text:
The truth hurts! A brutally honest car ad penned by a desperate dealer
by Car Dealer Magazine
WHEN a car dealer in Merseyside found himself struggling to sell a BMW in desperate need of TLC, he resorted to publicising a brutally honest advert about the car's condition.
Richard Harris, sales manager at Classic Cars in Wirral, was so shocked by the state of the trade-in 1998 BMW 318 that he struggled to find any positive features about the vehicle.
Consequently, he labeled it as a rusty 'chav chariot' and a 'piece of crap'.
In the advert, listed on eBay, Harris admitted that the 318 was fitted with tyres that 'come from countries that no longer exist' and a loud exhaust 'that sounds like a fart in the bath'.
He said he wanted potential buyers to 'grasp the full horror of the car's condition'.
Listed as 'the worst BMW on eBay', and accompanied by a wealth of images, the 318 racked up more than 35 bids for £220.00 on the auction site – pretty impressive for a car of little value.
In the ad, Harris said: 'I'm not sure I have the time or inclination to go through the full ins and outs of this piece of crap, so if in doubt please presume all parts of the car are either broken, rusty, or covered in some kind of dubious residue. That way you won't be disappointed. Actually you probably will.'
Harris also informed bidders than 'it looks like someone has painted the original headlining matt black and then eaten their dinner off it'.
He told the Daily Mail: 'The wording of the advert comes out of the frustration of people's high expectations of unloved, abused cars they have bought. I just needed to make sure they grasped the full horror of this car's condition, and aroma.
'Based on the views we've got, we'll probably do more ads like this in the future. Honesty is the best policy.'
We'll announce the grand total the 318 sold for as soon as we receive the details.
The full advert read:
'Just 15 owners from new!! Are you ready to be lucky number 16? I'm not sure I have the time or inclination to go through the full ins and outs of this piece of crap so if in doubt please presume all parts of the car are either broken, rusty, or covered in some kind of dubious residue. That way you won't be disappointed. Actually you probably will.
I have added as many photos as possible to give an insight into this cars overall condition and appearance. Other points to note are the texture of the headlining. This was described to me as a special acoustic material designed to enhance bass at a cost of £300. To me it looks like someone has painted the original headlining matt black and then eaten their dinner off it. Other than the fact that the leather is in good condition the interior is generally not a nice place to be.
Externally there is rust/damage to most panels. While the front wings may look like they are securely attached to the car they are in fact flapping gaily in the spring breeze that we have today. They may break free at any time. The wheels, while giving the impression of a Nurburgring race car are disappointing in appearance and add nothing to the aesthetics of the car. When selecting tyres the previous owner used the thinking that variety is the spice of life.
They are all of various wear levels and some of the countries they have come from no longer exist so please presume they require replacement. Pressing on with the virtual tour to the engine bay it is clear that the person who maintained the cars physical appearance has used much the same skill set with the mechanical upkeep of this article. The cold air induction kit has been installed by a deranged chimp with a gun to his head such is the panache and engineering consideration involved. It has a loud exhaust that sounds like a fart in a bath.
When starting this machine one has to operate the ignition switch and steering lock separately. I'm not going to lie, this is a right pain in the arse. You can only unlock the car on the passenger door and only lock on the driver's door. This is an equal pain in the arse.
We have the V5, 1 disgusting sticky key with a broken case and a CLEAR HPI CERTIFICATE!! I KNOW!! I was surprised too!!'
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Car dealers denied claims under business interruption policies could now get pay-outs after Supreme Court ruling
U-turn over 'perverse' VAT anomaly for Northern Ireland used car dealers is welcomed
Carwow cuts group losses to £13.8m but warns of possible decline because of Brexit
Dacia Sandero announced as 2021 What Car? Car of the Year
Thieves caught on CCTV as they take £2,000 cover from Nissan Navara at used car dealership


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SEC vs. Akazoo
Hindenburg Research
1. * Not admitted in SDNY, pro hac vice application filed herewith. MATTHEW J. GULDE* guldem@sec.gov SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 801 Cherry Street, Suite 1900 Fort Worth, Texas 76102 (817) 978-1410 (mjg) UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, Plaintiff, vs. AKAZOO S.A., Defendant. 20 Civ. ________ (_____) JURY TRIAL DEMANDED ECF CASE COMPLAINT Plaintiff Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), for its Complaint against Akazoo S.A. ("Defendant," "Akazoo," or "the Company"), alleges as follows: I. SUMMARY OF THE ACTION 1. Over a multi-year period spanning its existence as a private and then public entity, Akazoo defrauded multiple groups of investors out of millions of dollars. It claimed to be a rapidly growing music streaming company focused on emerging markets with millions of paying monthly subscribers and over €105 million (or $124 million) in annual revenue. In reality, as it recently admitted in a public filing with the SEC, the Nasdaq-listed company had no paying users and negligible, if any, revenue. Case 1:20-cv-08101 Document 1 Filed 09/30/20 Page 1 of 14
2. 2 2. Akazoo is the product of a 2019 business combination between (a) Akazoo Limited ("Old Akazoo"), a purported subscription-based online music streaming company formed in 2010 and (b) Modern Media Acquisition Corp. ("MMAC"), a special purpose acquisition company. When Akazoo took its current form, the Company held $54.8 million in investor funds as a result of the business combination: $14.2 million from MMAC's shareholders and another $40.6 million from accredited investors (individuals and institutions) through a private investment in public equity ("PIPE") offering at the time of the combination. The Company obtained these investor funds by grossly misrepresenting the nature and success of its music streaming business. 3. The Company continued to mislead the public while its shares were traded on the Nasdaq from September 2019 to May 2020. Among other things, Akazoo claimed €64.5 million in revenue in the first half of 2019 and €15.6 million in gross profit based on thriving operations in 25 countries. In reality, Akazoo generated at most negligible revenue, operated in only a few countries, and its only significant source of funds was the $54.8 million it had raised from investors. 4. After a short-seller report exposed the Company's fraud in April 2020, Akazoo's Board initiated an internal investigation of the Company's operations. On May 21, 2020, Akazoo described the results of the internal investigation in a Form 6-K filed with the SEC, admitting that "former members of Akazoo's management team and associates defrauded Akazoo's investors…by materially misrepresenting Akazoo's business, operations, and financial results as part of a multi-year fraud." Additionally, Akazoo admitted that it had only negligible revenue and subscribers, its historical financial statements were materially false and misleading, and "former members of Akazoo management and associates participated in a sophisticated Case 1:20-cv-08101 Document 1 Filed 09/30/20 Page 2 of 14
3. 3 scheme to falsify Akazoo's books and records[.]" As a result of the conduct by Akazoo's former management team, and as described in its public filings, Akazoo defrauded its investors and violated the federal securities laws. 5. On May 1, 2020, the Nasdaq halted trading in Akazoo's stock, whose price had fallen from a high of $7.49 in the weeks following its formation in September 2019 to $1.16 when trading stopped. On June 2, 2020, the Nasdaq delisted Akazoo's stock. As of the date of this filing, Akazoo has depleted more than $23 million of investor funds and currently holds approximately $31.5 million. II. NATURE OF THE PROCEEDINGS AND RELIEF SOUGHT 6. The SEC brings this action under Section 20(b) of the Securities Act of 1933 ("Securities Act") [15 U.S.C. § 77t(b)] and Section 21(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Exchange Act") [15 U.S.C. § 78u(d)]. The SEC seeks permanent injunctions against the Defendant, enjoining it from committing future violations of the securities-law provisions identified in this Complaint, and disgorgement of all ill-gotten gains obtained as a result of its fraudulent activity, plus prejudgment interest. The SEC also seeks any other relief the Court may deem appropriate pursuant to Section 21(d)(5) of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. § 78u(d)(5)] and Sections 20(b) and 22(a) of the Securities Act [15 U.S.C. §§ 77t(b) and 77v(a)]. III. JURISDICTION AND VENUE 7. This Court has subject matter jurisdiction over this action under Section 22(a) of the Securities Act [15 U.S.C. § 77v(a)] and Sections 21(d), 21(e), and 27 of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. §§ 78u(d), 78u(e), and 78aa]. Defendant has directly or indirectly made use of the means or instrumentalities of interstate commerce, or of the mails, or the facilities of a national Case 1:20-cv-08101 Document 1 Filed 09/30/20 Page 3 of 14
4. 4 securities exchange, in connection with the acts, practices, transactions, and courses of business alleged in this Complaint. 8. Venue in this District is proper pursuant to Section 27 of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. § 78aa]. Certain of the transactions, acts, practices, and courses of business constituting the violations alleged herein occurred within the Southern District of New York and elsewhere, and were effected, directly or indirectly, by making use of the means or instruments or instrumentalities of transportation or communication in interstate commerce, or of the mails, or the facilities of a national securities exchange. Both Akazoo's and MMAC's common stock were traded on the Nasdaq, which is located in this District. Prior to the business combination, representatives of Old Akazoo and MMAC met in New York City to conduct due diligence meetings and plan the PIPE offering. IV. DEFENDANTS 9. Akazoo S.A. is a company organized under the laws of Luxembourg with its purported principal place of business in London, United Kingdom and its actual principal place of business in Athens, Greece. Akazoo's ordinary shares are registered with the SEC pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act and were traded on the Nasdaq under the ticker "SONG," prior to being delisted on June 2, 2020. Before its September 11, 2019 business combination with MMAC, Akazoo operated as Akazoo Limited ("Old Akazoo"), a company organized under the laws of the United Kingdom with its primary place of business in Athens, Greece. Old Akazoo was a purported subscription-based online music streaming company. It was formed in 2010 when it spun off from its Greek-based parent company. Case 1:20-cv-08101 Document 1 Filed 09/30/20 Page 4 of 14
5. 5 V. OTHER RELEVANT ENTITY 10. Modern Media Acquisition Corp. ("MMAC") was a special purpose acquisition corporation formed under the laws of Delaware for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, or other similar business combination with a focus on media, entertainment, and marketing service companies. MMAC filed an initial public offering of common stock with the SEC on Form S-1, effective May 11, 2017, and registered its common stock under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act. On May 17, 2017, MMAC conducted an IPO that raised $207 million, which the company was to hold in trust until it effected a business combination. MMAC's common stock was publicly traded on the Nasdaq. Based on the terms set out in MMAC's IPO prospectus, and in accordance with its charter, if MMAC did not complete a deal by February 17, 2019, it had to dissolve, liquidate, or request an extension from its shareholders. MMAC's shareholders had a right to redeem their shares for cash if MMAC did not meet the February 17, 2019 deadline or they could keep their shares and vote for an extension. Under Exchange Act Rule 12g-3(a), Akazoo is a "successor issuer" to MMAC. VI. FACTS A. Akazoo's Formation 11. Beginning in May 2017, MMAC started searching for a media, entertainment, and marketing service company with which to combine, eventually identifying Old Akazoo as a target. Old Akazoo purported to be a thriving business with key metrics comparable to the streaming service Pandora. Additionally, Old Akazoo claimed that it had: (1) launched a free, ad-supported streaming radio service in 2017; and (2) acquired and developed a small portfolio of patented artificial intelligence-based recommendation technology. Case 1:20-cv-08101 Document 1 Filed 09/30/20 Page 5 of 14
6. 6 12. Ultimately, MMAC and Old Akazoo combined on September 11, 2019 to form Akazoo (Nasdaq: SONG). B. Akazoo Fraudulently Raised $54.8 Million i. MMAC Stock Rollover 13. Because MMAC did not meet its original deadline of February 2019 to consummate a business combination, many of its shareholders chose to redeem their shares. After paying out redeemed shares, and by the time MMAC completed the business combination with Old Akazoo, only $14.2 million remained from the $207 million raised during MMAC's May 2017 IPO. 14. Leading into the business combination with Old Akazoo, MMAC's shareholders again had a choice: redeem their MMAC shares for cash or convert their shares into the right to receive shares in Akazoo. According to MMAC's Certificate of Incorporation, approval of the business combination required an affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding MMAC shares. Encouraging its shareholders to support conversion, MMAC issued a proxy statement for its August 28, 2019 shareholder meeting, based on information provided by Old Akazoo. The proxy statement contained the following claims, all of which Akazoo has since admitted were false: a. Old Akazoo had more than 38.2 million registered users and 4.6 million paying subscribers as of December 31, 2018; b. Old Akazoo also generated revenue through a free, ad-supported radio service with 2.6 million users in its first full year of operation; c. Old Akazoo operated in 25 different countries and growing; d. Old Akazoo was a profitable business with positive EBITDA since inception; e. Old Akazoo had €105 million in revenue in 2018; and Case 1:20-cv-08101 Document 1 Filed 09/30/20 Page 6 of 14
7. 7 f. Old Akazoo had developed strong relationships with a large number of global, regional, and local music content providers. 15. Based on the proxy and investor presentations by the Old Akazoo's CEO and CFO (who became the CEO and CFO of Akazoo after the business combination with MMAC) that included many of the same false claims, MMAC's remaining shareholders approved the business combination, and converted their MMAC shares into the right to receive Akazoo shares. Per the terms of the business combination agreement, Akazoo received the remaining $14.2 million of MMAC investor funds. ii. The PIPE Offering 16. The business combination agreement between MMAC and Old Akazoo required there be at least $53 million in available cash for Akazoo upon consummation of the transaction. Because MMAC had only $14.2 million in rolled-over investor funds, MMAC and Old Akazoo amended their agreement to allow the shortfall to be raised through a PIPE offering of Akazoo shares. 17. During the PIPE offering of Akazoo shares, from approximately July 2019 to September 2019, Old Akazoo's CEO and CFO participated in investor presentations where they made the fraudulent claims about Akazoo's subscribers and revenue listed above. 18. Induced by these fraudulent statements, investors purchased $40.6 million worth of Akazoo shares and convertible warrants (the "PIPE Investors"). Combined with the $14.2 million in investor funds from MMAC, Akazoo had $54.8 million to fund its operations. Case 1:20-cv-08101 Document 1 Filed 09/30/20 Page 7 of 14
8. 8 iii. Public Trading 19. From September 11, 2019 until May 21, 2020, Akazoo's stock was traded on the Nasdaq. During that time, thousands of retail investors purchased shares of the Company's stock. 20. While its shares traded publicly on the Nasdaq, Akazoo made several false statements in public reports signed by its CEO and filed with the SEC, including the following: DATE MEDIUM FALSE STATEMENT September 11, 2019 Form 20-F; Press Release • Akazoo "operates in 25 countries." • "In the last 5 years, SONG's premium subscribers have grown from 1.1 million in 2014 to over 5.3 million today." • In the first half of 2019, the Company's revenues grew 39% year-over-year. September 27, 2019 Form 6-K • Financial statements reflecting €64.5 million in revenue in the first half of 2019 and €15.6 million in gross profit. November 25, 2019 Form 6-K; Press Release attached • "Akazoo S.A., SONG, currently operates in 25 countries[.]" • "In the past five years, SONG's premium subscribers have grown from 1.1 million in 2014 to over 5.3 million[.]" December 9, 2019 Form 6-K; Press Release attached Regarding 2019 Third Quarter results: • "Revenues increased 24% to €35.0 compared to €28.1 million in the third quarter of 2018." • "5.5 Million Premium Subscribers end of Q3, Up 28% Year-over- Year" Case 1:20-cv-08101 Document 1 Filed 09/30/20 Page 8 of 14
9. 9 21. During the 8-month period that Akazoo disseminated its fraudulent statements to the market, Akazoo's stock traded at an average price of $4.96 and as high as $7.49 on September 26, 2019. By the time Nasdaq halted trading on May 1, 2020, after the fraud was exposed, the stock price had plunged to $1.16. 22. As Akazoo would soon admit to the public, none of its repeated claims about its subscriber base, operations, or revenues were true. Akazoo's streaming business generated, at most, negligible revenue from September 2019 through May 2020. The Company operated in only a few countries, and the Company had only a marginal amount of non-revenue generating subscribers. Rather, the Company's only significant source of funds during that time was the $54.8 million raised from investors. Akazoo's management knew, or was severely reckless in not knowing, that the statements referenced in paragraphs 14, 17, and 20 about the Company's subscriber base, operations, and revenue were materially false and/or misleading. 23. Akazoo created the appearance of revenue by claiming that it had relationships with companies it called "aggregators," who purportedly collected revenue from Akazoo's subscribers and paid expenses on Akazoo's behalf. In fact, the companies that Akazoo identified as aggregators either did not exist or did not have a relationship with Akazoo. C. Akazoo Publicly Admitted Its Fraud 24. On April 20, 2020, a short-selling hedge fund publicly released a detailed report concluding that Akazoo was a complete scam, with negligible subscribers and revenue. 25. On April 22, 2020, Akazoo announced the formation of a special committee to investigate the claims raised by the hedge fund and Akazoo's share price closed at $1.6599—a drop of more than 34% from the closing price on April 17, 2020, the last business day before the short-selling hedge fund released its report. Case 1:20-cv-08101 Document 1 Filed 09/30/20 Page 9 of 14
10. 10 26. On May 1, 2020, Akazoo disclosed in a Form 6-K filing with the SEC that its Board had terminated Akazoo's CEO and asked him to resign from the Board based on his failure to cooperate with the Special Committee's investigation. 27. On May 21, 2020, Akazoo filed a Form 6-K with the SEC describing the results of the Special Committee investigation, which confirmed that Akazoo was, in fact, a complete sham. In less than a month, the Special Committee determined that: • "former members of Akazoo's management team and associates defrauded Akazoo's investors . . . by materially misrepresenting Akazoo's business, operations, and financial results as part of a multi-year fraud"; • Akazoo had only negligible actual revenue and subscribers for years, and its historical financial statements were materially false and misleading; and • "former members of Akazoo management and associates participated in a sophisticated scheme to falsify Akazoo's books and records." Additionally, the Company announced that Nasdaq was suspending trading in its shares and that Akazoo would not dispute Nasdaq's decision to delist its securities. 28. Although Akazoo claimed in the May 21, 2020 Form 6-K that it was "tak[ing] all available steps to maximize recovery for defrauded investors," Akazoo has spent over $6.5 million since the release of the short-selling hedge report. Of the $54.8 million in investor funds originally held by Akazoo (as discussed above in Paragraph 18), only $31.5 million currently remains. FIRST CLAIM FOR RELIEF Violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act [15 U.S.C. § 77q(a)] 29. Paragraphs 1 through 28 are re-alleged and incorporated by reference. Case 1:20-cv-08101 Document 1 Filed 09/30/20 Page 10 of 14
11. 11 30. By engaging in the conduct described herein, Defendant Akazoo, directly or indirectly, singly or in concert with others, in the offer or sale of securities, by use of the means or instrumentalities of interstate commerce or of the mails: a. knowingly or with severe recklessness employed a device, scheme, or artifice to defraud; and/or b. knowingly, recklessly, or negligently obtained money or property by means of an untrue statement of a material fact or an omission to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and/or c. knowingly, recklessly, or negligently engaged in a transaction, practice, or course of business which operated or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon the purchaser. 31. By engaging in this conduct, Defendant Akazoo violated, and unless enjoined will continue to violate, Section 17(a) of the Securities Act [15 U.S.C. § 77q(a)]. SECOND CLAIM FOR RELIEF Violations of Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. § 78j(b)] and Rule 10b-5 Thereunder [17 C.F.R. § 240.10b-5] 32. Paragraphs 1 through 28 are re-alleged and incorporated by reference. 33. By engaging in the conduct described herein, Defendant Akazoo, directly or indirectly, singly or in concert with others, by the use of the means or instrumentalities of interstate commerce, or of the mails, or of the facilities of a national securities exchange, in connection with the purchase or sale of securities, knowingly or recklessly: a. employed devices, schemes, and artifices to defraud; and/or Case 1:20-cv-08101 Document 1 Filed 09/30/20 Page 11 of 14
12. 12 b. made untrue statements of material facts or omitted to state material facts necessary in order to make the statements made, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and c. engaged in acts, practices, or courses of business which operated or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon purchasers of securities and upon other persons 34. By engaging in this conduct, Defendant Akazoo violated, and unless enjoined will continue to violate, Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. § 78j(b)] and Exchange Act Rule 10b-5 [17 C.F.R. § 240.10b-5]. THIRD CLAIM FOR RELIEF Violations of Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. § 78(m)] and Rules 12b-20, 13a-16, and 13a-19 thereunder [17 C.F.R. §§ 240.12b-20, 240.13a-16, and 240.13a-19] 35. Paragraphs 1 through 28 are re-alleged and incorporated by reference. 36. Defendant Akazoo, in public filings with the SEC from September 2019 through May 2020, misrepresented, failed to disclose, and/or made misleading omissions about the Company's operations, including its subscribers and revenue. 37. By engaging in this conduct, Defendant Akazoo failed to file Forms 6-K and 20-F that were true and correct, and failed to include material information in its required statements and reports as was necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. 38. By engaging in this conduct, Defendant Akazoo violated, and unless enjoined, will continue to violate, Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act and Rules 12b-20, 13a-16, and 13a- 19 thereunder [17 C.F.R. §§ 240.12b-20, 240.13a-16, and 240.13a-19]. Case 1:20-cv-08101 Document 1 Filed 09/30/20 Page 12 of 14
13. 13 FOURTH CLAIM FOR RELIEF Violations of Sections 13(b)(2)(A) and 13(b)(2)(B) of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. §§ 78m(b)(2)(A) and 78m(b)(2)(B)] 39. Paragraphs 1 through 28 are re-alleged and incorporated by reference. 40. By engaging in conduct described herein, from September 2019 through May 2020, Defendant Akazoo, whose securities are registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. § 78l]: • failed to make and keep books, records, and accounts, which, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflected the transactions and dispositions of its assets; and • failed to devise and maintain a system of internal controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that: (i) transactions were recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP or any other criteria applicable to such statements, and (ii) to maintain accountability of assets. 41. By engaging in this misconduct, Defendant Akazoo violated, and unless enjoined, will continue to violate, Sections 13(b)(2)(A) and 13(b)(2)(B) of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. §§ 78m(b)(2)(A) and 78m(b)(2)(B)]. PRAYER FOR RELIEF I. Permanently restraining and enjoining Defendant from violating Section 17(a) of the Securities Act [15 U.S.C. §§ 77q(a)]; and Sections 10(b), 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A), and 13(b)(2)(B) of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. §§ 78j(b); 78(m)(a); 78m(b)(2)(A) and 78m(b)(2)(B)] and Rules 10b-5, 12b-20, 13a-16, and 13a-19 thereunder [17 C.F.R. §§ 240.10b-5; 240.12b-20; 240.13a-16; and 240.13a-19]. II. Ordering Defendant to disgorge all ill-gotten gains derived from the conduct alleged in this Complaint, together with prejudgment interest thereon; Case 1:20-cv-08101 Document 1 Filed 09/30/20 Page 13 of 14
14. 14 III. Granting such other and further relief as this Court may deem just and proper. Dated: September 30, 2020 Respectfully submitted, s/Matthew J. Gulde______________________ MATTHEW J. GULDE* guldem@sec.gov SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 801 Cherry Street, Suite 1900 Fort Worth, Texas 76102 (817) 978-1410 (mjg) Counsel for Plaintiff Securities and Exchange Commission *Not admitted in SDNY, pro hac vice application filed herewith. Case 1:20-cv-08101 Document 1 Filed 09/30/20 Page 14 of 14
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Topics related to Sierra Wireless AirPrime embedded modules.
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Our duty of care as dental professionals is to help our patients say yes to necessary and vital dental treatment and care.
Once upon a time in a land far away there once existed patients who always said yes to the treatment and care prescribed to them by their dentist.
Now patients are being constantly bombarded by information overload with so many choices and decisions to be made, that they become CONFUSED.
You now, not only advise patients on the treatment and care they need, you have to ensure your patient is not confused and remove the confusion they may already have before you even see them.
This confusion becomes very apparent on the first phone call to your dental office.
Once upon a time in a land far away in the beginning of time, a person would call a dental office with a dental concern or problem, make an appointment, keep the appointment and go ahead with treatment and care.
This person then became a long-term patient of your dental practice.
Now more and more people call a dental office armed with all the information they have gathered which more than often makes the caller confused and unsure about even making the appointment.
Your job when answering phone in a dental office is now not as simple as just making an appointment.
Now you need to know how to handle the caller's questions and their resistance to making the appointment, even though an appointment is exactly what they need.
The caller wants to know how much everything costs, how long it will take, will it last, how much will their health fund give them back, do you offer gap free dentistry, are you open after hours, can they be seen today and much more!
The big trap is to start answering the questions straight away on the phone call.
It is very hard not to start answering questions, but you must not answer a caller's question up front.
I am not saying you must not answer the caller's question/s but don't answer them straight away.
Answering the first question you are asked means the caller will probably thank you and end the call.
To take the caller from their first question to making an appointment you must find out more about the caller's dental concern/ problem first then address their questions.
The caller wants your help, so help them.
Start asking your questions instead.
Answering their first question is not going to help the caller, especially if they then end the call before you even get a chance to help them.
If you change just this one thing when you answer the call you will be amazed to see the different result you get.
You will make more appointments and you will help more patients.
Then keep an eye out for my Sydney Master Class on Friday 22nd June 2018.


text:
Q: incorrect lens definition in Edward Kmett's presentation? I'm slowly trying to wrap my head around how the lens package works.  I'm reading Edward's slides (http://comonad.com/haskell/Lenses-Folds-and-Traversals-NYC.pdf) and I have a question about the definition of Store s a on slides 8 and 9:
newtype Lens s a = Lens (s -> Store s a)
data Store s a = Store (s -> a) s

Is the definition backwards?  If lenses are pairs of getters and setters, it seems to me that Store s a should be defined as:
data Store s a = Store (a -> s) a

where the first constructor parameter is the setter (put an a and return the s data structure) and the second is the getter (fetch the a from the s data structure).
Can anyone confirm if it's an error in the slides, or if my understanding is incorrect, please explain.
Thank you.

A: Yes, that looks like an error. But Store is correct -- it's a standard comonad. The definition of Lens should be newtype Lens s a = Lens (s -> Store a s).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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text:
package org.apache.derby.client.am;

import java.io.InputStream;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.ArrayList;

import java.sql.SQLException;

import org.apache.derby.client.net.NetConfiguration;
import org.apache.derby.client.net.NetConnection;

import org.apache.derby.shared.common.reference.SQLState;

public abstract class Lob implements UnitOfWorkListener {
    // The following flags specify the data type(s) a LOB instance currently contains
    public static final int STRING = 2;
    public static final int ASCII_STREAM = 4;
    public static final int UNICODE_STREAM = 8;
    public static final int CHARACTER_STREAM = 16;
    public static final int BINARY_STREAM = 32;
    public static final int BINARY_STRING = 64;
    public static final int LOCATOR = 128;

    public static final int INVALID_LOCATOR = -1;
    //---------------------navigational members-----------------------------------
    protected Agent agent_;

    //-----------------------------state------------------------------------------
    protected int dataType_ = 0;      // data type(s) the LOB instance currently contains
    protected int locator_ = INVALID_LOCATOR; // locator id for this LOB

    private long sqlLength_;// length of the LOB value, as defined by the server
    private boolean lengthObtained_;

    /**
     * This boolean variable indicates whether the Lob object has been
     * invalidated by calling free() on it
     */
    protected boolean isValid_ = true;

    final private boolean willBeLayerBStreamed_;

    //A running counter that keeps track
    //of whether a update has been done
    //on this LOB value. We do not need
    //to bother about the limit imposed
    //by this counter because we just check
    //whether its latest value matches hence
    //for all practical purposes there is no
    //limit imposed.
    private long updateCount;

    /**
     * This integer identifies which transaction the Lob is associated with
     */
    private int transactionID_;

    //-----------------------------messageId------------------------------------------
    final static protected ClientMessageId LOB_OBJECT_LENGTH_UNKNOWN_YET =
        new ClientMessageId( SQLState.LOB_OBJECT_LENGTH_UNKNOWN_YET );

    //---------------------constructors/finalizer---------------------------------
    protected Lob(Agent agent,
                  boolean willBeLayerBStreamed) {
        agent_ = agent;
        lengthObtained_ = false;
        willBeLayerBStreamed_ = willBeLayerBStreamed;
        transactionID_ = agent_.connection_.getTransactionID();
    }

    // ---------------------------jdbc 2------------------------------------------

    /**
     * Return the length of the Lob value represented by this Lob
     * object.  If length is not already known, and Lob is locator
     * based, length will be retrieved from the server.  If not,
     * locator based, Lob will first be materialized.  NOTE: The
     * caller needs to deal with synchronization.
     *
     * @throws SqlException on execution errors while materializing the stream,
     *         or if Layer B streaming is used and length not yet obtained.
     * @return length of Lob value
     */
    long sqlLength() throws SqlException
    {
        if (lengthObtained_) return sqlLength_;

        if (isLocator()) {
            sqlLength_ = getLocatorLength();
            lengthObtained_ = true;
        } else if (willBeLayerBStreamed()) {
            throw new SqlException(agent_.logWriter_,
                                   LOB_OBJECT_LENGTH_UNKNOWN_YET);
        } else {
            materializeStream();  // Will set sqlLength_
        }

        return sqlLength_;
    }

    /**
     * Update the registered length of the Lob value.  To be called by
     * methods that make changes to the length of the Lob.
     * NOTE: The caller needs to deal with synchronization.
     *
     * @param length the new length of the Lob value
     */
    void setSqlLength(long length)
    {
        sqlLength_ = length;
        lengthObtained_ = true;
    }

    /**
     * Get the length of locator based Lob from the server.  This is a
     * dummy implementation that is supposed to be overridden by
     * subclasses.  A stored procedure call will be made to get the
     * length from the server.
     *
     * @throws org.apache.derby.client.am.SqlException
     * @return length of Lob
     */
    long getLocatorLength() throws SqlException
    {
        return -1;
    }

    //-----------------------event callback methods-------------------------------

    public void listenToUnitOfWork() {
        agent_.connection_.CommitAndRollbackListeners_.put(this,null);
    }

    public void completeLocalCommit(java.util.Iterator listenerIterator) {
        listenerIterator.remove();
    }

    public void completeLocalRollback(java.util.Iterator listenerIterator) {
        listenerIterator.remove();
    }

    //----------------------------helper methods----------------------------------

    public Agent getAgent() {
        return agent_;
    }

    void checkForClosedConnection() throws SqlException {
        if (agent_.connection_.isClosedX()) {
            agent_.checkForDeferredExceptions();
            throw new SqlException(agent_.logWriter_,
                new ClientMessageId(SQLState.LOB_METHOD_ON_CLOSED_CONNECTION));
        } else {
            agent_.checkForDeferredExceptions();
        }
    }

    /**
     * Method to be implemented by subclasses, so that
     * #materializedStream(InputStream, String) can be called with subclass
     * specific parameters and the result assigned to the right stream.
     *
     * @throws SqlException
     */
    protected abstract void materializeStream() throws SqlException;

    /**
     * Materialize the given stream into memory and update the internal
     * length variable.
     *
     * @param is stream to use for input
     * @param typeDesc description of the data type we are inserting,
     *      for instance java.sql.Clob
     * @return a stream whose source is the materialized data
     * @throws SqlException if the stream exceeds 2 GB, or an error happens
     *      while reading from the stream
     */
    protected InputStream materializeStream(InputStream is, String typeDesc)
            throws SqlException {
        final int GROWBY = 32 * 1024; // 32 KB
        ArrayList<byte[]> byteArrays = new ArrayList<byte[]>();
        byte[] curBytes = new byte[GROWBY];
        int totalLength = 0;
        int partLength = 0;
        // Read all data from the stream, storing it in a number of arrays.
        try {
            do {
                partLength = is.read(curBytes, 0, curBytes.length);
                if (partLength == curBytes.length) {
                    byteArrays.add(curBytes);
                    // Make sure we don't exceed 2 GB by checking for overflow.
                    int newLength = totalLength + GROWBY;
                    if (newLength < 0 || newLength == Integer.MAX_VALUE) {
                        curBytes = new byte[Integer.MAX_VALUE - totalLength];
                    } else {
                        curBytes = new byte[GROWBY];
                    }
                }
                if (partLength > 0) {
                    totalLength += partLength;
                }
            } while (partLength == GROWBY);
            // Make sure stream is exhausted.
            if (is.read() != -1) {
                // We have exceeded 2 GB.
                throw new SqlException(
                            null,
                            new ClientMessageId(
                                SQLState.LANG_OUTSIDE_RANGE_FOR_DATATYPE),
                                typeDesc
                        );
            }
            if (partLength > 0) {
                byteArrays.add(curBytes);
            }

            // Cleanup and set state.
            curBytes = null;
            sqlLength_ = totalLength;
            lengthObtained_ = true;
            // Return a stream whose source is a list of byte arrays.
            // This avoids having to copy all the data into a single big array.
            return new ByteArrayCombinerStream(byteArrays, totalLength);
        } catch (IOException ioe) {
            throw new SqlException(null,
                        new ClientMessageId(
                            SQLState.LANG_STREAMING_COLUMN_I_O_EXCEPTION),
                            typeDesc,
                            ioe
                    );
        }
    }

    public abstract long length() throws SQLException;

    protected static boolean isLayerBStreamingPossible( Agent agent ){

        final NetConnection netConn =
            ( NetConnection  ) agent.connection_ ;

        final int securityMechanism =
            netConn.getSecurityMechanism();

        return
            netConn.serverSupportsLayerBStreaming() &&
            securityMechanism != NetConfiguration.SECMEC_EUSRIDDTA &&
            securityMechanism != NetConfiguration.SECMEC_EUSRPWDDTA;

    }

    public boolean willBeLayerBStreamed() {
        return willBeLayerBStreamed_;
    }

    /**
     * Check whether this Lob is based on a locator
     * @return true if Lob is based on locator, false otherwise
     */
    public boolean isLocator() {
        return ((dataType_ & LOCATOR) == LOCATOR);
    }

    /**
     * Get locator for this Lob
     * @return locator for this Lob, INVALID_LOCATOR if Lob is not
     *         based on locator
     */
    public int getLocator() {
        return locator_;
    }

    /**
     * Checks the pos and length.
     *
     * @param pos a long that contains the position that needs to be checked
     * @param length a long that contains the length that needs to be checked
     * @throws SQLException if
     *         a) pos <= 0
     *         b) pos > (length of LOB)
     *         c) length < 0
     *         d) (pos -1) + length > (length of LOB)
     */
    protected void checkPosAndLength(long pos, long length)
    throws SQLException {
        if (pos <= 0) {
            throw new SqlException(agent_.logWriter_,
                new ClientMessageId(SQLState.BLOB_BAD_POSITION),
                pos).getSQLException();
        }
        if (length < 0) {
            throw new SqlException(agent_.logWriter_,
                new ClientMessageId(SQLState.BLOB_NONPOSITIVE_LENGTH),
                length).getSQLException();
        }
        if (length > (this.length() - (pos -1))) {
            throw new SqlException(agent_.logWriter_,
                new ClientMessageId(SQLState.POS_AND_LENGTH_GREATER_THAN_LOB),
                pos, length).getSQLException();
        }
    }

    /**
     * Increments and returns the new updateCount
     * of this Lob. The method needs to be
     * synchronized since multiple updates can
     * happen on this Lob simultaneously.
     * It will be called from the
     * 1) Locator Writers
     * 2) Locator OutputStreams
     * 3) From the update methods
     *    within the Lobs like setString, truncate.
     * since all of the above acesses are inside
     * the am package, this method will have
     * default access. We do not need to worry
     * about the non-locator streams since
     * non-locator InputStreams would not
     * depend on updateCount for invalidation
     */
    protected synchronized void incrementUpdateCount() {
        updateCount++;
    }

    /**
     * Returns the current updateCount of the Clob.
     */
    long getUpdateCount() {
        return updateCount;
    }

    /**
     * Calls SqlLength() to check if the Locator associated
     * with the underlying Lob is valid. If it is not
     * it throws an exception.
     *
     * @throws SqlException
     *
     */
    void checkForLocatorValidity() throws SqlException {
        // As of now there is no other way of determining that
        //the locator associated with the underlying LOB is not
        //valid
        sqlLength();
    }

    /**
     * Checks if isValid is true and whether the transaction that
     * created the Lob is still active. If any of which is not true throws
     * a SQLException stating that a method has been called on
     * an invalid LOB object.
     *
     * @throws SQLException if isValid is not true or the transaction that
     * created the Lob is not active
     */
    protected void checkValidity() throws SQLException{

        // If there isn't an open connection, the Lob is invalid.
        try {
            agent_.connection_.checkForClosedConnection();
        } catch (SqlException se) {
            throw se.getSQLException();
        }

        if(!isValid_ || (isLocator()  &&
                (transactionID_ != agent_.connection_.getTransactionID())))
            throw new SqlException(null,new ClientMessageId(SQLState.LOB_OBJECT_INVALID))
                                                  .getSQLException();
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Motor Quotes
Top 10 Motor Quotes
The environmental effects of the automobile are well known: motor vehicles cause, for example, as much as 75 percent of the noise and 80 percent of the air pollution in our cities, and the industry must face mounting pressure from environmentalists.
Environmental Face Pressure Pollution
I had scarcely met Stephen, and then one Saturday I met some old friends for coffee, and they were saying, 'Gosh it's terrible about Stephen, isn't it?' They told me that he had been in St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London having horrible tests and then had been diagnosed with an atypical form of a rare disease - motor neurone disease.
Jane Hawking
Me Old Friends Coffee Friends
Some day you will be wheeled in for a heart bypass operation, and a surgeon will be the person who is now behind the counter when you renew your car registration at the department of motor vehicles.
P. J. O'Rourke
Day Car Heart You
I have motor oil running through my veins.
Oil Veins Through Running
Stem cell research is the key to developing cures for degenerative conditions like Parkinson's and motor neuron disease from which I and many others suffer. The fact that the cells may come from embryos is not an objection, because the embryos are going to die anyway.
Research Die Like Key
Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears.
Barbara Johnson
Patience You Feel Your
No major technological change has ever been instituted by mankind without an array of negative consequences. The motor car has meant liberation for millions, but it has also caused congestion, environmental damage, and a disturbing death toll on the roads.
Change Death Car Roads
Motor racing is like one big family, ultimately, and when you come back to it, that's really what it feels like.
Family You Racing Back
The mechanic could lift up the bonnet of the car and show me four dwarves strapped to a pair of tandems and tell me that the motor was actually dwarf-powered and that one of the little fellows had to be replaced, and I'd just be numbly writing out a cheque and scribbling 'new dwarf - car' on the stub.
John Niven
Me Car New Writing
One of my greatest pleasures in motor racing is qualifying. You have loads of freedom from pushing a lap the whole way. I've always been very good in qualifying in the past; everything I've done, I've got pole positions.
Bruno Senna
Freedom Good You Past
Flying a good airplane doesn't require near as much attention as a motor car.
Good Car Airplane Flying
You might not think that's cricket, and it's not, it's motor racing.
Murray Walker
Cricket You Think Racing
The bottom line is what we do might not be the safest so there is always some risk but we are ready to take that into account because we love racing and we love motor sports and it is dangerous.
Love Sports Racing Always
The problem with motor neurone disease is they don't know when it starts. People go into hospital having fallen but get wrapped up and sent away, unless they're seen by an incredibly astute doctor. It is only when several things begin to go wrong that it'll be diagnosed.
Doctor People Problem Go
What Englishman will give his mind to politics as long as he can afford to keep a motor car?
Car Politics Mind Long
Modern motor vehicles are safer and more reliable than they have ever been - yet more than 1 million people are killed in car accidents around the world each year, and more than 50 million are injured. Why? Largely because one perilous element in the mechanics of driving remains unperfected by progress: the human being.
Tom Chatfield
Car People Progress World
I confess that as a young boy, Sunday was not my favorite day. Grandfather shut down the action. We didn't have any transportation. We couldn't drive the car. He wouldn't even let us start the motor. We couldn't ride the horses, or the steers, or the sheep.
Day Ride Car Drive
Long practise in driving a racing car at a hundred miles an hour or so gives first-class training in control and judging distances at high speed and helps tremendously in getting motor sense, which is rather the feel of your engine than the sound of it, a thing you get through your bones and nerves rather than simply your ears.
Car You Long Training
The doctor who diagnosed me with ALS, or motor neuron disease, told me that it would kill me in two or three years.
Me Doctor Three Two
Motor racing can never be totally safe and it never should be in my opinion.
Racing Never Opinion Safe
Some forms of motor neuron disease are genetically linked, but I have no indication that my kind is. No other member of my family has had it. But I would be in favour of abortion if there was a high risk.
Family Abortion High Risk
Maybe I don't have the most common kind of motor neuron disease, which usually kills in two or three years.
Three Two Years Kind
I don't have much positive to say about motor neuron disease, but it taught me not to pity myself because others were worse off, and to get on with what I still could do. I'm happier now than before I developed the condition.
Positive Myself Me Say
I don't have much positive to say about motor neurone disease. But it taught me not to pity myself because others were worse off, and to get on with what I could still do.
Winning 'Motor Trend' Car of the year is probably the closest thing to winning the Oscar or Emmy of the car industry.
Car Winning Trend Year
Forget the damned motor car and build the cities for lovers and friends.
Car Friends Forget Build


For us, at DUS Limousine Service is the best just good enough – because every day we set the bar a little bit higher. With us, your VIPs are in best hands. We are experienced, and we know what is the best of the best. Your VIP will be picked up by our friendly staff from the airport, railway station or what ever. Of course, they will help your VIP with the luggage, before he or she takes him to the destination immediately.
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text:
All Quiet on the Western Front Essay Example
We offer you to read the All Quiet on the Western Front essay. In all the works of Erich Maria Remarque there is a theme of war. The author knows what war is: right from the school bench Remarque volunteers for the army and takes part in battles on the Western Front. His first novel is called "All Quiet on the Western Front". In this novel, it is impossible not to see the writer's negative attitude toward all politics in general, including the revolutionary one, because it brought people to such a desperate situation.
After the Hitlerites seized power in Germany in 1933, Remark, persecuted for the novel "All Quiet On the Western Front," was forced to leave his native country. Nazi propagandists accused him of "undermining the military spirit," in discrediting the German soldier. In the novel "All Quiet On the Western Front" Remarque reveals his hatred of militarism. With pain and bitterness he tells the reader about young guys who have not been taught anything, except for murder, who were "overboard of life". Read through the All Quiet on the Western Front essay to know how he portrays the technological and military innovations of the war.
How does Remarque portray the technological and military innovations of the war? How do those innovations affect the lives of the soldiers?
In the Remarque's novel All Quiet on the Western Front, World War I unfolds through the perception of its immediate participant. That circumstance has preconditioned the impressive explicitness and accuracy of the portrayal of the grim routine of the war, an authentic, uncorrupted depiction of typical pictures of the battlefield. A stern story about the maimed bodies of soldiers, countless corpses, the mud of wet trenches, exposes the violent and bloody face of the war. Sometimes, Remarque fixes too much attention on this, but it is precisely the image of the ruthlessness of war that distinguishes his novel and gives rise to a powerful emotion of resentment. Remarque describes entirely dynamic, the piercing sound of the attack: the thunder of explosions, the whistling bullets, the fire, and a small figure of a soldier who can be overwhelmed every minute, killed, cut in half.
According to the author, explicit depictions are designed, to show the cruelty of the war of aggression, the senseless death of young healthy people. While the humanistic standpoints rested aside during the War, the military conflict itself offered vast opportunities as the best breeding ground for the military industry.
The World War I went down in history a whole list of new types of weapons first applied in that period. However, much of the firing, exploding, poisoning, or otherwise destroying the enemy weaponry appeared ineffective and was abandoned in this war. Other types of weapons have been constructed in these years, have grown more powerful and even formed so that they have not changed radically until now. For example, tanks in their classic layout, which exists to this day, were already built in the World War I. Poisoning substances were probably one of the symbols of this war. Death from poisoning was terrible since different poisons acted differently, causing suffocation, or spasms, or severe bleeding. Often, people would not die instantly but suffered for a long time. Those who managed to survive frequently remained blind and suffered from skin or internal organs damage (Neiberg, Michael). Then it turned out that chemical weapons are a somewhat unpredictable thing. Rain often hindered the use of poisonous substances. Also, it was pointless to spray them when the enemy was on a hill, while the gas usually accumulated in the lowlands, without causing harm. Any wind changing direction could merely carry the gas in the opposite direction, as it sometimes did, and then the attacker became a victim of own weapon. Eventually, all countries elaborated defense ranging from gas masks to medical products, which also reduced the effect of chemical weapons (Neiberg, Michael). Nevertheless, the adverse impact on the health was still terrifying:
…he has his mouth wide open and is yelling. I hear nothing, he rattles me, comes nearer, in a
momentary lull his voice reaches me: "Gas–Gaas–Gaaas–Pass it on."
I grab for my gas-mask. Some distance from me there lies someone. I think of nothing but this:
That fellow there must know: Gaaas–Gaaas– (Remarque, Erich Maria 32).
This scene in the trench illustrates how the terrible death from poisoning scared the soldiers to such an extent that the very appearance of gas could make them panic.
Britain became the motherland of the tank. Unlike the poisonous substances, the tanks produced almost the most substantial influence on the development of military affairs in the twentieth century (Cooper, Bryan). As in the case of other technical innovations, at the very beginning, there were no laws, regulations, and even the instructions of tank building. The first British vehicles, like the German and American ones, were the result of attempts to devise a land mini-battleship, and eventually they established a foothold as an unexpendable piece of equipment:
There is a rumour that the enemy are going to put tanks over and use low-flying planes for the attack. But that interests us less than what we hear of the new flame-throwers.
We wake up in the middle of the night. The earth booms. Heavy fire is falling on us. We crouch into corners. We distinguish shells of every calibre. (Remarque, Erich Maria 50)
The increased firepower of artillery and especially the spread of machine guns quickly repulsed the desire to fight in open spaces. Now the opponents competed in the ability to dig as many rows of trenches as possible and dig deeper into the ground, which reliably saved from heavy artillery fire than forts and fortresses.
Remarque's expression "Bombardment, barrage, curtain-fire, mines, guns, tanks, machine-guns, hand-grenades—words, words, but they hold the horror of the world" has become a famous locution since it plainly introduced the terror of war (62). Heaps of corpses, blood and torn pieces of still warm flesh, dirt and lice, and nothing heroic. The most robust instinct in people is the instinct of self-preservation. Therefore, war turns the human mind inside out. It is extraneous to the very principle of the existence of humanity.
Besides, Remarque reflects on the feeling of social hostility among soldiers towards their superiors. The heroes of the novel can beat a meticulous officer or make fun of him, but no more because they do not have unity, welded by class hatred. The main idea that connects them most tightly, according to the author's opinion, is the front-line comradeship, "the finest thing that arose out of the war" (Remarque, Erich Maria 14). Through representation of care of the wounded, saving them under fire and willingness to share the last piece of bread, the author on behalf of the protagonist composes a hymn to the front comradeship, appealing lyrically and genuinely. The excitement that Boyer felt when he had heard the voices of his friends after a fierce shelling brought that concept to the culmination. "They are more to me than life, these voices, they are more than motherliness and more than fear; they are the strongest, most comforting thing there is anywhere: they are the voices of my comrades" (Remarque, Erich Maria 101). The brotherhood of defense, uniting people in the face of mortal danger, is not yet a brotherhood of class solidarity but reflects the humanistic views of Remarque.
In the novel All Quiet on the Western Front, Remarque unveils his hatred of militarism. With pain and bitterness, he describes the reader the young guys who have not been taught anything, except for murder, and who were overboard of life. The author describes the disintegration of the Kaiser's army where the experience of ordinary soldiers in the trenches was shocking, and they had to steal to obtain the food, while the higher ranks were far from the front. Remarque condemns the purposelessness of the victims, disgracing the lies of propaganda, and the war with all the destruction it brings to the lives of people.
Cooper, Bryan. Tank Battles Of World War I. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, Pen And Sword, 2015,.
Neiberg, Michael. "Poison Gas In World War I." Fpri.Org, 2013, https://www.fpri.org/article/2013/09/poison-gas-in-world-war-i/..
Remarque, Erich Maria. All Quiet On The Western Front. Weebly.Com, 1929, http://explainallquietonthewesternfront.weebly.com/uploads/2/4/7/2/24722875/all_quiet_on_the_western_front.pdf
If you need to write a similar essay, this post will help you to come up with a good topic – "All Quiet on the Western Front" Paper Topics for your perfect essay.
Grapes of Wrath Topics – Find the Best Idea
All Quiet on the Western Front Paper Topics for Your Perfect Essay


I am not an early morning person, but I am trying hard to be a morning person LOL… 😀 I mean that I am not a 5 am morning person… LOL… but after my first daughter goes on the bus and my husband leaves for work, I love spending my morning with my youngest daughter to just sit, sipping my coffee and she drinks her hot cocoa, to read, and sometimes we will have some extra time to color.
This morning, while my daughter was sitting at her craft table painting and mixing her watercolor paints, I was having another cup of coffee at my craft table and coloring this new Coffee Time Art Play Paintables from ADORNit! These adorable images are designed by Lindsay Ostrom.
Here are the ones I painted today with my watercolor paints I got from Target (Handmade Modern). I used the small round watercolor brush. This images can be cut into 2.5″ x 3.5″ or 3″x4″ which perfect fit for pocket scrapbook, pocket letter, planner and even you can make them into note cards and gift tags.
So many Art Play Paintables you can grab at ADORNit Store. You can turn them into cards, home decors, gift tags, gifts, and many more!
Check out more inspirations from ADORNit at their blog, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube.


text:
Gerry Frigon, Chief Investment Officer at TaylorFrigon talks to Business Insider about investing in 'enablers' in high growth industries.
"A CIO overseeing $230 million explains how he's gaming the biotech industry by investing with minimal risk — and shares his 2 favorite stocks in the space."
"Age-old investing folklore says that risk and return are inextricably linked. If you want a higher return, you have to take more risk. An investor can't have one without the other. But Gerry Frigon, the founder and chief investment officer of the $230 million Taylor Frigon Capital Management, doesn't adhere to that school of thought — and he's found a way to play high growth trends with less traditional risk exposure."
Read the full article here...
Why Is Silicon Valley Ignoring Core Technology Companies?
This article written by Gerry Frigon first appeared in ValueWalk on December 18, 2020
Recently, the world witnessed the largest IPO ever. Saudi Aramco went public and just a couple of days later it hit the $2 Trillion level in market value. The company has been around in one form or another for decades and it is somewhat ironic that the world's largest company, and the first to go public at such a valuation, is an oil company. Given the "unicorn-like" mentality of venture capital nowadays, one would have thought it would be a social networking application or a ride-sharing company, or a real estate leasing arbitrage company parading around as a technology company that would be the first to hit such lofty levels. One can only imagine that this is quite disappointing to the twenty-first century Silicon Valley venture mavens who are convinced windmills and sun-worshipping is the key to our energy future, but I digress. The real scandal in the news of this massive IPO has nothing to do with energy. Instead, it is the lack of energy that has persisted in the financing of core technology startups thus far in this century and has resulted in a persistent lack of IPOs in general... Continue Reading
Investment Climate January 2020
The year 2019 ended with strong price increases for major markets in the United States and capped off a very good year overall with large company stocks outperforming their smaller counterparts when comparing indices based on company size.
Interestingly, while small and mid-cap stocks clearly underperformed large company stocks in the general market this past year, for our growth portfolios, the best performing stocks came from the ranks of mid-cap, small-cap and even micro-cap companies. Israeli-based Novocure, Ltd., a developer of cancer treatments which use electric "fields tuned to specific frequencies" to disrupt solid tumor cell division, grew 151% and is now over $8B in market value. Phoenix-based Carvana, Inc., an online used car retailer, was up over 181% and the lone large-cap company in the mix Canada-based Shopify, Inc., a software platform that allows online businesses of all sizes to run their entire business online, was up 187%. Micro-cap biotech company Compugen, Ltd., also Israeli-based, was up over 174% and optical component manufacturer Inphi Corporation, based in Sunnyvale, CA., was up over 130% to round out the best performers.
This result was that our Core Growth Strategy outperformed the general market averages again in 2019.
These top performers are a good indication that our portfolios were favorably impacted by a very broad mix of companies representing a diverse set of industries, so there was no one "sector" that could be identified as the reason for positive influence on the portfolio. Company-specific dynamics were the driver for each of the best performers.
The same is true of those that were the biggest detractors in the portfolio. QuickLogic Corporation (-41%), provider of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors for communications and data center markets, Green Dot Corporation (-71%), a consumer-oriented financial technology company, and Vuzix Corporation (-58%), a maker of augmented reality smart glasses, each are clearly representative of differing groups. In all those cases, while the near-term performance has been disappointing, we believe there remains significant potential in the future.
Looking forward, most of our exposure in the portfolio is in the information technology and healthcare-related sectors. What is most important to understand, however, is that in those areas, the portfolio is represented by significant diversity amongst industries, many of which have sensitivities that vary greatly from each other. Thus, it can be misleading to look at the overall portfolio weighting of over 50% in "information technology" (IT) and assume that it is heavily concentrated. For example, in that broad "information technology" group we find such differing industries represented as cybersecurity software maker CyberArk, Ltd. and analog semiconductor foundry (also known as a "fab" or "fabrication plant") Tower Semiconductor, Ltd.; subscription software platform company Zuora, Inc. and Airgain, Inc., a designer of embedded antenna technologies for the wireless industries.
In healthcare (with roughly 25% representation), veterinary products manufacturer IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. differs greatly from Apyx Medical Corporation, maker of electrosurgical devices used in cosmetic procedures, or Vapotherm, Inc., a maker of devices used to non-invasively treat patients who are suffering from respiratory distress.
These are some examples of companies that fit well into our narratives that are built around three schemas: demographics, technology and business processes. Descriptions of the companies mentioned above give an idea of some of the narratives relating to healthcare and technology. Others, such as the rise of the subscription economy, relate to business processes and how business is conducted; or to the significant impact that biotechnology is having on the treatment of disease. We also invest in companies that are not necessarily inventing these new treatments, but instead companies which support the proliferation of such technologies. A great example is Cryoport, Inc., which provides cryogenic transportation of drugs both in the development phase and also during commercialization.
Each of these narratives, as well as many others, are represented in some form in our portfolio. With economic tailwinds at this point, we expect the companies in our portfolio to either continue on the positive track they've been on, or to achieve breakthroughs in their efforts at attaining the expectations we have for them. It is entirely possible that some of the smallest companies in our portfolio will be where the largest returns come from in the next year or two as some long-awaited business prospects come to fruition in specific companies. This could well result in a circumstance where the returns in our portfolio significantly diverge from those of the broader market which is so heavily dominated by the "mega-cap" stock such as Google, Amazon, Apple and Facebook. Stay tuned.
Gerry Frigon, Chief Investment Officer at TaylorFr...
Why Is Silicon Valley Ignoring Core Technology Com...