You are signed up to receive our updates.
In today's social media age merging online and offline marketing efforts is quintessential for the success of any brand. Online interactions are but the very first step to creating and building meaningful relationships with a brands stakeholders – the customers.
Social media has opened up ways like never before to build equity and foster meaningful relationships with existing customers and prospects without actually being physically close. But nevertheless, nothing comes close to or can replace a one-on-one interaction by a brand with its customer! Whether that takes place over the phone or in person, closing the gap between relationships built over social media or online can ensure that a brand or businesses marketing efforts aren't wasted.
The traditional consumer path to purchase has evolved. Shoppers are no longer divided between online and in-store, and individual sales are difficult to classify as e-commerce or brick-and-mortar since a single purchase can be inspired by mobile, researched on desktop, and bought in-store. Digital influence is expected to grow, and an estimated 64% of sales in 2015 was learnt to be influenced by a digital channel.
This doesn't come to say that brands can rely solely on digital to attract consumers and treat their actual physical stores as bare bones stock rooms. In fact, 72% of shoppers consider the in-store experience the most influential factor in their purchase decision.
The internet has proven itself to be a power engine for commerce. Just about every business owner and marketer is aware that they can use the internet to sell items online or encourage people to visit a physical store. However, a recent report from eMarketer shows that to truly take advantage of online marketing, business owners need to meld their offline and online shopping experiences. Consumers expect an experience that enables them to buy online, pick up and return in-store. This requires brands to collect consumer data across all channels. Consumers continue to choose the channel that's convenient to them and the battle to create a unique experience that's relevant to the customer's needs and demands attention is causing disruption in both the digital and bricks and mortar space.
The internet helps businesses on both sides of ecommerce. According to eMarketer, 78 percent of US online consumers have made a purchase in-store after browsing for a product online. Clearly, traditional internet marketing works for offline retailers. It works in reverse almost equally as well. The same eMarketer reported noted that 72 percent of US online consumers have made a purchase online after browsing for a product in-store.
Merging the offline and online shopping experience takes effort on the part of the business. In essence, the company's internet marketing will need to run two programs at once. A system to inform and bring customers to the physical store and a different program to assist customers while they are shopping. Merging online and offline shopping experiences will be come more important as consumers become more accustomed to buying things online that they used to buy in-store in the past.
Zynosure Consulting is a 360 degree marketing consultancy offering a plethora of services including revolutionary Augmented Reality technology products for helping clients merge their online and offline. Zynosure is the official marketing partner of Unveyl Augmented Reality App in the UAE.
Finally a hoverboard that can fly!
Why is search so important?
Live chat is not available now… Please use this form to reach us!


text:
Despite 'unusual' timing, Bloom focused on finding the right manager
Mark Daniels Journal Sports Writer MarkDanielsPJ
The new Red Sox chief baseball officer says he's keeping an open mind as the hunt begins for Alex Cora's replacement.
BOSTON — This isn't how Chaim Bloom pictured his first season with the Red Sox.
After being hired as Boston's chief baseball officer, taking over for Dave Dombrowski, Bloom, 36, suddenly must find the next manager of the Red Sox. With pitchers and catchers reporting to Fort Meyers, Fla., for spring training in less than four weeks, it's certainly not an ideal time to find Alex Cora's replacement.
On Wednesday, Bloom said his team will lead the search for Cora's successor after the manager and team mutually agreed to part ways because of his role in the Houston Astros' sign-stealing operation. As of now, Bloom is exploring all options — internal and external — to lead the 2020 Red Sox.
"There's no question it's an unusual time to be doing a managerial search, being at the point in the winter that we are, being this close to spring training," said Bloom, who will have to ask for permission to speak with other team's coaches. "You know, it's impossible for that not to be a factor in how we proceed, but it's not going to be the only factor. We want to make sure to do this justice."
Bloom said he's keeping an open mind as he helps to lead this search. He didn't rule out hiring an interim manager and then starting the managerial search over next offseason. He also didn't limit the field to finding a manager with plenty of experience.
Bloom worked with the Tampa Bay Rays from 2005 to 2019 and took part in two coaching searches that landed Joe Maddon in 2006 and Kevin Cash in 2015. When Maddon was hired, he was 52 and had some managerial experience. When Cash was hired, he was 38 and had no experience as a manager and just two seasons of coaching experience.
"My past with the Rays, I worked with one [Maddon] who will probably roll his eyes to hear me say this, but over time, especially as he got some tenure on the job, became one of the older managers in baseball," Bloom said. "And then worked with one of the youngest, and everybody brings different things to the table. I don't like to categorize people, to typecast people. I think it's unfair to them, and in doing that, would be unfair to us."
If the Red Sox decide to stay in-house, they have some options. One is bench coach Ron Roenicke, 63, who managed the Milwaukee Brewers from 2011 to 2015, compiling a 342-331 record. Another option is former Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek, who is currently working as a special assistant to Bloom.
"I don't want to get into whether we would or wouldn't consider anybody specific," Bloom said. "Tek is one of those guys, again, a lot of people here knowing a lot better than I do. I've been very impressed talking to him. The bond that he has with the fans of this organization, that speaks for itself. And I know our staff thinks just as highly of him. You don't often find people who have the distinguished playing career he's had and also the ability to connect across a wide spectrum of people, and he certainly demonstrates that."
Bloom said he doesn't have a list of candidates yet but the process starts now.
"As we get into this, obviously, the main thing that we're going to want to make sure is that the next manager is the right manager for us, rather than start from whether it should be internal or external," Bloom said. "I'd just say that, at this stage, as we start the process, there's nothing we've ruled out and we're going to have a discussion about how to weigh those different factors."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Do you feel alone, unheard or need someone to talk to?
Be please mindful, The Just Talk Campaign will not be taking on any new referrals. If you require affordable counselling, please call exploringU counselling on: 01787 829141 if you are in crisis please contact your GP or the emergency services.
PLEASE NOTE THAT FROM 15TH MARCH 2019 OUR SERVICE SHOP AND COUNSELLING CAFE IN BOREHAMGATE SHOPPING PRECINCT WILL REMAIN CLOSED, OUR COUNSELLING SERVICES WILL CONTINUE ON MONDAY 18TH MARCH 2019 FROM THE EXPLORINGU CENTRE FOR WELL-BEING, 54 STATION ROAD SUDBURY, SUFFOLK CO10 2SP.
WE WILL BE OFFERING LOW COST COUNSELLING WITH A TRAINEE COUNSELLOR VIA EXPLORINGU COUNSELLING PLEASE CALL US ON: 01787 829141 TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT ASSESSMENT.
Our Last Free Drop-in Session will be on Saturday 30th March 2019 10:00am to 12 noon From The Stour Valley Business Centre, Brundon Lane. CO10 7GB.
Sign up below to Just Talk Campaign's monthly newsletter, so you can read about all our latest news, as well as news from exploringU Counselling and Emotional Wellbeing Life's Podcast Show straight to your inbox.


text:
CR Sunday Interview: Richard Sala
Richard Sala is one of the best artists to have worked in comics the last three decades and one of the most underrated cartoonists generally. He may be better known for the general look and feel of his work than for any specific comics effort, which is understandable given how strongly the horror, fairy-tale, kids-adventure elements of his comics communicate. Sala is the kind of cartoonist around whom one builds cults except for the fact that he's never stopped working. In fact, his latest run of books may be his strongest: from the series Evil Eye now some 10-15 years behind us to much more recent efforts like Cat Burglar Black and The Hidden.
Sala's latest is a collected, hardcover version of Delphine, his series with the Ignatz line of oversized, high-production, intermittent-but-serial comic books done by an assortment of publishers with Coconino Press and Fantagraphics leading the way. Like all of Sala's recent work it's tightly structured and full of odd, affecting set pieces. It's also flat-out gorgeous. I was delighted he took some time to me. I wanted to talk to him a while back about The Hidden, but personal circumstances on my end got in the way -- please forgive my curiosity in the direction of older work during what follows. One of my fondest hopes for this age of arresting imagery and passed-around moments is that the comics world learns to appreciate Richard Sala that much more than it does already. -- Tom Spurgeon
TOM SPURGEON: Richard, I don't have a sense of how you work, particularly how much time you spend on comics in a week/month/year, how long it takes you to work. Can you talk about that a bit, just how much of your professional life involves comics and where it sits in the general constellation of what you do?
RICHARD SALA: It's a good question, but it's kind of hard to answer since comics are just a part of the stew. I'm always working on something, usually trying to juggle several projects, so it all depends on which deadline is closest. With comics I often have to make up my own deadlines. You especially have to do that these days, since it's all about graphic novels instead of a series. It was a lot easier to set up a deadline to finish 24 pages every couple of months when I had my series, Evil Eye. Somehow that was more palatable and conceivable. Nowadays, I'll write big reminders on my calendar. I guess it helps that I've always been pretty motivated and enjoy doing it.
These days there's the option of doing a serialized comic online. I've been working on a couple of ideas for that, but it's a serious commitment, so I want to be sure it's a good idea. In the meantime, to sort of test the waters, I started doing these themed exhibitions of my work online. I actually do those in a serial format. New work is posted once a week, with a set, finite number of pieces, so that it would last maybe a month or two. When all the work for a series has been posted, they stay up as individual online exhibitions.
The first series was "Unmasked," which was something I did for Halloween a few years ago. That was a group of portraits of various creatures and monsters, based on my childhood memories of monster masks. I had been doing new work every Halloween for several years, posting those online. But because I was doing so many of these small portraits, I would release a few new ones every few days during October, and I found that serial format really appealing.
So I got more ambitious and did a series called "Skeleton Key." For that, I released 40 character portraits, each accompanied by kind of fanciful biographical information, every week for about three months. The sub-title was "A Secret History" because it was a guide to characters who have appeared in my work in various places over the years, but I was also revealing new details about them. like background information or hints of other adventures that aren't anywhere in the actual books. I even included several new characters who aren't in any of my books at all and some who are but are only minor characters and gave them all these sometimes elaborate backstories. There's some crossover with a lot of these characters, so I was playing with the concept of creating a guide to my very own fictional universe. I mean, it was totally tongue in cheek but at the same time I was pretty serious, if that makes sense. I have a fatherly affection for these silly characters and their worlds. Plus, believe it or not, I had always wanted to do something along the lines of Borges' "Universal History of Infamy" which I read years ago and which made a big impact on me. But if that sounds too snooty, I was also inspired by bubblegum cards, the kind with the picture on the front and the description or bio on the back. There was a series I had as a kid called "Pirates Bold" that I was particularly fond of, because you got a cool portrait on the front and on the back you could read about their horrible, bloody lives. For the portraits themselves, I kind of imagined those as old Aurora model kits from the 1960s, in which you'd have the full figure of a character in their environment frozen in a cool pose. Anyway, this was something I did primarily for my own enjoyment, but I got nice, encouraging reactions from people who like my work. To be honest, while I was working on it, I'd have these moments where I felt almost like an outsider artist in his own little deluded world -- like, do these characters even mean anything to anybody but me? But I ended up hearing from more people than I ever expected to who seemed to enjoy it -- which was was gratifying and encouraging.
I set up a separate gallery for the complete Skeleton Key work which you can read in order here.
The portraits for that series were pretty small, only around 9" x 12". For the next series, I wanted to do larger, more elaborate work. I came up with "Autumn and Evil," which was that old artists' stand-by, the alphabet. That consisted of 26 watercolor and ink drawings featuring homages to classic genre situations and characters.
I've got The Autumn and Evil series set up on my tumblr so it can be viewed in alphabetical order here.
For years it was frustrating that I couldn't get my color work properly into print. Either the reproduction would be horrible or (as far as comics went) it wasn't economically viable. I'm glad I lived long enough to be able to do more color work and have a place where people can see them.
I love working in watercolor because it's all about trusting your abilities and having the confidence to let happy accidents happen. You can't make major corrections with the kind of watercolor and ink drawings I do. You can make changes later in photoshop if you want to, and you can make small changes by touching up very carefully with gouache. But it's always a bit of a tightrope. Also, I'm not one of those famously fastidious cartoonists who are very careful with every line. I'm kind of a fuck-up, actually. I can barely get measurements right even when I'm using a ruler. I've appalled fellow cartoonists when they see me pull out a Dixon Ticonderoga #2 lead pencil and a pink eraser instead of whatever expensive tools they're using. My watercolor palettes are caked with years of dried paint, which I can bring back to life like magic with water.
Tip: Always squeeze out the entire tube onto your palette; even if you don't use much of that color initially, it will be available to use for years! Plus, never, ever clean your palettes off, it's a total waste! Buy more palettes before you clean old ones.
For most of my inking I use a nib that's not even intended for the kind of work I do -- a Hunt 108 which I think is designed for fancy script lettering -- because after spending years looking for the right tools, that nib gave me what I wanted. I can get an elegant line of varying width while still being able to press down hard if I want to, like I'm making incisions. Then I love to splash watercolor on my dried ink drawings and watch the puddles of colors mingle and blend together. There's always a chance that I might ruin the drawing beyond any repair, but I like the challenge and the rush of energy I get trying to make it work.
So yeah, I'm glad I can show off my color work online in ways I never could have otherwise. I never expected the internet to become as much a part of my life and art as it has. I guess that's something only someone who remembers life before the internet would say. It's so great to be able to check in on colleagues -- on Facebook or whatever -- and see what they're up to while I have my morning coffee. I feel a kinship with other working artists. I go way back with some of them and others I've never met, but I love hearing about what they're working on. It can be inspiring. I like checking out new work by younger artists, too, and I'll wonder if it would be creepy to comment and tell them when I think their art is cool or if I like something they said. In fact, it is creepy and I shouldn't do it, but sometimes I forget that until after it's too late.
Anyway, I know things can change fast these days, so I'm just enjoying the opportunity to display my color work online for now for whoever wants to see them. At a certain point we'll probably do a print collection, so they may not stay up forever, I don't know. As much as I like being able to display my work online, I'm still a book lover at heart.
So, anyway -- that's sort of an overview of where things are right now. It won't be long before I do another online project. And I'll have a new book from Fantagraphics some time in 2014 or early 2015, hopefully. But it's too early to talk about any of that.
SPURGEON: I want to focus mostly on Delphine, but it struck me you've had a number of books the last five years or so, you've been as productive as anyone. I'm hoping I can get two or three questions in on those books I was wondering what you thought about the work you did in Cat Burglar Black now that you're a few years removed from it? I thought the art in that was almost luminous, the colors were so pretty. Were you happy with the way that one turned out. Cat Burglar Black also seemed a really interesting publishing partnership for you, with First Second and their interest in all-ages books, or at least books with those kind of classic kids-literature hooks. I haven't talked to a bunch of their authors; was that a positive experience, different than some of your classic alt-comics publishing experiences in any way you can recall? Are you still working with them?
SALA: With Cat Burglar Black, I was aware that something specific was expected of me. That is, Fantagraphics is usually very tolerant of whatever silly concept I throw at them, they just want me to be me. With First Second, I felt I had a responsibility to deliver something more blatantly commercial. I was grateful I'd been given that chance and I didn't want to let anyone down. But, in the end, even though I tried my best, I guess I did let them down. I mean, I had hoped to do a sequel where I could tie up loose ends, and then maybe develop things to the point where we'd have a series of books with those characters. That had been part of the discussion from the very beginning. I recall talking with one of the editors during the initial pitch about the French character Fantomette, and we discussed how cool it would be to create an on-going series in the US like Fantomette is in France. But that didn't happen, although I'm still not entirely sure why it didn't. I mean, I'm not trying to sound naive. Sometimes things just don't work out. I asked if the sales had been disappointing and was told they weren't. But maybe they were just being nice, who knows.
The process wasn't my ideal way of working. I had to type up a complete script and get it approved before I could draw a single line. I don't think that's the way most cartoonists work. Our scripts are often like storyboards, right? The process of having to write out a description of a place or a character or an action that could easily have been depicted in a sketch made things needlessly complicated and time-consuming. But I was part of the very first batch of artists who signed on, so maybe it's changed since then, I don't know. Or maybe some cartoonists just stand their ground and tell them that's not the way they work. They didn't listen to me when I said that, though, it just wasn't negotiable. They had to see a finished script first.
Then, the first editor I was assigned was a freelancer, not someone on staff, and that was a bit of a bumpy ride, mainly because he wasn't always as available as I would have liked. Just going back and forth with the changes to the script took months, which was frustrating. I had been ready to work on it non-stop, but weeks would go by and I wouldn't hear from him so nothing would get done. My book was clearly not a priority in his life -- which is fine, but it was just so inefficient. I wrote to First Second a few times because I was concerned about losing so much time, and they insisted I had to go through this process. My proposal was accepted in November 2004 and it wasn't until May 2007 that I was told that the script was done I could finally start on the "visuals." Over two years on the script alone, not one drawing allowed, with maybe ten actual revision requests from the editor, and less than twenty emails altogether. Not to mention that it made my relatively low advance seem like a bit of a joke. But I guess my experience wasn't unusual.
Anyway, at that point I was handed over to a staff editor at First Second, and even though we had to go over the entire script again, at least the wheels were finally turning. But because getting that initial script approval had taken so long, and we had fallen so far behind, I had to rush on the art much more than I would have liked. I still can't look at some of the pages. A lot of them were completed in photoshop to save time, which I've never done before or since. Some of the pages of original art are filled with mistakes that I corrected on the scans, so it would be too embarrassing to show them or try to sell them, and I had been hoping to be able to sell the art. But we finished the thing and they did a nice job with the design -- an amazing job actually by Colleen AF Venable. And Gina Gagliano, who did the marketing, was also very kind and helpful.
But -- maybe that had something do with why we didn't do a sequel? Like -- because I had complained a couple of times about the process? I don't know. When you're neurotic you can't stop wondering about things that seem either obvious or insignificant to other people, I guess. And if someone seems sphinx-like and unforthcoming to you, it may simply mean that they have no interest in you whatsoever. It's like when you ask a friend about what other people think of you: "Are they saying awful things about me?" "No, they never even mention you at all."
I looked at the other books they've been releasing and most seem to be drawn in that style of the generation influenced by modern Disney movies and anime. That's pretty foreign to me (although I understand being influenced by stuff from your youth -- I am, too). They also seem really slick, with any personal stylistic idiosyncrasies kind of ironed out. So maybe that had something to do with things not continuing -- just a stylistic gap that was too wide and I couldn't provide the look they wanted. But then I see they're publishing a Matt Kindt book in hardcover. So, I don't know. At some point you have to admit to yourself that you can't be everyone's cup of tea and move on.
The heroine's backstory was pretty dark, more like Dickens than Disney. It was important to me that there would be actual danger, where characters might be hurt or be killed. There was some questioning of that, of course. But I didn't want to write about a gang of thieves where everyone is happy and safe and there are no consequences for seriously dangerous behavior. And I don't think kids want that either. I certainly didn't. I liked reading things that seemed intense when I was a kid. I liked that I could handle it. Anyway, some of the darker stuff was there as a hook for the sequel, where people who it seems might have come to bad ends actually didn't.
The sequel was going to revolve around the heroine discovering that the entire town near the school -- where her friends disappeared -- has been designed as a haven for criminals in hiding, with tunnels connecting the houses. She meets a kindred spirit in one of the houses she breaks into, a lonely kid who helps her solve the mystery of the town and it's residents. And she finds that at least one of her friends is not only alive, but has joined up with the bad guys and they're now on opposite sides, so there's some conflict and heartache. I don't know, maybe it's better off ending where it did. But anyway, First Second and I did the whole "first refusal" thing, where I asked if they were interested and they weren't -- so the rights to a sequel officially reverted to me. So I could still do it, I suppose. But as the years go by it seems less and less likely.
Speaking of things that are troubling and that artists now have to worry about apparently, this was my first encounter with something called a "no-fee option" from Hollywood. It's really insidious, because traditionally an option from Hollywood is something a creative person hopes for. You're paid a fee to give them the right to look into making a movie of your work over a set amount of time, even if they never do. And after that set amount of time, which is usually a year I think, if they want to renew the option, they have to pay you again. At least one well-known cartoonist famously lived off the annual renewed options on his work for a movie that was never made, so the story goes, and he probably wasn't alone. First Second was representing the movie and TV rights for Cat Burglar Black and I got an e-mail saying that someone in Hollywood wanted to take out a short-term, no-fee option. I'd never heard of that before. It meant that they would only have the option for three months, with no option to renew it. I was told that this was actually a good sign because it indicated that they were very serious and a sale was virtually guaranteed. So I agreed to it. What the hell did I know? Of course, nothing ever happened. After the three months had passed, I wrote First Second several times to find out if indeed the option had been returned to me, since I figured I should make sure they hadn't been able to renew the option for free, and I just wanted to find out if anyone could tell me anything else about what happened. Some people promised to look into it, but never got back to me. Finally I realized how pointless and naive it was to keep asking about it. You feel like a pathetic pest. And that was that. I never heard another word about it. So some producer was able to take out an option on my book and presumably shop it around without having to pay a cent. Anyway, just another thing to drive artists crazy.
SPURGEON: The Hidden is an incredibly brutal piece of work, and one that I know my friends have talked about as a book that maybe didn't get the attention it deserved. There's a real element to your later works where the horror of these kind of relentlessly hopeless situations is played up, and I think that may get its best workout here. Do you modulate at all the scenarios you depict, does how distressing a situation you're depicting weigh on you at all? It also strikes me you might have a different opinion on that work altogether.
SALA: Yeah, I guess I needed to get back to something violent and nihilistic. I wanted to do my take on an end of the world horror story, but somehow make it unique. I suppose I could have done another version of a zombie apocalypse, and maybe that would have been easier to sell. But the kind of end of the world stories that are the most memorable to me are the ones where there was a mystery about what had happened and why. That can add to the sense of disorientation. Then when the truth is revealed it can be a bit of a shock. There's not much mystery left in zombie apocalypse stories. They seem to have evolved more into the adventure genre than horror.
In The Hidden, the reader gets information late in the story that explains the mystery and it's supposed to be a bit of a surprise. There is a well-known, classic character behind everything, but I never come right out and say it. I allow the reader to connect the dots. Some reviews gave it away in their first line while others were really discreet about it, but I don't think it mattered either way. It doesn't wreck the experience of reading it if you know it going in, I don't think.
As for whether depicting violent scenes may weigh on me -- it's more like I'm exorcising demons, as cliché as that sounds. I mean, you feel somewhat conflicted, but there are primal forces at work. There are dark thoughts fighting with all the reasonable ones, something to do with my Italian roots maybe, or something from childhood, rising out of abuse or repression. And for the reader, the violence may provide a safe catharsis. At least it always felt that way to me. I also wanted to say something sort of political in this book, in kind of an angry way, so that meant pushing the boundaries a bit. There's nothing worse than seeing hope or innocence destroyed by forces that truly don't care.
All that being said, I've certainly seen comics that are much more violent than mine. Plus I imagine that maybe the way I draw makes violent scenes somewhat easier to take, although it's hard for an artist to see their style the way others see it. I guess it's ultimately an individual threshold, the tolerance for what kind of and how much violence you want to see. For every person who thinks my work looks too bloody, there's another who thinks it's not bloody enough.
SPURGEON: Do you feel it found its audience?
SALA: I don't know. I've learned over the years to be much more patient about that. I've never been one of those cartoonists whose books are read and reviewed as soon as they're released. No one is telling anyone that they have to read my books. But somehow people seem to find my work, eventually. I have a relatively small audience, I guess, but they seem enthusiastic and devoted. And with each new book, new readers go back and buy my older books, or so I'm told. I get letters from readers who have only recently discovered me all the time. Reviews will trickle in over months. I'll get really thoughtful reviews of books that came out years ago. That actually makes me feel more like I'm a part of the big picture, the big sea of books -- it's kind of comforting. I feel like it points to the possibility that people will continue to discover my books long after I'm gone and that's kind of gratifying.
SPURGEON: Delphine got its start as one of the books in the Ignatz line, which was an admirable partnership by Fantagraphics and a number of European publishers, I think spearheaded by Igort. I know almost nothing about how that group of comics came about from the creators' perspective. How were you approached? Were you edited? What was that experience like?
SALA: As I recall, the word went out from Fantagraphics that this partnership was going to happen and artists were encouraged to submit ideas. I don't know how it was for anyone else, but I wrote up a proposal, which -- I'm slightly embarrassed to say -- included the line that has been used to advertise Delphine to this day: "A modern version of Snow White as told from the point of view of the prince." That line in the solicitation for the first issue in the Diamond distribution catalog was high concept enough to get Hollywood calling, believe it or not. I had a number of very flattering conversations with genuine Hollywood people about it, but my schedule was way too slow for them. They had no intention of waiting two years for me to finish the thing. And sure enough, before my last issue came out, Hollywood was swimming in Snow White and fairy tale re-imaginings.
SPURGEON: To back up a second, Richard, I don't even know what your penetration is into European comics. Have you been publishing over there all along? What's your non-English language readership like?
SALA: I don't how how much penetrating of the European scene I've managed to do either, actually. I leave that up to my publishers, I guess. I know there was a very handsome French version of The Chuckling Whatsit from Vertige Graphic which was titled Un Rire Dans La Nuit. There were Spanish versions of my two Peculia books, I think. I know I have a following in Europe, but most of those readers own the English language versions of my books.
SPURGEON: Part of the design with the Ignatz line was I believe to find a serial comics format that might have enough saturation to send people into specialty shops or to other places that might carry them -- I think of Evil Eye as coming pretty late in the run of standard alt-comics. Is there something about doing serial comics that's specifically appealing to you?
SALA: I love doing serial comics. I miss doing them. I've been considering doing a web comic, just so I could experience that again. I like being able to extend the mystery, dropping clues and hints of things to come. Plus it's just so much fun to write cliffhangers!
SPURGEON: Did the format and printing parameters of what the Ignatz line was offering change you approached the work at all? Do those kind of restrictions or limitations ever have an impact on projects for you?
SALA: Not really. Just happy to get the opportunity!
SPURGEON: I don't want to talk about too many of the set pieces in Delphine, because I don't want to give them away, but I loved the car trip, just because that seems to plug into so many directly specific experience that a lot of us have -- this kind of loss of control being dragged around by someone we don't know. Can you talk about how you develop an idea like that, where it comes from, what's important for you to get down on paper?
SALA: Some of those scenes were exaggerated versions of experiences I've had. You know, we go through life assuming that we are basically decent and reasonable people with good intentions. But then one day you might find yourself in a situation where you have become so frustrated by the unfairness and cavalier cruelty of the world that you feel yourself cracking. You might feel dark waves of primitive rage or misery welling up from somewhere deep inside of you. Loss of control can be really scary. You may find yourself being tested to the extent where you wonder how much you can take before you snap and perhaps become someone else, some darker, crazier version of yourself.
I've been in some situations that were similar to those the guy in the book experiences, where while I was in the middle of it, I suddenly imagined that the worst, most horrible possible outcome was really going to happen. When you're young you can be trusting and reckless and put yourself into unwise situations. I used to hitchhike when I was young, like many in my generation, and sometimes ended up being in some stranger's house. Or I'd be on a trip in the desert with my girlfriend and a bunch of scary bikers would show up. I also once worked a late night shift alone where I had to deal with whoever who walked in the door and there were some very unsettling experiences with crazy people. I wanted to sort of capture that moment when you realize that maybe you shouldn't have been so open and trusting, where your "fight or flight" impulse is going to be tested, a worst case scenario situation.
SPURGEON: Delphine features a pretty strong six-panel grid, with most of the variation coming from extending across a single tier or cutting one panel into two. Is the kind of strong rhythm you get out of a sturdy format like that useful in building a narrative. How much do you build your comics in a structural sense and you how much do you let your intuition lead your through the pages?
SALA: It has to be a combination of the two. After I know the basic structure, I can improvise or let my intuition carry me through the writing and rewriting process. But by the time I'm drawing the final art, the story should all be in place. Nobody likes having to throw out completed pages and start again because they suddenly got a better idea. That can happen, but I try to avoid it!
SPURGEON: I read the ending a bit differently than someone I know that also read the book... do you prefer ambiguity at all in terms of how you set up a story, or moments within a story? Are your stories ever intentionally that way, or do you have a specific set of meanings in mind?
SALA: Certainly in some cases ambiguity is intentional, especially if I'm trying to depict a sense of unease. Do I mind if readers of my books interpret things differently than what I intended? No -- that's what makes art interesting. But in most cases there is a very specific intention, about all the important points anyway, and even though things may not be explicitly spelled out, all the clues are there for the reader to put together.
In Delphine, the protagonist meets a very specific fate. Perhaps I'm just overly comfortable with the language of comics and hoped others would be as well. I mean, I did intend to tease the reader, or fake them out for a moment, but that was only so the realization of the true fate might catch them off guard and seem that much crueler. The story, fanciful though it may be, is completely linear. The narrative, or what the protagonist experiences from beginning to end, is depicted in the panels with square, drawn borders. Along the way, the reader is given glimpses into the protagonist's inner world -- that is, his memories, dreams, fantasies, wishful thinking, delusions -- and those are depicted in panels with soft, cloud-like, non-ruled borders. It's really that simple. But maybe I've just read too many comic books! Perhaps it's kind of a rorschach test and some readers choose to believe in a happy ending? But no, the story is about obsessive love and where that can lead and it's not meant to be pretty. My favorite response was by a writer reviewing the final Ignatz issue when it came out who seemed concerned about me personally, because the ending was so bleak. I couldn't have asked for a better reaction than that!
* Delphine, Richard Sala, Fantagraphics, 9781606995907, 128 pages, 2012, $24.99.
* Richard Sala Site
* Richard Sala Blog
* Richard Sala Tumblr
* an arresting, over-sized panel from Delphine
* the cover to the new hardcover
* one of the Skeleton Key character images
* a photo of Sala's workspace pertinent to the discussion of watercolors
* an over-sized panel from Cat Burglar Black
* the lead to CBB from the Skeleton Key series
* something labeled as sequel concept art on the Comic Art Collective site
* a typically bleak page from The Hidden
* an across-the-page panel from Delphine
* from the original serial packaging of the series
* the six-panel grid
* element from the cover (below)


AntoDirtyFetish sexyboooty jasmin. GARYMAXIM. TrishEllis. 0fantasyofsex.
YoungLovers10LushSamantaLovelyGingerRoseAyanxxx .BlossomInLuvEsterSkyTAIANAROSSESOnegana .MarcelMaysJohnnyShowPearlAngelaa0MiloraMoon .YoungLovers10a0MiloraMoonamberallureJennaRink .KentCoolAngelSkyyMarcelMaysAnjelaSWIFT .babygirl4yout2AnjelaSWIFTLushSamantaUrBeatyLinda .StephanieSKentCoolbabygirl4yout2babysensual04 .StephanieSTrishEllisShainaDollAnaJuliagp .BeautySophieElenHuntMaestrjadejeDaltonHuber .bigtightassLATINCuddlyVioletElennaQtTheSexOfTheGods .MilaAdoredHannaBlondySynddyTheSexOfTheGods .
a0MiloraMoonXanadudeTrishaNorthOdetta19 .AHot3SomeXBellaAfroditePearlAngelaAnaJuliagp .AriessMistressAndyExplosionXStarKimTaikaJun .0fantasyofsexJessicaLenBellaAfroditeNICKxCOTTERMAN .sesycuteblondeAngelSkyyJackTheRabbittattomuscle20 .a0MiloraMoonLovelyJudit4UJackTheRabbitDOLCEAMOREsirena .DOLCEAMOREsirenaGARYMAXIMElenHuntMaestrJackTheRabbit .BABYBIGLATINAAriessMistressSussyyJennaRink .SABRINAwildTheSexOfTheGodsAnastasiaFoxyfithnessgirl .VanessaAndVinceMistressDavinnaTaikaJunTheSexOfTheGods .TAIANAROSSESTAIANAROSSESMonicaxo23Ayanxxx .


People have grown increasingly aware of the need for data security when it relates to copiers. Every copier that has been produced after 2002 will have a hard drive. What does that mean for business owners? It means that there might be images of sensitive data on the hard drive of their copier. You only have a handful of copiers that came with a data security kit, and manufacturers did not configure all of them properly. Always test before you buy.
Want to purchase a new copier in the Denver area and increase your data security? We can teach you the procedures of safe practice that will maintain data security standards.


text:
Mongabay Series: Indonesian coal
Coal company fined 2 billion rupiah for illegal waste dumping in Borneo
by Tommy Apriando on 12 April 2018 |
Residents of villages along the Santan River in East Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo, have long complained they are suffering from pollution due to coal mining and burning in the area.
In December, coal company PT Indominco Mandiri was fined 2 billion rupiah ($145,000) after it was found guilty of illegally dumping hazardous waste from its power plant.
Activists say the verdict did not go far enough, calling for prison sentences for company officials and a revocation of the company's license to operate.
Company representatives say they respect the court's verdict, and note they have only been found guilty of illegal dumping, not polluting the waterway.
Residents of villages in Indonesian Borneo who have long complained that a coal company is polluting local waterways have won their first victory in court, but activists say the sanctions against the company don't go far enough.
On Dec. 4, 2017, the Tenggarong District Court in East Kalimantan ordered PT Indominco Mandiri to pay a fine of 2 billion rupiah ($145,400) after finding it guilty of dumping waste without a permit, a violation of Indonesia's Environmental Protection and Management Act.
The court found Indominco had dumped some 4,000 tons of fly ash and bottom ash, both residues of burning coal and classified as toxic and hazardous waste, in the vicinity of its coal-fired power plant.
Indominco operates mines in three districts in East Kalimantan province: Kutai Kartanegara, Bontang and East Kutai. The company also owns a 2X7-megawatt power plant that straddles the villages of Central Santan and Santan Ilir in Kutai Kartanegara.
The company is a subsidiary of publicly listed mining holding company PT Indo Tambangraya Megah, which in turn is majority-owned by Bangkok-based Banpu Public Company, Thailand's largest producer and distributor of coal.
An October session of the trial of PT Indominco in the Tenggarong District Court. Photo by Tommy Apriando/Mongabay-Indonesia.
Calls for tougher sanctions
In response to the verdict, the Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam), a civil society organization focused on supporting communities affected by mining operations, urged the government and the court to impose stiffer penalties on the company and its officials.
Under Indonesia's environmental law, any person found dumping waste without a proper permit can be imprisoned for up to three years and fined up to 3 billion rupiah ($218,100).
"We want the state to enforce corporate law, not half-measures; a fine of 2 billion rupiah that allows the company to return to operation while improving waste management, in our view, will not impact the corporation. We want the company's permit to be revoked and the company to leave," Merah Johansyah Ismail, the Jatam national coordinator, said on March 12. "All of their financial support and financial backers must be brought to account."
The verdict against Indominco, Merah said, came after the Ministry of Environment and Forestry received a report from residents of Santan village detailing the impacts of the coal company on the community since it began mining, burning coal at its power plant, and dumping waste.
Jatam's East Kalimantan coordinator, Pradarma Rupang, said the problems with Indominco were not limited to waste dumping. He cited other issues such as diverting the Santan River and mining outside of its concession. Residents in the area, he said, "have long felt the negative impact of Indominco, from mining, operating their power plant, and waste dumping. The mining license of the company should be revoked," he said.
Citing a 2016 Greenpeace report, Pradarma said the company had directly dumped waste in the headwaters of the Santan River. "This impacts the socioeconomic life of the community. The water changes color, many fish have died, and residents often complain of itching," he said, adding that since 2005 residents had stopped using water from the Santan River for cooking and drinking.
Several coal companies operate in the Santan River watershed, Pradarma said, but Indominco, with its 251-square-kilometer (97-square-mile) concession, is the largest.
A farmer named Azis stands near his small fish pond, polluted by coal dust and chemicals in Santan Ilir village. Photo by Ardiles Rante/Greenpeace.
Romiansyah, a university student from Santan Ilir village, said the company's top officials should be punished, and that the fine of 2 billion rupiah was very little compared to the environmental destruction that had occurred. "We want the Indominco power plant to be shut down," he said.
The Santan River countryside is home to rich agricultural land, used to grow coconut, corn, cassava, rice and vegetables. Coconut plantations are a mainstay for the majority of residents alongside the river, but many of these have been damaged or destroyed from pollution from the power plant, located just 500 meters from residential areas.
The power plant's electricity doesn't reach the three villages in Santan, Romiansyah said. "The power plant is only a burden for the people, and a cause of environmental destruction," he said. Their village, he added, had been besieged from the upstream by mining and the power plant, to the downstream, where the pollution flows. Coal dust cakes the roofs of the houses in Santan Ilir, contaminating the rainwater runoff that the villagers collect for their consumption, Romiansyah said.
The villagers have already staged several demonstrations in protest at the company's operations. "We want it to stop because there is no benefit for the residents," Romiansyah said.
A.H. Bramantya Putra, a director of Indominco Mandiri, told Mongabay-Indonesia the company respected the court decision to impose the fine.
"Indominco accepts the verdict of the Tenggarong District Court, and we have already fulfilled our obligations based on the verdict," he said. He added Indominco paid the fine on Dec. 19, 2017.
However, he said, while the company was sanctioned for illegal dumping it was not proven to have polluted the environment around its temporary storage area for fly ash and bottom ash. He said this was supported by analysis by an accredited laboratory of water and soil quality and tests of toxic waste characteristics. A phased cleanup of the fly ash and bottom ash in the temporary storage area has already begun.
Bramantya also said Indominco paid attention to the environment and the possible impact of its operations on the surrounding community. "We will comply strictly with the company's sustainability policies and international environmental standards, as well as government regulations," he said.
He said the company would continue to monitor the environment in cooperation with accredited laboratories to ensure compliance with regulations.
A panel arranged by the court conducts a field trial. Photo by Tommy Apriando/Mongabay-Indonesia.
This story was reported by Mongabay's Indonesia team and was first published on our Indonesian site on March 16, 2018.
Banner image: The Santan River in Santan Ilir village. Photo by Ardiles Rante/Greenpeace.
Article published by Isabel Esterman
Activism, Coal, Corporate Environmental Transgressors, Energy, Environment, Environmental Activism, Environmental Crime, Environmental Law, Fossil Fuels, Governance, Law Enforcement, Mining, Pollution


This limited edition hoodie is part of the "ESL In Color" collection launched to celebrate ESL's new visual identity. The hood and shoulder areas are designed in ESL's new stand-out yellow, white and green pattern with a clean white inside and white draw cords.
This limited edition zip up hoodie is part of the "ESL In Color" collection launched to celebrate ESL's new visual identity. Featuring the green from ESL's new stand-out pattern, it combines white details with an understated ESL logo print.


Leaving your past behind to find a great new beginning with God!
With the joyful endings of cheesy, Hallmark movies, comes the subconscious expectation that somehow during Christmas, everyone will get along, then snowflakes will fall at precisely the right time and in a perfect quantity.
I'm fussy when it comes to Christmas trees. I like mine a certain way—no less than six feet (1.8m) tall, boughs filled out with green needly foliage, handmade ornaments, and twinkling (not flashing!) lights.
During my last year of high school, I saved up my money in order to buy extravagant gifts for my family. When Christmas came, I blew the whole $1,100 on my parents, my sister, and my grandparents. I imagined that—with college looming—I might never have the chance to be as generous with my money again.
Every year, we can count on celebrating the birth of Jesus on the same day, December 25. That spot on the calendar has marked Christmas day for generations!
We're familiar with the characters, setting, and storyline of the birth of Jesus. But is the Christmas story we've come to know really how it all happened? The conversation is sure to surprise you!
"Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias, tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness" (Luke 3:1-2).
IDEA: Dating Jesus' birth depends on external historical information.
PURPOSE: To help listeners see the importance of external historical details in the Bible.
From the days I sat in my mother's lap and listened to her stories until today, I've enjoyed stories. I love to hear them and I like to tell them. In fact, I'd like to write a novel sometime. Everyone probably has one great story inside that's worth telling. We won't ever write that story, though. We don't have the skill - or the time - or the confidence. But I'll bet you have a story that you might enjoy telling and others would love to hear.
"By faith he [Moses] kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them" (Hebrews 11:28).
Idea: Old symbols can take on new meanings.
Purpose: To help listeners understand how symbols can take on wider meaning.
When our children were young, we observed Advent (the time beginning on the fourth Sunday before Christmas through Christmas Eve) by making a wreath and lighting candles each night after supper. We sang a carol and read a short Bible passage about the birth of Christ.


Taxes are the bane of every Canadian's existence. When it's time to do a tax return, many are hit again with costs for software (or the rather unfortunate need to pay a tax preparer). There are better ways though. If you are a person with a willingness to take on taxes yourself, free tax software is out there. One you should be aware of is StudioTax. Let's take a look at what makes this so great.
And, free it is. StudioTax requires n payment, registration, or activation. All they request is a donation to the cause of developing the software. The installation also appears to be free of any sort of spyware or advertising software. This is great if you're just looking to get up and running and do you taxes in the most efficient manner.
The help system is somewhat sparse, and the wizards are fairly bare, but StudioTax does take you through all the basics, and suggests different tax savings and details you should know before printing. The form interface gives you access to the needed forms presents them in a WYSYWIG (what you see is what you get) layout. Most of us don't really need any more than this.
StudioTax can't import from other competing products like TurboTax, but it can carry forward previous years return details as long as you stick with the program. The application does require at least .NET 2.0, so you can conceivably run this on a Windows 98 computer if needed.
There is a free version of TurboTax for those only declaring income, and that may be the version you want, but generally, you should expect TurboTax to cost you upwards of $17 or more depending on the version you need.
While the program is free, there appears to be a general 20-return limit depending on the year you're filing for. Probably the most amazing thing about StudioTax is that they include downloads of versions going back to 2004. That's an incredible boon to those late on taxes looking to catch up.
StudioTax is a free tax filing application for Canadians. The 2013 edition supports NETFILE, and is currently available for download. If you enjoy the application, you should donate to these hard working folks.


IJ Start Canon PIXMA TS3150 Setup– Canon Pixma TS3150 Set a cost-effective All-in-one Wi-Fi laser printer for sharp papers as well as bright, uncertain photos. Wise link together with an effortless, budget-friendly laser printer to enjoy sharp text message and also dazzling, indefinite image publishing, Smart unit right off, Wi-Fi electronic camera or even cloud, this budget-friendly PIXMA using the printer's-Jet . The eye as well as effortlessly reproduce, instinctively making use of the LCD Show of 3.8 centimeters.
Smart Gadget printing, as well as printing reproduction along with hassle-free wireless publishing, control the Canon printing application using AirPrint and Mopria. Along with the elegant, flexible style of fingerprint as well as scratch-resistant, this laser printer is actually practically practical and also to protect quickly and easily.
Affordable XL Ink cartridges use high capacity Canon XL ink containers and also make a backup of about 30% of each WEB page compared with conventional equivalents. Easy-to-use liquid crystal screens display and also attach buttons to your smart device, examine your settings, and also address the easy-to-use 3.8 cm liquid crystal screens along with the screen. Make dazzling vague photos up to 5 × 7 ″ with the help of paint-based ink containers publishing borderless image.


text:
Written by J Rohnny• December 15, 2022• 3:07 pm• Cryptocurrency
3 Growth Stocks With More Potential Than Any Cryptocurrency
It's no secret that many investors have explored cryptocurrency with the hopes of achieving outsized portfolio gains. And while certain crypto investments could prove a fitting addition to some well-rounded portfolios, you don't need to delve into this space to compound meaningful returns over time.
While it's true that growth stocks don't make investors jump for joy like they used to, companies in this investment category that can win over the long term are still to be found. We're going to take a look at three of them today.
Let's jump right in.
1. Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX -0.78%) is a bit of a rarity in the world of healthcare stocks, boasting a business that tends to generate revenue and earnings growth at a clip well beyond that of the average stock in this space. Case in point: The company has seen its annual revenue and earnings surge by respective amounts of 204% and 789% in the past five years. The stock has soared in kind by 50% over the past year alone.
The reason for these impressive gains is the very specific and fast-growing niche of the healthcare industry on which Vertex has trained its focus: the rare-disease drug market. Currently, all of Vertex's approved products are centered around an even narrower slice of the rare disease market, and one in which it maintains the leading market share: cystic fibrosis drugs. Roughly 1,000 people are diagnosed with the rare genetic disease in the U.S. alone every year.
Vertex's cystic fibrosis medicines belong to a revolutionary class of drugs known as CFTR modulators, which work to deal with the underlying cause of the genetic disease. And the only CFTR modulators on the market today are Vertex's, which is why the company has continued to maintain such a tight grip on the cystic fibrosis drug space even as the prevalence of the disease is growing.
The company recently announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had approved its investigational new drug application for VX-522, the product of a long-standing partnership with Moderna. The mRNA drug candidate is designed to treat the cystic fibrosis patient population that is unable to benefit from CFTR modulators. While it's still early days and a single-dose escalation study is about to be launched in the coming months, the success of such a candidate would only further tighten Vertex's grip on the multibillion-dollar addressable cystic fibrosis treatment market.
Vertex's burgeoning pipeline includes a range of promising candidates that treat other rare genetic diseases like blood and kidney disorders. The company may also be on the cusp of gaining regulatory approval for the gene-editing candidate exa-cel, co-developed with CRISPR Therapeutics, which is a one-time therapy for sickle cell disease and transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia.
The company's current portfolio of highly profitable medicines gives it significant optionality to continue generating consistent growth in the years ahead. And as Vertex expands its share of the broader rare-disease drug market, this creates a multitude of long-term tailwinds from which investors can benefit.
2. Amazon
As a shareholder of this next stock, I can attest to the fact that it's been a bumpy year, to say the least. Amazon (AMZN -4.11%) has seen shares plunge by nearly 50% in 2022 alone. Part of the reason that Amazon stock has taken such a beating goes back to the broader trends that have been afflicting growth stocks and tech companies over the past year.
Investor sentiment has soured on these types of companies in a high-interest-rate environment where consumer spending is down, and less capital is flowing in general than in previous periods. In terms of business-related headwinds that have put off some investors, Amazon has also seen decelerations in its top- and bottom-line growth, as well as pressure on its margins in recent quarters.
However, these movements have primarily been driven by high inflation, supply chain and labor disruptions, and foreign currency weaknesses. Like other companies dealing with these pressures, Amazon can streamline its operations to a certain extent to accommodate them, but some of it is a waiting game.
However, if you're investing in Amazon for five, 10, or 15 years, this environment shouldn't deter you from buying the stock for its long-term, untapped potential. And yes, even a company like Amazon hasn't come close to exhausting its growth runway. The company continues to dominate in two of the most profitable and rapidly growing industries on the face of the planet: the $10 trillion e-commerce market and the $500 billion cloud computing market.
It also continues to expand its footprint in lucrative spaces like healthcare and entertainment. While net sales rose just 15% in the most recent quarter, not only was this in line with what management had projected, but it follows the trailing decade when Amazon saw its annual revenue and net earnings rise by 531% and 13,000%, respectively.
Most of the headwinds facing Amazon right now aren't business-related, and they shouldn't keep long-term investors at bay. If anything, the near-term pressures driving Amazon's stock price down may present an excellent opportunity to buy the tech behemoth while it's trading at a discount.
3. Airbnb
Airbnb (ABNB -4.11%) is often viewed by investors as a stock that's highly dependent on the cyclicality and consumer-driven nuances of the travel industry at large. While Airbnb certainly has deep ties to this sector, the company is increasingly proving that it's much more than just a traditional travel stock.
First off, the trajectory of its recovery over the past few years has significantly eclipsed that of the average travel stock. In 2021, Airbnb saw its revenue rise 25% compared to 2019 while its net loss was nearly halved on a two-year basis. Fast-forward to the most recent quarter, and its revenue and net income of $3 billion and $1.2 billion represented respective increases of 65% and 260% compared to the same quarter in 2019.
There's also the reality that even as the Airbnb platform continues to be a top destination for regular travelers and vacationers, it is rapidly evolving into a business that has something to offer everyone.
From remote workers looking to relocate to a new city for two to three months at a time to individuals saying goodbye to traditional long-term leases in favor of the flexibility of Airbnbs, more and more people are living rather than simply vacationing in these dwellings.
As of the most recent quarter, 20% of all bookings on Airbnb are derived from long-term stays (which is 28 days or more). Analysts project that the stock can continue to grow its top line at an average clip of 20% annually for the next five years alone, and some think it could present significant upside in just the next 12 months.
While no stock will be immune in the event of an economic downturn, a diverse business like Airbnb that derives its growth from multiple types of consumer tailwinds appears well-positioned to survive and thrive well beyond the potential of a recessionary period. For patient investors, this could create an opportunity that's simply too good to pass up.
Huge $600 Billion 2023 Bitcoin Price Prediction Comes With An Ethereum Upgrade Bet And A Shock Ripple XRP Warning
How Does it Rank Thursday on Long-Term Trading Metrics?


the official trailer of salman khan's upcoming movie "EK THA TIGER" has been released.The promo has become very popular among film critics and the fans of salman khan.The promo was released on Thursday and also with the movie 'Ishaqzaade' Friday.Various bollywood stars also appreciate the promo of the movie.
The whole trailer is full of action scenes like jumping and punch scenes done by salman khan.In this promo,salman is presented in a never before looks and actions.
The story of "ek tha tiger" is based on the intelligence agencies of india and pakistan.According to the story,salman plays the role of a indian secret agent in the movie which is on a mission.
Trailer is a pure action sequence which also give idea about the movie's basic theme which is a "action dhamaka".In the trailer,salman is using guns and giving mind blowing action scenes.There is not a single scene of the leading female star katrine kaif in the promo.


I'm sitting here thinking What Would Richard Do and I seriously can't even come up with anything.
When I stopped seeing him I guess I "coped" by sort of having conversations with him in my head, even when I did get to talk to him I did this. But now I can't even remember what he sounds like.
I know what he looks like only from a photograph. Every now and then I'll forget, freak out, and search for my old year book and a school newsletter that he was in that I kept.
I know that this was going to happen, it started not long after I left.
But I can always imagine something that he would say, or hear him saying things that I know he wouldn't say but wish he would in my head. I miss that.
It's okay that I sometimes forget his face, I can look at a photograph, but I don't happen to have a recording of his voice anywhere.
It's so soft and smooth and full of inspiring words that can do anything.
At least I remember it like that.
I can't wait until the day I can go from saying "I love him" to "I loved him" but I don't want that day to come either.
He represents so much, and is present is so many of my closest memories.
I know I need to get over this, I've been saying that for years now, but it's hard to get over it when you don't want to.


New GTX Titan Z has two Kepler (GK110) processors who together have 5760 CUDA cores and embedded memory has 12 MB of GDDR5 RAM. While the memory operates at a speed of 7 GHz, the processor speed is not yet known, but it is speculated that it should be around 700 MHz. The card takes up three slots inside the computer, and from video outputs are available DisplayPort, HDMI and two DVI-DL port.
New Titan Z would be in stores should be found in April this year at a price of impressive $2,999.00.


text:
Effect of ectasia size or the ectasia ra...
Effect of ectasia size or the ectasia ratio on the thrombosis in myocardial infarction frame count in patients with isolated coronary artery ectasia
Kosar F., Acikgoz N., Sahin I., Topal E., Aksoy Y., Cehreli S.
HEART AND VESSELS, cilt.20, ss.199-202, 2005 (SCI İndekslerine Giren Dergi)
Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s00380-005-0831-y
Dergi Adı: HEART AND VESSELS
Coronary blood flow was quantified using the thrombosis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) frame-count method. This measurement has been significantly correlated with flow velocity measured invasively by use of a Doppler flow wire. Coronary artery ectasia or aneurysm (CEA) is thought to be present in patients with a slow blood flow. In this study, we aimed to assess the relationship between the ectasia size or ectasia ratio and TIMI frame count in patients with CEA. The study population included 58 patients with isolated CEA of the right coronary artery. In patients with CEA, an ectasia ratio was calculated as diameter of the ectatic segment/diameter of the adjacent normal segment. According to the ectasia ratio, ectatic vessels were divided into two groups: ectasias with a 1.5- to 2.0-fold increase (group A) and more than 2.0-fold increase (group B) in normal vessel diameter. Patients with a significant stenotic lesion (> 50%) in the ectatic vessel were excluded. The control group was formed from a matched population of 35 patients with angiographically proven normal coronary arteries. Characteristics of the ectasia and control groups are similar. The TIMI frame counts for the right coronary artery (RCA) were significantly higher in the ectasia group as compared with the control group (43 +/- 12 vs 23 +/- 8, P < 0.001). The ectasia group had 38 patients in group A and 20 patients in group B. The TIMI frame counts were significantly higher in group B than in group A (43 +/- 10 vs 51 +/- 15, P < 0.05). The TIMI frame count of the RCA showed a significant correlation with the ectasia ratio and the maximum diameter of the ectatic segment (r = 0.578, P < 0.001 and r = 0.435, P < 0.001, respectively). Our data suggest that TIMI frame count measurement depends on the ectasia size or ectasia ratio, and an increased ectasia ratio is markedly associated with decreased TIMI frame counts in patients with CEA.


text:
The Stone Fox - Roll The Dice (2015)
The Stone Fox hail from Brisbane, Australia (don't mix them up with Stonefox, from Melbourne), and with this debut album, the group demonstrates their deep fondness for old-fashioned rock'n'roll with a healthy coating of friendly dirtiness. The seven tracks range from slow groovers ("Cigar Man", "Morphine") to stompier and speedier runs ("The King's Jester") but for the most part, it seems as though the group just wants to savor the semi-bluesy, 'whiskey & smokes in an off-road bar' feel in their music. I'll admit that's just an assumption, based on subtle little clues like the section in "The King's Jester" which goes "We are Stone Fox! We love rock & roll!".
There is a little slipping into the '80s cock rock realm (maybe most notably in the inclusion of the passes-for-a-ballad "Mannequin"), but the album generally feels honest despite those moments, and they might even be playing them just for laughs. There is, after all, a sense of enjoyment on the part of the band throughout the album, with a sauciness to the riffs and delivery that works well to connect The Stone Fox with their audience, presumably either on record or on-stage. Check 'em out if you're looking for something to play while kicking back with a beer or similar treat.
For Fans Of; Testosteroll, That Sinking Feeling, Black Stone Cherry, The Hunted Crows, Jak Locke
Facebook • ReverbNation
The Stone Fox - The King's Jester (320 kbps)
Labels: Australia, Dirty Rock, The Stone Fox


Network Administrator at Fayette MicroBank Limited. Vacancy available for a Network Administrator at Fayette MicroBank Limited. La Fayette Microfinance Bank Limited – As an international registered microfinance bank, La Fayette Microfinance Bank offers a complete range of financial services and means of payment for its customers, including savings accounts, current accounts and fixed deposit accounts.
The Junior IT Officer will maintain a reliable, secure and efficient data communications network.
Manage and maintain the computer equipment, software, applications and telecom and optimize its use.
Manage the cabling: connection, change, maintenance, ventilation and fault detection.
Install, update and configure the operating system and applications of the user's environment: desk, services and network.
Minimum of first Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or related course of study is required. Relevant professional qualification(s) and certification(s) will be an advantage.
A minimum of 2 years experience in a similar role with General knowledge of systems and network architecture.
Cisco CCNA or other related certification required.


text:
Die Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Geisenfeld liegt im oberbayerischen Landkreis Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm und wird von folgenden Gemeinden gebildet:

 Ernsgaden,  Einwohner,  km²
 Geisenfeld, Stadt,  Einwohner,  km²

Sitz der Verwaltungsgemeinschaft ist Geisenfeld.

Einzelnachweise

Geisenfeld
Organisation (Landkreis Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm)
Geisenfeld

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Imran Ahmad, M.D., medical director of interventional cardiology, explains some of the new technologies his labs have integrated. He also explains how incorporation of his suburban hospital with Northwestern's Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute has enabled a new TAVR program.
Read the related article on this hospital, "Hospital Consolidation May Increase Access to TAVR, New Cardiac Technologies."
View a 360 photo in his cath lab.
This video details the first use of a new protocol at The Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center to start sudden cardiac arrest patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) en route to the hospital, where they are sent straight to the cath lab. According to the hospital, the protocol has improved cardiac arrest survival rates from 0 to nearly 40 percent. Video courtesy of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.


Steve Jobs was a brilliant-but-belligerent eccentric who transformed seven different industries, his biographer said in an interview that aired Sunday night on 60 Minutes.
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died Wednesday after a long illness. He was 56. Jobs, who reigned as Apple CEO for 14 years, resigned his post in August 2011 and was replaced by Tim Cook, who previously was the company's Chief Operating Officer. Jobs, in turn, was elected as chairman of Apple's board of directors.


text:
My 'I Have a Dream' Speech
Roger Kimmel Smith
I do have a dream today. I dream of a nation awakening from a dream.
I am dreaming of an American people awakened to action to restore a republic. A people awakened to the danger of an alien empire that has captured the United States government -- that was not a dream after all. I dream of us waking up from a nightmare to find that the nightmare has come true, that the nightmare could even become worse. Perhaps the nightmare has only just begun. Or maybe we find ourselves not at the very beginning but actually at the beginning of the middle, like the generation of Luke Skywalker in the visions of George Lucas. Or like Cassius and Brutus facing Julius Caesar. Or like Rosa Parks, a minister named King, and a small committee in Montgomery against a racist power structure that had governed for centuries. I dream of an epic drama in the making; a political blockbuster reality show that's on the air today.
I have a dream of an American people rising up to save the nation from destroying itself and destroying life on Earth. We are rising up nonviolently to steer us back on course. We are rising to take the cockpit back from a suicidally deranged group that has hijacked the plane.
In my dream, we have all awakened to the clarion call of justice, peace, and nonviolence that is embodied in the life and words of Martin Luther King, Jr. We know, as he knew, that prejudice, poverty, and war are all one mighty evil, and all arise from a fundamental lack of justice. And in my dream, we are rising up to put an end to this endless war that has been declared. In my dream, we are rising to halt and reverse the construction of a police state in the United States of America. In my dream, we are rising to protect the rights of human beings from torture by government agencies, not the rights of government agencies to torture human beings.
In my dream, we are rising to make our society sane and just. We demand a nation that protects its people from storms and catastrophes, all of its people equally. We will not have anything less. We demand a nation that operates by laws and honors its treaties and agreements. We will not tolerate leaders who think they can tap the phone and violate the rights of whoever they please, arrest whoever they please and lock them up for years without charge. We demand a nation that's governed democratically, that conducts fair elections without corrupt officials or dystopian technologies to fix the vote. We demand a nation that is not ruled by dollar bills alone.
In my dream, we are rising to speak calmly and civilly about why violence takes place in our world, even about the root causes of terrorist violence. We know that terrorism arises from a long legacy of injustice, from the demagoguery of leaders, and from a sad and tragic misinterpretation of religious ideas and scripture. I have a dream in which the American people declare that from now on we will protect our nation from the threat of terrorist attack without provoking aggressive wars against other nations, but instead by pursuing justice, pursuing peace, pursuing human rights, and cooperating to uphold and enforce the rule of law against violent acts of organized crime such as the September 11 attacks.
I have a dream that across the land, the people have woken up, in an unshakable, unmistakable electoral majority, and we are speaking with a thunderous cry. A thunderous cry that echoes, Hear us: This is we the people talking; do not forget that we run this place. And we are beginning to win. We are beginning to win. And sanity is beginning to flow again into our land, trickling down from the mountaintop like a great spring thaw growing to a cascade, flooding over the levees and bursting the dams of deception and oppression.
For years the people with a passion for social justice have sung lonely anthems to small crowds. We have been called aimless because our aims were far too many, and our aims were far too steep, and far too many people couldn't see them. Now, in my dream, we are all coming together, we have all shown up, and not a moment too soon. For when the flowing waters of justice surge forth, what a reckoning we shall see. Awesome and wonderful changes will be upon us all at once. At last, we will be able to set to work healing our body politic, and protecting this planet's shaken life support systems, for ourselves and our posterity. There is so much to do to reverse our society's course, so many struggles to be waged, so many nonviolent transformations waiting to erupt. In my dream, we are all rising up from our slumber to make our contribution.
Roger Kimmel Smith is a freelance wordsmith based in Ithaca, New York. He has written for The Progressive, Ithaca Times, National Geographic, Propaganda Review, Disarmament Times, Syncopated Times, Common Dreams, and Global Issues in Context.
Israel Was Designated an Apartheid State by B'Tselem. What Martin Luther King Jr. Would Have Thought of That.
Progressives Push Back as Trump, Pentagon, and ICE 'Hijack' MLK's Message
Poor People's Campaign MLK Day Message to Biden: Act on Bold Agenda to Heal Nation
Biden's Inauguration Gives Us New Hope, but the Movement for Justice Must Continue to Build on Its Own Agenda
Solutions, U.S.
Martin Luther King Jr, 9/11, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr


text:
Nico Rosberg wins Austrian Formula 1 Grand Prix – Lewis hamilton on second place
Silver Arrows sparkle in Spielberg with superb 1-2 finish! Nico Rosberg took his third win of the 2015 season and the 11th of his Formula One career to date. Lewis Hamilton completed a Silver Arrows 1-2 for the second consecutive season in Spielberg with P2. Felipe Massa and Williams made it an all Mercedes-Benz powered podium in P3. Lewis Hamilton now leads Nico Rosberg by 10 points in the Driver's Championship, with MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS heading Ferrari by 136 in the Constructor's standings.
Nico Rosberg: Wow, what a day! It feels so great to win again in Austria. It's such a special track – very tricky and with a fantastic crowd. After my mistake yesterday in qualifying I was determined to push really hard to win this race. I had a good start and went into turn one in the lead, which was very important as I knew from past races this year that it's very difficult to overtake the same car on track. After I passed Lewis I was able to control the lead quite comfortably. Towards the end I felt some vibrations on the right front tyre but I was able to manage it to the flag. Big thanks to the team for a great car and a perfect race. Now I'm really looking forward to Silverstone, where I have good memories with the pole last year and the win in 2013.
Lewis Hamilton: It was a pretty straightforward race. I didn't have the best start. I had a problem with the revs in that, when I came off the throttle, the revs stayed up. So, when I dropped the clutch, I had too much wheel spin and lost ground. That's something we'll look at after the race. Then, I was keeping up with Nico in the first stint – but in the second phase he just had better pace. At the end it was just about bringing it home – but Nico deserved the win so congratulations to him.
Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: I'm very happy with the result today, especially at my and Niki's home circuit here in Spielberg. It's even more special because we have three Mercedes engines in the top three for the second year in a row; it couldn't be better. Nico drove a brilliant and dominant race today – he got a great start, had the upper hand on pace and made no mistakes at all. Both boys were right on the limit, as you could see when Nico came into the pit lane sideways for his pit stop! As for Lewis, his race boiled down to the start and the pit stop; he lost out off the line, which we will need to analyse, then looked to have a snap oversteer as he left the pit lane and put two wheels over the line. From there, he just brought the car home and managed the gap to Felipe behind. Like in 2014, we are seeing the advantage swing from driver to driver across the races, and I'm sure they'll be battling all the way to the end of the season.
Paddy Lowe, Executive Director (Technical): A fantastic result to achieve another 1-2 and particularly so at a home race for Toto and Niki. The start was not ideal for Lewis, so he lost the benefit of pole position. There was no particular issue – Nico just managed to get away slightly better and there was actually not much in it away from the line. After the very early safety car, it then became clear that Nico had a slight pace advantage over Lewis – but more importantly that our car was showing a bigger advantage than we had anticipated over Ferrari. It therefore became more of a battle between our two drivers up until the first round of stops. Lewis, of course, was then handed a time penalty for a very small error. The number of errors that either he or Nico make is very small indeed and I think this highlighted that rarity rather than presenting any cause for concern. From there, it became clear to Lewis that the race win was out of reach barring any dramas, which gave us the luxury of managing the cars home for a great 1-2 finish.
Source: Mercedes-AMG F1
AustriaF1Lewis HamiltonNico RosbergPodiumRaceSilver arrowSpielbergWinner
Previous ArticleFront row for the silver arrows - Lewis Hamilton on Pole
Next ArticleMercedes-Benz Vans launches new mid-size Vito transporter in Argentina
2012 United States Grand Prix – Preview
F1 German Grand Prix at Hockenheimring – Preview
Lewis Hamilton wins in Silverstone – Nico Rosberg an second place
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg to start P5 and P6 for Singapore Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton with P3 in Mexican Qualifying
DTM Race Winner Pascal Wehrlein Name MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Reserve Driver
Mercedes-AMG Project ONE: testing reaches an exciting phase
#F1isBACK: Goose bumps in the cockpit! The most memorable Hockenheim moments of the German Formula 1 stars


text:
WVU adds isolation, quarantine and third-party testing data to COVID-19 dashboard
In July and August, WVU conducted free COVID-19 testing for faculty and staff in the parking lot near the Coliseum. (WVU Photo/Scott Lituchy)
In an effort to help the campus and surrounding community better understand positive test results, monitoring and response protocols, West Virginia University is providing additional data to its COVID-19 testing dashboard.
Beginning today (Sept. 4), the dashboard will include data about self-reported positive test results from outside WVU's testing system, as well as isolation and quarantine information (on-campus, off-campus, Greek housing and those who have gone home) for the Morgantown campus.
Self-reported and campus test results by day
Self-reported positive test results from outside the WVU system are an addition to the positive campus test results previously part of the dashboard. The campus test results will continue to be updated, and like the self-reported results, are listed on the date they were reported to WVU, not the date the positive cases were tested.
"As part of our Return to Campus plan, we required any student or employee who would be on campus to be tested as part of our free COVID-19 testing," Vice President for Strategic Initiatives Rob Alsop said. "As we moved into ongoing testing last week, we started seeing people seek out testing from third-parties and we knew we needed to include that data to give a more complete picture of COVID-19 on our campus."
All positive cases must be reported to WVU. Students should notify the WVU CARE Team, and employees should notify WVU Medical Management. All positive results reported to WVU are sent directly to the state.
Campus quarantine updates
Quarantine means avoiding contact with others to the furthest extent possible for the next 14 days, as directed by the local health department. These individuals are likely in quarantine because they've been considered a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
"The University has been aggressive in quarantining close contacts as we know students, in particular, live in close proximity, and in an abundance of caution have quarantined to mitigate community spread," said Dr. Carmen Burrell, medical director of Urgent Care and Student Health Services.
Those who are quarantining should not be on campus for class or work at any point during this period.
Campus isolation updates
Isolation is avoiding contact with others for at least 10 days after a testing date, as directed by the local health department. Individuals are likely in isolation because they've tested positive for COVID-19, and this isolation period separates them from others who may not be sick to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Students may isolate in Arnold Apartments. Those who live off-campus may self-isolate as long as they are able to stay away from others by using a separate living space.
These individuals must remain isolated and are not allowed on campus for class or work at any point during this period until medically cleared.
Ongoing testing and metrics
WVU moved last week from the initial, baseline testing to ongoing testing for the remainder of the semester. The daily percentage of positive COVID-19 tests, quarantine and isolation numbers were expected to increase during this symptomatic and sample testing, as these tests are for individuals who have COVID-19 symptoms and groups who are more likely to be at risk of contracting COVID-19.
The University is monitoring numerous data points several times a day to determine whether additional precautionary measures are required; and is in constant communication with the local health department, the state and the testing labs to quickly identify any concerning trends. There is no single metric, specific number or percentage that would trigger the University to change course.
Updates and notifications
WVU's dashboard will continue to be updated Monday-Friday at 2 p.m. The shift from 11 a.m. will provide additional time to compile and analyze the data now coming in from multiple sources. Information regarding students and employees will still be broken out by campus (Morgantown, Beckley and Keyser).
Updates are also provided by the University on WVU Safety social media accounts.
Additionally, the University will continue to share trends and other COVID-19 related updates with the public each week or as necessary via WVUToday.
The dashboard should not be used to monitor individual test results. WVU students, faculty and staff should follow the Return to Campus guidelines to access test results.
Additional information and COVID-19 updates are available at WVU's Return to Campus website.
ak/09/04/20
CONTACT: April Kaull, Executive Director of Communications
304-212-8710; akaull@mail.wvu.edu
infostations covid19 Health Student Life Extension Foundation Research Athletics Alumni
© 2021 West Virginia University. WVU is an EEO/Affirmative Action employer — Minority/Female/Disability/Veteran. Last updated on September 9, 2020.