“Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network shall require United States persons engaged in a transaction with a value greater than $10,000 in digital assets through [one] or more accounts outside of the United States to file a report,” the bill said.

I’m pretty sure that nobody has any interest in filing reports after transferring $10,000. There’s a lot of people that trade that much multiple times a day.

Any foreign person that facilitates a digital asset transaction? If these rules are going to exist they have to be narrow enough to only target people that are doing the wrong thing. They should not be broad and allow that government target anyone whenever they feel like it.

Let entrepreneurs build businesses (and jobs) then tax them when they die.

The biden proposal brings forward capital gains.

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Off them priority over applications for visas from regular people that won’t be creating any jobs.

The Russian Diaspora is enormous. We need to find ways to encourage them to contact their friends and family at home in Russia to let them know the truth about what’s going on.

Independent media has effectively been shut down in Russia but Putin doesn’t control the internet in the same way that China does. We need to encourage more Russians to get their news from the internet rather than the government-controlled media.

The biggest distraction for Putin will be an uprising against him in Russia. We need to find ways to supply the Russian people with information about what is really going on in Ukraine.

If we ban all Russian oil, Putin will have to start thinking about how he will fund a long occupation of Ukrainian and how Russia will survive. If he is even slightly rational (big “if”), he will have to find a way to end the war.

The days when corporations could just focus on money are over. We need to Boycott western corporations that do business with Russia

Russia will block all logistics so Ukraine will eventually run out of medical supplies and all of the usual basic needs.

Even though NATO can’t get involved directly, it can provide weapons to Ukraine to help them defend themselves.

This is a details page, its design can be changed via the page template here.
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Anything you say in an ad is protected by free speech but the government can ban commercial advertising if it’s misleading.  

It’s illegal, not protected by free speech and will be prosecuted.

Interestingly, hard-core, highly sexually explicit pornography is illegal and not protected by free speech but the US government just chooses not to prosecute it.

Face-to-face personal insults that are likely to lead to an immediate fight are not protected by free speech.

Threats to commit a crime (like “give me your money or I will kill you”) is not protected by free speech.

If you say something that damages somebody’s reputation you cannot use free speech as defense

The plan suggested by Adam Radly (founder of ‘I Imagine’ and AIM – “Australian Independence Movement”) is for Australia to become a republic and call this day Independence Day (or Australia Day).

Racist references should be removed from the constitution and indigenous Australians should be acknowledged as the first Australians.

The plan suggested by Adam Radly (founder of ‘I Imagine’ and AIM – )

Americans need a Common Unifying Goal. But what is it?

This respects history while removing symbols of hate from the community.

Good nutrition can help your mind as well as your body. For example, people that eat a Mediterranean style diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts, unsaturated oils (olive oil) and plant sources of proteins are less likely to develop cognitive impairment and dementia.

REF: https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/12-ways-to-keep-your-brain-young

Research shows that using your muscles also helps your mind. Animals who exercise regularly increase the number of tiny blood vessels that bring oxygen-rich blood to the region of the brain that is responsible for thought. Exercise also spurs the development of new nerve cells and increases the connections between brain cells (synapses). This results in brains that are more efficient, plastic, and adaptive, which translates into better performance in aging animals. Exercise also lowers blood pressure, improves cholesterol levels, helps blood sugar balance and reduces mental stress, all of which can help your brain as well as your heart.

REF: https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/12-ways-to-keep-your-brain-young

Through research with mice and humans, scientists have found that brainy activities stimulate new connections between nerve cells and may even help the brain generate new cells, developing neurological “plasticity” and building up a functional reserve that provides a hedge against future cell loss.

Any mentally stimulating activity should help to build up your brain. Read, take courses, try “mental gymnastics,” such as word puzzles or math problems Experiment with things that require manual dexterity as well as mental effort, such as drawing, painting, and other crafts.

REF: https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/12-ways-to-keep-your-brain-young

Generally speaking, it’s easier to recycle cardboard than plastic, plus paper products tend to biodegrade more easily without adding a lot of weight to the product the way glass or aluminum can. So, when you have the choice, pick pasta in the box instead of pasta in a bag, or detergent in the box instead of the bottle. Even better would be to check for companies that source their cardboard sustainably or have a strong stance on deforestation.

REF: https://www.treehugger.com/easy-ways-reduce-your-plastic-waste-today-4858814

Generally speaking, it’s easier to recycle cardboard than plastic, plus paper products tend to biodegrade more easily without adding a lot of weight to the product the way glass or aluminum can. So, when you have the choice, pick pasta in the box instead of pasta in a bag, or detergent in the box instead of the bottle. Even better would be to check for companies that source their cardboard sustainably or have a strong stance on deforestation.

REF: https://www.treehugger.com/easy-ways-reduce-your-plastic-waste-today-4858814

Unless there’s some kind of contamination crisis, plastic water bottles are an easy target for reducing waste. Instead, keep a refillable bottle handy.

REF: https://www.treehugger.com/easy-ways-reduce-your-plastic-waste-today-4858814

The usefulness of these thin and easily ripped bags is extremely limited, yet according to one estimate, somewhere between five billion and one trillion plastic bags are used each year around the world. Although free to shoppers, these bags have a high environmental cost and are one of the most ubiquitous forms of garbage. Bringing your own plastic bag is common but good environmental advice, such good advice that some governments implemented policies to encourage more people to do it. Disposable shopping bags have been banned in a number of cities, like San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

REF: https://www.treehugger.com/easy-ways-reduce-your-plastic-waste-today-4858814

Reinforce that rape is never the victim’s fault.

REF: https://www.marshall.edu/womenstu/stop-abuse/what-you-can-do-to-prevent-violence-against-women/

Contact your local legislators and political leaders and advocate for tougher laws against perpetrators of violence against women.

REF: https://www.marshall.edu/womenstu/stop-abuse/what-you-can-do-to-prevent-violence-against-women/

Simple strategies for creating filling, delicious, and even budget-friendly plant-based dishes.

REF: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/elevate-your-plate/

If you’re thinking of a meal that features red meat, see if you can replace it with a better option, like poultry or seafood.

REF: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/elevate-your-plate/

This approach boosts healthy plant-based foods like beans, nuts, whole grains, and other veggies, while still providing ways to incorporate some of your favorite animal-based foods.

REF: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/elevate-your-plate/

In cases where individuals are unable to take advantage of phased-in retirement—due to health issues, family obligations, or skills mismatch—governments could promote and reward volunteering, care work, and artistic work among the elderly. Such unpaid activities improve the quality of the social fabric, help the well-being of those engaging in them, contribute to the economy, and reduce healthcare and welfare costs.

REF: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2016/05/02/two-solutions-to-the-challenges-of-population-aging/

Encouraging older workers to remain longer in the labor force is often cited as the most viable solution to fiscal pressures and macroeconomic challenges related to population aging. Phased-in retirement entails a scheme whereby older workers could choose to work fewer hours yet remain longer in the labor force, including after they retire. And gradual retirement can be beneficial to societies, employers, and workers:

First, phased-in retirement allows continuity in tax revenues and reduced expenditure on pensions, which holds particular importance for fiscal and macroeconomic stability;
Second, older workers can be valuable to organizations and younger colleagues due to their knowledge and experience;
And third, late-life work has positive health and perceived well-being consequences for older employees.

REF: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2016/05/02/two-solutions-to-the-challenges-of-population-aging/

One of the key strategies must be to change how girls, families and society imagine what girls can be and can do. We need to give girls images and role models that expand their dreams. I was at an International Women’s Day event with Bangladesh Women in Technology and they talked about needing to build girls’ and women’s confidence that they could be engineers or entrepreneurs. We also need parents to see that there really are opportunities for their daughters, that their only security is not just to be good wives and mothers. Christine Hunter

There has been much progress in increasing access to education, but progress has been slow in improving the gender sensitivity of the education system, including ensuring textbooks promote positive stereotypes. This is critically important for girls to come out of schools as citizens who can shape a more equal society. In some countries, there is a tendency to assume that things are fine as long as there are equal number of girls in schools. Aya Kibesaki, senior education specialist, Global Partnership for Education, Washington DC, USA

In Bangladesh and elsewhere, child marriage is a major impediment to girls’ education. In Bangladesh more than 50% of girls are married before the age of 18, and about 30% of girls 15 to 19 already have one child. If we want girls to be able to complete education we have to end child marriage. We also have to seriously address sexual harassment of girls. Insecurity is one of the reasons parents give for marrying their daughters. It is also a major barrier to girls’ full participation in education. Christine Hunter, country representative, UN Women, Dhaka, Bangladesh, @UNWomenCHunter

* There must be convictions but this is totally dependent on the will of the local community. The first step in a conviction involves laying charges but the community needs to elect politicians that are willing to lay charges. The second step in a conviction involves a jury finding a guilty verdict but juries have to believe that unjustified police violence is a crime. The elected politician and the jury both come from the community. Therefore, nothing will change until public opinion in the community has changed.

Police have been give more power and authority than a regular citizen in order to enforce the laws of their communities. However, this should mean that they should face “stronger penalties” than regular citizens if they abuse that power. If such laws existed, the police force would attract the right people and repel the wrong people. – Adam Radly.

Why we need to rethink capitalism

Hi there
This is nice video

What if there is no hook next to the window. It should be possible to attach to something else.

$159 seems a little high

So that it works with less wind

A great case manager can be a really wonderful support as someone exits homelessness and stabilizes in housing. But I have known too many people who moved into their own apartments for the first time in years, only to suffer in loneliness, depression, and relapse. I have known too many people who attempted suicide or ended up back on the streets because that’s where their friends were.

If we think that a housing subsidy and supportive services can create community and human connection, we are mistaken.

Housing is essential, but it is not sufficient. Housing alone, without attention to health, behavioral health, employment and education, and other supports, will continue to result in instability and recurrent homelessness for many people. A report by the Bassuk Center on Homeless and Vulnerable Children and Youth found that services are equally important—the other half of the equation that can provide stability and prevent future homelessness.

We all need services. Health care is a service. Childcare is a service. Transportation is a service. So are case management, substance abuse treatment, and supported employment.

If we expect to end homelessness, we cannot merely divide the current resource pie differently, a strategy that inevitably pits one group against another (singles vs. families vs. youth vs. veterans). Such an approach also pits housing against shelter and housing against services. We need a massive national commitment—public and private—to ensure affordable housing for all. Housing is a basic human right, without which people cannot lead stable, connected lives.

Special volunteer opportunities give parents the chance to transition from spectator to active participant in the school and their child’s education. It can also give them a greater understanding of what their child does on a daily basis and what challenges he or she may face.

One of the best ways to coordinate these activities is through the school website. Certainly, the dedicated blog, event calendar, and advice videos can take place online. However, the website can also help in other areas. An online volunteer sign-up form can make volunteering easy and convenient. Videos of past family nights may encourage more parents to attend. Skype, Google Hangout, and other online video conferencing services can facilitate online meetings when a face-to-face one isn’t possible.

A school content management system like the one Campus Suite provides can make online communication with parents simple. It allows teachers to easily create and manage their own webpages. Additionally, the school’s site can be quickly updated to communicate special events, volunteer needs, and other opportunities for involvement.

Hosting an Open House event in which a student’s entire family can visit the school and classroom in an informal and laid back setting builds the parent-teacher relationship. It also eliminates the pressure and expectations of a formal sit-down meeting. Allowing students to bring siblings and parents to their classroom ensures a greater sense of confidence within the student and gives parents to see the day-to-day operation of their child’s education.

The number of parents using social media is increasing at an alarming rate. Examine your school’s social media policy and begin planning to communicate on an ongoing basis using popular channels like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Google Plus. Social media provides excellent ways to connect parents to your school’s website and begin engaging them.

One of the biggest objections to parental involvement is that parents are so busy that they just don’t know when events are happening. A dedicated parent blog, accompanied by social media presence and an event calendar, can keep them in the loop.

Just because we live in a digital world doesn’t mean that face-to-face interaction is dead. On the contrary, nothing can replace an in-person visit. REF: Jay Cooper. campussuite.com

Parents and teachers can share ideas via web videos on your school’s website. Teachers can provide guidance on how parents can help with certain assignments and parents can provide feedback on areas where their child may need extra help.

The warranty only covers scenario 1 but we really need it to cover scenario 1,2 and 3.

This is the main reason I use your competitor’s product.

Customer support is very helpful but response times are too slow.

The current pricing forces us to pay for features we don’t need. Let’s set different pricing for different features.

The UX is confusing and needs improvement.

If you want to improve your culture, make sure you are asking your people what they want. What do they want their work experience to be? How do they want to learn? How do they want to be rewarded and acknowledged? How do they want to grow? Once you start having these conversations, your culture will not only improve, it will bring an air of authenticity and improvement will be fluid.

While we love perks, we are firm believers that perks do not equal culture. Given that, the most powerful tried-and-true strategy is transparency and empowerment. Share your successes and your failures, and look to everyone to help build a better company. It is just amazing how much good can come from putting these tenets into practice.

We implemented a flexible remote work policy three years ago that has become core to our culture. But sometimes humans go nuts after spending too many consecutive days in a home office dungeon. To mitigate against this, we instituted “swarm days” every Thursday, where we all “swarm” to one physical office and hang out. It’s the chaser to the remote work tequila shot and works and tastes great.

Company volunteering has helped my team improve morale, productivity and show deeper connections for everyone involved. Volunteering has allowed some of my employees the chance to collaborate with other employees that they may not see or talk to that much. Employees have the chance to reveal skills that they might not have had the opportunity to show at work, too.

Our team is full of explorers. Employees need flexibility in their work environment. A few employees have enjoyed working from Bali, Costa Rica, Berlin, etc. People establish their work hours up front so colleagues can know when to expect their team members to be online. Tools like Slack and Dropbox keep us connected and working productively. They return energized with lots of great stories.

A strong company culture aligns perks with company values. That way, the perks represent an extension of the company’s underlying beliefs and not just something cool that helps with recruiting. For example, one of our values is “You Are Unique.” As a perk, we give everyone a paid day off on their birthday to celebrate the fact that they are a unique miracle who should be celebrated

Client pressures and deadlines often make communication between employees all work and no play. About once a month, we plan for a group Soul Cycle class. The 45 minutes spent on the bike with your team provides invaluable camaraderie and connection. Everybody looks forward to these days, and coming back to the office after an uplifting class does wonders for productivity.

Do you want your morning brew? You gotta walk for it. At Empower, coffee is centralized on the first floor. All three floors are forced to travel to a single coffee bar supplied by our beloved Coffee Emporium. The result? Lots of friendly banter during the morning rush and a 3 p.m. caffeine surge versus mindless refills siloed on each floor. We savor our cup of joe and talk with each other.

We implement Innovation Day twice a year. Everyone drops their normal work and teams form to concept and prototype innovations that improve the lives and experiences of our customers and employees. On day two, the teams all demo their creations to a panel of judges and everyone votes for the best innovation. We have implemented over 50% of the innovations in our software and processes.

One thing we do that our staff loves is offer unlimited time off and don’t follow a schedule. We simply state that if it is abused it will be changed. Our staff loves the fact they can work from home some days and take personal time when needed. As long as the work is completed and they plan accordingly, it works. It keeps the staff happy and energetic.

Public areas in cities

It might not need humans, bit does it save money?

It starts at the top. If you don’t already have good teamwork at the grassroots level, then it’s time for the leadership team to, well, lead. By example. They’re the ones that the rest of your company

Screen isn’t as pretty as that on the Pros

Why rush through knew planets? Let’s see more of them and life is different there. I want to see how different characters can adapt.

The politicians have not been able to resolve this among themselves. Therefore, it’s time for the people to decide. These are the steps:
– Boris Johnson will take the agreement negotiated by Theresa May and make one final attempt to refine, tweak or improve it (within 7 days).
– The current government will announce a referendum to be held within 30 days (or as soon as practical) where the people will vote on whether they want to remain to leave (based on the specific terms that have already been negotiated by May / Johnson).
– The parliament will execute the will of the people without any further negotiation or parliamentary voting. Remain means remain. Leave means leave on the terms that have negotiated with EU and presented in the referrendum.

– Adam Radly

If both major parties propose a specific plan then the people vote the one they like best.

Transition from fossil to renewable energy sources (see Global Challenge 13 for more detail and http://www.go100re.net/map for current global status).

REF: millennium-project.org

Continue policies that reduce fertility rates in high population growth areas.

REF: millennium-project.org

Retrofit older cities to Eco-smart Cities and build new additions as Eco-smart Cities.

REF: millennium-project.org

Produce meat, milk, leather, and other animal products directly from genetic materials without growing animals: Saves energy, land, water, health costs, and greenhouse gases.

Define what a successful trade deal looks like. Any subsequent negotiations and resulting Chinese behavior should be evaluated based on this measuring stick.

REF: J. Norwell Coquillard. seattletimes.com

The U.S. must leverage our allies more effectively. Multilateralism is a proven strategy for inducing positive behavior and providing constructive pressure on China. We can work with our allies to identify practices and rules of engagement we expect from China, and thus more effectively hold them accountable.

REF: J. Norwell Coquillard. seattletimes.com

The W.T.O. needs to be revamped and strengthened, including with new rules to clarify what constitutes noncommercial assistance to state-owned enterprises and what conditions governments can impose on foreign participation in joint ventures.

REF: Yukon Huang. carnegieendowment.org

Special volunteer opportunities give parents the chance to transition from spectator to active participant in the school and their child’s education. It can also give them a greater understanding of what their child does on a daily basis and what challenges he or she may face.

One of the best ways to coordinate these activities is through the school website. Certainly, the dedicated blog, event calendar, and advice videos can take place online. However, the website can also help in other areas. An online volunteer sign-up form can make volunteering easy and convenient. Videos of past family nights may encourage more parents to attend. Skype, Google Hangout, and other online video conferencing services can facilitate online meetings when a face-to-face one isn’t possible.

A school content management system like the one Campus Suite provides can make online communication with parents simple. It allows teachers to easily create and manage their own webpages. Additionally, the school’s site can be quickly updated to communicate special events, volunteer needs, and other opportunities for involvement.

REF: Jay Cooper. campussuite.com

Hosting an Open House event in which a student’s entire family can visit the school and classroom in an informal and laid back setting builds the parent-teacher relationship. It also eliminates the pressure and expectations of a formal sit-down meeting. Allowing students to bring siblings and parents to their classroom ensures a greater sense of confidence within the student and gives parents to see the day-to-day operation of their child’s education.

REF: Jay Cooper. campussuite.com

Just because we live in a digital world doesn’t mean that face-to-face interaction is dead. On the contrary, nothing can replace an in-person visit.

REF: Jay Cooper. campussuite.com

The number of parents using social media is increasing at an alarming rate. Examine your school’s social media policy and begin planning to communicate on an ongoing basis using popular channels like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Google Plus. Social media provides excellent ways to connect parents to your school’s website and begin engaging them.

REF: Jay Cooper. campussuite.com

One of the biggest objections to parental involvement is that parents are so busy that they just don’t know when events are happening. A dedicated parent blog, accompanied by social media presence and an event calendar, can keep them in the loop.

REF: Jay Cooper. campussuite.com

Parents and teachers can share ideas via web videos on your school’s website. Teachers can provide guidance on how parents can help with certain assignments and parents can provide feedback on areas where their child may need extra help.

REF: Jay Cooper. campussuite.com

Woohoo! You’ve reached a major milestone/final deadline/end of the week; it’s time to celebrate! Celebrating your success as a team will bring people closer together, encourage conversation, and boost happiness.

Key fact: happy employees are productive employees; they have 31% higher productivity, 37% higher sales, and 3 times more creativity than unhappy employees.

Like recognition and gratitude, celebrations don’t have to be big, but they should be frequent. By doing this, you’re weaving them into your team’s culture and the benefits will become lasting and more impactful. You’re also reminding people that your goals are achievable and worth striving for, which will keep motivation high.

Here are some ideas:

Have a casual Friday meeting: Chat about the small successes of the week. Use a post-it board to capture the success and get everyone involved; people write their achievements on a sticky note and put it on the board, then explain it to the group. You could also give “props” in this meeting; each person gives thanks to one other person in the team for something helpful they did that week.

Get out of the office for lunch of drinks: This can be after work or during working hours (depending on your company culture). Be clear on the purpose of this celebration, if you reached a big milestone or your team received praise from senior leadership.

Have a small token mascot: A magic eight ball, a pair of glitzy scissors, a plastic figurine – that gets passed to the team member who was most successful or helpful in the past month. Have every team member contribute to this decision through an anonymous vote.

REF: Hannah Price. jostle.me

“At some point almost all of us have had that moment in the workplace where we wanted to strangle the person sitting next to us.” I love this line because it’s so very true – when you’re so frustrated by one of your colleagues because their opinions, mannerisms, or approach to work seem completely alien.

But, what happens next in the scene? That’s the important thing to focus on here. If your colleague next to you in a meeting is saying something you completely disagree with, do you:

Tune out
Dismiss their idea
Talk over them
Embarrass them
Walk out of the room
Actually try to strangle them (Inside tip: it’s not this one)
In fact, it’s not any of these. It’s actually this secret answer:

7. Come to a compromise/understanding

At some point, there are differences of opinion in every organization – that’s only natural (you’re human, you know what the world is like). Differences of opinion can lead to frustration, disagreements, and sometimes even conflict. Conversely, they can also benefit a project or final product due to unique perspectives and influences. The difference is all in your approach.

Problems arise when differences of opinion aren’t dealt with correctly – when people feel unheard, bullied, or disregarded. If you want to keep your team together (and stay sane) consider a few of these handy tips:

Remember the importance of balance: Think of Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street. They’re best friends but polar opposites – one represents Chaos, the other represents Order. Our lives, workplaces, and output benefit from a mix of both of characters. A workplace with just one or the other would become monotonous and less robust.

Embrace disagreements: These are often learning opportunities. Opposite opinions should be dealt with respectfully and carefully to ensure everyone is happy and innovation is maximized.

REF: Hannah Price. jostle.me

How much gratitude do you show? A survey of 2,000 people, found that people are less likely to express gratitude at work than any other place. In fact, 60% of those people said they “either never express gratitude at work or do so perhaps once a year.”

It’s quite surprising then, to discover that people actually want to be thanked. 70% of the surveyed people would feel better about themselves if their boss were more grateful, and 81% would work harder. Gratitude is actually proven to lead to an increased sense of self-worth and trust within the workplace.

So, next steps? Start saying those magical words! Be thankful for the big and the small things that your colleagues bring to the table each day. (Don’t go overboard though. It’s important that your thanks are genuine and timely. Think quality, not quantity.)

REF: Hannah Price. jostle.me

Focusing on the weaknesses of your team members can seriously affect engagement and consequently lower the team’s productivity. According to Gallup research, employees who use their strengths every day are six times more likely to be engaged in their jobs.

Everyone is different – we have different strengths, passions, and weaknesses. One of the cornerstones of a good team leader is focusing on individuals’ strengths, and bringing together a team of people that has a combined skillset to get the job done. As long as everyone contributes by bringing a strong skill to the team, their weakness should not be dwelt on.

Key fact: teams that focus on strengths every day have 12.5% higher productivity.

REF: Hannah Price. jostle.me

Team building doesn’t have to happen while you’re actively working. In fact, it’s proven that taking breaks together can result in a higher level of productivity and help reevaluate goals as needed.

One week, you could round up the team and grab a coffee together, or pick-up some sweet treats for your team on the way to work and gather for a morning chat. Getting together in a less formal setting will encourage better communication, sharing, and bonding between team members. If you want to start small, break up the day by stepping outside to have one of your team meetings on foot.

REF: Hannah Price. jostle.me

How constructive is your workspace for the growth of teamwork? Research from Herman Miller shows that the physical workspace needs to evolve to support collaboration.

“Project rooms that teams can use for months, conference rooms equipped with the latest remote conferencing tools, and areas of benching, where people can do heads-down work but also easily confer with each other support the various needs people have when collaborating.”

The needs of your teams should be reflected in your workspace. Look around your office and consider what could be done to encourage impromptu huddles for productive conversation, accessibility to knowledge experts, and semi-permanent spaces for group projects.

Though, once again, the research stresses that “people must feel they have permission to linger in informal collaborative areas and that comes from watching how other people, especially managers and executives, use or ignore those areas.”

REF: Hannah Price. jostle.me

Recognized employees are satisfied employees, according to this recent survey. And satisfied employees do better at work (you can find out more here if you’re interested). If you want a happier, stronger team, recognition is key – are this doesn’t refer to a monetary reward.

Here are some of the ways employees want to be recognized and rewarded:

Company or team-wide emails recognizing individuals/teams
In-person recognition and thanks
Promotions
Bonuses
Extra vacation days

Key fact: 83% of employees who worked for a company with a recognition program stated that they were content with their jobs. Tools like Bonusly make this easy.

REF: Hannah Price. jostle.me

If a team doesn’t understand the purpose of their work, their attention and enthusiasm can dwindle. Be clear about why you’re doing what you’re doing – it’s the key to motivation. Simon Sinek, author and marketing consultant, unravels this game-changing concept in his TED talk.

“Your Why provides you with clarity, meaning and direction. It is a filter through which you can make decisions, every day.” – Simon Sinek

So, find the “why” – the purpose – for your current project or final goal, and why you’re taking each of the steps that lead you there. Not only will this keep everyone motivated and aligned, it’s a great way to review your process and ensure you’re taking the best steps to get to where you need to be.

“Rules?” I hear you thinking, “that doesn’t sound fun at all.” Think again. Rules don’t have to be a dampener, but they do have to exist to keep everyone aligned.

Rules are everywhere – on the sports field, in daily interactions – and they exist to keep everyone safe and on the same page. How can we more forward together if we don’t know where we stand? Rules will safeguard the success and productivity of a team.

Establishing rules early is best, but be willing to consider changing them if they’re hindering rather than helping the team. You can write them down or just chat about them openly. Either way, you should be clear on why they exist and ask for contributions/feedback from everyone.

Some examples:

When we meet, we’re all present (no cell phones or laptops).
We’ll be open about our frustrations.
We listen with intent, rather than waiting for our turn to talk.
We respect out of office hours and won’t expect communication unless it’s an emergency.

REF: Hannah Price. jostle.me

I’m not talking about aerobics here – don’t make your team complete a set of jumping jacks at your next meeting. I’m referring to team building exercises. These don’t have to be groan-inducing company retreats, they can be short and sweet tasks that take less than 10 minutes (and it may even be better that way).

Before deciding on a team building exercise, it’s important to assess what specific challenges your team is facing. For example, does your team need to become more familiar with each other, or do they need to recover from a conflict? You may pick different exercises for each of these situations.

The frequency of your team building exercises should also be considered. Team building exercises are like physical exercise – if you do it often, the benefits are more long-lasting. You can’t summit Everest if you train twice a year. Teamwork is similar. If you want to achieve your teamwork goals, find a way to work the exercises into your weekly/monthly contact with your team.

Good communication is at the heart of great teamwork. Great teams communicate well and often, their members are happy to share ideas, brainstorm together, ask for feedback, and be contradicted.

This doesn’t mean team members always agree, but they’re able to communicate through their differences to settle on a sound solution and continue moving forwards as a team.

So, how to enable good communication?

Be clear: Set the tone for communication among the team. When is it acceptable to close your office door? Is it okay to contact someone after hours? How often should the whole team get together? This outline will help to keep everyone on the same page and communication flowing.

Listen: Communication is as much about listening as it is about speaking. Make sure you’re listening to fellow team members and actually considering their thoughts before offering your own solutions and input.

Method: There are so many ways to reach each other in the modern age. Try to use the most suitable tool to communicate for your specific needs, whether that’s email, a chat tool, phone call, or face to face. We’ve got an article that’ll help you decide which communication tool is best for what.

Touch base: Encourage informal meetings, information sharing, and huddles between team members. People shouldn’t have to wait for a weekly catch-up meeting to get together. Collaborative team members are comfortable communicating as and when they need to.

Collaboration tools: These enable workers to connect across the world, or across the office, in a group or one-to-one conversation. They also make progress on group projects at the times that are most convenient for them.

REF: Hannah Price. jostle.me

It starts at the top. If you don’t already have good teamwork at the grassroots level, then it’s time for the leadership team to, well, lead. By example. They’re the ones that the rest of your company look to for guidance, so they should be establishing teamwork as the norm. Their behaviour will trickle down through the company to leaders at each level of the company, then to all members of the teams. Eventually the whole organization will come to accept and expect this mode of working.

“It is really amazing how much an organization sucks up the behaviors of the leader,” said Nick Tolley CEO of Harris + Hoole, when speaking about the culture and values within his company.

“I didn’t quite appreciate this until I started this business. You can very easily see this when you are having a bit of a crap day, and you are a little bit downbeat. It is infectious. Very, very infectious.”

REF: Hannah Price. jostle.me

This is why every signee after James last summer only got a one-year deal.

With the roster as it currently stands, the Lakers will have just $62.2 million in committed salary for next season, leaving about $46.8 million in cap space. That is more than enough to sign a max free agent. While James is normally on his social media hiatus this time of year, he’s currently free to recruit DM as many upcoming free agents as he pleases.

So, who to target?

It’d be surprising to see either Kevin Durant or Kawhi Leonard join the Lakers, although general manager Rob Pelinka should definitely still make some calls. From there, four names stand out, in this order: Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, Klay Thompson and Jimmy Butler.

Irving is the most attractive option. He’s the youngest of the bunch at 27 and the only one James has already won a title with. The divorce between Irving and James is well-documented and led to the breakup of the Big Three in Cleveland, but all wounds eventually heal. As ESPN’s Brian Windhorst stated on The Hoop Collective podcast, don’t rule out Irving’s arrival just yet:

“I think the possibility of Kyrie and LeBron reuniting—that door, which was deadbolted, has been un-deadbolted and has now been cracked open … It might even be opening more by the day. And I say that just because I think it’s on Kyrie’s radar; it’s on Kyrie’s board. He has had discussions with people about playing for the Lakers.”

This would have the potential to be better than the 2014 to 2018 Cavaliers, with Irving now in his prime and Davis substituted for Kevin Love.

If Irving is still unsure about reuniting with James, Walker would be a nice consolation.

REF: GREG SWARTZ. bleacherreport.com

The failed Davis trade essentially ruined the season for both the Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans, but with Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin now running the Pelicans, trade talks should be back on. Griffin was the general manager for three of the four seasons James returned to Cleveland, assembling the championship team of 2015-16.

Griffin also carries plenty of experience with James and Davis’ agent, Rich Paul, who also represents Tristan Thompson and JR Smith. Griffin and Paul previously agreed on nearly $250 million worth of new contracts for James, Thompson and Smith while all were in Paul’s hometown of Cleveland.

While Griffin could try to build around Davis for one more year, maximizing his value in a trade before free agency in 2020 is the smart play.

If the Pelicans don’t want to part with All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday, they could reroute Lonzo Ball as part of a deal.

REF: GREG SWARTZ. bleacherreport.com

While this will disappoint trade-machine enthusiasts, no, the Lakers should not move James.

At age 34, he still put up the highest per-36-minute scoring average (28.0 points) and rebound mark (8.6) of his career while also posting the second-highest assist average (8.4) in his 16 seasons.

After a run of 13 straight postseasons and eight consecutive Finals, James finally has a chance to rest.

Coming into the 2018-19 season, James played in all 82 regular-season games, with 22 extra tacked on in the playoffs. In those 104 contests, he logged a league-high 3,948 minutes of court time. This was following a summer where he received just 108 days off from the end of the 2018 Finals to the opening day of Lakers training camp.

Now, James will have 178 days off between his last regular-season contest March 29 and the likely start of Lakers camp Sept. 24. That’s almost an extra two-and-a-half months.

He’s also coming off a season where he logged the fewest number of total games (55) and minutes (1,937) since his senior year of high school in 2002-03. That’s nearly half the number of games and fewer than half the total minutes of the season before.

What does a rested James even look like? The rest of the NBA shouldn’t want to find out.

REF: GREG SWARTZ. bleacherreport.com

Kylo Ren tells Rey to “Let the past die. Kill it if you have to.” And so this new trilogy has picked off our old heroes one by one. First Han Solo, murdered by his monstrous offspring. Then Luke Skywalker, whose Force projection trick proved to be too much to survive. And somehow Leia needs to go, too, because Carrie Fisher is sadly no longer with us.

Enough is enough, I say. Let’s not kill off any more of our beloved characters. Star Wars has always had an element of death and tragedy to it, from Luke’s uncle and aunt and Obi-Wan Kenobi dying in A New Hope, to Anakin dying after he finally came around to the Light. But between Han Solo, Luke, Leia, Admiral Ackbar and the entire cast of Rogue One, I’m all deathed-out. (Yes, I know that’s not a word.)

Don’t you dare kill Chewbacca, JJ Abrams. Don’t. You. Dare. And if you bring back Lando, don’t kill him off either. Don’t decommission C-3PO or R2-D2. Let some of these characters live a long and happy life. I want Chewie to grow old and grey with his Porg collection. Leave them alone, Disney, you monster.

REF: Erik Kain. Forbes.com

One of the great things about the original trilogy was the character dynamics it created. The wise-cracking Han Solo played so well off of serious Princess Leia and bright-eyed Luke, and over the three films they all grew closer and changed together.

But in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, only Rey and Finn and then Finn and Rose form any sort of relationship or friendship. Rey only briefly meets Poe Dameron, and Poe and Finn only spend that one escape scene together until the end. There is no scene of all our new characters on a ship together flying off on some crazy adventure. Rey wouldn’t have fled Ahch-To to go save Poe Dameron.

I do love how the new movies have focused on developing the weird bond between Rey and Kylo Ren, but I miss the fun camaraderie of the original trilogy. It’s not too late, though! Episode IX can bring our core characters together for an awesome adventure before invariably breaking them all apart for the final showdown. I want to see Poe Dameron and Chewie piloting the Millennium Falcon while Rey and Finn man the guns and Rose fixes the damaged reactor or whatever. Get the group together!

REF: Erik Kain. Forbes.com

Another of my biggest problems with both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi is the whole conflict set up in Episode VII. Like the Death Star, having a rag-tag Resistance face-off against an Empire 2.0 in the First Order feels kind of cheap, especially since we aren’t given any of the backstory about how the First Order formed, who Snoke is and so forth. I don’t really care who Snoke is at this point—he’s dead, after all—but I do care that we get some information on how he turned Kylo Ren, where the Knights of Ren are (and who) and how the First Order was able to get so powerful so quickly after the Empire lost so decisively at the Battle of Endor.

I could honestly go either way when it comes to theories that Rey isn’t actually nobody but remains some special daughter of a powerful Jedi. I wouldn’t be upset if this was all a head-fake, but I do really love how her origins mean nothing, that anyone—even a stable boy—can be a Force user now. But if we learn that she has a secret backstory, okay. I can live with that, too.

Still, Paul Tassi makes a convincing case that this would be a bad thing, and he’s got me worried that J.J. Abrams might ret-con a bunch of Rian Johnson’s material from The Last Jedi. I hope not.

REF: Erik Kain. Forbes.com

Speaking of stealing from Return of the Jedi, I have an idea. The Force Awakens was borderline remake of A New Hope while The Last Jedi shattered our Star Wars nostalgia and threw the baby out with the bathwater. I want Episode IX to fall somewhere in-between these two extremes. Actually, I would have liked both the previous films to fall between those two extremes but I guess The Last Jedi was just over-correcting a little bit after TFA, with writer/director Rian Johnson pretty purposefully tossing out some of Abrams’ ideas in the process. A middle ground would give us some of the same things that made RotJ great, but also new ideas. New places, new conflicts, new character struggles but similar themes of redemption, self-growth and so forth. Make it feel more like a proper Star Wars film than The Last Jedi felt, but still make it more original than TFA. Okay, I realize this is vague but I think you get the point. Take the (reasonable) complaints against both films and draw from them. All these other suggestions will help. REF: Erik Kain. Forbes.com

One of my biggest complaints about The Last Jedi was how the movie rushed through all the cool new alien planets. Crait had a cool scene, but I wanted more time on that planet and less time in the fleet. Same with Ahch-To and Canto Bight.

In Return of the Jedi we get long stretches on both Tatooine in Jabba the Hutt’s palace and on his cruise ship and we get a long sequence on Endor. We even get a brief return to Dagobah. These long sequences give us a real sense of place and stick in our memories because of it. In Empire Strikes Back we get long sequences on Hoth, Dagobah and Cloud City and again, these stick in our memories as distinct, real places.

But the new movies are really dropping the ball in this regard. Other than Jakku, we hop around quite a bit in The Force Awakens. Rogue One is even more guilty of this, darting from one planet to the next at such breakneck speed it’s still hard for me to recall what happened where. Alas, so did The Last Jedi, though perhaps not quite as badly.

In Episode IX the only thing I want Abrams to steal from Return of the Jedi is this sense of place and world-building. Give us two or three locations only and flesh them out, make them fascinating and alive. As much as I enjoy the new films, none of the locations in any of them have felt as real as Jabba’s palace, the icy Hoth base or the Redwoods of Endor.

REF: Erik Kain. Forbes.com

I think The Last Jedi gave Luke a truly wonderful send-off. I can’t imagine a better way for Luke to finally shuffle off this mortal coil than to do it on his own terms after saving the day one last time. Those twin suns were the perfect backdrop, reminding us of a much younger Luke just about to begin his long journey.

But I don’t want this to be the last we see of Luke. I want him to come back, at peace now at long last, as the wise old Jedi everybody was hoping he’d be in The Last Jedi. I’m glad we got cranky, disillusioned Luke because it’s way, way more interesting that way, but I also want to see a happier, content Luke. I want Yoda to come back, too, but it doesn’t really make sense because Yoda has no real connection to Rey.

I can’t imagine they won’t do this, but who knows? Another question I have is whether they’ll have Leia come back as a Force Ghost also. She was a Force user if not a Jedi. Not sure what the common thinking is on this or if it really matters.

REF: Erik Kain. Forbes.com

The best way to handle Leia’s death would be for it to happen before Episode IX even begins, and the best way to do that would be to have a time-jump. Actually, a time-jump could solve a lot of problems with the new trilogy.

Recall, there was a time-jump between both A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, and between Empire and Return of the Jedi. This time jump allowed the characters to grow and for various things to occur off-screen that helped make the stories make sense. For instance, the Empire was able to rally after their stunning defeat in Episode IV in the intervening time that we don’t see, helping to explain why they’re so strong still even after losing the Death Star.

Luke is also able to go and train off-screen before Episode VI, helping him grow into a more powerful, confident Jedi and allowing him to instantly be older and more experienced than he was in Episode V.

But Episode VII and VIII pick up right after one another thanks to the former’s cliff-hanger ending. This time a time-jump could help with lots of things, like give Rey time to go study the Jedi texts and train, build her own lightsaber (see above) and so forth. It could also position us in a cool new planet with a new rebel base and so forth, and help give the writers a better jumping off point for the film with various stories already underway. We didn’t have to see how Leia, Chewie and Lando formed their plan to rescue Han Solo, or how Luke trained and RotJ was better for it. The same applies here.

REF: Erik Kain. Forbes.com

The CGI work in the new Star Wars movies is terrific—for the most part. It’s nowhere near as overused as the prequel films, but it can be overdone at times.

But where it really falls short is in Rogue One. Both CGI young Leia and CGI Tarkin are marvelous looking as far as CGI faces go, but they’re still both on this side of the uncanny valley. CGI Tarkin looks incredibly fake when you put him next to actual people, and while they did an excellent job on Leia by using a real actress who just happens to look like Carrie Fisher, it’s still unsettling.

It will be far, far more unsettling to have CGI Leia in Episode IX and, I believe, a huge disservice to Fisher’s legacy. Instead, I think Leia should die off-screen and we should only see her funeral—a good excuse to rally what remains of the resistance from across the galaxy.

REF: Erik Kain. Forbes.com

Rey fights with a staff. She spent her younger years surviving on Jakku, fighting off other scavengers and brigands and other unsavory types, so she was already a trained fighter at the outset of The Force Awakens.

But she’s trained with a staff, not a sword, and if you look carefully her lightsaber fights show that she uses her saber like a staff. It would be so completely amazing to have her craft a double-bladed lightsaber just like Darth Maul’s but with green or blue blades instead of red.

Actually, my daughter suggested Rey should have a purple lightsaber. Then my brother pointed out that Mace Windu’s lightsaber was purple and that it was purple because it was a blend of red and blue. Turns out, the purple indicates that Windu had studied even Sith techniques. It also turns out that the purple is made from a rare crystal found on the planet Hurikane, which is a silly name for a planet but a potentially cool film location, since it’s in Wild Space, even more distant and unexplored than the Unknown Regions. (Weirdly the rare crystals found on Hurikane are called Hurrikaine crystals, spelled like my last name but with an “e” on the end. Not sure why they’re spelled differently from the planet itself.)
So anyways, double-bladed purple lightsaber for Rey. Make it happen, J.J. Abrams

I mean, just picture that in your head for a minute. It’s pretty cool right? And it makes way more sense than Kylo Ren’s incredibly silly lightsaber with the laser hilt. That’s just trash design.

In fact, I wish it had been Kylo Ren’s lightsaber that had broken in The Last Jedi. Maybe they can have both characters craft new laser swords for Episode IX. Have Kylo Ren make a Darksaber—a lightsaber that emits a pure black blade. That would be rad. Though maybe if Kylo has a Darksaber, Rey should have a yellow double-bladed saber.

Erik Kain. Forbes.com

Since this is J.J. Abrams, I feel compelled to say this: Please don’t bring back another, even bigger Death Star. They are obviously deeply inefficient weapons, costing a fortune but always too flawed to survive even a minor rebel assault.

Beyond that, it’s just lazy. I can forgive The Return Of The Jedi re-using the Death Star concept, partly because it was done so well and gave us the great Endor battle and the wonderful throne room scene. But Starkiller Base was too much of a retread in a movie already far too similar to A New Hope.

Instead, give us more cool stuff like Snoke’s huge ship or the Dreadnaught or, even better, a First Order home planet. Anything other than yet another Death Star will do. Since Snoke is dead, we don’t have to worry too much about this being a rehash of Episode VI, but leaving giant round space stations out of it would be a big help.

Erik Kain. Forbes.com

Trees are like the vacuums of our planet. Through their leaves and bark, they suck up harmful pollutants and release clean oxygen for us to breathe. In urban environments, trees absorb pollutant gases like nitrogen oxides, ozone, and carbon monoxide, and sweep up particles like dust and smoke. Increasing levels of carbon dioxide caused by deforestation and fossil fuel combustion trap heat in the atmosphere. Healthy, strong trees act as carbon sinks; absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide and reducing the effects of climate change.

Unclean water and poor sanitation are a leading cause of child mortality. Childhood diarrhoea is closely associated with insufficient water supply, inadequate sanitation, water contaminated with communicable disease agents, and poor hygiene practices. Diarrhoea is estimated to cause 1.5 million child deaths per year, mostly among children under five living in developing countries.

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