text:
EU targets peanut butter, orange juice, whiskey in Trump trade spat
Trade Commissioner
US imposes tariffs on $7.5 billion worth of EU goods
US slaps new duties on steel from Mexico and China
Trump wants to impose new tariffs on EU
US to hit EU with steel and aluminum tariffs: report
Biden vows 'to protect' US, challenges Republicans on debt
Live blog: Ukraine anticipates Russian push in Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia areas
The blow by Brussels came hours after Trump's trade offensive brought the resignation of his top economic advisor Gary Cohn, an influential ex-Goldman Sachs banker who fiercely opposed the measures.
US President Donald Trump holds a joint news conference with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven in the White House East Room in Washington, US March 6, 2018. (Reuters)
The EU said Wednesday it would hit flagship US products including peanut butter, orange juice and bourbon whiskey with counter measures if US President Donald Trump goes ahead with threatened steel and aluminium tariffs.
EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem said a full-on transatlantic trade war was "not in anybody's interests" -- a stark contrast from Trump, who last week declared trade wars were "good and easy to win".
"A trade war has no winners," Sweden's Malmstroem told reporters after the European Commission, which handles trade matters for the bloc, discussed the tariffs.
"We should be very careful with that word... there are only losers in that, and that's why we will respond in a proportionate and balanced way."
The European Union is holding fire on its reprisals as Trump has yet to sign into effect his plan to set tariffs for what he calls unfair competition for US industry, but Malmstroem said a list of products had been drawn up including steel, industrial and agricultural items.
"Certain types of bourbon are on the list as are other items such as peanut butter, cranberries, orange juice," Malmstroem said.
European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday threatened to hit big-name US brands such as Harley Davidson motorbikes and Levi's jeans with import duties, prompting Trump to fire back a threat to tax cars from the EU.
Despite Juncker's headline-grabbing threat to iconic US brands, the EU's hitlist does not mention specific businesses.
'Thousands of jobs'
Malmstroem said the EU was still trying to persuade Washington not to go ahead with the tariffs, which she said would threaten "thousands of European jobs".
The EU is also looking at "safeguard" measures to protect its industry -- restricting the bloc's imports of steel and aluminium to stop foreign supplies flooding the European market, which is allowed under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules.
Trump, elected on a promise to roll back the effects of globalisation on the US economy with an "America First" platform, said Thursday he planned to impose 25 percent tariffs on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminium.
Juncker, who on Wednesday met Lakshmi Mittal, the boss of the world's top steelmaker ArcelorMittal, said last week the EU would "react firmly" to protect European industry.
Europe exports around $6.53 billion (5.3 billion euros) worth of steel and a billion euros' worth of aluminium to the US each year, and the commission estimates Trump's tariffs could cost some 2.8 billion euros.
As well as making it harder for European metal to find buyers in the US, tariffs could also mean other foreign producers redirect their output to the EU, pushing the market there down.
Brussels wants to maximise the political impact of its reprisals on the US while minimising the impact of a trade war on European consumers.
European Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen told AFP on Friday the bloc could form a "coalition of like-minded countries" to file a complaint at the WTO, though this procedure usually takes around two years.
Live blog: UN chief warns world headed for 'wider war' over Ukraine-Russia
Türkiye warns of action if Western consulate closures continue


*Shinji is in the entry plug of Eva Unit One.
*He is being trained by Ritsuko, who is in charge of the development of Eva.
*Ritsuko instructs him from the operations room.
Ritsuko: Good morning, Shinji-kun. How are you?
Shinji: I've gotten used to it… I think I have nothing wrong.
weapon depots and recovery spots–έχετε απομνημονεύσει όλα αυτά?
minute, or for up to five minutes otherwise, even with gain.
#the internal battery for only 5 minutes.
*Eva aims the rifle at the Angel which appeared in Episode 1.
Ritsuko: Aim at the target in the center of the sights… switch on!
*Eva fires the rifle, missing the target.
Ritsuko: Stay calm. Aim at the target in the center.
*Eva fires the rifle again and defeats the Angel.
*Eva continually fires the rifle, again and again.
That is how he is getting on with his life, isn't it?
*Shinji looks haggard and vacant. He repeats his instructions like a zombie.
*The apartment where Misato and Shinji live together.
*Female voice is coming from a radio.
*Shinji knocks on the FUSUMA of Misato's room and slides it open.
*Misato has tucked herself into her FUTON(bed).
#off rooms in a Japanese house.
Shinji: Misato-san, it's morning already.
gotta be at the office in the evening so just let me sleep!
Misato: Is today Thursday? Put out the burnable garbage, παρακαλώ.
Misato: Are you used to the school yet?
#JAPANESE SOCIAL RULES LESSON: We must separate garbage.
*There is a phone call for Misato.
*Misato's room is still very untidy, but cleaner than it was.
*She picks up the receiver. She is still under the covers in her futon.
Misato: Yes? Hello. Oh, it's you, Ritsuko?
Ritsuko: How have you been? Are you getting along with him?
*The cellular phone which she gave him is on his desk.
*Shinji is walking to school alone.
Misato: I gave him a portable phone out of necessity a while ago.
It seems he hasn't used it, and no one has called him.
I'm not sure, but I think he has no friends.
*Ritsuko is calling from her desk in the office.
doesn't he? Do you know the story of the "Hedgehogs' dilemma"?
*Shoes boxes of the school.
Misato: Hedgehogs? The thorny ones?
*Classmates are talking and playing in the classroom.
his heart, he now seems so cowardly.
*Shinji enters the classroom silently.
*Rei is sitting alone at her desk, staring outside.
sense of distance for each other's hurt feelings.
*Misato's and Ritsuko's conversation ends.
*model with his video camera.
*Hikari has a class journal.
Hikari: Yesterday's print–did you give it to Suzuhara, as I asked?
#messages from the school to the parents of the students.
Kensuke: Ah, uh, there didn't seem to be anybody at Touji's house.
don't you want to see him?
Kensuke: I'm not sure, but could he be badly hurt?
Kensuke: Impossible! You saw the center of the explosion, didn't you?
Touji: The number of students has dropped drastically.
Kensuke: Evacuation, evacuation. Many have transferred to other schools.
It's not surprising–there was a real war in this city.
Touji: You're the only one who's pleased to see real battles.
Kensuke: Sorta. How have you been? You've been absent for a while.
Were you involved in that incident?
city! What was he doing?!
Kensuke: By the way, did you hear the rumor about the transfer student?
were gone. You realize that it was just after the incident?
the world threatened the existence of all living things.
survived them suffered new kinds of hellish situations.
*Shinji is surprised and tries to find the sender.
*The next message comes to prompt him to answer.
E-mail: It's true, isn't it?
*Many students stand and gather around him.
*is too old to hear the noise the students make.
*Rei has no interest in the fuss and as before continues to stare outside.
Girl: Ah, you always try boss us around!
Boy: Ignore it. Ignore it.
Hikari: I won't ignore it!
*Shinji, surrounded by the students, is pelted with questions.
Girl: How were you selected?
Girl: Were you put through any tests?
Girl: What's the cockpit like?
Girl: What's the robot called?
Boy: What's its deadliest attack?
Girl: Amazing! He's the pride of our school, isn't he?
*The chime which tells the end of the lesson rings.
Teacher: Well, that's all for today.
Girl: Where do you live, Ikari-kun?
Girl: Do you live in the old section of the city?
Shinji: I'm not exactly doing this by choice, you know.
*Touji comes back and hits Shinji again.
Fuyutsuki: All hands to battle stations!
Female Voice: Roger. Prepare for anti-aircraft interception!
Male voice: Tokyo-3 transforming to battle mode.
Female Voice: Cache the central block!
*Many tall buildings sink and are put underground.
*The buildings hang down from the ceiling of the underground city.
Female Voice: The central block and Districts 1 through 7 have been cached.
Male Voice: The government and all concerned ministries have been notified.
Misato: Status of noncombatants and civilians?
Shigeru: Reports indicate evacuation complete.
*Many students are in the shelter but they aren't very serious.
yourselves by class. Residents, please group yourselves by block.
#detailed information will be reported as soon as it is received.
*Kensuke is operating his video camera.
Kensuke: They're at it again.
Touji: Words are the only thing on the screen again.
*Flying Angel shown on the screen.
here sooner than I had expected.
*Normal weapons heavily assault the Angel, but have no effects.
Fuyutsuki: They're wasting tax money.
Shigeru: The committee is demanding that we mobilize an Evangelion again.
Misato: Damn, they're annoying! I'd launch it even if they didn't ask!
Maya: Inject LCL. Release Arrival/Departure Lock.
Shinji: My father isn't here, so why am I still piloting it?
Kensuke: Yeah, well… you know.
Touji: If you want to.
Touji: Both of us are going to the toilet.
Hikari: Come on! Why didn't you go before?
Touji: Well, what is it?
Kensuke: I want to see it, at least once before I die.
Touji: Kensuke, what kind of man are you!
Kensuke: So, please help me unlock the gate.
Touji: If you go out there, you'll be killed.
might be killed anyway, I want to see it before then.
Touji: You're a fool! What do you think Nerv is for?!
punched him for it. Twice!
you have an obligation to watch his struggle, don't you?
Misato: Shinji-kun, time to launch! Are you ready?
Ritsuko: Develop an AT-Field according to plan, all right? Are you okay?
*Angel flies in to stand in the city.
*Shinji repeats murmuring the instructions like a spell.
Misato: Develop an AT-field just like the plan, okay?
*Eva shoots the rifle at the Angel.
Misato: Fool! The enemy is hidden in the smoke of the explosion!
*The Angel suddenly attacks Eva with its feelers.
Touji: Look, he's already beaten.
Misato: I'm giving you a reserve rifle. Take it!
*The door of the building is opened.
*Shinji is trembling with fear.
Kensuke: Oops! I wonder if being hit hurts it as badly as I expected.
Touji: Sh– sh– sh– shut up!
*Angel attacks heavily and severs Eva's power supply cable.
*The display which shows the active time remaining of Eva.
Shigeru: Umbilical cable has been severed!
Makoto: Eva has switched over to the internal battery.
Maya: Active time remaining is 4 minutes and 53 seconds!
Kensuke: It's flying right at us!
*Eva falls near Kensuke and Touji.
*Shinji is badly shocked at finding his classmates near Eva.
Misato: Shinji-kun, are you all right?! Shinji-kun!
Makoto: There's no problem. It's still operational!
Ritsuko: What are they doing there?
Touji: Why won't he fight?!
Kensuke: Because we're here… he limited in his movements.
Maya: Unit One, active time remaining is 3 minutes and 28 seconds!
up, retreat. You can go back later!
Ritsuko: You are exceeding your authority, Captain Katsuragi.
Maya: Unit One, Active time remaining is 3 minutes!
*The entry plug is ejected.
Misato: You boys, get in it! Quick!
Kensuke: Camera. Oh, my camera!
*Ritsuko and Maya check the information on the status display.
Maya: Trouble in the nervous system!
detected in the nerve pulses.
*Angel moves away from Eva.
Touji: Transferee! She told you to "run away," transferee!
*Shinji begins to murmur the same phrase like a spell.
*Eva removes a Progressive Knife from the shoulder section.
*Shinji looks so haggard and vacant.
Misato: Shinji-kun, obey my orders! Retreat, Shinji-kun!
*Shinji goes berserk! Eva makes a dash for the Angel!
*Angel stabs Eva's body with the feelers.
Maya: …14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Maya: Eva Unit One has ceased all action.
Makoto: The target is completely silent.
*Shinji is heavily sobbing in the pilot seat.
*Kensuke is using a computer.
Touji: Since he's been at school, I mean.
been doing since that battle?
Kensuke: You're worrying about him?
Kensuke: After being so tactless, you sure are stubborn, aren't you?
your conscience wouldn't have tortured you for three days.
*Kensuke hands a piece of paper to Touji.
about him, try calling him.


Kandi's housewarming party is supposed to be a joyous occasion, but Kenya brings drama after finding out that her ex Walter is there; Cynthia has to intervene because Kenya may have taken things too far. Meanwhile, NeNe and Gregg settle deeper into their rekindled relationship. Kandi holds her first Bedroom Kandi sales gathering, and the women are shocked to see how big her empire has grown. Porsha seeks the advice of a therapist concerning her relationship with Kordell, and Phaedra and Kenya are set to battle it out: Booty vs. Booty with their upcoming workout videos.
Bravotv.com's Associate Editor wonders if laughter is good for the abs.
Kenya Moore is tired of the accusations that her booty is fake.
Cynthia explains why she wanted to confront Kenya about Walter.
Porsha opens up about her miscarriage.
Phaedra and Kenya shoot their own work out videos.
Why is NeNe Playing Pool?
Gregg tries to teach NeNe how to shoot pool.
Ep 19: Kenya and Phaedra shoot rival workout videos, Kandi and Todd talk money, and NeNe ponders the future.


Expatriate artist Niamul Bari's solo exhibition titled Momentary Histories is going on at the Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts in the city's Dhanmondi area now.
Marking the exhibition, the artist Niamul Bari spoke at Bengal Shilpalaya recently to share his experiences as an artist and his transition from a ceramic artist to a sculptor to a painter.
Niamul Bari, born in Chittagong in 1966, completed his BFA in ceramics and MFA in sculpture from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Dhaka University, and received a higher diploma in sculpture from the Rabindra Bharati University in India.
He has been residing in USA since 1988, and has had his works exhibited in USA, Japan, Nepal, Bhutan and India.
He began focusing on paintings in 2008, and has brought a sculptor's perspective into his works - using thick colour layers, textures, drawings and use of scrap to produce dramatic, intricate and meditative pieces of work.


HomeWRITING CONTEST – Tick Tock, we are halfway to the end of our contest period!
WRITING CONTEST – Tick Tock, we are halfway to the end of our contest period!
Re-announcing the contest in case you haven't been paying attention.
ALL entries will be critiqued by ME!
Yep, I'm going to personally critique your submission.
Wow, I'm gonna be busy. But you're worth it. Probably.
YOU will have the month of MARCH 2018 to enter an amazing piece of your own writing to my contest.
Seems pretty straightforward, right? Yeah. It is. That's how I roll.
Yep, you guessed it. Enter a piece of your writing in the contest. I try to keep it simple.
I don't know. That's up to you! I'm pretty loose on these things.
Scroll down a little, impatient one.
That's a pretty good first prize package!
Do I have your attention now?
The first place winner of this contest will be guaranteed a spot in the new anthology.
Other contestants may be asked to join the anthology as well!
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO EDIT YOUR BOOK (FROM RUSSELL) AND THEN EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO PUBLISH YOUR SHORT STORY (DIRECTLY FROM ME AND WITH MY HANDS ON GUIDANCE).
You'll have the whole month of March to create your masterpiece, OR EVEN BETTER – USE PART OF AN EXISTING BOOK.
You'll get to refer to yourself as an AWARD-WINNING author. Because you'll be one. How cool is that?
Yep. We'll get to that in a second. Check out the other top prizes first.
Not a gold medal. Sorry.
FRIENDSHIP WITH ME, PROBABLY, because I wanna keep good writers close.
I think they get to refer to themselves as an AWARD-WINNING author, too. Second place is an award, right?
also bragging rights because why not, but try not to outbrag the first and second place winners, okay?
also no gold medal. That's really just for the #1 winner.
And still, I think they're an award-winning author, too. A little less so than 1st and 2nd, but it still counts. And who's gonna look it up and give you crap, anyway?
Oh, and I may award additional places like Fourth Place and Honorable Mention, etc. Don't worry, this isn't the fine print your mom said to worry about.
A CRITIQUE OF THEIR WORK BY ME!
Yep, I'll critique your work (up to 3,000 words), whether you win or not, just for entering.
I will spend an hour of my time giving you the Dan Treatment of your 3,000 word piece, just like I do in my private critique group. Don't worry, I'm pretty nice and very encouraging. Most people like my crits. Not all, though. Some people are just babies.
YOUR STORY DOES NOT HAVE TO BE 3000 WORDS.
It can be shorter. If you get it in 1250, you're good to go.
If it's longer than 3000, I may read all of it, but I'm only critiquing the first 3000 words. And 10k submissions haven't won yet, either. So there's that. Learn to select carefully. Just the best stuff.
I might spend more than an hour if it's really good! But again, if you send 10k – I'm only human and I'm not gonna be able to wade through all that from you for this contest, okay? Doing critiques is a LOT of freaking work. Try to keep it to 3000 words and under.
Many participants who wrote stories for my contests were later INVITED to be in an anthology we published.
THIS IS WHERE YOU WANNA BE!
Getting the information, the encouragement, the support, and the hands-guidance you need to GET PUBLISHED.
Almost everyone who was in the October 2017 anthology has expressed an interest in doing it again. That puts you in there with bestselling authors and other published authors.
That's definitely a big deal, whether you've been published before or not. Heck, I get excited about appearing in an anthology with big name people.
EACH ENTRY will receive an in-depth critique of their story by ME, as I said. That alone is worth the price of admission.
BUT DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT!
"As the winner of the last contest, your help has been invaluable. The reason my books have not been published is I haven't know where to start. I went through the whole "find an agent" and querying steps for my other book, but was tired of rejection. Now I have an author's Facebook page, a blog, and a Twitter account that never existed in the world before. You walked me step-by-step through the process. We are nearing the end of the beta reader phase, so I think things are going to move pretty quickly now. Although I know the Moyhill package is going to be extremely helpful, you gave me an amazing critique of my book.
Wow, thank you so much for the critique. Amazing job, thank you. Dan, thank you so much for doing this. I feel as if I've found a great mentor, one who knows where my writing is coming from and hopefully to advise me where and how to get to the next level.
You really know how to make my day! I'm so grateful for your detailed critique of my story. It's wonderful to get this kind of feedback, and totally validates all the hours we put in, alone at our desks, writing our hearts out. To be honest, I jumped up and down and cheered so much, my dog thought I had gone completely berserk, not to mention my husband.
And there are hundreds more who have received my input on their manuscripts via my unique critique process.
Some are bestselling authors who will not publish a manuscript without me looking at it first!
Where else can you find established authors willing to reach out like that? Nowhere, that's where. Well… here. But nowhere else probably.
"DOOR PRIZES" just for entering!
ALL contestants not winning first, second, or third place will be put into a drawing to win one of these other prizes!
How awesome is that? Stuff for you to win from these cool authors!
– Winner's choice of 1 signed paperback, eBook, or audio book!
NO LIMIT ON ENTRIES BY ANY ONE PERSON. You wanna enter 10 stories? Pay 10 fees. I'm totally okay with that.
THEME: To coincide with a new book I'm writing, the theme is MURDER/MYSTERY/SUSPENSE. That can be happy stuff, cozy mystery, violent stuff, psycho killer stuff, crime stuff (I guess murder is already a crime) detective stuff, YOU NAME IT. Totally your call. Don't feel limited. I'm pretty loose with this aspect. Wanna have some insights into what I like? Check out the prior winning entries from the last three contests (April, July and November) and not just the first place winners. In some way shape or form, your story must touch on the theme of MURDER/MYSTERY/SUSPENSE. Again, I'm pretty loose on this.
All entries must be submitted on or before midnight eastern time on March 31, 2018. There is a preset number of entries that will be allowed. When that number is reached, and it's a LOT, no additional entries or fees will be accepted. When we get close, I'll announce it on the blog – but if you get in early you'll be fine. You'll probably be fine anyway, but keep an eye on the blog just in case – or enter early, right? That will work, too. Did I mention to enter early? Because you should totally enter early.
There is NO restriction on genre other than murder/mystery/suspense – and I'm pretty loose on that anyway. Go crazy. You can have love in your psycho thriller.
You may submit a chapter or passage from your book if you so desire (I would – this is great publicity), but it should be an unpublished work.
Void where prohibited. ALL entries will be subscribed to my email list. Don't worry, I won't spam you. (I don't know how.) A lot of the entries' email addresses don't get on the list because it's work and I'm lazy. Winners will be notified here on the blog in a big announcement, and they will be contacted by email, either by me or by the sponsor donating the prize, to make arrangements to get their prize – that might include a mailing address to deliver a paperback to. Winners who live outside of the country of the sponsor whose prize they won may be limited to a prize that can be emailed or sent electronically, like an eBook, audio book, PDF, or Amazon gift card. You still get your work published here, and the profile, etc., if you win those things, but sorry; mailing a paperback from here to Canada and other places is super expensive, so we're letting you guys into the contest but we have to limit the costs that way. I'm sure you understand. NO LIMIT ON ENTRIES BY ANY ONE PERSON until our preset number is reached. You wanna enter 10 stories? Pay 10 fees. By entering you agree to all this stuff and that I pretty much get free reign in selecting the top 3 winners (along with help from our celebrity judges) but it's probably gonna be stuff that appealed to me. Typos matter but content matters more. The rest of the winners will mostly be random drawing but I'm not above awarding stuff to a really great fourth place person. Or not.
unless I get an overwhelming amount of entries, and then I'll delay that part but trust me you'll know way in advance because I'll be whining about it here on the blog.
You are probably a better writer than you think. Time to launch your rocket!
Tick tock. March 31, 2018, will be here before you know it.
PLEASE TELL EVERY WRITER YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS CONTEST!
REBLOG this! And please SHARE this post on Facebook and Twitter! Your friends need to know about this contest, too.
See those little buttons down below? Put on your glasses. There they are. Click them.
Dan Alatorre is the author of several bestsellers and the amazing paranormal thriller "An Angel On Her Shoulder." Click HERE to get your copy of Angel – FREE on Kindle Unlimited!
Available in paperback format, too!
← You have questions. Ask away.


No idea man right now thats a bit of a reach for me but any one is more then welcome to come here and train. If I had a car and a job I would be there in no time man. As of the moment... Kinda with out either. Family comes first kinda thing.
Ahhh. Okay. That was my bad. Sorry, about that. I have the same problem... PLus, either way, I'm too young to have a job / drive.


Europe's largest floating solar farm has been operating since March 2016. Being installed on Thames Water's Queen Elizabeth II reservoir near Walton-On-Thames, it is invisible to all but Heathrow passengers and a few flats in neighboring estates. However, its 23,000 solar panels produce enough electricity to power the utility's local water treatment plants, which provide clean drinking water to around 10 million people in greater London and the south-east of England. The panels are mounted on a pontoon consisting of 61,000 floats and 177 anchors, and cover an area of 57,500 m2 in total (around a tenth of the surface of the reservoir). They have a capacity of 6.3MW and were initially constructed in sections before being towed out into the reservoir.
"One of the major benefits to floating solar is that there is all this space in areas of London or other cities, where you have a large area on top of the reservoir that's not being used," says Liv Harder from Lightsource Renewable Energy, the company that installed the floating panels. The good news is that the cost of solar panels has gone down nine times in the last five years, and the floats themselves also continue to go down in price, making such projects more affordable. Apart from that, installing solar arrays on water does not require planning permission, unlike similar projects on land.


Gel-oil extreme exfoliating moisturizer. Specially indicated for rough and hyperkeratotic zones, including the ungual and periungual area, and as an adjuvant in skin conditions that require extra hydration (keratodermia, hyperkeratotic eczema, paloplantar psoriasis...).
Apply once or twice a day to skin that is thoroughly dry.


text:
Macron's Challenge For Europe
Philippe Legrain 31st October 2017
Philippe Legrain
In an ambitious, visionary speech at the Sorbonne, French President Emmanuel Macron presented his plan for countering the tide of xenophobic nationalism in Europe. He wants to build a "sovereign, united, and democratic Europe," where citizens again feel a sense of allegiance to the idea of Europe itself.
Macron's speech was a welcome call to arms for a European Union that is confronting many crises and threats. But on the crucial and controversial question of fixing the eurozone, his proposals were disappointing. And he will have a hard time winning over his more cautious European counterparts, not least German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose room for manoeuvre was crimped by her party's poor showing in last weekend's federal election.
Still, Macron made a powerful, positive case for a renewed EU. That EU embraces globalization and innovation, while also protecting Europeans, doing more to help them adapt to a changing world. It advances European interests and values in a world otherwise dominated by America and China. And it bolsters security at a time of increasing Russian revanchism, Islamist terrorism, and American disengagement under President Donald Trump.
Macron combined big ideas with many concrete proposals for closer cooperation on defense, migration, the environment, innovation, education, and much else. Better still, he outlined a political strategy for seeing his proposals through. Macron mused that, if he succeeds, a "Brexiting" Britain "may one day find its place again" in an overhauled EU, along with new members from the Western Balkans.
Under Macron's plan, each EU member state would hold democratic conventions to debate citizens' priorities. Their ideas would feed into a broader process involving the EU institutions and governments that want to overhaul Europe. Coalitions of willing governments would then integrate faster, with a revitalized Franco-German engine driving the process forward.
The ball is now in Germany's court. Europe could very well succumb to nationalism if Macron's plan fails. That would be devastating for Germany, a country whose economic success, political identity, and security are based on a strong, functioning EU.
Macron is the most pro-German French president imaginable, and he has boosted his credibility by pursuing difficult labor-market reforms and unveiling a Teutonically prudent budget. Germany would be committing a monumental strategic blunder if it did not engage seriously with his proposals.
Unfortunately, Germany's domestic politics just got trickier. Macron had timed his speech to influence the post-election coalition negotiations there, with the hope that Merkel would use her fourth and likely final term to burnish her legacy by enacting bold European reforms. Macron was also counting on Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to maintain its grand coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) and their leader, former European Parliament President Martin Schulz.
But German voters had other plans. The CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), lost support, and the SPD fared so poorly that it has decided to return to the opposition. At the same time, the far-right, anti-EU Alternative for Germany (AfD) stormed into the Bundestag with 13% of the vote, and has pledged to "hunt" Merkel down.
Merkel, now politically weakened, must try to cobble together an unruly coalition that includes both the Europhile Greens, who welcomed Macron's speech, and the Euroskeptic Free Democrats (FDP), who were hostile to it. And while the AfD attacks her right flank, rivals within her own party will be jostling to succeed her. Against this backdrop, even small compromises will be politically fraught.
Macron's eurozone-reform plans will be the biggest bone of contention. He wants to create a eurozone budget, funded by corporate-tax revenues. The joint budget, which would make investments and provide a cushion during economic downturns, would be overseen by a eurozone finance minister, who would answer to eurozone countries' representatives in the European Parliament.
But Germany is skeptical of what it sees as a "transfer union," in which its taxpayers would hand over cash to profligate countries that have failed to remodel their economies along German lines. Merkel would prefer a small common fund to help member-state governments enact difficult reforms, not a Keynesian fiscal stabilizer. And while Macron envisions a finance minister who would be a political counterpart to European Central Bank President Mario Draghi, Merkel would prefer that the role be limited to enforcing national fiscal discipline.
The danger now is that Macron will achieve only a token eurozone budget in exchange for even tighter controls on national budgets, which would prove economically harmful and politically poisonous. He would also miss his chance to enact the reforms that the eurozone actually needs. These include deeper financial-market integration; an easier process for writing down bank and government debts; greater fiscal flexibility; and more balanced economic-adjustment mechanisms.
Macron's most promising idea is to "give Europe back to its citizens." In my book European Spring, I argue that a flawed, technocratic EU needs bold leaders, political entrepreneurs, grassroots movements, and more experiments with deliberative democracy to deliver change. Macron has proposed all four.
Macron is right to point out that the EU bureaucracy often seems remote, uninspiring, and ineffectual; but he also rightly rejects referenda that polarize citizens over simplistic binary choices. The big, open democratic conventions that he has proposed for the first half of 2018 could inject fresh ideas into a stale debate, provide legitimacy for bold reforms, and put pressure on recalcitrant governments.
Conventions could also foster new political movements like Macron's own La République En Marche !, which could bring fresh faces into politics, help to open up closed, corrupt party systems, and start to rebuild the public's trust in politicians. They could also give Macron more leverage to push through his reforms, by running candidates in national and EU-wide elections.
Macron's ambition is vast, if not overawing. But so are Europe's challenges. Macron may be trying to achieve too much at once, but a more democratic, dynamic, and united EU is a prize worth fighting for.
Republication forbidden. Copyright: Project Syndicate 2017 Marcon's Challenge for Europe
Philippe Legrain is a Senior Visiting Fellow in the London School of Economics' European Institute. From February 2011 to February 2014, he was economic adviser to the President of the European Commission and head of the team that provides President Barroso with strategic policy advice in the Bureau of European Policy Advisers.
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Q: Granting Read access to Replica database (via data guard) but need to restrict the same login in production Database We use Data Guard to replicate production Oracle database. We have a need to grant read access to replica DB and at the same time need to restrict that same login gaining read access to production.
Since the data guard replicates everything (including user/roles) is there any way we can apply this restriction to the production databases? Should I look into to database server inbound port restrictions? Any thoughts on this are greatly appreciated.

A: I think you can achieve this by using SQLNET.ORA file found under either in $ORACLE_HOME/network/admin or $GRID_HOME/network/admin or anywhere pointed by TNS_ADMIN variable.
tcp.validnode_checking = yes
tcp.invited_nodes =<list the valid nodes here>

Details are well explained in a blog written by Arup Nanda
If it is for application, you can restrict access by defining SERVICE_NAME of a standby database in TNS Name.
You can also create a logon trigger that will check the name of the user and the ROLE of the database. If the database role is not the 'PHYSICAL_STANDBY' then you can raise an error.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Home » Latest Research » Article » Alzheimer's Amyloid Plaques May Appear in Brain as Early as One Month After Birth
Alzheimer's amyloid
Alzheimer's Amyloid Plaques May Appear in Brain as Early as One Month After Birth
By Phil Gutis	| October 11th, 2019
One of the most pressing mysteries of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias is how long—and where—amyloid plaques have been developing, before the disease becomes apparent through memory loss or cognitive impairment.
In a study published last week, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) shed some light on the mystery. Using mouse models, they found that amyloid proteins—believed to be a hallmark of Alzheimer's—begin their terrible march through the brain in as little time as a month after birth.
Amyloid Plaques in Early Development
The research team found that amyloid plaques first emerged in the deep brain structures in the mice and then spread throughout the brain in six to 12 months (a mouse's lifespan is approximately 3 years).
In a news release, lead researcher Wen-Chin "Brian" Huang said the new findings could help develop treatments that target the early development of Alzheimer's rather than waiting until symptoms appear.
"Alzheimer's is a neurodegenerative disease so in the end you can see a lot of neuron loss," Huang said in the release. "At that point it would be hard to cure the symptoms."
Huang works in the lab of study co-author Li-Huei Tsai, Picower Professor of Neuroscience and director of the Picower Institute at MIT.
"It's really critical to understand what circuits and regions show neuronal dysfunction early in the disease," Huang added. "This will in turn facilitate the development of effective therapeutics."
Using the mouse model, Huang explained, allowed researchers to trace the development of the disease over time. Their findings suggest that amyloid starts deep in the brain and spreads to "increasingly complex memory and cognitive networks with age."
The Beta-Amyloid Target
In past research, scientists examined how beta-amyloid impacts the brain over time to result in symptoms like memory loss. In one study, researchers found that beta-amyloid molecules were preventing glutamate, a chemical that plays a role in activating neurons, from working properly.
The focus on beta-amyloid as the main driver of Alzheimer's disease—what's known as the "beta-amyloid hypothesis"—has led to the development of several potential therapy pathways and even blood tests that can predict beta-amyloid plaques in the brain.
But failed drugs in development that target beta-amyloid, like Biogen's cancelled trials, has led many researchers to question whether this focus is the best pathway to treatment. Now, more and more scientists are expanding their areas of research to other factors, like inflammation, that may play a role in the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
A Vaccine for Alzheimer's? Antibody Clears Brain Plaques in Mice
A Simple MRI Scan Could Predict Alzheimer's More Accurately Than Current Tests
Biogen Ends Late-Stage Alzheimer's Trials, Crushing Hopes and Calling Amyloid Into Question
Beta-Amyloid Alzheimer's Blood Test Elecsys Performs Well in Tests


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We're Feeling Some Kind Of Way About Cara Delevingne's New Song
PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 04: Cara Delevingne attends the Chanel Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2017-2018 show as part of Haute Couture Paris Fashion Week on July 4, 2017 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
We're Feeling Some Kind Of Way About Cara Delevingne's New Song
First off, since when does Cara Delevigne sing?
She apparently does, and also plays guitar (and does it behind her head)! This is news to me!
The video has three versions of Cara Delevigne wearing a suit, with red, blonde, and brunette hair.
Though the vocals aren't bad, the song and video are a little weird, considering the song is supposed to be for Valerian and the City of A Thousand Planets.
On top of that, the Pharrell Williams produced track probably would have been better suited for Rihanna to sing in the movie, versus a Cara-breakout-track.
Listen to it and see what you think.
Amy Cooper is the type of journalist that when asked "What do you bring to the table," she replies "I am the table.


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Le département de l'Indre, en région Centre-Val de Loire est composé de cinq régions naturelles qui sont :
 la Brenne ;
 le Boischaut Sud ;
 le Boischaut Nord ;
 le Blancois ;
 la Champagne berrichonne.

Articles connexes
 Région naturelle de France

Indre (département)

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Bankruptcy Warning Signs | TX Lawyer | Warren & Migliaccio L.L.P.
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However, bankruptcy isn't something to be taken lightly. Once you've filed for bankruptcy, this is evident on your credit record for a whopping 10 years.
you've missed a mortgage or car payment becausesof insufficient funds.
Think you may need to file bankruptcy? Learn how to qualify and get help filing by contacting a Dallas bankruptcy attorney at Warren & Migliaccio. You can also check out our free eBook, What You Need to Know about Bankruptcy as a primer. Call 888-584-9614 today.


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Merrill Lynch Retiring Advisors Could Pocket Almost Triple Their Production
Merrill Lynch has added a big sweetener to payouts for advisors on the brink of retirement by tweaking its Client Transition Program (CTP).
The wirehouse announced Wednesday an increase in its award payouts to retiring advisors for all production levels. The award has increased by five percentage points for the lower-production tiers while the top producers ($7.5 million or more) could see their payout jump by a whopping 75 percentage points to a maximum of 275% of their trailing-12 month production.
CTP payouts are calculated when advisors enter the program and equal an advisor's trailing 12-month production multiplied by their CTP award percentage.
Advisors producing less than $1 million would see a maximum payout of 160% of their production. Advisors producing between $3 million and $4 million could get 225%; those with $4 million to $5 million could get 235%; and those producing in the $5 million to $7.5 million-range could get a maximum payout of 260%.
Advisors qualify for the program if they are at least 55 years of age, have spent five or more years at Merrill Lynch, and a combination of those two factors exceeds 65. The new changes will be applicable after November 1, 2021. Advisors entering the program prior to that date will enter based on the existing program.
Focus on Retention
"We want all of our advisors to start here, build their client base here, and retire from here," Merrill Lynch Wealth Management President Andy Sieg said in a company memo.
This is a big move, especially considering Merrill Lynch announced just last month that it would not be making any changes to its compensation grid for 2020, and it is clear that the firm is looking to retain advisors as well as assets. But was it successful? Somewhat, say experts.
"It's an honest attempt by Merrill Lynch to acknowledge the attrition they've had at the top of the food chain, and to acknowledge that they needed to make the deal more competitive," says Mindy Diamond, longtime industry recruiter and president and CEO of Diamond Consultants.
"I think it will get some people to stay for sure -- I think particularly at that $7.5 million level," says Diamond. But she cautions that there may be others who might not find this deal good enough to stay.
Danny Sarch, president of recruiting firm Leitner Sarch Consultants, agrees.
"If money is the problem that you want to fix, then this will make a certain number of people stay with Merrill Lynch who would otherwise have left for greener pastures and bigger money. But if money is not the problem that you want to fix -- you're upset with the competition internally for Merrill Lynch or the bureaucracy or the other things ... the money will not fix it," says Sarch.
Good deal for retiring advisors?
"It's a better deal than it was before. It's a good deal for an elite advisor, [and] certainly rewards top advisors the most. It's a good deal for top advisors, if they were planning on retiring from CTP anyway," says Diamond.
Other enhancements to the program include a fixed payout system for senior active consultants, with Merrill claiming it is the only firm in the industry to do so. Advisors need to meet certain criteria to be termed senior active consultants, and those include being a part of the team and committing to remain a part of the team through the transition.
"We are eliminating much of the downside risk for the CTP payments for advisors in the program," a company executive told journalists on a call Wednesday. "What that means is that the dollar amount of their CTP award is determined when they enroll in CTP and it remains the same throughout the payout period."
But top-producing advisors within 10 years of eligibility of the CTP program and veteran advisors who have been with Merrill Lynch for more than 20 years who are older than 65 years of age, regardless of their production level, are eligible for more perks.
Another revision includes a floor on the CTP award level for such "top-tiered" or "long-tenured" advisors. For such advisors, the CTP award will not fall below the floor, though it may have the potential to go up in the future.
"The percentage can reset to a higher level in later years if performance improves, but it will not decrease," Sieg said in the memo.
A company executive further explained that chances of the percentage going higher is likely because it is linked to both years of service and performance, adding that those who are eligible for this award in 2021 will shortly be receiving personalized letters with their enrollment terms.
Not such a good deal for inheriting advisors?
The firm says it has some good news for inheriting advisors too. By modifying its recovery payout structure, the firm is giving the succeeding advisors a shorter recovery period.
The inheriting advisors can shorten their CTP award recovery period until such time that 80% of the award has been paid off, while Merrill Lynch would bear the remaining 20% of the cost. Presently, the firm recovers 50% over five years.
"We're recovering more, in some cases, up to 100% of the CTP payout. And [advisors] rightly pointed out to us that that's not the right incentive structure," explained a company executive. "We'll do it up until we recover at 80% of the CTP award, we're committing to subsidizing 20%," the executive added.
But experts say the inheriting advisors may be getting the short end of the stick.
"The people that it puts at risk are the next gen, the team and the clients, because it's tying them up for seven years. That's the life of the agreement. And then plus making them wait two years before they're able to sign on to it," says Diamond.
It's great for inheriting advisors that are certain they want to stay at Merrill Lynch, Diamond explains, but for those who are unsure it could pose a challenge. "Nine years is a long time to commit to a firm when you have little control over the changes that are made in that period of time," says Diamond.
The memo also says Merrill Lynch is offering the ability for producers making more than $5 million to partially transition their books to their teams even before completely entering the CTP.
But the new program does not necessarily mean more paperwork for advisors.
"We are not introducing any incremental documents for advisors to sign and there are no "garden leave" provisions associated with these enhancements," said Sieg in the memo. A company executive also explained that no additional paperwork would be required of either the retiring or the inheriting advisors, and that would include non-solicitation agreements.
(This article is an update of breaking news which originally ran Wednesday, November 6, 2019.)
Merrill Lynch and Raymond James Must Pay $12 Million to Harmed 529 Plan Customers
Merrill Lynch, Raymond James & Associates and Raymond James Financial Services have agreed to pay a total of $12 million in restitution to customers for 529 savings plan-related violations, according to Finra.
Finra says the customers incurred excess fees on their investments in the tax-advantaged 529 savings plans, designed to encourage saving for future education costs.
The payment of excess fees resulted from the failure of the three firms to "reasonably supervise" 529 plan share-class recommendations, according to Finra.
Merrill Lynch has agreed to pay at least $4 million in restitution relating to the sale of Class C shares to 529 plan accounts with young beneficiaries.
RJA has agreed to pay more than $3.8 million in restitution, while RJFS has agreed to pay $4.2 million.
"Finra member firms must be cognizant of all costs to their customers when recommending a product," Jessica Hopper, acting head of Finra's Department of Enforcement, says in a statement.
"This is particularly important where an unsuitable recommendation may cause customers to incur higher fees year after year, especially in the case of young beneficiaries. Returning money to harmed investors as quickly and efficiently as possible remains a priority," she adds.
What the firms did wrong
The 529 savings plans are tax-advantaged municipal securities designed to encourage saving for the future educational expenses of a designated beneficiary. They are sponsored by states, state agencies or educational institutions.
States offer 529 savings plans either directly, through designated broker-dealer firms, or both. Because the 529 savings plans are municipal securities, the sales of those plans are governed by the rules of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board.
Shares of 529 savings plans are sold in different classes with different fee structures.
Class A shares typically impose a front-end sales charge but charge lower annual fees compared to other classes. Class C shares typically impose no front-end sales charge but impose higher annual fees than Class A shares.
Finra notes that since Class C shares may be more expensive over extended holding periods, Class A shares are frequently a more suitable option for accounts with younger beneficiaries and longer investment horizons.
Merrill Lynch, RJA and RJFS failed to ensure that registered representatives considered the various fee structures when making 529 savings plan recommendations to customers, particularly for accounts that had young beneficiaries and long-term investment horizons, according to Finra.
Finra says Merrill Lynch, RJA and RJFS failed to establish and maintain a supervisory system and written supervisory procedures reasonably designed to supervise recommendations of share classes in 529 savings plans.
The supervisory systems of the three firms didn't require registered representatives or supervisors to evaluate beneficiary age and the number of years until expected withdrawals — combined with the different fees and expenses of the share classes — when making share class recommendations, Finra adds.
RJA is a dually registered broker-dealer and RIA, and it includes employee and independent-employee advisors. RJFS is a broker-dealer firm. Both firms are entities of Raymond James Financial.
Violations were caught before the self-reporting initiative
Finra says these violations were identified by the SRO before it announced its 529 Plan Share Class Initiative in January.
The 529 Plan Share Class Initiative was Finra's first ever self-reporting initiative, which encouraged member firms to voluntarily fess up to potential violations relating to 529 plans. At the time, Finra said the initiative "stresses restitution and rapid remediation" while waiving fees that would otherwise be imposed on violators.
Under Finra's 529 Plan Share Class Initiative, broker-dealer firms were encouraged to review their supervisory systems and procedures governing 529 plan share class recommendations, self-report supervisory violations and provide the SRO with a plan to remediate harmed customers.
To be eligible for the 529 Plan Share Class Initiative, Finra gave broker-dealer firms an April 1, 2019 deadline to self-report but later gave extensions to firms that gave notifications of their intention to self-report but needed more time to complete the process.
Even if the violations pre-dated Finra's 529 Plan Share Class Initiative, the SRO says it recognized and factored in the "extraordinary cooperation" of Merrill Lynch, RJA and RJFS when it determined the "appropriate monetary sanction" for each of the three firms.
In settling the matter, Merrill Lynch, RJA and RJFS neither admitted nor denied the charges but consented to the entry of Finra's findings.
RIA Owners Risk Lawsuits and Business Loss if They Share Client Details Before M&A Closings
A lawyer, a banker and a consultant disagreed on which among their professions RIA owners should contact first if they are considering selling their firm or buying another. But all three agreed RIA owners increase risks if they share client details before they close M&A deals.
The three professionals appeared together on a panel about how RIA M&A deals unfold at the Charles Schwab annual conference held this week in San Diego.
The experts warned RIAs to share almost no substantive information about their practices until they have inked non-disclosure agreements with a prospective buyer or seller — and even then no client information until a deal closes. With that kind of caution, the firms better avoid inadvertently tossing out trade secrets or subjecting themselves to data protection and privacy-related litigation.
"Call me first," Jessica Karner, managing partner of San Rafael, Calif.-based Keegin Harrison, who helps RIAs structure such deals, told the audience of almost all advisors.
An RIA owner who wants to sell or merge with another firm requires "deep preparation," she says. Many RIA firms need to streamline operations and revise procedures, possibly clarifying some previously only-tacit policies, before they start the selling or buying process in order to ensure smoother transactions. They may even want to redraft client engagement agreements to prepare for such an event, she said.
"Come to me first," recommended James Hughes, a senior loan officer at Live Oak Bank in Wilmington, N.C., which specializes in financing RIA M&A deals.
"It's nice to know first if the bank is interested in financing a deal. We can talk to you about what you can afford before you sign a letter of intent," Hughes told the audience of advisors.
David Selig consults with advisors about M&A deals for the company he founded and serves as CEO, Advice Dynamics Partners in Mill Valley, Calif.
"If you come to me when you are already on the cusp of a deal, it's kind of too late," Selig warned. RIA owners who expect him to help when they reach out for only specific tactical — rather than overall strategic — advice, are shortsighted, Selig said.
All three — Karner, Hughes and Selig — warned RIA owners against oversharing with prospective buying or selling firms, even after the two sides sign nondisclosure agreements.
"NDAs are hard to enforce," Karner cautioned. A breach of the agreement is hard to prove, she said, adding that a court order barring any further disclosure of competitive information is hard to obtain.
Therefore, Karner and her fellow panel members recommended handing over zero client information to parties on the other side while the deal is still in progress.
"Never share any client information until after the deal closes," said Selig.
Advisors Receive the Most SEC Enforcement Actions
Investment advisory firms were responsible for the biggest chunk of stand-alone enforcement actions from the SEC in fiscal year 2019, which ended September 30.
The biggest portion of the SEC's 526 stand-alone cases in fiscal year 2019 concerned investment advisory and investment company issues (36%). That's a big jump from 22% of the total in fiscal year 2018 and is partly due to the self-reporting of share class-related violations.
In fiscal year 2019, stand-alone cases involving securities offerings comprised 21% of all cases; issuer reporting/accounting and auditing 17%; broker-dealers 7%; insider trading 6%; and market manipulation made up 6% of all cases.
The data were among those released by the SEC's Division of Enforcement in its annual report for fiscal year 2019.
"The results depicted in this report reflect the division's focus on rooting out misconduct that can do significant harm to investors and our markets, and the focus the division places on identifying wrongdoing and taking prompt action to effectively help harmed investors," SEC Chairman Jay Clayton says in a statement about the report.
Scroll down to see a breakdown of enforcement actions
The report describes the five core principles that guided the division's efforts: a focus on the Main Street investor; a focus on individual accountability; keeping pace with technological change; imposing remedies that most effectively further enforcement goals; and constantly assessing the allocation of SEC resources.
The 526 stand-alone enforcement actions are part of the "diverse mix" of a total of 862 enforcement actions, according to the SEC.
The rest of the enforcement actions were made up of 210 "follow-on" proceedings seeking bars based on the outcome of SEC actions or actions by criminal authorities or other regulators, plus 126 proceedings to deregister public companies delinquent in their SEC filings.
The SEC says the enforcement actions addressed a broad range of significant issues, including issuer disclosure/accounting violations; auditor misconduct; investment advisory issues; securities offerings; market manipulation; insider trading; and broker-dealer misconduct.
Through these actions, the SEC says it obtained judgments and orders totaling more than $4.3 billion in disgorgement and penalties.
The SEC says it returned roughly $1.2 billion to harmed investors as a result of the enforcement actions.
The regulator says it also barred or suspended nearly 600 people from securities markets
"The actions and initiatives described in the report reflect our deliberate, principled approaches to investigations, litigation and case resolutions," Steven Peikin, co-director of the SEC's Enforcement Division, says in the statement.
Protection and accountability
The report notes that the Enforcement Division continued to focus resources on two key priority areas: retail investor protection and combating cyberthreats.
As in prior years, this resulted in a broad range of enforcement actions arising from violations by financial institutions, issuers, investment advisors, broker-dealers, hedge funds and other market participants.
The Enforcement Division also stayed focused on individual accountability by pursuing charges, where appropriate, against executives at all levels of the corporate hierarchy, including C-suite executives, registered individuals, accountants and auditors.
"Investors are often particularly vulnerable to the conduct of bad actors in the securities markets, and protecting them is a top priority. One area of particular focus was on misconduct that occurs in the interactions between investment professionals and retail investors," the report says.
Self-reporting
The report highlights, among other things, the SEC's Share Class Selection Disclosure Initiative.
In September, the SEC ordered 17 advisory firms to pay millions in total disgorgement and prejudgment interest to mostly retail clients harmed by the sale of higher-priced mutual fund share classes when lower-priced share classes were available.
Sixteen of those firms self-reported and were ordered to pay harmed clients $10 million in total for their failure to disclose their mutual fund share class selection practices to their clients and were thus covered by the SEC's initiative.
Under the initiative, the SEC agreed not to recommend financial penalties for advisors who self-reported failures to disclose receipt of 12b-1 fees — recurring fees deducted from the fund's assets — in recommending mutual fund share classes when lower-priced share classes of the same mutual fund were available.
In March, the SEC settled mutual fund share class violation charges against 79 advisory firms ordered to pay more than $125 million to harmed investors.
The 95 firms that self-reported in fiscal year 2019 are partly the reason investment advisory firms had the biggest percentage of stand-alone enforcement actions.
The full SEC Division of Enforcement 2019 Annual Report is available here.
Wells Fargo Vet Launches RIA on the Firm's New RIA Channel
A veteran Wells Fargo Advisors broker has formed his own RIA on the company's new independent RIA channel.
David Mattern has launched Lawrence, Kan.-based Mattern Wealth Management, the company says in a press release.
He's joined by financial advisors Kyle Cross and Marcus Mattern, according to the press release. The company didn't disclose whether the Matterns are related.
David Mattern began his financial services industry career in 1999 with Edward Jones and joined Wells Fargo predecessor A. G. Edwards & Sons in 2001, transitioning to Wells Fargo in 2008, according to his BrokerCheck record.
Cross started his career in the industry in 2011 and came to Wells Fargo less than a year later, according to BrokerCheck. Marcus Mattern joined the industry in 2017, registering with Wells Fargo, according to his BrokerCheck profile.
"We have always believed in the fiduciary standard of care," David Mattern says in the press release. "It is what clients have always expected and what we have strived to provide. It was clear to us that becoming a fee-only [RIA], working only for the client, was the next logical step."
Mattern will use Wells Fargo's First Clearing for securities execution and brokerage clearance services and TradePMR, with which Wells Fargo has worked for two decades, for technology and custodial support, according to the press release.
Using Wells Fargo's new RIA channel lets clients "seamlessly transition to our new independent firm with only a few signatures," David Mattern says.
Wells Fargo announced in January that it would launch services to support its own as well as outside advisors who want to start independent RIAs, as reported.
In August, John Peluso, president of First Clearing, told the press the new RIA channel was on track to have 11 firms total in 2019. In September, two Wells Fargo Advisors brokers in Massachusetts launched their practice on the new channel.
Wells Fargo had 13,723 advisors at the end of the third quarter, down from 13,799 in the second quarter, as reported. Since then, it lost an advisor to Ameriprise, a trio of brokers overseeing approximately $775 million to Raymond James & Associates, the firm's employee advisor broker-dealer, and another team managing $380 million to Janney Montgomery Scott.
UBS Breakaways Launch LA Wealth Management Practice
An experienced UBS financial advisor has left the firm to form a new wealth management practice.
Anne Johnston has launched Los Angeles-based Created Wealth Advisory to serve multi-generational families, creative professionals and baby boomer women, according to a press release from the company.
Johnston, who previously managed more than $100 million at UBS, will serve as the managing director and wealth advisor of the new practice while Nathan Stoker will be the firm's wealth strategist, Created Wealth says.
The company partnered with TruClarity Wealth Advisors for its transition to independence, according to the press release.
Johnston joined the financial services industry in 2007, registering with UBS, according to her BrokerCheck profile. Stoker joined the industry, registering with UBS, in December 2018, according to BrokerCheck.
"After many years working in the traditional finance world, it became clear that we would need to make a change in order to fully deliver on the vision we had to serve clients' best interests," Johnston says in the press release.
In September, a pair of Merrill Lynch brokers left the wirehouse to launch their own independent practice, partnering with TruClarity. And in June, three Morgan Stanley advisors broke away from the firm to launch their own RIA, aligning with TruClarity.
Skeptics Are Increasing Resistance to ESG
By Miriam RozenNovember 7, 2019
One SEC commissioner has branded ESG ratings as nebulous and vague.
The following text is a transcript of a portion of a speaker's presentation made at an industry conference or during an interview. This transcript solely represents the view of the individual who spoke, and not the view of Financial Advisor IQ or any other group.
MIRIAM ROZEN, FA-IQ: Investments based on investors' environmental, social and corporate governance — ESG — strategies have grown at a "breathtaking" pace in recent years, analysts say.
According to figures compiled by Penserra, an institutional financial services firm, around 26%, or one out of every four dollars, is invested using ESG strategies.
As of 2018, "sustainable, responsible and impact investing assets" accounted for $12 trillion of the $46.6 trillion in total assets under professional management in the U.S. — a 38% spike compared to figures two years ago, according to US SIF, a nonprofit forum for ESG investors.
But as enthusiasm for ESG balloons, skeptics are voicing their doubts more loudly.
One prominent skeptic is SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce, whom President Donald Trump appointed to help lead the federal agency.
Taking a cue from her own first name, Peirce has compared ESG ratings to the scarlet letter worn by the heroine of the novel of the same name. In it, the character of Hester is unfairly told by community members to wear a scarlet A on her chest. Today, rating agencies do the same to companies about ESG policies, according to Peirce's argument.
Peirce also distrusts ESG metrics. She calls them nebulous and specifically identifies the vagueness of the social category.
After Peirce delivered her remarks in June, Paul S. Atkins, Former SEC Commissioner, testified before the House Financial Services Committee. He objected to Democratic lawmakers' proposals to make ESG disclosures to the SEC mandatory, citing concerns about excessive disclosure obligations curtailing companies' enthusiasm for going public.
PAUL S. ATKINS, FORMER SEC COMMISSIONER: Disclosure overload is neither an imagined nor new concept. It is being used as a blunt-force instrument by special interest groups and policymakers alike to attempt to impose normative outcomes.
MIRIAM ROZEN: At the same hearing, another ESG skeptic, Republican Congressman Bill Huizenga, posed questions to CalPERS' investment manager James Andrus about his state pension fund for California public workers ESG-driven decision to divest from tobacco stocks. That strategy ultimately dinged CalPERS' returns, Huizenga argued.
BILL HUIZENGA, U.S. REPRESENTATIVE (R-MI): One analysis of CalPERS' decision to disinvest itself, or divest itself, of tobacco-related products cost the fund, and its hard-working CalPERS' members, over $3 billion. So, it doesn't strike me that losing money like that is in the best interest of your fund's beneficiaries either short-term, or in the long term, particularly at a time when CalPERS is not fully funded.
MIRIAM ROZEN: But then Democratic Congresswoman Katie Porter, a pro-ESG lawmaker, skewered Atkins.
KATIE PORTER, U.S. REPRESENTATIVE (D-CA): Despite the fact that while you were at the SEC as a commissioner, these banks became highly leveraged, were given weaker capital requirements supervision and a disastrous crash did in fact occur, all under your watch. You've then publicly railed against labor unions, environmental, gay rights groups, challenging the practices of big banks through shareholder activism. And, in fact, you called companies who cave to social activism 'weenies,' and that is a direct quote. So, you personally presided over the most disastrous financial downturn since the Great Depression. You did not stand up to the big banks. Why are you in a position to call other people who respond -- other corporations who respond to their shareholders -- 'weenies?'
PAUL S. ATKINS: I think that's a very unfair characterization.
MIRIAM ROZEN: The ESG advocates and skeptics will likely keep battling, but, meanwhile, in a followup video, we will look at how, at the same time, the major wirehouses are competing to become known as the most ESG-centric broker-dealers in the marketplace.
This is Miriam Rozen of Financial Advisor IQ.
Tags: Investment strategies
SEC Goes After Another Investment Advisory Firm Over 12b-1 Fees
The SEC continues its pursuit of fee disclosure violations in relation to 12b-1 fees, most recently going after a Massachusetts investment advisory firm, according to news reports.
From at least August 2014 through the end of March 2018, Bolton, Mass.-based Bolton Securities allegedly failed to implement adequate procedures to disclose conflicts of interest, Telegram.com writes citing a complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Bolton Securities, which manages around $2 billion, allegedly continued funneling 12b-1 fees to its affiliate and investment advisor representatives without informing its clients about the potential conflicts of interest, according to the complaint cited by the web publication. The regulator also says that Bolton Securities was involved in self-dealing on $325 million worth of fixed income securities, Telegram.com writes.
The SEC is seeking a permanent injunction against Bolton Securities and its agents, employees and lawyers, as well as disgorgement of allegedly ill-gotten gains and prejudgement interest and a penalty, according to the web publication.
Steve Preskenis, president and general counsel of Bolton Securities, says the firm made adequate disclosures and that the bulk of the mutual fund positions in question were acquired not at Bolton but at the client's previous firm, according to Telegram.com.
Preskenis also calls the self-dealing charges "unfounded" and says the company will defend itself, the web publication writes. The company amended 12b-1 fee disclosures in March 2017, stating that they were "in addition to commissions, and other fees and expenses disclosed in a fund's prospectus fee table," according to Telegram.com.
The company also denied it had a duty to disclose that clients had access to non-12b-1 shares if they transferred their mutual funds from other firms, according to Telegram.com.
The SEC has been going after investment advice firms over alleged failures in disclosing conflicts of interest related to mutual fund fees this year.
The regulator offered an amnesty to firms who self-reported 12b-1 fee disclosure violations by June 12, 2018, allowing them the ability to avoid financial penalties.
In March this year, the SEC settled with 79 firms who self-reported violations and ordered them to pay back $125 million to harmed investors. In September, the regulator settled with 17 more firms and ordered them to pay $10 million in total to clients who were allegedly harmed by the sale of higher-priced mutual fund share classes than what was available to them, as reported.
The following day, the SEC went after yet another firm over alleged 12b-1 violations, ordering it pay $1.5 million.
To read the Telegram.com article cited in this story click here.
Pathstone Gets Investment from PE Firm Lovell Minnick Partners
The RIA Pathstone has received a capital infusion from private equity shop Lovell Minnick Partners, Pathstone says.
LMP's investment in the RIA will be "significant," while Fiduciary Network, Pathstone's current financial partner, is exiting its investment in the RIA, according to a press release from Pathstone.
As part of the deal, Pathstone will stay independent and its leadership team will stay the same, but 16 of its current employees will become shareholders, bringing employee ownership to 48 of the RIA's 110 employees, the company says.
The companies didn't disclose the financial terms of the deal.
Private equity firms have been busy swapping investments in RIAs this year. LMK sold its stake in Mercer Advisors in September to private equity outfit Oak Hill Capital, which also acquired Genstar Capital's stake in Mercer Advisors.
In May, private equity firm Reverence Capital acquired Advisor Group from Lightyear Capital. Lightyear Capital also unloaded its stake in Wealth Enhancement Group to TA Associates in July. And in February, private equity firm Warburg Pincus agreed to take a majority stake in Kestra Financial.
Commonwealth Bank & Trust Acquires $335 Million RIA
Commonwealth Bank & Trust Co. has taken a majority stake in the RIA Landmark Financial Advisors, according to news reports.
Bowling Green, Ky.-based Landmark, which manages $335 million, will keep its name and employees as part of the deal, Louisville Business First writes, citing CB&T, a subsidiary of Commonwealth Bancshares.
The acquisition marks the bank's first in the wealth management industry, according to the publication. Landmark clients, meanwhile, will be able to tap Commonwealth's family office and private banking offerings as well as its trust administration, among other services, Louisville Business First writes.
The companies didn't disclose the financial terms of the deal, according to the publication.
"We are committed to being the premier private wealth management firm in our region as we help our clients realize ambitions for their wealth, both today and for generations to come," Ann Wells, CEO of CB&T, says in a statement cited by Louisville Business First.
Mark Kennedy, executive vice president of CB&T, tells the publication that the company is "open" to more acquisitions in the wealth management space.
CB&T has $1 billion in bank assets and more than $2 billion in trust assets under management and administration, the company says, according to Louisville Business First.
Several banks have turned to acquisitions to build out their wealth management operations over the past this year.
Canadian multinational Bank of Nova Scotia revealed plans earlier this month to enter the U.S. wealth management arena, most likely through an acquisition.
This summer, Busey Bank acquired the investment, trust and estate planning practice Investors' Security Trust with plans to grow its wealth management capabilities in Florida.
In January, First Midwest Bancorp acquired Northern Oak Wealth Management while Citizens Bank completed the acquisition of multi-family office Clarfeld Financial Advisors.
To read the Louisville Business First article cited in this story click here.
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text:
Thiells Pastor Recalls Writing of "Silent Night"
By dskriloff on December 26, 2012 Comments
Thiells United Methodist Church Pastor Reverend Jessica Campbell, in her pastoral letter this week, told a special story about a church in the Austrian Alps.
It was Christmas Eve and the newly constructed Church of St. Nicholas in Tyrol, a village near Salzburg, was struggling with a broken church organ. The church's pastor Father Mohr was distraught as his careful musical preparations seemed for naught, But, said Campbell, Father Joseph was about to learn that our problems are God's opportunities and that the Lord causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him.
Pastor Campbell writes that it came into Father Joseph's mind to write a new song, one that could be sung without an organ, and hastily he wrote the words "Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright."
Taking the text to his organist, Franz Gruber, he explained the situation and asked Gruber to compose a single tune. That night, December 24, 1818, "Silent Night" was sung for the first time as a duet accompanied by a guitar at the aptly named Church of St. Nicholas in Obendorf.
Shortly after, the pastor writes to her congregation, as Karl Mauracher came to repair the organ, he heard about the near disaster on Christmas Eve. Acquiring a copy of the text and tune, he spread it throughout the Alpine region of Austria. Says Reverend Jessica, were it not for a broken organ, there would never have been a song "Silent Night." The story, she says, was told by Robert J. Morgan in "Then Sings My Soul."
Reverend Campbell said in her pastoral letter, "As we mourn the tragic death of innocent children and teachers, as we hear the doomsday reports that some fear, and as we go through our personal life struggles as a community and globe, let us never forget that God always takes our brokenness, walks with us and, if we allow, makes good come from it."
She concluded, "Isn't that the ultimate reason we had the true 'Silent Night' of Christ's birth, anyway?"
Thiells Pastor Recalls Writing of "Silent Night" added by dskriloff on December 26, 2012
Thiells Pastor Recalls Writing of "Silent Night" – Rockland County Times | Pastor Leaders says:
[…] Pastor News Source- news.google.com […]


For marketers, tracking ads is just as important as designing them. Being mindful of benchmarks not only tells us what's working, but also teaches us how we can improve, and which direction to take in the future.
Advertisements come in many forms, and carry with them many different calls-to-action. Yet, the ultimate goal in almost all cases is to get the user to click a link. This link could be posted along with the ad, or the ad itself could have the hyperlink embedded.
Whether you want the reader to click-through to your social media profile, your landing page, or your online store, click-through rates are a critical metric to monitor.
In this post, we'll discuss a few different benchmarks to track. Each offers a different view of your click-through rates, and allows you to see them from a unique perspective. When you learn to monitor your metrics well, there's no limit to the amount of insight you can find.
When you learn to monitor important metrics from different perspectives, you find new ways to implement your strategies altogether.
While most marketers are very familiar with the concept of click-through rate, it helps to add a little refresher before we dive into the specifics.
Click-through rate is the ratio of clicks your link receives to impressions the link makes. It could be thought of as an average, and one of the most important figures in pay-per-click advertising.
If this number is high, it's a good sign—it means your ad is getting a lot of attention. Yet, it doesn't tell the whole story. Here are five key benchmarks you can use to get the most out of this metric and learn to see the full picture of what it offers.
1. Compare click-through rates within your industry.
When you're looking at the success of your ads, it's inevitable that you'll be looking to see how you match up to your competitors. It's easy to assume you should only be tracking things like traffic and revenue in comparison to competitors, but the same is also true for click-through rates.
The benefit of analyzing your own rates in comparison to your competitors goes beyond seeing how you match up. If you find that your competitors are getting better rates, you may see certain trends in their ad design or copy that lead to this.
If your ads are doing better than your competitors, you can also analyze the differences to see where your advantages lie. Consider analyzing the number of conversions you get from your ads—the average for Amazon ads, for example, is 26 per user per day. If you're using this metric, or one you set on your own, you can get a new perspective by comparing it to your competitors.
Of course, comparisons in your own industry can only reveal so much. There's also information to be gained from comparing your click-through rate to your own industry average, and other industries as well.
2. Analyze where you rank across industry averages.
Click-through rates can sometimes be dependent on your industry. Some industries have a less challenging time with advertising. If your product or service is easier to sell, or at least easier to promote, your average metrics could be higher.
It can be easy to get caught in the mindset that only your own industry's benchmarks matter. Yet, examining average click-through rates across different industries, even for a single platform, can provide some big insights. The chart below is based on Google Ads accessed via mobile.
Let's say your company is based in an industry that typically struggles to get high click-through rates. Maybe you're in a niche field, or your offerings are simply harder to target and promote. If you find one of your ads is ranking as high as those people in industries where average rates are much higher, you know you're on the right track.
Speaking of ads on specific platforms or from specific providers—this provides another interesting benchmark to use when tracking click-through activity.
3. Measure click-through activity on separate devices.
It's no secret that cross-platform functionality is a pillar of modern marketing. Whether you're sending out content or designing the platforms people use in the workplace, mastering mobile is absolutely essential.
Mobile marketing has its own unique challenges, but can also be very rewarding. There are literally millions of people scrolling through feeds on their phones, and therefore there's a lot of potential for your ads to be seen.
About 5 billion people now have a mobile phone connection.
With the right tools, you can track your performance with click-through rates on mobile vs. desktop users. What are the benefits of this? For one, you learn more about your audience and how to optimize your ads.
The other benefit is finding out whether you should be putting more effort into one platform or the other—either they're equal in rates, or you have an indication about which way you should sway your efforts.
Some of your ads may not be fully optimized for mobile. If your mobile rates are down, you may need to focus on a more responsive design.
4. Measure click-through rates by ad type.
The success of your ads and how they facilitate click-through activity involves a lot of factors. And it's more than just your industry and the platform your users are viewing your ad on. Sometimes, it's about the type of ad you use.
There's the popular mid-page unit (MPU) ad, which is conveniently placed near the center of the page. It's great to ensure the user isn't bombarded by a promotional effort as soon as they log on, but also ensures they don't have to scroll to the bottom to see it.
There's also the leaderboard ad—some people prefer to have their ad at the top of the page. This ensures it's seen before anything else, and can give the user a chance to consider clicking through it before they become immersed in the content below.
There's also the classic side ad, which can sometimes even scroll across the entire page. These ads may seem a little intrusive to some, but some marketers will choose them if they're running a PPC campaign—it can make sure users have a chance to consider the ad.
You may find that for your industry or the campaigns you're creating, a certain type of ad facilitates more click-through activity. Even if you're using the same type of ad, it's entirely possible it'll be more successful in one iteration than another.
Analyzing benchmarks according to ad type can help you save money when it comes to creating better PPC campaigns.
5. Compare click-through rates by date.
One of the best benchmarks you can use to gauge the efficiency of any ad type is time. Companies and individual marketers often monitor their metrics according to a few common benchmarks. These include money spent, money earned, and leads generated.
Analyze how long it took to reach a certain rate.
Gauge different (but similar) campaigns launched in the same time periods.
Study how click-through trends drop off after a given time period when an ad is active.
These are just a few of the valuable benchmarks you can use to study your click-through activity. It can reveal some interesting insights.
You can also determine whether your PPC campaigns are better saved for certain times of the year when ad traffic is more lucrative, or whether some campaigns should have their time frame extended (or shortened).
Time is money. And when it comes to PPC ads and getting the click-through rates that marketers seek to achieve, taking time into account can help anyone gain better insights to help drive better results.
Click-through rates are one of the more important metrics marketers must monitor. When it comes to getting those CTAs followed and facilitating those follow-through steps, having the right benchmarks can make all the difference.
Click-through rates are important, but don't tell the whole story (at least by themselves).
Cross-analyzing the same campaign with different benchmarks reveals different, valuable insights.
The better your insights are, the more successful your campaigns will be.
There are some metrics that show as much on the surface as they do when you dig into them. Click-through rates show insights in both ways.
Whether you look at them in a simplified way or analyze them alongside other marketing metrics, you can find a lot of information to help you improve traffic growth and lead generation.


It's no secret that Tokyo is one of the busiest cities in the world. What I didn't expect was the peace that lives alongside the very organized chaos. The train was silent. Men and women coming & going, children commuting to school -- like a familiar dream but slightly off. I didn't understand words over the intercom, leaving my mind quiet. This feeling reoccurred many times as I explored Tokyo & Kyoto.
The best part of visiting Japan is just walking around. One minute you're in neon and traffic, the next you are in front of an ancient shrine. It was important to me in those moments to stop and feel the juxtaposition of the two energies living side by side one another. One morning while walking near a freeway I happened upon an aqueduct that had organically been turned into a beautiful ecosystem alive with cranes, turtles, and fish. Sakura blossoms fell in the river and trees shaded the vaulted walls. A grid of raised cubes came up from the water, I didn't know if it was decorative or served a purpose. It was wabi-sabi, nature had taken over, and it was beautiful.
Nature in Japan is carefully manicured, every garden is loved and made with intention. While exploring different paths, each view held a new and perfect composition. Flowers exploded with color, saplings grew in perfect order out of old fallen trees, and water ran like brush stroke lines.
At the James Turrell House of Light in Niigata, you can really live in a dream. Inside a meditative bath of color and light, I watched as the sky outside changed color with the sunset. At the time I went, all the trees were black against the white snow on the ground. Nature was essentially colorless but here at this House of Light, bright colors of neon washed over me.
Most people go to this shrine for the infinite path of bright orange gates. But if you divert off the crowd of people on the path, you'll find winding nature walks that will take you thru bamboo forests and secret cemeteries. I'd definitely recommend spending a whole day seeing what you can find. Maybe you'll also encounter a camouflaged orange cat who will greet you on your way.
On one of my last days in Japan, I went to see the Kinkaku-ji Temple. I followed the swarm of tourists to the edge of a lake and looked up. The sun was coming thru the rain clouds and there it was, shining gold and bright amid a grey sky. I felt the amazement that I'm sure was intended for all its viewers. I was surprised to see it again - a burst of color, like the orange arches, the flowered gardens, or the Turrell neon, the color was the Zen. It was the peace and the wonder.
Chaunté wore the Hanover backpack on her trip.


When planned well, bonuses can be a powerful incentive to incentivize team members. But how do you plan them well? That was a question one member of The Business of Dentistry Facebook group posed. Like most discussions in the community, Business of Dentistry members responded to share their experiences, policies, and other useful tips. Here are four suggestions to help you think through how to start or improve a bonus structure in your practice.
Experiment with short-term key performance indicators.
Many bonus structures are based on monthly or quarterly goals. Consider experimenting with and rewarding production on a daily or weekly timeframe. Doing so could better connect production with reward and motivate people to do their best on a daily basis. While monthly or quarterly goals could work, too, you might find high production levels toward the end of the month or quarter and then a dip in production at the beginning of the next period.
One dentist in the community recommended rewarding daily production goals and paying team members their bonuses daily. You would need to coordinate with your tax adviser to make sure all payments are properly reported, but your team members will learn they can leave with cash in hand if they perform.
Identify the right key performance indicators to reward.
Just as important as the timeframe you incentivize are the measures you incentivize. What gets rewarded and measured will often get done.
What do you want your team to do? Do you want them to make more phone calls? Reward phone calls. Do you want them to book more cleanings? Set a target and incentivize that. Do you want them to book more crowns? Incentivize that.
The key is to incentivize things that lead to greater productivity and profits so the bonus will be paid out of increased revenue.
Keep it simple, listen to feedback, and be flexible.
One dentist who offered advice said he improved his bonus program based on team member feedback. He had developed a highly complicated program and received numerous complaints about the sophisticated bonus calculation system. The perception was that the program wasn't fair. So, he switched to a simpler system that distributed 20% of collections above the practice's monthly goal, and it would be divided equally among the team members. Since then, nobody complains.
Unlike using daily goals or measuring different key performance indicators for different team members, this system is based on a group goal and monthly target. That might be best in some practices, so just because daily goals and individualized bonus plans work in one place doesn't mean it's the only way to do it. What is important is that all team members understand the program, you listen to feedback and evaluate and adjust your program based on the feedback you receive. Remember, the goal is to incentivize performance. Like anything in business, be willing to adjust the program to better fit the intended purpose.
Consider hiring a consultant to help.
If you have trouble implementing your own system, consider reaching out to a consultant who specializes in team member performance and productivity. The advantage of doing so is you get the benefit of that consultant's experiences helping other practices. They will have a better sense of what works and what doesn't work to shorten your learning curve and help put into place a system that boosts production in a profitable way.
How is performance incentivized at your practice?
Do you have a performance-based bonus structure in your practice? If so, how do you structure it? What key performance indicators do you use? What time periods do you measure? How has your system changed over time? Did you have help putting it into place?
Let us know in the comments and share your thoughts and advice with your peers in The Business of Dentistry Facebook community.


With an ambience reflecting Bermuda's laid-back, relaxing lifestyle, the Bermuda House in Daytona Beach provides an array of features guaranteed to delight the most demanding traveler. Step out on to your private balcony for a breathtaking view of the Atlantic Ocean. Enjoy prime swimming, sunbathing and water sports on "The World's Most Famous Beach." For those looking for added excitement, take a short stroll to the many exotic shops, restaurants and attractions located nearby. Escape to a Caribbean-style tropical paradise at the Bermuda House, where comfort and value are perfectly combined on the beautiful shores of Daytona Beach.
Various dining and entertainment Options within walking distance.
Guests entitled to full use La Playa Resort's amenities and facilities (a sister resort).


if i needed it confirming, this is the project that confirmed it: i will never make a seamstress. the clue's in the name, -stress. it's not making things for other people in general that's the problem, i've bombarded my nearest and dearest with enough homemade tat to disprove that. but those have always been a surprise, they didn't carry the weight of other people's expectations. it's making to commission that apparently takes a lot of the fun out if it.
the buttonholes, which had been giving me the heebeejeebies all the way through, were slightly less trouble than i'd feared. i did have to unpick and restitch a couple of times, but i didn't cut through any threads when i opened them. they're a little stiff cos i clear nailvarnished them in the hope of keeping any fraying under control.
overall i'm pretty happy with the finished product, all the fussy cutting i did at the beginning has really paid off, i'm happy with where the horses are sitting, which i think is the standout first thing you notice. will have to report back re sizing (i combined differing height/chest measurements). i've sized up the recipient next to my 3-yo and i'm hopeful that the way it fits on her (i had to beg her to take it off :D) indicates it should be a good fit on him.
it's just a shame that the process was so tortuous. it turns out that i'm mostly in it for the journey.


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No that we're not complaining, in fact, we're actually grown rather fond of the girl's casual cool attire.
And a mechanic style is always a nice as Julianne Hough was decked out in her customary jeans for shopping spree at Los Angeles, USA on Thursday, November 20, 2014.
Whether you like it or not, overalls are in!
The actress rocking a pair of denim dungarees over a gridded dark top that fully classed up her simple life style.
Completing her laid-back look, the 26-year-old wore a pair of lion sport shoes while she couldn't stop to conversing so comfortably with her friends on the white hand phone.
Juliane clearly did not believe in dressing down for running errands as she exposed her naturally with those make-up free.
Like a true lady ever, Hough pushed the heavily trolley back to her car and glamorizing her long blonde hair into bravely loose.
No more words though, boys! If, upon returning to her car, she received a message from another lucky man. . . . . .Surely, It's not me!
Isn't dating anyone at the moment? But I guess she is very open to it after her relation with ex-boyfriend Ryan Seacrest have been ended as Perezhilton.com report, she didn't want to get tied down again with another connection. Wow!!!
In another tomboy sense! The 26-year-old was seen doing some last minute for lunch in a cowboy style of denim at West Hollywood, CA.
"Getting ready for toning! I only come for the popcorn! JK I can't wait," Julianne shared her moment in relaxing time with eating a popcorn into her Instagram account.
Thanks for your greatest words, Julianne Hough. At least, we should to know about how to using our little money as you do.


text:
Q: How to handle this type of JSON data? (Object object) First I was facing object object when I try to display the JSON API through HTML, then I used keyvalue in *ngFor and it did display the object, but how can I access to the whole data in json and display it?
codes:
HTML
   <mat-option *ngFor="let nitem of organizations | keyvalue"  [value]="nitem.key">
      {{ nitem.key }} {{nitem.value}}
    </mat-option>
</mat-select>
 </mat-form-field>

TS
  this.s.qOrganizations(qOrganizationsParams, this.localqAuthorization)
    .subscribe(data =>
      {
        this.organizations = data.data;
        this.oorganizations = data.data;
      console.log("Organization:",this.organizations)

  }

  );

JSON DATA:
"data": {
"region": {
    "2": {
        "name": "test123",
        "license_number": "1111",
        "telephone": "167787",
        "mobile": "980980",
        "email": "example",
        "city": "Jeddah"
    },

How can I display "region" and "name"?
Thanks.

A: Example below assumes you have parsed the JSON to JS as data.
First obtain the region name by looking at first key in region object, then use this to access name property:

const regionName = Object.keys(data)[0];

const name = data.region[`${regionName}`].name

A: I'm assuming you are having several objects inside region property, so I would actually make an array of that, something like:
  arr = [];

  data = {
    region: {
      '1': {
        name: 'test2',
        license_number: '1111',
        telephone: '167787',
        mobile: '980980',
        email: 'example',
        city: 'Jeddah'
      },
      '2': {
        name: 'test3',
        license_number: '1111',
        telephone: '167787',
        mobile: '980980',
        email: 'example',
        city: 'Jeddah'
      }
    }
  }

ngOnInit() {
  for (let key in this.data.region) {
    this.arr.push(this.data.region[key]);
  }
}

And then display the array in template instead:
<mat-select>
  <mat-option *ngFor="let nitem of arr" [value]="nitem.name">
     Region {{nitem.name}}
  </mat-option>
</mat-select>


text:
Steven Moore
Professor, School of Engineering and Technology, CQUniversity Australia
Dr Steven Moore is a Professor in the School of Engineering and Technology at Central Queensland University. Steven is a biomedical engineer and former director of the Human Aerospace Laboratory at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, with 20 years experience as a NASA-funded researcher on the effects of prolonged weightlessness on astronaut health and performance.
Professor of Intelligent Systems, CQUniversity Australia
University of Sydney, PhD
Rockhampton, Australia
s.moore@cqu.edu.au
Joined December 9, 2016


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