On December 22, 2016, I became a mother, and I haven't been the same person since. The love that was born in my heart the moment the nurse placed Aria on my chest is unexplainable. This little being was in the world for about two minutes, and she had already become my whole entire world. Little did I know, she was about to bring out parts of me I never knew existed.
Unconditional love, is just that, unconditional. There is nothing Aria can do that will make me love her less. It. Is. Impossible. She can pull my hair, scratch my cheeks, stick her finger up my nose (I'm not saying she does these things…ok not ALL the time) and I will still love her. She could turn the house upside down (which she does) and keep me up ALL night (which she has), for some reason my love for her just keeps growing.
You don't want to make mama bear angry, by messing with her cub. I have developed a sense of insane protectiveness. Just thinking that I am responsible for keeping this innocent little baby safe, gives me chills. That is one HUGE responsibility and I intend to do it justice. If Aria lets out even a whimper, I feel like my claws come out. "WHO DARE MAKE MY BABY CRY!?" I will protect her with everything in my power and more.
How can I be both of these things at once you ask? Well I rarely think about myself any more, if at all. My thoughts are consumed with everything related to Aria. What will she eat today? What new activities should I try today? Hmm has she pooped today? (There I go with the poop again!) But I am not complaining, I absolutely LOVE it! I love it to the point that I don't want to share these duties with anybody else! I want to dress her, I want to feed her, I want to play with her, I want to sing to her, heck I even want to change her poopy diaper! (Yes, I can see Ali throwing this post in my face the next time I ask him to change her). But you get the idea, I love being a mom to Aria, and sometimes I don't want to share these moments with anyone else!
I'm sure as she grows and I grow with her, there will be many more changes to come. Without even trying, Aria is shaping me into the mom I'm meant to be. It's crazy how such a little human can make such a big impact on your life! If you're a mom, how has your little one changed your life so far? I would love to know!!


Taimuraz Bolloyev, construction chief for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, resigned Monday, according to the AP and ESPN. Bolloyev cited health reasons for his resignation and has been replaced by Sergei Gaplikov, a deputy head of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's staff.
Despite what at first appears to be a setback for the Games, the International Olympic Committee says Bolloyev's resignation "will not impact" preparations.
"A lot of progress has been made," the IOC told the AP, "and we are confident that the structures put in place by Sochi 2014 and the Russian government will ensure that his departure will not impact on the progress currently being made." The IOC also thanked Bolloyev for his "hard work and dedication" and said they welcome Gaplikov's appointment and look forward to working with him.


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cmich.edu > Colleges > College of Health Professions > Departments > Physical Therapy (PT) > Houghton Campus
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Central Michigan University (CMU) is collaborating with Michigan Technological University (MTU) to offer the Central Michigan University Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT) degree on the campus of MTU in Houghton, Michigan. The program is offered through interactive distance-learning technologies that connect the Mt. Pleasant and Houghton sites together. The first class of students to participate in this collaboration started the DPT program in May of 2014.
The Houghton site for the DPT program is on the campus of Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan. It is an integral part of the CMU Physical Therapy degree program and is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) as part of the CMU program. There are 12 students admitted to the Houghton site each year. Students admitted for the Houghton site take the first summer of classes on the main campus of Central Michigan University but the remainder of classes are taken through a distance-learning format in our dedicated facilities on the campus of Michigan Technological University.
Students completing the program at the Houghton site will receive their DPT degree from Central Michigan University. Most lectures are presented on the CMU campus by CMU faculty and transmitted in real time to MTU through interactive distance learning technology. Depending on faculty locations, some lectures may be presented at MTU and transmitted to the Mt. Pleasant campus. CMU will have physical therapy faculty members at the Houghton site to supervise all physical therapy lab experiences. The Houghton site also has a faculty member who serves as a Site Director and another faculty member serving as a Regional Clinical Coordinator for the Upper Peninsula region of Michigan.
The policies for recruitment and admission are the same for the CMU and MTU sites. Students applying to the extension program will be admitted to the program following the same evaluation and selection procedures as the students in the existing program.
The program uses PTCAS for the admissions process, and the criteria and processes are the same for all students applying to the program. Students applying to the CMU DPT program are asked to identify their preference for either of the sites. They are also given the option to be considered for only one of the locations. The procedure followed for all students is:
All students will be evaluated using the same criteria and assigned a point total.
Students will be ranked in the order of their point totals.
Students at each site will be offered positions in the program in the order of their point totals.
The deadline for application to the program is October 1st each year.
Applications for the DPT program at CMU will be evaluated in October and November with decisions being made in November, December, and January.
If an interview is granted, it will take place in January or February.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Carex helferi is a tussock-forming species of perennial sedge in the family Cyperaceae. It is native to parts of South East Asia.

Description
The sedge has a woody rhizome with central culms that have a triangular cross-section with a length of  and a width of  and that are smooth lower down with a rough texture toward the top. It has basal flattish to folded lengthwise leaves with a broadly linear to lanceolate shaped blade that is  long with a  long dark brown sheaths that usually disintegrate. The narrow inflorescences appear as a narrow branched cluster with a length of  with three to six crowded to distant nodes.

Taxonomy
The species was first formally described by the botanist Johann Otto Boeckeler in 1876 as a part of the work Linnaea. It has two synonyms;
Carex helferi subsp. mapaniifolia (Ridl.) T.Koyama
Carex mapaniifolia Ridl.

Distribution
It is often situated along river banks in the understorey of evergreen forests from an altitude of  in tropical biomes, the range of the plant extends from Myanmar in the north to Thailand in the south and on the island of Java in Indonesia.

See also
List of Carex species

References

helferi
Taxa named by Johann Otto Boeckeler
Plants described in 1876
Flora of Myanmar
Flora of Java
Flora of Thailand

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


DAVID NEAL, et al., Defendants.
Gerald L. Rushfelt U.S. Magistrate Judge.
Within fourteen days after a party is served with a copy of this Report and Recommendation, that party may, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1) and Fed.R.Civ.P. 72, file written objections to the Report and Recommendation. A party must file any objections within the fourteen-day period allowed if that party wants to have appellate review of the proposed findings of fact, conclusions of law, or the recommended disposition. If no objections are timely filed, no appellate review will be allowed by any court.
The Court has granted Plaintiff leave to proceed in forma pauperis. As a result, his Complaint is subject to screening under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2). For the reasons set forth below, the undersigned magistrate judge recommends dismissal of this action for failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted.
Pro se plaintiff John Roudybush filed this action on October 18, 2017. It is not clear what claim(s) for relief his complaint purports to allege. Plaintiff indicates that his case arises because of violations of the civil or equal rights, privileges, or immunities accorded to citizens of, or persons within the jurisdiction of, the United States, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §1343.Plaintiff also states his Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendment rights were violated, based on an illegal taking of property. On his Civil Cover Sheet Plaintiff states he is filing under "Amendment 4, 5, 14" and has checked the box for "Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations." Plaintiff is claiming one million dollars in damages.
In a separate attachment included with his Complaint, Plaintiff states he is filing a civil complaint "that should be and is a criminal complaint." Although it is somewhat hard to follow, Plaintiff appears to say the Defendants trespassed on his property in Salina, Kansas, and removed a trailer which contained his personal property. Plaintiff does not say when or under what circumstances this occurred. He does not provide any other details, except to reiterate that he would prefer to file this case as a criminal complaint but has been "forced" to file it as a civil complaint.
In making its analysis, the court must liberally construe the pleadings and hold them to a less stringent standard than formal pleadings drafted by attorneys. Liberally construing a pro se plaintiff's complaint means that "if the court can reasonably read the pleadings to state a valid claim on which the plaintiff could prevail, it should do so despite the plaintiff's failure to cite proper legal authority, his confusion of various legal theories, his poor syntax and sentence structure, or his unfamiliarity with pleading requirements." This does not mean, however, that the court must become an advocate for the pro se plaintiff. Sua sponte dismissal under § 1915(e)(2) is also proper when the complaint clearly appears frivolous or malicious on its face.
Plaintiff further does not appear to sufficiently allege a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. To succeed on an action alleging a violation under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, a plaintiff must show the defendant was acting "under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage." Plaintiff's complaint fails to describe any action taken by any defendant, or that any defendant was acting under color of state law.


Golfers dream of Augusta National. Marathoners aspire to qualify for Boston. For mountain bikers, it's all about Moab in the heart of the Colorado Plateau.
Green River-basedHoliday River Expeditions isn't just about helping you tame the rapids. They offer multiple mountain biking trips in the surrounding area to get you a little dirty and a lot exhilarated. What makes these trips even more epic is the fact that you'll camp each night in designated International Dark Sky areas. So if you finish riding and you start seeing stars, don't worry: It isn't (necessarily) because you're dehydrated!
The best part about these guided trips? The guides prepare the meals and there's vehicle support to carry all the food, water and gear. All you have to do is pedal.
"Trip of a lifetime" sounds cliche, but what's better than when a cliche comes true? This mountain bike trip in the heart of Canyonlands National Park is one you'll tell your kids about – one that people come from all over the world to experience. It's fairly flat overall, but it's long (up to 100 miles if you do the whole thing) with some technical sections and a few steep climbs, so inexperienced riders may find this trip to be too difficult.
Some trip highlights include a trip to Musselman Arch, panoramic views of Canyonlands from White Crack, time to stop and study some Native American ruins and the challenging climb at Murphy's Hogback (bragging rights on the line). Some parts of the trail follow the Colorado River and other parts follow the Green, but you're never more than a couple minutes from a crazy photo op.
The ultra-remote west district of Canyonlands is as wild and untamed as it is beautiful. This is some of the most challenging bike terrain you'll find anywhere, but the gorgeous gorges and refreshing remoteness of the Maze District are worth whatever suffering you may endure.
Your first day will get you to the a-Maze-ing Overlook, giving you a top-down look at the labyrinths of Canyonlands and providing a wide open canvas for evening stargazing. There is a bit of hiking mixed into the trip to fend off saddle sores and allow you to get up close and personal with ancient petroglyphs. You'll end at Lake Powell's Hite Marina.
This trip comes with a very flexible itinerary based on what your group wants to see and do. The San Rafael Swell is one of the most uplifting geological uplifts in the world. In the Swell, located just southeast of Utah's center in Emery County, layers of sandstone, shale and limestone jut into the sky to form a scrappy geological theme park. Within this vast expanse, you'll find rugged trails and plenty of rock-formation eye candy.
This trip traverses a variety of roads, trails and terrain and features some super cool sights like a 3,000-year-old pictograph panel. The main highlight of the trip is climbing and descending through a local favorite, Little Wild Horse Canyon, as well as Bell Canyon and Ding & Dang Dome. You'll end at 6,500 feet elevation for a good long look at the Colorado Plateau.
Holiday River Expeditions offers several stargazing trip options – by bike or by raft. They get you into desolate lands to ensure you get the best views of the Milky Way. Expert guides not only point out constellations, but go as far as counting each day's time by the moon's cycles. They've also partnered with the astronomers at Utah's Clark Planetarium to make the experience even more... enlightening.
Learn more about Holiday River Expeditions mountain bike trips and/or stargazing excursions.


The ultra-rich don't invest like other Americans. They don't cost-dollar average into subpar mutual funds they were forced into by their company's 401k plan. They don't get a hot stock tip from their hair dresser. And they don't put their nest egg in crypto-currencies, hoping for the market to recover. People with a net worth of 8, 9, or more digits utilize family offices to preserve and grow wealth for the next generation. Simply, a family office is a private wealth advisory firm that manages a variety of financially-related interests for a wealthy family that may include investments, insurance, estate planning and taxes, and many other services.
Family offices vary wildly in size, scope, and structure. Sometimes they are managed directly by family members, but others are completely outsourced. The assets under management by U.S. family offices is estimated at over $1.7 trillion. There are a number of investment strategies family offices use, and some of these can be emulated by someone who isn't a super high net worth individual, but strives to be.
Family Offices protect their wealth from market corrections by investing in non-correlated assets. These assets, such as farmland and timber, move up when other assets - such as stocks and bonds - are falling. Because their portfolios are diversified across many different asset classes, they tend to be less vulnerable to volatility in the equity markets. During massive robo-driven flash crashes, alternative asset investors have peace of mind while everyone else is scrambling for the exits. Diversification across real assets, to include natural resources, can also boost a portfolio's risk-adjusted rate of return.
Family offices often make direct investments into an operating business. Of course, they appreciate dividends for cash flow, but they are aligned in a partnership focused on growing the business over the long term. In some cases, they take an active role in managing the company, in other cases, an asset manager stewards the investment. Unlike publicly-traded equity markets where information such as financial statements are freely available, private companies are much less transparent. This inefficiency, though it reduces liquidity, can amplify returns. Another focus of some family offices is impact or ESG investments. The priority may be on sustainability, green energy, or other causes that are important to a family, but also help to create generational wealth. It is much easier to get involved with a cause when there is a direct relationship with the company, rather than investing through a sustainable mutual fund managed by someone whose interests may not align directly with the investor's.
Unlike private equity firms, venture capitalists, or hedge funds, family offices are not concerned about closing a fund or achieving quick turn-arounds. Wealth preservation is the ultimate goal for most of these investors, but of course, maintaining a certain lifestyle and philanthropic causes are also priorities. They like natural resources, such as timber, that produce out-sized returns, but may take 10, 20, or more years to mature. These assets benefit from the so-called illiquidity premium that achieves some amount of expected additional return received for the risk of tying up capital in a less liquid asset.
Family offices can pay wealth managers hefty fees to achieve these benefits, and the minimum investments into a private business or timber stand or piece of farmland often begin in the low millions of dollars. However, new and evolving ways of investing provide people with a more modest nest egg a means to structure their investments more like a family office and at a much lower cost of entry. These strategies include diversifying into assets like private real estate deals and natural resources without the headache of managing them directly.
Equity crowdfunding is a way to get many of these benefits. Unlike rewards-based crowdfunding - think Kickstarter - where one "invests" money in exchange for a product or t-shirt, in equity crowdfunding the investor provides direct equity or debt financing for a business venture. Depending on how a particular deal is structured, the equity crowdfunding company acts as an asset manager, working directly with the sponsor to maximize your investments while you passively collect interest, dividends, or capital gains.
But don't I have to be an accredited investor to get access to private placement deals? In many cases, yes. But changes to securities laws enabled by the JOBS Act of 2012 allow some unaccredited investors access to these deals within certain constraints. By diversifying not just across asset classes such as real estate and agriculture, but into separate private deals that allow for low minimum investments (such as $5 or $10 thousand), risks can be dramatically reduced.


World Allergy Week is a time to pay special attention to all the different types and severities of allergies, what causes the body to have allergies, and the many different materials that one may be allergic to.
Can you detect the symptoms of allergies and differentiate them from any number of other illnesses?
Springtime is here. With the large amounts of pollen from the freshly blooming plants filling the air, and the air becoming dry as temperatures rise, now is the best time to discuss how allergies can negatively affect your eyes.
Over 50 million people are affected by seasonal allergies every year, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology.
The sheer amount of pollen and drastic weather changes that attack a person's immune system can have a very negative effect on that person's health and quality of life.
Summertime brings the concern of allergies, as well.
Grass pollen dominates the June and July months, and mold spores and weed pollen clean up the tail end of allergy season around the July and August months.
Generally beginning in March, these 5-6 months of irritation and itchiness have become the dread of allergy-sufferers all around the world.
How do you know if you are one of the millions of people affected by allergies? What are the signs, and how do they differ from a relative disease like the common cold? Let's dive in.
Pollen itself is actually the main, if often unnoticeable, difference between allergies and a cold.
A cold is transmitted via a virus that infects your body.
While you may think you have a cold, you may actually just suffer from allergies.
Fortunately, there are many ways to stave off seasonal allergies.
Rinse your face and eyes with cold water or a damp rag.
Use allergy eye drops and oral medications specifically designed to combat allergies.
Stay inside if the pollen count is high, or if you feel like the irritation is worsening.
Additionally, if over-the-counter medications are not helping, consider talking to your doctor about prescription eye drops or nasal spray to help with swelling and congestion, and prescription oral medications to help all other symptoms.
Taking care of your body during allergy season is about listening to your body and symptoms, and finding the best treatment option to protect you from the harshness of allergy season.


Remodel, Renovate, and ImproveA growing compilation of information and ideas for DIY upgrades!
As one of the two most important rooms in your home, the bathroom will yield nice returns on good investments you make on it.
Deemed by many as the number one space, your kitchen is the center of activity and will benefit from the love and care you show it.
When you are in your bedroom, you want to be restful and relaxed. Hence, bedroom improvements and upgrades can pay off.
Everywhere you turn you will find families and individuals working to make the most favorable impressions through their homes. The home is for many a place of comfort relaxation and solitude. Not only that, it is where many families entertain enjoy the company of others. Because of this, a homes appearance is important. Upgrading your home does not have to be expensive or complicated. In fact, you can even do many projects on your own.
This site is where I will post helpful information about DIY projects of all kinds to help do-it-yourselfers improve the appearance of their homes and learn about home improvement concepts from the perspective of a DIY inclined person.
The size of the project is not what determines it worth as far as improving the home goes. In fact some very small DIY projects improve the home. For example, a DIY bed frame idea may be something that adds a little pizazz to an area. Or a DIY bookshelf or desk project can add some creativity to a room.
So whether it is a permanent remodel-type DIY project or a DIY furniture project, you will find examples of them here. So look around and check out DIY Home Improvement.


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Actionable Stock Ideas from Gil Morales
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A news-laden week came to an end with the NASDAQ Composite Index joining the S&P 500 in all-time high price ground. Among what I call the Big Three market indexes, only the Dow has yet to make new highs of its own.
This latter half of the week was chock-full of economic data, starting with the ADP Employment report on Wednesday, which came in at 125,000 jobs vs. estimates of 100,000. There was also third-quarter GDP growth of 0.48%, annualizing at a "blistering" 1.9%. The big event of the day was of course the Fed, which lowered rates another 25 basis points as expected, while indicating that they were on hold for now.
Thursday saw the Chicago PMI surprise to the downside, coming in at 43.2, its lowest level in four years. On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics' monthly jobs number came in at 128,000 which exceeded estimates ranging from 75,000 to 105,000. The day was rounded out by the ISM Manufacturing Index, which showed a contraction of 48.3, but was not as bad as some had feared.
Financials seized upon the idea of a Fed on hold, and the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) spewed to a higher high on Friday. Volume was light, but the move reflects the idea that rates are not headed any lower.
Curiously, precious metals seemed to have a different idea. Despite what the President described as a "blowout" jobs number, both the SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) posted their third up days in a row following the Fed policy announcement on Wednesday.
The GLD has also posted three, five-day pocket pivots in a row over those same three days, the first occurring at the 10-dma and 20-dema, and the next two at the 50-dma on Thursday and Friday. This remains buyable, in my view, using any of the moving averages as a tight selling guide.
The iShares Silver Trust (SLV) is slightly different, having posted a pocket pivot two Fridays ago on strong volume at the 50-dma. It then posted two five-day pocket pivots at the 50-dma on Wednesday and Thursday. The SLV remains buyable, in my view, using the 50-dma as a tight selling guide.
In general, the continuation of Fed accommodation without any liquidity being taken out of the system remains favorable for precious metals. This may also figure into a continued rally for stocks, especially big-stocks, as alt-currency plays like precious metals.
From my perspective, this market remains largely a function of what I have referred to as the alt-currency phenomenon. With the Fed lowering rates three times now while expanding its balance sheet once again, the system remains flush with liquidity. This liquidity in turn needs a home and so finds its way into big-stocks that serve as alternative currencies by virtue of their established, money-making business enterprises.
An example is Caterpillar (CAT), which reported earnings last week and missed estimates while guiding lower and stating it expects end-user demand to be flat and dealers to make further inventory reductions due to global economic uncertainty. That certainly doesn't sound like a big growth situation to me, but it has sent the stock higher as money rushes in.
Certainly, I can't see how growth stock investors would be attracted to a company that reported contracting and decelerating earnings growth of -7% on a sales contraction of -6%. What is clear is that somebody or something is attracted to it, and their buying pushed CAT to a breakout on Friday on heavy volume, albeit one that is coming straight up from the lows of the pattern.
This alt-currency phenomenon is also what makes Apple (AAPL) so popular, in my view. Here you have a stock selling at roughly 17 times 2020 earnings while growing those earnings at 4% on 2% sales growth in the most recent quarter. For those who follow CAN SLIM® style fundamental rules, this doesn't fit the bill, period.
But AAPL goes higher, and its movement helps to drive the NASDAQ Composite to new highs, no questions asked. In this position, and with those numbers, I don't see much attractive about the stock right here, right now, on a fundamental basis. But that doesn't keep money from piling into the stock as an alt-currency play.
I suppose if I were going to play the alt-currency thing, then perhaps the chart position of Alphabet (GOOG) is more attractive. Here we see the stock holding at its 10-dma after getting hit on earnings, but the post-earnings breakdown only brought it to the top of a prior base breakout point. This makes it buyable here using the 10-dma as a selling guide.
GOOG reported a -2% earnings contraction early in the week on a 20% sales increase, which in this market is considered buyable fundamentals. The idea of strong earnings as a driver of upside price movement has gone by the wayside and is a primary reason why systems like CAN SLIM®, which requires five quarters of earnings up 20% or more, are less effective.
Consider that the best-performing stock that I've reported on since early January has been Roku (ROKU), which has never had any profits to report and probably won't when it is expected to report earnings this week. Also, remember that cloud stocks were huge performers early in the year and most had no profits to speak of. This is a phenomenon of a liquidity-driven market, and so technicals, specifically OWL technicals, become far more important.
I see little attractive in Amazon.com (AMZN), however, which seems not to find favor with the alt-currency crowd. It ran into its 200-dma on Friday and promptly reversed course on light volume. This makes it look more like a short here using the 200-dma as a covering guide.
However, if the alt-currency phenom persists, then watch for a move up through the 200-dma. If that occurs, then we could see AMZN make a move back toward its prior highs within the context of any continued market rally. In this market, what looks unattractive can often have the most surprising upside moves.
Investors also seem unsure of what to make of Facebook (FB). The company beat on earnings this past Wednesday and gapped up on Thursday, opening at 196.70. It then rallied a couple of points higher and finally turned tail to close 191.65. So that worked out more as a shortable gap-up move after earnings, but technically was still a stalling pocket pivot at the 10-dma.
FB is now back to the top of its prior price range. Volume was lighter but still above average as the stock fought off a mid-day sell-off on Friday to close positively. FB posted positive earnings and sales growth of 20% and 29%, respectively when it reported Wednesday, which at least sounds respectable vs. what we've seen in names like CAT or AAPL.
If FB can hold near-term support at its 10-dma at 188.36, then this could be a lower-risk entry spot right here, on the basis of Thursday's stalling pocket pivot on huge volume, using the 10-dma as a tight selling guide. My general thinking is that if the market rally continues, then big-stock alt-currency plays may remain the stocks of choice, and if they have earnings and sales growth, so much the better – perhaps.
Netflix (NFLX) looks interesting here as it pulls into the 50-dma with volume drying up after it regained the 50-dma on Wednesday on a five-day pocket pivot. The closer to the 50-dma one can buy it, the better, while using the 50-dma as a tight selling guide. A breach of the 50-dma, however, would potentially turn NFLX back into a short-sale target at that point.
Tesla (TSLA) continues to drift lower following last week's big buyable gap-up move. As I tweeted on Monday, I sold my position into the rise that day, and the stock has since continued to drop for five days in a row now as volume has receded sharply.
The best reference for a buyable pullback is the 10-dma, which is rising rapidly but remains below the $300 price level. Thus, it's a matter of waiting for the 10-dma to catch up to the stock before one can determine where a lower-risk entry spot lies.
One phenomenon in this market that I believe adds weight to my alt-currency theory of money flows into stocks is the destruction we've seen in the IPO sector of the past few months. These names for the most part make no profits, and in fact lose money hand over fist. This includes something like Lyft (LYFT) which gapped up after earnings and then was promptly sold.
This resulted in a nicely shortable gap-up move, and one that was immediately profitable. It's clear that no matter the hype, money that's looking to buy stocks isn't interested in companies that only lose money. One might look at this as potentially shortable on the move back up into the 50-dma on Friday. But we have Uber (UBER) expected to report earnings on Monday after the close, which could add a wrinkle to LYFT's future action.
We also saw more carnage in Pinterest (PINS), which at one time was a leading stock breaking out. The company reported earnings Thursday after the close and gapped down to the $20 price level. Whatever is moving this market, its clear that recent IPOs are not it.
Applied Materials (AMAT) pulled into its 10-dma and the top of its prior base on Thursday, presenting a lower-risk entry. This is still in a buyable position using the 20-dema as a maximum selling guide.
Micron Technology (MU) also pulled into its 10-dma, 20-dema, and 50-dma on Thursday and found support at the moving-average confluence on slightly higher volume. For anyone looking to buy shares, that was the lower-risk entry spot. MU just missed a pocket pivot on Friday by one day, since the higher downside volume of October 18th occurred exactly ten days prior.
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has continued to spurt higher following the strong-volume support it showed at the 10-dma on Wednesday after earnings. It is now extended as it approaches its prior early-August highs, pending some sort of consolidation or pullback from here.
If you like to buy breakouts, then Guidewire Software (GWRE) is for you. My preference was to buy it in the base, at least on pullbacks to the 10-dma where it has held support, as lower-risk entries. However, on Friday, the stock posted a strong-volume breakout as it cleared to new highs.
As a breakout, this becomes buyable here using the 10-dma as a tight selling guide. I would emphasize that if buying breakouts, the traditional 7-8% standard stop-out policy is inefficient and statistically incorrect. There is nothing magical about 7-8% as a stop-loss point, and I prefer to use moving averages like the 10-dma or 20-dema as a matter of tighter risk-management.
When it comes to breakouts, instead of chasing them I prefer to hang loose and wait for an opportunistic pullback. Take the case of Keysight Technologies (KEYS), which broke out two weeks ago on strong volume. This was a smarter strategy. KEYS pulled right into its 20-dema on Thursday and held, then tested the 20-dema again on Friday and holding again.
In this position, the stock can be bought using the 20-dema as a tight selling guide. Otherwise, one could use the 50-dma as a wider selling guide, but again I do not recommend using a 7-8% stop-loss since statistically it is proven to be arbitrary, and nothing more.
Coupa Software (COUP) is back above the 50-dma after a low-volume reversal at the line on Thursday. As I wrote on Wednesday, the stock tends to break down and then slowly work its way back above the 50-dma, and it is doing it once again.
Friday's move occurred on a five-day pocket pivot. Sellers don't seem all that interested in coming after the stock again, and the question arises as to whether it will test its prior highs, as it does after each sharp breakdown to the lows of its pattern. Therefore, in this position, one could test this as a long here using the 50-dma as a tight selling guide.
From a textbook perspective, ServiceNow (NOW) looks like a short here as it stalls at the 50-dma and 200-dma on higher volume. There is also an undercut & rally situation at play here since the stock has recently rallied above two prior lows in the pattern.
NOW held support at the 20-dema on Friday as volume picked up, qualifying the move as a five-day pocket pivot at the 20-dema. If the general market keeps rallying, I would not be surprised to see NOW clear its 50-dma and 200-dma.
Otherwise one can test it as a short near the two moving averages but be ready to flip the other way if it fails to reverse. My guess is that market context will likely figure heavily into whether NOW can clear the 50-dma/200-dma confluence or whether it fails in textbook short-sale fashion right here.
DocuSign (DOCU) continues to base along its 10-dma. The stock posted a five-day pocket pivot on Friday as it again found support at the 10-dma. This remains buyable on pullbacks to the 10-dma, with the proviso that a breach of the 10-dma could trigger the stock as a short if it occurs. One can also view the stock as buyable here, using the 10-dma as a tight selling guide.
Among my focus list of Chinese names, Alibaba (BABA) reported earnings on Friday morning and started to the upside before reversing to close down on heavy volume. While the breakout attempt fell short, it still held above four moving averages on its chart, all of which serve as near-term support. If the stock can settle down along the 10-dma, which is the highest of the four, then it could become buyable there using the line as a tight selling guide.
Momo (MOMO) held support at its 200-dma on Wednesday and Thursday as volume remained low, and then posted a higher-volume pocket pivot on Friday. One could therefore view this as buyable using the 50-dma as a very tight selling guide, or the 200-dma as a wider selling guide.
In the land of payments stocks, the action is looking more bullish than bearish. I'm interested in two names that I was previously campaigning as shorts several weeks ago. Global Payments (GPN) reported earnings Thursday before the open and gapped up. It opened at 169.35, rallied as high as 174.11 and near its early-September highs, and then stalled badly to close at 169.18.
This could have been scalped as a short near those September highs, and successfully so. But GPN found its feet on Friday as it undercut the 168.53 intraday low of the prior buyable gap-up (BGU) day and rallied to close at 172.35. This can be watched for further lower-risk entries on pullbacks closer to the BGU low at 168.53.
PayPal (PYPL) is also interesting here as it consolidates last week's bottom-fishing buyable gap-up (BFBGU) along its 50-dma and the BFBGU low of 103.19. PYPL tested that low and the confluence of the 10-dma and 20-dema on Thursday and held. It then rallied back above the 50-dma on Friday as volume declined.
In this position one can test this as a long using the 50-dma as a very tight selling guide. Otherwise, the 103.19 intraday low of the BFBGU day two Thursdays ago would serve as a slightly wider stop, less than 3% below where PYPL closed on Friday. If it busts the 10-dma and 20-dema, however, then it could return to short-sale status at that point.
(SNAP) looks like a textbook short here as it stalls at the 50-dma. The 50-dma would then serve as a tight covering guide. Note that SNAP is still in an active undercut & rally (U&R) set-up here after rallying through the prior 13.42 low two Thursdays ago on the bounce off the 200-dma.
For those of you who like U&Rs deep, down and dirty, Twitter (TWTR) certainly fits the bill. As I noted last week, an undercut & rally move could develop along the 29.41 and 29.42 lows in the pattern from March and February, respectively, as we can see on its weekly chart.
We did see that occur on Friday, and TWTR was able to hold above the 29.41 price level on Friday on a small pullback. Technically, this can be played as a U&R using the 29.41 price level as a tight selling guide.
For newer members: Please note that when I use the term "20-day moving average," "20-day line," or "20-dema" I am referring to the 20-day exponential moving average. I use four primary moving averages on my daily charts: a 10-day simple (the magenta line), 20-day exponential (the green line), 50-day simple (the blue line) and 200-day simple moving average (the red line). On rare occasions, I will also employ a 65-day exponential moving average (thin black line). In all cases I will mostly use the shorthand version of "10-dma," "50-dma," etc.
The 360-degree approach to the current market environment in my view proves its utility. This market defies labels, and a 360-degree approach does not try to impose labels on the market. When it comes to individual stocks, some set-ups are bullish, while others are bearish. All one needs to do is cast aside any rigid bias and look to play things as they lie.
However, on an intraday basis, things are not always so clear, as volatility is a real factor to contend with. Stocks can slosh all over the place, looking one way early in the day and then looking entirely different by the close. Also, moves can progress in one direction bullishly or bearishly over a few days, and then develop into valid set-ups that send them in the oppose direction, so it's still a tricky market.
My focus remains on potential high-velocity moves in stocks once earnings are reported. Earnings season has already resulted in numerous moves that have been playable for high-velocity, high time-value trades in either direction. This coming week will see more earnings reports, and I will post my Earnings Watch List to the Gilmo Live Blog this weekend. I will also discuss some other stock ideas in my weekend video report.
With respect to the broader market, my thinking here is that if this rally continues, and does not fail any time soon, it will become a big-stock alt-currency situation. That is why I started this report with discussions of big-stock NASDAQ names that would potentially lead such a rally and where investors can focus.
But there is always the possibility of a mass, cash-is-trash move in a broad number of stocks based on the fact that the Fed has kept the QE spigot wide open, and that is what I'm on the alert for right here, right now. Two out of three big-stock indexes are at all-time highs – previously, this is where we've seen rallies peter out, so is it different this time? Stay tuned.
Gil Morales
CEO and Principal, Gil Morales & Company, LLC
Managing Director and Principal, MoKa Investors, LLC
Managing Director and Principal, Virtue of Selfish Investing, LLC
At the time of this writing, of the stocks mentioned in this report, Gil Morales, MoKa Investors, LLC, Virtue of Selfish Investing, LLC, and/or Gil Morales & Company, LLC held no positions, though positions are subject to change at any time and without notice.
Gil Morales & Company, LLC ("GMC"), 8033 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 830, Los Angeles, California, 90046. GMC is a Registered Investment Adviser. This information is issued solely for informational purposes and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy securities. Information contained herein is based on sources which we believe to be reliable but is not guaranteed by us as being accurate and does not purport to be a complete statement or summary of available data. Past performance is not a guarantee, nor is it necessarily indicative, of future results. Opinions expressed herein are statements of our judgment as of the publication date and are subject to change without notice. Entities including but not limited to GMC, its members, officers, directors, employees, customers, agents, and affiliates may have a position, long or short, in the securities referred to herein, and/or other related securities, and may increase or decrease such position or take a contra position. Additional information is available upon written request. This publication is for clients of Gil Morales & Company, LLC. Reproduction without written permission is strictly prohibited and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. ©2008-2019 Gil Morales & Company, LLC. All rights reserved.
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text:
Why is blackjack such a popular card game?
29.11.2021 | Author: islandluck | Posted in News
All around the globe card games are gaining a lot much popularity. Cards games are easy to play which is considered the main reason people are attracted to cards games now. There are sites or websites which provide online card games. Casino games always remain in trend, as these games have a lot of many chances of raising investment. These games are easy to play and understand. Casino games are loved by people in both online and offline modes. Online gambling has its benefits and offline have the different pleasure of sitting in a group and playing blackjack.
Blackjack is one of the most common games available in each casino. These casino games are being provided with some useful guidelines for all beginners. This game got its name from Jack of spades and Jack of clubs. The game is very popular in public as it's easy to play and the value of cards is easy to understand. Earlier the player who was found with and eases of speed and blackjack was considered at blackjack and used to win some of the payouts. but now one player with any of the 10, Jack king and queen along with one ace card is believed to win the blackjack game.
Many people may wonder why is blackjack such a popular card game? So to their surprise, this game is available with a low house edge and is recommended for all the beginners 2 try their luck in online gambling.
Some benefits to playing the blackjack card game
Each of the games has its benefits. Some of the games are played because they are easily available and affordable. And many people opt to play games to relax their minds from their daily hustle life.
Some of the benefits of playing blackjack mentioned below:
Easily available. Blackjack is found in every casino. And its table bed size is also Available with various limits.
Affordability rates are good.
This game not only favours the dealers there are fair chances of player two winning the game with equal chances as the dealer invests in the game.
This is one of the worldwide accepted games.
This game provides many chances for the player to decide the further steps. A player has consistent involvement in the game and can choose their hit stand or split on their own.
This game is also popular as it has basic laws and statistics and is considered one of the best social games.
There is an immense pleasure playing blackjack. 1 player having all the appropriate cards assigned to get the blackJack will automatically win the round.
Blackjack is a popular casino game has it's not a complex and twisted rule game. As every strategy is involved to win a game the same planning user have to do while playing the blackjack. The benefit of playing blackjack is this game provides low cabin edges which will favour the beginner even if kiss he does not win. But once the player came to know the trick to play the game he will be making a good extra income with a fair chance to win.
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text:
Q: Make condition for weight equal to a specific value in a shiny app The code below works fine. Basically, a clustered map is generated. To know the cluster number, I use the TOPSIS multicriteria method. For the TOPSIS method, it is necessary to choose criteria weights, which usually range from 0 to 1. Since I have two criteria, I created two numericInput to generate the weights. If you test the APP you will see that it works, the only case that doesn't work is if you put weights1 equal to 1. Therefore, I would like to put some condition or something, that when this happens, consider, weight 1 = 0.9 and not equal to 1.
library(shiny)
library(rdist)
library(geosphere)
library(shinythemes)
library(leaflet)
library(topsis)

function.cl<-function(df,k,weights){

  #database df
  df<-structure(list(Properties = c(1,2,3,4,5,6,7),
                     Latitude = c(-23.8, -23.8, -23.9, -23.9, -23.9,-23.4,-23.5),
                     Longitude = c(-49.6, -49.3, -49.4, -49.8, -49.6,-49.4,-49.2),
                     Coverage = c (1526, 2350, 3526, 2469, 1285, 2433, 2456),
                     Production = c(526, 350, 526, 469, 285, 433, 456)), class = "data.frame", row.names = c(NA, -7L))

  #Topsis
  df1 <- df[c(4:5)]
  df1<-data.matrix(df1)
  i <- c("-", "+")
  #weights <- c(0.3,0.7)
  scaled2<-topsis(df1, weights, i)
  scaled2$rank <- rank(-scaled2$score,ties.method= "first")
  colnames(scaled2)<-c("Alternatives","score","Ranking")

  k<-subset(scaled2, Ranking==2)$Alternatives #cluster number

  #clusters
  coordinates<-df[c("Latitude","Longitude")]
  d<-as.dist(distm(coordinates[,2:1]))
  fit.average<-hclust(d,method="average")
  clusters<-cutree(fit.average, k)
  nclusters<-matrix(table(clusters))
  df$cluster <- clusters
  df1<-df[c("Latitude","Longitude")]

  #Color and Icon for map
  ai_colors <-c("red","gray","blue","orange","green","beige")

  clust_colors <- ai_colors[df$cluster]
  icons <- awesomeIcons(
    icon = 'ios-close',
    iconColor = 'black',
    library = 'ion',
    markerColor =  clust_colors)

  # Map for all clusters:
  m1<-leaflet(df1) %>% addTiles() %>%
    addMarkers(~Longitude, ~Latitude) %>%
    addAwesomeMarkers(lat=~df$Latitude, lng = ~df$Longitude, icon=icons, label=~as.character(df$cluster)) %>%
    addLegend( position = "topright", title="Cluster", colors = ai_colors[1:max(df$cluster)],labels = unique(df$cluster))

  plot1<-m1

  return(list(
    "Plot1" = plot1
  ))
}

ui <- bootstrapPage(
  navbarPage(theme = shinytheme("flatly"), collapsible = TRUE,
             "Cl",
             tabPanel("Solution",
                      sidebarLayout(
                        sidebarPanel(

                          numericInput("weights1", label = h5("Choose the weight 1"),min = 0, max = 1, value = NA, step = 0.1),
                          numericInput("weights2", label = h5("Choose the weight 2"),min = 0, max = 1, value = NA, step = 0.1)
                        ),
                        mainPanel(
                          tabsetPanel(
                            tabPanel("Solution", (leafletOutput("Leaf1",width = "95%", height = "600")))))

                      ))))

server <- function(input, output, session) {

  Modelcl<-reactive({
    function.cl(df,k,weights=c(input$weights1, input$weights2))
  })

  output$Leaf1 <- renderLeaflet({
    req(weights=c(input$weights1, input$weights2))
    Modelcl()[[1]]
  })

  observeEvent(input$weights1, {
    freezeReactiveValue(input, "weights2")
    updateNumericInput(session, 'weights2',
                       value = 1 - input$weights1)
  })

}

shinyApp(ui = ui, server = server)

A: The topsis function requires positive weights; if weight1 is 1, then weight2 is non-positive (it's zero). So, before you pass the weights vector to topsis make sure that both of these is non-zero. You can handle this in lots of ways, here is one example, where I add the following lines before the call to topis():
if(0 %in% weights) {
  weights[which(weights==0)] <- 0.01
  weights[which(weights==1)] <- 0.99
}
scaled2<-topsis(df1, weights, i)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


A 38-year-old Muscovite was violently assaulted by two muggers who managed to make off with the victim's cell phone, 3,600 rubles in cash and … 10 pairs of socks.
The incident occurred in Bibirevo late Saturday night, when police responded to a call about a disturbance and discovered two men in the middle of a fight, Interfax reported, citing the police press service.
The victim told police that his 52-year-old opponent had attacked him with the help of one other man and taken his belongings, which for some inexplicable reason included an abundance of socks.
The estimated worth of everything stolen was about 6,000 rubles, police said in comments to Interfax.
The victim was treated for a head wound and injured elbow in a hospital before being released.
A criminal case on robbery charges has been opened over the incident. It was unclear whether the suspect was in police custody.


Organic White is a state of the art white surface that has been created by using the perfect blend of tones. The tones have been expertly and subtly blended to create a warm appearance. New colour combining technologies were used to guarantee that Organic White has a perfect natural look. Organic White is available in a polished surface. The colour is available in the deluxe range with a thickness measurement of 20 mm.


Definition at line 707 of file util-ioctl.c.
Referenced by NoWinDivertSupportExit(), ReceivePcapThreadInit(), RunModeIdsAFPRegister(), RunModeIdsNetmapRegister(), and RunModeIdsPfringRegister().
This does a best effort to find the maximum packet size for the link. In case of uncertainty, it will output a majorant to be sure avoid the cost of dynamic allocation.
Definition at line 132 of file util-ioctl.c.
References LiveDevice_::dev, flags, GetIfaceMTU(), OFFLOAD_FLAG_GRO, OFFLOAD_FLAG_GSO, OFFLOAD_FLAG_LRO, OFFLOAD_FLAG_RXCSUM, OFFLOAD_FLAG_SG, OFFLOAD_FLAG_TOE, OFFLOAD_FLAG_TSO, OFFLOAD_FLAG_TXCSUM, LiveDevice_::offload_orig, SC_ERR_NIC_OFFLOADING, SC_ERR_SYSCALL, SCLogDebug, SCLogError, SCLogPerf, SCLogWarning, and strlcpy().
Referenced by AFPGetLinkType(), PostRunDeinit(), and ReceivePcapThreadInit().
Definition at line 91 of file util-ioctl.c.
References SC_ERR_SYSCALL, SCLogInfo, SCLogWarning, and strlcpy().
Referenced by AFPPeersListCheck(), GetIfaceMaxPacketSize(), and PostRunDeinit().
Test interface for offloading features. If one of them is activated then suricata mays received packets merge at reception. The result is oversized packets and this may cause some serious problem in some capture mode where the size of the packet is limited (AF_PACKET in V2 more for example).
other check if other things are offloaded: TSO, GRO, etc.
Definition at line 694 of file util-ioctl.c.
Definition at line 737 of file util-ioctl.c.
Referenced by RunModeIdsAFPRegister(), RunModeIdsNetmapRegister(), and RunModeIdsPfringRegister().
Definition at line 724 of file util-ioctl.c.
Referenced by LiveDeviceListClean(), and NoWinDivertSupportExit().


text:
Variety Plus Icon Read Next: How Nashville Legend Ralph Emery Dissed Country-Rock Pioneers the Byrds — and the Night They Buried the Hatchet
Oct 9, 2021 9:09am PT
Animation Players Eager to Catch Up at MipJunior as Sector Sees Major Shifts
By Ann-Marie Corvin
Ann-Marie Corvin
Taskovski Acquires London Film Festival Documentary Contender 'The Dance' (EXCLUSIVE) 3 months ago
Animation Players Eager to Catch Up at MipJunior as Sector Sees Major Shifts 3 months ago
Digital Disruption Shifts TV Sales Plans at Markets Like Mipcom 3 months ago
Courtesy of Media IM
While the pandemic has had a minimal impact on animation compared with other genres, with studios devising global, virtual pipelines long before the COVID-19 crisis, the European toon landscape has faced many changes over the last couple of years.
Animation production companies and distributors have had to deal with consolidation, the proliferation of subscription VOD and AVOD platforms and legislation that has affected their YouTube businesses.
The irony, for Lionel Marty, managing director of Paris-based "Kid-e-Cats" distributor APC Kids, is that there hasn't really been any major event forum at which to discuss the impact that these changes have had.
"We're experiencing the biggest and fastest changes in decades in terms of consumption modes, content demand, business models at a time where we are the least able to spend time with the other players in the industry and have meaningful exchanges," he says.
Marty for one will be attending the newly scaled back MipJunior this week, which has been rolled into Mipcom. The Cannes-based event will inevitably be a quieter affair this year, with international travel still not viable for many companies.
The impact that these changes are having on rights negotiations may also be shaping the kind of event that MipJunior is becoming, according to Morgann Favennec, exec VP of distribution at French animation house Xilam Animation ("Oggy and the Cockroaches"), a former buyer for M6 and Disney.
"Even before the pandemic [MipJunior] was becoming more of a place to meet, pitch and negotiate, rather than to watch screenings and sell catalog. Everyone now wants fresh premium content unless you have strong brands that can be renewed," she says.
Indeed, there is plenty of strong IP that is being refreshed and expanded this season: The fourth season of "Simon" sees GO-N Productions' mischievous little rabbit – based on the books by Stéphanie Blake – play super heroes with his brother Gasper in a new series titled "Simon SuperRabbit."
Finnish-U.K. production company Gutsy Animations, which makes 3D CG children's series "MoominValley," is also working on a spin-off series: "The Woodies of MoominValley," a non-verbal toon aimed at a younger pre-school audience.
Media IM, meanwhile, which launched Russian multiplatform animation brand "Sunny Bunnies" from scratch six years ago, is looking at sub brand exploitation, according to joint managing director Maria Ufland.
"The global growth in demand for educational content during the pandemic has inspired us to launch into educational and musical genres. We have a six-part nursery rhyme sing-a-long planned for Christmas while 'Sunny Bunnies ABC' is planned for next year," she says.
Strong Exports
The good news for MipJunior's host nation is that despite the global friction, or potentially because of it, French animation is enjoying strong sales growth.
According to CNC and UniFrance's annual report on the sector (using data gathered by Ampere Analysis during the period August 2020 to July 2021) animation is France's number one programming export, generating 74.7 million Euros a year ($86.4 million) – with sales doubling in 10 years.
The same report reveals that worldwide rights for animation remain high, representing 35% of sales (worth 25.9 million Euros/$30 million) with top buyers hailing from U.S. and Germany.
Consolidation however, remains a concern for even the bigger French players. Favennec says there is much uncertainty in the domestic market following the planned merger between M6 Groupe and TF1, which will create a new French media group.
She adds that the loss of a potential buyer, and the growing consolidation in the market (both internationally, but particularly in France) has kids content companies concerned about getting content greenlit.
However, the executive takes some consolation from the fact that France Televisions family channel France 4 has been saved from closure by the French government – a move that she says was "crucial for the health of the French animation industry."
The pandemic may have had a hand in saving this ailing kids channel as France 4 became instrumental in carrying educational shows during lockdown.
Fight for Rights
Increasingly, however, animation companies are becoming more reliant on streamers and global players. The CNC-UniFrance report shows that last year streamer Netflix was the biggest commissioner of French animation with 52 shows commissioned, followed by Warner Media with 50. Disney came in at 32 with France TV at 21.
The report also observes that the emergence of streamers competing for animated content has created a complex sales environment: "All want exclusive content – and windowing strategies are getting more complex and difficult to implement as buyers demand exclusive rights for longer periods," it notes.
However, most of the companies Variety spoke with acknowledge that while this used to be the case, attitudes are changing. "Players are starting to understand that a smart strategy on various levels can actually reinforce the success of a show exponentially," says Jo Daris, CCO and producer at burgeoning German production company Toon2Tango, which is focused on producing animated content for 6 to 11 year olds.
For Ufland, "Sunny Bunnies" cross platform strategy – which has seen it gain a presence in more than 160 territories – does not lend itself to exclusivity. However, the exec notes that streamers and broadcasters are becoming more flexible.
"It's changing because the huge demand for content is exceeding the supply – sometimes buyers have to give up exclusivity if they want content that works," she adds.
Nicole Keeb, ZDF's head of international co-productions, development and acquisitions for children and youth recognizes the need for greater elasticity with programming rights. "We understand the needs for the producer, but for some shows exclusivity is important. But there are always windowing solutions. With each and every title we look at how to treat it best," she says.
Keeb adds that for ZDF the ideal is still two years' exclusivity but she says that the broadcaster is open to keeping this to one year, opening up a window for a streamer, and, after a period, returning to the exclusive deal. "We're open for discussion. There's no recipe right now. We are learning by doing what's best for the property," she says.
"Edmond and Lucy" Credit: Miam!Animation
The Importance of Being Linear
According to Daris, a former sales manager at Hasbro, for shows with a strong licensing and/or toy potential, Europe is still strongly reliant on linear partners – because of the way audiences consume content.
"Platforms can't push and promote a new show like linear partners can; the content burns faster on a platform – in general they don't take half a year to a year to release 52 new episodes, but burn through that faster – and licensing partners cannot advertise on a platform," he says.
The existing IP for "The Moomins" generates around $1 billion annually and Gutsy's head of international sales Katherine Senior believes that "going down the terrestrial route" enables it to reach a wider audience "…then the lifecycle is VOD and at a later stage AVOD."
The Finnish company is also diversifying: There's an adult live action/animation hybrid drama in the pipeline – "Beyond Nature" – a coproduction with U.K. "Free Rein" producer Lime Pictures.
Gutsy has also formed a strategic partnerships with "Angry Birds" gaming company Rovio, a fellow Finnish firm that has invested 5 million euros ($5.8 million) in the company. According to Senior, the companies are working on new IP and developing animation and gaming alongside each other, with a soft launch of a "Moominvalley" game scheduled for December.
"Melvin" Credit: Witipoup
AVOD Opportunities
A change in how children's advertising is served on YouTube in 2019 has also had a significant impact on animation firms' AVOD revenue streams. A year after implementation, kids multi-channel network Wildbrain Spark reported a 40% year-over-year revenue decrease, although it has started selling ads directly to advertisers using its sales teams in the U.K., the U.S. and Canada.
While Media IM, one of Wildbrain's partners, reports that it's still much harder to monetize on YouTube, it is confident that its "Sunny Bunnies" brand is established enough to weather the storm.
"Of course kids protection is important but building that loss of revenue through YouTube wasn't easy. Now we're working with Wildbrain on a strategy that works for everyone," says Ufland.
According to APC's Marty, meaningful revenues from AVOD only really come from established brands now, "but they remain a vector and add viewership to these brands in a fragmented media landscape," he adds.
This certainly remains the case for Xilam, which says that free-to-air platforms are still a big part of its IP exploitation, with the firm now possessing over 61 YouTube channels.
"AVOD represents a big percentage of our catalog revenue: My digital team is bigger than my sales team. And the decline of YouTube revenues has opened the door to other partnerships, While this hasn't fully compensated for those losses, it's getting there," says Favennec.
Free online social channels are also proving useful in supporting and piloting new IP, as was the case with new French TV pilot "Melvin." Described as a socially awkward unicorn with magical cheeks and a dangerous grapefruit, the character has already gained a cult teen following on social.
The character's creator Jérémie Marolleau is now developing a full series of "Melvin," through his fledgling animation and distribution Studio Woutipoup, with the pilot already garnering 300,000 views.
"Go Astro Boy Go!" Credit: Tezuka Productions
Return to Cannes
With such seismic changes happening in the industry what can animation firms expect from this year's pared down MipJunior?
Sarah Hemar, deputy managing director of TV and digital at UniFrance, has arranged a showcase event on Monday to ensure that French animation remains central in a market that is filling up with strong, big-budget live-action series launches.
"I Love French Kids Stories" aims to shine a light on three new French animation series described as "high export potential." There's French-Japanese pre-schooler "Go Astro Boy Go!" – Play Big's television spin-off from "Astro Boy"; Newen Connect's new genie-based animation "Imago"; and Miam! Animation's preschool forest-set series "Edmond and Lucy."
Elsewhere, Gutsy has a new non-Moomin project "Bobble" aimed at 6-9 year olds, and Senior adds that she's looking forward to a relatively quiet Cannes.
"Quiet festivals can sometimes work in your favor – it's nice to have more than a rushed half hour with someone and establish a relationship," she says.
For Daris, face-to-face meetings at MipJunior and the opportunity to expand Toon2Tango's two-year-old network are the main draw.
The firm has three shows in production: ZDF/RAI pre-schooler "Grisu," about a little dragon who wants to become a fireman; "Monster Loving Maniacs," a coproduction with Super RTL in Germany and DR in Denmark; and "Agent 203," a co-production with Super RTL, following a girl who needs to protect the galaxy against alien invaders.
APC is taking another space-aged comedy to MipJunior: "Galactic Agency," an animated comedy for kids of 6-9 years old, while Favennec will be over in the French pavilion promoting the first season of Xilam's 2D slapstick comedy series "Mr Magoo."
Keeb, meanwhile, will be attending her first programming market in almost two years. While there's a big push this year for Cottonwood's new live-action co-production "Theodosia," she will also be talking up two newly ZDF-commissioned toons: "Pirate High" and the girl-led CGI/3D-animated series "The Musketeers."
Keeb adds that she's also looking forward to meeting up with her opposite numbers at BBC, Channel 5 and France Television, an acknowledgment that after everything that's happened in the last two years, there's much to catch up on. "We try to work together closely even if it's not official. We have the same goals. We all like each other."
Mipcom,
MipJunior


This may sound a little weird, right? Recently I wrote an article on Google's RankBrain. Essentially, it is a part of Google's algorithm which is noted as the third most important aspect of Google's rankings – behind links and content. RankBrain is an AI which handles queries to effectively teach itself and return better results as it receives our input queries.
Sometimes, queries are given to Google in the form of questions. Other times, the query is written in a conversational way. These are the types of queries which Google extensively uses RankBrain to help return better results.
Buzzfeed has just announced that, in order to improve Google's AI abilities to understand questions and conversational queries, has started crunching over 3000 romance novels. It turns out that romance novels are typically written in conversational tone, containing many quoted questions. As such, it is the perfect avenue for Google's AI to teach itself conversational grammar.
While certainly racy, these books are providing grammatical examples of regular converational English usage. Most people, when typing their query in Google, do not use proper grammar – but use a more conversational style of writing.
It is doing the trick. Google has recently had luck in reformatting sentences in a conversational style, the same style as studied in the romance novels.
Google's AI engine, known as the neural network, is a system that can learn on its own. After ingesting 2865 romance novels, it has learned to construct flawless conversational English. Google engineers in charge of the system say that, theoretically, the system could now write its own novels.
What does this mean for your SEO? I think the application of this knowledge to your SEO skills should be that Google is advancing light years beyond what they ever were capable of before. Just four short years ago, Google couldn't distinguish (or, at least, it didn't appear to be able to distinguish) badly spun articles or low quality link schemes. Today, they have an AI system that is perfectly well able to analyze the grammar of your articles, compare it to other documents on the internet to see if it is distinct enough from other works, and know whether the subject matter is well written based on other documents on the internet covering the same subject matter.
You see this in many of the patents Google has applied for covering search results. Google is able to analyze linking patters and discover manipulation with footprints in ways that are far beyond what they were when Google started its punitive algorithm changes back in 2012. By advancing their technology, they are able to weed out badly spun content, low quality rewritten content and low quality automatically generated content.
While this closes the door on many blackhat and other types of ranking manipulations of the past, it also opens the door based on the vast majority of webmasters who have been weeded out. Hard work put into manually writing content, manual link building and difficult outreach to gather links has never been as rewarded as it is today.
The standard has been raised, the bar of entry is significantly higher now. An SEO who is aware of best practices in SEO, though it is a lot of work, is able to achieve better and lasting results compared to years ago. It used to be that anyone could purchase push-button software or hire out the creation of hundreds of thousands of links and manipulate their rankings quite easily. This is much more difficult today, and if you work hard in learning proper SEO practices – you'll notice it's much more difficult for blackhat hacks to steal your rankings today, compared to even a year ago.
I would not at all be surprised if Google had written a self-training AI bot whose task was to seek out private blog networks, or paid link schemes, or other types of ranking manipulation. That is why it is so important, when creating a private blog network, to follow best practices. I've created a series of articles on how to build a private blog network. I would highly recommend you follow its advice if you are building links to your site through blogs you create and control – whether you host them ourself, or build them as free blogs on sites such as Blogger, WordPress, Tumblr, etc.
This is the future of SEO. Moving forward, blackhat techniques (even if you find they currently work) are being phased out and are likely to be more harmful than beneficial. Quality blogs, with quality content powered by quality outreach link building are doing well in 2016.
Google hasn't exposed the AI directly to the public yet. Recently, Microsoft released a chatbot named Tay – it learned by input from social media. However, people tried to corrupt the software, and after repeating weird and socially unacceptable wording to the bot, it became genocidal. After a while, it began repeating racist comments – and had to be shut down from accepting input that was potentially corrupt.
In summary, taking a path down a more whitehat route is a good strategy. If Google can actually determine the quality of your content, think twice about hiring out your content production to cheap writers. If you do, instruct them to not simply rewrite other articles they find, as Google has the intelligence to know whether an article is simply rewritten (or spun). Last, assume that Google will become more efficient at weeding out spam and low quality content as time passes.


SOPHIA — The Randolph County Sheriff's Office is asking the public's help in locating a person of interest in a shooting that occurred Friday at a residence on Branson Davis Road in Sophia.
A man was shot from behind while he was at the residence collecting rent.
Deputies were dispatched to the residence around 4:30 p.m., according to a press release from the sheriff's office, and found the victim with a single gunshot wound to his lower leg.
Deputies stopped a man, identified as Kevin Corum, walking away from the house and stopped him for questioning.
Corum told deputies that he was at the residence at the time of the shooting, but said he did not know who shot the victim.
He told the deputies that his son, Tyler Corum, was still in the house.
When Tyler did not respond to verbal commands from deputies to leave the house, the Emergency Response Team and Crisis Negotiation Team were called to assist.
Tyler reportedly did not respond to any of the negotiators' attempts, leading to the Emergency Response Team to use chemical munitions to force him from the house, according to the release.
During questioning, Tyler said he was asleep during the shooting and had no knowledge of the events that unfolded.
The victim was later interviewed at the hospital and informed investigators that he was at the house to collect rent when an argument and scuffle ensued with Kevin Corum.
According to the sheriff's office, there is reason to believe there were multiple other people at the residence at the time of the incident.
RCSO is asking help in locating an individual, identified as John Henry Morgan, 55, of 406 E. Academy St., Randleman, whom they suspect of having been present at the home and has not been located. He is wanted for questioning.
Morgan is 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighs approximately 160 pounds, has brown eyes and a tattoo on his back of a naked lady. He was last seen wearing a gray shirt.
The victim, whose current condition was not available Saturday, was admitted to Moses Cone for observation.
The investigation is ongoing at this time. Anyone with information is urged to contact 911 or call the Crime Stoppers tip line (336-672-CRIME or 7463) if he or she wishes to remain anonymous.


The NikonLenses app is a guide to Nikon''s current lineup of F-Mount lenses used by both Nikon''s digital and film SLR cameras.
You can view all the lenses at once or you can view lenses in a selected category. You have the ability to sort by aperture, minimum focal length and ESP (Estimated Retail Price).
Each lens has a detail page which provides links to the Nikon web page detailing the lens, reviews of the lens from third parties (if available - brand new lenses might not have reviews yet) and where to rent the lens (United States only).


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Q: How to change color of progress bar as it progresses? It would have been easy with Flex 3 using barColor but as barColor is no more available in Flex 4 how can I setup progress bar such that the progress fluid changes it's color with progress.
Like starting progress with the shades of lighter green and ending at bright red.

A: I answered a similar question here: How to dynamically fill a progress bar in Flex/ActionScript?
In a nutshell, create a custom skin for the progress bar and fill it with a gradient (if I'm understanding you correctly.)  The solution I linked is for a segmented version, but you can just replace the repeating gradient stops with single stops to get a smooth gradient.
Hope that helps.