"I wish she listened to us.…"
As a bridesmaid, you pretty much have a front-row seat for all the wedding-day action. You'll spend the morning getting ready with the bride, watch her walk down the aisle, calm her nerves if she gets the jitters, see her say "I do," and celebrate the day away. When all is said and done, chances are there are a few things you wish she knew. Here, real bridesmaids share what they wish brides knew on the wedding day.


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You're being fed dogma and propaganda
There's no doubt that some officials, for whatever reason, bend your ear with all sorts of un-evidenced nonsense, so here's some of the myths you've been hearing exposed
Myth: Contractors use limited companies just to avoid tax
No, this just isn't true. Contractors would often actually be better off if they were sole traders. The problem with that is that the protection of limited liability isn't available to sole traders but is pretty key to someone who might helping build a nuclear power station or designing banking systems. In addition, almost all end-users of contractors insist on a limited company model so that they're protected from tax claims which could arise if a sole trader fails to pay their taxes.
Myth: Contractors are just disguised employees
No, they really aren't. Contractors are small businesses and want to operate like that because they just don't want to be employees. IPSE has consistently found that more than 75% of contractors do not want a permanent job. Contractors enjoy the variation and flexibility of assignments, they enjoy the choice of the tasks they take on, they enjoy being able to dip in and out of contract. They often cite office politics and a dislike of hierarchical structures as the reason they want to stay as contractors. They rarely refer to taxation as a reason for being a contractor, but they do recognise that there is, as there rightly should be, a reward for being in business and taking on all the risks that entails.
Myth: Contractors aren't necessary, employment solves all the issues
Yes they are. Can you imagine a business being forced to take on permanent employees for a two- or five-year project? Say a business wins a bid to build a new stadium which over the course of the project meant they had to hire 200 employees in engineering positions. At the end of the project they end up with 200 members of staff and no work for them to do, but they have an obligation to provide work to them or to make them redundant with all the costs of that. This would force up the costs of that stadium. What suits the business is the engage the specialists they need, just for the time they're actually required.
They get access to a skilled, experienced and knowledgeable group who've done this before, who can sell their services to the construction company for just the amount of time needed and then move on to a new client.
That's the real way business works, and the way businesses need to work in the modern world
Myth: All contractors are being taken advantage of by unscrupulous employers who are avoiding their employment obligations
Whilst it's true that there are a very few businesses which have done this, it's impossible to believe that this is commonplace or widespread. Whilst, for example, a whelk-picker may be conned into becoming self-employed by unscrupulous gang masters, it's beyond credible that a planning specialist in nuclear power station construction hasn't made a considered and careful decision to start their own business.
Myth: HMRC say they're losing £900m a year in taxes and it's growing
They may say this, but despite many, many requests both in Parliamentary questions and in Freedom of Information requests, they've never been able to actually demonstrate just how they arrive at this number. Ask them to show their workings and suddenly they become very, very quiet. IPSE has come to the conclusion that their figures are more "finger in the air" than properly evidence-based.
Myth: Contracting adds no value to UK plc
Wrong. Research by Kingston University shows that contracting, freelancing and self-employment is worth £271 billion to UK plc.
Further research by Professor Andrew Burke shows that they enable their client to be more innovative.
Myth: PAYE and full-time employment is the only workable model
This is an anachronism. Full-time employment was almost unheard of prior to the Industrial Revolution when the world of work changed, and that and PAYE are relatively new models. With the advent of modern systems, PAYE is in fact old-fashioned and constraining - but it is really, really easy to administer and perpetuate so it's seen by HMRC as the ideal.
The world has changed again, the internet knows few national boundaries, the world moves at a far faster pace than ever before and modern working has to recognise this and the requirement for flexibility and agility. In fact, full-time employment is likely to be seen, in just a few years, as a blip in the arc of the progress of modern work.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Review's & Hauls
Mindfulness | Wellbeing | Hygge
K Elizabeth
Family • Wellbeing • Adventure
Dementia and its Impact on Children
Dementia is a set of symptoms that can include memory loss, difficulties with thinking, problem-solving or language. These changes are often small to start with, but for someone with dementia, these can become severe enough to affect daily life. Of course, dementia's impact on the patient is very upsetting, it can also be incredibly impactive on the rest of the family. As a family, caring for dementia, is certainly no easy task and some of the most common feelings families and caregivers experience are guilt, grief and loss, and anger. For children, it can be an especially confusing time.
Children experience a wide range of emotions when a parent or grandparent has Alzheimer's disease. Younger children may be fearful that they will get the disease or that they did something to cause it. The best way to tackle this is by reassuring your children that they certainly can not catch the disease. Try to be open and honest about personality and behaviour changes that they are witnessing.
Looking into a counsellor who specialises in the emotional needs of someone who has been affected by dementia may be useful, especially if you're noting your child is not coping with the changes or it's impacting on their emotional health.
Perhaps your child could help create a memory book for their relative, something which they can take responsibility for and make them feel like they're able to help. This is something that can end up being a lot of fun and offer's the chance to open up a dialogue about how they're feeling. This memory book can be something that they can then take to their relatives who live in a care home and share with them.
Visiting a care home can be incredibly daunting for children, but brings so much joy for people with dementia. The needs of the children concerned must be addressed if these visits are to be successful though. The youngest children can be distracted and engaged with toys, and can be watched at play by the person with dementia. The person with dementia may enjoy joining in with them, playing with a pop up toy or playing simple interactive games such as 'Row the Boat'. Alzheimers Research UK has some fantastic resources and offers a range of advice on how to support your children through this time also.
Do you have any advice for families coping with dementia?
Mummy B xoxox
*Collaborative Post
Posted by K Elizabeth at 21:12:00
Kay | 32 | Norfolk | UK Family Lifestyle Blogger | Teacher | Illustrator |
Instructor to Teacher - Shop my Instagram
Ultimate Free Writing Printables for Pre-school/Reception Aged Children
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gol
===

Game of life sim

*Curses screens*
![grid_curse](https://raw.github.com/cpelley/gol/master/gol.png)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Q: A Mifare Classic 1K NFC Tag cannot be made read-only, while a Mifare Ultralight can - why? I just discovered that and am wondering why the
Ndef.canMakeReadOnly()
call returns false on a Mifare 1K but true on a Ultrlight. I was hoping the 1K not only holds more data, but also has at least the same features as Ultralight.
Is there a way to achieve read-only for Mifare Classics? How is this done with the Ultralights, is this a NDEF standard?
Thx!

A: You can make your Mifare Classic tags read only by writing a B-Key in the sector trailers that only you know. Leave the A-Keys as the standard NDEF keys.

A: Mifare Classic is not an NFC Forum tag while Mifare Ultralight is.

For guaranteed compatibility across all Android devices with NFC, it is recommended to use NFC Forum Types 1-4 in new deployments of NFC tags with NDEF payload. Vendor NDEF formats will not work on all Android devices.

May be the Mifare Classic spec from NXP and the MifareClassic API (android.nfc.tech.MifareClassic) might help
A solution here:
How can I protect a Mifare Classic Tag that contains a NDEF message?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


You can purchase information on JO SAHAR MAZON LTD in 4 formats. Basic, detailed, and full reports are ready within 12 - 36 hours. Legal & bankruptcy searches take 3 - 4 business days.
IsraelBizReg can provide a company registration, bankruptcy, legal, and other detailed information on JO SAHAR MAZON LTD, Ofakim , Israel, registration number: 513584136. The report you order will be sent to you soon after you place it. Most reports are sent within 36 hours. If you have any questions about the reports we offer, we are happy to answer any questions you have.


TODD RUNDGREN Something / Anything? (Limited Edition 1995 US Mobile Fidelity half-speed mastered audiophile issue of the 1972 24-track double LP, Todd's magnficent third solo album specially plated & pressed on 200gram High Definition Vinyl & sounding better than ever, largely produced, arranged, written & performed all by Todd. Includes Marlene, the powerpop gem Couldn't I Just Tell You, It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference & the life-affirming, I Saw The Light, housed in adeluxe gatefold picture sleeve which is numbered on the back in gold & complete company card inners & lyric booklet. The sleeve & the vinyl discs are Near Mint MFSL2-225).
APHEX TWIN Richard D. James Album (1996 UK 9-track LP, top opening title stickered picture sleeve. The sleeve shows just a little light shelfwear with a bit of edge scuffing and the vinyl remains in excellent condition with few signs of play WARPLP43).
MERCURY REV Deserter's Songs (1998 UK 11-track vinyl LP, the groups fourth studio album including the singles Goddess on a Hiway, Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp, Opus 40 and Holes; matt picture sleeve with lyric printed inner. The sleeve displays some light general wear and the vinyl remains excellent with minimal signs of play. A really nice example of this late 90s vinyl pressing, the first we have ever had VVR1002771).


Mais Arepas is a bar in the Central City area of New Orleans. This Colombian restaurant definitely has a diverse menu for you to consider when you're looking for a bar with a gastropub feel. Some of the popular food items here include the fried yuca and chorizo appetizer, as well as the veggie arepas and mechada if you really want to be impressed.
Mr John's Steakhouse is a gourmet dining experience with tender steak options for you to enjoy. Whether you come for the surf and turf or some of their delectable pasta options. We recommend trying out the broccoli au gratin, basic wedge salad, as well as their onion ring appetizer when you decide to dine here with friends.
Krewe Du Brew is a coffee shop in the Central City area with five dollar breakfast sandwiches. Their Cuban espresso is sure to make an impact on your taste buds. The friendly workers are always efficient in handing out their perfectly blended brews. There's a small vegan selection of food and beverage out here.
Primitivo is a new American restaurant with some of the most creative food options for you to consider. Where else can you get optoins like pork cheek and dumplings, beef coulette with pimento cheese grits, or the duck wing dish? This is a great destination for anniversaries, birthdays, and celebrations.
Cafe Reconcile is a cajun and creole style restaurant with a southern twist! This is a special establishment in the Central City area of New Orleans because it helps at risk youth learn different skills in culinary arts and hospitality, so that later they're able to find jobs. Come support this great local business, it's a tasty way to do so!
The Avenue Pub is a beer garden with a lot of local activity! The craft beer selection here is out of this world, and the cask conditioned ales make a huge difference in the quality of the food and drink here. The food and beer pairings are out of this world, so be sure to try them out when you check out this spot for food.


A concept map lets you visually represent ideas about a subject and connect them with linking words to illustrate the relationships between them. These diagrams don't have to be complicated, as you can include as many or as few concepts as you'd like.
Sign up for a free Lucidchart account to start using this simple concept map template. Edit the template to help you better understand any subject matter.


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<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html" charset="UTF-8">
<title>at.irian.ankor.session (Ankor - Project 0.2-SNAPSHOT API)</title>
<meta name="date" content="2014-04-07">
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../../../stylesheet.css" title="Style">

at.irian.ankor.session

Interfaces

ModelSession

ModelSessionFactory

ModelSessionManager

Classes

DefaultModelSessionFactory

DefaultModelSessionManager

SingletonModelSessionManager


ReMarkable Home: Meal Planning that Works!
Those of you who follow ReMarkable Home on Facebook may remember that I recently asked my Facebook followers for ideas on meal planning. I struggle with getting a real meal on the table on a regular basis. Its seems I can always talk myself out of cooking. I can never make a definitive decision on what to make. I will think of something, and then I will talk myself out of making it with excuses like, "It's too time consuming," or "It's not very healthful," or "So and so won't like it and will complain," or "I don't have all the ingredients and don't want to run to the store." Most nights we would go out or get take out of eat cereal or pancakes or quesadillas or macaroni. Not good. I want my kids to be in the habit of eating healthful foods in a healthful way, and I was not doing a good job of teaching them that.
I printed out all my recipes that I already had typed up. I also took a few blank pieces of paper and just wrote the words of dishes I make that I don't follow a recipe for, like hamburgers or tacos. Then I sorted all the recipes according to the categories above and put them in a binder with dividers.
This has been working so well for me and our family. We are eating together nightly, having a real meal! It is amazing! The kids are LOVING it!
I also told the kids they could each choose two things they don't like that they don't have to eat. One chose baked potatoes and chili, one chose chili and peas, one chose chili and lettuce. Can you tell my kids don't like chili? I was just glad they didn't think to choose beans! Anyway, they know they don't have to eat their choices but they do have to eat everything else. And they know if they don't eat, then they get nothing else until breakfast.
When I am making something I know will be objectionable to most, I try to make a dessert to entice them to eat or tell them they can have ice cream. For side dishes, I make a vegetable or fresh fruit or both. Sometimes I make rice or potatoes. After the meal (or on Saturday when I am meal planning) I make a note on the recipe of who liked it and who didn't. I am also planning to add more recipes to the binder as I come across new dishes I want to try or have been served at someone's home.
I just wanted to share this idea because its been such a problem for me for so long and this plan is working so well. I hope it will help some of you as well.
I am considering taking a photo of dinner every night and posting it along with the recipe the next day. I won't do step by step photos because I don't have time to take them while I am cooking dinner.
Would YOU like to see the recipes of the things we eat each night? If so, please leave a comment saying so.
I would like to try your recipes, looks tasty.
I'd love to see the recipes!
That is a clever idea! I know I'm much more likely to make a good meal if I know I've got the ingredients and don't have to think up something new every night. Good luck!
What a great idea!! I totally struggle with dinner & would love some new recipes!!! Thanks!!
I'd be interested in recipes as well! I've tried a similar version but it didn't work well because I didn't have a weekly shopping list that matched food sales.
And I've pinned the photo onto my Pinterest food page so I remember to check back when you post more! Thanks for the ideas.
I would love the recipes. I have found we eat out way to much. This is a great idea and one I would love to start.
i would love to see your recipes!!
i would love to see the recipes.


Lightning Karts aim to provide the karter with the one thing everyone is looking for, An ADVANTAGE.
KNOWLEDGE: Years of racing help us to provide you with the answers you require.
DISCOUNT PRICES: Through our larger buying power we are able to pass on the savings on to you. Wether it is through our permanently discounted items or our monthly specials, lower prices mean you have more to spend on other items, or just leave it in your pocket.
LARGE RANGE: We endeavor to keep all those parts required to keep your kart on the track in stock. Parts for the popular karts and all the Major brands are available.
TRACK SIDE SERVICE: We endever to travel to race meetings around the state as well as major events around the country. Driver training is also available for those looking for one on one assistance.
FRIENDLY SERVICE: We realize that karting is also meant to be fun. If you want to be abused you may as well stay at work. Wether you race at a national level or just head out to the track for recreation, you are offered the same level of service and respect.
LATEST TECHNOLOGY: Karting evolves constantly so we endever to keep developing our products and services continually.
CONVENIENT HOURS: Later opening hours enable you to visit after work.


Ganesha Laxmi golden frame, BuyGanesha Laxmi golden frame online from India.
Lakshmi Ganesha beautifully embossed on golden paper and securely encased in an acrylic frame. Ideal as a gift or for installing on desktop.
Lord Ganesha is the Lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. Lord Ganesha is also worshipped as the god of education, knowledge, wisdom, prudence and wealth. Ganesha is also the destroyer of vanity, selfishness and pride. He is the personification of material universe in all its various magnificent manifestations.
Mahalakshmi is the Hindu Goddess of wealth, prosperity (both material and spiritual), fortune, fertility and the embodiment of beauty. She is said to bring good luck and is believed to protect her devotees from all kinds of misery and money-related sorrows. She is also the personification of the spiritual fulfillment.


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The world's 10 most valuable artworks
From paint-spattered Pollock to Modigliani maiden, these paintings fetched the largest prices at auction
Charlotte Beale ,
A Leonardo da Vinci painting has sold for a record-breaking $450 million this week, at Christie's auction house in New York. The figure more than doubles the existing record for an artwork sold at auction: a $179.4 million bid for a Picasso in 2015.
The painting - a depiction of Jesus called Salvator Mundi - sold for the comparatively small sum of $10,000 12 years ago. Some experts believed it had been painted by one of Da Vinci's followers.
There are some critics who still question the work's authorship, but the majority of scholars believe it be authentic.
The doubts did not dampen the 19 minutes of bidding, during which the painting climbed from a guaranteed pre-sale bid of $100 million.
Salvator Mundi is the only Da Vinci painting in private hands and is one of fewer than 20 the old master painted in oil.
King Louis XII of France commissioned the 44cm x 66cm painting in 1605, during the same period as the Mona Lisa. It was later recorded in King Charles I of England's collection. Between 1763 and 1900 it disappeared, until it was bought at auction by a British art collector. The face and hair of the subject had been painted over, making it look like a copy. It was presumed to be by a follower of Da Vinci called Bernandino Luini.
The London art collector's family sold it in 1958 for a paltry £45.
In 2005, a group of art dealers acquired it for $10,000. They spent six years restoring and investigating the painting before declaring it was by Leonardo himself. London's National Gallery exhibited it in 2011. It was the first "discovery" of a Da Vinci since 1909, and became known as the "lost Leonardo".
9 other jaw-droppingly expensive artworks
2. Interchange by Willem de Kooning, $300 million
This abstract landscape by the Dutch-American painter commanded the highest price ever paid in a private sale for an artwork. Hedge fund billionaire Kenneth C Griffin bought it, spending $200 million on Jackson Pollock's Number 17A at the same time. (See number 5 below).
3. The Card Players by Paul Cézanne, $250 million
When Qatar's Royal Family bought one of Cézanne's five versions of this scene in 2011, they paid double the existing record for an artwork at auction. The men who posed for the painting included farmhands on Cézanne's estate, who may have been surprised by the price their depiction reached.
Why visual skills aren't connected to your IQ
An interview with the artificially intelligent robot Sophia
3 ways to unleash your creativity
4. Nafea Fan Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?) by Paul Gauguin, $210 million
French post-Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin painted it during his first trip to Tahiti, where he later lived for six years. When the artwork changed hands - after two years of negotiations - for a reported $300 million in 2015, it was called the most expensive painting ever sold. But a High Court lawsuit over an alleged outstanding $10 million sale commission revealed the buyer had paid only $210 million.
5. Number 17A by Jackson Pollock, $200 million
This was the second artwork bought in a 2015 $500 million deal by hedge fund manager Kenneth C Griffin. Pollock, an American abstract-impressionist known for his style of drip painting, also created the 11th most valuable artwork, No. 5, 1948. It sold for $140 million in 2006.
6. No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red) by Mark Rothko, $186 million
This painting, along with 36 others, is part of an ongoing court battle brought by its buyer, Russian fertilizer tycoon Dmitry Rybolovlev, against his art dealer, Yves Bouvier. Rybolovlev has accused the dealer of defrauding him to the tune of hundreds of millions by overcharging him for paintings acquired on his behalf. Bouvier denies all charges.
7. Pair of portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit by Rembrandt, $180 million
Image: REUTERS/Etienne Laurent/Pool
Rembrants painted the portraits to celebrate the wedding of Maerten and Oopjen in 1634. The pictures have never been separated. They were bought in a joint purchase by the Louvre and the Rijksmuseum in 2015, with each gallery contributing 50%.
8. Les Femmes d'Algers ("Version O") by Pablo Picasso, $179.4 million
Image: REUTERS/Darren Ornitz
Inspired by Delacroix's Les Femmes d'Algers (The Women of Algiers), this was the last of 15 versions Picasso painted. He started the series six weeks after his fellow artist Henri Matisse died, and considered it a tribute to Matisse's style. It held the record for most expensive artwork sold at auction for more than two years, before Salvator Mundi was sold for $450.3 million.
9. Nu Couché by Amedeo Modigliani, $170.4 million
Image: REUTERS/Paul Hanna
Depicting a naked woman on a red sofa, this painting caused a scandal when it was first shown in Paris in 1917. After a crowd formed outside the gallery hosting Modigliani's first (and only) solo show, the police arrived and shut down the exhibition immediately. It was bought by Chinese former taxi driver-turned-stock-market-billionaire Liu Yiqian to display in his own museums in Shanghai.
10. Masterpiece by Roy Lichtenstein, $165 million
Masterpiece was a satirical commentary on Lichtenstein's own career, which was taking off when he made the artwork in 1962. Masterpiece's seller, philanthropist Agnes Gund, used proceeds from its purchase in 2017 by hedge fund founder Steve Cohen to start a fund for criminal justice reform called Art for Justice. It aims to reduce mass incarceration.
Charlotte Beale, ,
More on Media, Entertainment and Information View all
How Bruce Springsteen's deal with Sony offers insight into the state of the music industry
Bruce Springsteen has reportedly sold the masters of his entire catalog, as well as the music publishing rights, to Sony Music for a $500 million.
Courtney Vinopal · Quartz 17 Dec 2021
How the COVID-19 pandemic changed news reporting
Mobile journalism's emergence has accelerated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with newsrooms, reporters and audiences adapting to a new style of news.
James Mahon · The Conversation 08 Dec 2021
BRIT awards: Next year's ceremony will have gender-neutral categories
Marie-Louise Gumuchian · Thomson Reuters Foundation trust.org 03 Dec 2021
Diversity in the newsroom can build better media. Here's why
Jeanne Bourgault 01 Dec 2021
4 ways media and entertainment could be more equitable and diverse
Hesham Zafar 14 Oct 2021
Social inequality and hyper violence: Why the bleak world of Netflix's 'Squid Game' is a streaming phenomenon
Sung-ae Lee · The Conversation 12 Oct 2021


Starting a new business can be pricey, to say the least.
If you're brand new you understand the challenge with buying equipment, hiring employees, finding a facility, etc. To lower the start-up costs for your business it may be a great investment to purchase used traffic control equipment for sale. Of course, buying used equipment can't be an option for everything, but big tickets items such as traffic safety supplies, signage, or channelization devices can be a big help in alleviating your expenses for your new business. Traffic Safety GA has used traffic control equipment for sale. Read on for three reasons why it is better to purchase your start-up equipment used rather than new.
Our used traffic safety selection can help avoid a huge hit to your initial depreciation. It can take up to four or even five years to see a substantial amount of profit when establishing a business. This is why you should buy used equipment to lessen your start-up costs. Traffic Safety GA has used traffic control equipment for sale for your new business to alleviate the stress of purchasing expensive items. As a new business owner, you want to focus more on building capital than making a big payout. We have a fleet of used traffic control equipment for sale and we would love to assist in any way we can.
Our traffic safety supply equipment at Traffic Safety GA is top notch and up to standard. The perception of "used" equipment can mean it is in poor condition to some people. We believe in taking care of our customers and providing the best equipment that is close to brand new. Our equipment is properly maintained while it is in our possession. You can trust us with assisting you in your purchase – the traffic safety supply with Traffic Safety GA is what you can count on for your business.
There could be a long waiting period when ordering your new equipment from a manufacturer. When starting a business, time is money – waiting around for equipment may hurt you in the long run. As a new business owner, you want to make sure all your ducks are in a row, which means to be up and running to start servicing customers as soon as possible to build the ground for your business to stand on. Traffic Safety GA can help with our ample supply of signage, devices, and traffic safety products.
Call us today at (404) 609-1181 or request a quote. We understand the start-up of a new business can be overwhelming and we are here to help you get started.


There are few items more foundational to camping or backpacking than a sleeping bag. And contrary to what I expected, it's not entirely realistic to just order a bag and get something that works for you.
Sleeping bags are unlike clothing or tents or backpacks where fit mostly affects comfort; with a sleeping bag fit can easily affect function. Too big of a bag, resulting in too much dead space, can reduce the warmth of your bag. Go too far to the other extreme with too snug of a bag and you'll compress the insulation and get cold spots. Trying on sleeping bags is as close to playing Goldilocks that most people will ever get.
If you're doing online research you will find it is easy to filter bags by length. Six feet tall or less, you'll do with a standard bag. Six-one to six-six, you'll want the long. See my Big Guy Gear Review for ideas. Over six-six, get a new hobby because you'll never find anything that fits.
Length isn't the only important measures shoulder girth and hip girth are also important measures that you'll probably have to determine on a bag-by-bag basis until retailers realize that's an important filter criteria. Too tight in the hips can make cold spots, same for shoulders--and tight shoulders can make ingress and egress difficult.
The style of bag will play a large part in how it fits. A mummy bag will be the snuggest and will restrict your movement the most, but will also generally be the lightest and smallest option. Don't be deterred by the name, they are actually quite comfortable. Semi-rectangular will give you the best of both worlds, with more space than a mummy and less bulk than a rectangular bag. The rectangular bag is probably what you envision when thinking of a sleeping bag. These are going to be the heaviest and bulkiest, but will give you room to sprawl. They will usually have a higher temperature rating than other bags, making them usable in fewer scenarios (but a bag liner can increase its range). The rectangular bag is less preferred for backpacking due to size and weight, but there's nothing inherently wrong with them so if that's all you have go for it.
Once you find a good fit, you stilll have to make sure you have a temperature rating appropriate for your use. REI has a great tutorial on temperature ratings and I won't attempt to out do them, but in case you don't click through I will say that you want a temperature rating below the coldest temperature you will experience. Remember that you will lose heat to the ground and because you compress the insulation you're laying on, so a sleeping pad will be important for warmth...and also what masochistic doesn't camp with a sleeping pad.
If you find that your bag isn't quite warm enough you can always buy an insulated bag liner. These can be synthetic or silk and are like a lightweight sheet cocoon that add up 10 or more degrees of insulation. Liners add versatility to bags, they can be just enough insulation on warm nights, and also add some ventilation between your skin and the bag material.
Of lesser overall importance are weight and volume. If you're going ultralight and can pay around $400+ for a bag to save a few ounces then you may care a lot about weight. But if you're an average backpacker then you'll probably be fine with any backpacking bag's weight. Similar for volume concerns--get a waterproof compression bag to save space and your bag's insulating ability...that will probably take care of most of your volume concerns, but bags can take up a lot of space inside a pack.
Do make sure to have a way to keep your bag dry, a heavy-duty trash bag will do in a pinch. Down loses its insulation when wet. Waterproofed down (known by various trademarks) and synthetics will retain some insulation ability, but sleeping in a wet bag sounds awful.
If you're buying a new bag I highly recommend trying on as many as possible. Lay in your normal sleeping position on a pad similar to what you use. Move around to see how that affects fit. Test the zipper--few things make me panic like being in a mummy bag that won't unzip easily. Most bags have side zippers, but some manufacturers are making chest-zip bags. I'm not really a fan because those are more difficult to make the bag into a blanket on warmer nights.
Make use of the Internet and read user and professional reviews. Many online retailers have gear specialists available by email. Or go crazy and interact with the humans at your local store. Still in doubt? Buy somewhere with a generous return policy so if you find fit problems you won't be stuck with a bag that's defective for your needs.
And once you have a bag make sure to care for it correctly. A properly cared-for down bag can last decades.


They are the hot new trend in finance, and Marius Jurgilas's mission is to lure them to Lithuania. Yet even he has been shocked by the "overwhelming" number of enquiries from UK "fintech" companies in recent months.
Financial technology companies are making last-minute plans in case of a no-deal Brexit on 29 March. Many are looking to secure financial licences in other EU states to protect their operations, and this Baltic nation has an eye on helping to fill the gap.
Mr Jurgilas, a Bank of Lithuania board member, has had some notable successes.
Customers of new-age bank Revolut might not know it has acquired its banking licence in Lithuania. Google's parent company Alphabet has one too.
Mr Jurgilas insists his country's new direction is not all about Brexit.
"It was a coincidence," he says. "Mostly we just want innovation to happen here, not 10 years down the road after things are implemented in Sweden."
Marius Jurgilas is not alone. On the seventh floor of a shiny new office block, the Blockchain Centre is on the hunt for hot new fintech markets in Lithuania's name.
Inside, it is silent and the mood intense. Workers in headphones stare at black screens awash with code.
Motivational posters on the walls carry messages such as: "The future will be decentralised."


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NYSE:ADS - Alliance Data Systems Stock Price, Forecast & News
Adding Alliance Data Systems Co.
Now: $109.52▼
MA: $110.55▼
Alliance Data Systems Corporation provides data-driven marketing and loyalty solutions worldwide. It operates through three segments: LoyaltyOne, Epsilon, and Card Services. The company offers a portfolio of integrated outsourced marketing solutions, including customer loyalty programs, database marketing services, end-to-end marketing services, analytics and creative services, direct marketing services, and private label and co-brand retail credit card programs. Read More…
Industry Business services, not elsewhere classified
Sub-IndustryData Processing & Outsourced Services
SectorBusiness Services
Current SymbolNYSE:ADS
CUSIP01858110
Webhttp://www.alliancedata.com/
Forward P/E Ratio6.68
P/E Growth0.4
Cash Flow$32.21 per share
Price / Cash Flow3.40
EPS (Most Recent Fiscal Year)$21.56
Net Income$963.10 million
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ADS Rates by TradingView
Alliance Data Systems (NYSE:ADS) Frequently Asked Questions
What is Alliance Data Systems' stock symbol?
Alliance Data Systems trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol "ADS."
How often does Alliance Data Systems pay dividends? What is the dividend yield for Alliance Data Systems?
Alliance Data Systems announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, October 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.63 per share on Tuesday, December 17th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. View Alliance Data Systems' Dividend History.
How will Alliance Data Systems' stock buyback program work?
Alliance Data Systems declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, July 9th 2019, which authorizes the company to repurchase $1,100,000,000.00 in shares, according to EventVestor. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 14.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.
How were Alliance Data Systems' earnings last quarter?
Alliance Data Systems Co. (NYSE:ADS) announced its earnings results on Thursday, October, 24th. The business services provider reported $5.05 EPS for the quarter, missing the Zacks' consensus estimate of $5.08 by $0.03. The business services provider earned $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.45 billion. Alliance Data Systems had a net margin of 7.54% and a return on equity of 47.40%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.37 earnings per share. View Alliance Data Systems' Earnings History.
When is Alliance Data Systems' next earnings date?
Alliance Data Systems is scheduled to release their next quarterly earnings announcement on Thursday, January 30th 2020. View Earnings Estimates for Alliance Data Systems.
How can I listen to Alliance Data Systems' earnings call?
Alliance Data Systems will be holding an earnings conference call on Thursday, January 30th at 12:00 AM Eastern. Interested parties can register for or listen to the call using this link or dial in at Not Available.
What price target have analysts set for ADS?
17 brokers have issued twelve-month price objectives for Alliance Data Systems' stock. Their forecasts range from $111.00 to $173.00. On average, they expect Alliance Data Systems' share price to reach $143.86 in the next year. This suggests a possible upside of 31.4% from the stock's current price. View Analyst Price Targets for Alliance Data Systems.
What is the consensus analysts' recommendation for Alliance Data Systems?
17 Wall Street analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Alliance Data Systems in the last year. There are currently 9 hold ratings and 8 buy ratings for the stock, resulting in a consensus recommendation of "Hold." View Analyst Ratings for Alliance Data Systems.
Has Alliance Data Systems been receiving favorable news coverage?
Media headlines about ADS stock have been trending very negative recently, InfoTrie Sentiment Analysis reports. The research group scores the sentiment of media coverage by monitoring more than six thousand news and blog sources in real time. The firm ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of -5 to 5, with scores closest to five being the most favorable. Alliance Data Systems earned a media sentiment score of -3.3 on InfoTrie's scale. They also gave media stories about the business services provider a news buzz of 2.0 out of 10, indicating that recent media coverage is very unlikely to have an impact on the stock's share price in the next several days. View News Stories for Alliance Data Systems.
Who are some of Alliance Data Systems' key competitors?
Some companies that are related to Alliance Data Systems include Visa (V), Mastercard (MA), Fidelity National Information Servcs (FIS), Fiserv (FISV), Automatic Data Processing (ADP), Global Payments (GPN), Worldpay (WP), Paychex (PAYX), FleetCor Technologies (FLT), Total System Services (TSS), Broadridge Financial Solutions (BR), Jack Henry & Associates (JKHY), The Western Union (WU), WEX (WEX) and Euronet Worldwide (EEFT).
What other stocks do shareholders of Alliance Data Systems own?
Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some companies that other Alliance Data Systems investors own include Hawkins (HWKN), CA (CA), BlackRock (BLK), Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG), AT&T (T), Endologix (ELGX), Netflix (NFLX), Boeing (BA), Micron Technology (MU) and Allergan (AGN).
Who are Alliance Data Systems' key executives?
Alliance Data Systems' management team includes the folowing people:
Mr. Edward J. Heffernan, Pres, CEO & Director (Age 56)
Mr. Charles L. Horn, Exec. VP & CFO (Age 58)
Mr. Bryan A. Pearson, Exec. VP & Pres of LoyaltyOne (Age 55)
Mr. Bryan J. Kennedy, Exec. VP (Age 50)
Ms. Melisa A. Miller, Exec. VP & Pres of Card Services (Age 60)
Who are Alliance Data Systems' major shareholders?
Alliance Data Systems' stock is owned by a variety of of institutional and retail investors. Top institutional investors include Wedge Capital Management L L P NC (0.86%), Chicago Capital LLC (0.25%), California Public Employees Retirement System (0.20%), Kirr Marbach & Co. LLC IN (0.16%), New York State Teachers Retirement System (0.13%) and Exane Derivatives (0.07%). Company insiders that own Alliance Data Systems stock include Bryan A Pearson, Charles L Horn, Edward J Heffernan, Holdings LP Valueact, Melisa A Miller, Timothy P King and Valueact Capital Master Fund,. View Institutional Ownership Trends for Alliance Data Systems.
Which institutional investors are selling Alliance Data Systems stock?
ADS stock was sold by a variety of institutional investors in the last quarter, including Chicago Capital LLC, FNY Investment Advisers LLC, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC, California Public Employees Retirement System, SG Americas Securities LLC, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC, Meag Munich Ergo Kapitalanlagegesellschaft MBH and Court Place Advisors LLC. Company insiders that have sold Alliance Data Systems company stock in the last year include Holdings LP Valueact, Timothy P King and Valueact Capital Master Fund,. View Insider Buying and Selling for Alliance Data Systems.
Which institutional investors are buying Alliance Data Systems stock?
ADS stock was purchased by a variety of institutional investors in the last quarter, including Cubic Asset Management LLC, Sanders Morris Harris LLC, Rothschild Investment Corp IL, Tuttle Tactical Management, Zeke Capital Advisors LLC, Lapides Asset Management LLC, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC and Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI. Company insiders that have bought Alliance Data Systems stock in the last two years include Holdings LP Valueact and Valueact Capital Master Fund,. View Insider Buying and Selling for Alliance Data Systems.
How do I buy shares of Alliance Data Systems?
Shares of ADS can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Vanguard Brokerage Services, TD Ameritrade, E*TRADE, Robinhood, Fidelity and Charles Schwab.
What is Alliance Data Systems' stock price today?
One share of ADS stock can currently be purchased for approximately $109.45.
How big of a company is Alliance Data Systems?
Alliance Data Systems has a market capitalization of $5.04 billion and generates $7.79 billion in revenue each year. The business services provider earns $963.10 million in net income (profit) each year or $21.56 on an earnings per share basis. Alliance Data Systems employs 20,000 workers across the globe.View Additional Information About Alliance Data Systems.
What is Alliance Data Systems' official website?
The official website for Alliance Data Systems is http://www.alliancedata.com/.
How can I contact Alliance Data Systems?
Alliance Data Systems' mailing address is 3075 Loyalty Circle, Columbus OH, 43219. The business services provider can be reached via phone at 614-729-4000 or via email at [email protected]
MarketBeat Community Rating for Alliance Data Systems (NYSE ADS)
MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Alliance Data Systems and other stocks. Vote "Outperform" if you believe ADS will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote "Underperform" if you believe ADS will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days.
Featured Article: Market Perform


Convenient, low-cost alternatives to elevators, Gillespie's material lifts―or vertical reciprocating conveyors (VRCs)―are designed for moving any material, palletized loads or freight, to different building levels both inside and outside. Material lifts are prohibited from transporting riders.
Easy to install, our material lifts can be engineered so that no shaft or reinforced floors are required―a design that's ideal for older buildings. We provide custom and standard material lifts that are fully compliant with ANSI/ASME B20.1 and OSHA and feature platforms of any size or capacity to meet every need; 2-, 3- or 4-side access. Every one of our material lifts is equipped with instantaneous safeties. In addition, we provide minimal building loads designs for transporting material to floors, with minimal hoistway/footprint required.
A perfect solution when space and budget restrictions preclude elevator installation, residential dumbwaiters are versatile, quiet and reliable. Gillespie designs custom dumbwaiters to accommodate virtually any situation or requirement, including easy incorporation during home-remodeling projects or multi-level residence construction. Used to transport everything from groceries to laundry and trash, our dumbwaiters include the following standard features: 200 lb capacity, with removable center shelf; 18 feet-per-minute speed; 20″w x 27″d x 24″h car size (other sizes available); 5-stop maximum; and 35′ travel limit.
If you have questions or would like additional information, please contact us.
Frequently designed to accommodate the most space-constricted areas, our vertical reciprocating conveyors, or VRCs, are available in numerous types, including: vertical conveyors; freight lifts; custom lifts; vertical lifts; mezzanine lifts; modular lifts; mechanical lifts; hydraulic lifts; continuous lifts; industrial lifts; and continuous vertical conveyors.


We are delighted to be offering another EDE in the heart of winter and in the cozy settings of Schloss Glarisegg. We have added the title "Creating a Transformative Culture" because we recognise that as we move into a time of unpredictable change, we need to cultivate some skills in dealing with the unknown. We ask how do I anchor myself in times of uncertainty? How does transformation happen, in myself, in others and in society at large? How do I become an effective change agent and what is my role to play?
We welcome a large and diverse group so that we may practice the group skills we will learn. This year we have a focus on learning Sociocracy, Possibility Management and the Forum, along with conflict resolution and group decision making. Our experience with many groups is that if you have these skills, your projects will have a much better chance of succeeding!.
What is an EDE (Ecovillage Design Education programme)?
Ecovillage Design Education programmes, often referred to as 'EDEs', take place in 50 countries in settings ranging from tribal and traditional communities to intentional ecovillages, from urban slum to universities and training centres. The duration of these programmes are around 125 hours over a full month, although this may vary slightly depending on where and when they are taken. The EDEs provide students of all ages with the knowledge and practical skills on how to design a society which uses energy and materials with greater efficiency, distributes wealth fairly and strives to eliminate the concept of waste.


I get up. I get down. This is basically the opposite view of the last picture. Instead of people escaping to the light, these people are escaping from the light. It is a good exercise in photography to take pictures of the same subject from multiple locations and angles.


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https://stevedmarineconsulting.com/portable-fire-extinguishers-not-all-are-created-equal/
Portable Fire Extinguishers; Not all are Created Equal
When you receive this month's Ezine I'll be on my way to Australia, where I will deliver a lecture for a group of boat owners near Sydney, as well as inspecting a new vessel that's under construction in that area.
As I noted in last month's editorial, which I wrote while making a passage among the islands of the rugged, sparsely populated southwest Alaska Peninsula, cruising in remote locations is a passion of mine. And as I mentioned then, these journeys keep me sharp and cognizant of what cruisers face on a daily basis, what works and what doesn't, and this passage was no exception. In addition to being delayed in Anchorage for three days as a result of inclement weather at my destination airport, one of the two vessels I traveled aboard, for the first three weeks and 1,200 nautical miles, suffered from only one major mechanical failure, a burned out windlass motor, necessitating a five day stay in port until a replacement could be flown in.
This episode, while far from catastrophic, and virtually unavoidable, reinforced the importance of redundancy in critical systems. Most vessels have just one windlass, have you thought about what you would do if yours failed, particularly if you are far from help? Dual windlasses, once very rare indeed, are becoming more popular on long range and expedition type cruising vessel designs. Does your windlass have a manual retrieval capability and if so have you tried it, with a substantial amount of rode deployed? As I write this, I just read on one of the boat owner forums to which I belong, the following post, "We had a recent failure of the windlass motor and ended up stranded in a very remote bay for 4 days". I rest my case. I encourage vessel owners and operators to pose these questions to themselves, "What would I do if…," fill in the blank, windlass, generator, engine, inverter, sanitation system etc, "fails, what's my back up plan?"
Venture, a Fleming 65 owned by Tony Fleming, anchored, alone in a remote cove along the Alaskan Peninsula. Hull number one of the 65 series, this vessel has covered over 60,000 miles since she was commissioned in 2005, including cruising the Saint Lawrence Seaway, the Panama Canal, Alaska on several occasions and the Galapagos Islands.
The time I spent aboard these two vessels was both rewarding and enjoyable. Alaska's geography, landscapes, seascapes, and wildlife, are truly gems to behold. Perhaps the most compelling aspect of Alaska, particularly the southwest Peninsula, is its sheer remoteness and lack of human presence. Anchorages were usually shared with nothing more than seals, bears and birds, and other cruising vessels were only notable by how rarely they were encountered. Look for a detailed article about this passage in an upcoming Ezine.
This month's Ezine feature covers the subject of portable fire extinguishers, a subject which confounds many boat owners or, worse, one that's given no thought at all. I hope you find it both interesting and useful.
Photos and text by Steve D'Antonio
Copyright 2015 SDMC, Inc.
Fire, it's among a mariner's worst nightmares. Every vessel owner, operator and crew member should be well-versed in the techniques and equipment needed to fight fires in their early stages.
"We're on fire!" Words that no mariner wishes to hear, yet, it's a phrase for which all prudent mariners need to be prepared. A few months ago I received a call from clients explaining that they'd had just such an experience. What transpired, and the manner in which they dealt with it, reinforced the importance of ensuring that every vessel has the ideal firefighting tools.
In this case, the vessel was maneuvering in a harbor setting when the fire occurred, in the engine room. For the purposes of this discussion, the cause of the fire, which occurred on an engine, is less important than what occurred afterward. While idling slowly the crew, who were in the pilothouse, noted the unmistakable odor of an electrical fire. They quickly scanned their instruments as well as the engine room video monitor; the latter was filled with a thick pall of white smoke. With a portable dry chemical fire extinguisher taken from the pilothouse, one of them proceeded to the engine room, looking through the access door's window he sized up the situation, took a deep breath, leapt in and loosed the contents of the extinguisher onto the fire, and then raced back out. His efforts were successful; the fire was quickly extinguished, as can be seen in this video clip of a fire in the making 1.
Only later did they realize their video monitoring system recorded the entire event, which they've allowed me to share with readers for educational purposes.
While the vessel's engine room is equipped with a smoke detector (this is an essential component) of the central station variety, it was temporarily disabled because it was sounding false alarms. Even if it had been working, it's unlikely it would have given them very much notice, as the episode progressed extremely rapidly, as can once again be seen on the video.
Not all portable fire extinguishers are created equal, there is a dizzying array of types, sizes and classifications. The fire extinguisher shown here is unlike those most often found aboard recreational vessels, it contains a gaseous, "clean" agent that's designed to be used on electrical and electronic equipment fires.
Several who have watched the video have asked why the crew simply didn't discharge the engine room's gaseous, fixed firefighting system. While that is one course of action, doing so represents a significant investment of sorts, in that re-charging it is costly, and while expense is of no consequence when it comes to firefighting, for small, isolated electrical fires, as this one was, consideration should initially be given to a localized approach toward extinguishing the flames. Additionally, once the fixed system is discharged, the engine room is thereafter unprotected, until it's recharged; which, if cruising in a remote area, could be some time.
Portable fire extinguishers should be chosen based on the type of fire they may be called upon to fight, as well as the location. It makes sense to place large capacity extinguishers, like the one shown here, in engineering spaces.
In this event the crew used a portable dry chemical extinguisher, which while effective, contaminated the area with this agent (the engine was running, and afterward dry chemical residue was found in the air filter). Dry chemical agents, which commonly include sodium or potassium bicarbonate, or ammonium polyphosphate, which are the familiar white powder, used in class BC extinguishers, can have a detrimental effect on mechanical and electrical equipment, particularly if ingested by a running engine, or if used on or near sensitive electronics. Monoammonium phosphate, commonly used in extinguishers with an otherwise desirable ABC rating, it is a pale yellow color, is especially corrosive, particularly if exposed to water or even high humidity. Furthermore, the manner in which this agent works involves the powdered agent melting to smother the flames, which makes clean up especially difficult.
Dry chemical extinguishers, while effective, can cause significant damage to the equipment on which they are used. In some cases the agent is corrosive, or it melts on contact with hot surfaces.
A gaseous fire extinguisher, on the other hand, like the permanent units installed in engine rooms, relies on a clean agent, one that leaves no residue and will not harm engines, machinery, electrical and electronic equipment when discharged nearby, or even directly onto them. These are especially effective on small electrical fires of the type that occur behind helm consoles, in electrical panels and engine rooms.
Fixed, automatic fire extinguishers like the one shown here are a veritable necessity in engineering spaces (they are required for ABYC compliance). They do, however, have a weakness, they will not trigger automatically until the nozzle temperature reaches 175° F.
Portable clean agent extinguishers are available in a variety of agents and sizes, including FM 200, FE-36, Halotron and CO2, in everything from 1.5 lb (this is very small, and is designed for light aircraft and automobiles), up to 20 lbs. Ideally, one should be installed just outside the engine room, and another in or near the pilothouse. If your vessel isn't equipped with one, and most aren't, consider adding at least one and preferably two for use in electrical and machinery spaces. While these extinguishers are more expensive than their dry chemical counterparts, the damage they can help prevent will more than pay for the additional cost.
Clean agent extinguishers are available in several varieties, including the one shown here, which is carbon dioxide.
US Fire Classifications (European, Australian and other classifications differ slightly)
A: Wood, paper, cloth, trash and other ordinary materials.
B: Gasoline, diesel fuel, oil, paint and other flammable liquids.
C: Live electrical equipment [once the electricity is removed, these fires typically become class A, ideally electricity should be shut off before fighting the fire].
D: Combustible metals [magnesium, titanium and potassium for instance].
K: Cooking fires, fats and oils.
While the above fire classifications are familiar to many, the ratings of fire extinguishers, 1A and 10BC for instance, are often, at least initially, enigmatic at best. They can, however be deciphered rather easily. For type A fires, a "1" represents the equivalent of 1.25 gallons of water, "2" the equivalent of 2.5 gallons of water and "3" the equivalent of 3.75 gallons of water and so on. For type B and C fires, the number represents the square footage of the area the extinguisher would cover.
The suffix Roman numerals used with marine fire extinguishers, such as B-I or B-II, represent the relative extinguisher capacity, the larger the number the greater the content. Sizes I and II are the most common for recreational craft, while size III are found aboard larger and commercial vessels.
Many vessel owners give little thought to the types of fires that may occur aboard a vessel, commonly classified as A, B and C (as well as others), and the types of extinguishers that are needed to fight these fires.
The US Coast Guard requirements for fire extinguisher are, in my opinion, woefully inadequate and should be considered strictly an absolute minimum.
Minimum number of hand portable fire extinguishers required for USCG compliance
Vessel Length
No Fixed System
With approved Fixed Systems
Less than 26'
1 B-I
26' to less than 40'
2 B-I or 1 B-II
40' to 65'
3 B-I or 1 B-II and 1 B-1
2 B-1 or 1 B-II
As one can see, a vessel of 65 feet is compliant with just one portable B-II, and one fixed fire extinguisher (again, I don't recommend following this guideline). Conversely, my preference is for a portable unit in every cabin and, generally speaking, no fire extinguisher should be more than three steps away.
Review your vessel's firefighting capability, augmenting it is often relatively inexpensive, and money well-spent.
For more on fixed fire fighting systems, see the SDMC Ezine search: http://www.stevedmarineconsulting.com/?s=fire 2 and SDMC's video essay on fixed fire extinguishing systems: YouTube Video: YouTube.com/watch?v=6X4AJVAiJRE 3
" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X4AJVAiJRE.
For more information on the services provided by Steve D'Antonio Marine Consulting, Inc. please e mail Steve at info@stevedmarineconsulting.com or call 804-776-0981
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3Payo8-2bk
http://www.stevedmarineconsulting.com/?s=fire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X4AJVAiJRE


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September 27, 2019 Digital, NEO and Open Banking, Enterprise, Entrepreneurs and Start-ups, Fintech AI/ML, Data-driven, FinTech and Alternative Finance, Fintech International No comments
No banking charter? No problem. Fintech companies team up with small-town banks
Los Angeles Times | Julie Verhage | Sep 27, 2019
Customers of Square Inc., the Silicon Valley payments behemoth, might assume that the cash they send to friends on the platform is housed in a glassy building in Silicon Valley, tended to by hoodie-clad tech workers. Actually, that money is more likely to be sitting in a 117-year-old community bank in Iowa.
Partnerships between high-flying tech companies and traditional banks, many of them tiny by comparison, are a key force behind the financial technology boom. Because virtually no tech companies have the license required to perform banking services, many of them partner with existing banks to offer a suite of services including checking accounts, credit cards and the back-end and regulatory work the tech companies aren't equipped—or allowed—to handle.
Now, driven by the tech industry's thirst to jump into finance, a new crop of businesses are looking to broker the connections between tech and banks. One such business is Cambr, a little-known division of an investment company called StoneCastle, which counts Square and other fintechs as customers. StoneCastle works with more than 800 small banks, spread across the country, ready to take and hold deposits from Silicon Valley start-ups such as Square.
See: What does the future of banking look like, according to the experts?
"Airbnb, one would argue they are one of the largest hotel chains that doesn't own a room," said Josh Siegel, chief executive of StoneCastle Partners LLC. "Our network works in a similar way. We have an account at the bank, it's the room we rent, and we can rent it out to whoever we want."
Cambr's service launched last year as a partnership between StoneCastle, which provides the bank connections, and digital banking platform Q2 Holdings Inc., which works on the software and programming. Square's Cash App was one of Cambr's first customers, Siegel said, and it has since added start-ups such as Acorns Grow Inc., MoneyLion Inc., Qapital Inc. and robo-advisor Betterment LLC, in a recently announced deal.
What Cambr aims to offer tech companies is a ready-made strategy to accept deposits that they wouldn't otherwise have the license to handle.
Here's how it works: A tech company or start-up might give Cambr as much as $100 billion of customers' cash, and could then ask the service to spread the money around to potentially hundreds of different financial institutions. A result of spreading out the deposits is that more of the fintech's cash is insured under the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s $250,000-per-account guarantee, offering more coverage than if the money were deposited at a single institution.
The partnership model, which has rapidly become the go-to for financial technology companies, does pose some risks for banks, particularly if fast-moving start-ups draw the ire of regulators, as has happened before.
"The banks are the supervised entities so the buck stops with them," said Brian Korn, partner and head of fintech practice at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. "The regulators are waiting for situations where there's a breakdown."
But many community banks have embraced such partnerships, seeing them as a salve in times of digital disruption. More deposits can allow small banks to grow and make more local loans. In Cedar Falls, Iowa, the 117-year-old Lincoln Savings Bank, which works with Cambr, has boosted its revenue by partnering with fintechs, said Mike McCrary, who runs e-commerce and emerging technology for the bank. McCrary said that when Lincoln Savings Bank considered how it could best position itself for the next 10 years, fintech partnerships were an obvious answer.
See: One size doesn't fit all: Strict regulations meant for big banks holding back fintech in Canada
"In order for us to be relevant years from now, there had to be something digital," he said. "Now we're putting a lot of resources into this area of our business," including, he said, building out a new team dedicated to working with tech companies.
One option for tech companies has been to apply for an Industrial Loan Charter, which would effectively grant them license to provide financial services. Square first applied for the charter in the fall of 2017, but its request shows no signs of being approved. Social Finance Inc. also applied for an ILC, but withdrew its application altogether.
"It's not easy to become a bank here, and we haven't seen much traction in general with the ILC," Matt Burton, partner at venture capital firm QED Investors, said. "What we have seen is continued demand for non-banks to offer banking solutions."
L2s are the path to mass adoption says QuickSwap founder Sameep Singhania
Banking on the "Business of Banking": How the 2nd Circuit's Ruling in Lacewell v. OCC Could Change the Future of Fintech Regulation
Open Finance data adoption varies by country (but one thing is certain)
How Fintech is Changing the Mortgage Industry
Recession gatecrashes Hong Kong's fintech party | SFC outlines VATP regulatory framework and China's digital currency
ClearScore and Zopa ink deal to bring open banking to the credit industry
Fintech's next decade will look radically different


Northwest Gastroenterology Clinic accepts the health insurance networks listed here. If you have a health plan that is not listed, please call our billing department to get benefit information. For out-of-network information, please call your insurance carrier. If you do not have health insurance benefits a deposit will be required for all office visits and procedures performed at NGC Endoscopy Services. Please call 503-229-7461 to speak with a billing representative.
It is your responsibility as our patient to provide accurate and current information at the time of service so that we may bill your insurance. We require a copy of your insurance card at the time of each visit. If you are unable to provide your card before seeing the provider, the visit may be considered fee for services and full payment may be collected. If your insurance requires a co-payment, deductible or co-insurance, it will be collected during your visit.
You may receive up to four separate statements for the services related to your procedure. These include the physician services fee, the facility fee, fees for pathology services and the anesthesiologist services fee.
If you have questions about your bill, please call our dedicated billing line, 503-229-7461.


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Military Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy Courses with Montgomery GI Bill
Occupational Therapist Careers Through the VA GI Bill
Occupational Therapy Schools Through Post 911 GI Bill
Occupational Therapy Schools by State
Tennessee Occupational Therapy Schools
Tennessee Occupational Therapist School
Steps to Become an Occupational Therapist in Tennessee
Occupational Therapists have their own unique role in the category of Healthcare Practitioner and Healthcare occupations as listed by the United States Census Bureau. They offer a wide range of services and work in multiple venues including, but not limited to schools, hospitals, medical centers and for specific individuals. The method of treatment they use varies from coaching on developing life skills to adaptive equipment training ranging on a variety of levels.
On a national level, the growth of employment opportunities has exceeded .4% over the last 4 years. Out of the 94,000 nationally employed occupational therapists, 5,322 specialty therapists are employed in the state of Tennessee. Tennessee Occupational Therapist's salaries are above the national average of $93,000, at a rate of $94,000. Though some states require national certification as well as state licensure testing to receive a state license, Tennessee offers a license based on the individual being nationally certified. There are other requirements to be met, but testing is done on a national level.
Information provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the United State Census Bureau.
Becoming a Licensed Occupational Therapist in Tennessee
Occupational Therapists in Tennessee need to be licensed by the Tennessee Board of Occupational Therapy. This board regulates the standards of the qualifications and practices of occupational therapists in Tennessee.
An individual who wishes to become licensed as an occupational therapist in Tennessee must first obtain a graduate degree in occupational therapy from an institution that is accredited and recognized by the Accrediting Council for Occupational Therapy Education. The requirements for degree completion include academic studies and supervised fieldwork.
Occupational Therapy Licensure Steps in Tennessee
Individuals should enroll in and complete an online or campus-based Master's degree program through Tennessee occupational therapy schools as approved by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education.
Upon completion of the Occupational Therapy Master's program, individuals will pass the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy Examination. This test is developed and managed by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy. This board provides certification on a national level, which may be the only certification required by some states, like Tennessee. Those interested can contact this board at the address listed below.
National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy
Gaithersburg, MD 20877-4150
Fax (301) 869 - 8492
Individuals who wish to become certified in the use of physical modalities will need to have proper training on said modalities to be used in the practice of occupational therapy in Tennessee.
24 credit hours of learning competency must be completed within 2 years of initial application for licensure prior to the year of requested licensure.
Those wishing to apply for an Occupational Therapist License in Tennessee need to fill out an application completely, truthfully and in full before submitting it to the Tennessee Board of Occupational Therapy along with the items listed below.
Letter of recommendation from someone not related to the person.
Copy of certificate of examination by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy.
$35 license fee
$10 state regulatory fee
$40 registration fee
$25 application fee
Documented 24 credit hours of learning competency.
Criminal background check.
Through campus based and online programs, aspiring Occupational Therapists in Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Clarksville and Murfreesboro, Tennessee may be able to prepare themselves for the possibility of employment in some of the largest hospitals and healthcare facilities in the state including the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Memorial Hospital, Jackson-Madison County General Hospital and Nashville's Baptist Hospital.
Occupational Therapy Schools
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TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama accepted the resignation Wednesday of the ailing finance minister, who was hospitalized for exhaustion while preparing stimulus measures to address the economic slowdown.
Finance Minister Hirohisa Fujii, 77, tendered his resignation overnight, and local media initially reported Hatoyama wanted him to stay.
Fujii, who has a history of high blood pressure, spent several tough weeks late last year churning out a record 92.29 billion yen ($1 trillion) budget. The government is also trying to pass a 7.2 trillion yen ($78 billion) stimulus package.
He checked into a hospital on Dec. 28 for checkups and to get some rest. Fujii has stayed under the care of doctors at a Tokyo hospital but leaves to visit his offices during the day.
Fujii, the oldest member of Hatoyama's Cabinet, will be replaced by Hatoyama's deputy Naoto Kan, the prime minister said in a national address televised on public broadcaster NHK.
Hatoyama has said that passing the budget is his top priority this year. It cuts spending on public works but includes large expenditures on social programs like child support and making tuition at public high schools free.
Investors have shrugged off Fujii's health problems. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average climbed to a fresh 15-month high Wednesday, gaining 0.5 percent, despite widespread expectations Fujii would step down.
Fuji had wanted to retire after the Democratic Party won the landslide victory in August, ending the Liberal Democrats' longtime grip on power, but he stayed on to become finance minister.


As soon as you sign up, you'll receive the Welcome Module, to help ground you and put this work into context. The course begins Monday, May 6th and concludes Sunday, May 26th. Each Monday, you'll receive that week's course module. At the end of the course, you'll receive all the materials, including all call recordings.
Video lesson introducing the building blocks and tools to practice self-advocacy as an art.
Beautiful, printable pdf workbooks with thoughtful prompts for self-discovery and cultivating self-advocacy.
Two audio meditations to incorporate these lessons on a deeper level.Live video calls, held each Wednesday at 12pm Pacific via Zoom.
The Art of Self-Advocacy Spotify playlist to get you in the zone.
(New!) The Guide to Clear Energetic Boundaries.
(New!) The Guide to Elegant Communication.
Pretty desktop wallpapers (for desktop + iPhone) to keep your commitment to self-advocacy front and center.


text:
EdCast and General Assembly Join Forces to Expand Access to Tech Skills Training
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–EdCast, the award-winning learning experience platform (LXP) that delivers upskilling and training to employees at Global 2000 companies and NGOs worldwide, today announced a partnership with General Assembly, which has provided training to nearly 80,000 learners in high-demand fields like data science, digital marketing, and user-experience design. Through the unique initiative, General Assembly will offer its programs, courses, and certifications through the EdCast Marketplace, enabling thousands of employers and millions of end-users to access training for the digital skills that are a prerequisite for success in today's increasingly complex economy.
"The COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the urgency of upskilling in remote work environments, in order to navigate an increasingly digital world of work," said Jake Schwartz, CEO of General Assembly. "Now more than ever, it's critical for employers to access the sort of training that can both boost productivity and create new pathways to economic mobility."
As the global pandemic reshapes the global landscape of workplace learning, a growing number of employers are turning to virtual programs to stay competitive. An integrated General Assembly and EdCast offering will make both deep-skilling and short-form courses discoverable to employees as well as drive collaboration on key worldwide, industrywide and association-oriented initiatives, including NASSCOM's FutureSkills program in India.
"We look forward to offering General Assembly's world-class content to our clients through our Knowledge Cloud," said EdCast CEO and Founder Karl Mehta. "As EdCast and General Assembly deepen our collaboration, EdCast's suite of services will offer our joint customers a one-stop-shop for their upskilling and reskilling needs."
About EdCast
EdCast is the AI-Powered Knowledge Cloud solution for unified discovery, personalized learning and knowledge management across the enterprise, including work teams that are more remote and highly distributed than ever. Its award-winning platform is used internationally by Global 2000 companies and large government organizations, including NASSCOM and World Economic Forum, to solve the discovery and curation problems across all external and internal knowledge sources for all employees, wherever they are. EdCast's offerings include its Learning Experience Platform (LXP), the EdCast Marketplace, Spark by EdCast, and MyGuide. For more details on EdCast or to register for an account at EdCast's Spark, click here and here.
About General Assembly
General Assembly's robust suite of courses includes all the fundamental pillars of innovation to give individuals and teams several options for growth and development. The company offers programs in web development, data science and analysis, user experience design, digital marketing, product management, and more. Students can choose from a range of formats and modalities to help them best achieve their goals, including full-time, part-time, and short-form options.
Focusing on the most relevant and in-demand skills across data, design, business, and technology, GA confronts the global skills gap through award-winning, best-in-class instruction, and innovative opportunities across diverse communities. GA works with students across the globe, and partners with top employers to help companies source, assess, and transform talent.


Aim/Purpose The present work focuses on French PhD students' well-being: an understudied working population thus far, which impedes the development of evidence-based policies on this issue in France.The focus of this work is the well-being of French PhD students, on which almost nothing has been published thus far, impeding any evidence-based policy on this issue to be carried out in France.
Background Research studies from several countries have shown that carrying out a PhD can be a difficult experience resulting in high attrition rates with significant financial and human costs.
Methodology The two studies presented in this article focus on biology PhD students from University Lyon 1, a very large French university (~40,000 students). A first study aimed at measuring the mental health and well-being of PhD students using generalist and PhD-specific tools. In a second study, we carried out and assessed a positive psychology intervention (PPI) aimed at improving PhD students' well-being.
Contribution Our work is one of the first characterizations of French PhD students' mental health and well-being. As with other recent studies conducted in Western coun-tries, we found a high level of mental distress among PhD students. Our work also underlines the importance of taking many dimensions of the PhD (not only supervisor behaviour) in order to understand PhD student well-being. Cultural specificities are highlighted and can help inform the design of interventions adapted to each situation. The PPI showed pre-to-post positive changes on PhD students' well-being. Further research is needed on a larger sample size in order to detect more subtle effects. However, these results are promising in terms of interventions that help reduce PhD student distress.
Findings Study 1 involved 136 participants and showed that a large fraction of the PhD students experiences abnormal levels of stress, depression, and anxiety. We found that career training and prospects, research experience, and the impact of carrying out a thesis on health and private life have more impact on PhD students' mental health than the supervisors' behaviour. French PhD students' well-being is specifically affected by career uncertainty, perceived lack of progress in the PhD, and perceived lack of competence compared to UK PhD students well-being, which suggests cultural differences about the PhD experi-ence in France compared to other countries. In study 2, the scores of the test and control groups (N = 10 and N = 13, respectively) showed a clear effect of the intervention on reducing anxiety.


Join members of the Sullivan County Chamber Orchestra (SCCO) at Albella Restaurant in Monticello (50 Jefferson St.) for "Aperitivo", an evening of professional entertainment, delicious food, and the chance to win a variety of goods and services from area businesses/organizations participating in our raffles. The event will be held on on Saturday February 16th from 7pm-10pm.
Dance, Chorus and Visual Arts Programs!
This Saturday, January 12, 2019, NCA Saturday Programs - Dance, Children's Choirs and Visual Arts will begin again for the semester! Welcome back to those returning and we look forward to seeing some new faces! New students should complete a registration form and can pay tuition online.
Sullivan County Chamber Orchestra (SCCO) continues their 2018-19 season with a full orchestra concert titled, "Im Alten Stil…" on January 26 & 27. Their program, which includes Barber, Bartók, Górecki and Grieg will be presented in both Monticello and Grahamsville.
WE ARE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE ARE SOLD OUT FOR BOTH SEATINGS OF "A Madrigal Feaste!" We would like to thank all the students and their families, our community, supporters and sponsors Delaware Valley Arts Alliance, New York State Council on the Arts, Episcopal Charities of New York, St. John's Episcopal Church and Rectory (Monticello, New York), Albella Restaurant, Giovanni's, Walmart Monticello, Marlu Costumes, Monticello UMC.
SCCO is thrilled to invite the incomparable violinist, Daniel Phillips (Orion Quartet) to share his love of music with Akiko Hosoi, Chelsea Wimmer, Chieh-Fan Yiu, Philo Keun-Ha Lee, and SCCO Artistic Director Andrew Trombley for two performances of Beethoven, Dvorak, and Brahms on October 27 and 28. Don't miss this wonderful program of chamber music, "Music in the Key of Love!"
Sullivan County Chamber Orchestra Begins New Season!


'I'm done with him' - Loads of Arsenal fans fumed at 'worst player on the field' in Saints loss | The Transfer Tavern | Where football transfer rumours fly or die!
Alex Iwobi is not a popular figure with Arsenal fans at the moment. The tricky Nigerian winger has all the talent to be a star at The Emirates, and when he's on song, he's a tough player to stop. However, it seems he's very rarely at those levels, and after their loss yesterday, loads of Arsenal fans fumed at the 22-year-old.
Whilst Unai Emery may have taken a liking to Iwobi, and wants to utilise him from the start in matches, at some point, it will have to give. For a starting Premier League wide-man, having an end product return of just one goal and three assists in 14 appearances simply isn't good enough, especially seeing as ten of those 14 games have come in the starting eleven.
The last time Iwobi provided a goal or an assist in the Premier League was during the Gunners' 1-1 draw with Liverpool, and he's since gone over 350 minutes without providing any kind of end product in an Arsenal shirt in the league. It's understandable that the fans are starting to come for him, and a spell on the sidelines could do him the world of good as the winger aims to find the top form that Emery obviously sees him finding sooner or later.
Starting Iwobi with the likes of Ozil, Ramsey and Lacazette on the bench!!!??
How many chances is Iwobi going to get?!!
The fans were fuming when Iwobi was named in the starting eleven and they were fuming with him throughout the game, so it would probably be best for him to have a spell on the sidelines.


text:
package com.jamierf.jsonrpc;

import com.jamierf.jsonrpc.codec.CodecFactory;
import com.jamierf.jsonrpc.transport.Transport;

public final class JsonRpc {

	public static JsonRpcClientBuilder client(final Transport transport, final CodecFactory codecFactory) {
		return new JsonRpcClientBuilder(transport, codecFactory);
	}

	public static JsonRpcServerBuilder server(final Transport transport, final CodecFactory codecFactory) {
		return new JsonRpcServerBuilder(transport, codecFactory);
	}

	private JsonRpc() {}
}


Each year in March, the FRC staff identifies girls to participate in My Sister's Closet. My Sister's Closet is a program that is run with Azusa Pacific University and Azusa Unified School District to help area girls get ready for prom. Donations are given to these organizations so the girls can receive donated dresses, shoes, purses, and jewelry. This eliminates barriers for girls who otherwise might not be able to go to their prom.
Girls select a dress, try it on, and even have it altered with the help of seamstress volunteers. The girls also select shoes, jewelry, purses, and makeup to help complete their look. Community partners are also available to help boys who need assistance with their Prom attire.
Contact the FRC if you have prom dresses, shoes, or jewelry to donate. We also accept monetary donations to assist with covering the cost of boys' tuxedo rental, flowers, and prom tickets.


Gel wax is a translucent wax with the consistency of jelly. It is created using a combination of mineral oil and polymer resin, this gives the wax a slow melt rate and a long burn time. The finished candle will have a longer burn time, making the wax good value for money, even though it is more expensive than paraffin waxes. Due to the clarity of the wax, it is common to find gel candles with embeds inside, such as sliced dried fruits, small glass ornaments, glitter or anything that won't melt at a temperature lower than the wax.
Gel wax can only be used in containers, as it doesn't have the stiffness to stand on its own. If you want to colour the wax, we recommend to use our dye chips however if you add too much the may lose its transparency. Gel wax has a higher melt point than paraffin wax and should be melted in a pot over direct heat. It does tend to bubble whilst melting, to avoid this heat the wax to a temperature in excess of 110 °C , but don't exceed 125°C as the wax could burn.
We suggest a stiff zinc or paper core wick for the gel wax such as our TCR series wick. Use the size above the one you would normally use to compensate for the gel waxes slow burning properties. We recommend to prime the wick with gel wax as this wax tends to be poured at a higher temperature than paraffin wax.
Our wax will hold up to 6% fragrance oil. Please note, not all scents are suitable. The scents recommended for this wax are called 'non polar' and have a flash point in excess of 77°C. Not using the right scent for gel wax can be hazardous. Unscented Gel wax has a burn pool temperature of 130°C, this is well below the general flash point of 227°C. However, adding fragrance lowers the flash point of the wax, potentially low enough to cause the wax to ignite, so avoid these fragrances, and be sure to test your gel wax candles in a safe controlled environment.


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Q: python: split() efficiency vs character crawling method I have a very large text file to parse for some information. Each line I do checks for certain keywords (I call them "flags"). Once I find the "flag", I then call the below method and gather the data that comes right after the flag (usually just a name or number) to find the information after the flag I used the below method(which works):
def findValue(string, flag):
    string = string.strip()
    startIndex = string.find(flag) + len(flag)
    index = startIndex
    char = string[index:index+1]
    while char != " " and index < len(string):
        index += 1
        char = string[index:index+1]
    endIndex = index
    return string[startIndex:endIndex]

However, it is much easier if I just use the split() with white spaces as separators and then take the next item in the list rather than "crawling" the characters.
The log files I am parsing are really large (around 1.5 million or more lines), so I would like to know if and how much it would hurt my efficient to use split() on lines compared to my current method.

A: I did some timing tests using string 'oabsecaosbeoiabsoeib;asdnvzldkxbcoszievbzldkvn.zlisebv;iszdb;vibzdlkv8niandsailbsdlivbslidznclkxvnlidbvlzidbvlzidbvlkxnv', searching for '8', each 100000 times:
Your Method: 2.156 seconds
str.split: 0.151 seconds
Another test, that is somewhat more realistic: 'hello this is for stack overflow and i absolutely hate typing unecessary characters'
Your Method: 0.317 seconds
str.split: 0.267 seconds
A final test, with the above string multiplied 100 times:
Your Method: 0.325 seconds
str.split: 7.376 seconds
Whatever this says.
In your case, with super large strings, I would definitely use your function!

A: Python's split() function is almost certainly written in C, which means it will be faster than the equivalent code if you wrote it in Python.  However, if you are just calling split() on a single line (not all 1.5 million of them), the difference won't be huge.
However, why bother even using split() when you just need the next item in the list?  This may be the most efficient of any approach:
def findValue(string, flag):
    startIndex = string.find(flag) + len(flag)
    endIndex = string.find(' ', startIndex)
    if endIndex == -1:
        return string[startIndex:]
    else:
        return string[startIndex:endIndex]

A: suppose you have a file object pointing to the file:
current_item = ""
char = file.read(1)
while char:
  if char != " ":
     current_item += char
  else:
     do_something_about_the_item(current_item)
     current_item = ""

A: You can try python's regular expression tool, the re module, which particularly suited for parsing text files.
Some examples:
http://www.thegeekstuff.com/2014/07/python-regex-examples/