Jesus has loved us by dying for us on Calvary.
Growth in the Love of Christ. It is a defined article of the Catholic faith that our Savior instituted the sacrament of Holy Communion just before leaving this world to go to the Father. "He poured out the riches of His divine love for men in this sacrament.... and ordered us to receive this sacrament for the preservation of His memory". It was His will. "that this sacrament be received as the soul's spiritual food, to sustain and build up those who live with His life, as He said 'He who eats me, he also shall live because of me' (John 6:58)."
Holy Communion, therefore, is the divinely instituted means for sustaining us in sanctifying grace, which means in the love of God. Thomas A' Kempis is eloquent in his gratitude to our Lord for the gift of this sacrament. He is speaking to Jesus Christ.
Dear Lord, with simplicity of heart, in good and stable faith, and at your command, I approach you -full of confidence and adoration - truly believing you are present in this sacrament, God and man. It is your will that I receive you and bind thyself to you in love.
Most merciful Lord, I beg of you that special grace, that my soul may melt and overflow with your love, never concerning myself again with any other comfort but your own. This most exalted and worthy sacrament is the health of both soul and body, the remedy for every spiritual sickness.
By it, all vices are cured, passions restrained, temptations overcomed or diminished; by it grace is poured forth, confirming faith, strengthening hope, enflaming chancy (Imitation of Christ, Book IV, Ch. 4).
I never tire repeating that without Holy Communion, it is impossible to practice the charity which Christ demands of His followers. Plain logic tells us that, if this is true, neither can we practice Christian chastity without the frequent, even daily, reception of the Holy Eucharist.
For the first time in two millennia of the Church's history, the faithful are not only allowed but encouraged to receive the Eucharist not only daily but even twice a day. Believe me, this is not a concession to Christian piety and still less a reluctant compromise with liturgical tradition. It is the conclusion to a hard fact of modern culture. There is no way - and I mean no way - to restore Christian charity and its companion, Christian chastity, except by a restoration of frequent, fervent, and faithful reception of the living Christ into our bodies in Holy Communion.
Progress in the Love of Others. Parallel with Holy Communion producing an increased love of God in the believing soul, is the corresponding power it has to enable us to grow in the love of others. Once again, the Church has defined that Christ "willed that we, as members of this body (the Church), should be united to it by firm bonds of faith, hope and love, so that we might all say the same thing and that there might be no dissension among us."
What are we being told? We are being told that the principal means provided by Christ for growing in the love of others is a reception of His Body and Blood in Holy. Communion.
Once we say this, we open the door to the single most effective channel of grace for resisting temptations of lust and living a chaste life.
Over the years, I have told young men who are serious about controlling their sex passions, that they must go to Communion as often as possible; if necessary every day. I have told young couples keeping company that if they, wished to preserve their virtue before they marry, they must both start doing what may seem unthinkable, "Go to Communion every day."
In counseling married people who are having troubles, that the stability of their marriage and even their family depends on their attending Mass and receiving our Lord during the week, even daily.
This has been not only my own personal experience. It is the verdict of twenty centuries of Christianity. Chastity and charity and Communion are so entwined that each of these three depends on the other two. Chaste persons practice charity, and loving personas receive Jesus Christ in the sacrament which He instituted to enable His followers to love one another as He has loved us with selfless charity and stainless chastity until the end of time.
I would like to close this conference with the prayer of St. Bonaventure, which he recommended as a prayer of thanksgiving after receiving Holy Communion.
"Most loving Lord Jesus, pierce the depths of my soul with the blessed and life-giving wound of your love, with serenity of spirit and a holy, apostolic charity, that my heart may ever languish and melt with love and longing for you, that it may desire you and yearn for your heavenly courts, and look forward to being dissolved and living with you. Grant that my soul may hunger after you, the bread of angels, the refreshment of holy souls, our daily and supersubstantial bread, having all sweetness and savor and every delight of taste.
Let my heart ever hunger after and feed upon you, on whom the angels wish to look, and may my inmost spirit be filled with your delight. May it ever thirst after you, the fountain of life, the fountain of wisdom and knowledge, the fountain of eternal light, the torrent of pleasure, the richness of the house of God. May it ever aspire after you, seek you, run to you, attain you, meditate on you, speak of you, and do all things to the praise and glory of your name, with humility and discretion, with ease and affection, with love and satisfaction, and with perseverance unto the end.
May you alone ever be my hope, my entire assurance, my riches and delight, my pleasure and joy, my rest and tranquility, my sweetness and peace, my fragrance and savor, my food and refreshment, my refuge and help, my wisdom and possession, my portion and treasure, in whom may my mind and heart be fixed and firm and rooted immovably for all eternity. Amen."
This is what the saints thought about the Holy Eucharist. This is also why they not only lived chaste lives but, we must say, were living martyrs of Christian chastity.
Our next teleconference will be on December 20th. The subject will be "Confession and Growth in Chastity."
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text:
Defiance in Their Eyes
These six stories are about real people—Pierre Vallières, Paul Rose, the Mohawks, Paolo Violi, Claude Jutra, and Jean Castonguay.
Each in turn exhibits an acute discomfort with the world as it is, a fierce resistance against the passivity and apathy that drags at life's coat-tails, and an inclination—nourished by personal belief—to act in ways that threaten the orderly peaceable flow of what passes for normal life.
For different reasons, these individuals who have reached that point of crisis where lives are lived in extremis: a time when perspectives narrow and existence is imperiled by shifting equations of power. Trapped between rage and despair, violence inevitably becomes the only possible resolution.
- Paperback: 160 pages
- Publisher: Vehicule Press (Jan 16 1998)
- Language: English
- Product Dimensions: 1 x 14 x 20.5 cm


text:
Russian version
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"Please, your honour," he said.
"What do you want?"
The young man passed the palm of his hand up and over his nose, looked at the sky, and then answered:
"Please, your honour. . . . You've got my brother Vaska the blacksmith from Varvarino in the convict ward here, your honour. . . ."
"Yes, what then?"
"I am Vaska's brother, you see. . . . Father has the two of us: him, Vaska, and me, Kirila; besides us there are three sisters, and Vaska's a married man with a little one. . . . There are a lot of us and no one to work. . . . In the smithy it's nearly two years now since the forge has been heated. I am at the cotton factory, I can't do smith's work, and how can father work? Let alone work, he can't eat properly, he can't lift the spoon to his mouth."
"What do you want from me?"
"Be merciful! Let Vaska go!"
The doctor looked wonderingly at Kirila, and without saying a word walked on. The young peasant ran on in front and flung himself in a heap at his feet.
"Doctor, kind gentleman!" he besought him, blinking and again passing his open hand over his nose. "Show heavenly mercy; let Vaska go home! We shall remember you in our prayers for ever! Your honour, let him go! They are all starving! Mother's wailing day in, day out, Vaska's wife's wailing . . . it's worse than death! I don't care to look upon the light of day. Be merciful; let him go, kind gentleman!"
"Are you stupid or out of your senses?" asked the doctor angrily. "How can I let him go? Why, he is a convict."
Kirila began crying. "Let him go!"
"Tfoo, queer fellow! What right have I? Am I a gaoler or what? They brought him to the hospital for me to treat him, but I have as much right to let him out as I have to put you in prison, silly fellow!
"But they have shut him up for nothing! He was in prison a year before the trial, and now there is no saying what he is there for. It would have been a different thing if he had murdered someone, let us say, or stolen horses; but as it is, what is it all about?"
"Very likely, but how do I come in?"
"They shut a man up and they don't know themselves what for. He was drunk, your honour, did not know what he was doing, and even hit father on the ear and scratched his own cheek on a branch, and two of our fellows-they wanted some Turkish tobacco, you see-began telling him to go with them and break into the Armenian's shop at night for tobacco. Being drunk, he obeyed them, the fool. They broke the lock, you know, got in, and did no end of mischief; they turned everything upside down, broke the windows, and scattered the flour about. They were drunk, that is all one can say! Well, the constable turned up . . . and with one thing and another they took them off to the magistrate. They have been a whole year in prison, and a week ago, on the Wednesday, they were all three tried in the town. A soldier stood behind them with a gun . . . people were sworn in. Vaska was less to blame than any, but the gentry decided that he was the ringleader. The other two lads were sent to prison, but Vaska to a convict battalion for three years. And what for? One should judge like a Christian!"
"I have nothing to do with it, I tell you again. Go to the authorities."
"I have been already! I've been to the court; I have tried to send in a petition -- they wouldn't take a petition; I have been to the police captain, and I have been to the examining magistrate, and everyone says, 'It is not my business!' Whose business is it, then? But there is no one above you here in the hospital; you do what you like, your honour."
"You simpleton," sighed the doctor, "once the jury have found him guilty, not the governor, not even the minister, could do anything, let alone the police captain. It's no good your trying to do anything!"
"And who judged him, then?"
"The gentlemen of the jury. . . ."
"They weren't gentlemen, they were our peasants! Andrey Guryev was one; Aloshka Huk was one."
"Well, I am cold talking to you. . . ."
The doctor waved his hand and walked quickly to his own door. Kirila was on the point of following him, but, seeing the door slam, he stopped.
For ten minutes he stood motionless in the middle of the hospital yard, and without putting on his cap stared at the doctor's house, then he heaved a deep sigh, slowly scratched himself, and walked towards the gate.
"To whom am I to go?" he muttered as he came out on to the road. "One says it is not his business, another says it is not his business. Whose business is it, then? No, till you grease their hands you will get nothing out of them. The doctor says that, but he keeps looking all the while at my fist to see whether I am going to give him a blue note. Well, brother, I'll go, if it has to be to the governor."
Shifting from one foot to the other and continually looking round him in an objectless way, he trudged lazily along the road and was apparently wondering where to go. . . . It was not cold and the snow faintly crunched under his feet. Not more than half a mile in front of him the wretched little district town in which his brother had just been tried lay outstretched on the hill. On the right was the dark prison with its red roof and sentry-boxes at the corners; on the left was the big town copse, now covered with hoar-frost. It was still; only an old man, wearing a woman's short jacket and a huge cap, was walking ahead, coughing and shouting to a cow which he was driving to the town.
"Good-day, grandfather," said Kirila, overtaking him.
"Good-day. . . ."
"Are you driving it to the market?"
"No," the old man answered lazily.
"Are you a townsman?"
They got into conversation; Kirila told him what he had come to the hospital for, and what he had been talking about to the doctor.
"The doctor does not know anything about such matters, that is a sure thing," the old man said to him as they were both entering the town; "though he is a gentleman, he is only taught to cure by every means, but to give you real advice, or, let us say, write out a petition for you -- that he cannot do. There are special authorities to do that. You have been to the justice of the peace and to the police captain -- they are no good for your business either."
"Where am I to go?"
"The permanent member of the rural board is the chief person for peasants' affairs. Go to him, Mr. Sineokov."
"The one who is at Zolotovo?"
"Why, yes, at Zolotovo. He is your chief man. If it is anything that has to do with you peasants even the police captain has no authority against him."
"It's a long way to go, old man. . . . I dare say it's twelve miles and may be more."
"One who needs something will go seventy."
"That is so. . . . Should I send in a petition to him, or what?"
"You will find out there. If you should have a petition the clerk will write you one quick enough. The permanent member has a clerk."
After parting from the old man Kirila stood still in the middle of the square, thought a little, and walked back out of the town. He made up his mind to go to Zolotovo.
Five days later, as the doctor was on his way home after seeing his patients, he caught sight of Kirila again in his yard. This time the young peasant was not alone, but with a gaunt, very pale old man who nodded his head without ceasing, like a pendulum, and mumbled with his lips.
"Your honour, I have come again to ask your gracious mercy," began Kirila. "Here I have come with my father. Be merciful, let Vaska go! The permanent member would not talk to me. He said: 'Go away!' "
"Your honour," the old man hissed in his throat, raising his twitching eyebrows, "be merciful! We are poor people, we cannot repay your honour, but if you graciously please, Kiryushka or Vaska can repay you in work. Let them work."
"We will pay with work," said Kirila, and he raised his hand above his head as though he would take an oath. "Let him go! They are starving, they are crying day and night, your honour!"
The young peasant bent a rapid glance on his father, pulled him by the sleeve, and both of them, as at the word of command, fell at the doctor's feet. The latter waved his hand in despair, and, without looking round, walked quickly in at his door.
Zemstvo doctor: a doctor hired by a district council with locally elected members; duties varied, but usually included doing autopsies


text:
Mattel announces acquisition of HIT Entertainment
24th October 2011
Apax Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT) announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire HIT Entertainment for $680 million in cash from a consortium ledMattel, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT) announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire HIT Entertainment for $680 million in cash from a consortium led by Apax Partners funds.
California, 24 October 2011
Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT) announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire HIT Entertainment for $680 million in cash from a consortium led by Apax Partners funds. HIT Entertainment owns a global portfolio of popular pre-school brands, including Thomas & Friends®, Barney®, Bob the Builder®, Fireman Sam® and Angelina Ballerina®. With more than $180 million of revenues, HIT Entertainment represents one of the largest independent owners of pre-school intellectual property. The purchase price equates to a multiple of about 9 ½ times trailing earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization.
"Mattel is the right home for Thomas & Friends®. This powerhouse brand is joining the ranks of such iconic brands as Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, Fisher-Price® and American Girl®," said Robert A. Eckert, chairman and chief executive officer of Mattel. "Thomas & Friends® routinely ranks among the world's leading pre-school toys. Additionally, with more than half of the Thomas & Friends® revenue generated from non-toy products, this transaction will marry Mattel's global marketing, distribution and brand management capabilities with HIT Entertainment's global programming and licensing expertise to accelerate growth of the combined portfolio."
"HIT Entertainment owns some of the most loved and trusted pre-school brands in the world and under Mattel's leadership, I look forward to seeing them grow to even greater heights," said Jeffrey D. Dunn, president and chief executive officer of HIT Entertainment. "Mattel is a wonderful steward of brands and a great home for the outstanding properties HIT has developed and grown, including Thomas & Friends®. It is fitting that the world's premier toy company should become the owner of the world's premier pre-school property."
Irina Hemmers, a partner in the Apax Media team, commented: "We are very pleased that this strong portfolio of iconic brands will continue to flourish in the hands of Mattel. Fisher-Price already produces HIT's toys under license so the two companies know each other well and there is considerable industrial logic in this combination. I would like to thank the employees and the management team for ensuring that HIT's brands achieved their leading global position in the pre-school character space. We wish the whole company every success for the future."
Thomas & Friends® is the premier brand in the HIT Entertainment portfolio. Created more than 65 years ago, the brand has grown into the #1 licensed pre-school property in the world, with television programming, home entertainment products, toys and other consumer products available throughout the globe.
Mattel currently markets many Thomas & Friends® toy products under a license from HIT Entertainment which extends through 2014. Mattel's global sales of Thomas & Friends® die-cast and plastic toys are more than $150 million, and Mattel believes that this transaction will allow the company to continue to expand and grow these product lines into the foreseeable future. Another key advantage to the acquisition is that Mattel will be able to reunite two key pieces of the Thomas & Friends® toy business: plastic and die-cast toys with the wood-based business. The current wood license expires at the end of 2012, at which time Mattel expects to add that line of business to its portfolio. Historically, the sales of wood-based toys have been around half the size of the plastic and die-cast business.
The HIT Entertainment portfolio also includes a number of other highly popular pre-school brands with established television broadcast and licensing relationships around the world. The acquisition does not include HIT Entertainment's interest in the cable network station, Sprout.
Eckert went on to say, "We work in a creative business and understand the value of strong and talented leaders, teams, and people. HIT Entertainment has a great talent base with strong competencies in content production, management and licensing. The addition of the HIT Entertainment team will complement our licensing business and also augment our capabilities on the content side."
The transaction is expected to be financed with a combination of cash and debt and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2012. The transaction is not expected to have a material impact on Mattel's 2012 earnings, but is expected to be increasingly accretive as the benefits of owning these brands are reflected in Mattel's results, including the addition of Thomas & Friends® wood business in 2013 and retention of Thomas & Friends® plastic and die-cast business from 2015 onwards.
The transaction is subject to clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act and other customary closing conditions. RBC Capital Markets, LLC acted as financial advisor and Latham & Watkins LLP served as legal advisor to Mattel in connection with the transaction. BofA Merrill Lynch acted as financial advisor and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP served as legal advisor to HIT Entertainment in connection with the transaction.
Live Webcast
In conjunction with the announcement, Mattel will webcast a Securities Analyst and Investor conference call at 11 a.m. Eastern time today. The conference call will be webcast on the "Investors & Media" section of Mattel's corporate Web site: http://corporate.mattel.com/. To listen to the live call, log on to the Web site at least 15 minutes early to register, download and install any necessary audio software.
An archive of the webcast will be available on Mattel's Web site for the next 90 days and may be accessed beginning two hours after the completion of the live call. A telephonic replay of the call will be available beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern time on October 24 until October 28 at midnight Eastern time and may be accessed by dialing (404) 537-3406. The passcode is 21259901.
Note to Media:
A video news release and B-roll associated with this announcement can be found at http://investor.shareholder.com/mattel/events.cfm.
About HIT Entertainment
HIT Entertainment is one of the world's leading independent children's entertainment producers and rights-owners. HIT's portfolio includes properties, such as Thomas & Friends™, Barney™, Bob the Builder™, Fireman Sam™, Angelina Ballerina™, Mike the Knight™, Pingu™ and Rainbow Magic™. Launched in 1989, HIT's lines of business span television and video production, content distribution, publishing, consumer products licensing and live events and has operations in the UK, US, Canada, Hong Kong and Japan. HIT is a part-owner of US-based pre-school channel, Sprout®. For more information, visit www.hitentertainment.com.
About Apax Partners
Apax Partners is one of the world's leading private equity investment groups. It operates across the United States, Europe and Asia and has more than 30 years of investing experience. Funds under the advice of Apax Partners total over $40 billion around the world. These Funds provide long-term equity financing to build and strengthen world-class companies. Apax Partners Funds invest in companies across its global sectors of Tech & Telecom, Retail & Consumer, Media, Healthcare and Financial & Business Services.
About Mattel
As the worldwide leader in play, the Mattel family comprises such best-selling brands as Barbie®, the most popular fashion doll ever introduced, Hot Wheels®, American Girl® and Fisher Price® brands, which includes Little People®, Power Wheels® and a wide array of entertainment-inspired toy lines. In 2011, Mattel was named as one of FORTUNE Magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" for the fourth year in a row, and was also ranked among Corporate Responsibility Magazine's " 100 Best Corporate Citizens." With worldwide headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., Mattel employs approximately 31,000 people in 43 countries and territories and sells products in more than 150 nations. At Mattel, we are "Creating the Future of Play." Follow Mattel on www.facebook.com/mattel and www.twitter.com/mattel.
Note: This press release contains forward-looking statements on a variety of matters, these include, without limitation, uncertainty as to whether and in what timeframe the transaction will be completed; the failure of either party to meet the closing conditions set forth in the definitive agreement; the expected benefits of the proposed transaction; Mattel's post-transaction plans, objectives, expectations and intentions; the ability to retain key personnel both before and after the transaction closes; the extent and timing of regulatory approvals; ongoing relations between HIT Entertainment and its suppliers, customers and other parties; and costs and other issues with respect to integrating HIT Entertainment, its products and its employees into Mattel and achieving expected synergies. These forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of Mattel and HIT Entertainment management with respect to future events and are subject to a number of significant risks and uncertainties. Additional factors that may cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements are described in Mattel's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the "Risk Factors" section of Mattel's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010 and Mattel's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for fiscal year 2011, as well as in Mattel's other public statements. Neither Mattel nor HIT Entertainment updates forward-looking statements and expressly disclaims any obligation to do so.
Apax Partners
Ben Harding
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7872 6401
Email: email@example.com
Georgiana Brunner
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7872 6429
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Lisa Marie Bongiovanni
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Unique. That would be the quickest way to introduce Husqvarna's brand new range of handheld professional products with an integrated, changeable battery that delivers petrol performance, without the fuel emissions.
Based on the wants and needs of professional arborists, contractors, landscapers and gardeners, the Husqvarna professional battery range is characterised by their outstanding performance, as well as delivering every battery benefit; such as low noise levels, low vibrations and clean operation – providing professional operators with an extremely comfortable, exhaust free working environment.
All of the handheld battery products have been built around one interchangeable system, enabling the same battery to be used with a complete fleet of professional outdoor tools. The products can be bought separately, or as a kit with the best-suited battery pack and quick-charger, offering continuous operation from the get go. Husqvarna's savE™ technology, easily activated on the intuitive keypad, optimises maximum runtime and helps get the most out of every battery.
For professional operators, a battery powered product is like money in the bank. While the initial investment may be higher than the petrol-fuelled equivalent, it is the whole of life cost savings from the battery products that will soon outweigh the initial cost. With a battery powered product, it's not only fuel cost savings you will experience, but with fewer parts to be serviced and the electronically controlled drive system, you will experience less down time and lower operational costs over the lifetime of the machine.
For more information, contact us on: 1300 804 105 or visit husqvarna.com.au


text: - In our rapidly changing world it is increasingly important not only to be an expert in a chosen field of study but also to be able to respond to developments, master new approaches to solving problems, and fulfil changing requirements in the modern world and in the job market. In response to these needs key competencies in understanding, developing and using new digital technologies are being brought into focus in school and university programmes. The IFIP TC3 conference "KEYCIT – Key Competences in Informatics and ICT (KEYCIT 2014)" was held at the University of Potsdam in Germany from July 1st to 4th, 2014 and addressed the combination of key competencies, Informatics and ICT in detail. The conference was organized into strands focusing on secondary education, university education and teacher education (organized by IFIP WGs 3.1 and 3.3) and provided a forum to present and to discuss research, case studies, positions, and national perspectives in this field.


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Click icons to find Joseph Millson social media sites
Click the links below to read Joseph's reviews from individual productions.
The standout was Joseph Millson's quite stunningly lazy English Literature lecturer and letch, who regards sleeping with his female students as a perk of the job and awards marks by randomly firing arrows at a target: a bullseye means they get a First. When a male student asks for help with an essay, he's told to go and Google it "and next time, be a girl". Millson is great fun in this role, "a little bit Clooney, a little bit Basil Brush", as he describes himself....Campus
Joseph Millson's Hamlet is outstanding. His descent into apparent madness is played with rare energy and surprisingly effective humour, alternating instantly between jester and tragic victim of his uncle's evil wiles. He delivers a truly multi-layered character, accessible yet unfathomable.....Hamlet


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Top Tech Trends From CES 2013 From enormous tablets and TVs to a refrigerator loaded with apps, a look at the tech that's driving our business and personal lives.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
LAS VEGAS – The Consumer Electronic Show (CES) is beginning to wind down, and while there haven't been any show-stopping announcements -- like a flying, electric car or even just a rebooted Microsoft Xbox -- there have been plenty of shiny gadgets to ogle. Each year, the advancements on display at CES change how we interact with technology.
These four developments were the talk of the show, and might point the way to the future:
1. Tablets get super-sized. With the will-they-or-won't-they drama of Apple's iPad Mini, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company kept small tablets in the headlines last year. Now, the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction with massive slates from Panasonic, Sony and Lenovo.
Lenovo's entry, the Horizon, has a 27-inch touchscreen and runs Windows 8. But weighing in at 17.8 pounds, it's not very portable. Instead, Lenovo is billing Horizon as a multi-user, table top device -- which can be useful for collaboration in the workplace. Expected to become available this summer, one major drawback is its two-hour battery life.
Related: CES 2013: A 'Healthy' Outlook for Gadgets
2. Apps everywhere. Apple stole a little of CES's thunder, announcing it had topped 40 billion app downloads at the start of the show, but the competition is trying to catch up. Ford, for instance, is loading its AppLink service -- which allows developers to link mobile apps to Ford's SYNC platform, and lets drivers manage the apps through voice and radio controls -- with 16 radio station apps, location sharing software Glympse and a USA Today app.
And then there's the Samsung T9000 -- not a smartphone, it's a refrigerator. With an LCD on the front, it comes pre-loaded with kitchen-friendly organization apps like Evernote. (Available in late spring, $3,999.)
3. TVs grow smarter, brighter, larger and costlier. Televisions getting new features, sizes and prices may seem like a theme recycled from years past, but HDTVs are a big business that's continually evolving.
This week, tech giant LG fired the first shot in the TV publicity battle with a $12,000, 55-inch OLED screen, available in March. The company is also making its sets compatible with LG smartphones, setting a course for a post-remote era.
Meanwhile, Samsung countered with a 110-inch television of its own, as well as an 85-incher. It also unveiled a slew of smart features, including one model's ability to show two programs at the same time (fancy eyewear and headphones are required). The 110-inch HDTV hasn't been given a release date yet, but the 85-inch model should be available in the spring. Prices haven't been announced.
4. Talking to tech devices will become the new norm. Voice-activated products are making a big splash in automotive technology at the show, with Chevy Sonics and Sparks getting an on-board assistant (accessed via a button on the steering wheel), and Ford's AppLink, which comes with voice control in the Fiesta and Focus. The voice features became available in the companies' 2013 models, but refinements and new apps gave them renewed buzz.
Televisions from LG, Samsung and Sony also feature voice commands, and Burlington, Mass. speech-recognition software company Nuance hopes to bring their solution to a lot more devices in the future. Bottom line, you're about to get a lot more work done, without lifting a finger to do it.
Related: CES 2013: New Gadgets That Solve Business Problems


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CIAOPS Techwerks
Recordings of Techwerks Live Events
Your Instructor
Robert has a degree in Electrical Engineering as well as Masters of Business Administration. He is also a Small Business Specialist, Microsoft Certified SharePoint Professional and Office 365 Administrator. Robert has over 20 years of IT experience in a variety of fields and positions, including working on Wall St in New York. He continues his involvement with information technology as the Principal of the Computer Information Agency.
Apart from resolving client technical issues, Robert continues to present at seminars locally and internationally, as well as write on a number for topics for the Computer Information Agency. Robert has been President of the SMBiTPro community in Sydney. Since 2012 Robert has been awarded a Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award from Microsoft for his contributions around the Office 365 product. He also develops and presents technology courses on a regular basis at various locations. Robert is committed to a process of ongoing business and technical education to continue developing the skills required to assist clients with their business challenges.


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BILL CONDON, the recently-announced director for the upcoming BREAKING DAWN movie, has just posted a note to Twilight fans to the official Twilight Facebook Page! Click here to read it.
Bill Condon is also answering select fan questions in the comments section on the Facebook page (a first for any Twilight Saga director), so head over there now and send yours in!
I'm really happy to see Bill put an effort out to reach the fans who have been waiting to see this movie for years. He seems to understand how this fandom works and wants to get the diehard Twihards on board 😀
FOR THE COMMENTS: With this introduction letter, do you have more confidence in Bill Condon's ability to bring Breaking Dawn to the big screen?
Full text of his message after the jump:
Greetings Twihards, Twifans, Twilight Moms, Team Edward, Team Jacob and Team Switzerland,
I just want to say hello to all of you and let you know that I'm stoked to be getting underway on the adventure of making BREAKING DAWN. As you've probably heard, I've been given a very warm welcome by Stephenie and Team Summit – who are super-focused, as you know, on getting these movies right.
I'm pretty busy bringing myself up to speed on what you already know by heart: I've read BREAKING DAWN twice, rewatched Catherine's and Chris's movies 2-3 times each, have all four CDs playing in my car, and have Catherine's notebook, Mark Cotta Vaz's companion books, and even Volume 1 of the graphic novel here on my desk – a corner of my office is starting to look like Hot Topic. I realize that this barely qualifies me for "newborn" status in the universe you've been living inside for a few years now, but a guy's gotta start somewhere.
Like many of you, I've always been slightly obsessed with vampires, dating back to the prime-time series DARK SHADOWS, which I followed avidly as a kid. But that alone hadn't been enough to get me interested in making a vampire movie, even though my early screenwriting and directing efforts grew out of a great love for horror movies and thrillers. Since making GODS AND MONSTERS thirteen years ago, however, I've been yearning for a return to a story with Gothic overtones.
The wonderful world that Stephenie has created has obviously struck a chord with you, and I don't think it's difficult to see why. For me, her characters are simultaneously timeless, yet very modern. Rooted in a beautiful, real landscape with a great sense of place, Bella, Edward, Jacob, and the rest of the Forks/La Push menagerie, experience emotions that are primal, and universal: desire, despair, jealousy – and it all comes to fruition in BREAKING DAWN. This is a final chapter in the best sense; not just wide in scope and scale, but emotionally charged and intense throughout.
I'm a huge admirer of the already-iconic Kristen, Robert, and Taylor, and wanted to be the one to work with them as they face the challenges of bringing your beloved characters to the end of their journeys. Really, what could be more fun than that?
Please feel free to ask questions in the comments section below, and I'll do my best to answer them. I hope that this will be the first of many occasions I'll get to check in with you as we set to work bringing BREAKING DAWN to the screen. I am excited and grateful to have all of you alongside me for my TWILIGHT journey.
All best,
Bill Condon
P.S. Answer #1: No, there won't be any musical numbers


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Cosmic Heavyweights in Free-For-All
This composite image shows the massive galaxy cluster MACSJ0717.5+3745 (MACSJ0717, for short), where four separate galaxy clusters have been involved in a collision, the first time such a phenomenon has been documented. Hot gas is shown in an image from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and galaxies are shown in an optical image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The hot gas is color-coded to show temperature, similar to a temperature map of the Earth given in a weather forecast. In MACSJ0717 the coolest gas is shown as reddish purple, the hottest gas is blue and the temperatures in between are purple.
The repeated collisions in MACSJ0717 are caused by a 13-million-light-year-long stream of galaxies, gas, and dark matter - known as a filament -- pouring into a region already full of matter. A collision between gas in two or more clusters causes the hot gas to slow down. However, the galaxies, which are mainly empty space, do not slow down as much and so they move ahead of the gas. Therefore, the speed and direction of each cluster's motion -- perpendicular to the line of sight -- can be estimated by studying the offset between the average position of the galaxies and the peak in the hot gas.
More at http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2009/macs/
-Kimberly Arcand, CXC
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The Best Boston Logan Airport Taxi Service
Picking the best transportation to Providence can help you with feeling cheerful of your choice. It is basic for you to make awesome steps for it. Getting hold of the benefit and perfect transportation services is extremely basic for you. … Continue reading
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Updated 5:32 p.m. ET
Former President Barack Obama delivered the eulogy Thursday at the funeral of civil rights legend Rep. John Lewis in Atlanta.
In his remarks, Obama issued a call to action for Americans to turn out to vote in the November election and linked Lewis' legacy to the modern-day civil rights movement sparked by the Memorial Day killing of George Floyd.
"Bull Conner may be gone, but today we witness with our own eyes police officers kneeling on the necks of Black Americans," Obama said from the pulpit of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once was co-pastor.
"George Wallace may be gone, but we can witness our federal government sending agents to use tear gas and batons against peaceful demonstrators," Obama continued. "We may no longer have to guess the number of jelly beans in a jar in order to cast a ballot, but even as we sit there, there are those in power who are doing their darndest to discourage people from voting."
Wallace and Connor were both Alabama politicians during the 1960s who fought against advancements in civil rights.
The funeral for Lewis, widely revered by his peers as "the conscience of the Congress," comes after days of ceremonies honoring him in his home state of Alabama, then in Washington, D.C., where he represented Atlanta and some of its suburbs for more than 30 years, then in Georgia.
Lewis died at age 80 on July 17 after battling pancreatic cancer.
Three former presidents — Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton — were all in attendance. Another former president, Jimmy Carter, did not attend in person but sent condolences that were read aloud at the service.
President Trump did not attend the service. Earlier Thursday he floated the idea of delaying the November election, which he does not have the authority to do. Should the election be moved, that power, as laid out by the Constitution, would take an act of Congress.
"John, I'm here because of you"
Obama called Lewis a mentor and a friend. They first met while Obama was at Harvard Law School, and many years passed before the two men met again after Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate.
"I told him, 'John, I'm here because of you,' " Obama recounted.
A similar exchange happened at Obama's historic first presidential inauguration in 2009.
"He was one of the first people I greeted and hugged on that stand," Obama said. "And I told him, 'This is your day, too.' "
Lewis' life was "exceptional" in so many ways, Obama said.
"He, as much as anyone in our history, brought this country a little bit closer to our highest ideals," the former president said.
"And some day, when we do finish that long journey towards freedom, when we do form a more perfect union – whether it's years from now or decades or even if it takes another two centuries – John Lewis will be a founding father of that fuller, fairer, better America."
In a lighter moment during the service, Bush spoke of Lewis' humble beginnings in Troy, Ala., raising chickens on a small family farm. Bush said a young Lewis tended to them and preached to them.
"When his family claimed one for family supper, John refused to eat one of his flock," Bush said. "Going hungry was his first act of nonviolent protest," which drew laughter from the sanctuary.
Bush, a Republican, also described seeing Lewis' spark and passion firsthand. He recalled working with him to bring the National Museum of African American History and Culture to the National Mall in Washington. In 2008, Bush signed into law the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act,which Lewis co-sponsored.
"John and I had our disagreements, of course," Bush said. "But in the America John Lewis fought for and the America I believe in, differences of opinion are inevitable elements and evidence of democracy in action."
Lewis remembered as a "true American patriot"
The Rev. Bernice King, King's youngest daughter, led a prayer during the service. She quoted her father, saying, "Death is not a period that ends this great sentence of life, but a comma which punctuates it to a lofty and higher significance."
She also thanked Lewis for being a champion in the fight for justice and equality.
"As we honor the life of this nonviolent warrior, who embodied the very spirit of Christ and showed us we have the spiritual power to resist injustice and evil and hatred and vitriol with the force of love and truth, we are eternally grateful," King said.
The Rev. Raphael Warnock, the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist, called Lewis a "true American patriot."
Nearly all the mourners at the church wore masks, and Warnock noted that the pandemic has made grieving for Lewis even more challenging.
"At a time where we would feel comfort in embracing one another, love compels us to socially distance from one another," said Warnock, who is running as a Democrat for one of Georgia's Senate seats in November. "But make no mistake: We are together in principle, even if not in proximity."
Singer Jennifer Holliday sang resounding renditions of "Only What You Do for Christ Will Last" and "Take My Hand, Precious Lord."
Lewis in his own words
Lewis helped organize the 1963 March on Washington and was the last surviving speaker from the event.
On the day of his funeral, The New York Times published an opinion piece penned by the congressman shortly before his death.
Lewis said he was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and hopeful about the next chapter for America.
"Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble," Lewis wrote. "Voting and participating in the democratic process are key. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it."
He explained, "That is why I had to visit Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, though I was admitted to the hospital the following day. I just had to see and feel it for myself that, after many years of silent witness, the truth is still marching on."
The visit in June to the renamed plaza in Washington was his final public appearance.
Days of remembrances
On Wednesday, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms set aside their ongoing legal battle over requiring residents to wear facial coverings to pay tribute to Lewis at the Georgia Capitol Rotunda.
"In our country's most trying moments, Congressman Lewis taught us the lesson of joyful, steadfast commitment to ideals bigger than one man or one movement," Kemp said, as Georgia Public Broadcasting reported. "As we mourn his passing, we should all recommit ourselves to the principles he fought for: our country's core foundation in liberty, freedom, and justice for all."
The Atlanta mayor remembered Lewis as always being available to his constituents.
"Although an Alabama legend, an Atlanta icon and an American hero, Congressman Lewis took time to let me know — to let all of us know — that we matter to him," Bottoms said, according to GPB.
Lewis also lay in state at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, the first Black lawmaker to receive that honor. At a ceremony there on Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said her longtime colleague was respected by members on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers of Congress.
"We knew he always worked on the side of angels, and now we know that he is with them," Pelosi said.
On Sunday, Lewis made one final trip across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., where law enforcement attacked protesters in 1965 as they attempted to cross. That day has become known as "Bloody Sunday."
Lewis was badly beaten on that day 55 years ago, but on Sunday, Alabama state troopers saluted him as his casket made its way across the bridge, led by a trail of red rose petals.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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"To have another language is to possess a second soul." – Charlemagne
Learning a new language is an achievement anyone can be proud of and it's exciting and beneficial at all ages. It offers many practical, intellectual and aspirational benefits. A wave of new research shows the incredible psychological benefits of learning a second language. These benefits extend far beyond being able to order a cup of coffee abroad or ask directions to your hotel.
1. Learning a Foreign Language Boosts Brain Power
Medical studies have shown the positive effect learning a second language has on the brain. A foreign language is a whole new system with distinct rules, etymology, and meaning, which are just a few of the complexities of a language. Learning a new one puts the brain to work by recognizing this new language structure. As the brain works out meaning and makes full use of this new arsenal to express ideas, it sharpens its reading, negotiation, and problem-solving skills. The fact is, language centers in the brain actually grow in the process of learning a second language.
2. Stave off Alzheimer's and Dementia
Knowing a second language can postpone the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's by 4.5 years. This is significantly better than the best Alzheimer's drugs, which can only delay symptoms by 6-12 months. Brain scans have found a noticeable difference in the brain activity of bilingual seniors. Their brains work much more efficiently, more like those of young adults. Scientists believe these seniors' brains have more reserve brain power that helps compensate for age-related memory loss.
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3. Improved First Language
As we go about our everyday lives, we rarely give a second thought to our own grammatical structure and vocabulary. However, when learning a new language, many people find they have a greater understanding of their first language. Learning a foreign language draws your focus to the mechanics of language: grammar, conjugations, and sentence structure. This makes you more aware of language, and the ways it can be structured and manipulated. These skills can make you a more effective communicator and a sharper editor and writer.
4. Boost Your Memory
We know that people who speak more than one language fluently have better memories and are more cognitively creative and mentally flexible than people who are monolingual. The more the brain is used, the better its functions work. Learning a new language structure entails becoming familiar with vocabulary and rules, and applying this memorized information to communication. This strengthens your memory because your brain's ability to associate information with mnemonics has been boosted, and it is better at retaining information.
5. Improve Understanding of the World
A language is a doorway to a particular culture. Learning a new language enables a person to have a broader understanding of that culture. You will have access to a whole new array of film, music, and literature, and a greater understanding of the history and culture of the nation – and ultimately, a better understanding of the way the world works, including politics and international relations. You will be able to connect through books, TV, and the Internet and converse with a whole country's worth of people, which broadens your horizons, interests, and views. A whole new world will be open to you.
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