Even when his roles were small, such as in 1992's Scent of a Woman, it's hard to forget a performance from Philip Seymour Hoffman. Equally adept at playing the lead role or that of a bumbling sidekick, Hoffman was one of his generation's greatest actors. And his mother is largely to thank for introducing him to the craft.

In 2006, Hoffman won Best Actor for his lead role in Capote. Here's what he said during his acceptance speech:

The best public high schools in every US state

Image: Morgantown High School is the highest-ranked school in West Virginia. Google Maps

Elevate has announced the 50 most innovative workplaces that will be officially recognized at The Elevated Awards, taking place May 8.

In partnership with NewCo, The Elevated Awards look to recognize the companies that make innovation a valued part of the way people think, work, and interact every day.

The event will be hosted by Arlene Dickinson, Bruce Croxon, and Michele Romanow. Several additional awards will be given out at the event for excellence in the following categories: best workspace, purpose-driven, diversity and inclusiveness, professional and personal development, corporate social responsibility, health and wellness, and brand storytelling.

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Gig economy workers in Europe are getting some employee protections after the European Parliament passed new rules last month granting them transparency in working conditions, more predictable work hours, payment for canceled work and the freedom to work for more than one employer. The rules define beneficiaries as “workers in casual or short-term employment, on-demand workers, intermittent workers, voucher-based workers, platform workers, as well as paid trainees and apprentices.”

When Prince Harry married American actress Meghan Markle last year, their wedding was lauded for bringing modernism to that most traditional of institutions, the British monarchy. Their first child, a son, was born Monday morning, and the world’s eyes are once again on the couple and how their approach to parenting might buck conventionality for the British royal family.

The birth of their baby also makes it a good time to examine the overall state of the modern monarchy, says Wharton management professor Mauro Guillen, who has conducted research on this form of government and how the economies of countries that employ it stack up against those without monarchies.

When work is flying at you, you know you have to execute at a fast and furious pace. Deadlines loom, you’re busy and engaged, and, sometimes, just barely keeping up. Having breathing room in your schedule seems like a dream.

But when work slows down, you might find yourself drifting — unable to get excited about the tasks you could do, moving more slowly than usual, maybe reading articles and watching videos that have no particular relevance to your job. You just feel bored.

I wrote my latest piece about Providence, but it could apply to a lot of cities. It’s a bit of a contrarian take on civic engagement. For some people, too much civic engagement can result in a fixation on problems, which then turns them negative on the community. This makes the grass look greener in other places. Whereas if they just enjoyed the good things about a city instead of worrying about civic challenges, they might enjoy life more and be more likely to stay. Here’s an excerpt:

“You can’t say the word ‘empathy’ at a software company. No one will take you seriously.”

Andrea Goulet couldn’t believe what she had heard. The advice came from a well-intentioned consultant she had hired as she was growing her team at Corgibytes, back in 2009. She had wanted to incorporate empathy as a core value, but was confronted with the industry-wide misconception that empathy and technical skills were irreconcileable.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- At its annual meeting today, MIT Solve, an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that advances lasting solutions from tech entrepreneurs to address the world's most pressing problems, announced the launch of the Solve Innovation Fund, a groundbreaking philanthropic venture fund that will direct catalytic investments in early-stage entrepreneurs solving global challenges. The Fund will raise $30 million over time from philanthropic donors who can contribute through tax-deductible gifts to MIT.

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US venture activity flourished in 1Q, maintaining the momentum from 2018 despite the government shutdown. The vigorous start to the year has included several unicorn exits, sky-high valuations and rampant activity in life sciences, mobility tech and more.

Image: https://pitchbook.com

The Indian business ecosystem has eventually transformed into one favorable destination for existing and aspiring entrepreneurs. The industry is rapidly being invaded with new business ideas that are meant to satisfy the modern-day consumers along with growing their own businesses through different locations.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 8, 2019--Project Onramp today announced they have placed more than 50 students in well-paid internships with top companies for summer 2019 through its first-in-the-nation Project Onramp program. The program will give the students – many of them the first in their families to attend college – hands-on experience and a valuable start towards a career in biotechnology.

By Paul Matthews

Virtual reality was first pioneered in the gaming industry. Back then, nobody could have foreseen the way it would break out of video game development and into the real world. Since it was discovered that virtual reality could be used for so much more than just a futuristic concept for video gaming, several industries have tested the technology to see how it could benefit them.

In terms of the healthcare industry, it’s already made its mark. Here’s how VR will change the world of surgery:

In every business, especially new ones, quick and effective problem solving is a critical skill. The problems you face are more complex and moving faster than ever before, and the consequences of a poor or incomplete solution can be costly to your business, and well as to your community, human health, and the environment. What we learn in school hasn’t kept up with the demands.

Image: Image via Flickr by Fortune Conferences 

A few years ago, a CEO assured me that his company was the market leader. “Clients will not leave for competitors,” he added. “It costs too much for them to switch.” Within weeks, the manufacturing giant Procter & Gamble elected not to renew its contract with the firm. The CEO was shocked — but he shouldn’t have been.

Oklahoma is a great place to live. Oklahoma is a great place to work.

We are a state that seems ready to seize the moment and leverage the quality of life and business-friendly advantages here to add innovation and technology-based economic development to Oklahoma’s list of “greats.”

A 2019 evaluation finds positive returns and good practices in Michigan’s flagship incentive program and advances methodologies to improve return on investment (ROI) and but-for estimations.  

The Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness, the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, and Ellen Harpel of Smart Incentives (Senior Research Fellow at CREC) recently collaborated to assess the effectiveness and return on investment of the Michigan Business Development Program (MBDP).

Image: https://smartincentives.org

Emerging from the financial crisis in 2009, Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz laid out their campaign to take on Silicon Valley. The pitch deck for their first venture capital (VC) fund that year promised to find a new generation of “megalomaniacal” founders—ambitious, assertive, singularly focussed—who would, in the mould of CEO Steve Jobs, use technology to “put a dent in the universe”. In getting behind the likes of Facebook and Twitter, with a war chest that swelled into the billions, they proceeded to do exactly that.

Image: "Marc Andreessen" by Mathieu Thouvenin is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 

Life of an entrepreneur is tough and we are often hit by a roadblock. Like it or not, building your own empire from scratch takes every bit of your heart, soul, blood, and sweat.

When it comes to business and implementation, no amount of knowledge is ever enough. While you have your own set of expertise, as an entrepreneur you need to stay-up-to-date of your environment. From what’s new, what’s not to what will happen in the coming day, you need to be well versed.

If you’re an entrepreneur at heart, there’s a pretty big chance your first venture won’t be your only venture. Almost all successful entrepreneurs come up with various ideas they want to turn into businesses. I got bit by the entrepreneurial bug at a young age and opened my first business, a sushi restaurant, at age 21.