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At first glance, you might think that the title of this article is a clickbait considering that China is the second biggest economy in the world and Western countries have made tens if not hundreds of billions from Chinese consumers. However, this access to the Chinese market really can end overnight - either at the whim of the totalitarian government in Beijing because perceived slight by the company or another zero-COVID lockdown as the rest of the world adjust to living with the pandemic.
Like any government or organization that has grown to a size that is too big for its own good or to be able to be effective, Beijing is no different. However, it is controlled by one man at the top and has only a few individuals who get together to set policies. Control is absolute and dissent is nowhere to be seen on the surface. Mention Tibet or truthfully state that Taiwan is an independent country, you can find your company suddenly under the microscope of the state controlled media and social media that immediately called for banning the company from the company.
While a company like Apple with Tim Cook at the helm has been very good at navigating Chinese politics and kowtowing it its demands, it is inevitable that Apple will have to choose how far it will go to placate the Chinese Community Party.
To be fair, China also needs Apple. Without Apple and other Western tech companies, China's economic growth and is technical advances would be nowhere near where it is today. The benefits to all parties cannot be denied. The hope, from the perspective of the West, is that as China went from a third rate economy to one that everyone knows that eventually become the largest in the world, it would also open up its society and some form of democracy would thrive as a result. Well, that did not quite happen. If anything, China has become more closed off and other Western governments are taking cues from it.
A day of reckoning is coming. Whether this could be the result of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan or something else down the line in the South China Sea. The question for Apple, other companies, and the West is that before any flashpoint, do companies like Apple time left to decouple from China as it is no longer the low hanging fruit that it is?
Even before the supply chain disruption based by COVID and China's zero-COVID policy, Apple with its partners has begun to trying to ship manufacturing away from China for years. And just as it has taken decades for Apple to develop its supply chain in China, it may take just as long for Apple to do the same elsewhere so that if anything happens in China that is worse than what Apple experience with the COVID disruption, the effect would be mitigated.
If there is going to be pain beyond the ones caused by COVID, that will slowly go away as Apple's supply chain in India, Brazil, Vietnam, and even the US matures.
The more important question is Apple's access to the Chinese market and what happens if Apple loses it completely one day. It can happen over time as Chinese nationalist sentiments become even more extreme than it is today and kick out Western companies or make unreasonable demands that even Apple cannot accept. This is the most likely scenario for Apple to leave. War between China and the United States is another.
For Apple, it makes sense to spend additional resources and pay more attention to markets outside of China. Doing this would make sense for any company. However, it is even more important for Apple because China has been its profit and revenue growth engine for more than a decade. To replace that is paramount for Apple.
Apple's total revenue in 2021 was $365.8 billion. China came in at $68.3 billion. It is probably going to be the same for 2022 given the economic and political challenges. It is unlikely that 2023 and the foreseeable years will be any different. Apple's growth will have to come in forms of new products and services and working harder in regions where I think it is underperforming.
The key question is what to do if that $70 billion a year from China suddenly disappear. While Apple or anyone else for that matter will not publicly suggest that will happen out of fear of angering China, it has to be something that keeps Tim Cook up at night. How do you replace 20% of your revenue?
You cannot do that just like that. However, in the short term, Apple will try to diminish the size of that China's contribution to its bottomline.
Double down growing the size of its services revenue. Apple services generated nearly $20 billion in the latest quarter and it will hit $100 billion annually. Getting it to $150 billion if service revenues continue to grow at a steady pace will help a lot. Wall Street seems to suggest that China will stagnate in the coming years.
New products. Apple Watch has done well and as Apple's focus on health for the wearables continue to improve the watch, greater number of upgrades and new users will pick it up. New products will still be needed. Augmented reality is going to be big bet for Apple.
While promising, Apple's future may well be its auto ambition. We have not seen a new car from Apple or anything like that but Apple's latest CarPlay "play" from its World Wide Developer Conference this June has folks very excited. No one knows for sure if Apple is making any money from auto makers that have incorporated CarPlay into their vehicles. Some suggests that Apple charges manufacturer no cost to incorporate CarPlay. If that is the case, Apple is using it as a halo effect for its other products and services. Apple will eventually release its own car. That alone can generate tens of billions in additional revenue that alone rivals the size of Apple's China revenue. The global vehicle revenue is projected to be nearly $4 trillion. Telsa's 2021 revenue is $54 billion. Volkswagen and Toyota generated $254 billion and $250 billion respectively. Ford came in at $127 billion and GM generated $123 billion. If Apple takes only 1% of the global auto market, that means $40 billion of additional revenue. A more apt comparison for Apple is Porsche which is doing quite well with only $35 billion in 2021.
Those points above is a roadmap that many know about given the number of articles about services, augment reality, and car plans from industry analysts, Apple focused news sites, and Apple itself. There is one other area that Apple can spend more energy on.
With a GDP greater than even the United States, Apple seems to be underperform in Europe. And Asia is more than just China. And I have yet to hear anything about Apple's business plan for Africa. Putting all of this together, Apple can continue to grow regardless what happens in China.
And let's face it - doing business with China means losing a bit of yourself. I don't want to quite cross the line and suggest it is like selling your soul to the devil but it is close. You cannot ignore the human rights violations indefinitely for both Chinese citizens and minority groups like the Tibetans and Uighurs. Apple executives and boardrooms in other companies will one day have to decide of doing business in China under the current condition which will worsen in years to come is worth it. If they are asking themselves this question now, it's time to prepare to go on without China.
Apple's Project Breakout Will Enhance User Experience For Products and Services With Its Own Financial Services
Apple's newest push into a non-tech market is finance and this one could be the biggest ever than Apple's move into mobile market. According to sources, Project "Breakout" is Apple's attempt to bring more financial tools and services to its users. There are a lot of speculations as to what it can mean but looking at how and where Apple can dive into, let's just right to it and ask: Is Apple Bank is coming to an iPhone near you?
The news came from Bloomberg. However, I feel Bloomberg should have done a deeper dive into this information from its sources at Apple or at least ask for clarity on the project. Immediately after the news came out, some fintech stocks dropped. However, I wonder if they should have been the ones to worry about Apple's encroachment into the financial services market.
Any time Apple moves into a new market, in this case, the financial services market, it takes years for Apple's impact to be felt. And it is never felt in a jolt at felt throughout the market. It's more of a roll and before you know it, it's a big, big wave.
Apple Pay was first introduced 7 years ago in October of 2014. It has taken that long for mobile payment to be ubiquitously accepted. There was a time when many were not sure Apple Pay would have a chance. Even now, Apple Pay is not accepted at the largest retailer in the world, Walmart, and as most gas stations I go to (I rather use Apple Pay than use my card because potential for skimming devices).
In these seven years, there has not be a major change to Apple Pay or new services from Apple except its expanded use with some public transposition systems.
So, how big of an impact will Breakout be? We just have to wait and see. So far, there is no talk about banking. The likely services could be related to the news about hardware subscription that Apple may push out in the near future. And by near future, in the next year or two. And with Apple, it's never guaranteed that it's coming until Apple announces it publicly.
Here are the potential services from Breakout:
Increase Apple Pay. Recently, Apple unveiled Tap to Pay on the iPhone allowing merchants to accept payments. Apple has opened this up to other payment systems. It's a good move since the government is likely going to be watching this closely for anti-trust and monopolistic practices.
Apple users can already buy Apple hardware in installments so I'm very curious what value Apple's hardware subscription will really bring to users. However, Apple could be looking to finance the subscription with its bazillion dollars in the bank. I'm not a financial person so I don't know how Apple will benefit financially. It will be "selling" hardware and likely bundle services along with the subscription fee. I watched a CNBC segment about this when this was announced and Wall Street seems to like it a lot since it means Apple will have a predictable revenue stream on an annual basis and the dependence on iPhone upgrade cycles will reduce market anxiety. Despite having a market capitalization of nearly three trillion dollars, there those who still think Apple will be bankrupt for some weird reasons.
The idea that Apple is looking to bring financial services in-house as Bloomberg suggests instead of working out another bank or partner means that Apple is comfortable with disrupting the financial market. It could be a big deal over time. Instead of working with a financing company, Apple will handle everything relating to the subscription - credit checks, lending (see below what else Apple can lend to), fraud and risk analysis, and, of course, payments.
Apple credit card could be just the next step. Bloomberg has made it clear that current deals and partnerships will continue. Consider Apple Card. Apple works with Goldman Sachs. This is just in the United States. What about the rest of the world? Could Apple Pay and new financial functions serve as Apple's version of the credit card everywhere else in the world?
Apple Cash - I currently have less than $50 in my Apple Cash. I really have no idea where that money is sitting other than that it's there on my iPhone. Like Apple Card, this is only available in the US. Consider possible international expansions. Wow.
How about banking? Could Breakout involve retail banking? Savings account? CD? Issue debts to Apple users? I'm not hopeful about this. It's possible but if Apple does get into banking, it will not feel like traditional banking we currently know it as.
Lending - Apple will mostly allow lending limited to Apple products - iPhones, iPads, Macs, and sales from the Apple Store. Wait, one more thing: Apple Financing for Apple's own car. And recently, Tesla launched a Tesla subscription. Prior to Breakout, Apple would work with a partner to finance purchase of its hardware. In a couple of years, lending from Apple will be much more mature. And when Apple's car does hit the market, it will be ready to finance it all on its own.
I'm not suggesting at all that Apple will become your bank. I honestly don't know if Apple is interested in doing that as we know it. Can you imagine Siri as your bank teller? No way! Siri still has no idea what I am asking it. However, when it comes to getting users to buy or subscribe to its products and services, it makes sense for Apple to control everything from end to end, even when Apple starts sell a car.
So, I think it's too premature for fintech, Wall Street, and local banks to start packing it in. The markets as those are too low and Apple is not quite ready to scrape the bottom of the barrel for changes to increase its profits. Apple wants to augment its garden, nothing more.
Source: CNBC.
Russian aggression and invasion of Ukraine has brought a realignment of global affairs and changed the normal flows of political and economic activities around the world. As Putin's brutal Urainian war enters a second month with heavy Russian losses, sanctions on Russia has highlighted just how fragile globalization has been and it takes only one despotic moron to ruin it for everyone. It is as if an ongoing pandemic was not enough.
With the Russian economy cut off from foreign capital and major currencies, I had wondered if Putin will look to the black markets and even the gray areas of global trade to blunt the catastrophic effects of Western and allied sanctions on his diminishing economy. And it looks like crypto could offer him a limited lifeline.
It is clear that some nations are attempting to reap the benefits of the previous economic relationships and some are trying to claim neutrality to avoid angering Putin and continue to buy cheap oil and gas from him. Nations like India, Israel, and Turkey quickly comes to mind. In fact, it is likely that Asian nations could continue to fund Putin's war and keep him afloat.
It has become clear to me that the West particularly the United States, will exert pressure on nations to enter its camp. It may work with some over time but nations like India and Israel, semi-allies at times when their national issues align with those of the United States continue to have a pass. For Israel, it's its security while with India, it is China's growing willingness to flex its political and military powers and exert its will on others. But who can blame them? We do the same here.
I believe blocks of nations will be created and overlap with some nations participating in more than one depending on their own interests. Most of them will be only economic in nature. But if some blocks be more rigid and globilization fractures further, cryptocurrencies may the link that binds these blocks together.
Just as Russia is desperately trying to find ways to get around sanctions, these blocks will trying find ways around using the major currencies. Imagine oil, minerals, and precious metals listed on futures exchanges not against the dollar but Bitcoin or Ethereum. Further more, some blocks may decide to collectively adopt a single or basket of cryptocurrencies as their own means of trade among each other.
This is not going to good or bad for the West but it could definitely allow some unfriendly governments to escape sanctions. What this means for the global economy is difficult to say. Being an optimist, I hope that it will allow some parity between the rich and poor in these blocks if there is a stable means of trade and allow the masses a greater voice in their own governments. Isn't that what some supporters of crypto are hoping for?
at March 31, 2022 No comments:
Android Tablet Is Dying, All Hail The Chromebook (and iPads If You Really Need The Tablet Form)
I'll get right to the point - get an iPad. And if you really adamant about staying in the Google ecosystem, then get the apps you need on the App Store because most of all the Google apps you need are there. But if you really insist, likely because you detest Apple so much or you have spend a lot of money on Android apps, then perhaps a Chromebook is the best choice.
The last Android tablets I own was the Nexus 7, a wonderful tablet, and then when Google stopped selling their own branded tablets, I with an Asus tablet that looks similar to the Nexus 7. Since then, I've stopped dabbling with Android tablets and decided to just stick with an iPad mini.
Now, the suggest I made above is not one I made lightly. Here is a bit of how I came around to the Chromebook as a better option than an Android tablet. First, I am not a fan of Chinese branded tablets. I just non-Chinese ones but there are just not a lot of them. Samsung tablets are awesome when it comes to hardware, it's top notch. In some ways, they're better than Apple's iPads. However, the software...meh right? Google has done a lot to improve the tablet experience on Android but Apple is light years ahead. At this point, I'm not sure Google will be able to catch up for these reasons - Google is all over the place with it comes to Android tablets and I'm just not sure Google is committed to the tablet as I think they should be. If anything, I feel like Google is just doing it to satisfy Android fans until it's ChromeOS experience with tablet features and UI improve enough to keep them from going over to the iPad side.
Now, it seems like with Android 12L, Google is finally taking tablets more seriously. If Google releases a Pixel tablet, then I'll bite. Maybe. But for now, I believe the ChromeOS experience if further along and has more to offer than Android for mobile users - consumer and business both.
I had seriously considered the HP's X2 detachable Chromebook when it went on sale at Best Buy last year for around $400, a great deal from the $600 price point. I was very close but I think given this is HP's very first decent try with a detachable, I think they'll do better the next time around. I told myself I would get the next update as a reward if I become better as coding.
And speaking of coding, it would be what I want a Chromebook for. I am on a very old 12" MacBook and I need an upgrade eventually. I'm not took keen on carrying around a $4000 machine all the time so a Chromebook for coding Python, SQL, and doing Web stuff would be perfect.
However, for day to day stuff like writing, reading, and gaming, I am still on my iPad mini. In fact, my wife who is an Android fan recently got an iPad mini herself because there simply was nothing on the Android side where she could get a similar experience. It surprised the heck out of me. I threw Kindle tablets at her. I took her to stores to show her shiny Samsung tablets. But she ended with the iPad.
She did consider the X2 but it was not as sale at the time. And there are no updated Pixel tablets from Google to choose from.
Look, as a regular consumer much like everyone else, competition in the market place is great. I feel Apple does not feel any heat from other tablet makers even though it does not dominate the market. I feel Apple is making different models of the iPad compete against each other and eventually, it might mean iPads will compete with the MacBooks directly.
When that happens, what does that mean for Android tablets then? I think Chromebook experience is further along and feel more natural to Google. It's Linux and Chrome is more Google's game. And this is why I would recommend Chromebooks that can running Android apps than Android tablets themselves.
MacOS Can Boot From A M1 iPad, Only if Apple Makes It So
"Make it so," Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation starship, the USS Enterprise, commanded in his familiar British accent even though he's French because, I did not know this, that by the 24th Century, French was became an obscure language.
My hope is that Picard can just as easily command the USS Cupertino to get their engineering team finally allow MacOS work on any iPad with the M1 chips and beyond because it makes sense, it is doable, it is in high demand, and it will make Apple a lot of money.
One reason why I do not think Apple is ready for MacOS to run on an iPad is the experience - there are some UI issues that Apple needs to work out for touch interface. Of course, like most Mac users and increasingly iPad users as well, we have been using our iPad with a keyboard and mouse.
I have used Windows 10 and 11 on a HP laptop for work and half the time, I do not even remember that the screen has touch features. And I hesitate to use it because of smudges and it was not very intuitive. If Apple is trying to come up with a touch scheme that is different from the iPad experience but will work better with MacOS, I am all for it.
You know the Apple elitists. If you do not satisfy them, they can be a loud minority. I'm not saying Apple cares at all what they think. Apple will do it own thing. But the media may help amplify those voices. So, Apple will need to make the MacOS on the iPad experience seamless. Not everyone will use a keyboard and mouse with it.
In the photo above, I am running MacOS in my 2018 iPad mini through a remote access app. And for short durations, it is fine. I have tried it on an iPad Pro with 13" and it works better. I use it with a keyboard and mouse. There is a touch element to the app for me to use MacOS with and it works just fine in a pinch but it is no where nearly as good as using a mouse. So, Apple, if you eventually allow MacOS or a version of it to run on the iPad, I am fine if you only allow physical keyboard and mouse to use it if you have not already figured out a new touch interface that works just as well.
Right now, I am writing this post (including this sentence) using the MacBook keyboard via Universal Control on MacOS Monterey.
The other issue is battery life. All iPad Variants of the iPad is limited to ten hours of use. As far as I can recall, Apple has limited iPad battery life since the original iPad to 10 hours of use. Right now, there are MacBooks that have 50% to 100% the battery life of the iPad.
Despite the current perceived limitations of running MacOS on an iPad, there are million of users who would not mind and want to be able to do more with this revolutionary device. My iPad is with me nearly 100% of the time. And if I can use it in ways that I do on the MacBook, I would love it.
I'll get into some advantages for Apple why iPads should be able to run MacOS. For now, I think it is a matter of when Apple "makes it so" or see iPadOS evolve enough to resemble the MacOS and have similar experience.
Twitter Is Where the Second Front of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine Is and Pro-Kyiv Tweets Are Winning
I've been doing on Twitter to get as much updated information on the illegal, illogical, and ill-conceived Russian invasion of Ukraine. It isn't easy but looking through hundreds of tweets at a time, I start to get a general idea of how things are going for the brave Ukrainians and how the West is trying to help and how that help is helping to turn the table on the invaders. Through these tweets, you have to work your way through a lot of misinformation - both pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian ones. It felt a little gross figuratively. However, you get the sense that this is a social media war that the supporters of Ukrainians are winning and anti-Putin tweets just do not have the muscles it did a month or so ago. I'll explain why.
During Desert Storm, I could not get enough of the 24-hour cable news update on how the US and allied forces (including forces who are generally considered anti-West) storm out of Saudi Arabia to liberate Kuwait and then later in 2003 when the US (with less allies) invaded all of Iraq to depose of Saddam Hussein's regime and in search of weapons of mass destruction.
All that was before social media like Twitter. There was the Internet for the second Iraq war in 2003 but this is nothing like what it is today with the war in Ukraine. I came away with a couple of observations.
Twitter is very useful if you use it in a limited set of ways. During my searches for information about the war, I have learned a thing or two about urban resistance. Anyone who is laughing at me obviously have never seen Red Dawn. The original one of course.
Twitter is filled with garbage and you can either let it in or keep it out. It is easy to do that. I've searched keywords about the war and when you do that, it seems like Twitter just lets everything in. The good, the bad, facts, made-up stuff (I am not going to say "made up facts"), information, and misinformation. But you can learn to filter things out - when something that seems a little too good to be true, it is.
For instance, during the first week of the war, there was supposed an Ukrainian ace who downed six Russian fighter jets/bombers. It was not true. I am sure it did wonders for pro-democracy and the brave Ukrainian defenders and boosted morale but again, it was not true. It might have been based on a pop gun Ukrainian pilot who did take out a couple of Russian fighters but it was not six.
Twitter was blocked by Russia and Twitter started blocking some Russian government accounts. I'm guessing that they also blocked a lot of bots (makes you wonder why Twitter did not do it before) and accounts in Russia that spread misinformation. This is why you get a few bad attempts by some who try to spread Putin's propaganda. There are accounts that are out there doing that but you can tell because when the bad spellings, grammars, and incoherent sentences are put together, the pro-Russian tweets merely repeats what is coming out of Moscow.
Also interesting is that now Twitter is limiting access from Russia, the trolls that generally spread other misinformation and conspiracy theories are not as loud as before. Now, you get a lot of accounts from China and the Middle East who generally support the Russian invasion.
MAGA tweets are not as pro-Putin as their leader, Donald Trump when it comes to the war. Most are quiet about the war or blame the current administration for not doing enough to help the Ukrainians - like sending in planes/tanks or implementing a no-fly zone. Very vocal about the Hunter Biden laptop though. But MAGA tweets seem to be down. At least for me.
In Ukraine, the Russian army probably have access to social media that their fellow Russians do not have access to. I wonder what they are seeing on Twitter, news that are no longer banned, and on other social media. I imagine it cannot be a good - their advances have stalled, pictures of Russian equipments destroyed or commandeered by Ukrainian farmers, the low morale being reported in the media, and the six or so generals/colonels who have died for the Motherland. These are kids who did not want to be there, who were lied to, and wanted to go home.
Like I said above - if you use social media in the right way, there are benefits. There is a danger of being too immersed into something and locking one's beliefs without trying to consider other sides and social media lets you do that. Some social media like Facebook even encourages that. Twitter is far from perfect but it is no where nearly as bad as Facebook. Too much of Twitter can be bad too.
For updates like what I was looking for on Twitter, it works. You have to be smart about it. For the Ukrainian war, this is the first war I can think of that is being fought on battlefield front as well as the social media front.
Look, I'm not anti-Russia. I'm pro-people and definitely anti-bullies, anti-Putin, anti-Xi, and anti-despots (bonafide ones or wannabe ones, you know who I am talking about). Nor am I anti-Chinese. I just don't like the policies of these governments - wars (okay, we had a couple of we started and I'm not for them), great firewalls, and taking away people's freedoms in general.
Apple has the formula down for entering a market and thrive. It did it with the iMac/iBook, iPod, iPhone, iPad, EarPods, Apple Watch, and services and it can continue to do that as the giant California company continues to expand into other markets. In looking at how Tesla and other auto companies are doing in the EV market, I came to the conclusion that Apple or anyone else who follow Apple's formula for getting a product to the market can hope to do well and thrive.
I'm a Fisker Ocean fan and I have a reservation for an Ocean. It's a risk I know but given the history of the company and its founder, Henrik Fisker, I think Fisker has the making of an Apple-like story in the auto industry. But I also believe that if Apple ever does enter the market, it has the ability to duplicate the success it has found in the computing and mobile markets.
This all started when I started looking at the financial numbers from Tesla to see if there is any justification for Fisker's value to increase because during an excited chat with a friend who is an even bigger Fisker fan than I am, I bought a fews shares and have accumulated about 100 shares over the last year. In my wildest dream, I am hope those shares will pay for my Ocean. I have since concluded it's not going to happen. Oh well…
But I got to thinking about how Fisker, Lucid, or even a number of new EV entrants can survive much less thrive in a market where Tesla is the giga (because it has giga factories) gorilla in the room and where traditional auto makers have finally woken up to the changing market and are about to release dozens of their own EV models.
Well, Fisker can thrive in the long term. Apple certainly can. Any of these new electric vehicle makers can. Okay, it's a lot harder than just stipulating what I think but really, all of these companies can. You only have to look at the PC and smartphone markets to see what I have concluded is plausible.
Take the PC market. In the 1970s, there were many companies that came out with their own computers including Apple. Later in the 1980s, Apple pivoted with the Mac while the PC market continued with DOS for a while until Windows came up and crushed Apple in the 90s.
Meanwhile, the PC landscape was thriving with dozens of clones of the IBM Personal Computer all running DOS and later Windows. I recall seeing tons of ads in newspapers and magazines from companies that no longer exist while HP, Compaq, Dell, and IBM sort of came through. And remember how Sony, Toshiba, and other Japanese electronic companies also go into the games.
It seemed like every week, there were new PC makers. Of course, that also mean the landscape was littered with corpses of computer companies that did not make it. In a way, it was a race to the bottom in terms of prices and the margins became too low for these companies to stay in business.
This may sound like it is going against my assertion that any EV company can thrive in the market. Let me continue. Remember how Apple almost went bankrupt? But now it's the biggest public company in the world? Right, Apple was able to resurrect its fortune in the 2000s and beyond because it stuck to a formula that is so simple that anyone can emulate. It's came out with a top notch product in a market that already has many players. And despite facing intense competition and sometimes priced higher than its competitors, Apple products continue to sell and demand for it has only increased over the years. Apple has managed to differentiate itself from the rest of the market. In some respects, one can argue that it redefined the market and forced competitors to play in its terms. It did that with the original iPod and it has changed the mobile market dominated by Blackberry. Where is Blackberry these days, by the way?
It's now doing that in the PC market by designing and incorporating the Macs with its own chips. Now, other PC and chip makers are scrambling to duplicates Apple's game plan. If someone else can do it and their PC or laptop has the same appeal as the Macs, they stand to gain a lot.
The only pitfall in all this? Well, Apple's method has a flaw - it has to keep innovating. If it stops innovating, it will die. Just like a shark - if it stops swimming, it will sink (yeah, I googled to make sure it's true - however, not all sharks will die if it sinks because some can still breath).
So, not a flaw for Apple because I just do not see it stop innovating at all. So, Apple should do fine. And if Apple does enter the market with its own electric car, it stands a good chance of carving a piece of the overall auto market for itself. Now, it cannot release a Tesla clone. If it does, who is going to buy it? And you can get any Apple car will cost a pretty penny. Won't be cheap. So, why pay extra for a Tesla clone simply because its behind Apple ecosystem? I'm afraid it will not be enough. So, Apple will need to bring more to the game.
And it means Fisker will have to as well. So far, I'm encouraged by what I am seeing despite some features like the California Mode being more of a gimmick than a must need feature or an "oh wow, I didn't know I needed this until Fisker showed me". I'm glad Fisker is not trying to up sell the California Mode since I think other EV makers can duplicate or have similar features via a software update on their cars.
So, there are innovations and then there are gimmicks. These EV companies have to look at what they can offer the market that sets themselves apart.
And speaking Fisker. This is not the original company Henrik Fisker started. Prior to Fisker Inc., there was Fisker Automotive. Because you probably have not heard of it, your guess that it did not do well would be correct. However, Henrik Fisker is back and the Ocean and the upcoming Pear are looking strong. The difference between Fisker now and previous efforts by Henrik Fisker is the focus on innovation and bring something new to the market. Personally, it sounds a lot like Apple's own story which is why I think Fisker will do really well this time around.
Given the rapid pace of how markets today evolve, any one of these car makers can become the next Tesla. Maybe not a trillion-dollar company like Tesla because the market can support a lot of companies that are worth tens of billions, each with their own segment of the market, drivers, and fans.
These EV companies do not need to go bankrupt, go wondering in the woods for a few years, and then come put with something different. They can look at these other companies that have had setbacks and see how they've reinvented themselves and what is it about these companies and their products that are so sought after.


text:
Q: HTTP Basic auth issue Doc: https://developer.atlassian.com/cloud/jira/platform/rest/v2/api-group-issues/#api-rest-api-2-issue-issueidorkey-get-example
API: https://your-domain.atlassian.net/rest/api/2/issue/{issueIdOrKey}/comment
python script:
url = "https://your-domain.atlassian.net/rest/api/2/issue/{issueIdOrKey}"

auth = HTTPBasicAuth("email@example.com", "<api_token>")

headers = {
   "Accept": "application/json"
}

response = requests.request(
   "GET",
   url,
   headers=headers,
   auth=auth
)

print(json.dumps(json.loads(response.text), sort_keys=True, indent=4, separators=(",", ": ")))

Error

Update1
  File "test.py", line 1, in <module>
    import requests
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'requests'

Update2
Install requests then get another issue, please check the pic.
And I try to install json via python -m pip install json but cannot do this.

A: you are missing an import statement.
at the top of the script try adding:
import requests
from requests.auth import HTTPBasicAuth
import json

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
STONY LIFE AND DESTRUCTION
Astronomical Revelations or 666 follows:
The following are excerpts from an interview of Larry Brian Radka with Seth Muller, a staff writer for The Parkersburg News, on Wednesday, September 17, 1997, with reference to his latest book, Astronomical Revelations or 666. Larry then explained,
"It's very, very controversial, but what's the sense in writing a book [666] if it's not going to stir up a little controversy?"
Seth went on to relate that "It is Radka's second book effort. He said he was drawn to the biblical book of prophecy."
"The Book of Revelation is enigmatic, but it is complete," Radka said. "It just takes a lot of work to figure out, and most people don't have enough information."
Radka has collected between 2,000 and 3,000 out-of-print books to research his topic. He said that these books have information to which most people don't have access.
"Astronomical Revelations" is highly illustrated and is composed of approximately 60 percent quoted material. Radka said his main purpose is to pass on information that is not easily obtainable.
He doesn't consider himself an expert and believes nothing qualifies him as a writer.
"I'm not trying to act like an authority on the subject: I just want to have some answers." Radka said. "I couldn't find the information I wanted, and when I found out, I realized that I've been jerked around, and I'm tired of being jerked around."
Radka is a born-again Christian, but in his research found that modern Christians have been misinformed on several issues relating to the Bible.
"I've discovered passages in the Bible where, based on translation, God appears as plural and . . . the Greeks substituted 'God' with 'Lord'," Radka said. "I'm still trying to figure out which god is which."
Radka examines other aspects of Revelation and the Bible which challenge some accepted beliefs. He said this is what "ticks people off."
"If you're taught something all your life, then learn something different, you usually just want to reject it." Radka said, "New Age people are more open-minded to my book than people who are indoctrinated into religion."
The controversies of this book give it a small market, according to Radka, and he doesn't expect to make any money.
"I wrote this book because it was an inspirational thing and not a money-making thing," Radka said. "This self-publishing deal isn't what it's cracked up to be . . . . I've only made pennies on the hour writing this thing."
"Historical Evidence for Unicorns" was Radka's first book. He called it a minor success, which he attributes to people's fascination with the horned horses.
He doesn't expect the same success with his second work.
"I don't think I'll write another book until after I retire," Radka said. "This book has cost me too much money."
[Larry Brian Radka did write a third book in 2006 (after the author did early retire--on social security) and it was titled: The Electric Mirror on the Pharos Lighthouse and Other Ancient Lighting.]
[Pages 31 through 39 of Chapter 3 of Astronomical Revelations or 666 above might explain why Radka has had problems separating the Bible's Hebrew God and the other gods who preceded our existence.]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


There is something inherently good about gardening, it connects us with the living world and for most people is relaxing, slowing the pace of life.
For many children today the garden is the first and sometimes the only doorway through which they can experience the natural world, an opportunity beyond the computer and television screen.
Because we understand how important it is for children to interact with nature we have been providing gardening based environmentally focussed studies in schools and playcentres for well over a decade.
suit the specific requirements of our clients and the children they teach.
Our tried and tested methods have helped children learn about growing food. caring for soil, biodiversity or making compost.
Linked to this is an understanding of why it matters as a part of the bigger picture, the interaction between humans and the living world. We teach the basic life skills of Organic Horticulture and soil care offering a tactile learning experience which is practical and enjoyable. Our inset training days have helped many teachers find ways to engage children of all ages and complex individual abilities in the living green environment.
As the plants grow so does the confidence and understanding of those children involved, they quickly absorb information finding their own pace and strengths. We know from experience and much research that learning in the outside environment is beneficial on many different levels, offering a range of experience and interaction seldom found elsewhere.
The OFSTED report on "learning outside the classroom" of 2008 laid the foothold for the expansion of outdoor learning possibilities. 2016 saw the government moving closer towards all children learning food growing/gardening as part of the curriculum.
This was a powerful and positive change which could if implemented properly in the long term have a quantifiable effect on the overall standards of education in this country.
We would love to help your school make gardening and interaction with nature part of your school day and curriculum, contact us with any questions or for further information.
During 2019 we are working with Chobham Academy in Stratford, Woodgrange Primary and Godwin Junior school to improve and instigate better use of the schools garden areas.


text:
You are here: Cricket IPL Africa T20 Cup: Northerns edge out North West
Africa T20 Cup: Northerns edge out North West
Sunday, 03 September 2017 16:33
Thomas Kaber led a strong bowling display by eta Northerns as they began their Africa T20 Cup campaign by edging out North West by three runs in their Pool B opener at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom on Friday.
The visiting captain claimed two for 23 and received excellent support from the miserly Gregory Mahlokwana and Corbin Bosch – the pair sending down four overs for only 22 apiece – as the hosts ended on 142/4 in pursuit of 145/8.
The match went right down to the wire with Migael Pretorius (1/24), the other stand-out bowler for the Pretoria side, dismissing top-scorer Andre Malan (38) with the final delivery of the game.
Both Pretorius and Mahlokwana were making their debuts in T20 cricket at this level.
Kagiso Rapulana (29) remained unbeaten for North West, who also had strong contributions from Janneman Malan (28) and Marques Ackerman (25).
Earlier, the Northerns openers gave their side a strong start, before they eventually faded away during the latter half of their innings.
South Africa Under-19 star Jiveshan Pillay, another of the debutants on show, top scored for the 2015 champions with 37 and put on 69 for the opening wicket alongside Andrea Agathangelou (35).
Wihahn Lubbe (3/20) and Johannes Diseko (2/20) were outstanding with the ball, although their efforts eventually proved to be a consolation as NW missed out.
07/09/2017 21:43 - Africa T20 Cup: Bosman prepared for home challenge
03/09/2017 20:33 - Mosehle, bowlers put Gauteng in Africa T20 Cup semis
03/09/2017 18:22 - Africa T20 Cup: Dolley, Nortje set up big EP win


Retailers around the world are transforming their businesses by pairing digital and physical operations into one seamless, connected experience. The result is a retail renaissance, driven by data and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions that empower employees with deep insights and delight today's digital-savvy customers with more personalized and relevant experiences.
Each year, Microsoft Envision brings business leaders together from around the globe to focus on the latest challenges, trends, and technologies in service of growing and transforming their organizations. The 2018 summit ran from September 24–26 in Orlando, Florida, and featured a top-notch list of speakers including Alexis Ohanian, Trevor Noah, and Satya Nadella. Together, they shared insights and lessons from their own investments in AI and digital transformation.
Here are a few of our favorite takeaways for the retail industry.
During our session titled "Making AI in retail real: Lessons learned to achieving value with AI," Richard Wingfield, CEO of Maijid Al Futtam – Ventures, offered insights into his organization's adoption of advanced analytics technologies.
Wingfield shared five key takaways when working with AI to empower employees, optimize operations, and deliver more personalized experiences for customers.
Begin with clean data: a focused and intentional process makes data management easier.
Avoid data swamps: know what data you are collecting and why.
Don't expect a silver bullet: AI is an iterative process, not an instant fix.
Have patience: models will fail, and that's OK.
Celebrate people: business and technology teams must collaborate and educate employees by putting the right tools in the right hands.
In "Exploiting Amazon's weak spots: Enabling great customer experiences," Doug Stephens—perhaps better known as The Retail Prophet—shared his prediction that in 10 years, the retail space will look completely different than it does today. How do retailers brace themselves for such an evolving environment? Experiential and engaging retail is key, and the means to give a reason to shop with you.
Surprising: to delight customers and leave a lasting impression.
Unique: to celebrate the elements that set a brand apart from all others.
Personalized: to make a customer feel special and valued.
Engaging: to create an intuitive connection to each of the five senses.
Repeatable: to create a uniform level of consistency that still feels spontaneous and can be well executed.
Our executive keynote talk came from Alysa Taylor, Corporate Vice President of Business Applications and Global Industry at Microsoft. Alysa shared the story of how clothing retailer H&M is boosting customer engagement with an AI-capable mirror built on Microsoft Azure.
Delighting customers through personalized, seamless experiences.
Empowering retail employees with data-driven insights.
Optimizing retail operations to build an agile organization.
Our presentation at Envision demonstrated that Microsoft is helping many leading retailers to transform their retail systems for today's digital world. Interested in taking your next step towards intelligent retail? Read our AI in Retail e-book here.


text:
About Tablo Publish Print Traditional Podcast Investors
Log in Join Tablo
About Tales
Tablo Tales is our dedicated literary imprint that offers traditional representation to our extraordinary authors.
Tablo Tales is led by Jemma Birrell, formerly of Sydney Writers' Festival and Shakespeare & Company in Paris, and now Creative Director at Tablo. The first series of Tablo Tales focuses on short books by great women writers from around the world, including New York Times bestselling author Claire Messud, and Lauren Elkin. The series is exquisitely designed, with covers by Alissa Dinallo.
Tablo is the only self-publishing platform that also offers traditional representation to authors. We believe that this model, where self-publishing and traditional publishing work together, is the future of our industry.
A jewel of a novel by New York Times bestselling author Claire Messud
A Dream Life
by Claire Messud
"A perfect frolic of a book, puffed on breezes of beauty and wit: it waltzes you through a little fear, a little darkness, and tips you out, refreshed and laughing, into the sun." Helen Garner
When the Armstrong family moves from New York at the dawn of the 1970s, Australia feels, to Alice Armstrong, like the end of the earth. Residing in a grand manor on the glittering Sydney Harbour, her family finds their life has turned upside down. As she navigates this strange new world, Alice must weave an existence from its shimmering mirage.
Lies and self-deception are at the heart of this keenly observed story. This is a sharp, biting and playful tale with a cast of unscrupulous characters adrift in a dream life of their own making.
Written with the characteristic delicacy of touch, humour and emotional insight that makes Claire Messud one of our greatest writers.
"Witty, arch and acutely observed, A Dream Life expertly captures the excruciating insecurities of class in our supposedly classless society." Geraldine Brooks
"the writing is crisp...and so is Messud's attention to detail. This is worth savoring" Publishers Weekly
"This strangely charming novella has about it a whiff of Madeleine St John's The Women in Black and, further back and fainter, the Katherine Mansfield stories set in New Zealand. In each case the focus is on family and class dynamics and the style and point of view are sweet and sharp by turns, like a Granny Smith apple." Sydney Morning Herald
"A novelist of unnerving talent." The New York Times
"[Claire Messud is] among our greatest contemporary writers." The New Yorker
Published ANZ October 2021 distributed by New South Books
Published US, Canada, UK, Ireland January 15 2022 distributed by IPG
IPG Books (USA) Gazelle (UK) New South Books (AUS/NZ)
A love letter to Paris. A meditation on community and the beauty of observing others.
No. 91/92: A Parisian Bus Diary
by Lauren Elkin
Your telephone is precious. It may be envied. We recommend vigilance when using it in public. — Paris bus public notice
In Autumn 2014 Lauren Elkin began keeping a diary of her bus commutes in the Notes app on her iPhone 5c, using it to take in the world around her. During that year, the Charlie Hebdo attacks occurred and Lauren had an ectopic pregnancy, requiring emergency surgery. At that point, her diary of dailiness became a study of how we digest major events personally and collectively as a city, observed from the height of the bus.
No. 91/92 is a love letter to Paris and a meditation on how it has changed in the two decades the author has lived there. It's a celebration of community and a time when we could all observe each other in our fleshy up-closeness.
"Lauren Elkin's commuter buses comprise a world where all existential concerns are present — the embodied self, the individual in society, and the bond of casual community … confronting all that it means to be human." Sarah Manguso
"This is poetry in motion, the ordinary made extraordinary through Elkin's practice of noticing … a chapbook for something holy" Ceridwen Dovey
"I absolutely love this book, each page radiates a heightened attunement to the city." Laura Grace Ford
New South Books Order on Booktopia
More authors to be announced soon.
Looking for inspiration? Try our author interview series, The Secret Life of Writers, on your favourite podcast app.
The Secret Life of Writers is a series of rambling conversations with some of the world's most interesting and visionary writers and creative icons about how they got where they are, what they're working on now, and how they balance art and life. These warm and personal interviews take you behind-the-scenes of the writing world. Hosted by Jemma Birrell, formerly of the Sydney Writers' Festival and Shakespeare & Company in Paris, and now the Creative Director at Tablo. Subscribe to hear a new episode (released on a Thursday every few weeks).
Listen on iTunes Listen on Spotify
Our goal is to build the most author-friendly book publishing experience in the industry.
Publish a Book with Tablo today.
We care deeply about creating the best possible self-publishing experience for authors — one that's simple, enjoyable, bares no gatekeepers, and lets you publish globally with the fairest possible terms. More than 100,000 authors, from debut writers to bestsellers, love using Tablo to publish their books. We hope you do too.
Home About Us Contact Help Centre Terms


text:
package ru.cubly.aceim.app.dataentity;

import ru.cubly.aceim.app.Constants.OptionKey;
import android.os.Parcel;
import android.os.Parcelable;

public enum AccountOptionKeys implements OptionKey, Parcelable {
	CONTACT_LIST_TYPE,
	SAVE_NOT_IN_LIST,
	LOAD_ICONS,
	SHOW_GROUPS,
	SHOW_OFFLINE,
	DISABLED,
	DENY_MESSAGES_FROM_ALIENS,
	TYPING_NOTIFICATIONS;

	@Override
	public String getStringKey() {
		return toString();
	}

	@Override
	public OptionKey fromStringKey(String key) {
		return AccountOptionKeys.valueOf(key);
	}

	public int describeContents() {
		return 0;
	}

	public void writeToParcel(Parcel out, int flags) {
		out.writeString(name());
	}

	public static final Parcelable.Creator<AccountOptionKeys> CREATOR = new Parcelable.Creator<AccountOptionKeys>() {
		public AccountOptionKeys createFromParcel(Parcel in) {
			return AccountOptionKeys.valueOf(in.readString());
		}

		public AccountOptionKeys[] newArray(int size) {
			return new AccountOptionKeys[size];
		}
	};
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Canon 5D IV time lapse movie does not have automatic exposure?
Discussion in 'Technical Troubleshooting' started by masonkhan, Nov 7, 2018.
Ok I've been trying to make a day/night time lapse using the time lapse movie function on the 5D IV but could not get automatic ramping of exposure. Have tried AV, P and A+ modes but all seem to only take the first shot to set exposure for the rest of the time lapse sequence.
The only thing I haven't tried is M mode using auto ISO. But thats not ideal using only ISO to determine correct exposure.
Can someone confirm that the 5D IV time lapse movie mode does not have automatic exposure function?


Shares in online contracts-for-difference specialist Plus500 (LON:PLUS) have plummeted by 32.52% to 1,104p (as of 12:50 GMT) after the company warned that revenues for the 2019 year would be lower than market expectations due to new regulation. Revenues for the year ended 31st December were up by 65% and total dividends for the year were increased by 18%.
CEO Asaf Elimelech commented: "We are pleased to report a year of record numbers and performance, well ahead of our original expectations. These results demonstrate both our strong operational performance and differentiation from our industry peers. Our focus on innovation and technology leadership continues to deliver benefits, through the acquisition of New Customers and the continued activity and increasing loyalty of existing ones, evident in the continued downward trend in customer churn.
"It was a momentous year as we successfully completed our move up to the premium listing segment of the Official List and to trading on the London Stock Exchange's Main Market for Listed Companies, with the subsequent inclusion in the FTSE250 – barely five years since our successful AIM IPO. This listing is already increasing interest in Plus500 and we expect it to further improve the trust and confidence of investors.
"The year was also notable for the introduction of regulatory measures by the European Securities and Markets Authority ("ESMA") in August 2018. Although we have seen a marked reduction in Group revenue directly attributable to this, we welcomed the new regulatory framework, as it is aimed at ensuring a level playing field across industry providers and increased transparency and fairer outcomes for customers. This creates a backdrop against which we expect Plus500 to excel over the medium to longer term.
"Our operating licences in the United Kingdom, Australia, Cyprus, New Zealand, Israel, South Africa and Singapore, provide a strong foundation in this new environment and the benefits of a diversified revenue stream.
"In summary, our highly flexible business model, industry leading scale and market share, technology edge, lean cost structure and robust financial position will help mitigate the impact of regulatory measures and ensure the delivery of sustained market leading financial performance. We are therefore confident that we can continue to successfully develop our business and expand into new markets, enabling us to continue providing strong shareholder returns".


text:
James Sheridan is an international bestselling author and speaker, award-winning copywriter, founder of an Inc. 5000 corporation, self-made multi-millionaire, and marketing consultant to clients that have included Nasdaq-listed corporations.
To help people and organizations recover and energize their true potential, so they may live a purpose-driven existence of happiness and prosperity, while cherishing our planet.
For reasons explained in my new book, The You Code – Your New Life Map Hidden in Your Ancient Genes, 20% of all profits from that book are donated to women's shelters and causes that prevent and raise awareness of domestic violence.
CELEBRITY & VIP CONFIDENTIAL CONSULTING
THE GENETYPE PROJECT
LICENSED PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATION
James Sheridanjames@rightclick.ie2020-11-30T17:15:36+00:00
I'll help you get whatever it is you want, as I have done for thousands of people across the world for the last 20 years. That's the simple part. Better than that, though, I'm also here to help you know what it is you want in the first place, by awakening and energizing your higher self.
Read my bio to see why I'm highly qualified to help you; I'm living testimony to the idea that you truly can accomplish anything you want to, but also that there's one thing you should accomplish; one thing you were put here to do. And it shall become your legend. Be careful what you wish for, because we can make it reality.
Here's one of the biggest lessons I ever learned: Everything happens for a reason. And that includes you being here now. Every event in your life so far, good or bad, brought you to where you are now: at my door. So, please do come inside, and accept this FREE welcome gift I made for you: a 146 page book, Peace of the Action- Your 7 Day Life Detox . Click to download.
Now, how may I help you. . . ?
"I want to change my life, but I don't know where to begin…" click here >>
"I have a specific life-goal but for some reason I can't get started on attaining it…" click here
"I want to be successful…" click here
"I want to grow/improve my business…" click here
"I want to be more effective in my job…" click here
"I want to make more money/sales…" click here
"I'm struggling with the idea of financial gain when I'm also concerned about community and environment…"click here
"I want a better relationship…" click here
"I want to improve my health…" click here
"I'm a celebrity/VIP who needs private and confidential coaching…" click here
Click Here to Save the World
By James Sheridan|2020-12-08T16:26:16+00:00December 8th, 2020|Categories: Uncategorized|
Click Here to Save the World "You can disagree with behavior or a particular position, but you do not resort to calling an opponent worthless." – Kofi Annan, Former United Nations Secretary-General. Both as individuals and as a species, humans have never been granted so much power; the power
By James Sheridan|2020-11-15T20:01:45+00:00November 15th, 2020|Categories: Uncategorized|
There are 7 types of guy. Which one of these 7 are you in a relationship with or want to be in a relationship with? A popularized line from the film, Forrest Gump, goes, "Mama always said life's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get."
The secret to ticking all your happiness boxes
By James Sheridan|2020-11-08T16:43:30+00:00November 8th, 2020|Categories: Blog|
Many people today crave many things. See how many of these are on your wish list: Happiness Self-esteem Self-love Self-awareness Motivation Inner Peace Self-help Enlightenment Did I leave anything out? But there is something underneath the surface that, if discovered, will tick ALL the boxes on that list, and I'll
When did we stop worshipping women?
By James Sheridan|2020-11-08T16:39:53+00:00November 8th, 2020|Categories: Blog, Uncategorized|
"Whoever severs himself from Mother Earth and her flowing sources of life goes into exile." – Emma Goldman. At some point in our lengthy past, we didn't just stop worshipping women in the literal sense, but also in the philosophical sense; the principles of The Feminine were also forsaken.
The Humblest Things
By James Sheridan|2020-10-04T22:19:15+00:00September 2nd, 2020|Categories: Blog|
The Humblest Things: James Sheridan's Covid-19 Commentary "Consider that a single microorganism could win a decisive genetic war against humans; it simply wants to survive the same as us, and The Energy Field has evidently provided it with the weapons to do so, as The Black Death demonstrated by wiping
How to Weaponize Kindness
By James Sheridan|2020-10-04T22:04:13+00:00August 28th, 2020|Categories: Blog|
Two powerful life lessons: Hurt people hurt people. Kindness is a powerful weapon. London Borough of Hammersmith, 1985. It was about to become Hell for Teachers, and I The Dark One, my minions aplenty. This strict, all-boys school had become a powder keg in the face of oppressive authority and
15155 W. Colonial Drive
Unit 784651
Email: james@jamessheridan.com
Business Power Up
Freedom Flight Academy
The Sheridan School of Marketing
© Copyright JamesSheridan.com | All Rights Reserved
The You Code
The Pandora Prescription


More Americans are planning to hit the road this summer compared to 2016, according to the annual Summer Travel Study conducted by GasBuddy. More than 82 percent said they will take a road trip this summer, a 7-percent increase from last year and a 9-percent increase compared to 2015, with a majority (70 percent) planning to take at least two trips.
A key finding behind the surge in travel is a feat never before seen: the national average gasoline price today is nearly the same (up 1.5 cents) as it was to start the year ($2.34), compared to the average increase of 47 cents1, and also nearly the same as Memorial Day last year ($2.33). The stability at the pump is likely sparking optimism for the upcoming summer driving season as motorists have not been hit hard by skyrocketing gas prices during the spring.


text:
Identifying barriers for internationally educated applicants
CNO's statement: Ontario's "As of Right" plan
Council elections open in Eastern, Northeastern, and Northwestern districts
Government reviews regulations to expand RPN scope of practice
Toronto, Ont. Aug. 11, 2022 – The College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) has launched a survey of 3,344 internationally educated applicants to identify any barriers they may face related to writing their registration exam to become a nurse.
Recent CNO data show there is a group of applicants who is eligible to write the registration exam but hasn't yet done so. Completing the exam is needed to register as a nurse in Ontario.
"It is critical that we understand the reasons why this many applicants are not availing themselves of the opportunity to take the exam and finalize their full nursing registration with CNO," says Carol Timmings, acting Executive Director and CEO. "These findings will allow us to identify potential enablers and barriers for internationally educated applicants in completing their individual accountability in the registration process."
We have sent an email to all exam eligible applicants. Responses from the survey will provide CNO with the information we need to work with our partners in the health care system to break down the barriers some applicants face.
"There may be a number of areas where applicants are in need of additional support," says Timmings. "It is our intent to share these insights with government, in the event that any of the potential barriers identified are amenable to a system wide solution."
The survey responses are confidential and will not affect the applicant's application in any way. CNO will only report on the combined data.
CNO is working relentlessly to innovate its registration processes to safely register as many qualified nurses as possible. Earlier this year, CNO launched the Supervised Practice Education Partnership, which has helped us break records for the number of internationally educated nurses we are registering. Next week, CNO will launch a new initiative in collaboration with several colleges and universities to support educational opportunities for internationally educated applicants.
"We are committed to working with the Ontario government and all our system partners to find solutions so the people of this province can continue to receive safe nursing care — even during a time of crisis," says Timmings.
Visit CNO's Examination web page for more information on registration examinations.
Bradley Hammond
media@cnomail.org
Page last reviewed August 11, 2022


text:
class ImportLockDialogViewBrowserTest : public DialogBrowserTest {
 public:
  ImportLockDialogViewBrowserTest() {}

  // DialogBrowserTest:
  void ShowUi(const std::string& name) override {
    gfx::NativeWindow native_window = browser()->window()->GetNativeWindow();
    ImportLockDialogView::Show(native_window, base::Callback<void(bool)>());
  }

 private:
  DISALLOW_COPY_AND_ASSIGN(ImportLockDialogViewBrowserTest);
};

// Invokes a dialog that implores the user to close Firefox before trying to
// import data.
IN_PROC_BROWSER_TEST_F(ImportLockDialogViewBrowserTest, InvokeUi_default) {
  ShowAndVerifyUi();
}


Idea-Rumah AWARD is a quality system, most wanted cabinets designed for the custom kitchen products industry. This innovative approach enables ZENO to significantly increase its efficiency and remain competitive in today's ever-changing marketplace.
ZENO to design and fit their dream kitchens, bedrooms and living rooms.
We've been going strong for more than 11 years and are continuing to 'wet' your appetite. There's something to suit all tastes, room sizes and budgets.
VIEW INSPIRATIONAL PHOTOS, AND DISCOVER GREAT PRODUCTS.


text:
Money in the Bank 2014 è stata la quinta edizione dell'omonimo evento in pay-per-view prodotto annualmente dalla WWE. L'evento si è svolto il 29 giugno 2014 al TD Garden di Boston (Massachusetts).

Storyline
Nella puntata di Raw del 9 giugno il WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan è stato costretto a rendere vacante il titolo mondiale a causa di un grave infortunio al collo; in seguito Triple H e Stephanie McMahon hanno quindi annunciato che a Money in the Bank si sarebbe svolto un Ladder match con in palio il vacante WWE World Heavyweight Championship. I primi due partecipanti ad essere annunciati sono stati Alberto Del Rio (il quale aveva sconfitto Dolph Ziggler nella puntata di Raw del 2 giugno) e Randy Orton (che è invece stato direttamente scelto la sera stessa da Triple H e Stephanie). Successivamente si sono qualificati per il match lo United States Champion Sheamus e Cesaro, i quali hanno rispettivamente sconfitto l'Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett e Rob Van Dam. Il 13 giugno, a SmackDown, Bray Wyatt si è qualificato dopo aver sconfitto Dean Ambrose grazie all'interferenza di Seth Rollins ai danni di Ambrose. Il 16 giugno si sono qualificati gli ultimi due uomini: Roman Reigns (che ha vinto una Battle Royal eliminando per ultimo Rusev) e John Cena (il quale ha sconfitto Kane in uno Stretcher match grazie all'aiuto di Dean Ambrose, che ferma Randy Orton e Seth Rollins dopo che questi avevano attaccato il bostoniano). Nella puntata di Raw del 23 giugno, dopo l'Handicap match in programma, Kane ha attaccato Reigns, Del Rio e Cena. In seguito a quanto accaduto, Triple H ha annunciato l'entrata dello stesso Kane nel Ladder match per il WWE World Heavyweight Championship di Money in the Bank.

Durante la faida tra John Cena e Bray Wyatt, i WWE Tag Team Champions, gli Usos (Jey Uso e Jimmy Uso), si sono schierati dalla parte di Cena; il 1º giugno, a Payback, i due si sono schierati ancora una volta dalla parte di Cena, il quale ha sconfitto Wyatt in un Last Man Standing match culminando il feud. La notte seguente, a Raw, Erick Rowan e Luke Harper hanno sconfitto gli Usos in un match non titolato, guadagnando così l'opportunità di lottare per il WWE Tag Team Championship a Money in the Bank.

Nella puntata di Main Event del 17 giugno è stato annunciato che a Money in the Bank si sarebbe anche svolto un unico Money in the Bank Ladder match, che garantirà una futura opportunità titolata per il WWE World Heavyweight Championship; la sera stessa Seth Rollins ha dichiarato che avrebbe fatto parte del match. Nella puntata di Raw del 23 giugno Triple H ha aggiunto l'Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett, Dolph Ziggler, Rob Van Dam, Kofi Kingston e Jack Swagger all'omonimo match; più tardi, in serata, Rollins ha chiesto ed ottenuto da Triple H l'aggiunta di Dean Ambrose al Money in the Bank Ladder match poiché preoccupato delle minacce rivoltegli dallo stesso Ambrose. Il 27 giugno, a SmackDown, Barrett è stato rimosso dall'omonimo match di Money in the Bank a causa di un infortunio.

Il 1º giugno, a Payback, Cody Rhodes e Goldust sono stati sconfitti dai RybAxel (Ryback e Curtis Axel). Nella puntata di Raw del 16 giugno, Cody ha debuttato con la nuova gimmick di Stardust (molto simile a quella del fratello Goldust) per poi sconfiggere i RybAxel insieme allo stesso Goldust. Nella puntata di Main Event del 24 giugno i RybAxel hanno sfidato Goldust e Stardust ad un match per Money in the Bank; sfida che è stata poi accettata dai fratelli Rhodes.

Nella puntata di Main Event del 17 giugno, la Divas Champion Paige è stata sconfitta da Naomi in un match non titolato. In seguito è stato annunciato un match per il titolo femminile tra Paige e Naomi per Money in the Bank.

Dopo che Fandango ha rimpiazzato Summer Rae con Layla come sua compagna di danza, Summer ha attaccato la stessa Layla nella puntata di Raw del 19 maggio. Summer e Layla hanno continuato ad attaccarsi a vicenda durante i match di Fandango; in seguito è stato annunciato un match tra le due per Money in the Bank con Fandango nel ruolo di arbitro speciale.

A Payback, Rusev ha sconfitto Big E. In seguito ai continui attacchi tra i due, è stato annunciato un match tra Rusev e Big E anche per Money in the Bank.

Risultati

Note

Collegamenti esterni

2014
Wrestling nel 2014

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Eek! Only 3 more days until Thanksgiving! Yikes! I've been down in Florida for a wedding so it didn't even dawn on me that it was only 3 days away! Just in case you're still planning, here are my favorite gluten free, dairy free, soy free, nut free (many are also egg free) recipes for Thanksgiving. Some are remakes of old favorites (like green bean casserole). Some are new favorites, especially great if you have some guests who are nightshade free.
Sweet Potato and Pancetta Hash (with optional maple glaze)- Gluten free, dairy free, soy free, nut free, egg free, and nightshade free Thanksgiving side dish recipe – why not change it up a bit? It's delicious!


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HOME > BASILICATA > MARSICO NUOVO
On a morphologic structure of the Val D'Agri, is where one will find Marsico Nuovo, offering noteworthy panoramic views over the territory.
Its name derives from the Marsi, the first population to settle in the territory around the IV century BC., founding Abellinum Marsicum. Even though some people are inclined to believe its name derived from the Latin term Mariscus, with reference to the swamps which were once present around the central habitation.
What is certain is that human settlements were already present during the pre-Roman era. During the Roman Imperial period, some villas were constructed on its territory and from 370 AD, Marsico Nuovo became an Episcopal sea under Bishop Sempronio Grumentino.
After the fall of Rome, it merged into the Ostrogoth Reign (496-535) and after the Greek-Gothic war (535-553) became part of the Eastern Roman Empire.
After being conquered by the Longobards (VI century) and the arrival of the Normans (XI century), Marsico Nuovo was assigned firstly to Rinaldo of Malconvenienza and then Count Silvestro. The participation of the latter in the conspiracy against Guglielmo I, made him lose the Lordship, which then passed to Filippo Guarna.
Under the Swabians (1194), Marsico Nuovo was assigned to the powerful Sanseverino family, who ruled it until 1552.
In 1638, it was the Pignatelli family who bought the fief and had a villa built, which today carries their name, and the Town Hall. Their family governed Marsico Nuovo until 1806, the year of abolition of feudal right under the orders of Giuseppe Bonaparte.
The village was seat of a Rivendita Carbonara (Smaller city associations linked to the Carbonari movement which promoted independent ideas) and actively participated in both the motions of 1820-21 and the subsequent ones of (1860), which led Marsico Nuovo to unification into the Reign of Italy (1861).
Seismic activity destroyed the ancient cathedral during 1857.
Climbing up the hills of Marsico, one will see the Medieval towers, which are part of Palazzo Autilio. One will then reach the S. Michele Arcangelo Cathedral dating back to the XIII century, then reconstructed during the XIX century. It was once again gravely damaged during the 1980 earthquake. Adjacent to the cathedral, one can visit the beautiful San Gianuario Church. Both churches are embellished with Medieval doorways.
Not too far from Marsico Nuovo one can visit the Maria of Constantinople Sanctuary, containing frescoes in its interior.
The S. Michele Arcangelo Cathedral (XIII century, reconstructed during the XIX century); S. Gianuario Church (XI-XIII centuries); S. M. Assunta or S. Giorgio Cathedral; S. Rocco Church; S. Marco Church (XIII-XIV centuries); S. Maria del Ponte or Constantinople Sanctuary (1593); S. Francesco Convent (1330); Palazzo Navarra; Palazzo Barrese; Palazzo Montesano; Palazzo Ventre-Ragone; Palazzo Manzoni (XII century); Masseria Castle; Palazzo Pignatelli; Excursions to Piana del Lago and the Arioso Forest.
Travel in Marsico Nuovo
Marsico Nuovo hotels


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4 Fort Collins police officers honored with regional award
It was the first time the award has been given in Fort Collins.
4 Fort Collins police officers honored with regional award It was the first time the award has been given in Fort Collins. Check out this story on coloradoan.com: https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2019/08/02/true-blue-award-given-four-fort-collins-police-officers-thursday/1901197001/
Meredith Spelbring, Fort Collins Coloradoan Published 4:39 p.m. MT Aug. 2, 2019 | Updated 9:16 p.m. MT Aug. 2, 2019
Four Fort Collins police officers were honored for taking additional steps to help victims of scams get back on their feet.
Officers Rob Knab, Scott Maher, Kelsey Skarr and Brian Werder were awarded the Bill Daniels True Blue Award on Tuesday for going above and beyond their required duties to assist scam victims in Fort Collins.
The Bill Daniels True Blue award is given to officers in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming who "go above and beyond the scope of their duties to perform selfless acts to help others," according to the Daniels Foundation.
It is the first time the award has been given to any officers in Fort Collins.
"We are very selective here in who we hire, and that is because we know we can train all the skills into people, but you can't train in things like integrity," Chief Jeff Swoboda said. "This didn't come from training, this comes from how they were raised, how they see the world, how they realize they play an important role in helping other people."
Knab was honored for his work responding to a situation in May 2018 after the department received an email detailing a story of a mother and daughter who sold several high-value electronic items in order to afford a puppy adoption. The pair was scammed, losing the electronics and not making the money they needed to bring the puppy home.
Knab reached out to other officers and city employees for donations to try and help make up for the mother and daughter's losses.
The four Fort Collins officers were honored with the True Blue Award Thursday with Daniels Fund CEO Linda Childear and Chief Jeff Swoboda. (Photo: Meredith Spelbring)
In another case, Maher and Skaar responded to a potential trespass at a Fort Collins home in June 2018. The resident, who was in the process of moving out of the home, returned to find her possessions had been moved from the house and someone else had moved in. The family who had moved in found the property on a home rental website and sent more than $2,000 to the person they believed to be the landlord but actually was not.
The family, with several children and pets, was scammed and had very few personal belongings in the home — just air mattresses and a card table. It was at this point the officers realized the impact of the financial losses on the family.
Maher worked with victim services to get the family a hotel, and worked with Skaar and Werder to start a GoFundMe for the family, which eventually raised more than $5,000.
More than a year later, the officers have been in contact with the family, which is now living in an apartment and saving up to rent a townhome, Maher said.
"It is awesome," Maher said of being able to help the family get back on their feet. "Who knows what would have happened to them if the community didn't step up and help them out. They didn't have a whole lot to begin with, and this was a huge financial blow to them."
"We're really honored to receive this, but I know that we couldn't have done this without the rest of our agency and community backing us and obviously donating to this family that needed something. We appreciate everybody supporting us," Skaar said.
The Daniels Fund was established in honor of Bill Daniels, a TV pioneer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Daniels left instructions for what to do with his fortune and wanted it to be used to recognize "those who put their life on the line every day," said Daniels Fund President and CEO Linda Childears.
"Most of these officers came to this job because they really care about the community, really care about the people and they demonstrate this all the time, every day, and no one knows about it," Childears said. "So for us not only is it an opportunity to tell a story that not only do they do their job well, but they are real humanitarians."
Read or Share this story: https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2019/08/02/true-blue-award-given-four-fort-collins-police-officers-thursday/1901197001/
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Metal roofing in Charleston SC is quickly becoming the material of choice for both commercial and residential properties. This type of roofing has come a long way from the early tin roofs that used to grace homes. Today the metal roofs offer a durability and longevity that is hard to find with other materials. It may be the ideal roof for your situation like it has been for so many others. A roofing professional can help you to make the choice between metal roofing and other roofing materials based on your budget and other factors.
Metal roofs last a long, long time. It is hard to find material that can compare to metal when it comes to longevity. Of course metal roofs can also help to keep your property safe from fire because of the durable protection that the metal provides. Metal roofing in Charleston SC also offers the added advantage of tolerating weather very well. They are durable and they look great. They can easily improve the look of any structure and give it that curb appeal.
A lot of homeowners and commercial property owners are looking to metal roof options because of the once and done opportunity. A metal roof can last far beyond most other roofing material options. Typically, a metal roof can last about 50 years.
Another major benefit of this roofing material is that it is low/no maintenance for the property owner. You can find out more about this type of roof and others from Powell Roofing!


The new report, produced by Gartner, reveals that close on twenty per cent of British workers are unlikely to stay in their current role, the second highest after India (40 percent), and well above the global average of just under 12 per cent.
The Global Talent Monitor also finds that worker optimism regarding the jobs market, as well as personal career prospects, are higher than at any time since the Brexit vote. Additionally, the research shows that four in ten of us have 'somewhat high to high' confidence in the economy.
This squares with our recent news item on September being 'moving month', and begs the question: what are employer doing to fill the gaps left by those who are moving on to pastures new?
Employers need to work smarter, be open to new ideas, and not simply rely on the standard issue methods and mindsets. It is no longer enough to bang a vacancy onto a job board and sit back waiting for an avalanche of quality applicants to pour in. Recruiters need to look for staff in new areas, in alternative talent pools, and in new ways.
The jobs market is such that candidates can afford to be selective, so what would make them consider Company A 'an employer of choice'? This isn't simply a matter of remuneration. Some savvy employers are looking closely at non-financial benefits like flexible/home working, while others are examining the workplace itself and considering how they can create an environment that will help attract and retain top talent.
Most companies hire on skill and fire on behaviour and we all know that a bad hire can prove costly - around 3.5 times salary - but in many cases this can be avoided. Behavioural Assessments are a great tool to help recruit people whose values, behaviours, motivation and beliefs best mirror the organisation's own.
If 'moving month' is causing headaches in your business and you want to replenish the ranks with quality candidates, drop us a line or call 01353 645004 today.