It's the selection call that has divided opinion like no other in this new Andy Farrell era but Conor Murray and John Cooney put up a united and, it has to be said, relaxed front when they sat down together in front of the media at the National Sports Campus on Monday.

Conor Murray, left, and John Cooney during an Ireland Rugby press conference in the Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

It seemed an odd ploy at first but the bonhomie between the pair, and a personal history stretching back a decade to their time in the same U20s setup, was immediately obvious as they were quizzed on their budding rivalry over the Irish No.9 jersey.

We're not that bad lads, don't make it out to be worse than it is! Murray joked at one point.

They stopped just short of finishing each other's sentences at times though it was Cooney who had helped bring an end to proceedings two days ago after replacing Murray on the hour during Ireland's 19-12 Six Nations defeat of Scotland in Dublin.

The cheer that greeted the Ulster nine's introduction was among the loudest of the day. It couldn't have escaped the attention of Murray who will have heard the clamour for his colleague and rival's inclusion in the starting side all of last week.

Not difficult, he said of all that. It's all credit to John. He is having an unbelievable season and you respect that. As soon as he came into camp it's about Ireland. Everyone wants to start, Lukey [McGrath was] involved as well, but as a group of three we are all working together and trying to figure this out together and out us into the best position to perform.

I got the nod last weekend and John and Luke were really good to me in terms of analysis and just chats here and there. It does add a bit in terms of motivation. You want to put in a performance. People start writing you off and things like that so naturally there was a bit of that there but, in our position, having a calm head is probably one of the most important things you could do so trying to balance that was the challenge.

Murray has welcomed the challenge from within to his claim on the jersey. His own performance was a tableau of the good and bad, like the team itself, and he was impressed with Cooney's contribution off the bench when the game still hung in the balance.

Cooney made some excellent tackles and chipped one superb kick over the back of the Scottish line to release the pressure at a critical juncture but Farrell has stressed more than anything else the need for speed when passing from the base of the ruck.

Everything we know of Cooney suggests this is js another box he will tick. His path to this point has been far more curcuitothan Murray's since their days soldiering together in the underage grades and it has imbued him with a mental toughness that belies his size.

'The Obstacle In The Way' by Ryan Halliday is just one of the many books he has mined to further his career and help him absorb and use perceived setbacks for good so the 'failure' to make the starting XV against the Scots was never going to weigh him down.

No, it wasn't to be honest because I just saw that I was in a much better position than I was this time last year when I probably got into the squad on the back of a couple of injuries, he explained at the team's base at the National Sports Campus.

So, I was facilitating for the team and it was important coming on - I hadn't subbed too often this year with Ulster - for me to perform and just ease into the team whenever I could so I was happy with the 20 minutes I got.

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Conor Murray: 'Being written off does add to motivation' - BreakingNews.ie

A Colorado man accused of a racially-motivated stabbing that took place in Ontario will need to get mental treatment before his case moves any further.

Nolan Strauss, 26, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was announced as unable to aid and assist in his case in front of Malheur Circuit Court Judge Lung Hung on Wednesday afternoon. Strauss is facing four felonies of attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the first degree, bias crime in the first degree and unlawful use of a weapon.

According to Malheur County District Attorney David Goldthorpe, the next step for Strauss case is to check with Lifeways (the countys mental health provider) and see if it offers the appropriate service for someone in Strauss situation in the community.

If Lifeways does not offer that, then the judge will be able to sign the order to have Strauss transferred to the Oregon State Hospital for restoration of his ability to aid and assist, Goldthorpe said.

The status hearing for Strauss is currently scheduled for Feb. 26.

Strauss was arraigned on his charges on Dec. 27. A mental health evaluation was ordered for him on Jan. 15 after he wasnt present for his scheduled plea hearing for the second time as the jail was unable to bring Strauss to the hearing due to his behavior.

Strauss, a long-haul semi driver, had been in Ontario for a few days before he allegedly stabbed a man at a local fast-food restaurant on Dec. 21.

Police say Strauss was restrained by several employees inside the Pilot truck stop on East Idaho Avenue when officers arrived on scene.

The victim, Ronnell Hughes, 48, who was at Arbys on a job-seeking visit, was found nearby with multiple stab wounds to his neck area.

Police say Strauss approached Hughes, who was seated at the time, without provocation or communication then began attacking him with a knife.

Hughes attempted to fend off the attack, but suffered at least two slash and stab wounds to his neck area before employees came to his aid, according to police records.

None of the employees who intervened were injured.

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Man accused of racially motivated stabbing found unable to aid and assist; may have to move to state hospital - Ontario Argus Observer

On Wednesday, Rick Gorka, theformer traveling press secretary of Sen. Mitt Romneys 2012 presidential campaign who now serves as a communications director for the Republican National Committee,stated that Romneys vote to convict President Trumpon the abuse of power impeachment charge was motivated by bitterness and jealousy.

Gorka tweeted, I believe Mitt Romney is motivated by bitterness and jealousy that @realDonaldTrump accomplished what he has failed to do multiple times. His desire to pander to the chattering class has gotten the best of him again. Gorka continued, These are the same people that hated Mitt in 2012 and they will hate him again when they are done with him. It is sad to see that Mitt has not learned the lessons from 2012. Now he has betrayed his Party and millions of voters.

Gorka was not the only person close to Romney to take issue with his decision; Romneys niece, Ronna Romney McDaniel, who serves as the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, tweeted, This is not the first time I have disagreed with Mitt, and I imagine it will not be the last. The bottom line is President Trump did nothing wrong, and the Republican Party is more united than ever behind him. I, along with the @GOP, stand with President Trump.

Romneys statementexplaining his decision to vote guilty on the Democrats first article of impeachment, Abuse of Power, read in part:

This verdict is ours to render. The people will judge us for how well and faithfully we fulfilled our duty. The grave question the Constitution tasks senators to answer is whether the President committed an act so extreme and egregious that it rises to the level of a high crime and misdemeanor.

Yes, he did. The President asked a foreign government to investigate his political rival. The President withheld vital military funds from that government to press it to do so. The President delayed funds for an American ally at war with Russian invaders. The Presidents purpose was personal and political.

Accordingly, the President is guilty of an appalling abuse of the public trust. What he did was not perfect No, it was a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security interests, and our fundamental values. Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of ones oath of office that I can imagine.

In 2016, during the presidential campaign, Romney and Trump traded barbs. As Politico noted:

Mitt Romney called Donald Trump a fraud and phony whose words and actions are degrading to women, and whose policies would trigger a recession, make America less safe and foster an era of trickle-down racism. Trump labeled Romney a stiff and a catastrophe who had choked like a dog when he ran for president in 2012.

Romney also called on the top three GOP 2016 presidential candidates to release their tax documents, accusing Trump of dodging and weaving on the issue, and adding, Were gonna select our nominee. We really ought to see from all three of these fellas what their taxes look like to see if theres an issue there. I think in Donald Trumps case, its likely to be a bombshell.

More here:
Romney's Former Traveling Press Secretary On Romney's Vote: 'Motivated By Bitterness And Jealousy' - The Daily Wire

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We will not tolerate hate-motivated crimes against the Hispanic community - KAMR - MyHighPlains.com

All good things must come to an end, but having soldiered with Monaghan for 16 seasons before hanging up his boots last November, there are a few common theories that Dessie Mone would like to challenge.

aving given unbroken service to the Farney men since 2004 - even traveling home from England every Thursday and heading back each Sunday when studying abroad in 2013 - Mone is taken aback by the recent spate of inter-county drop-outs.

The 35-year-old recalls an overnight stay in Dublin nine years ago when sorrows were drowned after an early qualifier exit to Offaly that helped to change the Monaghan mentality.

Mone remembers a "massive conversation" with 'Mansy' (Conor McManus), Dick Clerkin and Vinny Corey about the direction Monaghan were taking and how they agreed that they must "stick together and give this a chance".

Remarkable

What followed over the remainder of the decade was quite remarkable as seven years under Malachy O'Rourke yielded successive League promotions (2013 and '14) and a pair of Ulster SFC titles ('13 and '15).

Those triumphs were underpinned by a squad which rarely saw any departing faces - barring retirements - with Mone believing that such continuity is imperative to success.

"I've always found within the Monaghan squad that if people could give their time, they would. The lads have been consistently there over the past decade and that has been key to it," said Mone.

"The key was lads sticking together and even if we didn't go well one year, we held that Division 1 status. A lot of lads are giving out about travelling but if you enjoy it, do it. It's a great opportunity to play for your county.

"I don't understand playing for a year and then giving up for a year and then playing for another year. Lads would enjoy it far more, get a lot more out of it and probably see more success if they just gave that consistent few years to their county.

"I would definitely encourage any young lad if they're going down the inter-county route just to stick at it."

Monaghan have retained top-flight status in the League for the past five seasons, with many feeling that their resources have been exhausted.

Such a notion irks the Largy College PE teacher, who welcomes the long-term benefits which Division 1 football bring and feels that their talent is often understated.

"Young kids see us in Division 1 and you can see now the lads coming through watching us being competitive. If you want to play later in the summer, the League is where you continuously test yourself against those best teams and show that you can do it in championship," he says.

"It was often said that Monaghan are a hard-working team and they'll give everything, but they never mentioned that they were a skilful team.

"It was all about hard work but it never really bothered us and more spurred us on. We knew we had lads that wanted to play for the Monaghan jersey and skilful players. It wasn't just about hard work."

While many inter-county careers are written off once they hit the 30 mark, the Clontibret defender sees no reason why more players cannot continue for longer and he aligns his longevity with the advancements made in sports science.

"More lads are educated now. A decade ago lads were coming back from the winter unfit and that was doing them more damage. Lads are being smarter now, they go back in fit and ready to train," he says.

Decisions

"That's the way I always approached it, make the right decisions on and off the pitch. You've all that hard graft done over the years, you just train smart then. You don't have to kill yourself every time you go to train, all you need is to maintain your body conditioning and top it up."

Mone admits that it's a "massive change" not to have his gear bag in hand heading into Clones, but he has been impressed with what he's watched so far in the second coming of Seamus 'Banty' McEnaney.

He was happy to depart and "let youth have their fling as it's time for other lads to step up within the squad" with Aaron Mulligan - a sweet left-footer who reminds him of Farney legend Paul Finlay - and recent Sigerson Cup winner Mchel Bannigan two who have already caught his eye in the opening rounds.

See the original post here:
United squad was Mone's motivation - Herald.ie

Robert Olah speaking at a motivational discussion with Romani residents of the Chanov housing estate in Most, Czech Republic. (PHOTO: ROMEA)

Robert Olah, a 22-year-old native of Dn, Czech Republic, is a student in economics at the Faculty of Socioeconomics at Jan Evangelista Purkyn University in st nad Labem. In an interview for public broadcaster Radiournl, Olahsaid his dream is to teach the subject at a high school.

"I'd like to earn a Master of Engineering degree from the department of Economics and Management with a focus on financial management, and then I'd like to complete the minimum requirements in pedagogy for teaching at high school level. That way I'd be able to teach accounting and economics one day," says the student, who will take his degree examinations this year.

"I've completed subjects such as marketing, market research and project management, which are the subject for the degree exam. I left financial management until the final year of my studies for the statistical analysis of data, and as part of that course I will process the data for my Bachelor's degree," Olah explains.

A nonprofit organization aided Olah with choosing a high school and then supported him during his studies at university, as he explains: "Mom wanted me to study even though she herself has just a primary education. A nonprofit organization has been working for several years in my home town, and I visited them from the first through the ninth grade, I did my homework there and participated in recreational activities. The chair of the nonprofit aided me with completing the application to high school. Even though I'd beenan honors student all the way throughninth grade, I didn't get what that meant - I'd earned nothing but the highest grades, but I wanted to go to hairdresser school. It was the chair of the nonprofit who helped me apply for the European Business Academy. I literally found who I amthere, I enjoy it."

Thanks to the nonprofit, Olah says he found out about the opportunity to apply for scholarships: "The aid and support from them continues to this day. During graduation, the chair of the association told me about the scholarships to college, assisted me with completing the application to Open Society Fund Prague, I went for an interview there and it turned out favorably."

The young student is planning to continue on to his Master's studies: "I'd like to get a Master of Engineering degree. It would be either from the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, specializing in Business Economics and Management, or my home university in st nad Labem in the same field, with a focus on finance."

Olah says it is necessary to motivate and support young Roma to study: "It's important to want to do this. If a person wants to do something, then he can accomplish it, motivation can't be lacking."

The rest is here:
Robert Olah, Romani university student in the Czech Republic, on personal motivation and nonprofit support - Romea.cz

There are a few women on every season of The Bachelor who were just born to become a meme. Mykenna Dorn takes the cake as the most memable girl in Peter Webers crew by far.

For the majority of the season, we were treated to Dorns insane facial expressions but not much more. The first half of the season was dominated by the drama between the rest of the women so we didnt hear much from Dorn. But in last nights episode, Dorn gave more than one monologue and fans were not here for it.

In the last few episodes, we had seen Dorn getting distraught over not having enough time with Weber. But instead of just getting annoyed like most of the other women, Dorn cried to anyone who would listen. This caused Tammy Li to get aggravated with Dorn and tell Weber that she didnt think Dorn was on the show for the right reasons. And as any Bachelor fan knows, whenever two women get into an argument, they are pretty much setting themselves up to go on a two-on-one date, which is exactly what happened.

Dorn obviously came to the date prepared for an argument. Right when she and Li sat down, Dorn delivered what she probably thought was a speech that would shut Li down for good. Unfortunately, thats not how it went.

I dont know what your goal was the other night, maybe to make me feel small and weak, but at the end of the day, you made me found [sic] my dn voice, Dorn said. And I am a strong woman, and I will not let people like you tear me down anymore and make me feel like any less of a person and I do not deserve any love. Because at the end of the day, I am proud of who I am, Tammy. Kindness wins. Love wins. Bringing people down never wins. And thats how I feel about that.

To make an awkward speech even more painful to watch, Li didnt even respond to Dorns soliloquy.

Fans were quick to jump on Twitter to drag Dorn for whatever that speech was supposed to be.

That awkward moment when Mykenna tries way too hard to be deep and empowering for all of her internet fans, but completely misses the mark #TheBachelor, one person wrote.

Mykenna needs to stop with her self empowering speeches, another person wrote. Just go home sweetie.

Mykenna went on The Bachelor to hype herself up on national television, another fan tweeted.

And others were just tired of Dorn altogether.

I hate myself for watching this show and tweeting hot takes about it but Mykenna is so ANNOYING. If I hear her say one more time through tears I need peter to see how GREAT I am but hes too caught up in the DRAMA to see the REAL ME aslasdfasdfsf youre on the BACHELOR, one fan said.

Though Weber didnt see most of the annoying things that Dorn did, he still decided to send her home.

Mykenna, bless that girl. Her facial expressions are amazing. Ill never forget them, Weber told Entertainment Tonight. The tongue, the wine, dancing shes such a fun girl and very sweet girl.

I know that she had very pure intentions and she was there for the right reasons, truly, he continued. And I obviously wish her the best, but again, she just wasnt my wife.

Read more from the original source:
'The Bachelor': Mykenna Dorn Only Speaks in Motivational Phrases and Fans Are Dragging Her for It - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

THE WORLD we live in is clearly full of causes for anxiety. This could be said about the poorest places on our planet, particularly where food is scarce and physical harm imminent. But stress can easily be found where the threat of harm is far more subtle, where the psyche is tripped up by variables in the environment, especially social ones.

Lets take a closer look at the excess worrying often prompted by random circumstances and events. Consider the lavish acquisitions many enjoy, including expensive cars, the comforts of nicely-appointed living accommodations, vacation destinations, etc. There is not anything wrong with these amenities, per se, unless they are put into a comparative mode (to keep up with the Joneses) or create unnecessary financial stress.

Some interesting statistics came to my attention recently describing the results of a study which revealed that, in 1900, people needed 72 things in order to function normally and be content. Fifty years later the total came to 500 things. And this is before the Internet, iPhones, Amazon Prime, etc.! How much stress do we create for ourselves accumulating stuff? It doesnt help that almost everything we want or need (whether real or imagined) is available at the push of a button.

How does this mindset affect us on the job? Is that new promotion the answer to my anxiety? Will a higher rate of compensation offer the contentment I seek? Or is there something within me that I can change to have more peace? There is much that could be said about the effect of gratitude on our heart: Grateful people are happier people.

This overwhelming consumerism and concern about personal advancement is accompanied by an endless supply of urgent emails that demand our immediate attention, robocalls, and 24/7 news reporting coming at us. This intense, continuing, often unsolicited, communication is anxiety evoking just by its sheer volume alone.

So, what can be done to mitigate some of lifes stressors? Here are some ideas:

For starters, take back control. Set limits to the amount of time you will spend on email, etc. Decide whether to engage. Dont communicate your availability as being 24/7. Determine what your focus should be on and what is realistic. Yes, there are 24 hours in a day; and you need X hours to sleep and get recharged for the next days onslaught, Y hours to eat, etc. How many hours are left for those other activities that you feel are essential? Youre not doing anybody any favors by working yourself to illness. We are not robots mercifully. We should not expect to have the endurance of machines.

Take charge of your calendar (or else someone else will). The motivation to do or not to do resides in each of us. Others in our environment have their own motives in dealing with us. Be ready to take steps to preserve time to live abundantly and fulfill your distinct, personal mission.

Choose responses. Dont feel obligated to respond to every inquiry. In some cases, an abbreviated, tactful response may be called for. If your job demands a high level of interpersonal exchange, then look to better confine the additional demands your social media contacts represent.

Consider your level of caffeine consumption, as well as the time of day it is being ingested. There is a limit to the amount of coffee that can be safely consumed by most people. Of course, there is also caffeine in products other than coffee. According to the FDA, over-consuming caffeine can cause, among other dangerous effects, insomnia, jitters, anxiousness, fast heart rate, upset stomach, nausea, headache, a feeling of unhappiness.

Avoid mind-reading; it can lead to excessive and unnecessary worrying. What did that person mean by that comment? The answer often is I dont know. Yet the temptation is to try to fill in the blank on our own, often with a negative bias.

Take, for example, a situation where you failed to respond to your boss on a timely basis. Fear of ill consequence can be quite painful and disruptive to your work flow. But when we look at our experiences in life, most of the time these worries are misplaced or exaggerated in our minds as we replay scenarios.

What I call the 80-10-10 rule might be helpful here, where 80% of the time the outcome is benign, 10% of the time its as bad as you thought, and 10% of the time something positive is the outcome.

How could anything positive come out of this situation? Well, perhaps more information was available than would have been if you had met the deadline and your boss recognized that fact. Worrying can be habitual. Techniques such as thought stopping might be needed, e.g., repeating a word or phrase, such as, stop, stop, stop until your mind moves on to another item.

Anxiety often leads to worrying, and worrying feeds stress. All this is anathema to the experience of intrinsic motivation.

Dr. Paul P. Baard is an organizational psychologist, specializing in motivation. Formerly a full-time professor at Fordham Universitys Graduate School of Business and a senior line executive in the television industry, he is the lead author of a book on leadership and motivation, and has been published broadly, including in Harvard Business Review. He and Veronica Baard, a former managing director responsible for HR at a major international investment banking firm, head up Baard Consulting LLC, a firm in the greater Boston area, focusing on motivation, conflict reduction, and team building. Questions are welcomed at pbaard@baardconsulting.com.

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Motivation Matters: Reducing stress and anxiety | Business - The Union Leader

Reuters A 2,000 Indian rupee note. Picture used for illustrative purposes only. Image Credit: REUTERS

Thanks to Gulf News, I was reminded of a forgotten word of my university days: Stagflation. It is a condition of slow economic growth, relatively high unemployment and rising prices of inflation.

Does it ring a bell? Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh warned a few weeks ago that the inflation numbers are far too high and that the Reserve Bank of India will not have the initiative to boost the economic growth even with their good intention to reduce interest rates.

Indias elected representatives must forget the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) or the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and focus on stagflation!

The reported growth numbers are available for everyone to see. Before demonetisation, it was peaking at 8.2 per cent. Immediately after its introduction, the growth began to fall to 7.2, then 6.8 and last year it was 5 per cent.

What will it take to revive the economy?

The government should continue to increase all resources for the farming sector, which began in the current ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) first term.

Lending should be made easier for small businesses as 90 per cent of the employment is within the unorganised or small sectors. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) collected has reached Rs1 lakh (Dh 5,154) crore for two consecutive months; the government must share it with the states.

For the economy to grow, the current government should spend on say the construction of a dam at a cost of a certain amount and the labour aspect should be half of that. The workers then take their half and spend it in the market place. These vendors now have more money to hire people, to make more products, leading to another round of spending. Therefore, a rupee of government spending will generate more than a rupee in economic growth.

Heres my research on the economic situation in the state of West Bengal, one of the states that has a double-digit growth, despite Indias overall numbers being low. These are numbers that are vouched for by the government of India. The capital expenditure (asset creating spends) by the West Bengal government increased by 11 times in 2019, compared to the 2018 this has kicked in the Keynesian multiplier what it means is that the government stimulating spending in turn increases employment and therefore prosperity. Again, with West Bengal, banks are lending Rs70,000 crores (Dh36,070,023) in 2020 to small entrepreneurs; this creates employment and brings money into the hands of the people leading to economic growth.- The reader is the head of manufacturing at a Dubai-based company.

Readers Views: What motivates you to work?

People work best when there is some kind of deep motivation driving their actions. So, which kind of motivation is the best? Well, it depends on you and the situation. The difficulty of the task at hand is not crucial, the motivation behind is the key aspect to consider.

Achievement motivation focuses on reaching the goal for the sake of an accomplishment, which is ultimately the driving factor. The achievement could be winning a title or public recognition, which is the final goal.

Being motivated for power is the desire to influence people and be a leader. People are motivated by their control over various situations. People driven by power motivation always tend to create an impact and are willing to take risks for the same. Some might choose a job, which has a higher position even if the pay is comparatively lower. Incentive motivation is reward reliant. The reward associated with the goal is the major influencer rather than the achievement itself. Some employees perform better when money or rewards are offered as incentives.

Avoidance of pain or harmful consequences is the paramount reason to keep you going. Tasks or goals are pursued even if one does not desire to achieve them. However, fear from certain outcomes could lead towards the right direction and the results could be fruitful. The fear of failure is the major driver, which prevents people from quitting.

Competence and learning motivated people are motivated by the process of doing and enjoying work without considering any reward or achievement at the end. Completion of goal or task is the only objective because either the person is passionate about it or wants to learn more by the process of doing it.

Behind any task or objective, there could be more than one motivating factors, which is helping a person to hustle. There is no particular motivation which can be assigned for a particular task, it depends on the individual and the context which drives the person towards their goals. Some kind of motivational factor must exist if a person is proceeding towards a goal. It is worthless to plan for or do something which lacks motivation. You must consider what kind of motivation is driving you before starting towards your milestone.

- The reader is a student at a Dubai-based university.

February 4, is observed as World Cancer Day. Its estimated that 14 million people die of cancer globally and an increase of 90 per cent deaths annually. Cancer is not only a health issue, but it has a wide-reaching social economic and human rights implications.

The mutation in hormones, excessive usage of tobacco, and increase in the usage of pesticides are some of the reasons cited for cancer. It is important to increase your daily physical activity, choose a healthy lifestyle and go for periodic check-ups. Early detection is most important in this disease. Compulsory periodic check-ups like mammograms after the age of 35 for all women to detect breast cancer is advised. Men also need to go for regular doctors visits in order to diagnose diseases at the right time.

Now cancer is considered as curable disease and once it is affected, periodic treatment, should be given to the patient. Even now, some people in India have superstitious beliefs that cancer cannot be cured and the patient should not be informed of what they have.

Governments and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) should conduct mass awareness campaigns to educate the people and once the patient is cured, rehabilitation should be made available to help them lead a normal life. On this day, we all should look to our family members, friends and relatives and try to create awareness so that they are encouraged to go for a medical check-up for early detection. Increase in number of early detection centres and awareness will prevent this disease. Losing loved ones to cancer is painful. We should strive to lead a healthy life, where the household is full of cheers, smiles and fight this deadly disease.

- The reader is a resident of Dubai.

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Readers Views: Readers discuss World Cancer Day, the Indian economy and motivation - Gulf News

Do you remember The Mod Squad?

I mean the original series that ran on ABC (you know, the hip network?) from 1968 to 1973. It starred Michael Cole as Pete Cochran,"Peggy Lipton as Julie Barnes and Clarence Williams III as Lincoln Hayes" It was a joint (pardon the pun!) venture between Aaron Spelling and Danny Thomas.

In case youre wondering what theyre doing now, I did some on-line research for you.

Michael Cole is still alive and acting, did some theater after the series ended. Peggy Lipton passed last year of cancer, having had a successful return to TV in Twin Peaks, and, of course, marrying producer Quincy Jones and giving birth to two daughters, one of whom (Rashida Jones) is TVs Angie Tribeca.

Clarence Williams III has done the most work following the show. He memorably played Princes father in the movie Purple Rain as well as parodying himself in movies like Im Gonna Get You, Sucker! and Half Baked. His many, many appearances on TV include a bit on Twin Peaks, as well as appearances on Justified, Law & Order and Miami Vice. Youre never quite sure how hes going to play a role and its always a delight to see him.

Peggy and Clarence had cameo appearances in the awful 1999 movie that starred Claire Danes, Omar Epps and Giovanni Ribisi.

WHATS THE MOTIVATION?

Some things, you cant get back again. Too little, too late.

Joan told me recently that theres a reboot being planned for Party Of Five, where the parents dont die, theyre just deported. And Im thinking .Mod Squad!

Because, when The Mod Squad debuted in 1968 (a year ahead of Easy Rider, by the way), at lot of us youngsters (I was 18 at the time) saw it for what it was a blatant attempt by ABC to co-opt our culture and use it to sell us crap.

Network shows have sponsors and sponsors sell you stuff and call out the script writers for having Link kiss Julie (a friendly kiss, by the way!) because that wont sell soap suds in South Dakota. Nobody bought the premise or the scripts (which were typical cop procedurals) or the dialogue. Not until many years later when 22 Jump Street revived the put the young looking guy in school and get him to bust kids routine. Like Dan Akroyd says in It Came From Hollywood: Must be tough being the only 35 year old in high school!

My question is: Why? Why are so many TV.shows and movies getting the old reboot? Lack of originality or talent? Shakespeare got all the good plot twists and witty rejoinders? Lack of any new ideas?

Nope. Money.

Its called the audience recognition factor and it guides about 150% of everything you see on a screen. Thats why there are musicals of movies and, in the case of The Producers, a movie that was turned into a musical that was, in turn, turned into a movie. I love Mel Brooks, but I cant afford to send him my entire paycheck!

Thats why Broadway is constantly doing revivals instead of doing new material like Hadestown or Dear Evan Hansen.

Thats why weve had three reboots of the Spiderman franchise in under twenty years. That, and the fact that Brad Pitt gets twenty million deposited in his bank account whether the movie is a classic or Troy.

Money.

Now, as a musician, I always like to get paid for my efforts and nobody is saying that the good folks that make television and movies dont deserve their huge paychecks anymore than athletes who have a shorter shelf life do. Im just saying that when profit is the deciding factor instead of some intrinsic artistic goal things usually tend to suck.

Think of the last great movie you sawthe one that had a lasting effect on you, one that you talked about for days after.

Did you think The Irishman or did you think Avengers: Endgame?

And, I know Im baiting the Scorsese haters here, but, seriously. We know the difference between a blatant money grab and a picture with heart and soul. But, even projects that started out with the best intentions can get, shall we say, caught in the cultural windstorm.

Ive been in productions where a characters sex did not determine who should play the character. Thats only right and fair. All actors should have access to all roles. But, a female Bobby in Company?

It wasnt bad enough that the original Bobby was a commitment-phobe, we have to put that on an actress? If Dame Judy wants to play King Lear, well, she gets to do it because shes Dame Judy! Shes a national treasure! But, the constant urge to reinvision a play or a production to fit in with modern concerns is a bit maddening. As myself and some of my friends agree, the reason people still go to see Shakespeare is because his stuff is GREAT! and it will always be great, because he was a great writerwhoever he really was! Its not because they actually get a humpbacked dwarf to play Richard III!

Joan and I watched Showboat on TCM recently, the Irene Dunn version. And I swear, all I could think of was This is the next big revisionist production! The last one was in 1994, overseen by Hal Prince. A whole lot has happened since then.

And somebody is gonna make a buck on it. But, nobody at Disney is cutting a check for the author of The Lion Sleeps Tonight, are they?

Hold those grey heads up!

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The Old Guy: On money as motivation for T.V., film reboots - SILive.com