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The Canadian Bookseller’s Association awarded Margaret Atwood a Lifetime Achievement Award at their national conference on June 3, 2012. We are pleased to share Atwood’s acceptance speech with you.
I’m extremely honoured to be receiving this CBA Lifetime Achievement award. And thank you to all in the community who have been part of this lifetime in books—including my family—Graeme Gibson, my political advisor, who frequently says “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” and once kept me from running for Mayor of Toronto by commenting, “That would be a Norman Mailerish kind of thing to do;” and my daughter, Jess Gibson, an early and very astute reader of my work in draft.
And my fellow writers throughout the years—I first met Michael Ondaatje when he was 18, if you can imagine that; and the many booksellers; and the publishers; and the editors, two of whom are here tonight—Louise Dennys, and Ellen Seligman, without whose reading glasses I would be unable to make this speech. Thank you to all.
Though I’m finding the term “Lifetime Achievement” increasingly ominous these days. Possibly it means, “All right, that’s enough lifetime for you—now you’ve achieved it. Time to shut up.”
As the years speed by, and as one receives awards impossible to bestow upon anyone under, say, sixty, one begins to feel more and more like the English philosopher Jeremy Bentham, who ordered in his will that after his death he should be stuffed by a taxidermist and wheeled out every year to attend a dinner in his own honour—which request has been annually fulfilled, though bits are now beginning to fall off Jeremy.
Bits do begin to fall off—it’s inevitable—though I hasten to assure you that it was not my foot that was sent recently to the Conservative Party of Canada. I have not yet reached that stage.
We do however live in perilous times. Perilous in many ways; but, specifically, perilous for booksellers. I’ll get to the perilousness in a minute, but first, some nostalgia:
My own bookselling activities began in 1961, when, together with a friend, I hand–set my first poetry collection and printed it on a flatbed press. It had seven poems, and we didn’t have enough a’s, so we had to disassemble each poem before we could set the next one. The cover was printed from a lino–block, and the pages were rubber–cemented in—a mistake, as the rubber cement dried out shortly thereafter and the pages fell out. We made 200 copies of this book—wish I’d kept more of them, considering the increase in value—and went around to bookstores in Toronto, which were all indies then, except for Coles, which didn’t sell many Canadian books anyway. Some of the booksellers were kind enough to let us put these little books of mine on the magazine rack, where they sold for 50¢—we wrote the price on with a pencil. So that was my first bookselling adventure.
Then came the House of Anansi poetry years. By this time it was the later 60s, and the dreaded book tour was beginning to take shape. It was mostly poets—prose readings were in the future, and would arrive with the advent of the Literary Festivals that germinated right here in Toronto, with spores from the Bohemian Embassy and cross–fertilization from Adelaide eventually sprouting as Greg Gatenby’s Harbourfront International Writers’ Festival, and then spreading all over the world. But in the later sixties it was still only poets, travelling mostly on trains and buses from event to event, like the minisingers of old, and quite frequently sleeping on one another’s floors. And eating in greasy spoons. Horrifying fact: in those days there were no lattes.
The poets carted their own books around with them and sold them in person at their readings, which were sometimes in high school gyms and sometimes at universities—not yet at bookstores; bookstore readings came in the 70s. There were no credit cards yet: we collected the actual money in brown paper envelopes and took it back and handed it to the publishers. So that was my second bookselling adventure.
My third bookselling adventure came when I published my first novel, with McClelland and Stewart. It had been finished in 1965, but Jack McClelland had misplaced the manuscript, after the firm had already said they’d publish it. I knew nothing about big–company publishing then—but did it usually take that long? However, I then—surprisingly—won the Governor General’s Award for my first book of poems, The Circle Game, and Jack McClelland read an interview about it in the paper. (The interview was done by a returning Vietnam war correspondent. There was 27–year–old me in my orange mini–dress and black fishnet stockings, there was battle–hardened him, and neither of us knew what to say. Finally he blurted out, “Say something interesting. Say you write all your poetry on drugs.”)
The article in the paper revealed that I had an unpublished novel, and Jack wrote and asked to see it. I told him the company had been seeing it for several years, at which point Jack said we should have a drink. We had one—or I had one—and Jack blamed the disappearance of the manuscript on a woman who’d got pregnant; well, you know how that addles their brains. (In reality the manuscript was sitting on the floor of Jack’s office, under a lot of other paper. I was unsympathetic when I found this out—being young—but now that I lose things in my own office under a lot of other paper, I am more indulgent.)
So all was resolved, and the book came out in the fall of 1969. I was living in Edmonton at the time, and I did my first professional book signing in the men’s sock and underwear department of the Hudson’s Bay Company, thus frightening a lot of men who’d come in to have a peaceful experience with the jockey shorts and instead got ambushed by me, peddling a tome called The Edible Woman. A lot of galoshes went flapping off in the opposite direction, I can tell you. At last I was a published novelist, but was I now going to spend my life waylaying men in the socks department? I hoped not.
It was in Edmonton, too, that I discovered the bookstore as haven. Hurtig’s bookstore—run by Mel Hurtig—was a small oasis in a place and at a time that did not afford too many of them to artsy–fartsies from the distrusted Toronto. In the 70’s there were a lot of bookstore havens—in Toronto alone, for instance, the Longhouse Bookstore of glorious memory, Pages, Brittnell’s, The Book Celler. Books and Books. Many of them have gone to Bookseller Heaven, where they have been rewarded by a clientele that never asks for a book they don’t have, never pilfers, and never shouts at the booksellers or throws things at them. I burn a candle in their memory. Let us not forget that even now it is the indie bookstores who are most likely to discover and promote young, promising writers from smaller and more literary presses in Canada. They are the openers of doors.
Skip ahead ten years or so, to a time when Jack McClelland had made some kind of truce with the ornery Jack Coles, the upshot of which was that his authors were slotted into various Coles bookstores across the land to do signings. It was thus that I found myself in a Coles in a suburban mall in Winnipeg on a Tuesday afternoon. There was no one in the bookstore. There was no one in the mall. I sat at my little table piled hopefully with copies of Bodily Harm, wondering why I couldn’t give my books more appealing titles, such as How To Make Lots of Money, Have Great Sex, Be Universally Adored, and See God—playing with my rollerball or similar pen, and reciting to myself some bracing lines from Marlowe’s play, Doctor Faustus—“Why, this is Hell, nor am I out of it.” Finally the door opened and a lone man came in. Plonk, plonk, plonk, went his feet on the floor. He was walking right towards me! Brightly I smiled. He leaned over the table. “Where’s the Scotch Tape?” he inquired. “I think it’s at the back,” I said. And that was it. My forty–fourth bookselling adventure.
So much for the nostalgia—which is one thing the recipients of Lifetime Achievement Awards are supposed to deliver. They are also expected to say a few cheering and encouraging words about the future—a future at which they will most likely not be present except in a stuffed form, so they will never be held accountable for whatever predictions they make. Thus, always fun and safe for the predictor; though not always for the predictee.
Skip ahead to the present. Everything in Bookworld has changed; or enough has changed to make an always difficult business even more difficult. Gone are the days of the clay tablet, the papyrus, the scroll, and the first codex books on scraped calfskin. Gone are the days of first-blush Gutenberg, when the printer, publisher, and bookseller were the same entity, thus causing printers to be disemboweled for selling seditious pamphlets—hey, some things have improved for booksellers, at least temporarily! Gone too the advent of the first literary periodicals, once disruptive; and the rise and rise and rise of the big newspapers; and the invention of the glossy magazines; and the domination of the mass–market paperback book; and the novelty of quality trade paperbacks.
Yet more changes are predicted. Not a day passes without a new blog or online publication offering a gloomy scenario about real literature turning to confetti, or the death of the paper book, or the demise of bricks and mortar bookstores; or screeds about the all–conquering Amazon, which, having rolled the dice—Alea iacta est, as Caesar said as he crossed the Rubicon on his way to becoming a military dictator—is now bestriding “the narrow world like a colossus, and we petty authors, publishers and booksellers Walk under its huge legs and peep about To find ourselves dishonourable graves. (As Cassius says, more or less, in Julius Caesar; continuing: “The fault… is not in our stars, But in ourselves…”)
Things are in flux, to be sure. On the other hand, various shades of grey just sold five million hardbacks. On the other hand, those who buy more ebooks also seem to buy more paper books. On the third hand, large paper sales lead to large e–sales: the two seem joined at the hip. On the fourth hand, how do readers find books? How do people know what they want to read? From reviews, yes. From book clubs of various kinds, yes. From lateral recommendations via social media, yes. But the serendipity factor still comes largely from bookstore visits. It is there that you find the unknown unknowns—the books you didn’t even know you wanted. Now we are told that Amazon itself, having declared war on bookstores, may be about to open—a bookstore! What? Where? Why? My head is spinning.
And what about the much–disputed tug of war between e–forms and paper forms?
In my novel Oryx and Crake, the non–hero, Jimmy—a wordsmith who memorizes obsolete locutions—briefly has a job destroying paper books in a library. (He’s no good at it because he can’t throw anything out.) In the future, we are told, everything, but everything, will be online, and physical books will have gone the way of the dodo. But not so fast. First, who’s telling us that? Those who’d stand to profit, and have already profited. Second, the neurologists are now probing the difference between reading on the page and reading on a device or online. There is a difference for the brain, it seems, and that is one of depth and retention; and these are just the early findings. There has to be a reason why schools in Silicon Valley are not letting kids get their hands on computers before the age of eight. Third, anything in the world of e has a limited shelf life. The devices change—where are the music tape cassettes of yesteryear? In the same place the CDs of today may shortly be, once companies change the playing devices. And what did happen to all those floppy disks you once worked so hard with a hairpin to unstuck from your tiny–screened early PC? You can’t read them now. And all the rest of the seemingly–eternal devices will follow, because profits depend on planned obsolescence.
And, however it’s served up, electronic data is highly vulnerable, because it’s so easily degradable. Some are already predicting a black hole of information, wherein our entire history, having been digitized, will vanish. I ran a blog post two years ago called “Three Reasons to Keep Paper Books.” They were not the usual reasons—“I love the lush, sumptuous smell of new paper,” “I can give them as gifts,” “I hate e-reading,” “I can get paper books wet in the bath,” and all the rest. They were:
1. Solar flares—a good dose of them wipes electronic data.
2. Grid brownout and collapse—the electrical grid on this continent is fraying at the edges already, and the drain on it via computing devices is enormous; and all things e depend on massive supplies of cheap energy, reliably delivered.
3. Internet overload. As the net expands, its capacity must be increased and increased. Which in theory it can be, via more server farms, but they are still vulnerable to 1 and 2. And bandwidth itself is not unlimited. (A hazard just mentioned by David Pogue in The New York Times.).
When the power goes off, you won’t be able to read on your e–device once the battery runs out. But you can read a paper book without constant energy input. Not only that, they make great insulation, and—in a pinch—good kindling. The best choice for readers is both: e–forms, for rapidity of access, searchability, and portability; and paper forms, for in–depth reading, durability, and tangibility. Most readers want both. And the best choice for booksellers and publishers is to be able to provide both.
What both forms deliver is stories. It is not stories themselves that are in any way threatened. Storytelling—narration, whether fictional or non–fictional—will not disappear as long as there is human language. As Robert Bringhurst has said in his very suggestive book, The Tree of Meaning, “Stories are the reproductive organs of languages.” They are how language transmits itself. Narration is built into us; it’s most likely one of the evolved adaptations that were selected for in the Pleistocene because of the survival value they conferred, and it is thus very ancient, and resides at the core of our humanity. We understand our world through the stories we tell ourselves and one another about it.
One rationalization going around is that since people are natural story–tellers, they will tell stories anyway—everyone does, unless they’ve lost their short–term memory—and they will do it for nothing, so why pay? The online world swarms with websites and social networks devoted to this proposition, and very successful some of them are. In the equation A via B to R, in which A is the author and R is the reader, B stands for any mode of transmission, including the traditional publisher–distributor–bookseller chain, but also including the online site–device–connection provider chain. Two tin cans and a string, as in those walkie–talkies people of my age made as kids; and it’s the string that’s under dispute, because it’s the string that’s been making the money. Some would like the string to make more money by having the author make less, or none; others have recognized the value of “content providers”—don’t you love the idea of, say, Tolstoy, as a content provider?—and are luring authors to their own bit of string with promises of more pie. Or at least some pie. As an author, I’m not against that. But it is always R—the reader—who pays. Even if books are so–called “free,” R is paying for the device, the connection bill, and so forth. All string money comes from R. Without R there would be no string.
So what should booksellers do? Foster R, to be sure—help the spread of literacy and reading as much as they can—but also, improve their string. Show the value they add to readers and writers both, and then add more value. And we must recognize that we’re all in this together—writers, string providers, and readers. It’s a triangle, it’s always been a triangle, and without one corner—any one corner—the other two cannot stand. And the sooner we all recognize and honour that triangular situation, the better things will be for all.
I’d conclude with some words about the importance of reading, and of choice, and of the absence of censorship, and of the evils of monopolies, but I’m sure you know all that. So I will simply say: Thank you very much for this touching honour. It’s been a grand journey—the journey of the bookfolk—and it continues. Long may you all be traveling companions upon it. As for me—let me quote the great Russian content provider, Alexander Pushkin, from his Farewell to the Reader at the end of Eugene Onegin:
Whoever you are, my dearest reader,
Friend, enemy, n’importe qui,
Let me part with you equitably.
Farewell. Whatever you have sought from me…
I hope you will find a grain or two.
With that we part. And farewell to you!
Thank you, very much, again.
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domain: literature


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Styx landed gracefully upon the rooftop, making hardly a sound at all. His glide hadn’t taken him far enough to get out of Salidar’s palatial complex, and the real test of his abilities was about to begin as he tried to avoid the guards to escape.
He crouched and moved as quickly as he could toward the edge of the roof before peering over the side, searching for any sign of movement below him. Salidar’s men were among the best at stealth that the Shade had to offer, but Styx didn’t have to see them to know that they might be there. If he looked for the patches of shadow that offered the best vantage points, he could work on the assumption that there was someone there, waiting to catch him.
Styx was sure that Maxthane wouldn’t call the guards on him, but that didn’t mean his absence would go unnoticed for long. Salidar’s power was dependent upon having as much information as possible, and he would check on his son in time and find that Styx had escaped. Styx turned his gaze back to Maxthane’s small window set in the side of the cavern wall, where lamplight still flickered and showed that someone lived there. Styx wondered what story Maxthane would tell; if he would lie to his father or tell the truth. Maxthane had risked a great deal in letting him go, and Styx wouldn’t blame him for lying about how Styx had escaped.
There was more to Maxthane than Styx had originally admitted, and he hoped that he would be able to make good on his unheard promise to return. He had never felt connected to someone before, but their last kiss still lingered on his lips. Whatever strange circumstances had brought them together, Styx couldn’t put the feeling of Max’s skin out of his mind.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he returned his focus to the task at hand. He could do nothing for Max until he escaped. He surveyed the shadows a second time to be certain of his route, and was about to move forward when a hand reached from behind to cover his mouth, while a knife was put against his ribs.
“Don’t make a sound, all right?” Styx recognized the man’s voice but couldn’t place it. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I had to make sure you wouldn’t react when you saw me. I’m going to put my knife away and let you go.”
Styx nodded and the man released him. He turned slowly, not wanting to make any sudden moves lest he find the knife returning to his ribcage, and took a good look at the man that had managed to sneak up on him. It was the man who had helped Grim save him from the poison; Prism, if Styx remembered correctly.
“Are you going to turn me in?” Styx asked, keeping his voice at a whisper. He shifted his stance, preparing to run if Prism answered in the affirmative. Prism was not a Shade; his accent, and the lack of the Shadesight tattoo made that easy to determine, but he was walking freely in Salidar’s complex, and that was cause enough for suspicion.
“Do you think I work for Salidar?” Prism whispered with a raised eyebrow. Shrugging, he drew his knife again, and Styx almost ran until the man flipped the knife over and handed it to him, hilt first. “Here, if we’re going to escape, you might need a weapon.”
“We’re going to escape?” Styx asked, taking the knife cautiously, “You’re a prisoner as well?”
“Salidar calls me a ‘guest’,” Prism replied with a smile. He waved for Styx to follow him as he headed toward the other side of the rooftop.
“Hang on,” Styx said, catching up to Prism. He extended the knife back toward its owner as he insisted, “I work alone. And I intend to escape alone. I can’t have anyone else dragging me down.”
“Do you believe in blood debts, Styx?” Prism asked, ignoring the knife, “And repaying the people who save your life?”
“I suppose I do owe you,” Styx admitted. “What exactly do you want from me?”
“Before I came across you I was going to have to attempt an escape blind,” Prism explained. “I’m not from here, and my eyes are not accustomed to the darkness. You, on the other hand, walk as if this terrain is your home. I need a guide if I’m going to make it out of here without having to kill people, and I don’t like killing needlessly.”
“So you want me to risk my neck to save you?” Styx asked. He glanced toward the outer wall of the complex and his intended escape route and then back to Prism.
“No. You don’t owe a blood debt to me. I didn’t save your life, Grim did.” With a smile that said it didn’t matter to him which way Styx decided, he explained, “I just so happen to be on my way to free him right now. If you have any honor, you’ll join me and repay your debt.”
Without waiting for a reply, Prism peered over the edge of the rooftop and then jumped down to the shadowed passageway between the structures. Styx took a quick look over his shoulder, hesitating as he considered abandoning Prism, and then his conscience got the better of him. He did owe a great deal to Grim. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and then turned back to where Prism was moving through the darkness and jumped down to join him, hoping he wouldn’t regret it.
An enemy was upon him the second he was on the ground, a guard with a bow drawn and pointed in his direction who had failed to notice Prism’s movements. The guard opened his mouth to call out to his fellow guards when Prism appeared behind him, cutting off his air supply with a chokehold. The archer crumpled to the ground instantly, unconscious, and Styx turned to give Prism an appreciative nod. Prism didn’t waste any more time with the body, and he smiled and nodded back to Styx before waving him forward. Styx hurried after Prism but glanced down at the guard as he rushed past, realizing that he now owed Prism as much as he owed Grim.
They reached a door a short time later, and Prism leaned against it with his ear. Prism nodded and then opened the door slowly before heading down a narrow flight of stairs on the other side. At the bottom of the staircase was a room that Styx recognized. Caged animals stirred as Prism and Styx stepped into the large dungeon that led to the gladiators’ prison. Prism motioned for Styx to stop as he nodded toward the lone guard who stood at the side of the ironbound door. It was Jakkel, in his beetle likeness, lazily tapping his sword against the wall.
“You lost, mate?” Jakkel asked, noticing them right away. He squinted through the slits of his helmet, his vision obscured much more by the metal than by the darkness. Styx was sure that Jakkel was a Shade, and therefore was guaranteed to have the ability to see as well in the dark as Styx could. Though Jakkel’s position didn’t change, he stopped tapping his sword as his eyes fell upon Styx. “Hey, I know you. You’re that kid they threw in earlier today. Did you come to rejoin your friends?”
Prism stayed motionless, keeping his eyes on Jakkel while the guard stayed where he was. Styx looked between them, waiting for one of them to make the next move until Jakkel interrupted the silence. “I suppose not. So, you’re insane then. Come and try me. You’ll regret it.”
Prism dashed toward Jakkel quicker than Styx could follow with his eyes, much less his feet. As he neared Jakkel’s position he leapt into the air, aiming a kick toward Jakkel’s helmeted head. Jakkel barely managed to get his sword in position in time to deflect the attack, forcing Prism to adjust and kick off of the flat of the blade, rebounding in a perfect backflip. He landed in a ready stance and beckoned Jakkel toward him.
Jakkel didn’t need to be invited twice. With a sinister laugh he charged toward Prism, sword leveled at Prism’s midsection. Much faster than the armored warrior, Prism stepped to the side at the last second and dropped to the ground, rolling past Jakkel and coming up behind him. Before Jakkel could turn around, Prism was already standing and delivering a side-kick to Jakkel’s back. The kick connected solidly and sent Jakkel sprawling forward from both the momentum of the kick with what was left of Jakkel’s own charge.
Jakkel landed hard against the floor at Styx’s feet, and Styx jumped back to avoid the collision before dashing back into range with his knife in hand. He pulled up short as Jakkel rose to one knee and glared at him, promising instant death at the end of his sword if Styx were to come any closer. Styx glanced past to see that Prism was in the process of removing the first of the three lock bars that held shut the door to the gladiators’ cell.
Prism was reaching for the second lock bar by the time that Jakkel was on his feet again, turning his attention away from Styx and back to Prism, leaving his back exposed to Styx. Styx stepped forward, seeking an opening in Jakkel’s armor only to find that Jakkel had anticipated the maneuver and spun around to backhand Styx across his cheek with a gauntleted hand. Pain shot through Styx’s face as he fell to the ground several feet away, momentarily dazed by the strike.
Styx reached up to his cheek as Jakkel glanced at him with a sneer and said, “Wait your turn, kid. I’ll kill you after I kill your friend.” The loud clang of metal on stone as Prism discarded the second lock bar brought Jakkel’s attention back to Prism as he prepared his footwork for another charge.
Before Jakkel started his charge, Prism turned and began walking calmly toward with him. Jakkel shifted his feet back to a more stable stance and gripped his sword in both hands as he waited for Prism to come to him. Prism’s arms were at his sides, leaving his torso open to attack if Jakkel pressed forward, but Jakkel waited until Prism was within range and then thrust forward with remarkable speed. Prism stepped to the side and then in, fluidly moving to the side of the sword and catching Jakkel’s extended arm.
Prism stepped forward again as he simultaneously crouched down and twisted underneath Jakkel’s arm and then twisted that arm behind Jakkel’s back, causing him to pitch forward with what was left of his momentum. Prism released his grip on Jakkel and let him fall forward, though he slid his hand down to snatch the sword from Jakkel’s grasp in the process. Prism tossed the sword to the side and then crouched down by Jakkel’s side and reached for his arm, preparing to pin him.
As Prism reached out, Jakkel rolled onto his back and raised his foot, revealing a row of nasty spikes along the bottom of his boot before kicking out toward Prism’s exposed side. Prism rolled backward and out of the way, but the maneuver bought Jakkel enough time to regain his footing and pick up his sword. He was snarling as he faced Prism again, but there was a glint in his eye that said that he was enjoying himself. “You’re really good, I admit it. You might even win,” Jakkel conceded. “But I’m not out of tricks yet.”
Jakkel drove forward, attacking in a flurry of tight thrusts that kept his arms close to his body, giving Prism no opportunity to grab him again. None of the strikes came close to hitting Prism’s quick form either, and Jakkel’s expression turned from one of determination to one of frustration and then desperation. Jakkel stabbed forward once more, but pulled back at the last second and swung up with his gauntleted hand, catching Prism in the face. Styx heard the sound of metal on metal as Jakkel’s fist collided with Prism’s cheek, and Prism was hardly staggered by the blow. He rolled with the punch and caught Jakkel’s arm, giving him an opening to strike at Jakkel’s armored torso.
Prism pummeled Jakkel’s stomach and chest with a quick series of punches that were strong enough to dent the armor, and followed it up with one quick side-kick that struck Jakkel squarely in the center of his chest. Jakkel flew backward and crashed into one of the cages, his sword falling to the ground beside him. The large cat inside, a variety of tiger with a black base coat and white stripes, seemed less than pleased to have its cage shaken. It growled and readied itself to pounce on Jakkel as he lay against the bars of the cage.
The cat never pounced, and as Jakkel rose to his feet he declared, “Hah, it’s not over yet!” With a snarl he reached up to the pin holding the cage closed and opened the door. The snarling cat eagerly took the offered escape route and then took up a defensive position in front of Jakkel. Jakkel smiled in triumph and commanded the cat, “Get the dark one, Tiba!” The cat was eager to please its master and charged toward Prism and pounced, its snarling jaws aimed directly for Prism’s throat. Prism met the cat’s jaws with his arm bracer as the cat bore him to the ground.
Styx watched in horror as Prism wrestled with the cat, but his terror doubled as Jakkel turned his murderous eyes toward him. With a sinister grin, Jakkel moved toward Styx after reaching down to retrieve his sword. Though his feet urged him to run, Styx forced himself to stay after glancing at Prism. If he abandoned Prism now then Prism was sure to be killed. Styx couldn’t allow that; he owed the man his life.
“You honestly think you can take me on, kid?” Jakkel cackled, stopping just a few feet in front of him, “Your friend over there may have what it takes, but I’ve already seen how you fight. You did a pretty well against that demon, I admit, but you can’t even think straight while you’re facing death, can you?”
Styx glanced at Prism again. The cat seemed to be doing all it could to rake Prism’s torso to pieces as its claws shredded the cloth and leather that protected Prism’s flesh. Prism punched at the cat’s face repeatedly, causing blood to splatter across the dungeon floor, though Styx couldn’t tell how much belonged to the cat and how much was Prism’s.
“Are you gonna stand there, or are you going to fight me?” Styx growled, ignoring the man’s attempt to unnerve him. He shifted his feet, rising up on the balls of his feet as he prepared to spring away when Jakkel came at him. As his feet shifted he also changed his grip on the knife in his hands, preparing to throw it if he found an effective opening.
“I admit, you’ve got some fight in ya, but it’s nothing against my skill. Are you prepared to die?” Jakkel slashed at Styx’s neck as he finished his sentence, and Styx ducked low and then sprang to the side before moving backward toward the stairs. Another slash caused Styx to move another step back, and a quick glance over his shoulder told him that he was quickly running out of space.
“You can’t run forever, kid,” Jakkel taunted as Styx dodged backward again, “Even if you dodge me all day, eventually the other guards are gonna come looking down here. You’re not going to escape, and you might as well surrender.”
“No, thank you,” Styx replied, breathing heavily. Jakkel was relentless in his assault, and Styx was quickly losing stamina in the face of the swinging and thrusting blade, especially considering that he was still feeling the effects of dehydration. He wasn’t sure what would happen first, running out of room or running out of adrenaline. Either way, he was going to die unless he could come up with a different plan.
“Suit yourself,” Jakkel replied with a snarl and hacked downward with his sword. Styx dodged to his right, only to find Jakkel’s sword thrusting toward his stomach as he fell for the feint. Styx dropped to the ground in desperation to get out of the way of the sword. Grinning in triumph, Jakkel readjusted his thrust and aimed down at his prone target.
With one last desperate burst of speed, Styx rolled away from the strike. Though it didn’t pierce his flesh, it punctured the leather membrane of his gliding armor, pinning him in place. The pin halted his momentum, leaving him in line for another strike, and Jakkel quickly pulled back to stab at him again. Styx kicked out with his foot, and through sheer luck he managed to hit the inside of Jakkel’s knee hard enough to bring Jakkel crashing down on top of him.
The heavy weight of Jakkel and his armor falling onto his chest knocked the breath out of him. By the time Styx recovered he knew that he was dead. He lashed out with his knife but Jakkel pinned his arm down with one hand and sneered at Styx as he raised his other gauntleted hand to smash it into Styx’s face. Styx closed his eyes and braced himself for the impact, but it never came. He heard the sound of metal on metal, and felt Jakkel’s weight slip off of him.
His eyes shot open and he looked up into Prism’s eyes, which were filled with concern. Prism extended his hand to help him up, and Styx took it eagerly, allowing Prism to pull him to his feet. Only then did Styx look for Jakkel and found him lying motionless on the floor, unconscious or dead.
Styx spared a glance in the direction of the cat, and gasped when he saw the bloody mess that Prism had made of its face. He wasn’t sure if the cat was still alive, but if it did manage to survive, it would likely never fully heal from its wounds. They had won the fight, and the only thing that stood in the way of freeing Grim was the large iron door, still locked by a single lock bar.
Prism was already moving toward the door, and with little effort he removed the final bar and flung it wide. The room was just as bright as it had been when Styx had been there hours before, and many of the gladiators were talking quietly amongst themselves while several of their number slept. Grim was standing and speaking with a small group and looked over when the door swung open. His eyes widened as he recognized Prism standing in the doorway.
“Grim?” Prism asked as he stepped into the room and his eyes adjusted to the light. “Grim, let’s go!”
“Prism! What are you doing here?” Grim replied, his surprise not diminishing at all. He glanced past Prism and noticed Styx coming through the doorway as well, “Styx? You’re escaping?”
“Yes, and we’re taking you with us,” Styx replied quickly, stepping around Prism and into the room. Remembering that the guards they had dispatched could wake up at any moment, he added an urgent plea, “Now come on. Let’s go.”
“I’m sorry, Prism, Styx, but no,” Grim replied. “I can’t. Not unless you have a plan for getting all of us out at any rate. I can’t leave them.”
“You told me ‘he’ was here,” Prism replied carefully, locking eyes with Grim. “We need to get you to safety.”
“No. What I need to do is see this through, Prism,” Grim replied coldly, but his features softened as he explained. “I don’t believe he’s aware of my identity. I’m safe here, and I need to keep these people safe. With Kutos and Hurr dead someone has to lead these people or they’ll all die in the pit.”
The gladiators around Grim looked to him in a mixture of concern and gratitude, though a few of them looked eager. The door was open after all, and that meant an opportunity to escape for some of them. Styx picked up on their eagerness and suggested, “What if we all escape together?”
“Not an option, Styx,” Grim replied grimly, “I’m afraid that such a large group will be noticed too quickly, and most of us will die in the process. No, save yourselves, and let me worry about them. I can keep them alive, I’m sure of it.”
To Styx’s surprise, he found the rest of the room nodding. For whatever reason, they trusted Grim’s words and judgment. Even though the door was open, none of them were going to take the opportunity without his consent. Kutos hadn’t been lying when he said that there was a structure to how things worked amongst the gladiators, and it was apparent that Grim was the new person in charge.
“Are you sure about this?” Prism asked in concern, “I don’t know if you’ll get a second chance to escape.”
“I’m sure,” Grim replied firmly, “This is too important. I’ve taken too many lives to not save one when I can.” He shook his head and sighed, but then, with resolve strong in his eyes, he added, “Besides, being this close to him might mean I can end this. You know I may be the only one who can.”
“What about Veil?” Prism asked, “Is she still alive?”
“She’s changed, Prism,” Grim answered with another head shake, “All of us who survived have changed, except you. You’ll find out when you get out of here. Speaking of which, you should really get going before you run into problems.”
“Very well,” Prism replied with a nod, “I’ll leave, but I hope to see you again, my brother.”
“We will,” Grim agreed with a sad smile, “At some point or another. No one lives forever.”
Styx caught a glint of steel out of the corner of his eye moving through the doorway. Jakkel stepped through, his sword leading the way and aimed straight for Prism’s back and Styx shouted in warning, “Prism, watch out!”
Prism heard the shout and stepped to the side, spinning around to face Jakkel. Grim instantly dodged in the opposite direction to avoid the strike and then quickly stepped into Jakkel and slid his hand up Jakkel’s helmet and onto his cheek.
Jakkel began to convulse, and the sword dropped from his grasp and clattered to the ground. Styx gasped as the guard’s skin began to pale and wrinkle, and his hair turned a ghastly white. In seconds his body crumpled to the ground, now an elderly man. Styx turned his horrified gaze back to Grim who was no longer smiling, and instead was staring down at Jakkel with profound sadness as he lowered his hand to his side. Silence covered the room as the gladiators watched him solemnly. They had seen him do this before, and Styx knew this was what he had to do every time he was forced to kill in the arena. There was no wonder that it bothered him. It was horrific.
“Will I ever repay my debts to you Grim?” Prism asked in astonishment as he rested a hand on Grim’s shoulder, staring at Jakkel’s decrepit corpse in wonder, “Thank you. Stay safe.”
“You know better than to thank me for killing someone, Prism!” Grim snapped like lightning. Prism reeled back at the admonishment and lowered his eyes in shame. Grim softened his voice as he added, “Get out of here and stay alive. The world needs you now more than it did before.”
Prism looked back to Grim’s face and nodded before patting Grim on the shoulder. He smiled apologetically but then stepped back through the doorway without offering another word. Then he paused and turned back to look at Grim one last time. He covered the distance between them and wrapped Grim up in an embrace that Grim did not reciprocate. When Prism let Grim go he whispered softly, “I have a promise to keep to you, but it seems the war isn’t over yet. I’ll be back for you, Grim.”
“I haven’t forgotten,” Grim replied with a blank expression. “Now go. We’ll meet again soon enough.” Prism nodded slowly and turned again toward the doorway. He didn’t look back as he stepped through and retraced their steps toward the staircase that led out of the room. Styx moved to follow but held back as Grim laid a hand on his shoulder.
“Styx. Thank you for coming for me,” Grim said, the sad smile once again on his face. “I don’t know what persuaded you to come with Prism, but you’ve proven yourself honorable today.”
Styx responded with a simple nod and followed Prism from the room. They left the door open, and Styx wondered if Prism had done so intentionally so that the gladiators could still escape if they chose to. Styx realized that it didn’t make a difference. Grim had no intention of escaping, and from what he had witnessed moments before, he had more than enough capability of protecting the rest of the gladiators.
They made their way back up the staircase, retracing their route step for step. As they passed the archer, Prism heard a moan that said that he was starting to stir, and with a quick kick the man was unconscious again. Styx wondered what was going through Prism’s mind as they scaled the wall of the nearby structure, bringing them back up to the rooftops. Prism’s face was stoic, and his movements did little to suggest that his thoughts were focused on anything other than the task of their escape, but Styx could tell that leaving Grim behind was bothering Prism more than he was showing.
“All right, I could tell when I stopped you up here that you already had a plan in mind,” Prism said quietly as they reached the point where they had first met on the rooftops. “Tell me what it was.”
“I don’t know if you can take that route,” Styx answered. “I had planned on gliding from rooftop to rooftop, and then when we reached the wall by the Black Lake, I intended to glide down to the shore.”
“Let’s try it anyway. I’m sure I can jump most of the gaps between the buildings, even if I have to take it a bit slower to ensure I can make it,” Prism replied, looking over the suggested route with a nod, “If not, I’ll make do. The Black Lake is that shadowy area over there without any lights, I’m assuming?”
“That’s the one,” Styx agreed. “Are you ready to move forward?”
“That’s the only way to move, Styx,” Prism answered with a grin. He took a few steps back, then quickly ran the small distance to the edge of the rooftop, then pushed off with his powerful legs to propel his body forward. He cleared the gap easily and landed smoothly, He turned around and gestured for Styx to follow. With a smile and a nod, Styx took his own running start and joined him. They continued the process as they crossed the complex, coming ever closer to the Black Lake and avoiding the attention of the guards. The guards were watching for people breaking into the complex, and not focused on those trying to escape. They only encountered one gap that was difficult to clear, and Styx was surprised to find that he was the one who barely caught the edge, only to have Prism quickly pull him up.
As they reached the wall of the complex that overlooked the lake, they noted that the guards on the wall were further apart in this section. Styx wasn’t surprised at the lack of personnel, as the only way in or out was the precipitous drop to the narrow shore beside the lake. It was easy for them to find an opportunity to jump and glide over to the wall without being noticed, and to quickly drop down to the rocky shore below. Styx glided down through the use of his hawk tattoo, while Prism slid down the wall, slowing his descent until he hit the ground and rolled to avoid injury.
They kept silent as they moved, not wanting to risk the chance that they would be discovered by anyone, even though they had already made it a fair distance. Now that they were free, Styx had the opportunity to think about what had happened. He ran through the whole day, from his heist, to the fight in the arena, but then stopped as he thought of Maxthane. He looked back toward the window on the cavern wall that still held a spot of flickering lamp light, and was momentarily overcome by a feeling of longing. He shook his head in an attempt to put it out of his mind and moved on to think about their escape, and what Grim had said.
It was then that Prism decided to break the silence between them. “Something bothering you, Styx?” he asked. “We’re free, but you don’t look pleased.”
“I don’t understand what Grim meant,” Styx replied, surprising himself by answering honestly, “I’ve always been told that there is no such thing as honor among thieves, and I’ve been a thief my whole life. Honor is never something I’ve considered before.”
Prism laughed, and Styx looked at him in confusion. “Sometimes we get trapped in clichés when we’re trying to understand the world,” Prism explained with a knowing smile.
“What do you mean?” Styx asked.
“Honor . . .” Prism began, pausing as he searched for a means to explain his thoughts. “What is honor exactly? Respecting your fellows? Fulfilling oaths and debts? Being worthy of respect? The Order I belonged to, which has surely disappeared by now, taught that all life is worthy of respect, and all life deserves to be honored. You are born with honor, Styx, but retaining it depends on how you live your life.”
“So I suppose Grim’s wrong then,” Styx said with a shrug, “I’ve never given a second thought for anyone other than myself since I was a kid.”
“I didn’t say he was wrong,” Prism replied firmly. “If being a thief makes you dishonorable, then none of us has any honor at all. We are all thieves, Styx, from the moment we take our first breath. The world belongs to everyone, and simply by trying to survive in it, we all end up taking for ourselves things that belong to someone else. Being a thief does not mean you do not have honor.”
Styx was silent as he digested the information. He realized others had treated him honorably the whole day, from the time that Dogo had told him that his best chance was escaping, to Maxthane letting him go. And he would never be able to forget the honorable Kutos and what he had done for him, not to mention Grim who had proven most honorable of all, with his intent to protect the other prisoners.
“What are you planning on doing when we reach the surface?” Prism asked a few moments later, drawing Styx out of his introspection.
“I don’t know,” Styx replied. “I haven’t thought that far ahead.”
“You are welcome to come with me,” Prism suggested cautiously, “I have to reach King Neredos.”
“I suppose we’ll see what happens when we get to the top then,” Styx replied with a shrug, “I may simply try to leave the city far behind.”
“The way you keep glancing over your shoulder,” Prism observed, “I don’t think you can stay away for long.”
Styx smiled sadly at the thought. He hadn’t realized he had done it so many times, but he caught himself once again staring at the spot of light in the cavern wall. “No, perhaps you’re right,” Styx admitted, but with a grim nod he added, “Either way, for now my path lies upward.”
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BOSTON—They decidedly did not decide to put a cork in it.
So, champagne galore spritzing and fizzing and spraying and fountaining around a victorious visitors’ clubhouse — a celebration no less riotous for the Jays than it had been just about a year earlier.
After all the angst and the jitters and the stutter steps of September, the Toronto Blue Jays — on the last day of the regular season, Game No. 162 — nailed the post-season, nailed the first wild card, nailed home-field advantage over the Orioles and will be returning, toot-sweetie to the Rogers Centre.
A tad subdued on the field, maybe, gathering around closer Roberto Osuna after the final out of a taut 2-1 win over the Red Sox — a club that also had something on the line, a week removed from their own playoff qualification and in the midst of an apparently endless tribute to retirement-bound David Ortiz. But the gloves were off and the goggles were on when the Jays retired to their cramped quarters in this beloved old ballpark.
Josh Donaldson soaked, Jose Bautista puffing on a cigar, Devon Travis — home-run hitter on the day — looking simply agog because he missed all this last time as an injury evacuee from mid-season on, Troy Tulowitzki over-the-moon goofy — not like we’ve ever seen the sober-faced veteran before — and reliever Matt Dermody, who most fans would have trouble picking out of a police lineup, for some reason hootin’ and hollerin’ amid the melee stripped down to his jockstrap.
They may have slouched into October baseball, but that hardly seemed to matter anymore — or at least not in the moment, this moment.
With all the possibilities that were still pending Sunday morning, the Jays came out of the series wrap against Boston with the best upshot still available to them: baseball hearts beating, masters of their own destiny, pointed back to Toronto and with, likely, Marcus Stroman on the mound to start the wild card game on Tuesday. That’s a whole heap better than might have been hoped for only a few days earlier.
Thank Aaron Sanchez, for starters. He took the hill with all the burden of Toronto’s fate resting on the shoulders of his long, lanky frame — those legs that stretch almost to his armpits, the elf ears, the moue mouth, in many ways still a big galumphing kid yet arguably the ace of the staff, finishing off the regular season with the best ERA (3.00) in the American League. There’s no award for that, but there is enormous respect. And to think — to recall — that Sanchez had to fight and claw his way into the starting rotation coming out of spring training. Alleged wiser minds had him slotted back to the bullpen then. Allegedly wiser minds had him slotted back to the bullpen by now.
“I knew what this feeling was last year,” said Sanchez, who had a no-hitter into the seventh inning. “I wasn’t ready to go home. We worked too hard for things to come to an ending tonight.”
His first hit surrendered was a Hanley Ramirez home run that stayed just fair over the left-field pole, though Sanchez argued and pleaded with the home plate umpire and it did go to a crew chief review: “It looked foul from my perspective.” Reminiscent, a local reported suggested to Sanchez — if in reverse — of Carlton Fisk famously waving the ball the other way in the 1975 World Series. Not a hint of comprehension in the 24-year-old’s face.
“It is what it is,” Sanchez shrugged.
Even if didn’t have a clue what it is.
“Huge, huge, and it’s not over,” he readily offered, when asked to sum up his coming-of-age transformation, founded on an absolute commitment to improving his physical conditioning over last winter, making it impossible for Jays management to deny his starter bid. “All those crazy nights, two-a-days (workouts), coming off flights at 10 p.m. and working out — everything I put in, to having it shape up the way it did . . .
“You never know how things are going to turn out when you set a goal for yourself. You just try to make do this year, understand what I’m trying to accomplish this year. For it to come down to 162 and they need me out there — it’s the best.”
Awesome cool also for Joe Biagini, the slightly warped character and Rule 5 pickup who’s turned into a cornerstone of the bullpen cadre, picking up in the Boston eighth after Sanchez had given way to Brett Cecil. One on and one out when Biagini arrived on the bump, inducing a ground-ball out (on a terrific piece of defensive work by Donaldson) and strikeout to preserve the 2-1 lead provided an inning early by Tulowitzki’s single up the middle, scoring Donaldson.
“It’s just about trying to treat every game the same, I think,” Biagini said afterward. “Think about waterfalls. Think about finger-painting, all my normal activities.”
“When you think about it, they’re all high-leverage situations,” he continued, analyzing his eighth-inning performance. “And they’re all not high-leverage situations, just depending on your perspective, you know?”
Nope, we don’t know.
“Just about life. I’ve been so God-blessed in my life already, I can say I’m just going out there and I’m going to compete and I’m going to give it my best and it doesn’t matter what happens in the grand scheme of things.”
That might be Joe-speak but it actually makes a lot of sense.
A holy-moly sign of the cross on the bump for Osuna, too, as he converted his 36th save of the season and the most important to date in 2016, in the process eliciting a whimper of a squib out from Ortiz. “I was very excited to face Big Papi for the last time. And I’ve very happy that we finally made it.
“It’s going to be huge for us going home to Toronto, playing in front of our fans. We’ve have their support all year long. One game — it will mean everything.”
In another corner of the clubhouse, Bautista is holding deluged court with a clutch of mostly Spanish media. But he points in our direction. Come hither.
“It’s a great feeling making it to the playoffs,” trilled the slugger who’s thrilled for so many years as a Blue Jay, though this looks like it will be the last, sadly, for the imminent free agent. “Knowing that one of the goals that you set out for the team at the beginning of the season, you accomplished. Now it’s on to the next one.
“The most important game of our careers is Tuesday.”
Yes, there is that.
Unlike a year ago, these Jays will have to fight in the wild-card trenches for inclusion in the ALDS.
A place the city hasn’t been before either.
“We don’t do things easy, that’s for sure,” said a massively relieved John Gibbons.
The manager was talking about the game, but he could have been talking about the season.
“Maybe this is a better way to enter the playoffs — battle-tested.”
Scarred, bruised, toughened up. And presumably all dried off by game time Tuesday.

domain: news


On Saturday, August 12th at approximately 1546 hours, Ulster Hose was dispatched for a rollover with possible entrapment in the area of QuickChek at 640 Washington Avenue. Cars 2 and 6 arrived on scene and confirmed a vehicle rolled over with one occupant trapped. Engine 1 arrived on scene shortly thereafter, stabilized the vehicle and began extrication. Rescue 3 and Engine 3 arrived to assist those already on scene. The subject was removed within 10 minutes and transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. New York State Police, Town of Ulster Police, Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, Mobile Life Support and Central Hudson assisted on scene as well.


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In conversation with Redfern’s art-space Duckrabbit — How can young artists afford to be artists, and what types of collective spaces make it possible?
Sydney Dance Company returns to Walsh Bay to deliver a shimmering rendition of Raphael Bonachela’s 2018 creation, ab [intra].
The 2022 Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes open to the public today.
The winner of the 2022 Archibald Prize will be announced this Friday 13 May, with the exhibition opening to the public the following day.
I know I can always return to my grandmother’s kitchen to bring us that little bit closer.
Imperial Sunset is inspired by the anguish and drive to eliminate the scourge and sin that is racism, as a sin that corrupts and destroys the soul.
It is a testament to the resilience of immigrant and diaspora communities, and a love for how objects hold a wealth of history and experiences within them.
Over the weekend, Joi Murugavell’s stunning new solo exhibition lit up a hidden corner of Chippendale.
The on-campus exhibition brings together a series of unassailable artworks from, or in response to, nuclear disasters such as Nagasaki, Maralinga and Chernobyl.
Delving into the activist history of the Tin Sheds Gallery and the 1970s-80s art collectives of USyd.

domain: artistic


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More and more American firms are calling for the Trump administration to resolve its conflict with China.World Economyread more
The Fed is not likely to make a move on interest rates when it meets this week, but it should clear the way for a rate cut later in the summer.Market Insiderread more
Target CEO Brian Cornell apologized to customers for a disappointing weekend after the company experienced outages that shut down its cash registers and credit-card processors...Retailread more
American Airlines is ordering Airbus' new A321XLR, according to a source familiar with details of the agreement.Paris Air Showread more
Companies are increasingly willing to pay for employees to go to the doctor. Uber is partnering up with Grand Rounds, a start-up that sells into the employer channel, to make...Technologyread more
Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei tells CNBC the company's business is still strong in China.Technologyread more
Here are the biggest calls on Wall Street on WednesdayInvestingread more
The pilots union for Southwest Airlines says it will ask Boeing for compensation to cover legal costs and lost income for pilots due to the 737 Max grounding.Airlinesread more
Amazon announced an all-new Kindle Oasis on Wednesday morning with a feature that lets you adjust the screen to warmer tones for easier reading at night.Technologyread more
But BlackRock's global fixed income chief also says he doesn't think the Fed will announce a rate cut until July.Market Insiderread more
Panera Bread has been testing a menu specifically for dinner and plans to expand the pilot to a new market next month.Restaurantsread more
Luxury undergarments company Tommy John is making a bold statement with it's new line of briefs: Men, you will never again suffer the indignity of a wedgie.
"We have a no wedgie guarantee," Tom Patterson, founder of Tommy John, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Wednesday.
The briefs in question are Tommy John's new Air underpants, which the company says are the result of nearly two years of product development. Made from an anti-microbial mesh fabric, the briefs are engineered to be light, durable and impervious to bunching.
Read More Victoria's Secret debuts $2M Fantasy Bra
This is not the first time Tommy John has sought to reinvent the underwear market. The specialty apparel company's first product was a patented undershirt that it says never becomes untucked and eliminates excess fabric.
The goal is to get men to upgrade the most intimate part of their wardrobe, which Patterson said is typically one of the last things the average guy invests in.
"The men's underwear category has probably evolved more in the last two years than the last 25," he said. "What we've tried to do is make it a more comfortable experience with lighter-weight fabrics that are patented."
But comfort comes at a cost. The Air trunks retail for about $42 to $48, while undershirt prices range from $40 to $62.
To get the word out, Tommy John released a video showing men in awkward public undie adjustments. Patterson said the idea was to depart from the typical men's brief campaign, which features chiseled male models, and instead address the "epidemic" of undergarment bunching in a way that men can relate to.
The video has since gone viral. The advertisement, called "The Big Adjustment," attracted more than 1 million views in its first week.
Despite its name, the company has no connection to the retired baseball pitcher.


In 1976, amidst a lack of capital and technology in Taiwan, Mr. Charles Lai & Mr. Tony Lin founded a hot forge factory specializing in making hand tools for the DIY market. Eight years later, many other companies had followed their lead and although the market grew quickly, quality suffered. With pricing, costs and quality nearing a state of chaos it became clear to King Tony’s founders that they needed to seek a new direction.
Mr. Lai & Mr. Lin found their new direction; making professional quality hand tools built to compete with the best in the world. They set their standards high and in the years since, have consistently exceeded the requirements of the world’s toughest standards. King Tony tools don’t just meet the DIN (German) standard and the ANSI (U.S.A.) standard, they routinely exceed them. In fact, we test every torque make to a standard 30% higher than that prescribed by DIN and our pneumatic impact tools to a 50% higher standard. That’s true commitment to quality!
To further underscore our determination to compete with the best in the world we have achieved certification with ISO on three separate standards. First, in January 1998, ISO 9002, followed by ISO 9001 and more recently we have qualified for the environmental safety standard, ISO 14001. We believe that is our responsibility to the world and we will always dedicate to reduce the harm to the earth during our manufacturing process in the future.
You might sense that King Tony Tools is about much more than a world-class tool. The ideals of King Tony’s management are fulfilled daily by our hundreds of employee’s at our branches and offices around the world. You will find King Tony Tools and its branches in: France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Mexico, U.S.A., China. Each of our local branch offices is tasked with insuring that you, our customer, are happy not just with our quality but with the experience of being a King Tony customer.
1. Tools Storage & Tools System Sets
2. Hand Sockets and Accessories
3. Impact Socket and Accessory
4. Torque Control & Multipliers
5. Wrenches- Combination Wrench & Set, Open End Wrench, offset Ring Wrench & Set, Star Box End Wrench Sets, crowfoot Wrench, flare Nut Wrench, Swivel Head Socket Wrenches, Slugging Wrench, Heavy Duty Wrench, Speed Wrench & Set, Angled Socket Wrench & Sets, Adjustable Wrench, Pipe Wrenches, Special Purpose Wrenches, Wheel Nut Wrench, T-type Wrench, T-type Wrenches Hanger.
6. Pliers- Combination Plier, European Style Pliers, Wire Twisting Pliers, End Cutting Pliers, Stripping Pliers, Slip Joint Pliers, Groove Joint Pliers, Bent Nose Plier, Diagonal Cutting Nippers, Extra Long Nose Pliers, Circlip Pliers & Set, Insulated Pliers & Sets, Grip Pliers, Crimping Tools & Set.
7. Cutting & Sawing hand tools- Snips, Electrician Scissors, Bolt Cutter, Utility Cutters, Tube Cutter, Saws, File, Threaded Coil-Insert Repair Set.
8. Screwdriver & Hex Key & Bits.
9. Hammer and Striking Tools.
10. Workshop Handtools- Puller, Riveter & Set, Measuring Tools, Bench Vise, LED Lights, Round Magnetic Tool Holder, Special Purpose Wrench, Retractable Tool Lanyard, Damaged Screws, Nuts, Bolts Remover tools.
11. Pneumatic Powered Tools- Air Die Grinder, Air Needle Scalers, Air Hammers, Air Blow Gun & Set, Air Hose Reel, Magnetic Holder & Display & Hook.
12. Power Tool- Li-ion Cordless Impact Driver, Cordless Impact Wrench, Titanium Coated HSS Drill Bits.
13. Automotive Tools- Tool Trolley Set, Car Engine Tools, Fuel Line Pliers, Flexible/ Curved Hose Clamp Plier, Piston Ring Compressors, Diesel Injector Puller, Spark Plug Socket, Piston Ring Pliers, Valve Spring Compressor Set, Engine Series for Specific vehicle, Undercar Series, Body Repair Tools, Battery & Electrical Tools, General Maintenance Tool.
14. Bicycle Tools- Folding Hex Key Wrench.
15. Gift & Working Clothing- Leather Male Wallet, Ball-Point Pen, Briefcase, Working Glove, Work Hat, Worker Overall.
16. Pipe Tools- Pipe / Tube Cutting, Pipe Wrench, Flaring / Swaging, Bending.
17. IC Specialized Tools- Precision Pliers, Soldering & Desoldering, Tweezers, Punch Down Tools.
18. Measuring Tools- Digital Multimeter, Digital Voltage Tester, Digital Clamp Meters, Infrared Thermometer, Testing Screwdriver, Non-contact Voltage Testers.


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Joey Keogh @JoeyLDG
These days, it’s virtually impossible to know who or what to believe when it comes to healthy eating and staying fit. The tsunami of information with which we’re deluged upon doing something as simple as googling “is [insert food/drink item here] good for you” means that, more often than not, it’s almost easier to remain uninformed than risk trying to decipher the reasonable advice from the marketing propaganda.
The benefits of drinking milk have been extolled pretty much every day since grade school. Then, as we approached adulthood, the narrative changed, with suggestions that humans shouldn’t imbibe dairy after a certain age due to its tendency to cause digestive issues, the dreaded weight gain, and much more. Likewise the variety of new-age milks on the market, from soy to almond, makes it difficult to decipher what’s actually good for our bodies.
What does drinking plain-old cow’s milk every day actually do to a woman’s body? What are the real-life effects? What are the possible benefits and drawbacks? And should we be looking elsewhere for our sources of protein, calcium, and essential nutrients than the tall glass of the white stuff we’ve been conditioned to drink since we were in diapers? I asked a bunch of nutritional experts for their opinions on this hot-button topic, and the results may surprise you.
- It can cause acne
Dairy is known to be inflammatory as Nutritionist and Dietitian Vanessa Rissetto explained, thanks to D-galactose, “a breakdown product of lactose that has been shown to be pro-inflammatory” and which milk boasts as opposed to milk products such as cheese or yogurt. This means that if you’re suddenly breaking out after necking three glasses of the stuff, there’s probably a connection there. Michelle Beckner, a certified nutrition coach, further warns, “Drinking milk every day, this source of inflammation can lead to acne that seems to never clear up.”
It may seem like a small setback, but considering that what we put into our bodies tends to show up on our skin (as anybody who’s scoffed an entire tub of ice-cream in one sitting can attest) if there’s anything that can help clear up your skin, especially something as simple as cutting down on daily dairy intake, then surely it’s an easy choice to make.
If you’re really craving a milk fix but don’t want to take the risk, Dr. Joelle Cafaro suggests “opting for more nutritious (and less processed) dairy options like plain yogurt and kefir” as an alternative to drinking cow’s milk, as these products are still yummy but are less likely to make you break out.
- It can cause bloating
Aside from making its presence known all over your face, those nasty rumors about dairy causing bloating might actually be worth looking into further. Discounting those of us who are, unfortunately, lactose intolerant and can’t process dairy lest we balloon up and explode like Violet Beauregarde, are there any genuinely troubling, stomach-related dangers associated with drinking milk every day?
Beckner, who has worked closely with breastfeeding mothers of lactose intolerant babies and helping wean them off dairy, certainly believes so. According to the certified nutrition coach, severe bloating may result due to a difficulty in processing the dairy. Beckner noted that “even just a little half and half in your morning cup of coffee could leave you feeling bloated for the rest of the day.”
This is especially pertinent as we get older and our digestive systems aren’t as sophisticated as they once were. Again, if you’re looking to indulge in some dairy without risking ballooning up, soy is a good alternative. And, if you’re concerned about an intolerance, make sure to get tested ASAP to prevent further uncomfortable stomach issues or long-term damage.
- It can cause upset stomach and digestive issues
Bloating is hugely uncomfortable and may leave some of us feeling like we don’t even want to get dressed or drag our butts out of bed. But, let’s face it, as women we’re used to a little bloating, particularly around that time of the month. A beach-ball belly isn’t the worst side effect in the world. It’s not even, usually, a cause for concern. However, drinking milk every day might be leading to less easily-ignored issues, too.
As Beckner points out, there may be more sinister consequences to a daily glass or two of milk as “the highly pasteurized and processed milk that is on the shelves today has bacteria (both good and bad), [which] can lead to an imbalance in the gut microbe.” This imbalance can cause all sorts of long-term digestive issues and even result in symptoms such as brain fog and migraines. So that pint of ice cream might cause more than brain freeze after all.
- It may help with weight loss
It’s not all bad news when it comes to drinking milk. At the other end of the spectrum, for those looking to get fit and tone up, drinking milk every day may encourage weight loss or even fat burning properties in women. According to Paul Salter, a registered dietitian, weight loss expert, and sports nutritionist, consuming three servings per day could yield greater fat-loss in the long term, particularly if the person in question is following a healthy diet and regular exercise routine.
Registered Sports Dietitian Amy Goodson, who practices in Dallas, Texas, agreed. She advises for women looking to lose, or even just maintain their current, weight “some added protein can help and milk is an inexpensive, nutrient-rich way to get it.”
Dr. Cafaro is even clearer, stating simply and emphatically that “women who drink milk daily are more likely to lose weight than women who do not drink milk.” A little bit of bloating in exchange for weight loss isn’t the worst trade off (provided you’re not also puking your guts up, that is).
- It’s a great source of protein
If lifting heavy and being super #swoll are your primary focus, that animal protein is super important (that is, unless you’re a vegan, in which case this list probably isn’t for you to begin with). As Goodson advised, “Cow’s milk provides one gram of high quality protein per ounce, or eight grams for eight ounces. High quality implies that it contains all the essential amino acids.” Unlike, say, those hugely popular, manufactured protein powders, for example, the protein in cow’s milk is coming from a natural source and hasn’t been tampered with (depending on the brand, of course).
The protein in milk can also help stop overeating, too, as Goodson noted, “From a satiety perspective, protein slows down digestion, helping people get full faster and stay full longer.” It’s worth remembering too that all the hip new “alternative” milks that have sprung up in the past few years have considerably less protein than standard, simple cow’s milk (typically less than a gram of protein per eight ounces on average, with slightly more for soy milk — a considerable difference) and therefore might not be as healthy an option as they initially appear.
- You’ll consume fewer calories, but more nutrition
If calorie counting is your jam (or you’re just trying to establish better eating habits in general), you’re also in luck. Milk provides extra protein for those looking to get healthy and lean, but it also provides more nutrition for relatively fewer calories overall. As Natalie Allen, an instructor of biomedical sciences at Missouri State University who’s also worked extensively as a dietitian, explains that since the standard, recommended serving for milk is three to four glasses a day, there’s a way to get more nutrition for fewer calories with milk.
Allen explained, “An 8-ounce serving of skim (fat-free) milk has about 90 calories, so it is a lot of nutrition for [relatively] few calories.” This means, essentially, that the calories are balanced out by the high nutritional content. Allen even advises heating chocolate milk, if you’re craving sugar and in the mood for a tasty hot cocoa beverage but don’t want to break a strict, healthy-eating streak because the trade-off here is considerably better, too.
- It helps maintain muscle mass
For those ladies strength training in order to get some serious #gainz, milk can also assist in that department, too. As Allen explained, “Milk helps build strong muscles with the ideal ratio of carbohydrates to protein, making it a great drink choice for active individuals after a workout.” Salter agreed, adding that milk is “rich in branched chain amino acids, those that specifically play a role in muscle growth/maintenance.”
The kind of protein contained in milk is important for strength training and muscle recovery too, as Registered Dietitian Jacinda Roach explained. “The source of animal protein it contains is more readily absorbed by the body,” which helps women to build and maintain lean muscle mass in the long term.
Allen further extols on milk’s virtues as a great post-workout beverage of choice thanks, she advises, to the carb/protein ratio, which helps muscle recovery and repair considerably.
- It’s a great source of calcium
If there’s one thing we all collectively remember from our childhood nutritional education, it’s that milk is loaded with calcium (not to mention several other important nutrients). This is still, arguably, its biggest selling point worldwide (and bone of contention in certain conspiracy theory corners). Thankfully, this isn’t something that’s generally disputed in scientific circles. As Roach explained, milk is “extremely nutrient-rich because it contains energy nutrients (carbohydrate, protein, and fat) as well as vitamins and minerals (calcium and Vitamin D).”
As Goodson noted, milk contains three of the nutrients of concern for Americans as outlined by the 2015 government dietary guidelines (calcium, vitamin D, and potassium). Although calcium in particular can be obtained from other sources, milk is arguably the easiest way to get it into your system quickly. “Many think it’s easy to get calcium from other foods but the truth is you have to eat ten cups of spinach to obtain the calcium found in one 8-ounce glass of cow’s milk,” Goodson advised.
- It might not afford many benefits without magnesium
Without magnesium to balance it out, we might not be getting the full benefits of the calcium naturally found in cow’s milk. As Dr. Barry Sears, a leading authority in anti-inflammatory nutrition and the author of the Zone Diet book series, explained, “If one is drinking milk every day, then you should ensure that you are getting adequate magnesium either by the diet (hard) or by supplementation (easier) to balance the calcium.”
This is because bone is made up of both calcium and magnesium. So in order to keep our bones healthy and strong, we need to ensure we’re keeping stores of both plentiful as Sears explained “an imbalance in the ratio of these minerals will decrease bone strength” over time. Rissetto noted that, according to a recent study in the British Medical Journal, there may be significant evidence that milk actually leeches calcium from the bones.
- It helps the aging process
Women experience a pronounced decrease in metabolic rate as we age. As Salter explained, bone strength also decreases with age, increasing the risk of osteoporosis. However, the combination of calcium and vitamin D obtained by drinking milk plays a synergistic role in enhancing bone mineralization as we age. Likewise, Salter suggested to keep in mind that “sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass, is more pronounced in women versus men.”
Roach agreed with Salter’s summation, suggesting that “drinking milk daily can help a woman to strengthen her skeletal structure and prevent osteoporosis.” Allen, though, warns that the most pertinent time to drink milk, particularly if you’re concerned about osteoporosis in later life, is up to the age of 30, as it’s during these early years of development that “bones gain mass and build structure.” Goodson also pointed to the vitamin D found in milk to maintain bone strength and muscle mass as we get older.
- It could protect against diseases
Unsurprisingly, given its impressive genetic make-up of essential nutrients and vitamins, milk isn’t just good for bone health, potential weight loss, and maintaining muscle mass over time. There’s evidence to suggest, as Cafaro noted, that because many of its nutrients are located in its fat content (such as vitamins A, K2, and omega-4 fatty acids) it could “protect against diseases like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease” too.
However, Rissetto pointed to the aforementioned study in the British Medical Journal, noting that although it didn’t prove increased bone health in participants it did find that “fermented milk products (cheese and yogurt) significantly decreased mortality and fractures among [them].”
Rissetto also noted that the study found “for each serving of [these] products, the rate of mortality and hip fractures was reduced by 10-15 percent.” So, if we’re to take this study into account, maybe milk is best for protecting against life-threatening diseases when chewed as cheese or thickened up as yogurt?
- It may lead to an increased risk of cancer
With all of potential milk has to protect against certain diseases, there’s also research to suggest that drinking milk every day might also be dangerous to women’s long-term health. Cafaro pointed again to the British Medical Journal study, which suggests that women who consumed three or more glasses of milk a day had a “44 percent increased risk of cancer, a 16 percent increased risk of bone fracture, and a 60 percent increased risk of hip fractures.” Further, women who drink or two or more glasses a day are “twice as likely to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer than women who rarely drink it.”
We also need to be careful about which milk products we choose, as Cafaro notes regular cow’s milk contains growth hormones, which also lead to an increased risk of breast and other cancers. Basically, the purer the better. Cafaro advised to choose “organic products made with milk from grass-fed, pasture-raised animals because the milk is of higher nutritional value.” If drinking regular milk, choose full-fat, which is actually less processed than its low-fat counterpart.
Oluwole Olusanya is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of one of the fastest-growing lifestyle and entertainment website in the country. He is a banker, writer, blogger, public affairs analyst and a tax consultant. He anchors Trending Topics on SHEFFA where he shares his thoughts and opinions on trending issues.
He is currently studying for a Master’s Degree in Business Administration at the University of South Wales, Wales, United Kingdom. He has diplomas in Banking and Finance, Investigative Journalism, Creative Writing, and Linguistics from Lagos State Polytechnic, Isolo, Lagos, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland and The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom.

domain: food


To launch Sisense:
Use one of the following options to launch Sisense:
- If you have Sisense installed on your machine, select Sisense from the Start menu.
- From a standard browser, go to the URL of the Sisense environment provided to you by your system administrator.
To launch the Sisense ElastiCube Manager:
Use one of the following options:
From Windows: Open the Windows start menu and select Sisense ElastiCube Manager.
From the Sisense Web Application: Do one of the following:
- Click ElastiCube Manager in the top menu.
- Select View in ElastiCube’s Page, which redirects you to the ElastiCube menu within the Admin page where you can open the ElastiCube Manager through any ElastiCube.
- Select Open in ElastiCube Manager, which opens the ElastiCube Manager and displays the ElastiCube of your current dashboard.
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- If you installed Sisense, you can use the same credentials to log into Sisense.
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ATSF 325 Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (ATSF) EMD F7(A) at Chicago, Illinois by Kenneth A. Young. Chicago's Dearborn Street Station was the oldest of six large downtown passenger depots. Opened on May 8, 1885, it was closed by Amtrak on May 2, 1971. On the eve of Amtrak's startup, Santa Fe 325 is ready for a late afternoon departure.


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K-Salaam & Beatnick Drop “Where the Streets Have No Name” Trailer/Megamix [Download]
New York, NY -- With the release of their latest mixtape only a few days away, Booth-acclaimed production duo K-Salaam & Beatnick have released a Where the Streets Have No Name megamix (available for free download here), as well as a brand new video trailer.
Including reader-approved cuts "Don't Die" (w/ Bun B, Colin Munroe & Talib Kweli), "Reach for the Sky" (w/ U-N-I, Tabi Bonney, & Haziq Ali), and "In Jamaica" (w/ K'naan & Buckshot), Where the Streets Have No Name is set to hit the 'net Tuesday, July 28th.
Written by richard on 07/24/09
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Analyzing the Changing Landscape of Divorce Rates in Japan
The divorce rate in Japan has garnered significant attention in recent years due to its fluctuating trends and its implications for the nation’s social fabric. As a nation that traditionally placed great emphasis on family values and stability, the changing dynamics of marital relationships have led to discussions about cultural shifts, societal pressures, and economic factors that influence divorce rates. This article aims to delve into the available statistics to provide a comprehensive overview of the divorce rate in Japan and its underlying causes.
The Fluctuating Divorce Rate
In the past few decades, Japan has witnessed a notable increase in divorce rates. The trend, which saw a significant rise from the mid-20th century, has fluctuated since the 1980s. According to data from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the divorce rate per 1,000 population in 1980 stood at 1.57, a number that had risen to 2.08 by 2000, but gradually declined to 1.89 by 2019.
Factors Influencing Divorce Rates
Economic Factors: Economic strains and financial instability can strain marriages. The prolonged economic slump in Japan during the 1990s (often referred to as the “Lost Decade”) is believed to have contributed to the rise in divorces as couples grappled with job uncertainties and financial stress.
Changing Gender Roles: Japan’s traditional gender roles have been evolving, with more women pursuing careers and seeking independence. This shift can alter power dynamics within relationships and sometimes lead to marital strain.
Aging Population: Japan’s aging population has also influenced divorce rates. Longer lifespans can mean that couples find themselves at different life stages, which can impact compatibility.
Societal Pressures: The societal expectation for conformity and family stability in Japan can exert pressure on couples to stay together even when faced with challenges. However, modern generations are increasingly challenging these norms, leading to a higher willingness to seek divorce.
Cultural Factors: Traditional cultural norms often stigmatize divorce, making it difficult for individuals to make the decision to end a marriage. However, these norms are gradually shifting, allowing divorce to become a more accepted option.
Legal Reforms: Changes in Japan’s divorce laws, including making the process more accessible and reducing the required separation period, have made divorces more common.
Effects on Society
The changing divorce landscape in Japan has both positive and negative implications. On one hand, it reflects the empowerment of women and a move towards more equitable gender roles. On the other hand, it highlights the challenges that arise when cultural norms collide with evolving individual aspirations.
Japan’s divorce rate, influenced by economic, cultural, and societal factors, offers a glimpse into the changing dynamics of relationships in a traditionally conservative society. As the nation navigates these shifts, it must balance the preservation of cultural values with the need to provide individuals the freedom to pursue personal happiness. The fluctuations in divorce rates provide a window into the evolving nature of marriage, gender roles, and societal expectations in Japan.

domain: economics


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Carlos Alcaraz (Rio Open/Fotojump) Rio definitely holds a special place in Next Gen’s star Carlos Alcaraz heart. After earning his maiden tour-level win, two years ago, this Saturday he fired past top seed Matteo Berrettini to reach the semifinal of this year’s edition of the Rio Open. The 18 year-old Spaniard won by 6/2, 2/6 and 6/2 in a rematch of this year’s Australian Open’s third round, but with a different result this time. The two-hour quarterfinal match at Jockey Club, that was postponed from yesterday, was interrupted by the rain in the beginning of the third set. “I knew it was not going to be easy, we all know how good Matteo is but I think I played really well today. I lost the second set and it’s never easy to come back. And after that there was the rain disruption again. But I’m really glad I made it to the semis”, said Alcaraz, who equals his best ATP 500 result _he also reached the semifinals in Vienna, last year, but went on to lose the match to Alexander Zverev. Alcaraz now faces Fabio Fognini later this Saturday hoping to get a spot at Sunday’s final. “Fabio is playing really well this week and it’s not going to be easy. Now I’ll try to rest a little bit and I hope the crowd is on my side for this match.” The Spaniard, youngest member of the Top 200 of the ATP Rankings (currently number 19), enjoyed a standout 2021 season, soaring from outside the Top 100 to number 32 as he captured his maiden tour-level title in Umag.
Fabio Fognini (Rio Open/Fotojump) For the first time since 2019 Italian Fabio Fognini reached a semifinal of an ATP Tour event. In a match that was postoned from Friday due to the rain, Fognini powered past Federico Coria by 6/4 and 6/2 and now awaits the winner of Matteo Berrettini x Calos Alcaraz to find out his opponent later this Saturday. "I’m really happy with this win because it’s been a while since I got a good result like this. I always feel good playing the South American swing”, said Fognini, whose last semifinal was at the ATP 1000 in Montecarlo, in 2019 _he went on to win the title. “Everybody knows that 2020 was a bad year in general and then in 2021 I had a surgery, so the past few years I kept fighting against my biggest opponent, which is my body”, added the Italian, quarterfinalist last week in Buenos Aires. In his seventh appearence at the Rio Open, had his better result in 2015 when he was a runner-up to David Ferrer. “For sure the semifinal will be a tough match, no matter who I face. Both are great players. Berrettini is already in the Top 10 and Alcaraz is really young but will be a Top 10 soon."
Gonzales/Molteni (Rio Open/Fotojump) Mexican Santiago Gonzalez and Argentinian Andres Molteni cruised past Italians Lorenzo Sonego and Andrea Vavassori by 2 sets to 0 (7/5 and 6/4), this Saturday, and secured the last remaining spot at this year's Rio Open semifinal. They will now face the Italians Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli this Saturday, not before 5 pm. They will have to play twice today because of the rain that disrupted Friday's matches and postponed the to Saturday at Jockey Club Brasileiro. Gonzalez and Molteni come from two titles in a row, at the ATP in Buenos Aires and in Córdoba. Playing together they have four titles, and this is their first appearance at the Rio Open as partners. Fognini and Bolelli won three titles together, the most important being the 2015 Australian Open. In 2017, they partnered at the Rio Open and lost in the first round. In the other semifinal, this Saturday, Brazilian Bruno Soares and Briton Jamie Murray will face the 2020 champions, Argentine Horacio Zeballos and Spaniard Marcel Granollers.


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Dhadak box office collection: Janhvi Kapoor-Ishaan Khatter film mints Rs 33.67 cr on opening weekend
On its opening day, Dhadak made a box office collection that is estimated at Rs 8.71 crore thus surpassing the first-day revenue of Dharma's Student of the Year.
As Dharma Productions' latest release Dhadak hit the screens on 20 July, both the audience and the critics responded to the film with mainly average to poor ratings. The official Hindi adaptation of Nagraj Manjule's 2015 Marathi blockbuster Sairat, this film also marked the big Bollywood debuts of Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter — who have been in the buzz for quite some time now.
While the film opened with a decent collection, the number of footfalls saw an upward trend over the weekend; Dhadak's overall collection so far is estimated at Rs 33.67 crore.
And the BO numbers do the talking... #Dhadak packs an IMPRESSIVE TOTAL in its opening weekend... A consistent run on weekdays will help put up a STRONG Week 1 total... Fri 8.71 cr, Sat 11.04 cr, Sun 13.92 cr. Total: ₹ 33.67 cr. India biz.
— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) July 23, 2018
On its first day, Dhadak overpowered the opening collections of Student of the Year which was also a major launchpad for three young actors in Bollywood — Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra. While the Karan Johar directorial minted Rs 8 crore on its first day, Ishaan and Janhvi's film raked in extra Rs 71 lakhs and went ahead of SOTY.
Director Shashank Khaitan's latest outing is an intense love story which also deals with the social issue of honour killing in India. While many feel the film lacks the spirit and rawness of Manjule's classic, the box office collections of the Hindi remake seem to be telling a different story.
Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.
Shahid took Twitter to announce the schedule wrap and expressed his gratitude towards the state government for their efficient policies that enabled the team to shoot with proper safety measures amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Akshay Kumar's Sooryavanshi eyeing January to March 2021 release; no change in Ranveer Singh's 83 Christmas opening
Sooryavanshi producer says releasing the film in Diwali, after the Centre approved reopening of cinema halls from 15 October, was not possible, since it cannot be released "with less than one month of promotion"
While there were reports that Deepti Naval suffered a heart attack in Manali, the actor clarified saying “it was a heart symptom.”