IT Insights Blog

Here’s something that you don’t always find yourself thinking in summer, when the air is muggy and you spend a great deal of time searching for that perfect blend of light clothing, cool refreshments and air conditioning: When is it ever going to stop raining so that I can get on with the day and go about my business? You can control a lot of things in life, and arranging your surroundings to your liking is often simply a matter of making a few small tweaks. Even in 2017, however, we still can’t control the weather.

Pioneer Day is a state holiday in Utah (where TestOut Continuing Education is based) that honors the Mormon pioneer men, women and children who settled the Utah Territory (and many surrounding areas) beginning in 1847.

I was blessed to grow up in East Boston, Mass., and because of that, I’m a Red Sox fan. Like millions of other Sox faithful, I’ve suffered the Curse of the Bambino and seen some truly heart-rending moments when, against all odds, my team snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Moments like the '75 World Series loss to Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine, the epic collapse of '78, when the Sox lost 14 of 17 games to blow a 7.5 game lead in September, and, of course, Buckner’s Boot in the '86 Series.

Among the many tunes made famous by legendary country music crooner Kenny Rogers, few are as well known as the Don Schlitz ditty "The Gambler." The singer recounts his meeting, during an overnight train trip, with a gamblin' man who shares some rules for living gleaned from his long life of card games. Over the course of the song, it becomes clear that the gambler prioritizes having an exit strategy.

On July 15, British actress Jodie Whittaker was just another face in the crowded U.K. film and television industry, a skilled but not widely known performer whose greatest degree of public recognition probably came from her very first film role, as a housekeeper and aspiring model opposite cinematic legend Peter O'Toole in the 2008 film Venus. On July 16, Whittaker became a topic of global conversation overnight after being announced as the successor to Peter Capaldi in the titular role of the illustrious BBC sci-fi show Doctor Who.