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Minority shareholders are allowed to vote through postal ballots, but rarely do so as they may not be able to take a view on the subject
In a move to protect the interest of minority shareholders and improve corporate governance in Indian firms, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is exploring the possibility of creating a platform for dispersed non-controlling shareholders across the country.
The capital market regulator is looking at ways to enhance the involvement of non-controlling shareholders in the decision-making processes of firms through institutionalization of the voting system, and their participation in general meetings through electronic means, said two persons with direct knowledge of the development.
At a later stage, the regulator may involve the ministry of corporate affairs before finalizing its decision.
Although the law gives all shareholders the right to take part in decision making at companies, the absence of a common platform or a medium to voice the concerns of non-controlling shareholders often leads to the passing of resolutions that go against their interest.
"Discussions are on to create special institutions that could act on behalf of a large group of non-controlling shareholders to cast their votes on company decisions after analysing the implications. To facilitate this, electronic general meetings could be held," said one of the persons.
None of them wanted to be named as the plan is still at a discussion stage. An email sent to Sebi did not elicit any response.
Non-controlling shareholders are individuals or institutional stakeholders that are neither promoters nor have any board representation.
The move assumes significance in the backdrop of several instances in which promoters of Indian firms secured board resolutions that were opposed by minority shareholders.
Earlier this year, when German engineering firm Siemens AG increased its stake in Indian subsidiary Siemens Ltd, some minority shareholders complained the price paid by the parent company was low.
In 2008, when Satyam Computer Services announced its plan to acquire two companies owned by its promoters, Maytas Properties Ltd and Maytas Infra Ltd, minority investors, including mutual fund houses, protested the inflated valuation of the group firms.
In the same year, minority shareholders of Sterlite Industries India Ltd found a restructuring proposal floated by parent Vedanta group against their interests. Many of them sold their shares, leading to a sharp decline in the company's stock price.
A few mutual fund houses exited their investment in Piramal Healthcare Ltd after its promoter Ajay Piramal sold a stake to US-based Abbott Laboratories for $3.7 billion in 2010. Media reports suggest mutual fund houses were concerned Piramal Healthcare's minority shareholders would have no say in the way the cash was utilized by the promoters because of the structure of the deal.
Currently, all equity stakeholders are given ownership and voting rights to the extent of their holdings of the company (except for public sector banks).
Minority shareholders are allowed to vote through the postal ballot system, but rarely exercise their right as they may not be able to take a view on the subject.
"The shareholders are dispersed all over the country. They hardly communicate with each other. Even if they attend meetings, they do not have a unified voice," said the second person. "So, the management and controlling shareholders are hardly under pressure to reverse their decisions." The population of non-controlling shareholders is large and their votes could act as the most efficient tool to improve corporate governance, he added.
An institutional mechanism can offer a common platform to such shareholders, help them understand a company, make them cognizant of the importance of their voting rights and work towards improving corporate governance.
Talks are on to set up such an institution by stock exchanges, depositories, institutional investors and pension funds. Banking and financial sector experts could be a part of such an institution to help shareholders understand issues before they cast votes.
"Certain laws need to be modified to set up the institution, which will work as a non-profit organization in the form of a trust," said the second person.
The plan is to allow such an institution to have an agreement with depositories and allow investors to select an entity of their choice to act as a proxy for all shareholders.
"The institution should also offer services like analysis of balance sheet, board resolutions, annual reports, and so on," said the second person.
The concept of electronic participation in general meetings is being taken seriously. This will provide all categories of investors access to discussions and is expected to work better than the postal ballot system. There are at least 100 million Internet users in India.
"We welcome the move, especially since the postal ballot system has proved to be ineffective," said Y.M. Deosthalee, chairman and managing director, L&T Finance Holdings, about the initiative. "Once we implement it, there will be takers."
To set up such an institution, shareholders as well as companies may need to pay a nominal charge, and in the initial stages the stock exchanges could finance it from their investor protection funds.
Shareholders are typically given rights to approve financial accounts and audited balance sheets, dividends and the appointment of auditors and directors. These rights could be transferred to the proposed trust as an option if the new rules are implemented.
Electronic general meetings will improve participation by retail shareholders, said Mumbai-based chartered accountant J.M. Thakur.
"As far as an institution for non-controlling shareholders is concerned, it looks good on paper, but one has to see how things take shape. Entities like mutual funds already voice their opinion to companies and these, in turn, represent retail investors," Thakur said.
Also, absence of means to secure adequate votes from non-controlling shareholders has been preventing Sebi from bringing in desired reforms in takeover rules and other capital market norms.
The takeover regulations advisory committee headed by the late C. Achuthan, former chief of the Securities Appellate Tribunal, was mulling the introduction of a provision in the new takeover regulations in line with international standards—an open offer would not be required if majority of the shareholders of the target company were to pass a resolution waiving it.
The draft code said the absence of such a framework makes takeover regulations difficult, with no room of doing away with an open offer even when the shareholders themselves do not desire it.
The panel, in its draft report in July 2010, mentioned that in the absence of "robust regulations on proxy solicitation…any provision for shareholder waiver for an open offer may not be in the best interests of investors at large".
"For the final takeover regulations, recommendations on whitewash provisions had to be removed in the absence of effective tools to secure adequate votes from non-controlling shareholders," a committee member said, requesting anonymity.
The committee also mentioned in its draft report that "Sebi is taking certain steps to promote institutional voting, and that it is also pursuing means to operationalize electronic voting".
Anirudh Laskar & Aveek Datta


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Trying to Imagine What Silence Looks Like: On Losing Prince
Prince died yesterday, suddenly, at just 57 years old. Hundreds of thousands of words will be written this week about the Purple One and his legacy. Some of those words will be incredibly moving. But none will successfully capture how profoundly, elementally good it has always felt — will always feel — to listen to Prince's greatest music. Words fail.
More than any other top-tier pop god, Prince defies description, analysis, comprehension — and I'm not primarily talking here about his gender-bending, everything-bending, endlessly fluid public persona. The music itself resists explanation. How do you even begin to describe "Purple Rain" to someone who's never heard it before? Last summer, when Pitchfork ranked it as the best song of the 1980s — at the top of a list overflowing with great music writing — they devoted only one vague paragraph to the track itself: "brazen," "wistful," "dulcet," "indomitable," "sweltering." The other two paragraphs of the write-up focus on its recording and its cultural importance, the kind of stuff our lowly human brains are capable of processing. "Purple Rain" is literally too good for words.
He never toned down the dirty talk. Never traded in pop pleasures for artsy importance. Never stopped dancing.
If that sounds like hyperbole, go back to the tapes. Peak Prince — Dirty Mind, 1999, Purple Rain, Sign o' the Times — is as good as pop music ever got. It's also some of the least self-important, most joyful music to ever garner universal acclaim from critics. One of my favorite things about Prince's legendary run in the '80s is how he came to be regarded as a "serious" artist without doing any of the things "serious" artists are supposed to. He never toned down the dirty talk. Never traded in pop pleasures for artsy importance. Never stopped dancing.
Instead, he became one of the greats by just being consistently, undeniably, peerlessly great—a virtuoso who chose to use his gifts to please as many people as possible. Prince would spend much of his later years following his muse down weird and sometimes difficult paths, sure, but for more than a decade his music seemed to skip effortlessly from one blissful guitar solo and/or synth blast to the next. And this is why it's so hard to talk about: How do you elaborate on what feeling good feels like? How do you dissect the urge to dance? Why would you want to?
Genius is rarely so generous, so fun.
On celebrity-grief Twitter yesterday afternoon, many noted that the unexpected losses of Prince and kindred spirit David Bowie just three months apart are proof that we live in a cruel and mysterious universe. I don't disagree, but losing Prince feels different from losing Bowie, somehow more communal. Millions of people around the world loved Bowie, but we mostly loved him at home, as individuals. His legacy has very little to do with the fact that you might occasionally hear "Heroes" at the bar.
But for more than 30 years, we've loved Prince in public: clubs, parties, weddings, the Super Bowl. My sadness over his passing is both tempered and deepened by how many of my favorite memories feature his songs in the background, how many times I've personally felt "Kiss" work its magic on a roomful of people. Genius is rarely so generous, so fun. Hugely popular music is almost never so good. Prince opened his most famous album with a spoken reminder that "we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life" — but he gave himself too little credit: When you're listening to Purple Rain, life isn't a chore to "get through." It's a pleasure.

subset: commoncrawl


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Today we welcome You .Here you can say that digital marketing , having been around for a long time and trying lots of ideas. Today he's getting ready to launch his new venture – training aspiring entrepreneurs to make money on the internet.
When I began, the travel industry was in upheaval with the coming of the net. Thousands of small local travel agencies were closing their doors when people began servicing themselves on the Internet. Also, there was great interest in the net with the coming of the "net bubble." I knew it was bogus and would explode, but the great interest at that time was a boon to my business aspirations. In the meantime, as a web developer, I was learning my trade craft of making web pages from the ground up.
Without Internet I would not have had all the fun, as long as it lasted, of flying back and forth from Brazil, making new friends, and learning how to make pages. Those are great memories.
When the Brazil thing went belly up for me I moped around awhile, and finally decided that if I could successfully sell globally on the Internet, then selling locally should be a snap.
In 2002, the net was very young. The net bubble leached out quick buck artists who actually did make a lot of money selling shoddy products and processors full of dreams. You will have to search long and hard to find local business websites from those days. They were made to sell, not to work. Internet "malls" were all the rage. They are long long gone now. I tasked myself with making something better.
So, I started my local business website model, quite unlike anything that had been seen then, and rarely since. I built a community site of quality and offered to make business pages on there. It is still the backbone of my work, though starting in 2008, using what I already knew, I began a crash course in the finer points of Internet marketing, affiliate style.
Until 2008 I had always worked two jobs, with my Internet work taking third place. In time, that went to one job, and now, I work strictly for myself, strictly on Internet projects of local, national, and global scope.
From 2002 to 2008 I made most of my profits from offline sales with my local flagship website. However, until fairly recently, I didn't know I was doing "offline" business, because I had never heard of the term. In retrospect, I was one of the pioneers of "offline." It's a shame I didn't have a word for it. I wish I had invented that word. Chances are that I would be rich now. Probably not.
It is a fact that offline Internet marketing will make the average person who does what we do more money than online stuff, if it is gone about the right way. Having said that, the question is… What is the right way? Therein lies problem and the promise. Working offline means that you have to lift up your nose from the keyboard and go make sales. If you are a good salesman and a good page maker, then you have the correct base from which to work. But, there are those pesky details, like putting these two dissimilar things together to create a luscious package.
I have always heard that the list was the thing. In my Brazil days we had a list of 5000. However, we didn't have a good way to deliver that list. I insisted that my partner in Brazil deliver the newsletters that I wrote because I feared getting our domain banned for spam. That's one reason our partnership poofed! Using their personal email, they blasted out newsletters at the rate of 50 at a time, using a dial up modem until all the monthly email was all delivered. It drove them nuts. Today, this seems like a very quaint way indeed to manage a mailing list, but that's what we had to work with then.
I suppose the list works, but frankly, my experience back in the stone ages burned me out on lists, so I didn't do much in that area. My specialty has always been making good pages that get indexed in search engines naturally to be found by hungry viewers. I was doing SEO a long time before I knew what SEO meant. I suppose that you may be getting a clue that for a long time I was acronym challenged, and you would be correct. I didn't worry about that stuff. I just went and did it.
What I find, quite often, in my perusings of this and that forum is that there are a lot of folks who know all the neat initials, and can talk the talk, but in practice rarely walk the walk. It's more important to know how to do Internet marketing correctly than to know all the buzz words…unless you plan on teaching it to someone, anyway.
Far from stopping with organic search listings, I have made quite a business in the last couple of years of trying just about every form of Internet paid advertising there is. My first paid leap, actually, before the turn of the century, was with a company called Overture, which turned the Internet upside down around 1999. I did that for awhile until I noticed that my natural listings were rising to page one anyway, so I quit Overture. What was the point?
Lately, I have done all the pay per click and pay per impression things with Google, Yahoo, and Bing. I have put text and graphic ads on all the services in all manner that they could be done. I have done banner advertising. I have done all sorts of forum and article marketing. Facebook marketing, both free and paid.
I know there are lots of gee whiz kids out there who make a ton of money right out of the box, or so they say. I never did. At best, I have managed to break even. At least I didn't lose my shirt. It has always boggled me that there are folks out there who know absolutely nothing whatsoever about their craft, that will go dump a ton of money into a paid advertising campaign and lose every penny of it within days or even hours.
My philosophy has always been to do everything possible for FREE. And if I can't do it for free, I know when to quit. For example, when I do paid Adwords or banner campaign, I always start with pay per click and only move to pay per impression if it makes sense. For me this has rarely been the case.
I don't mind spending money on a campaigns that are actually working, but I watch them like a hawk. If I budget a hundred bucks and I hit $40 without being ahead, I kill the campaign. What you will find after you have done this a few times is that the affiliate you are selling figures their percentages much more closely than you calculate yours, and you really have to go above and beyond to make a profit. They know how much you have to spend…to make, and their commissions reflect that.
In the land of the Internet there is absolutely NO reason to spend a bunch of money up front if you are proficient at your task. Aside from your hosting and domain charges, that blank screen everyone begins with is FREE. I never complicate things unless I feel that it will end up in some kind of profit. And what is profit you ask? It's one old dollar more than I spent. That's profit. (I don't count my time investment like I should. I have so much fun getting there that it seems a shame to worry about that. Of course, my wife does not agree with this assessment.)
When I began with BrazilAmerica.com in 1998, there was precious little information out there about how to SEO a website. The term didn't exist, or if it did, was not in common usage. I had never heard of it. The SEO methods we take for granted now did not exist. Of course, if you had half a brain, it was much easier to rank back then.
What I did, and what I still do to some extent, when I start a new project is to go look at the top websites that are already doing what I want to do. Then, I deconstruct the tasty bits of code that I know the search engines like.
Why reinvent the wheel?
Let me make clear that I had never stolen a design. That would be naughty. I have had it done to me. You have to look no further than the some of the most high ranking sites in the Brazil travel biz. Some of those were designed, SEO wise, nearly verbatim to my original design. Now, those guys didn't steal…they emulated. It worked GREAT for them. Even better, since I had stopped my around the clock work on my original site, and they hadn't, they surpassed me in the listings.
So, I sort of fell into SEO by seeing how other successful sites managed to get top rankings on the search engines. That was pretty much a no-brainer. But, not until much later did I really put my nose to the grindstone to sharpen my skills and really attempt to see how things worked…not just why. And, by this time, there was a plethora of tutorials and such that taught me a lot. Also, for awhile, I paid for learning too. I didn't really get my money's worth, because my knowledge came only in bits and drips. However, having to pay really lit my boiler. When the time came, I flew away to continue my adventure of learning in all the free ways available. That is until…Backlink Battleplan.
I believe I bought Shane Melaugh's Backlink Battleplan course on the recommendation of another Internet guru, Dr. Andy Williams. He and Shane are a lot alike, so if Dr. Andy says it is good, I most definitely will go have a look.
Having said that, I have gone to see the elephant many times. So it is with a critical eye that I judge Internet products, especially these days. I was wowed from the get-go with Shane's product.
Shane produces this weekly video presentation for his website where he tells about what he's been doing for the past week, and where he offers a bit or two of advice. It's a pleasant break on Sunday that a great many people look forward to, me included.
Now, the disgusting part is that Shane is probably half my age and making about 16 times the money. I sort of resent that, but he makes up for it with me by being nice…and real. He's also my ideal of the kind of guy that gives back to the industry rather than just taking. A lot of people feel that way. Also, he's smart as a whip.
As I mentioned earlier, I had been studying SEO very aggressively for the last couple of years. By the time I got my hands on Shane's course, I already knew a lot of what he was teaching. But, I was a mess of bits and pieces scattered out all over the Internet landscape. Shane not only brought all of my self-training into sharp focus, but also managed to introduce a great many new ideas into my tired brain.
Shane laid out all the SEO stuff you will ever need in a very manageable fashion. Frankly, I was ready for it.
By contrast, if you are a person totally new to the SEO scene, I don't know for sure if you would know the absolute worth of Shane's Backlink Battleplan.
Everything you need is there, but I think it works the very best for a person already trained up in the art. That way you know the value of what you are getting. While the methods he demonstrates are usable by all, they make a lot more sense to someone already familiar with the territory.
By nature I am a writer and a professor in the strictest sense of the word. Often in college, a professor teaches from a book. I think a real professor teaches (or professes) what he knows from real life.
When you take a writer and a professor and shake all of that together, you come up with a mixture that must profess what they know in writing. I'm handicapped somewhat, in that I often quite naturally write in Southern English, but I usually manage to get my point across, even to yankees.
I have considered teaching the things I have learned, basically, since I gained expertise and experience with Internet Marketing, but I realized that I would need to wait until the time was right, and that time is now.
My last day job behind me, I spend my time these days with my online and offline marketing. And since I'm fairly bursting to show and tell what I have learned, for that is what I like to do, I decided to see if I could teach and make a little money at the same time.
My reasoning is that over the last two or three years, I have spent a lot of money, as we all have, on this sure fire gimmick and that get rich quick thing. Often, it's like paying someone to show you a bar trick. What we get is mostly fluff with a good idea at the center. Lately, not even that much.
Graphing out what I have gained in knowledge against the money I have spent in the learning, I'd say it's about 80/20 to the bad. 80% of what I have paid for is so much crap.
What I propose to do with any students I might be fortunate enough to procure is to cut out the 80% and give them the solid 20% right out of the gate. It's not "smart" marketing, really. The only technique I use when I try to help people is flat out, wide open, all the way training. No tricks. Just good pure education. Let my methods stand or fall. I don't know how to cheat.
At my level, I expect that I'm a solid bet for intermediate Internet Marketers who need to learn a skill that I know, or who are stuck on something that I have mastered. Even better, who was it that said that all beginning marketers had to take our paths and learn everything from scratch? I know for a fact that I can help a beginner to get started off the right way from the start and teach him or her the foundation of what they need to know to progress to an intermediate much more quickly.
From a monetary standpoint, it's much cheaper for a beginner to use my experience than to have to go through the 80/20 route that the old timers had to endure. I can give them the tools they need and none that they don't.
The final straw was a backlink battle plan. For students that are ready for it, I plan to use that as the basis for my more advanced teachings. Shane has boiled down that little matter of SEO better than anyone else ever has. My job, again, for those who are ready for it, is using Shane's course, is to show them what they need to know to at least have a chance for success.
But first, you have to explain what Shane means when he says to go get a website. Folks are not born knowing this stuff. If I have a student who has the capability to assimilate what I can show them, they will probably be doing better than me in this thing we call Internet marketing much more quickly than they could imagine.
You might ask the question of why come to me when they can get it all for free with research? Well, that is true. I did it. You did it. But you know the one thing I craved when I started? I wanted a mentor. And there was none. I wasn't that lucky.
When it comes to mentors, there are good mentors and bad mentors. One mentor might know all about email marketing, but not so much about SEO.
Another might know a really dandy marketing trick, but not so much about organic listings. A professor who knows a good deal about all of these things and that has a knack for simplifying and presenting it in a manner that is conducive to learning…well, that's kind of rare. Enter…me.
The first thing that I will teach a student is that he is not to expect a lot of attaboys from the family. In many respects Internet marketing is a lonely business. Friends and family will neither understand or appreciate your love of Internet marketing. The typical Internet marketer must be able to do what they do without a support net. Sometimes they will have to just bull it on through.
There will be much trial and error and learning along the way. There will be precious few cheers unless they are big and consistent producers. Most won't be. So, if it's accolades you're wanting, then learn a trade other than Internet marketing. Make bird houses, or apply yourself to fixing the neighbor's broken appliances. Then you can be the hero. Your fans, if any, may well likely be on another continent…not in your own home.
Motivation as it applies to Internet marketing is a very personal thing. The successful, or at least sane Internet marketer must be a self starter, and must be self motivated. It's just that simple. If you put everything you need to know to make it in this business down on paper, it's hard to see how anyone can do it. Really. Yet we do. We manage. But it does take that certain spirit.
However, you can't underestimate how much a little success can motivate. The first sale. The first profit. Things like that.
I liken Internet marketing to panning for gold. For many of us, it's that occasional nugget that keeps us going. We're always looking for that better stream to dip our pan into. If we're very lucky, we hit the big shiny vein and become a millionaire. For most of us though, it's always that next stream over yonder hill. That get rich quick stuff is for the movies and top tier Internet sellers of semi-useless schemes. For the rest, it's the hard muddy slog to the next creek, or bend of the stream. Personally, I LOVE it!
I have been doing this Internet stuff since 1995. I play one game, and rarely, and that is Flight Simulator. I don't spend much time idling on the Internet. I'm always studying and learning when I'm not applying. For me, the Internet is a tool as surely as the screwdriver was to me when I was an electrician. Long gone are the days when I named my computers. While non-marketers look at the pretty colors on an advertising road sign, I'm deconstructing it to see how I can apply those methods to my next banner. I'm alive and alert to all the things around me. Even the lowly moss on the rock at my favorite picnic place may make an appearance as a background on a web page sometime.
To tell you the truth, I'm having ALL the fun living and learning and teaching this Internet marketing life. I'm just looking for some folks to share it with.
Get more information about Internet Marketing Training course here.


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USF football further filled out its future non-conference schedule on by announcing five future games versus in-state MEAC foes Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman on Thursday.
— USF Football (@USFFootball) June 20, 2019
Bulls ink several home dates with in-state programs Bethune-Cookman & Florida A&M to visit Raymond James Stadium.
✅ FAMU to visit Tampa in 2021, 2023 & 2027
✅ Bethune-Cookman to come to Tampa in 2020 & 2026
https://t.co/EZmsdOVGFB#BullStrong pic.twitter.com/xVctuJjn5C
USF VP of Athletics Michael Kelly in the official press release:
"We are excited to add five home games vs. a pair of in-state programs and to be able to continue to build and highlight the great tradition of college football in the state of Florida, " Kelly said. "Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman both have deep traditions and passionate fan bases and we look forward to a great atmosphere in Raymond James Stadium for these games."
Initially reported by FBSschedules.com, the Bulls will host FAMU on Sept. 18, 2021 and will receive return trips from the Rattlers at Raymond James Stadium on Sept. 23, 2023, and Sept. 18, 2027. The 2021 game will mark the first meeting between the two schools since USF's 51-3 victory in 2015.
On the other end, USF will face Bethune-Cookman for the first time in program history. They'll host the Wildcats from Daytona Beach on Sept. 12, 2020, and Sept. 26, 2026.
Contract Details:
.@USFFootball will pay Bethune-Cookman to visit Tampa:
— Nathan Bond (@BullsNathanSBN) June 20, 2019
$425k in 2020
$465k in 2026 #USF
- USF would owe FAMU $1.39 million if the Bulls cancel the first game prior to 9/19/2021; $949k for the second game between 9/18/2021-9/24/2023; $475k for the third game between 9/23/2023-9/19/2027. FAMU would owe USF a whopping $2.78 million if the Rattlers canceled the first game. Don't expect FAMU to cancel any of these games.
- USF would owe Bethune-Cookman $890k if the Bulls cancel the first game prior to 9/12/2020; $465k for the second game between 9/12/2020-9/26/2026. Bethune-Cookman would owe USF $1.78 million for buying out the first game, then $930k for the second game.
USF now has only two non-conference spots to fill through 2027, one in 2022 and the other in 2023. We'll see what Mike Kelly has up his sleeve when filling those two slots.


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While 1,286 more people tested positive for Covid-19 in a single day on Saturday, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) issued an Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) to Russian Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V.
After the Drap's EUA, now both the government and the private sector can procure three medicines i.e. British vaccine Oxford AstraZeneca, Chinese vaccine Sinopharm and Russian Sputnik V.
According to a document available with Dawn, Sputnik V has been manufactured by the "National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology" of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.
In Pakistan a licence has been issued to Ali Gohar Pharmaceuticals. The shelf life of the vaccine — which has two components — has been approved for six months. It has to be stored at -18 degrees Celsius or below this temperature.
As per the EUA the vaccine can be given to people over the age of 18 years and shall be reviewed on a quarterly basis keeping in view safety, efficacy and quality data of product. The vaccine has two components. The second component will be administered/injected three weeks after the first one. Before injection, both components must be removed from freezer and kept at room temperature until completely thawed for not more than 30 minutes. Storage of open vial and re-freezing will not be allowed.
The firm will be responsible for submitting data of adverse event following immunisation to National Pharmacovigilance Centre, Drap.
Meanwhile Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives on Saturday Asad Umar has tweeted that the vaccination campaign is going on successfully. He said the vaccine was being given to healthcare workers who have been treating Covid-19 patients for the last one year.
"They are our true heroes as a number of them sacrificed their lives," he said.
An official of the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS), who is not authorised to speak on record, said that the EUAs have been given to three companies and that the private sector has also been allowed to import the vaccine.
"However vaccine may not be available in the market for some more weeks or months as currently governments, across the globe, are trying to get vaccine and they will get the priority. Moreover, Covax, an international alliance which has pledged free vaccine for 20 per cent population of Pakistan and other countries, is also arranging vaccine," he said.
Meanwhile, according to data of the National Command and Operation Centre, as many as 1,286 cases and 28 deaths were reported in a single day.
While 279 ventilators were occupied across Pakistan, Lahore's 35pc, Multan's 34pc, Islamabad's 30pc and Peshawar's 26pc vents were occupied. The data regarding oxygen beds showed that Peshawar's 44pc, Multan's 39pc, Karachi's 25pc and Rawalpindi's 25pc beds were in use.
The number of active cases was 32,514 and 2,345 patients admitted to hospitals across the country as of Feb 6.


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The adequacy of access to justice in the American legal system is not a newly emergent issue. Discussion acknowledging this right dates back to colonial times. For example, in 1932, the United States Supreme Court noted in the case of Powell v. Alabama that the right to counsel in criminal proceedings can be traced back to colonial times in America. The Court remarked that the right to be heard must encompass the right to be heard by counsel if it is to be meaningful. In the ongoing dialogue on this issue, primacy has been given to the right of criminal defendants to have legal counsel. The right to counsel in civil cases, when acknowledged, is given considerably narrower scope. Over time, a number of different mechanisms have evolved to respond to the need to provide legal counsel for those who cannot afford an attorney. For criminal defendants, legal counsel may be assigned through court contracted attorneys, court appointed legal counsel, or appointment of a public defender. For parties involved in civil suits, legal services funded through the federal Legal Services Corporation (LSC) are the primary source of legal assistance. These mechanisms are supplemented in varying degrees by state and local bar association pro bono initiatives, private attorney pro bono contributions, and representation of indigent clients by law school clinical programs. Viewed in the most favorable light, in the aggregate, the cumulative impact of these various initiatives is marginal. Availability of services may vary from state to state and is vulnerable to federal and state budget priorities. Viewed with a more critical eye, the current system is woefully inadequate. As Deborah L. Rhode noted: "Equal justice under law" is one of America's most proudly proclaimed and widely violated principles. It embellishes courthouse entrances, ceremonial occasions, and constitutional decisions. But it comes nowhere close to describing the legal system in practice. Millions of Americans lack any access to justice, let alone equal access. According to most estimates, about four-fifths of the civil legal needs of the poor, and two- to three-fifths of the needs of middle-income individuals, remain unmet. Government legal aid and criminal defense budgets are capped at ludicrous levels, which make effective assistance of counsel a statistical impossibility for most low-income litigants. We tolerate a system in which money often matters more than merit, and equal protection principles are routinely subverted in practice. Organizations providing legal services to their clients without charge are increasingly challenged to cobble together an annual operating budget from federal, state, and private charitable sources.
First Page
Recommended Citation
Kathleen A. McKee,
The Impact of the Current Economy on Access to Justice,
Me. L. Rev.
Available at:


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The Ghosts Among Our Graves: A Paranormal Investigation of Laurel Hill / Oct. 8 / 6 p.m. /$30 general, $25 student / Laurel Hill Cemetery, 3822 Ridge Ave. /thelaurelhillcemetery.org
Take a walk on the scary side and join Free Spirit Paranormal Investigators as they reveal their chilling findings of Laurel Hill's haunted history. Participants will have the opportunity to learn the basics of ghost hunting, as well as types of hauntings, equipment, space weather and psychic protection. Then, step into the shoes of a paranormal investigator and join the FSPI members as attendees get led on a real investigation through Laurel Hill's most active areas. For someone who wasn't a believer of the paranormal before, this program could change that. And with Halloween approaching, it's the perfect chance to lift spirits–or perhaps the spirits of those six feet under. Wine and cheese will be served at the end of the program, for the sophisticated and legal crowd. Advanced registration is required. It'll be one interesting and spooky night worth spending a few bucks on.
First Person Arts StorySlams: Close Calls / Oct. 10 / 8:30 p.m. / $10 / World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. / firstpersonarts.org
Do you have a story to tell? Here's your chance. StorySlams are the perfect way to share a little bit about your life with everyone else. Here's how it works: Members of the audience become storytellers and share true stories from their lives based on the night's theme, in this case: "Close Calls." Ten people are chosen at random from those that sign up. Each storyteller has just five minutes on the mic to impress the crowd with their story. Audience members are also chosen to judge each performer on a 10-point scale. The best storyteller wins the golden ticket–a chance to compete in the Grand Slam. Performers in the Grand Slam will compete with other top storytellers for the honorable title of "Best Storyteller in Philadelphia." Sounds pretty awesome, right? If you have a story to tell, sign up at the door. As if you won't be enjoying the night already, there will be $3 Yuengling draft specials. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., slam begins at 8:30 p.m.
35th Annual Russian Festival / Oct. 7-9 / Friday: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., Sunday: noon – 4 p.m. / FREE / Saint Michael the Archangel Russian Orthodox Church, 335 Fairmount Ave. / saintmichaelsroc.org
Music, food, arts and the faith of Old Russia–it's free, fun and attendees don't even have to be Russian to enjoy the event. Come out and try traditional ethnic foods, Russian tea and sweets, homemade pastries and breads, and enjoy live entertainment featuring Russian folk music and a performance by St. Michael's Youth Dancers. Explore the church and learn about Old Russian imports, including dolls, decorated eggs, historic books, art and much more. This free, three-day event is perfect for anyone. Bring friends and invite family. Even if you just go for the food, you're bound to see something that catches your eye. So, get out of your little apartment or dorm room and let some new culture into your life.
Improv Comedy: The N Crowd / Oct. 7 / 8 p.m. /$10 online, $15 at the door / 257 N. Third St. / phillyncrowd.com
Grab some friends and head to the Actors Center for a night of laughs with The N Crowd. The short-form improv comedy troupe has been entertaining Philly folk since 2005 with a different show every week. They perform improv based on suggestions from the audience, so have a few obnoxious ideas in mind to yell out. What's better than watching people make fools of themselves on command? Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and tickets sell out fast. Lay off the books and the booze for a night and engage yourself in some legal fun with The N Crowd.
Shauna Bannan can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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How To Get Rid Of The Bad Apples
One Bad Apple Can Spoil The Whole Bunch
The energy vampires. The whiners and complainers. And the ones who bring down those around them.
These are the bad apples. The ones who are hurting your organization.
It can be hard to get rid of the bad apples, but you must.
You've probably heard the old saying "One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch" and not thought much of the saying. It's cliche and played out. Or so you think.
This saying is also true. When rotten apples begin to decay, these rotting apples emit a gas. This gas can cause the apples touching this apple to rot as well.
Get Rid Of Your Bad Apples
The people we surround ourselves with are like the apples mentioned in the cliched saying. They will impact you negatively or positively.
When your friends or coworkers are emitting toxic words, you're absorbing their toxic attitudes.


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Key features include:
- A relaxed, more generous and forgiving fit
- Contoured for a great fit.
- Light-weight breathable, H2ZERO fast-wicking fabric. Provides at least +50 UV protection
- Full length, separating YKK zipper.
- Three rear pockets.
- Light-weight waist hem elastic, non-constricting
- Two 10 cm reflective strips at each side of pockets.


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LENOIR CITY, Tenn., Aug. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — New survey results released today by Ministry Brands, the leading provider of software, services and information platforms for churches, ministries and those they serve, report 95 percent of church leaders say their reliance on digital tools and church software has increased from before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Close to 70 percent of respondents report their usage has increased significantly.
This digital transformation of church life is examined in The Cornerstones of Post-Pandemic Church Technology e-book, a summary of recent survey results gathered from 1,200 church leaders nationwide during April and May 2021.
According to these survey results, as organizations continue to recover and rebuild from the pandemic, the top three most important tools are live streaming, websites and online giving platforms. These results are consistent across churches of all sizes. Additional findings include:
- Nine out of 10 churches report live streaming will continue to be an important tool in the future, and 51 percent report launching this service during the pandemic as a member engagement tool.
- Church management system (ChMS) integration capabilities is one of the most important features churches look for in online giving platforms to simplify the management of this growing trend.
- A strong web presence is now seen as essential by churches, with nine out of 10 respondents saying websites are important to reimagining post-pandemic church life.
"As a technology partner for tens of thousands of churches across the country, we are committed to understanding trends, particularly during these unprecedented times," said Maia Tihista, executive vice president of marketing for Ministry Brands. "It is insights like these that help guide our customers through the digital evolution at the pace that is right for them to support their important missions."
The Cornerstones of Post-Pandemic Church Technology e-book features insights and results on a wide array of critical church tools including church management systems, websites, digital assets, live streaming, mass messaging, online giving, text-giving, mobile apps and integrated background screenings. The e-book is available here or by visiting online.ministrybrands.com.
About Ministry Brands
Serving more than 90,000 customers, Ministry Brands is the leading provider of SaaS platforms for churches, parachurch ministries and other faith-based organizations in the United States and Canada. Under the leadership of a mission-driven management team, the company seeks to equip the 21st-century church with technology that empowers pastors, church executives, technology professionals and administrators to proactively carry out their Biblical mission with excellence, reverence, and efficiency. Ministry Brands' suite of solutions includes church management, giving, accounting, mobile applications, website development, background checks, content, streaming, and messaging. Learn more about our brands at www.ministrybrands.com.
Contact: Pam Junot
Telephone: 888-400-1451 x 1158
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
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The Cuckoo Tree
The Wolves Of Willoughby Chase Sequence
While her friend Capt Hughes recovers from a carriage accident, Dido is marooned with the odd inhabitants of the Tegleaze estate. Soon suspicious things happen; a priceless possession is stolen, a boy kidnapped, a twin sister found and when Dido catches a glimpse of her rascally father in Petworth, she is sure she is in the midst of another wicked Hanoverian plot. Can she combat mass hypnotism, smugglers, and a gang of murderers to prevent the plot to put St Paul`s Cathedral in the River Thames?
Joan Aiken – Red Fox


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ADD/ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, and Tourette's syndrome: These and more fall under the umbrella of neurodiversity. While there are popular stories that feature neurodiverse characters, such as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Rain Man, we at Writer's Relief wanted to spotlight some neurodivergent writers! From romantic comedy to memoir to horror, the books by these neurodiverse authors embrace a wide range of the human experience.
Books By Neurodivergent Writers
I Overcame My Autism and All I Got Was This Lousy Anxiety Disorder by Sarah Kurchak: In this collection of essays, Kurchak, an autistic Canadian writer, details her childhood, her career as a professional pillow fighter (yes, it's a thing!), and her reactions to portrayals of autism in the media.
The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey: This series of children's novels revolves around two fourth graders, George Beard and Harold Hutchins, and the undergarment-clad hero they create in their comic books. Pilkey, who wrote and illustrated the books, was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia as a child.
Sincerely, Your Autistic Child: What People on the Autism Spectrum Wish Their Parents Knew About Growing Up, Acceptance, and Identity edited by Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network, Emily Paige Ballou, Sharon daVanport, and Morénike Giwa Onaiwu: Many books about autistic children are written from the perspective of neurotypical experts. This anthology, featuring a diverse collection of autistic voices, addresses the joys, emotional needs, and sensitivities of autistic children and teens to help parents avoid common mistakes and overcome the challenges that come with raising a child on the spectrum.
Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet: Daniel Tammet, the author of Thinking in Numbers, writes about his life with savant syndrome, an extremely rare form of autism that allows for extraordinary mental powers. He sees numbers as shapes, colors, and textures and performs extraordinary calculations in his head. Among other accomplishments, Daniel has also set a record for memorizing over 22,000 digits of pi.
A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll: This middle grade novel tells the story of Addie, a fiercely intelligent autistic eleven-year-old, and her quest to get her small Scottish village to agree to build a monument to honor the women they executed for being witches centuries earlier.
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang – This debut novel follows Stella, an autistic woman who hires an escort to explore intimacy with someone knowledgeable on the subject. Hoang wrote the book after learning that she and her young daughter were on the autism spectrum.
The Collected Schizophrenias by Esmé Weijun Wang: This collection of essays explores schizophrenia from two angles: a journalistic exploration of the medical community's approach to the disease, and the author's own experience being diagnosed with and living with schizophrenia.
On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis: This apocalyptic sci-fi novel tells the story of Denise, a young autistic girl living in Amsterdam, whose sister fails to return home as the day a comet is scheduled to strike Earth draws near. When the future of the human race is at stake, whose lives matter most? Duyvis is an openly autistic author who is also the originator of the #OwnVoices hashtag, which is used to recommend books about diverse characters written by authors from the same diverse group.
The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida: Naoki, a thirteen-year-old boy with autism, presents a unique memoir that answers many questions that neurotypical people often have for autistic people, such as "Why do people with autism talk so loudly and weirdly?" "Why don't you make eye contact when you're talking?" "What's the reason you jump?" just to name a few. Naoki's book demonstrates how an autistic mind thinks, feels, perceives, and responds in ways few of us can imagine.
Experimental Film by Gemma Files: This contemporary ghost story is about a former film history teacher who, reeling from her son's autism diagnosis, decides to investigate the mysterious disappearance of an early twentieth-century Canadian filmmaker. Files' protagonist is partly based on her own experience as the autistic mother of an autistic child.
Question: What other books by neurodivergent writers have you read?


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Poll: Pineapple Pizza: Domino's Deep Dish or Grocery Produce Section
September 26, 2018
Some pizza-lovers say that pineapple is the best topping in the world, while others firmly oppose the idea. While some folks simply prefer traditional pizza or have not tried it with the tropical fruit, many are quite vocal about the subject…
When the pro-pineapple people around CHS were asked why they love it on their pizza so much, most stated "it's a good combination," or claim it tastes particularly "amazing with ham." One very enthusiastic person even went so far as to argue, "It's the only pizza there is!"
The naysayers were equally adamant, one claiming that "the juice of the pineapple distracts from all the other flavors" and still another who stated that "fruit simply does not belong on pizza."
What side of the pineapple pizza argument are you on? You can let us know by taking the pineapple pizza poll on our website.


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This mod is nothing from another world, it just seemed like a necessity to create cans of food from recipes to make amazing special dishes, excuse my English, I am a simple Argentine citizen!
If you appreciate Dubzy93's work and you want to show support, use this donate link.
Credits: Dubzy93


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Having now spent a few years working in the conservation 'arena' I was fortunate enough to meet some exceptional people, and it was through that network of friends that I managed to get an invitation to an interview at Carpenter Oak and Woodland.
I was then given a chance by them to prove that I had enough interest, will and patience to learn new skills and approaches to woodwork.
I was amazed at how the company approach was so pro-active. They could get to know me and assess whether I had, I suppose the right properties rather than just required highly polished skills.
While the challenge was extremely exciting, it was rather daunting to be given a rather Spartan drawing, a couple of trestles and pointed in the direction of a large pile of freshly sawn oak!
It seems rather funny now after nearly eight years of working with large timbers, as nearly all the processes involved have become practically automatic, so much so that when asked to explain something, I really have to think, how did I just do that?
Fortunately like-minded thoughtful and generous colleagues who were still passionate about what it was that we were doing surrounded me. They helped me overcome the seemingly impossible tasks of joining huge and long pieces of timber together in such a way that made sense when it was put together with other people's work. The teamwork that was necessary was something I had yearned for, and is something most people would only dream about.
I was hooked. We were building some beautiful buildings, exploring greater possibilities of working with green oak and breaking down preconceptions about the limitations of both the material and design characteristics as well as the perceived lack of skilled craftsmen. It was then and increasingly so now very exciting. It only feels like work when I have to sit in my office and deal with the structures of running a business that bring you down to earth with a bit of a bump. However, every time I erect another structure that I have put time, energy and love into and it stands there ready to face hundreds of years of useful service with grace and permanence I get a terrific deep sense of satisfaction, and that keeps me in this glorious love affair.
© 1998 Sacred Sites, All Rights Reserved.


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Mike Mutzel from High-Intensity Health (author of Belly Fat Effect) talks to William Curtis about his PD journey and how a ketogenic diet changed his life. Curtis suffered from PD for over 17 years before he started exercising, fasting, and following a low-carb, ketogenic diet that remarkably improved his PD symptoms. Through trial and error, Curtis found the right balance in his diet. The William Curtis' program for easing PD symptoms is not appropriate for everyone. For example, PD patients that have balance problems could do more harm to themselves if they followed Curtis' diet. After 12 hours of fasting through the night, Curtis has a bulletproof coffee in the morning prepared with butter, heavy cream, coconut oil, and Stevia. This helps his PD symptoms and increases the ketone D-betahydroxybutyrate (BHB).
good results in rats
keto vs low fat
8 weeks
both diets had good results, keto was better
some ways Keto help are not well understood
Curtis has a website


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Today is the 52nd anniversary of Sylvia Plath's 'The Bell Jar'
On the anniversary of The Bell Jar, first published January 14 of 1963, a reader reflects on the profound impact the book had on her life.
The thing about the best books—the books that can change your life— is that they can never satiate your thirst for feelings completely, because you just want more of it. You already know the quotes by heart but you still want to hear them in your head over and over again. And the best part is, once you finish these books, you're never the same person. But these books only come around once in a long while.
And when the The Bell Jar came around for me, it was life-changing.
A lot of people I know have negatively criticized Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, but I absolutely loved it. The moment I started reading the book, I realized I could relate to Esther Greenwood, the main character of the book, so much that I didn't know whether to take in all the feels and try not to drop a tear or two, or just ignore them. Plath did not individually describe many characters as to their personality, but I felt like I knew them all intimately. It was like I could see through each of them, even though they were not always transparent. Moreover, I felt like I could hear Plath telling her own story to me; it felt intimate. If I look back to when I read the book and whatever life gave me from then on, I can surely say that this is the book that changed me.
In my short life of 17 years, I got my hands on the book only last year and how I wish I could have read it earlier. All my life, I've lived in the city of Dhaka and it has always felt as unfathomable to me as New York City felt to Esther. So many people, yet, so rigorously empty.
The book really spoke to me because of my own personal experiences with depression. In the country I live in, mental health is considered unimportant. If you say you're depressed, they will say that's just a new concept you came to terms with. If you say you need to talk to someone because you're sad and you need help, you're advised to sleep it away. You're told it's just a temporary phase or an excuse to avoid studying.
But this book made me realize that you can't ever demean or diminish depression. It is an expansive experience and is incomparable to anything else you ever felt. Through Esther, Plath described the feelings, confusions and the bleak truths of a girl's life perfectly over 30 years ago and what's more astonishing is that girls today, who suffer from depression, still face the stigma of the illness.
It took time for me to realize that this book was actually changing me, because the changes were minor. I felt empty for a long time and I didn't believe a simple book could satiate this emptiness. There were several times when I thought of ending my life. There were times when I couldn't differentiate between reality and illusions. Ultimately, I just wasn't pleased with myself—I thought I wasn't normal. I was terrified of life, and human beings, and men, and myself. It's only after learning about Esther that I realized I wasn't alone.
The book helped me find my own method of coping with life. I was rebelliously obstinate when it came to justifying my existence and there was nothing that could "fix" me. But Esther made me learn that I was more fortunate than she was, as I had the time to come to terms with myself. Life is full of infinite dissatisfactions, betrayals and absurd choices. But it's different for everyone. Someone's "practicality" is another's "absurdity." I realized I will never be "fixed." There was no reason to fix who I was. I just had to learn not to examine myself through other people's expectations.
And it was okay.
No one ever told Esther it was okay. Yet, she has been letting ordinary 17 year olds like myself know that it is OK, for about half a century. She made me realize that society will always keep us under bell jars. It will only force us to suckle on its "norms" unless and until we embrace our own truths. To be really honest, I will never be "normal". But as long as I have the strength to wake up every day and realize my own sense of worth, life will go on.
And for as long as I live, I will keep on listening to the old brag of my heart: "I am, I am, I am."
Mashiat Lamisa is often seen frowning at the sight of people who dislike tomatoes and poetry. She is a student and on most days, she can be seen sipping on black coffee, trying to keep her eyes open in the classroom. She tries to be a writer and believes that the sky is the limit and that wooden pencils can change lives. You can follow her on Twitter @MashiatLamisa.
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Whether you're new to the podcasting game or a seasoned professional, to potential new listeners the first 2 minutes will determine whether they are going to listen or skip your show. Today we will be discussing these all-important first impressions and what you can do to ensure your podcast intro is up to scratch.
Table of Contents
The Importance of a Good Intro
It is a fact that consumers today are quicker to judge than ever before. In a world of fast-paced sensory overload, people are quick to judge and quicker to turn off if they hear something they don't like. This shift in mindset places incredible importance on a podcast's introduction. Those first few minutes determine how many listeners are going to bother to stick it out for the rest of the show.
The introduction doesn't just help newcomers decide whether or not they want to listen, it also affects the long-time listeners. A well-crafted intro comes in many forms depending on the type of content you are producing, however, the fact remains that special care must be taken to properly utilize this beginning section.
No matter what type of podcast you produce; from casual guest interviews to highly scripted historical retellings we will be breaking down the features of an incredible introduction.
How do You Start a Podcast Script?
Let's start at the beginning, how do you begin to plan what you are going to say? Well, there are a few factors worth keeping in mind.
The first important thing to note is that the script will determine the pace of the show. You should take into account what style of podcast you are scripting and adjust your writing style accordingly. For example, if you are planning a laid-back chat show style podcast then a mass of highly scripted lines will be incredibly jarring for your listeners. By starting to script with show style in mind you will quickly determine what pace works best.
Hand in hand with show pace is the theme of the show. Coming back to the chat show podcast, you probably don't want to begin with a segment dense with facts and information as this will undermine the conversational tone used for the rest of the show.
These are the most important factors to consider as you start scripting. Having a clear cut and concise idea of how you want your podcast to pan out is extremely useful in these beginning stages of scriptwriting.
What to Include in a Podcast Intro Script
Now we've got to grips with the how-to begin, it's time to put pen to paper and start the all-important introduction section.
The very first thing you should clarify to open your show is the title. This may seem like an obvious or unnecessary inclusion, but by clarifying the podcast title you are not only affirming what the listener has clicked on, you are also clarifying what is currently playing to listeners that may have tuned in via an autoplay feature.
By clarifying the title, these happenstance listeners are less likely to open their phone to confirm for themselves, which can lead to distraction and tuning out.
Next is a summary of the content. By giving the listener an idea of what will be discussed during the show, you will both inform and generate curiosity about what is to come. In an interview scenario, this may also be an appropriate time to introduce the guests. Remember that even though this is informative, the approach is completely up to you. These opening moments are a great opportunity to let your personality come through and engage with listeners before jumping into show content.
Podcast Intro Music and How it Should Shape Your Intro Script
Music is a vital asset to your intro. A jingle will help in establishing the show's name to the listener in a way that is pleasing to hear. Having this repeat at the start of your podcast goes a long way in creating a distinction between your work and others. This musical motif may be used multiple times throughout the show and could serve as a segue in-between content.
The background music also helps your show stand out from the crowd. Having a catchy piece accompany your voice will give the listener multiple points of interest in the mix, this encourages active listening which increases audience engagement with what is being said. Just make sure it doesn't distract from the script itself!
Music goes a long way in setting the tone in a podcast. It's no secret that music can affect mood (listen to any movie soundtrack for example), and understanding the tone of your show and picking your music accordingly adds to the production value significantly.
How Long the Intro Should be
A good intro should include everything needed to establish the show in a short amount of time. While how much time this may be will differ slightly from podcast to podcast, 2-4 minutes is a good amount of time to spend on an intro. A fast intro can be off-putting to viewers who are tuning in for the first time so ensure that you have a moderate pace to ease listeners into the beginning of the show.
Good Podcast Intro Examples
Joe Rogan Experience
Joe Rogan is arguably the king of the aforementioned chat show/interview genre. And it is no surprise that his intro reflects this. He makes use of a jingle and graphic logo to reiterate the show's name, and his introduction is straight in with a conversational feel. By telling a personal anecdote that links to the specialist subject of the guest, Joe manages to introduce the guest and segue into the interview in a very short space of time.
Stuff you Should Know
Being a variety podcast, the hosts of Stuff you Should Know dedicate a bit more time to establish the topic of the show. The hosts are introduced along with the show name and summary of the episode topic, then it is straight in with any personal thoughts and feelings. By allowing time to riff off of each other, the loosely scripted pace is very clearly established.
Song Exploder
Looking at a more analytical format, Song Exploder starts with the same intro each episode detailing the format of the show, the variable, in this case, is the song in question. After the prelude, the backing music begins with the song the episode centers on, over the top of which a bio of the artist is read, establishing the guest.
Criminal podcast
Criminal podcast places its ads at the top of the episode. This way the sponsors are at the forefront of the podcast and the branding is over within the first minute. Once over, the pace and tone of the podcast set in. Being true crime oriented, the narrator jumps right into the story accompanied by backing music that sets the tone incredibly effectively.
General Podcast Script Tips
Now that you have a clearer insight into how to create an effective introduction, here are some tips for scripting as a whole.
Make a Plan and Stick to it
By making even a rough list of how the episode pans out and keeping to it, your script will unfold naturally, and the pacing of the particular section will make sense in the wider context of the show.
Keep it consistent
This applies to the tone and content of the script. By constantly reviewing the section you are working with the rest of your material, it will become clear whether what you are currently writing works with the bigger picture.
Embrace the Tangent
To keep listeners engaged and to prevent the delivery from becoming stagnant, it is a good idea to be flexible with your script, allowing for moments of improvisation to keep the material fresh. This is extra important when in an interview as your guest may say something that piques your interest. This makes for a less linear and more engaging listen. as long as you are aware of your run time and can steer back to the topic of course!
Understand your Strengths
It is tempting to write a script for a person you want to be rather than who you are, and it's only natural to mimic those who inspire you. This tip isn't discouraging that whatsoever, however, listening to your work (despite how uncomfortable that may be) will give you a better understanding of what works best for you. Once you know your strengths you can begin writing the script to help your personality shine through in a recording.
In Conclusion
Hopefully from reading this you have a better understanding of what it is that makes a good introduction, and a few tips and tricks to help you craft a prelude that will captivate any listener lucky enough to stumble upon your podcast.
Still hungry for more tips and tricks on how to push your podcasting to the next level? Try our deep dive on How to Make Your Podcast Sound Natural.


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Richemont: A Luxury Goods Company Established from Poverty
As the second largest luxury goods company in the world, Richemont always gives us an impression of noble and unreachable. However, this luxury group is generated from impoverished land in Africa.
Generated from a cigarette company in South Africa, Richemont successfully shows us the transition from agricultural business based on impoverished areas into a worldwide-leading luxury consumer goods sector. Through Richemont, we could see the vast potential commercial opportunities in Africa.
Born and raised in the small town of Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape, Anton Rupert started manufacturing cigarettes from his garage with a £10 investment in the 1940s. Soon, he established the Rembrandt group and relied on his tobacco business in South Africa, and it became one of the largest tobacco firms in Africa.
In 1988, Rupert's eldest son, Johann Ruperts, divided the Rembrandt group into two companies—Remegro and Richemont. Remegro is an investment company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, and it holds properties in various industries, such as the banking, healthcare and industrial sectors. Richemont is a Swiss-based luxury goods company, where Johann Ruperts serves as CEO since 2010.
According to Forbes, the Africa based Remegro is one of the top 10 family businesses in Africa. At the same time, Richemont has been developing rapidly since being divided from Rembrandt. However, the influence of tobacco business has been crucial in it.
Since founded in 1988, in addition to holdings in luxury brands, such as Cartier Monde and Alfred Dunhill, Richemont also acquired Rembrandt's shares in Rothmans International, a British tobacco manufacturer. In 1993, Richemont separated its tobacco and luxury goods operations into Rothmans Internationa NV/PLC and Vendôme Luxury Group SA/PLC respectively. In 1995, Richemont bought out of Rothmans International minority shareholders, and in the next year, Richemont increased its property by merging its tobacco interests with those in South Africa held by Remegro and holding 67 percent of the enlarged tobacco group. In 1999, after Rothmans International with British American Tobacco, Richemont holds 23.3 percent effective interest in the enlarged British American Tobacco. Although from 2000 to 2006 Richemont had been reducing its effective interest in British American Tobacco from 23.3 to 18.2 percent, its effective interests have increased to 30 percent in 2007 as British American Tobacco's share buyback programm reduces the overall number of shares in issue.
Recently, Richemont belongs to the luxury consumer goods sector, whose business includes jewelry, fine watchmaking and premium accessories. Its "Jewellery Maisons," which produces high jewelry and jewlry watches, mainly includes Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, which lead the global branded jewelry sector. Its eight specialist watchmakers are concentrated in Switzerland and are the most renowned in the fine watchmaking industry. In addition, 30 percent of Richemont is in the industry of premium accessories, including writing instruments, leather goods and fashion.
Nowadays, Richemont is the second largest luxury goods company worldwide. Regarding the developmental history of its business, Africa has always been the backup for its luxury consumer goods sector. Thus, Richemont demonstrates the possibility of transition from poverty to luxury, and it shows us vast commercial opportunity in the land of Africa.
– Shengyu Wang


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Instead of physically visiting your location, we use satellite imagery, GIS information, county parcel maps, Client input (survey, sketch, ground measurements etc.), and other public information sources to deliver professional and detailed site plans.
Liberty House Group, fresh off a deal for australian steel mill. It's among parties invited by Glencore to evaluate detailed information on the underground metallurgical coal mine ahead of.
Step 5. – Draw a line from the left-most line to the left vanishing point..extend it further (as seen in the picture above). Then draw a line from the right vanishing point to the 2nd left-most vertical line that you drew in the last step..also extend it further. Both those lines will meet (as seen in the picture above).
Down Payment On Land home construction loan requirements Use a VA Construction Loan to Build or Rehab a Home. Posted on: October 2, 2018. qualifying veterans can use a VA home loan to purchase owner-occupied residential real estate with no money down. VA loans can also be used to refinance an existing home, make energy efficient improvements and in some cases can even be used to build a new home.Land value, or equity in land, can be used as the equivalent of cash for a down payment when building a home. To know if you have enough equity in your land to build a home with little or no additional out of pocket cost, generate a list of potential building expenses and closing costs.
The point of the protests was to draw. detail. He then did something unusual, opening up the floor for questions first to those members of the media who either had family members who'd been killed.
How to Draw a HOUSE Using the Word HOUSE – Art on paper Thank you for watching! Watch more videos:.
Draw the outline of the steps, following the guide lines. Step 9. Now you have enough guide lines to draw the steps. The other way to do it is to draw the outline of the steps on the other side as well and then to connect them. Step 10. The porch wall has an elevated part, so we need to draw it as well.
Down Payment For Construction To Permanent Loan Construction lenders normally require the borrower to make a down payment of 30 percent of the loan amount. In some cases, 20 percent will be acceptable. If you own the land where the house will be built, you can use it as equity to secure the loan in lieu of a cash down payment.
Description: Now, draw a chimney on the roof and then draw a rectangle shape for the house window and than another window above the one you just drew. You will then draw another shape for the house door and then draw the front steps as you see here. Now draw a border under the window. Step 4.
How to Draw a Floor Plan. There are a few basic steps to creating a floor plan: Choose an area. Determine the area to be drawn. If the building already exists, decide how much (a room, a floor, or the entire building) of it to draw. If the building does not yet exist, brainstorm designs based on the size and shape of the location on which to build.


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Location! Location! Welcome home to this desired South West beauty! Iron Fenced Courtyard with Front Door Entry. This 3 bedroom home is in Great condition! Featuring Open-Inviting Living Space with a nice kitchen with upgraded Tile Flooring! Open to the dining Area with oversize Master Bedroom upstairs and bathroom. Bedrooms 2 and 3 are separated and hardly usedl..Great place to call home!
Courtesy of Chris W Fikkert with Bottega Real Estate. Selling Office: Simply Vegas.


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View all Keith Haring artworks
Keith Haring - Montreux 1983, Unknown date
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Ships from the UK, customs charges may be applied
Artwork Details
Print on Thick wove paper
Size: Unsigned Unframed; slight damage to the edges
Shipping & Returns
This artwork ships from an archive seller in the UK
Our archive is sourced from our community of vetted galleries and collectors to offer buyers ultra-rare artworks no longer available on the open market.
Orders can be returned within 14 days of receipt by emailing firstname.lastname@example.com. For exclusions and details read our full returns policy.
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Keith Haring is indisputably one of the most influential and iconic artists of the twentieth century. Haring's uncomplicated style and skilful draughtsmanship underpin artwork that communicates on a very basic human level. As a result, Keith Haring's art is highly accessible and transcends race, gender, and social status.
Keith Haring is indisputably one of the most influential and iconic artists of the twentieth century. Haring's uncomplicated style and skilful draughtsmanship underpin artwork that communicates on a very basic human level. As a result, Keith Haring's art is highly accessible and transcends race, gender, and social status.
Keith Haring was born in Pennsylvania in 1958, developing a love for drawing at a very young age which was heavily influenced by the cartoons of Walt Disney and Dr. Seuss. Haring moved to New York in 1978, where he attended the School of Visual Arts and was introduced to a burgeoning alternative art scene on the streets, subways and clubs. Haring began to produce 'subway drawings' on empty advertising panels in the 1980s, and their proliferation soon made New York commuters familiar with his designs. Almost like modern day hieroglyphics, Haring's work speaks volumes with only a few brush strokes. His friend Kenny Scharf said: "He was so much fun – I think people forget that. He used to paint one stroke at a time to the rhythm of whatever he was listening to." One of the first artists to cross the boundary between street art and graffiti within the more established world of fine art and gallery representation, Haring's work remains ground-breaking even today. Whilst his career was tragically cut short when the artist contracted AIDS in the late 1980s, Haring's body of art is prodigious and continues to be marvelled at by millions worldwide. Haring's works can be found today in prestigious collections including MOMA, the L.A. County Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Art Museum in Washington D.C. and the Art Institute of Chicago.
We love how almost like modern day hieroglyphics, Keith Haring's work speaks volumes with only a few brush strokes. The simplicity of his compositions are a testament to Haring's power as an artist. His ability to convey a meaningful message of hope and unity in so few strokes is admired and recreated to this day. One of the first artists to cross the boundary between street art and graffiti within the more established world of fine art and gallery representation, Haring's work remains groundbreaking even today.
What's a rare artwork?
From rare limited edition prints to hard-to-find original artworks, our selection of secondary market sourced artworks provides you with easy access to in-demand pieces from esteemed artists. Supplied to us by trusted third-party sellers that are carefully vetted, you're sure to find artworks you'll love by celebrated contemporary and modern artists. We are dedicated to helping people to find original art that they can relate to and secondary market artworks span limited edition prints to sculptures and original artworks.
What is Archival Giclée
Giclée (/ʒiːˈkleɪ/ zhee-KLAY) is a neologism, ultimately derived from the French word gicleur, coined in 1991 by printmaker Jack Duganne for fine art digital prints made using inkjet printers. The name was originally applied to fine art prints created on a modified Iris printer in a process invented in the late 1980s. It has since been used widely to mean any fine-art printing, usually archival, printed by inkjet. It is often used by artists, galleries, and print shops for their high quality printing, but is also used generically for art printing of any quality.
How long will it take for my artwork to arrive?
We aim to dispatch unframed artworks within 10 working days of receiving your order. Postage within the UK takes around 1-3 working days. Custom framed items are usually dispatched within 21 working days of receiving your order. For more information, see our delivery page.
What is your returns policy?
Once you receive your artwork, you have 30 days to return it and get a full refund if you're not happy. If you would like to return an artwork, please contact us first at firstname.lastname@example.com. It is your responsibility to cover the return postage. Our returns' policy excludes items that are hand-made to order, such as artwork that has been framed, purchased as part of a timed release, or commissioned. These can only be returned if they are faulty.
How much does delivery cost?
UK delivery is free on orders over £100. Framed artworks cost £9.50 and we can only ship these within the UK. We also offer pick up from our studio. Worldwide delivery is dependent on location. For more information on delivery costs, head to our delivery page.
What payment methods are accepted?
We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Maestro. We also accept payment via PayPal, Apple Pay, Shop Pay and Klarna.
Can I get my artwork framed?
Yes! We work with a network of expert framers, and you can add a selection of frames to an artwork on the artwork page. Please see our framing page for more details, as well as information on additional styles that we can offer.
If you are shipping internationally, please contact us on firstname.lastname@example.com first, so we can help you with any specialist shipping quotes you might need.


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Roles and Responsibilities Template
In developing a communication strategy, developing the implementation plan details the who, what, when and how much of the communication strategy. It covers partner roles and responsibilities, activities, timeline and budget considerations.
To determine roles and responsibilities, the team can use this template to consider what competencies and skills are necessary to achieving the objectives and approaches outlined in the strategy (for example, community mobilization, materials design or training). Then, ask which partners and staff have those competencies and determine who will be responsible for each area.
Last modified: March 25, 2019
Language: English


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This year's intramural sports committee is facing many obstacles, but they believe they can overcome them with new ideas.
According to the committee, 70 to 80 people have signed up so far this year for intramurals, down from 120 last year. They believe that is mainly because of the new block schedule, an issue they faced last year as well.
"Intramurals has been affected by the new schedule the last 2 years," said Mr. Ostick, faculty moderator of the committee and economics teacher. "Part of the reason is that our only option is to play after school, and with the new schedule getting out at 3:10 we only have a 20 minute window from 3:25 to 3:45 after school."
To get some more playing time, Ostick said that the committee plans to start playing during community time in the near future. However, there are some obstacles to this happening.
"Kids are supposed to meet with teachers at community time," Connor Ryan '17 said. "If we had games during community time it would be a conflict of scheduling."
Along with the schedule, another problem was the lack of advertisement around the school last year. Last year, intramurals did not have announcements, but the committee is working to get announcements back this year. Also, Ostick said that they will put signs up across the school to advertise intramural sports.
Ryan said that the intramural sports that usually take place during the year are flag football in the fall, handball in the winter, and basketball in the spring. One sport that may be added this year is volleyball.
"I'm trying to push for volleyball," senior Pat Finley, another on the committee, said. ¨Let's see if we could make it happen in the spring."
Another sport that could be added this year is Kan-Jam. Kan-Jam is a frisbee game where you have two cans, a set distance away from each other, and the object of the game is to score points by throwing and deflecting the flying disc and hitting or entering the goal. A team of 2 is opposite each other at each ¨kan.¨
¨Jimmy Faunce and Christian D'Ascenzo approached me in the summertime and asked me if we could do Kan-Jam,¨ Ostick said. ¨It would happen in the spring as a tournament."


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WE"VE teamed up with our mates at Red Touch Media again to offer a pair of "Executive Club Tickets" for this weekend"s game against Crystal Palace to one lucky Anfield Wrap listener.
Boss eh?
The tickets include match tickets, access to the "Executive Lounge", a 5-course meal and a welcome drink – the only thing you"ll need to put your hand in your pocket for is your ale.
For a chance to win the the tickets all"s you need to do is:
1) Make sure you follow @TheAnfieldWrap and @RedTouchMedia
2) Retweet THIS TWEET
3) Answer the following question:
"When was Mike Nevin"s fist ever game on the Kop and who was it against?"
Clue: The answer can be found in this months TAW digital thingio and or by listening to tonights live from 5pm tonight.
4) Tweet your answer to @TheAnfieldWrap and @RedTouchMedia using the hashtag #TAWRTM.
The competition is live NOW and will close at 7:30pm with a randomly-selected winner getting announced on Twitter at 8pm.
Usual rules apply, if you"re related to – or had a pint with – any of the lads then you"re not allowed to enter, a credit check will be carried out and your home may be at risk, etc, etc.


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A nice sixth plate tintype of this double-armed Yankee infantryman. He holds a M1842 Springfield with fixed bayonet in one hand while in the other he holds a second socket bayonet. He wears a standard infantry frock with a nine-button front.
There are brass insignia on top of his kepi, but the cameras angle makes them impossible to distinguish. The image is housed in a full pressed paper case. Please see my other items for more interesting and original Civil War pieces. The item "1/6 Plate Civil War Tintype of Double Armed Union Soldier 1842 Springfield" is in sale since Thursday, October 10, 2019. This item is in the category "Collectibles\Photographic Images\Vintage & Antique (Pre-1940)\Tintypes". The seller is "iron-horse-sales" and is located in Champaign, Illinois.This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Iceland, Oman, Viet nam, Uruguay, Russian federation.


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With a Starbucks cup in one hand and her green editing pen in the other, Linda leads our team with the same energy and inspiration that launched this company in 1985. Since then, Linda Costa Communications Group has blossomed through her commitment to excellence in writing, design, creative concepts and client service.
Linda has 40 years of experience as an educator, writer, editor, corporate communicator and marketing/public relations consultant. Selected by Orlando Business Journal as "2002 Businesswoman of the Year," she was praised by judges for her "talent for navigating corporate growth, commitment to community-building and standard of excellence." In 2003, Linda received a similar honor from the Orlando Sentinel when she was named winner of the small business category in the Sentinel's inaugural "Women Who Make Magic" program. She is also the recipient of the most prestigious accolade given by the Orlando Area Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association – "Outstanding Public Relations Professional" – and the Summit Award from the Women's Resource Center. In 2008, Linda was named "Alumna of the Year" by the English Department of Pennsylvania State University.
For her work in marketing and public relations, Linda has won more than 360 local, state and national awards, including Golden Image Awards from the Florida Public Relations Association, Addys, Mature Media Awards and Healthcare Marketing Awards. She has also been recognized by a host of Central Florida non-profit organizations – including the Adult Literacy League, Harbor House, Down Syndrome Association and Junior Achievement – for her volunteer efforts and her company's pro bono services.
Linda is a cum laude graduate of Pennsylvania State University, with a B.A. in English and graduate work in communications also from Penn State.


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Soft Nation Technologies is urgently looking for a International Business Development Executive. If you want to give a kick start to your Career. Come join our team.Job Requirements:Must possess excellent English communication skills.Minimum education: Intermediate/A-Level.If you are passionate about sales and earn a handsome salary with lucrative commission, this is the right place to start your career.Location: Gulistan-e-johar Karachi Shift Morning for female (10am to 7pm) Shift Night for males (8pm to 5am)Share your resume at firstname.lastname@example.com Yari.pk
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Mitabyte is a Durban based computer retailer with 24 years of IT experience in the wholesaling, retailing, and manufacturing of computer products and services. Similar to other PC shops including PC Zone, Mitabyte delivers a fully stocked computer store that is aimed at providing consumers with the best computer technologies on the market.
The Mitabyte computer shop is based in Durban, Springfield. However, as of 2011, online shopping is also available to consumers that wish to purchase their computer products from the comfort of their homes.
The wide-ranging product list available from Mitabyte includes computer and laptop accessories, universal laptop charger, cables and adaptors, gaming and photography products, printers and scanners, computer software, speakers, SAMA computer cases, external hard drive casing, and more.
Additionally, the computer technology brands available at Mitabyte are carefully chosen to ensure that you receive the most up-to-date products that are long lasting and ensures a high-quality standard.
These brands include HP, Lenovo, Asus, Acer, Canon, Epson, Logitech, Volkano, and many more.
For more information on the wide variety of products available and contact information, visit their website at https://www.mitabyte.co.za.
Frequent specials are also available online and in-store including laptop chargers for sale, power banks for sale, and more. You can also access the computer wholesale price list here. This price list details information on external hard drive prices, laptop prices, speaker prices, and a price comparison list.
The Mitabyte store is located in Springfield, Durban. Trading hours are from Monday-Friday: 08:00-16:30pm and Saturday: 08:30am-12: 30pm.


text: Elegant town home living at its finest, this model Palmer Square residence is sure to please. Upon entering, the foyer opens up to a curved formal dining area flanked by a spacious living room with gas fireplace and gourmet chef's kitchen featuring built-in Viking appliances and designer selected granite and natural stone. The main bedroom suite encompasses the entire second floor, complete with its own den and oversized patio overlooking downtown Princeton. The laundry is also located on this level. The third level offers two En-Suite bedrooms, one of which rivals the main bedroom suite. The top level's open floor plan can be an additional bedroom, home office, gym, media room or guest suite. An additional full bath is on this level as well. the elevator services all floors of this magnificent home, including the large unfinished basement. There is a powder room on the main floor for convenience. Just steps out the front or back door, all the conveniences of in-town living await!


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Antiepileptic Drugs (AEDs) are commonly associated with haematological disorders, including anaemia, thrombocytopenia, neutropenia and even bone marrow failure. Fatal disorders like aplastic anaemia are uncommon. On exploring through the literature, older AEDs are more associated with haematological alterations than newer AEDs, and careful monitoring is warranted especially with phenytoin, carbamazepine and valproate. The exact cause of these alterations is not established, though immune mechanisms and pharmacology of individual drugs are the proposed mechanisms, a further research along this path is underway. Of worth mentioning here, this predilection of older AEDs towards haematological disorders is pronounced in children compared to adults. We present here a case of congenital heart disease with history of brain abscess and seizures, on carbamazepine who presented to our hospital with toothache. Routine screening prior to tooth extraction revealed thrombocytopenia. Further evaluation revealed the association of carbamazepine and thrombocytopenia, which mandated discontinuation of drug and switching patient to alternative AED.
Original language | English |
Pages (from-to) | OD12-OD13 |
Journal | Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 01-09-2017 |
Externally published | Yes |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Clinical Biochemistry


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Justice! Prof Peter Ridd wins on all counts against James Cook Uni
Professor Peter Ridd Brilliant. There is still some free speech in Australia, as long as you are willing to risk your career, 12 months out of action and a huge legal case. Peter Ridd wins on all counts. Presumably James Cook will have to reinstate him, and he is now free to talk about the failure of replication in science and how our institutions may not be trusted. How many taxpayer dollars were fritzed defending the indefendable? Will Ridd get compensation? Will JCU staff get punished or sacked for what their war against science? Thanks to Peter for fighting on when so many would have given up, and thanks to everyone who helped fund the case! Dear All, Excellent news. My lawyers have told me that the judge handed down his decision and we seem to have won on all counts. It all happened very quickly and we had no warning , and because I live almost a thousand miles from the court, I was not able to be there. I have still not seen the written judgement and will update you all when I have that information. Needless […]Rating: 9.1/10 (20 votes cast)
— News+