I know most would think these days in Northern Michigan with snow falling everyday would be hard but when the sun shines there is no better light. The snow acts as a reflector that makes everything twice as bright and cheery. Is it cold? Well yeah but the sun makes that snow look so bright and beautiful.
As that as an inspiration I wanted to share some bright and light spaces today that I felt captured the outside in Northern Michigan this morning on this sunny beautiful today. I love all these spaces and would jump into any of them in a second. I hope you enjoy and they brighten your day!
Heading downtown tonight for Ladies Night in TC after a meeting with Alicia from A Day In May to hear about one super cool client she has this summer. Think the movie Marie Antoinette. Yes I know dreamy huh?


Desert hooknose snake (Gyalopion quadrangularis) at the Phoenix Zoo.
Desert hooknose snake (Gyalopion quadrangulare) at the Phoenix Zoo.
A tortoise beetle (Chelymorpha cribraria) at the Urban Entomology Lab at the University of Florida at Gainesville.
A Florida rootworm beetle (Diabratica balteata) at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
Atlantic mudskipper (Periophthalmus barbarus) at Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA.
Marlieri cichlid (Julidochromis marlieri) at L'aquarium tropical du palais de la Porte DorŽe.


text:
'Splatter Spotting' on UK Roads
We find out how 'splatter spotters' are helping map UK roadkill in the hope of conserving animals.....
Sarah Perkins, Cardiff University
Part of the show Citizen Science: Research You can Do
project_splatter.jpg
Project Splatter
One reason why people get involved in citizen science is to try and help solve problems that they see around them, and one project doing just that is Project Splatter, which tracks UK roadkill - it sounds a bit grisly but the team behind it hope that their data will improve animal conservation in the future. Kate Lamble caught up with one of the founders, Sarah Perkins, from Cardiff University.
Sarah - Project Splatter is a citizen science research project that is collating UK wildlife roadkill using social media. So, our citizen scientists are tweeting when they see a squashed badger or a fox, or anything smaller than mouse and letting us know about it. We collate this data and we give feedback to our community of citizen scientists. So, why are we doing it? It's because there is actually no year-round survey of wildlife roadkill in the UK. We have snapshots which have revealed interesting patterns, but we don't know what happens year-round. So, we want to know where the wildlife roadkill is, what it is, and when it happens. And then ultimately, we hope to be able to reduce that wildlife roadkill.
Kate - So, what do the snapshots tell us? How much is a problem is roadkill for the UK's wildlife?
Sarah - Well, we've only been running since February of this year and we hope to run for another 2 years. But in the 6 months or so that we've been running, our citizen scientists that we call Splatter Spotters have reported 3,300 data points to us. So, we know that it's quite a problem for our UK wildlife. Our top most spotted animals include the badger, the rabbit, the fox, and the hedgehog has just started to appear in there. So, we know that some of our favourite mammals are up there in the top species that a road killed.
Kate - You mentioned hedgehogs and badgers there. Those are relatively for UK wildlife quite large animals. Is it the big ones that tend to get spotted? Do we tend to miss the shrews and things like that?
Sarah - Yes, we may well do. The nice thing about running this as a citizen science project is not only do our Splatter Spotters report data to us. They question us. So, on Twitter and Facebook, we've been asked questions, "Hey, what are you guys going to do about observer bias?" aren't we just reporting the things we want to report? That could be, so there could be some observer bias. So, what we have to do is back that up with work by some of our research scientists where we are actually driving long routes and verifying which data we see. And looking to see which species aren't reported.
Kate - Why do you think people get involved in these sorts of projects? Why are people so keen to share their data and what they see with scientists?
Sarah - Yeah, it's interesting. I think people see that by reporting something to us, that it's potentially very sad driving past a dead fox on the road. Nobody really likes to see that. They're turning something rather sad into a positive, in that we might be able to mitigate against some of those roadkill death. So, people are really interested in seeing what we can do with those data.
Kate - You mentioned you've got 3,000 data points and that things like hedgehogs are just starting to appear. Why would things like hedgehogs being killed on the roads, not be a constant year-round?
Sarah - Well actually, we think there's something happening with hedgehogs this year where we've had this quite nice dry summer. Hedgehogs may have found it difficult to find food. What we do with our reports, every week, we feedback to our community of scientists by doing something called the Splatter Report. It was only in the last 2 months that hedgehogs even came in the top 5 of that Splatter Report. So, we've really noticed this exponential increase. And so, we think we're picking up this behavioural pattern where they're having to search for more food. That's putting them into contact with the roads more frequently, they're ranging further, and that could be what's producing the greater number of roadkill seasonally.
Kate - Is it a good or a bad sign that animals are being seen on this Splatter Report? I mean, I know it must look bad, but does an increased number mean that there are more of them about in the first place?
Sarah - It might do, but there are a lot of wildlife surveys that go on as well. So, we have quite a good idea of the abundance of some species in the UK. With the hedgehogs, we know some great work by the People's Trust for Endangered Species that hedgehogs are actually in decline. We used to have in the order of tens of millions in the UK and now, we've got below a million. So, the fact that we're seeing more on the roads isn't necessarily an indication that that species is increasing in abundance. It could be that it's actually more threatened.
Kate - If it's a potential indicator of diminishing population, what can we do? Can these reports in some way help us feed back into the loop of conservation?
Sarah - That's what we hope. We run this as an open database. So, anybody who's interested in the data can contact us and we will send it. So currently, we do send our records to biological record centres and if the Wildlife Trust's are interested can have data. The birding organisations and a lot of the badger groups are interested in our data too. And actually recently, one of the badger groups contacted me because if they get a female badger in the spring that is found over on the road, their volunteers will immediately go out and search the area and look for the badger cubs to rehabilitate them because of course, without the mother, those cubs won't survive.
Previous Microblitz - Mapping Soil Biota in WA
Next Categorising Galaxies with Galaxy Zoo
Is another mass-extinction imminent?
Cows vs. Zebras - a Battle with Benefits
Sexing sea turtles
Biology | Technology
The Madingley Ecosystem Model
Ecosystem Shifts and Sharks in Alaska

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


BRANCH COMMITTEE member Safiullah Tazib told the September meeting something of the plight of journalists in Afghanistan, alongside the IFJ's Ernest Sagaga (see here). He opened by reminding us of the massacre of nine journalists, killed in deliberately-targeted attacks in Kabul on 30 April, along with a separate incident in which a BBC journalist in the country was killed on the same day. Another journalist had been shot dead a few days earlier on the way to work, with two more killed shortly before that in a double suicide bombing in Kabul.
Safiullah meets with journalists' representatives in Kabul, Afghanistan. L to R: Hujatullah Mujadidi, Vice President of Afghan Independent Journalists' Association; Abdusamad Hamed Poya, General Director of Media Bazaa; Safi; Sardar Mohammad Dindarkhail, Director of Gaheez Forum of Writers; Aziz Tassal, President of Kabul Press Club; Ahmad Zia Rahimzai, Managing Director of Satre Awal weekly; and Abdul Mujeeb Khalvatgar, Executive Director of NAI.
It was, however, the mass killing on 30 April that "shocked the world" and prompted LFB, through Safi, to establish a link with Kabul journalist unions, in a letter of solidarity and condolence delivered by Safi in June (see the August Freelance ).
The UK has a stake in Afghanistan. The UK has lost 457 soldiers in Afghanistan in the most recent bout of engagement. There are still 1120 British soldiers in Afghanistan, which Safi described as a "presence which helps the free press." Afghans "appreciate our letters," said Safi. The "support they need is to help with protection on their work... to lobby the UK government to force the Afghan government to provide more protection." They also requested "training with investigative reporting, financial assistance to children of killed journalists and employment rights." Safi explained that most Afghan journalists are staff but have no holidays and no sick pay.
There are currently 17 different journalists' unions in Afghanistan, but these are "working to create one big federation that will represent them all as a united union".
How else can we practically help them? "Would it be possible to occasionally send experts to train them?" they asked Safi. Afghan journalists want us to persuade UK government to encourage the Afghan government to provide financial assistance to children of slain journalists.


text:
Education Ghana Project #2633
Misthy Cee Children's Support Centre, Ghana
by HANDS AROUND THE WORLD
Helping poor and vulnerable children, some with disabilities and most orphaned, this centre provides love, support, accommodation, meals and schooling for more than 175 children.
The Centre is a registered Ghanaian charity set up by Siaka Stevens in 2001, dedicated to helping disadvantaged children. Near the small town of Akomadan it has on an acquired 6 hectare plot, a centre where needy children are cared for, accommodated if necessary, supported and schooled. We have been involved there since 2006, helping first to build accommodation, dining, kitchen and washroom facilities; we then helped building the school which is now complete and in use, helping 175 children.
We plan to help very soon with teaching training and support. The school will generate income from the community to support itself and other aspects of the work of Misthy Cee.
We are very impressed with the enthusiasm, dedication and hard work of the local team, and feel confident that this resource centre will benefit a large number of children by giving them loving encouragement in the difficulties facing them everyday.
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).
http://www.hatw.org.uk
Misthy Cee UK friends website
HANDS AROUND THE WORLD
Location: MONMOUTH, MONMOUTHSHIRE - United Kingdom
Website: http://www.hatw.org.uk
David Steiner
Monmouth, Monmouthshire United Kingdom
Funded Project!
Combined with other sources of funding, this project raised enough money to fund the outlined activities and is no longer accepting donations.
Still want to help?
Support another project run by HANDS AROUND THE WORLD that needs your help, such as:
Help disadvantaged Bengali children + young people


text:
Laying the groundwork: Rivers trying to build foundation with young players
Lenny Megliola
BOSTON - Win or lose, Doc Rivers just can't let it go.
"I take them all home," said the first-year Celtics coach. "I'm not good with that. It'll never change. I have to think through the whole game (when I get home)."
He knows it would be easier if he could just leave it in the building. Really, 82 games is a load to take with you. Football coaches you can understand. They play one game and 1/16th of the season is gone.
Another fraction of the Celtics' season went by last night, and no one would've blamed Rivers if he built himself a stiff martini when he got home after a crushing 104-100 loss to the Sacramento Kings at the FleetCenter.
Now, Rivers usually succeeds in finding a silver lining, however thin, after even losses. Not this time.
The first words out of his mouth? "That was a horrible loss." What ticked him off most of all was how his team seemed to be praying for the game to end when the Celtics only had a two-point lead, 98-96 (Ricky Davis jumper) and 100-98 (two Paul Pierce free throws) with 1:36 left to play. "We were ball watching and (the Kings) moved the ball around and started making shots," the killer being Mike Bibby's trey to put the visitors (on a four-game losing streak) up 102-100 with 43 seconds left.
And this is what might have kept Rivers up all night. "The last five or six minutes we didn't act like we were supposed to win. That bothered me. ... Everything stopped when they made a run. That was a game we let get away."
So, umm, were your guys intimidated coach? "No, not intimidated. We just stopped playing. We did enough to win. We just didn't take the game."
Tommy Heinsohn, who knows a thing or two about coaching, wishes Rivers could pull back some. "It doesn't do any good to dwell on the game," said Heinsohn. While Rivers stays up late analyzing what just went down, worrying what went wrong, Heinsohn took a different tactic when he coached the Celtics. He'd go home, write down some notes for the next day's practice. "Then I'd go have dinner and a beer and preserve my sanity."
Heinsohn is an NBA lifer, a rookie of the year who played on eighth championship teams, a Hall of Famer who coached Boston to a pair of titles. Rivers' Celtics are not championship driven, more .500 driven. Rivers spent four years coaching the Orlando Magic. He went from coach of the year in 1999-2000 to unemployed three years later, leaving the Magic after compiling a 171-168 record and 5-20 mark in the playoffs. Things went sour in a hurry in Orlando, more dizzy world than Disney World. If he were to coach again, you'd think he'd look for a better gig than the Boston Celtics who had new owners and old habits of not being very good, except for one wondrous playoff run three years ago.
So why take the Boston job? "I know it sounds crazy," said Rivers. And people reminded him of it, too. The Celtics? Dead-end street. "But I took it because it was the Celtics." The Celtics meant something once. They could be again. Rivers wouldn't mind being in front of that. "I looked at it as a job where we could build. I looked at the young guys and Paul, Ricky, Raef (LaFrentz)."
The Rivers-coached Celtics haven't been a hit, in the standings or at the box office. The faithful have dwindled to a very small hard core. The outrageous success of the Patriots and Red Sox hasn't helped the basketball team. People can wait to see if it makes the playoffs before paying any attention, and in April the spotlight wil be on the Red Sox anyway.
The Orlando ordeal was an eye-opener for first-time coach Rivers. He'd played in the league. He knew some things. But nothing can prepare you for coaching young and entitled multi-millionares. You just have to go through it.
Rivers got off to a nice start in Orlando. The coach of the year prize came in his first year, when he took a seemingly nowhere team to a 41-41 record. That team finished fourth. Maybe the Magic with a hot new coach and T-Mac were on to something. The next season the Magic finished fourth again followed by a third and a fourth. Orlando made the playoffs three straight years but never got by the first round.
The 2003-04 season was just 11 games old when Rivers got pinkslipped. Orlando was 1-10.
Then Danny Ainge called.
Heinsohn knows what today's coaches are like. "They think they're not coaching unless they view every frame of videotape." But at least Ainge and Rivers were of one basketball mind. "Doc's doing what needs to be done," said Heinsohn. "Danny wanted to change (the team) but got resistence from the previous assistant coaches. They didn't like the players Danny was bringing in." Can you say Ricky Davis?
But maybe this team will pan out eventually. It's a quicker team, speedier. And young. Very. "Six kids under 23," said Heinsohn. And Rivers was looking for youth, a team he could mold. "We had Paul and a lot of question marks, but I like this group now." The trick was to keep it together (OK, maybe Ainge has one more deal up his sleeve before the Feb. 24 trade deadline) and improve. At Orlando, Rivers had to deal with a revolving door policy. "We had about seven new players a year. Here we're getting to a core quicker. We never got one in Orlando."
Boston likes winners like any place else. Rivers doesn't have to be reminded. But this is his second time around as head coach. "The pressure doesn't faze me. I know where I want to go." And he wants to get there with a primarily young, up-tempo team.
Heinsohn likes the mix-and-match, the graybeards like Gary Payton, LaFrentz and, yes, Pierce blended with Delonte West, Tony Allen, Al Jefferson, Kendrick Perkins, Marcus Banks and the still young (25) Davis. The vets school the kids. The kids' enthusiasm rubs off on the vets. "The game should be continual action," said Heinsohn.
In the clutch last night, the Celtics went from action to ennui. "This is a tough loss for us," said Rivers. "It really is."
The Forever .500 Celtics. Unless things change.


text:
iFIT Health & Fitness Stock: IFIT Readies $600 Million IPO
10 months ago Lita
Company & Technology
Market & Competition
Valuation Metrics
nd3000/iStock via Getty Images
iFIT Health & Fitness (IFIT) has filed to raise $600 million from the sale of its Class A common stock in an IPO, according to an amended registration statement.
The company provides fitness equipment and related content via various revenue models including subscriptions.
While IFIT has produced impressive revenue and gross profit growth, its operating losses are a concern.
However, the firm appears well positioned for future growth potential and the IPO looks to be reasonably valued, so is worth a close look.
Logan, Utah-based iFIT was founded to develop a fitness equipment and connected subscription-based exercise equipment and services company via various brands.
Management is headed by co-founder and CEO Scott Waterson, who has been with the firm since inception and was previously co-founder of iFIT's predecessor company, Weslo.
Below is a brief overview video of the NordicTrack iFIT mobile app:
The company's primary offerings include:
iFIT Subscriptions
iFIT has received at least $223 million in equity investment from investors including Pamplona, L. Catterton and others.
The firm pursues customer relationships through a direct-to-consumer [DTC] channel, large retailer channel and a commercial channel.
IFT counted 6.1 million total members of which 1.5 million were Total Fitness Subscribers for its variety of equipment including:
Fitness Mirrors
Sales and Marketing expenses as a percentage of total revenue have risen as revenues have increased, as the figures below indicate:
Expenses vs. Revenue
FYE Ended May 31, 2021
The Sales and Marketing efficiency rate, defined as how many dollars of additional new revenue are generated by each dollar of Sales and Marketing spend, was 1.4x in the most recent reporting period.
For iFIT's subscription service, monthly visits bumped up markedly around the 2020 holiday period, generally trending higher over the past two year period, as the chart shows below:
(Source: Similarweb)
According to a 2021 market research report by Allied Market Research, the global fitness equipment market was an estimated $11.6 billion in 2020 and is forecast to reach $14.8 billion by 2028.
This represents a forecast CAGR of 3.3% from 2021 to 2028.
The main drivers for this expected growth are companies further developing technologies providing options that consumers want, such as customized workouts and display technologies along with community connections.
Also, the COVID-19 pandemic has likely brought demand forward for home-based fitness equipment and online connection as consumers spend more time at home and seek to improve their physical health in the process.
Below is a chart showing the global fitness equipment market by type as it is expected to evolve from 2020 to 2028:
Major competitive or other industry participants include:
Johnson Health Tech
Anta Sports
Technogym S.p.A.
Core Health and Fitness
TRUE Fitness Technology
Impulse Health Tech Co
Torque Fitness
iFIT's recent financial results can be summarized as follows:
Sharply growing topline revenue
Strong growth in gross profit and higher gross margin
High operating losses and increasing negative operating margin
A swing to cash used in operations
Below are relevant financial results derived from the firm's registration statement:
% Variance vs. Prior
$ 1,745,056,000
Gross Profit (Loss)
$ (127,634,000)
$ (49,754,000)
(Glossary Of Terms)
As of May 31, 2021, iFIT had $146.5 million in cash and $1.66 billion in total liabilities.
Free cash flow during the twelve months ended May 31, 2021, was negative ($70.1 million).
IFIT intends to sell 30.8 million shares of Class A common stock at a proposed midpoint price of $19.50 per share for gross proceeds of approximately $600 million, not including the sale of customary underwriter options.
Class A common stockholders will be entitled to one vote per share and Class B shareholders will receive 10 votes per share.
The S&P 500 Index no longer admits firms with multiple classes of stock into its index.
No existing shareholders have indicated an interest to purchase shares at the IPO price.
Assuming a successful IPO at the midpoint of the proposed price range, the company's enterprise value at IPO (ex- underwriter options) would approximate $5.9 billion.
Excluding effects of underwriter options and private placement shares or restricted stock, if any, the float to outstanding shares ratio will be approximately 9.77%. A figure under 10% is generally considered a 'low float' stock which can be subject to significant price volatility.
Per the firm's most recent regulatory filing, it plans to use the net proceeds as follows:
approximately $465.0 million of the net proceeds will be retained by the Company and used for general corporate purposes;
$35.0 million will be used to make a required payment to our CEO; and
approximately $57.3 million ($141.7 million if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full) to make a cash payment, which together with the issuance of New Convertible Notes, will repay in full the 2019 Note.
Management's presentation of the company roadshow is available here.
Regarding outstanding legal proceedings, management says that any claims against it would be defended vigorously and would not have a material impact on its operations or financial condition.
Listed bookrunners of the IPO are Morgan Stanley, BofA Securities, Barclays and several other investment banks.
Below is a table of the firm's relevant capitalization and valuation metrics at IPO, excluding the effects of underwriter options:
Measure [TTM]
Market Capitalization at IPO
EV / Revenue
EV / EBITDA
Earnings Per Share
Float To Outstanding Shares Ratio
Proposed IPO Midpoint Price per Share
Net Free Cash Flow
-$70,076,000
Free Cash Flow Yield Per Share
Revenue Growth Rate
As a reference, a potential partial public comparable would be Peloton Interactive (PTON); shown below is a comparison of their primary valuation metrics:
iFIT Health & Fitness
(S-1/A and Seeking Alpha)
iFIT is seeking to go public to make a lump sum payment to its CEO, pay down debt and for its corporate expansion plans.
The firm's financials show very high topline revenue growth and gross profit growth, but also high operating losses and increasing negative operating margin.
Free cash flow for the twelve months ended May 31, 2021, was a hefty negative ($70.1 million).
Sales and Marketing expenses as a percentage of total revenue have risen as revenue has increased; its Sales and Marketing efficiency rate was 1.4x in the most recent reporting period.
The market opportunity for selling fitness equipment is large and expected to grow at a low rate of growth.
The firm's subscription/membership approach has produced extremely high growth far in excess of the industry's growth rate as it appears to grab market share and expand the addressable market for integrated workout solutions that consumers want.
Morgan Stanley is the lead underwriter and IPOs led by the firm over the last 12-month period have generated an average return of 20.6% since their IPO. This is a mid-tier performance for all major underwriters during the period.
As for valuation, compared to partial competitor Peloton, the IPO is priced considerably lower in revenue multiple terms while the firm is growing at an only slightly slower rate of growth.
Expected IPO Pricing Date: October 5, 2021.
Tags: fitness, health, IFit, IPO, million, Readies, Stock
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When riding a bicycle in an upright position, a heavier cyclist puts much more load on the saddle. With this in mind we have built our extra sprung heavy duty saddles.
The B135 is one of our most suspended models, featuring double rear coil springs and a double loop front spring. The seating comfort is granted by the leather top, which has the same shape of our well known B66 model.
A lil old(er) fashioned than anticipated,but..
Only one...kinda, unlike my B-17 this saddle cannot mount to a modern saddle pin (my bike is a 2011 Surly LHT 700c) so I did have to order essentially a custom saddle pin that was sm enough for the saddle but big enough to lock into my seat tube.
Only other thing to note is the weight. If you're a gram counter, this Will Make you flinch.
Loved the quick delicery and of course excellent customer service. Love my new seat!
More comfortable than the gel saddle I had before. Way sexier, too. The combination of double springs in back and coil up front, plus the flexibility of the leather, serves to absorb bumps better than a rear suspension without the compromises of that.
None, really. You do need to keep it conditioned, but they also sell the stuff for that. You also want to keep it protected from rain, but that's easy enough to do. No one wants to sit on a wet saddle anyway!
I'll never go back to a traditional saddle.


This site began as an experiment. It was a place for people to visit if they needed motivation or, perhaps, training and nutrition tips. It was specific to triathlon, but the goal was to compose articles that could reach the "every man" (and the Ironman).
Smash-cut to 2019 (5 years later), and it has evolved into a space for meditations on travel, lifestyle, and optimal performance.
I've made no effort to monetize this site, so know that the links to products and services are not affiliate links. They are simply links to products and services that have made my life easier.
Travelers are global ambassadors. This blog is both a creative outlet and an attempt to reciprocate, for the travel community has given me so much.
Have a look around, and should you ever wish to chat, feel free to contact me.


Seemed to work like just any regular touchpad to me. For some reason, my right click makes a louder clicking sound than the left one. Notice the almost perfect mirror reflection from the glossy type screen when it is black or off which is somewhat exaggerated further due to cover still being on and bright light in the room view large image. Input and Output Ports: I called in to customer support to ask about the InstantON button that is provided on the keyboard. Back side view of Asus A8J view large image. The important specs for my A8Jm as configured:.
To add to that, some people have warned me that increasing the RPM might also reduce battery life and cause some more heat to be generated. All in all, there are 5 x USB 2. The screen is a widescreen I proceeded to email tech support again explaining the situation, and got another reply asking me to call the number and to talk to a specific person.
Furthermore, I found out that on A8 models with an integrated graphics card, the InstantON button works to load the non-Windows based media application. Left side view of Asus A8J view large image On the left side of the machine we have: The exception is if Merom indeed can be put into this machine, then I probably will upgrade.
There is also a scroll area on the right side of the touchpad, which simulates a mouse wheel. I did get a USB powered notebook cooler, so that might be the solution if I need to use this on my lap for extended periods of time. The battery supplied is a 6 cell, mAh battery. Asus A8Jm lid view view large image.
The important specs for my A8Jm as configured:. All other versions should have Bluetooth installed. I did call in, and talked to a support person.
I would really have appreciated the option to re-assign functions to these buttons. When I told him about the button, the guy seemed lost and insisted on calling it Audio DJ. Operating System and Software: After about 20 minutes or so, I got disconnected and the guy never called back. Notebook Time Asus A8Jm 1. Left side view of Asus A8J view large image. For some reason, my right asuz makes a louder clicking sound than the left one.
The only other sound I hear w8j from the optical drive when reading files my optical drive sometimes makes a clicking sound that disappears after a bit, looks like a problem with the optical drive, not the machine itself. Where and How Purchased: Asian and European models of the A8J series all come with Bluetooth installed internally.
The important specs for my A8Jm as configured: I bought this notebook from MilestonePC. Seemed to work like just any regular touchpad to me.
The touchpad is silver in color, the same as the windoas and cover.
The Synaptics touchpad device settings allows customization of the 4 corners of the touchpad to act as command buttons. Keyboard and touchpad view view large image. The only glaring exception is that for some reason ASUS decided to not include the internal Bluetooth module in the North American versions of this machine. Build and Design Asus A8Jm lid view view large image People have said the A8Jm is not as good looking as its higher end counterpart the W3J, but to me it looks quite nice.
Notice the almost perfect mirror reflection from the glossy type screen when it is black or off which is somewhat exaggerated further due to cover still being on and bright light in the room view large image. Ssus and Output Ports: And the answers I got from both guys seemed to contradict each other.


text:
class API2
  module Parsers
    # Parse floats for API.
    class FloatParser < Base
      FLOAT = /^(-?\d+(\.\d+)?|-?\.\d+)$/

      def parse(str)
        raise(BadParameterValue.new(str, :float)) unless FLOAT.match?(str)

        val = str.to_f
        limit = args[:limit]
        return val if !limit || limit.include?(val)

        raise(BadLimitedParameterValue.new(str, limit))
      end

      # Reduce trivial ranges to just a single value.
      def parse_range
        val = super || return
        val.begin == val.end ? val.begin : val
      end
    end
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


We never thought the day would come but demand has taken over and the time has come for us to venture into the world of blogging. We don't want it to be any old boring blog so feel free to suggest any ideas you would like to hear about. This blog is for you.
30 November 2016Christmas wishes can come true!
21 March 2016Will I get investigated by HMRC?
23 December 2015Christmas wishes can come true!
30 November 2015Christmas wishes can come true!
8 October 2015Should I be VAT registered?
5 August 2015What expenses can I claim?
12 May 2015Can I include half of my rent?


When filled with water allows Co2 gas to bubble out and prevents air from getting in. Enclosed design allows for slower evaporation from airlock bubble.
Bung does not fit my standard 5 gallon carboy as said by others. However I decided to just use these on one gallon jugs instead, and they work great :). I got another set for my 5 gallon carboy.
I am very happy. It was inexpensive and arrived in a couple of days. I have used it several times with no problems.
While the airlocks are standard, the bungs are terrible. They are very hard rubber and won't stay tight in the standard 5 gallon carboy that I have. Nor will they fit the gallon carboy. After being pushed into place, they slide up and lose their seal. This is due to the hardness of the rubber, and not the size of the bung. Skip this purchase and visit a home brew shop and get what you need, or settle for the balloon method. What a waste.


We highly recommend using valgrind http://www.mcs.anl.gov/petsc/documentation/faq.html#valgrind for finding memory problems. This is useful on systems that do not have valgrind, but much much less useful.
By defaults prints location where memory that is corrupted was allocated.


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Last updated 09:30, 9 December 2021
The Recovery and Resilience Grant scheme is currently closed for new expressions of interest.
The Recovery and Resilience Grant scheme offers match funding to local businesses to invest in new technologies, plant equipment or machinery to help businesses create employment opportunities. The grants are designed to build resilience for businesses that have been affected by Covid-19 by supporting investment projects that will create a significant, positive impact on the business's future.
The minimum grant amount that can be applied for is £5000, and the maximum grant available is £50,000.
The grants cover a maximum of 50% of the total price of a project and are designed to aid future recovery, and as such, there is a requirement for businesses to plan for jobs to be created as a result. As a guide, businesses are expected to create one job per £10,000 of grant.
* We regret that we cannot accept applications for building works relating to EOIs submitted after 30th September 2021
It's important that businesses are aware that funding is subject to availability and expressions of interest will be reviewed on a first come, first served basis. SEMLEP's Growth Hub reserves the right to close the Expression of Interest period at any point, depending on expressions of interest received. We strongly recommend completing the expression of interest at your earliest convenience.
Eligible businesses are invited to begin the application process during an Expression of Interest period. To be kept up to date on the scheme, please sign up to the SEMLEP's Growth Hub newsletter.
The Recovery and Resilience Grant scheme is currently closed for new expressions of interest. We apologise for any disappointment.
Expressions of interest already received will be dealt with in the order they are received. Once completed, a Business Adviser will be in touch to determine your eligibility and help with the application process.
Completed applications must have been submitted in full (including all additional documents) by midnight on 28 November 2021. Projects must be completed, paid for and claims submitted to SEMLEP by 14th February 2022
For more information, please refer to the Guidance Notes:
PDF: Recovery and Resilience Grants Guidance
To be eligible for grant funding, applicants must meet the following essential criteria:
Be an SME (employ less than 250 people and your turnover is less than EUR 50m or annual balance sheet less than EUR 43m).
Be a trading enterprise (and have at least 1 years' worth of accounts).
Be registered in the UK and have a base in the South East Midlands area (see list of Local Authorities above).
Be ready to invest or expand in the local area.
Must not have been a company 'in difficulty' on 31 December 2019.
Businesses that have already received a Recovery and Resilience grant can now apply for further funding, but the combined total cannot exceed £50,000, and the job creation expectations are as above. These businesses should put a new EOI in.
Must not be a repeat application, including from a linked company.
The Recovery and Resilience Grant Scheme is delivered by SEMLEP's Growth Hub and part-funded by the Getting Building Fund and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).


Hello and welcome to exampundit. Here are the Daily Current Affairs of 14 January, 2018. These are important for Syndicate Bank PGDBF, ECGC PO, SBI PO 2018 and IBPS Clerk Mains 2017.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday launched options trading in guar seed on the commodity bourse NCDEX and asserted that the new initiative will benefit farmers and ensure better prices in the coming days.
NCDEX is the second exchange after MCX to launch options trading in commodities. In October 2017, MCX had launched gold options. Guar seed is the first agri-commodity options.
Yara International on Friday announced the completion of its acquisition of the Tata Chemicals' urea business for Rs 2,682 crore.
The deal includes transfer of all assets and liabilities relating to the Babrala plant in Uttar Pradesh.
It is the first FDI in the urea sector. With this buyout, Yara gains a significant position in the North India, with access to a strong network of 650-700 dealers.
It will enable the company to provide enhanced crop nutrition solutions to farmers in North which has 31 million hectares of grain and 4 million hectares of horticulture crops. Yara's turnover which is currently around $40 million in India will increase to $350 million.
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the Economic Democracy Conclave organised by Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini at Thane, Maharashtra, today (January 14, 2018).
Speaking on the occasion, the President said that it is very important for our country and society to strengthen economic democracy through entrepreneurship. He praised the Prabodhini team for its contribution to strengthening the political, economic and social dimensions of our democracy for the past 35 years.
The President said that political democracy cannot be strong in the absence of economic and social democracy. Improvement in the economic condition of deprived sections is imperative. Many initiatives have been taken in our country with the aim of Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Samman, Sabka Utthan.
Vedanta's oil and gas vertical Cairn India is planning to invest Rs 370 billion to ramp up crude production at its Barmer oil fields in Rajasthan.
The investment will be made over the next few years, which will enhance the production of crude oil.
Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday inaugurated an Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) programme for Mangala-Bhagyam-Aishwarya (MBA) fields in Barmer.
The programme will help the company in achieving the production target of 500,000 barrels oil per day (BOPD) from the Barmer oil fields.
The union minister interacted with young engineers and also with a group of women petroleum engineers after launching the programme.
Cairn India CEO Sudhir Mathur said the company has proposed to double the output and MBA-EOR project will play a vital role in achieving the goal.
India and the UK have signed two agreements on return of Indians, who are living in Britain as illegal migrants, and sharing criminal records and intelligence.
The development comes close on heels of India seeking UK's help in early extradition of liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya from Britain to face the law at home in connection with cases of fraud and money laundering amounting to around Rs 9,000 crores.
The memorandums of understanding (MOUs) were signed by UK's Minister of Immigration Caroline Nokes and India's Minister of Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Thursday.
The new deals reflect increased co-operation between the two countries, which already enjoy a close relationship, according to a British government release issued here today.
Other interventions under the ambit of the agreement include hospital acquired infections and maternal and infant mortality, a J&J note said.
The collaboration would also look at infection prevention, diabetes, obesity and menstrual hygiene and support healthcare professionals and nurses in the State to develop skills in these areas.
On TB, public awareness campaigns would be run on multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) alongside with training on detection and treatment of the disease for healthcare workers.
The miners programme will also look at early diagnosis of TB among them and their families under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP).
The Centre is set to organise the seventh edition of the "Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav-2018" in Karnataka from January 14 to January 20.
"The Union Culture Ministry has decided to organise Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav under the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat matrix in Karnataka to celebrate the idea of unity in diversity," the government said in a statement.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma will inaugurate the 'Mahotsav' on January 14 at 7.30 pm at the Jnana Jyothi Auditorium on Palace Road in Bengaluru.
Under the "Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat" launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Karnataka has paired with Uttarakhand to organise various events. The Mahotsav will cover "a profusion of art forms" from classical and folk, music and dance, theatre to literature and the visual arts and would offer the chance to experience "the best in established and emerging virtuosity," the Culture Ministry said.
Film director, actor, and playwright Girish Karnad has been selected for the Ammannur Madhava Chakyar award instituted by the Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Akademi.
The award, which carries a purse of ₹3 lakh, was instituted by the akademi in 2010. However, it was stopped after a few years. The akademi resumed it last year.
Cultural Affairs Minister A.K. Balan will present the award to Mr. Karnad at the International Theatre Festival of Kerala (ITFoK) on January 26.
Palestine, Year – Zero will be the opening drama of the 10th edition of ITFoK, with the theme 'reclaiming the margins'.
Horror master Stephen King is set to receive the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award.
King will be honoured on May 22 at the 2018 PEN America Literary Gala, the same day his latest novel,The Outsiders, will release.
Having honoured acclaimed actor Soumitra Chatterjee with the "Legion of Honour" which is the highest order of merit in France, the French government will confer the award to the legendary actor at the 42nd Kolkata Book Fair on January 30.
The award will be presented by French culture minister Francoise Nyssen, who would be accompanied by a delegation of 10 top writers and publishers from her country, as the theme country for the international book fair this year is France.
Interestingly, the French delegation will also launch the Hindi version of the famed Asterix comic books, French ambassador Alexandre Ziegler said here on Monday at a press conference to announce the Indo-French endeavour under the ongoing BonjourIndia programme that ends in March this year after completing its joirney through 300 events in 33 cities across the country.
Chittagong University or CU will confer a DLitt or Doctor of Letters on former Indian president Pranab Mukherjee, the university's acting registrar Kamrul Huda has said.
During a syndicate meeting on Monday, the CU took the decision to recognise Mukherjee for his contributions to society and for being a genuine friend of Bangladesh, he told bdnews24.com.
Mukherjee will arrive at the CU on Jan 16 to receive the degree. He will visit Rauzan, the birthplace of Indian independence activist Master Da Surya Sen, and other spots bearing memories of the revolutionary in the port city the same day.
Hosts Assam Hockey rallied back from a 0-2 setback in the first half to beat Hockey Rajasthan 3-2 in the final of the 8th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship 2018 (B Division), here at the Hojai Hockey stadium on Sunday.
Playing in front of a boisterous audience, Hockey Rajasthan were quick to take the lead with five goals by Shivam (22′) and Romit Pal (31′) but the fightback by hosts Assam Hockey enthralled the local crowds as they began the second half with positive intent.
Their first breakthrough came in as Manish Sahani (39′) scored off a penalty stroke.


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Ectemnonotum buxtoni är en insektsart som först beskrevs av Butler 1877.  Ectemnonotum buxtoni ingår i släktet Ectemnonotum och familjen spottstritar. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Spottstritar
buxtoni

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


A Degree or master's degree in Corporate Secretaryship or Commerce Pass in the Final examination of the Institute of Cost and Works Accounts of India(ICWAI) or the Institute of Chartered Accountants(ICAI) of India or any other Accountancy Institution in India or abroad recognised as equivalent thereto by the Council.
A candidate who is eligible for exemption from the Foundation examination under clause (iii) stated above can seek registration as student. Such a candidate before becoming eligible for undergoing coaching for the Intermediate examination is required to undergo satisfactorily a course of postal or oral tuition for those subjects of the foundation examination which he had not studied at the graduate or post graduate level, after registration as a student.
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All the membrane is swelled even if the concentrations of molecules on upstream and downstream faces are different. The stationary regime is reached more rapidly and the permeation coefficient is higher then previously. In this case, the time-lag will allow to give a rough estimation of the mean diffusion coefficient because the membrane is already plasticized in its whole thickness at the beginning of the kinetics.


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Personality 2.0: What do user profiles in the social network studiVZ reveal about their owners?
Study of the Section of Personality and Psychological Assessment analyzes "Personality and the social perception in online social networks"
Online social networks such as Facebook or studiVZ, a German network for students, are being used to express and communicate real personality instead of an idealized virtual identity, according to new research from German and US scientists. "I was surprised by the findings because the widely held assumption is that people are using their profiles to promote an enhanced impression of themselves," psychologist Sam Gosling at the University of Texas at Austin says. "In fact, our findings suggest that online social networking profiles convey rather accurate images of the profile owners, either because people aren't trying to look good or because they are trying and failing to pull it off," mentions his colleague Mitja Back from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. "These findings suggest that online social networks are not so much about providing a positive spin for the profile owners," Gosling adds, "but are instead just another medium for engaging in genuine social interactions."
Gosling and Back collected with a team of researchers 236 profiles of college-aged people from the United States (Facebook) and Germany (studiVZ/meinVZ). The researchers used questionnaires to assess the profile owners' actual personality characteristics as well as their ideal-personality traits (how they wished to be). The personality traits included: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness.
In the study, observers rated the profiles of people they did not know. These ratings were then compared to the profile owners' actual personality and their ideal-personality. Personality impressions based on online social network profiles were accurate and were not affected by profile owners' self-idealization.
Accuracy was strongest for extraversion – paralleling results of face-to-face encounters – and lowest for neuroticism. These findings are consistent with previous research showing that neuroticism is difficult to detect without being in person.
The study presented confirms the important influence personality has on our daily life: "Be it our language or clothing, our behavior or our e-mail address, our office or bedroom, our taste in music or our online profile – all this reflects our personality," says Back. "I think that being able to express personality accurately contributes to the popularity of online social networks in two ways," says Gosling. "First, it allows profile owners to let others know who they are and, in doing so, satisfies a basic need to be known by others. Second, it means that profile viewers feel they can trust the information they glean from online social network profiles, building their confidence in the system as a whole." At present, there are about 700 million users of online networks.
Findings will be published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. Researchers include: Sam Gosling and Sam Gaddis (University of Texas at Austin, USA), Mitja Back, Juliane Stopfer and Boris Egloff (Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Germany), Simine Vazire (Washington University in St. Louis, USA), and Stefan Schmukle (Westfälische Wilhelms-University Münster, Germany).
Professor Dr. Mitja Back
Junior professor for Personality Psychology and Diagnostics


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Posts Tagged 'Macintosh'
Here's A Macintosh With A Touch Screen, Powered By An iPad
By Paul Morris | March 22nd, 2020
Here's a Macintosh with a touch screen, powered by an iPad. You can check out the video right here.
Watch iPhone Running iOS 13 Being Controlled By Original Macintosh Keyboard And Mouse
By Oliver Haslam | August 23rd, 2019
Here's a video of an iPhone X running iOS 13 being controlled by the original Macintosh keyboard and mouse. You can watch it right here.
Here's What The Original Macintosh Would Look Like If It Was Made In 2015 [Video]
By Zayed Rehman | January 15th, 2015
What if Apple was to reproduce the original Macintosh in 2015, 31 years later? Looks like the designers at Curved Labs have the answer. Head on after the jump to read all about it.
Check Out This Rare Apple Commercial For The Original Macintosh From 1983 [VIDEO]
By Ben Reid | August 11th, 2012
When we talk about Apple, the first products springing to mind are the MacBooks, iPhones, iPads, and iPods, devices of which have all had a hugely significant impact on their respective markets over the past 10-12 years. That said, before the last decade, Apple was nothing more than a computer company, competing with fierce rivals Microsoft while creating plenty of innovations of its own.


Another year but you and Eddie are never forgotten and always loved. Safe, happy, healthy in heaven waiting one day to be reunited with your Mom.
Happy 4 years at the bridge, Sarah Anne. You are always loved, you and Eddy. Though no longer here on earth, your spirit remains to help your mom as she continues down life's road, a road that will one day reunite you, Eddy, and your mom.
I still say good night to Harry, and Baby Kitty, every single night, as I pet their urns. And, I kiss their picture before I go to bed. I think these rituals we do help us as we continue our life. I know they will always be with you, it doesn't matter where you live.
Have a wonderful four year over the Bridge-day. You and Ed are so loved by your mom and she misses you both so very much. Thank you for visiting her you make her day when you do. Look over her as you always do and one day you all will be together again.
Linda, I hope Beau & Frances are doing well.
What a lovely tribute to Sarah Ann, so full of your devoted love to her and her brother Eddie who I know also left on the 4th day of the month ten months after she did. I brought a lump to my throat reading that you are kissing their urns morning and night, an ongoing ritual of your devotion.
Happy 4 year Bridge Day, Sarah Ann. We know you had a wonderful day with all of your friends, but still wish you were here.
Wishes for a fun and happy bridgeday to your precious Sarah Ann.
I can't believe that "somehow" four years have passed. How is that possible? In the early days it is hard to believe that we will make it through 24 hours without our special baby, much less four years.
To me the ability to make it this far is a true testament to your strong love and amazing memories of Sarah Ann (and Eddie of course!). Their love will always be enough to give you the strength for another day.
I have NO doubt that both Sarah Ann and Eddie are near and helping with your so special two boys at home. AND always always sending their love to their one and only mommy.
InMemoryOfRascal (and Rambo) forever loved!
Thank you all so much for replying to my post and thinking of Sarah Ann and I on her Bridgeday. I haven't been here in a long time. I've lost touch with you all. But, please know that I haven't forgotten you, my dear friends, or your beautiful babies.
I miss you all. I pray for you and your furkids and will try to come back here a bit more. You, my friends, got me through many a day where I thought I couldn't bear to live. You took me through Eddie's death, Sarah's last year and death, and supported me with my Beau and Fran, who both have life long illnesses. And, I will never, ever forget how you helped me save Beau's life. I am forever grateful. I am so fortunate. This place, and you all, saved me.
I send much love, hugs, and prayers to all of you, and your family and friends.
Well, Baby Girl, it's five years, today, that you had to leave me. Last night, I was thinking about our last night. All those years ago. I wanted so badly to take your illness and fear away. I tried so hard. But, could tell I was failing. You tried to comfort me with those big, lovely eyes of yours. My brave girl, thinking of mr when it was you who was leaving.
A little over eighteen years we had together. You, Eddie, and I against the world. They were the best years of my life. The world has never been the same without you and Eddie. Never. I'm lost without you two and always will be. My two babies. Oh, what joy you brought into my life. You made a very sad person feel loved and not alone.
I never even finished your part on the website, nor put the final words in your book. I can't. You see, when Eddie passed I was so lost but it was you that grounded me. Then, you got so ill, soon after. I can't finish writing in those things. It feels like, if I do, you are both gone forever. Maybe, one day, I can finish at least your tribute. I just don't want to say goodbye, all over again.
I know you see me kissing both of your urns, twice a day. I know you're not there but it's the only place I can go to do that. One day, it won't be there.....I'll be able to kiss that little sweet face and hold you in my arms.
Until then, my love, I will keep you in my heart. Nothing can take you away from there.
I love you, my beautiful Sarah Ann McInnis. Thank you so much for sharing your life with me. Long may you run.
Sweet Sarah, so beautiful and so very loved. Hard to believe it has been 5 years. I remember that day so well - I remember the months leading up to it. You fought so hard to stay with your mommy as long as possible, like my Rambo (who I know you have now met!) that fight was more for your mom than for you. You, your brother and your mom were quite the trio! You two were the very best for her - and was the bestest mommy in the whole world for you. 18 years together may seem like a long time but absolutely it is never long enough.
Maybe you and Eddie could find some time on your party day to come pay a visit to your mom! I hope that my Rascal and Rambo are celebrating your party day with you!
Sarah Anne, I know how much your mom misses you. And the love your mom has for you and Eddy is eternal, a love that will never end. I hope that you had a great day on your bridgeday, but, you took some time to visit your mom. I know these visits are so special. These dream visits where you all are together, and your mom gets to hold you and shower you with all the love she has for you. Please visit her soon.
We all have these rituals, I give Harry's urn a pet each night, and kiss his picture. It is my nightly ritual to say good night to those that are waiting for me. I guess it becomes our new normal.
Today is the day Eddie left me. You had to go just ten months after him, on the fourth of the month, just like Ed. Oh, honey, I couldn't bear losing you both. I had to go on, but life has been so hard, without you. You two gave me the best years of my life. Thank you, Sarah. You also taught me love., just like your brother did. You two were my life, my love, my happiness. You still are. It's just lonely here, without you. But, I hold you both in my heart and think of you, every single day. I can not wait to see you, again. That is going to be the best day, ever. Until then, I am happy knowing you and Eddie are together......then I will be with you, too.
Thank you for everything, baby girl. I love you.
I miss and love you so very much. Today Eddie left us and you were not far behind. I did not want to be here, any longer, but had to walk on alone. I miss you two so much. My 2 babies. Come back. I know you visit and that means the world to me. But, I need to hold you, kiss you. I wish you didnt have to leave. My princess. My baby girl. Thank you for picking me to be your Mommy. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for being such a wonderful daughter.
I love you to the moon and back again.


Would you fire somebody if they drank the last drop of milk in the office?
In today's work environment the pace of life seems to be getting faster and faster. Work and study pressures can all increase the amount of time that we spend at work.
I must admit that I need a coffee in the morning before I'm fully up to working speed.
That kick of caffeine always seems to help get my brain into gear.
Over in the States though it's been reported that Keith Zakheim, the president of multimillion dollar PR firm Beckerman PR, was a little upset when he got into the office early only to find… (in fact this is so bad that I'm finding it difficult to write)… but he found that there was… wait for it… no milk left in the fridge to go with his coffee.
I have repeatedly requested until I am blue in the face that the person that finishes the milk must replace the milk. Its not complicated and is a simple sign of respect for fellow employees.
So, imagine my chagrin this morning when I stumbled in at 715 … only to find that the skim milk in the refrigerator had three drops of milk left. Literally 3 drops, an amount that would maybe fill the tummy of a prematurely born mouse. The person that did this is either incredibly lazy, obnoxiously selfish or woefully devoid of intelligence – 3 traits that are consistent with the profile of FORMER Beckerman employees.
As you can tell from the tenor of this email, I am not happy and at my wits end … and I have repeatedly beseeched you to replace the supplies that you consume – whether its pencils, paper, or MILK. This costs you nothing – I pay for it! Yet, it is still repeatedly ignored.
So, I am gravely serious when I write this – if I catch someone not replacing the milk, or at least, in the case where the downstairs store has close already, not sending an email to the office so the first person that arrives (usually Christa or me) can pick one up upon arrival – then I am going to fire you. Im not joking. You will be fired for not replacing the milk, and have fun explaining that one to your next employer. This is not a empty threat so PLEASE don't test me.
99% of this office consists of great people that work hard, treat their employes with respect, and understand that they are part of something that is bigger than them. However, there seems to be a small element that doesn't understand this. So its time that they do or else they should start refreshing their resume.
For those of you who have worked for me for years, you know this is not my style so PLEASE take this seriously!
It's not been reported what happened when Mr Zakheim subsequently went to the biscuit tin and found there were no biscuits in it.
https://www.theexpgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/styleguide-EXP-4.png 0 0 Steve Crossman https://www.theexpgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/styleguide-EXP-4.png Steve Crossman2011-09-30 16:51:092011-09-30 16:51:09Would you fire somebody if they drank the last drop of milk in the office?
How would you feel if you were called a liar on Oracle's website?
Meet two companies – Oracle and Autonomy.
A lot of you will probably have heard of Oracle but probably less of you have heard of Autonomy.
Oracle is a business software and hardware systems company whilst Autonomy develops search software.
Oracle's Chief Executive is Larry Ellison and Autonomy's Chief executive is Mike Lynch.
Interestingly enough Oracle's CEO has recently accused Mr Lynch of lying or in his words of telling "whoppers".
So, what's the story behind all of this?
The story began a couple of weeks ago when Oracle's Elison said that he thought Hewlett Packard had overpaid when they had paid £7bn to buy Autonomy and that Mike Lynch from Autonomy had earlier this year offered to sell Autonomy to Oracle but Oracle had turned it down as they felt it was too much.
Autonomy's Lynch then said that any discussion of him talking to Oracle about them purchasing Autonomy was "inaccurate".
Now the previous sentence is quite important as seeing that Autonomy was quoted on the London Stock Exchange, if there was any kind of sales process taking place then Autonomy were required to notify the Stock Exchange about it.
No such notification took place.
After Mr Lynch said that any talk of him discussing a potential sale to Oracle was inaccurate, Oracle responded in quite a dramatic way.
They posted a statement on their website (with the nice webpage address of Oracle.com/PleaseBuyAutonomy) and they didn't hold back.
Amongst other things, they released PowerPoint slides of the meeting that Mr Lynch attended and the Oracle statement is entitled "Another Whopper from Autonomy CEO Mike Lynch".
"Autonomy CEO Mike Lynch continues to insist that Autonomy was never 'shopped' to Oracle. But now at least he remembers and admits to meeting with Oracle President Mark Hurd and Doug Kehring, Oracle's head of M&A, this past April. But CEO Lynch insists that it was a purely technical meeting, limited to a 'lively discussion of database technologies.' Interesting, but not true. The slides Lynch showed Oracle's Mark Hurd and Doug Kehring were all about Autonomy's financial results, Autonomy's stock price history, Autonomy's Price/Earnings history and Autonomy's stock market valuation. Ably assisting Mike Lynch's attempt to sell Autonomy to Oracle was Silicon Valley's most famous shopper/seller of companies, the legendary investment banker Frank Quattrone. After the sales pitch was over, Oracle refused to make an offer because Autonomy's current market value of $6 billion was way too high.
We have put Mike Lynch's PowerPoint slide sales-pitch up on the Oracle website – Oracle.com/PleaseBuyAutonomy – with the hope Mike Lynch will recognize his slides, his memory will be restored, and he will recall what he and Frank Quattrone discussed during their visit to Oracle last April. Yesterday, the Autonomy CEO did not remember having any meeting with Oracle. Today, he remembers the April meeting and inaccurately describes how it came about and what was discussed.
The Statement continued but the key message appears to be that the two individuals are probably not the best of friends and somehow I don't think the two CEOs will be sending each other Christmas cards this year.
https://www.theexpgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/styleguide-EXP-4.png 0 0 Steve Crossman https://www.theexpgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/styleguide-EXP-4.png Steve Crossman2011-09-28 22:31:112011-09-28 22:31:11How would you feel if you were called a liar on Oracle's website?
You probably haven't heard of the lady by her name but you have without a doubt seen her most famous piece of work.
40 years ago Carolyn Davidson was paid the princely sum of $35 for the design of a logo.
That logo was the Nike Swoosh and it has gone on to become one of the most famous logos in history.
Nike has just released their latest set of financial results and for the 3 months to 31 August 2011 they made an impressive net profit of $645 million. Despite a global recession Nike has increased profits by a healthy 15% on the same quarter last year.
Their revenues showed an even more impressive increase, rising 18% to a quarterly figure of $6.1 billion.
The fact that sales increased by 18% but profit only increased by 15% indicates that costs increased and Nike stated that costs had increased due to higher raw material prices.
Nike is the world's largest sports shoe and clothing maker and the latest set of results emphasised its global business. Sales improved in nearly all the markets that they operate in. There were especially strong gains in the US, India and China.
North America is Nike's biggest market with sales rising 16% to $2.2 billion but the emerging markets are quickly catching up with revenue from this area rising 35% to nearly $800 million.
So, what will the results look like for the corresponding quarter next year?
Well, with the 2012 Olympics taking place my guess is that the results for Nike will look pretty sporting.
https://www.theexpgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/styleguide-EXP-4.png 0 0 Steve Crossman https://www.theexpgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/styleguide-EXP-4.png Steve Crossman2011-09-23 09:46:422011-09-23 09:46:42So, how well are Nike doing?
What would you do if your credit card balance was this big?
Sometimes it's difficult to get a feel for economics and the concepts and amounts involved.
A friend sent me an email that's doing the rounds on the internet and it emphasises rather nicely the issues behind the financial problems that the US currently faces.
It moves away from "grown up economic terms" to instead use an example about the US financial problems which people will find easy to understand.
They may also however find it a bit shocking.
There. It's easy. Who said economics was difficult?
Now, how do we go about extending the credit card limit again?
https://www.theexpgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/styleguide-EXP-4.png 0 0 Steve Crossman https://www.theexpgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/styleguide-EXP-4.png Steve Crossman2011-09-19 03:50:562011-09-19 03:50:56What would you do if your credit card balance was this big?
What is about 20% of your height and could make some companies very happy?
Here's a good question – what is about 20% of your height and could help a number of fashion companies to increase their sales by a significant amount?
The answer is a "mini-me".
Top fashion brands such as Burberry, Barbour jackets and Ugg boots have all seen increases in sales of certain items of clothing recently and some people are putting it down to the ex-Spice Girls singer, model and husband to David, Victoria Beckham.
Mrs. Beckham recently took time out from shopping to give birth to a baby daughter called Harper.
Photos in the press show that baby Harper is not only a cute looking baby but that she also follows her mum in the fashion stakes.
Now whilst Harper is only a few weeks old and therefore doesn't get overly involved in detailed discussions with her mum as to what she will wear, the photos show that mother and daughter are wearing matching outfits.
This has resulted in a boom for sales of "mini-me clothing".
A fashionable mum who owns a Burberry trench coat for example can now buy a mini version of exactly the same coat for her young daughter for £375.
If mum wears the trendy Australian Ugg shoes then the lucky baby daughter can also own her own pair for £104.
Anyone with young children will appreciate that they grow at a remarkable rate and this got the accountant in me thinking about the "cost per hour of use ratios" that will apply to these clothes purchases.
https://www.theexpgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/styleguide-EXP-4.png 0 0 Steve Crossman https://www.theexpgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/styleguide-EXP-4.png Steve Crossman2011-09-14 22:01:322011-09-14 22:01:32What is about 20% of your height and could make some companies very happy?
Share incentive schemes are a good way to motivate and reward senior executive employees.
As far as I'm aware though there are very few supermarket checkout operators that find themselves eligible for £100,000 worth of company shares as part of their remuneration package.
Mr Jeffrey Adams who worked on the checkout at Tesco's Burton-on-Trent store in the UK though thought otherwise.
Back in 2002 he received some 44,000 shares in Tesco's from the company that runs Tesco's executive remuneration share plan.
These were meant for Mr Adams but alas not the Mr Jeffrey Adams that worked at the checkout in Burton-on-Trent but instead, Mr Jeff Adams who is the Chief Operating Officer of Tesco's Fresh and Easy business in America.
Now what did Mr Adams (the checkout operator) do when he received the shares?
Did he do he honest thing and report it to his employees straight away?
Instead he sold the shares and made a profit of £100,000.
His ill-gotten gain remained secret for 7 years until Mr Adams (the Chief Operating Officer) tried to cash them in and found that the shares were nowhere to be found.
Mr Adams (the checkout operator) didn't really appreciate the paper trail that exists when shares are sold and when he was arrested he claimed that they were left to him by his grandfather.
Mr Adams (the checkout operator) no longer works for Tesco and was last week jailed.
Will you drive your customers towards you?
Now this is an interesting one and emphasises the importance of proper proof reading in job adverts.
The Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen University Hospital recently placed a job advert on the UK's National Health Service website.
"Applications are invited … to work at this large University teaching hospital".
"the usual rubbish about equal opportunities".
The mistake was a reference to the organisation's equal opportunities policy and was quickly deleted and replaced with their standard wording about equal opportunities.
This looks suspiciously like a situation where somebody was dictating the advert to a secretary who then typed it out word for word without noticing the phrase.
Now, I wonder who will get the blame for the error. The manager that dictated it or the secretary that typed it?
Is this the Next face of the future?


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Heineken announces plans to invest US$58.25m in UK pubs
June 18, 2018 Food Business Africa
UK – Heineken, the world's second largest brewer, has announced plans to pour US$58.25 million into the UK's struggling pubs to fund fund 140 projects and upgrades.
According to the company, its British arm will invest the money into around 500 of the 2,900 pubs owned by its Star Pubs & Bars unit, with the aim of creating 1,000 jobs.
"We believe that our commitment to investment, and understanding of consumer trends, will help our licensees' businesses to keep growing and ensure that the great British pub remains at the heart of British life for generations to come," said David Fordem, UK managing director of Heineken.
Like many retailers on the UK high street, pubs have had a difficult start to the year, exacerbating a longer-term trend in which many local pubs have fallen on hard times.
Since January 2012, nearly 2,300 pubs have closed, and UK beer sales in pubs fell by nearly half between 2000 and 2016.
Earlier this month, rating agency Fitch said the pub sector was "highly exposed" to rising labour, food and energy costs.
The UK business secretary Greg Clark described the Dutch brewer's investment plan as a "vote of confidence" in the UK economy.
"From pop-up breweries to historic watering holes, pubs are at the heart of communities and play a vital role in local economies," he added.
Heineken's shares reached a record high in January, and in February the group reported better than expected full-year revenues and profits despite unfavourable currency movements.
In its first-quarter results published in April, the group said total UK beer sales were down "mid-single digit," but globally had risen by 4.3 per cent.
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Life is perfect. The expression of life is perfect. The world where we live is perfect.
Well, I know, this may seem a bit odd. There are so many things we would like to change in the world around us, and in our life.
Ok, I may sound totally crazy. But really I stick to what I´ve said. The world IS perfect. And it's very important for me to use the present time, and not the future like, the world is going to be perfect, when this and that, and after this and that. Yes, and in this simple affirmation, I also pretend healing my craziness and express my freedom.
The puzzle is quite simple, actually. In his almighty knowledge, God (or whatever name you want to call the principle of life), knows how to create only one thing, that is, perfection which is also love.
Well, the answer to this is quite simple as well. Not a single part of this actually exists!
But let's add one more item to our recipe and we are done. Well, we may perceive a lot of things happening. And as we perceive, we tend to judge them, and to believe in our judgment, which has nothing to do with what happened in itself.
This one is easy again, everything is happening because we create it! We are the creators, and our beliefs and thoughts are just as powerful as God's ones. The only difference is that they don´t really exist when they are not an expression of love. On the contrary, when they are the love we are, they make part of reality, this is what we call co-creation.
And don´t forget that, to perceive something, we need to first believe in it. Believing in only love and perfection, cannot fail in manifesting anything but love and perfection.
So, let´s not be afraid of the world and of what´s happening because, first anything that is not love is not real, and also because this would only strengthen the illusion of fear. Let´s not be afraid of what we´re doing; in any case, the only thing we can really create is love.


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Екатери́на (Катерина) Леони́довна Ковальчу́к (род. 20 февраля 1993, Сыктывкар, Россия) — российская актриса театра и кино.

Биография
Екатерина родилась 20 февраля 1993 года в Сыктывкаре, где и выросла. Сестра — Анна Ковальчук.

По окончании школы переехала в Санкт-Петербург к отцу, с которым не была знакома до 17 лет, и поступила в Санкт-Петербургский институт гуманитарного образования (курс Ивана Краско). Окончила обучение в 2015 году.

Творчество
Театром Екатерина увлеклась ещё в институте, где и сыграла первые роли. В кино свои первые шаги сделала в Голливуде, сыграв главную роль в короткометражном фильме «Рядовой» 2015 года.

Фильмография
 2015 — «Рядовой» — Кладмен
 2016 — «Ментовские войны» / «Доверенное лицо» — Жанна Снежкова
 2016 — «Измена» — Даша
 2017 — «Чудотворная» — Агафья
 2017 — «Hardin» — Хелен МьРоуз
 2017 — «Министерство» — Яна
 2017 — «Исступление» — Глория
 2018 — «Две сестры» — Антонина
 2019 — «Крепостная» — крепостная Екатерина Вербицкая
 2020 — «Гусар» — Катя (главная роль)
 2020 — «Беспринципные» — Алиса
 2022 — «Наследие» — Лидия
 2022 — «На страже пляжа», сериал — Диана Нечаева, капитан полиции (главная роль).

Роли в театре
 «Август: Графство Осейдж» — Вайолет
 «Травести» — Карр, Беннет, Тцара, Сесили Гвендолен
 «Семь мисок, семь ложек» — Баба Люся
 «Фантазии Фарятьева» — Любочка
 «Хористка» — Барыня

Примечания

Ссылки

 Екатерина Ковальчук: Биография, творчество и новости об актрисе  // СТБ
 Екатерина Ковальчук: Актриса театра и кино  // VOD-платформа StarLightMedia «Teleportal»
 «Золушке повезло, а мне досталось трудом», — актрису Екатерину Ковальчук не узнают на улицах Сыктывкара, но приглашают на главные роли в Голливуд  / Комсомольская правда

Выпускники вузов Санкт-Петербурга
Актрисы театра России
Актрисы телевидения России
Актрисы России
Актрисы XXI века


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New Jersey Hits Uber With $650 Million Tax Bill; Stock Slides
Two months after Uber decided to ignore new ignore new California legislation requiring companies to reclassify contract workers as employees - a measure which would affect up to one million residents who work as contractors and drastically impact Uber's bottom line - more states are lining up to demand a pound of flesh from the world's formerly most valuable startup (and subsequently one of the year's worst IPOs).
On Thursday, New Jersey picked up where California left off and found that Uber owes the state about $650 million in unemployment and disability insurance taxes because the rideshare company has been misclassifying drivers as independent contractors, the state's labor department said.
As Bloomberg reports, Uber and its subsidiary Rasier LLC were assessed $523 million in past-due taxes over the last four years, the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development said in a pair of letters to the companies. The rideshare businesses also are on the hook for as much as $119 million in interest and penalties on the unpaid amounts, according to other internal department documents.
The New Jersey labor department has been after Uber for unpaid employment taxes for at least four years, according to the documents, which Bloomberg Law obtained through an open public records request. The legal battle goes back to 2015, when New Jersey first informed Uber that it had obtained a court judgment ordering the company to pay about $54 million in overdue unemployment and temporary disability insurance contributions. It's not clear whether the company ever paid any of that bill.
While the debate over whether an Uber driver is an employee or an independent contractor will have profound implications for the coming years across the US, in New Jersey the state's determination was limited to unemployment and disability insurance, but it could also mean that Uber is required to pay drivers minimum wages and overtime under state law.
As a result, if ride-sharing companies are forced to reclassify workers as employees, Uber's and Lyft's costs per driver could jump by more than 20%, Bloomberg calculated.
To be sure, the ridesharers' rapid success is emerging as their biggest enemy as states are now scrambling to extract as much cash from the business models. And there is no greater threat than having to reclassify workers - the biggest expense - from contractors to full-time employees. As such, the NJ notice marks the latest attack on the rideshare companies' business model, which treats drivers as self-employed entrepreneurs rather than employees — a classification that deprives the workers of certain benefits.
As we discussed in September, Uber and Lyft pledged $30 million each to fight a new California law that is expected to force them to reclassify drivers as employees. They're also prepping for a similar lobbying battle in New York, where lawmakers are planning to take up gig worker legislation next year. They will end up having to spend far, far more if they hope to prevail as the windfall to the state, as NJ just showed, could approach a billion dollars.
In fact, if taken to an extreme, such accrued obligations could cripple the companies.
"I expect we may see more of this," Shannon Liss-Riordan, an attorney who has sued Uber on behalf of drivers in California and Massachusetts, said of New Jersey's tax claim against Uber. "Uber and Lyft, by misclassifying drivers, are harming not only the drivers but also the states and the public at large. The money that they're not paying into the unemployment and disability systems is being picked up by the states and the taxpayers."
When reached by Bloomberg, the NJ state labor department declined to comment on the Uber situation, but Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo said in a prepared statement that "cracking down on employee misclassification" is a "priority" for Gov. Phil Murphy's (D) administration.
"For those who say properly enforcing our unemployment laws will stifle worker flexibility, let's be clear: there is no reason temporary, or on-demand workers can't be treated like other employees who work flexible hours for short durations," Asaro-Angelo said.
In response to the news, Uber stock dropped more than 2%, sliding back to its post-IPO, all-time lows hit last week when the company reported a huge loss, and insiders started to sell stocks.


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Habitat destruction is defined as the changing of a natural environment which causes difficulties for local flora and fauna to survive. From the collection of firewood to the demolition of rainforests to create croplands, millions of acres of habitats are lost on a regular basis. Even a degradation of habitat can cause flora and fauna loss.
As humanity grows and continues to require space, is it also possible to implement solutions to habitation destruction that are cost-effective and meaningful? Here are some ideas that could make a meaningful difference.
In Costa Rica, more than one-quarter of its national territory has been listed as protected lands. This has been done in order to preserve the natural habitats within the nation's borders so biodiversity levels can continue to exist.
2. Offer land management solutions.
Zoning can also be an effective method of land management. This is because zoning dictates specifically how a certain area of land can be used. We often think of zoning as being residential, commercial, or industrial, but the creation of a National Park, State Park, or similar reserve is also a form of zoning that can prevent habitat destruction.
3. Monitor and test water quality.
Even when the physical structure of a habitat is being preserved, the habitat may be being destroyed from within. This is due to the quality of water that is available to those who call the area home. By monitoring water quality levels, performing regular sampling and testing, and then working to improve damaged areas, a habitat can begin the journey toward recovery.
4. Publication of habitat loss.
For many people, the idea of habitat loss is one that does not enter their mind unless it affects them personally in some way. Through journalistic activities that report on habitat destruction, a greater public awareness of the issues being faced can be obtained. Through greater awareness comes more focused actions to preserve a habitat so it won't be destroyed.
5. Manage existing lands in a proper way.
A good example of this comes from the logging industry. In the past, clearcutting was considered a viable solution to the commercial need for wood. The only problem was that clearcutting altered the habitat in many ways, such as through soil erosion, and it could take up to 50 years to restore the land. By using forestry management techniques, local habitats could still be protected while commercial needs were still met.
6. Only use what is needed.
The primary reason why habitats are destroyed is because we are consuming resources. By limiting waste within our resource chain, we create a similar limitation in the area of habitat destruction.
When we focus on education and personal action, then we have effective solutions to habitat destruction that can create a meaningful impact on local, national, and global scales. Sometimes helping a habitat may be as simple as turning off a light. It might also mean setting aside lands that are 100% protected from exploitation. Our planet is diverse. These steps can help us make sure it stays that way.