#ec myers

[blood-and-pizza]

A free FNAF interactive novel is being released on August 3rd this year for the 10th anniversary! Here's the cover:

... It's literally a capitalist pig on the cover. I'm internally laughing my ass off at this.

[theoatmealbowl]

V.I.P Interactive Novel Preview

So here's something interesting that warrants me posting here again.

V.I.P Has just gotten a preview! You can check it out, and learn how the book is gonna work. Also, another post about a new Interactive Novel is coming, so look out for that.

You can read the preview here!

Press the READ A SAMPLE button!

[readtilyoudie]

No matter what life deals you, no matter how hard the decisions you must face, keep living.

Fairy Tales of Remnant: An AFK Book (RWBY) by E.C. Myers

[princessalethea]

Happy #FriendlyFriday to NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR EC Myers! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

https://www.patreon.com/posts/friendlyfriday-e-111929956

[neptunevasilias]

Not enough people talk about how in Before the Dawn, Fox and Umber were on the same team and were both sneaking out at night. Umber to go do criminal activities and Fox to patrol for said criminal activities.

[sytokun]

To anyone thinking or saying Dillon Goo is unworthy of acquiring RWBY, not because of anything realistic like finances or the size of his studio, but because he's "just an animator", or just a rando from the internet who cannot write or run RWBY:

Thanks for perpetuating the piece of shit mindset that every soul-sucking corporation and braindead consumer has: that animators have no value or are just there to push buttons and make pixels move for the real creatives.

Animators are artists and creators. They have to work with numerous departments to make things work: They have to know what the writer/director wants, and tell them if it's even possible to put to screen; they have to work with artists and character designers to tell if they can commit that art into moving parts. And for an animated show, they're kind of... I dunno, the entire backbone of its production.

Anyone stupid enough to claim that, by their logic, should claim that Miles and Kerry were "just writers" and don't have the right nor the intelligence to have any opinions on RWBY's animation, character designs or music. That's how I know you have zero fucking idea how any actual media is produced, because in your head, these positions all just exist as separate little boxes in your brain so it's simple enough for you to grasp.

It was "just an animator" who made RWBY in the first place, dumbass. A "rando" making animations on the internet that Rooster Teeth took a chance on, and now he's responsible for their best-selling IP. By comparison, Dillon is starting at a way better starting position than Monty was, with a successful YouTube channel, public support from multiple current and ex-CRWBY like J Grelle (Tyrian's VA), Kim Newman (former animator who animated Sun's gunchucks in V5) and Jessica Nigri (Cinder's VA), and multiple collaborations with big companies like Hoyoverse.

If anything, I'd expect an animator like Dillon to know and care enough about his staff to not give them near-irreparable spinal damage. Gee, I wonder why Newman would think he'd be a better employer to work with? Dillon would know how an animation project is run and budgeted. Him being an animator is a benefit, for god's sake.

Monty had character design sketches but needed help from professional artists to fully design them. He knew bits of the plot but needed help fleshing it out. Do you have enough brain cells to rub together to know that's precisely what Dillon can do, too? Fuckin', I dunno, hire people? For his studio??

I'd rather have an animator run RWBY because RWBY is an animated series and he would know precisely 1) what complements the medium best and 2) the precise limits of what can or cannot work within his budget. By your ass-backwards logic, I would rather get EC Myers to run RWBY's production over Dillon just because he's a writer and has been employed with RT longer.

That's another moronic argument: "He's only been employed by RT for 1 Volume". Man, I don't care if he's been there for zero Volumes, his work clearly shows a greater understanding of RWBY's aesthetic, mainstream appeal and style than its own showrunners have for the past 7 years. Or is seniority in a defunct company responsible for a steadily unprofitable IP suddenly a positive in this business deal?

I need you to be aware that RWBY as an IP is a joke outside of the bubble of its fandom, and I am telling you bluntly as a fan. Nobody takes it seriously and the ones that do only praise it for either its action choreography or its character designs, one of which is guaranteed with Dillon's studio. Diehard fans may love RWBY, warts and all, but all that love and support clearly wasn't enough to keep it alive, because its reputation was already cemented from its own mismanagement.

What you do is you get the right person for the job. And Dillon ticks a lot of boxes for it. If you think he's unable to acquire RWBY because he's not a big corpo or cannot meet Warner's asking price, that's 100% fair. If you think he's unable to create something on the scale of Volume 9, that's also 100% fair, but only if you're attached to the idea that you'd rather have Volume 10 or more of the same RWBY that was operating at a loss than any RWBY at all. Or if you'd rather see a season of 14 episodes 15 minutes long where 60-70% of it is made up of exposition, talking head scenes and increasingly overambitious world expanding, over shorter episodes with amazing RWBY action sequences with a story that never bites off more than it can chew.

But if you think Dillon is unqualified or worse, unworthy or undeserving (what a weirdo thing to say about a person, like owning RWBY is like inheriting the fucking throne of Gondor), all because he's "just an animator" or because he was smart enough to see RT for the meat-grinder hellhole it was and left to find success on his own, you're full of shit.

And if you disapprove of him because of his association with Shane, go find a restroom because your unsightly hateboner is showing. It's been almost ten years since the letter and you all have been holding this unfettered rage clenched between your buttcheeks longer than Shane's ever been with Rooster Teeth.

And for what? Pointing out Rooster Teeth is a fucked place to work at? Whoops, that was true and now it's six feet under for every scandal and worker abuse case they brought on themselves. For stealing and cannibalising their creators' IPs? Whoops, that's fucking true as well.

[hadesisqueer]

Okay, doing a RWBY timeline for ages for some characters FOR MYSELF (take this like a grain of salt).

First, let's get the characters that have birthdays (some of them are not really confirmed or are just estimated or just headcanons by EC Myers, but I need something c'mon.)

Ruby Rose: October 31.

Weiss Schnee: May 15.

Blake Belladonna: January 19.

Yang Xiao Long: July 28.

Jaune Arc: February 29.

Neptune Vasilias: May 1.

Velvet Scarlatina: February 14.

Coco Adel: June 11.

Fox Alistair: November 22.

Yatsuhashi Daichi: January 6.

So, we don't exactly have a confirmation of how the school year works in Remnant, but volume 1 starts with them starting Beacon in the Spring semester, so we can assume that their school year works kind of like in Japan in real life. In that case, we can also assume that in a school year, students go from kids being born already during pring to people being born in winter next year, maybe until early March. So, if we're going with that, Weiss is the oldest member of team RWBY, then Yang, and then Blake is the second youngest, since she was born in January (this would change if the school year was confirmed to work from September to June, though, because then she'd probably be the oldest and Yang the second youngest).

Jaune would also probably be the youngest of his team if we took that birthday seriously (I don't really, but idk). Neptune would be one of, if not the oldest of team SSSNN. As to team CFVY, Coco would be the oldest, then Fox, then Yatsu and then Velvet would be the youngest.

Now, like I said, if the school year works like in Japan, then they'd start in spring, then they would have a long summer break, then the Fall semester would start, then they'd have a shorter winter break and then the school year would end and they would also have a short spring break before the next year starts. That somewhat fits RWBY's narrative, considering we know the Vytal Festival and the Fall of Beacon took place during the Fall Semester, which would mean the Fall of Beacon took place about six-seven months after the start of the show if they started in Spring, which if we're considering that team RWBY and JNPR were still First Years, seems the most likely.

So, volume 1 covers all of the Spring semester, and then volume 2 and 3 take place after the summer break and cover the Fall semester until the Fall of Beacon. If Weiss' birthday takes place in Spring, that means that she turned 18 at some point in volume 1, and Yang probably turned 18 between volume 1 and 2, which means that by volume 2 both Weiss and Yang would be already 18, Blake would still be 17 and Ruby would be 15 going on 16 already. By the time we fully see team CFVY, Coco would be 19 and Fox, Velvet and Yatsu would still be 18. Jaune (again, if we take that birthday seriously) would be 17 during the entire Beacon Arc, and I would say Neptune was 18 by the time we met him if it weren't because we actually don't even know if team SSSN were actually First Years or not: as far as we know, they could be CFVY's age.

In any case, we know Ruby turns 16 somewhere in that timeskip at the end of volume 3. And by volume 4, we know it's been several months since the Fall of Beacon, and it's already spring; therefore, Blake has already turned 18 during that timeskip between volume 3 and 4, and so has Jaune. We don't know Ren and Nora's birthdays, but we know they were about 18 too already. Weiss, on the other hand, probably turned 19 sometime during volume 4, if she hadn't turned it already when we saw her.

In volume 5, it's already summer, and the volume covers several weeks, which means that Yang turned 19 around that time as well.

Volume 6 takes place a couple of weeks after the end of volume 5, so it's already Fall (about a year after the Fall of Beacon), so Ruby is 16 going on 17 by that time. The Atlas Arc takes place over the course of several weeks as well; probably like a month and a half or maybe more; to them it's probably November now. So it's safe to assume that Ruby turned 17 by that time. Oscar is also estimated to be about 15 already by now, so he probably was born during the Fall season. Therefore, right now, Weiss is 19, Yang is 19, Ren and Nora are 18-19, Blake and Jaune are 18 going on 19 (well, Jaune's not anymore), Ruby is 17, and Oscar is about 15. Neptune is either 19 or 20 depending on what year team SSSN actually are in, and Coco is already 20, Fox is about to turn 20 as well and Yatsu and Velvet are still 19.

I would talk about Emerald and Mercury's age, but I also actually have no idea what year they were in when they were pretending to be students at Beacon; I know Cinder was passing as an upperclassmen, so it's likely that they were pretending to be upperclassmen as well, but they could have lied about their age just like Cinder did. But since Raven considered them kids, it's probably safe to assume that they're on RWBY's and CFVY's age range, 18-20.

Don't really take this seriously, though, this is just me interpreting their ages and the timeline right now. None of this is confirmed so, again, take this like a grain of salt.

[rwby-confess]

i've actually read kiersi's published book, "castle of lies"! it promised a poly ship and lots of nice queer rep and it was, well. a castle of lies

just joking but the poly stuff was not done well. the nonbinary rep slayed though. the plot pacing was terrible and it had internalized misogyny but it was a fun experiment to see! i hope she publishes more books to expand my library 🤍

also check the warnings before you read it!

p.s. i also read ec myers' alien incest smut! it was very lackluster

Ok

[laserdog10]

thoughts https://www.tumblr.com/rihwooby/620219180294324224?source=share

Honestly this just loops back to the problem of RWBY's Character Bloat issues and most of them being underutilized, Neptune, Scarlet, and Sage being prime examples.

Neptune is Sun's best friend, was a potential love interest to Weiss, and could've been the team's tech guy and have an tiny arc about overcoming his aquaphobia. But no he gets shafted and written out of the story and bullied in the shitty EC Myers books.

Scarlet could've been more, but no he's just gay, and that's it.

Sage could've had a character at all, but no he just exists.

So while us as an audience can understand _SSN's, it doesn't feel as emotionally impactful since we barely know most of Sun's team.

[blakesyang]

okay, hear me out. there’s no way these are all just random people standing behind neo. i tried to figure out what other people are speculating and i also compared some of the figures to character models, and this is what i’ve got:

i think it’s obvious that the three in the center are neos mother, roman, and her father. also, ec myers posted this the day that the trailer came out. roman has his hand on neo’s chair as he stands behind her in the cover, and there’s a figure that looks to be around his size/height standing behind her in the intro photo above. not only that, but the framed image in the photo shows her parents — which both look very similar to the figures on either side of neo.

as for some of the others, it’s very clear that these three are jacques, penny, and adam just based on how they stand, as well as the outline of their clothes. pennys might be a little off, but it’s a possibility. it also almost looks as if the one on the right has horns.

as for the other two, it looks like the one on the left is pyrrha because of the outline of the ponytail, but i couldn’t figure out the last male figure. i’ve heard some say it’s clover, but i don’t know why he’d be here because he holds no emotional significance to any of the cast.

either way, it looks like neo plans to use those who had some sort of connection to the cast against them, and it looks like it won’t be pretty.

[asha-mage]

Get To Know Me

Tagged by: @highladyluck

3 Ships

Cauthor (Rand al'Thor/Mat Cauthon): The OG. The template. The pairing that wormed it's way deep into my brain and never left. My first and oldest fandom love and the one I always return to, given sufficient time. I've actually been thinking more and more about picking up Sworn, by Warder Mat AU, because I've missed these two so strongly.

Merthur (Merlin/Arthur Pendragon): Another OG, though in a slightly different way. Man this ship still hits so good: the tragedy, the devotion, the earth shaking bone deep love. Doomed by the narrative a decade before that became a kitchy tumblr phrase, and still going strong today for a reason. The make me chew drywall I love them so much.

Matador (Adam Taurus/Jaune Arc): A recent discovery but one I can not get out of my brain. I acknowledge this is 100% a crack ship and yet...sometimes the potentially for something really messed up and really interesting exists between two characters who never share a scene, and sometimes that potential is so powerful it gives me brainworms. Their is probably fic forthcoming for this one, fair warning.

First Ship

My best guess is Percico (Nico Di Angelo/Percy Jackson), weather that was me picking up on intended tension from Rioradn or me as a macabre outcast gay middle schooler projecting onto Nico I can't properly say, but I used to really like this one. Less so these days. Still, I would read an AU of them it turned up in my recommended pile.

Last Song

Spotify says it's Mermaids by Florence and the Machine, which seems right

Currently reading

The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan, though in fairness I'm listening to it in audiobook form.

After the Fall by EC Myers

I also JUST finished re-reading In Other Lands by Sarah Reese Brennan for my book club and man is that a good book.

Currently Consuming

Potato Wedges I made in my air fryer

Currently Craving

Cherry Ice Cream, specifically the Amerato Cherry Cordial Ice Cream from my local Kroger that rules. I would also kill for a Yellow Cake Batter Shake from Sonic, but it has yet to return from QSR Purgatory.

Tagging - @reflectionsofacreator

[skiasurveys]

survey #idk

I have Traveled To:

More than three states in the US

Mexico

Canada (tech i live here)

A place that starts with the letter L

Austria

An island

A big city

Anywhere in Africa

Japan

A place where English is not the main language

Anywhere in the southern hemisphere

India

Netherlands

I Have Read:

Any of the Bible

At least two Harry Potter books

The entire Twilight series

Catch-22

Animal Farm

A Dr. Seuss book

Instructions to a piece of Ikea information

A warning label that made me laugh

A biography/autobiography

Dante’s Inferno

A Chuck Palahniuk book

A newspaper in the last week

Something that made me cry

I Like to Eat:

Spam

Mexican food

Brussell sprouts

Onions

Watermelon

Vegan food

Bacon

Chocolate

New things

Escargot

Hummus

Haggis

Indian food

Home cooking

Fast food

My Favorite Actors Include:

Mark Wahlberg

Morgan Freeman

James Franco

Leonardo DiCaprio

Robert DeNiro

Samuel L. Jackson

Chris Hemsworth

Elijah Wood

Johnny Depp

Steve Buscemi

Robin Williams

Jack Black

Channing Tatum

I Have Listened to These Bands:

Taylor Swift

AC/DC

Jay-Z

Frank Sinatra

Pink Floyd

Fall Out Boy

Incubus

No Doubt

The White Stripes

Skrillex

Tenacious D

Metallica

Britney Spears

Ke$ha

The Beatles

I Have/Had These Pets:

Dog

Cat

Horse

Bird

Hamster

Lizard

Snake

Guinea Pig

Goat

Fish

Mouse

Spider

Pig

Hedgehog

Ferret

I Have Seen These Movies:

Fifth Element

Gone With the Wind

Nightmare Before Christmas

High School Musical

Kickin’ It Old School

Casablanca

Predator

White Men Can’t Jump

AVATAR

12 Years A Slave

Saving Private Ryan

MASH

Mamma Mia!

Dark Shadows

Riding In Cars With Boys

If I Could Have A Super Power, I Would Choose:

Mind control

Mind reading

Teleportation

Flying

Bullet-proof

Speed

Super-strength

Invisibility

All-Knowing

X-Ray vision

Freeze-touch

Time traveling

Invulnerability

Telekenisis

I Am Scared of:

Clowns

Heights

Spiders

Open spaces

Small spaces

Vacuums

Snakes

Needles

Strangers

Michael Myers

Bugs

Tiny holes

Highways

Germs

Police

My Favorite Color Is:

Red

Yellow

Orange

Green

Blue

Purple

Gray

Black

Brown

White

Pink

I Am Currently Wearing:

A t-shirt

A hoodie

Capris

Shoes

A bra

Make-up

Perfume

Deodorant

Hat

Something with a superhero/symbol on it

Nail polish

Scarf

Pajamas

Boxers

Sweatpants

I Would Describe My Best Friend As:

Bossy

Intelligent

Promiscuous

Funny

Whiny

Honest

Reliable

Loyal

Lazy

Adventurous

Unique

Complicated

Open-minded

Well-read

In the Last 24 Hours, I Have:

Read

Drank alcohol

Had sex

Eaten meat 

Danced in public

Went swimming

Changed my clothes more than once

Said something mean

Cleaned

Spent money on something pointless

Sang aloud

Met someone new

Played a game of some sort

Things In the Room With Me Now Are:

A TV

Another person

Something that belongs to a child

A pet

Food

Bed

Art

Clock not connected to a phone/computer

A mirror

Medicine

Books

Drugs or alcohol

The Last Person I Texted Is:

My significant other

Someone who sucks at spelling

A different race than me

A relative

Someone I don’t really like

Someone I went to high school with

My best friend

A person I work with

At home

In the room with me

Knows more than one language 

Is female

Is under the age of 21

Someone I live with

I Am For:

Abortion

Death penalty

Amnesty

Gun control

Gay marriage

Prayer in school

War in the middle east

Marijuana legalization

Banning cigarettes in public places

Higher taxes

Higher minimum wage

Standardized testing

Lowering the legal age for drinking

I Have Committed These Crimes:

Jaywalking

Smoking weed

Shooting heroin

Shoplifting

Breaking & entering

Public intoxication

Hit & Run

Speeding

Opening someone else’s mail without their permission

Burglary

Vehicular manslaughter

Lying under oath

Truancy

I Took These Classes In High School/College:

Home Ec

Physics

Photography

Criminal Justice

Journalism

Debate

Creative Writing

Art

Music Theory

Philosophy

French

Theater

Choir

Psychology

What I Watch On TV:

Reality shows about celebrities

Game shows

News

Reruns of classic shows

Award shows

Modern Family

Doctor Who

Scandal

Infomercials

HSN

MTV

Singing competitions

Cooking shows

Traveling shows

[readtilyoudie]

Good intentions do not always have good results. We are all fallible. We all make mistakes. And forgiveness of those failures goes hand in hand with trust.

Fairy Tales of Remnant: An AFK Book (RWBY) by E.C. Myers

[marjaystuff]

Interview with Terri Parlato

Watch Your Back

Terri Parlato

Kensington Pub

Dec 24th, 2024

Watch Your Back by Terri Parlato intertwines suspense, romance, retribution, and redemption in a compelling measure. It realistically shows how young couples handle stress and trying to make ends meet, which can affect their relationship. The main characters’ professions and personal lives play a significant role in the unfolding of the plot.

The two main characters, Nathan Liddle and Eve Thayer, have settled into domestic life after a whirlwind romance. Shortly thereafter they become the parents of a baby girl, Rosewyn. Due to the stresses of her job, they do not have much time together for their marriage with Nathan spending a lot of time taking care of the baby. As a psychiatrist, Eve Thayer has been tapped to lead the medical staff at a new psychiatric center in the Boston suburb of Graybridge, leaving her little time to help her husband with their infant daughter. He decides to seek companionship elsewhere by having an extramarital affair.  The cracks in their relationship become huge after their baby girl is kidnapped from the babysitter’s home and their secrets are revealed. There is a multitude of suspects including Eve, her best friend Rachel, some of Eve’s psychiatric patients, and the babysitter. The detective on the case, Rita Myers, must unravel the secrets and find out who is responsible.

The narrative is told in multiple points of view of Eve, Nathan, and Rita. This helps to make the plot fast paced and intense as well as weaving together the family’s turmoil, the detective’s ability to connect the clues, and the hunt for the culprit. 

This plot will have readers guessing all the way through.  The prologue starts the story out with a bang, and it does not let up from there. The author writes very multidimensional characters, and the effective red herrings add to the twisty plotline. 

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?

Terri Parlato: I often start out with writing the characters.  I thought of my children and the young adults who seem to be working very hard with long hours.  They have a hard time balancing home, career, and family. This gave me the idea for Eve and Nathan.  Because I write thrillers, I had terrible things happen beyond the difficulties of life. The villain is out for vengeance.

EC: How would you describe Eve?

TP: She is a psychiatrist who feels overwhelmed.  She is steely, workaholic, quiet, introspective, and wants to control her emotions and keeps them in check.  Growing up she did not get a lot of warmth and nurturing, especially with her father cheating.

EC: How would you describe Nathan?

TP: Protective, attentive, down to earth, personable, and puts his child ahead of his own desires.

EC:  Do you think the relationship between Eve and Nathan has gone downhill?

TP: After Eve finds out Nathan cheated on her she becomes very distant, and he takes to drinking and smoking.  He feels very guilty, and she withdraws, becoming angry. Nathan was seeking companionship because he felt so ignored by Eve.  I wanted readers to think about this moral dilemma.  Both had a responsibility to talk it out but neither did, but because of having parents MIA, communicating was harder for them. Being from the social media generation they were not good communicators.

EC:  What kind of parents are they to their young daughter, especially after the child went missing?

TP: Nathan is very indulgent.  For Eve, she loves her daughter but is not sure how to be a mother. She struggles with ‘Am I doing this correctly?’  Then when the child goes missing both worry that the kidnapper has evil intentions. Once the child went missing it magnified the type of parents they had become.  Plus, having a child kidnapped is one of the worst things a parent can go through. It brings out their doubts as a parent and tests them to their limits.

EC: What about Eve’s best friend Rachel?

TP: I wanted her to exemplify how the relationship shifted between Rachel who was single and Eve who is now married. Eve is not as dependent on her. Relationships are difficult and tricky. They used to have good old times as single women.

EC: Was Rita, the police detective, also in other books?

TP: She is in all three books set in this fictional town. Rita is the common thread with her own narrative arc.  She is growing as a character and has her own demons that shows from book 1 to this book, 3. In this novel, Rita’s drawing plays a role in solving the crime.  The first book explained why she draws.  In elementary school, the teacher had her draw something to distract her.  This really worked and helped her to handle her life.  Being the youngest of nine children she lost her brother to leukemia and an older brother to the Vietnam War.  Drawing taught her to deal with her feelings. Now it works with her profession because as a detective she can see clues visually.  It is a coping mechanism that turned into a tool for her detective work.

EC: Is Rita a lot like Eve?

TP: Yes.  Both are lonely, workaholics, and tenacious. I wanted Eve to be a different female lead than in the first two books.  She parallels Rita’s personality in that both have demons and are not sure how to handle them. 

EC: Next book? TP: It will be out March 2026 and is a domestic thriller.  Rita will not be in it.  There will be family drama with a villain who will be causing havoc as well as a murder.

THANK YOU!!

[esglatestmarketnews]

Unveiling ESG Practices in European Pharmaceutical Industry

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting in the healthcare sector has received a further push with the European pharmaceutical industry players confronting climate change and exploring challenges and opportunities, including strategies for product marketing and developing technologies and policies. In April 2021, the European Commission issued a legislative proposal for the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), requiring companies to report in line with European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). Furthermore, in July 2023, the EC adopted the first set of ESRS — companies will need to report in compliance with the new ESRS as early as 2024.

A rising chorus of voices is pitching for net-zero goals. In retrospect, the EU’s audacious move to become the first global market to roll out financial penalties for emissions in 2005 was a shot in the arm. So much so that companies that are leaving no stone unturned to reduce carbon are overcoming waste in packaging and production and encouraging suppliers to minimize emissions.

Stakeholders, including investors, clients, partners and the public, perceive transparency, diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI), corporate governance, business ethics, tax transparency, social opportunity, and pollution and waste as a game-changer for a better tomorrow. Predominantly, the circular economy is a riposte to the stiff challenge the 21st century presents — providing people’s needs without putting a burden on the environment and exhausting natural resources.

Is your business one of participants to the European Pharmaceutical Industry ESG? Contact us for focused consultation around ESG Investing, and help you build sustainable business practices

Healthcare facilities, such as hospitals, are responsible for a large chunk of environmental pollution. Citing Dutch government data, a U.K.-based Law company — Pinsent Masons — noted (in November 2022) that the healthcare sector contributed around 7% of the CO2 emissions. The emergence of the Green Deal has brought a seismic shift in the healthcare system by minimizing the sector’s negative effects on the environment and climate and achieving a shift towards green and climate-neutral healthcare. The 3rd Green Deal, effective from 2023 through 2026, will gear up to help the Netherlands be carbon neutral by 2050, minimize the environmental burden of pharmaceuticals, promote more sustainable, healthier and plant-based diets for consumers and minimize the use of new materials and reuse more materials.

Novartis Explores Environmental Challenges and Opportunities

As medical technology continues to accelerate to keep up with the soaring demand for high-quality healthcare, European pharmaceutical companies are banking on proactive decisions to underpin sustainability goals. A leap toward ESG business practices and reduction targets of scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions will propel long-term environmental goals. For instance, in 2022, Novartis claimed it minimized scope 1 and 2 emissions by 23% from the preceding year.

The Switzerland-headquartered company is committed to using 100% renewable electricity across its operations by 2025. In 2022, renewable power purchase agreements helped the healthcare giant cover electricity consumption across its operations in Europe and North America. Amidst its scope 3 emissions rising by 20% (from the preceding year), Novartis has set a bullish target of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Advances Inclusion and Diversity Efforts

Pharma companies are fostering ESG strategies — enhancing health & well-being and underscoring diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Commitment to a patient-centric culture and just society that respects and values people from all backgrounds will boost sustainably responsible investing. In 2023, Bristol-Myers Squibb bolstered workforce representation goals to include executive directors and above to impel the next generation of leadership. In March 2023, the company inferred that 85% strongly agreed or agreed that they felt they worked in diverse and cross-cultural teams at BMS UK.

The pharmaceutical industrial company asserted it enrolled more than 6,800 employees (in 2022) into professional, manager, and leadership development programs. The company claimed in its 2022 ESG report that 100% of its leadership development programs are inclusive and address topics pertaining to women and underrepresented ethnic groups.

AstraZeneca Encourages Transparency

Robust corporate governance warrants greater transparency, the integrity of risk management, internal controls and financial information. Embedding sustainability from the lab to the patient will strengthen the healthcare system and herald an ESG-powered future. AstraZeneca alluded to its commitment to high ethical standards and full compliance with laws, regulations and internal policies in its Sustainability Report 2022.

The U.K.-headquartered company has set an audacious 2025 target of maintaining 100% of active employees trained on the Code of Ethics. Besides, the stakeholder group has a keen interest in exposure to macro-economic risk, R&D productivity and successful pipeline, commercial operations, financial performance and strategy, climate and sustainability matters and culture, values and behaviors.

European pharmaceutical companies are striving to fuel high standards of conduct and accountability, including anti-corruption, anti-bribery, human rights and use of human tissue and animals for research. Businesses are centered on trust — seeking feedback and providing inputs on diversity, equity & inclusion and leadership structure — which will further align sustainability strategy with business strategy. Grand View Research estimates the Europe pharmaceutical market, which stood at USD 282.75 billion in 2020, to grow at 5.4% CAGR between 2021 and 2028. With ESG becoming a common denominator, stakeholders are poised to prioritize sustainability issues and propel ESG reporting.

About Astra — ESG Solutions By Grand View Research

Astra is the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) arm of Grand View Research Inc. — a global market research publishing & management consulting firm.

Astra offers comprehensive ESG thematic assessment & scores across diverse impact & socially responsible investment topics, including both public and private companies along with intuitive dashboards. Our ESG solutions are powered by robust fundamental & alternative information. Astra specializes in consulting services that equip corporates and the investment community with the in-depth ESG research and actionable insight they need to support their bottom lines and their values. We have supported our clients across diverse ESG consulting projects & advisory services, including climate strategies & assessment, ESG benchmarking, stakeholder engagement programs, active ownership, developing ESG investment strategies, ESG data services, build corporate sustainability reports. Astra team includes a pool of industry experts and ESG enthusiasts who possess extensive end-end ESG research and consulting experience at a global level.

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KR’S LIST OF 6 UNDERRATED HORROR FLICKS FOR HALLOWEEN

Hey, gang! Burned out from repeat viewings of the entire Nightmare on Elm Street series, Friday the 13th series, or even the Halloween series? Never fear, because I’ve got recommendations for some of the most underrated and quite frankly, often overlooked horror flicks to check out this Halloween season. So in no particular order, this is my list of 6 underrated horror flicks to check out during Halloween!

6) VAULT OF HORROR

Despite the wraparound story, the lack of an actual Vault-Keeper, and the fact that none of the stories are adapted from the actual EC horror comics series of the same name, 1973’s follow-up to “Tales from the Crypt” by Amicus might as well be considered a superior sequel to the first film. With 4 out of 5 excellent stories that capture the feel & tone of the comics as well as excellent performances from Terry-Thomas & Doctor Who alumni Tom Baker, Vault of Horror is a criminally underrated anthology film that I can’t recommend highly enough.

5) SILENT RAGE

Chuck Norris fights Jason Voorhees. I can’t describe this movie any further than those 5 aforementioned words. A movie where Chuck Norris fights a unstoppable killer resurrected through the wonders of science. Despite lacking a good soundtrack (aside from the closing credits) and somewhat slow pacing in the middle, the mood & suspense makes this early Norris flick an excellent movie if you dig horror movies and/or if you wanna watch Chuck Norris roundhouse kick a genetically altered killing machine into oblivion on Halloween night.

4) TETSUO: THE IRON MAN

This tale about a salaryman slowly turning into a metal being may possibly be the most twisted horror movie hailing from Japan that I’ve seen in recent memory. And I’m not kidding when I say that. It’s a crazed fusion of Cronenburg body-horror & psychological horror that will leave you blown away or comatose upon witnessing the insanity this film has to offer. While I wish the movie was longer, Tetsuo the Iron Man is one wild ride that’ll keep you glued to your seat until the movie ends. Recommended if you like body-horror flicks or want to see a guy’s particular body part turn into a power drill (Again, I’m not kidding).

3) DEEPSTAR SIX

From the creator of Friday the 13th comes a pleasant surprise of a monster movie that was released in 1989 where you had 5+ underwater sci-fi flicks. With good performances from the cast including Miguel Ferrer & some awesome creature effects, Deepstar Six, despite me preferring Leviathan over this, has a lot of positives going for it that I cannot ignore adding this to my recommendation list. Watch it!

2) H.P. LOVECRAFT’S FROM BEYOND

Following off the heels of his earlier hit by the name of Re-Animator, the late Stuart Gordon once again brings one of Lovecraft’s short stories to the big screen (which is only the length of the opening scene in the movie btw). Where Re-Animator felt more like a splatter fest of a horror comedy, From Beyond is true Lovecraftian horror strengthen by performances from the cast including the underrated Jeffrey Combs & Ken Foree, awesome special effects, and a creepy soundtrack. Oh, and Barbara Crampton in a dominatrix outfit. Highly recommended for fans of Re-Animator, Stuart Gordon & H.P. Lovecraft.

1) THE BURNING

While the slasher genre has Freddy, Michael Myers, Chucky & Jason, nobody ever talks about Cropsy, based on the urban legend. Enter 1981’s “The Burning”. This movie has everything: Dimwitted campers getting hacked with gardening sheers, Tom Savini doing the special effects, early film appearances by Jason Alexander & Holly Hunter, a soundtrack composed by Rick Wakeman of Yes fame, and the list goes on. The one thing that kinda holds it back nowadays is the fact that the movie was produced & written by the notorious Weinstein brothers, which is unfortunate because this is a good movie. But if you can get past that, “The Burning” is a true slasher classic that you should watch.

And with that, I hope you get some enjoyment out of these horror flicks. I may have some more underrated flicks to recommend that were left off the list, but the aforementioned titles should get you started.

Until next time, this is KR signing off!

And happy Halloween!