LocalAll

Explore Page

Farobag Homi Cooper

Henry Purcell was born on September 10, 1659 to a musical family in Westminster, London. Purcell was England’s greatest composer of the Restoration period and one of the most important English composers before the 20th century. His music combines English contrapuntal tradition, Italian melody, French dance rhythms, and a remarkable feeling for harmony and word setting. He was recognized as a prodigy from a young age, singing in the Chapel Royal's choir and composing as a child, as evidenced by a published three-part song surviving from when he was only 8 years old. Purcell had an unusually sophisticated harmonic language for his time. He could move between major and minor, dissonance and resolution, and chromatic harmony with extraordinary freedom. His word painting was also exceptional. Dido’s lament, “When I am laid in earth,” is particularly famous for its descending chromatic bass and extraordinary emotional intensity. “As poetry is the harmony of words, so music is that of notes; and as poetry is a rise above prose and oratory, so is music the exaltation of poetry.” “Tis women who make us love; 'tis love that makes us sad; 'tis sadness makes us drink; 'tis drink that makes us mad.”

justme

At sixteen years old, Paul Anka was hopelessly in love with a girl who barely knew he existed. Her name was Diana Ayoub. She was eighteen. Poised. Beautiful. And completely unaware that a shy teenager in Ottawa had been watching her from a distance. Paul was not confident around girls. He was small for his age. Awkward. Quiet. But there was one place where he knew exactly what to say. At the piano. So in early 1957, he did what young songwriters have always done with feelings they cannot speak aloud. He turned them into music. Paul wrote a song for Diana. A plea from a boy who wanted to be noticed by someone who had no idea how deeply he felt. Then he decided to do something extraordinary with it. He borrowed one hundred dollars from his uncle. Skipped school. Packed a suitcase with demo tapes. And flew alone to New York City. He was sixteen years old. The music business was not exactly waiting for teenage songwriters from Canada. Professional writers dominated the industry. Experienced producers controlled the doors. A nervous kid with a homemade love song was easy to dismiss. Then Paul reached ABC-Paramount Records. Producer Don Costa agreed to hear him. The recording was simple. A young voice. A melody. A feeling that sounded real because it was. Costa heard something others had missed. Not polish. Truth. The label released “Diana” in July 1957. Then everything changed. Radio stations began receiving requests. The song climbed charts. North America. Europe. Beyond. Millions of people heard the words Paul had written for one girl in Ottawa. The teenager who had struggled to get anyone’s attention suddenly had the attention of the world. “Diana” sold more than a million copies and transformed Paul Anka into an international star before he had even finished high school. And Diana Ayoub? She never became his girlfri

justme

FDA-APPROVED OPTUNE PAX ADDS A NEW WEAPON AGAINST LOCALLY ADVANCED PANCREATIC CANCER A new type of cancer treatment is giving some patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer another option. In February 2026, the U.S. FDA approved Optune Pax, a wearable device that delivers Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) to the abdomen. It is approved for adults with locally advanced pancreatic cancer, used together with the chemotherapy drugs gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) HOW IT WORKS: WEARABLE DEVICE → adhesive arrays are placed on the skin of the abdomen → the device delivers alternating electrical fields called Tumor Treating Fields → the fields interact with dividing cancer cells → they can disrupt processes involved in cell division → the treatment is given together with gemcitabine + nab-paclitaxel chemotherapy WHY THIS MATTERS: Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most difficult cancers to treat, particularly when a tumor is locally advanced and cannot initially be removed surgically. Optune Pax offers a different approach: instead of relying only on drugs, it adds electrical fields designed to interfere with cancer-cell division. The treatment is also non-invasive and portable. Patients can receive the therapy at home while continuing their other cancer treatment. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) REFERENCES: • U.S. FDA — “FDA Approves First-of-Its-Kind Device to Treat Pancreatic Cancer,” February 12, 2026. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) • Babiker HM, et al. — “Randomized, Open-Label, Pivotal Phase III PANOVA-3 Study,” 2025. (PubMed) • ClinicalTrials.gov — PANOVA-3, NCT03377491. (ClinicalTrials.gov) • Optune Pax — FDA-approved indication and safety information. (Optune Pax) DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or medical condition. Optune Pax is an FDA-approved treatment for a specific group of adults

Farobag Homi Cooper

Leo Tolstoy was born on this day, September 9, 1828. His epic novels, War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are monumental works of realism that portrayed Russian society and explored the human condition. He underwent a profound spiritual and moral crisis in middle age, eventually rejecting many conventions of the Russian Orthodox Church and developing a philosophy centered on nonviolence, simplicity, conscience, and love. His later ideas influenced figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Music was extremely important to Tolstoy. His novella The Kreutzer Sonata takes its title from Beethoven’s famous violin sonata and uses music as a vehicle for exploring passion, jealousy, sexuality, and marriage. “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” “If you look for perfection, you will never be content.” “We can know only that we know nothing. And that is the highest degree of human wisdom.”

Explore | LocalAll