text:
Megabeast Theory
Megabeast Theory Essay
The Mega-beast Termination Experts have discovered the truth behind a large number of mysteries. Among the mysteries however to be discovered is the Mega-beasts, the creatures that roamed North…...Read
Pontrelli Recycling where possible Project Plan Outline Article
Pontrelli Taking Project Strategy Outline FIN/575 . This file summarizes the proposed procedure for applying the Pontrelli Recycling, Incorporation. Mission Assertion. Isaac Ross will conduct it The…...Read
curriculum innovation 10 years by now Analysis Paper
п»їName: Charvi I. Berame BEED III-E CURRICULUM INNOVATIONS 10 YEARS VIA NOW My personal idea within the curriculum innovative developments in the next a decade. I shall…...Read
Speech Homelessness Essay
Did you know that there are about 3 million homeless people in the united states? 1million 300 000 are children. in the Netherlands there are people thirty-five, 000…...Read
Juvenile Courts Essay
Juvenile courts and mature courts are similar and various in many ways. They're mainly similar in storing up offenders or perhaps giving a treatment. Juvenile process of law…...Read
Eat Locations Leaves Essay
" Eats Shoots & Leaves, " simply by Lynne Truss, is a small book that contains both wit and the guidelines of English punctuation. The title of this publication…...Read
Bmw Logos Essay
Coursework Name: Identify your favourite company from any sector of your choice. What makes the rand name successful? Employ relevant ideas (branding strategy, brand value and manufacturer positioning) and examples…...Read


text:
Justin Coombes
Justin Coombes has exhibited widely both nationally and internationally. Collections include the Government Art Collection, Ernst and Young and the David Roberts Art Foundation. Numerous awards and grants include the Arts and Humanities Research Board, 2011. He is a PhD candidate in Fine Art by Practice at the Royal College of Art and a tutor at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, University of Oxford. Further information including details on sales of prints and books can be found at: www.paradiserow.com.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
String instruments aren't just for making music. Artists can have their way with violins, cellos and violas, too.
The 17 works of art that you see are instruments that will be auctioned, sold and raffled at the eighth annual Painted Violin Gala, which takes place April 22 as a benefit for Denver Young Artists Orchestra.
Festivities begin at 4:30 p.m. at Palazzo Verdi, 6363 S. Fiddler's Green Circle, Greenwood Village. Tickets are $100 each for the entire evening (dinner included) or $40 for dessert and a DYAO concert.
Reservation deadline is April 16; call 303-433-2420 or sign up online.


text:
Selfie-Entrepreneur is open from 1 September to 31 October 2017. Only entries received within this timeframe will be eligible for the awards.
Find an entrepreneur, interview him/her, and take a selfie. The format of the interview is your choice. You can write a text or submit a video. Your submissions can be in any European language.
1. Send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com including the following:
- Name (you can write only your initials, if you feel more comfortable)
- City, Country
- Email address (this information will not be published, we need it to contact you in case you win)
- Text or link to the video (uploaded on YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)
- Don't forget to send your Selfie with the entrepreneur!
- If you are doing this as part of a classroom activity, please include the name of your teacher.
2. Your input will be revised by the I-LINC team and the once approved will appear on this page. ** Please note that I-LINC won't publish any offensive content.
It's up to you to decide what questions to ask the entrepreneur. Here are some suggestions to help you:
- How did you decide to become an entrepreneur?
- What are the advantages of working as an entrepreneur?
- What do you like about your job?
- What skills do you need to become an entrepreneur?
- Any advice?
*This initiative was inspired by an initiative from Spain by a group of three teachers: Paz Fernández de Vera, Elena Rodríguez and Isabel González.
**By submitting the required information, you authorize the I-LINC consortium to publish and publically communicate about the selfie and video via I-LINC website and social media channels. Find more details in the LEGAL NOTICE.
The best three entries of students will be invited to the I-LINC final conference, to be held in Brussels on 23 November 2017, with flight and accommodation (1 night) expenses covered by I-LINC.
Each submission will be evaluated by a jury (formed by the I-LINC team) against the following criteria: quality of the image/video; clarity and quality of the text/script; originality of content. Points for each criterion will go from 0 (lowest) to 10 (outstanding).
Want to know more about the initiative's terms and conditions? Read here the LEGAL NOTICE
Selfie-Entrepreneur is an opportunity for students to connect with entrepreneurs and learn more about them and their working environment. This activity helps them connecting with the real world, bridging their learning and their experience. They moreover learn from a role model that is not that distant: someone who might live next door, and still can be a role model, an example for them. By participating in this activity students develop a sense of initiative and entrepreneurship and other competences such as verbal communication, digital skills, social and civic competences or multimedia narrative. If you want to learn more about the pedagogical value of #selfientrepreneur and how to present it to your class, you can read this article. See how this activity has spread all over Spain in this blog.
Each week, we will share pedagogical material and ideas in the Entrepreneurial teachers community. We will address different ways of implementing this activity in your classroom.
We also welcome your feedback! How did this activity go? Did you find it useful for your students? Share your progress, success, challenges in the community. The most proactive teacher, with the highest participation in the Entrepreneurial teachers community, will be invited to the I-LINC final conference, to be held in Brussels on 23 November 2017, with flight and accommodation (1 night) expenses covered by I-LINC. Find more information in the LEGAL NOTICE.


text:
Sixty years of research into peaceful applications of ionising radiation has enabled SCK•CEN to build up a huge amount of in-house expertise and know-how of nuclear science and technology. Passing this on to future generations is one of the key tasks of our research centre.
Education and training
With our extensive experience, involvement in the development of innovative projects and major nuclear installations and specialist laboratories we are perfectly placed to take on the role of education and training. The SCK•CEN Academy for Nuclear Science and Technology was established at the beginning of 2012 with the aim of combining all our activities in this field.
Within SCK•CEN, the Academy for Nuclear Science and Technology manages all education and training activities. The SCK•CEN Academy has four key tasks:
The SCK•CEN Academy is active in all SCK•CEN nuclear research fields:
The SCK•CEN Academy operates both in Belgium and abroad. Our services are requested by the nuclear sector, medical sector, non-nuclear industry, government, research centres and the academic establishments.
Our training courses are run by experts who are involved in their teaching topics on a day to day basis. Furthermore, their long standing teaching experience enables them to 'translate' complex and technical material into practical applications.
Contact: firstname.lastname@example.com
SCK•CEN Academy website: academy.sckcen.be
Brochure: SCK•CEN Academy
© 2020, SCK•CEN | Website design by Pixeo


text:
A Study to Assess the Safety, Tolerability and Pharmacokinetics of AVI-7288 in Healthy Adult Volunteers
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01566877
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : March 29, 2012
Last Update Posted : May 7, 2014
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Condition or disease
|Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever
|Drug: AVI-7288 Other: Placebo
|Phase 1
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of 14 once daily intravenous (IV) infusions of ascending doses of AVI 7288 compared to matched placebo in healthy male and female subjects.
To evaluate the pharmacokinetics (PK) of 14 once daily doses of AVI-7288 in healthy male and female subjects
|Study Type :
|Interventional (Clinical Trial)
|Actual Enrollment :
|40 participants
|Intervention Model:
|Parallel Assignment
|Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
|Primary Purpose:
|Official Title:
|A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Multiple-Dose, Dose-Escalation Study to Assess the Safety, Tolerability and Pharmacokinetics of AVI-7288 in Healthy Adult Volunteers
|Study Start Date :
|May 2013
|Actual Primary Completion Date :
|January 2014
|Actual Study Completion Date :
|January 2014
Active Comparator: AVI-7288
AVI-7288 is a phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer with positive charges (PMOplus™) that targets Marburg virus nucleoprotein (NP). AVI-7288 is supplied in 5 mL vials containing 5 mL AVI-7288 at a concentration of 50 mg/mL. The dose levels of AVI-7288 will vary in four cohort's.
Drug: AVI-7288
Cohort 1: AVI-7288 at 1 mg/kg IV; Cohort 2: AVI-7288 at 4 mg/kg IV;Cohort 3: AVI-7288 at 8 mg/kg IV; Cohort 4: AVI-7288 at 12 mg/kg IV
The amount of AVI-7288 required to administer the required dose will be diluted to a volume of approximately 150 mL with normal saline solution (NSS) and given by IV infusion over 30 minutes once a day for 14 days. Infusions will be administered at approximately the same time each day.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Placebo control consists of approximately 150 mL normal saline solution administered by IV infusion over 30 minutes once a day for 14 days.
Other: Placebo
Normal Saline Solution (NSS)
Other Name: Normal Saline Solution (NSS)
- The outcome measure is safety, as assessed through adverse event evaluation and serial clinical assessments. [ Time Frame: daily during dosing period with follow up on Day 21 and Day 42 ]
- The outcome measures are Serial PK Day 1 over 24 hours(predose, 10minutes post, 30 minutes post, 1 hour 1.5, 2, 4, 6,. 8, 12,16,24 hours post dose), daily trough level and on Day 14 (last day of dosing) serial PK until 48 hours post last dose. [ Time Frame: 2 Weeks ]Efficacy will not be assessed in a Phase I study.
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years to 50 Years (Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
A subject must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible for this study.
1.Man or woman 18 to 50 years of age, inclusive, at the time of screening. 2.Body mass index 18 kg/m2 to 35 kg/m2, inclusive, at the time of screening and Check-in (Day -1).3.Good general health (no chronic health conditions) as determined by the Investigator.4.Female subjects must be of non-childbearing potential or must, in conjunction with their sexual partner(s), use 2 forms of medically acceptable barrier contraception (e.g., a diaphragm with spermicidal jelly in conjunction with a male condom) during the screening period and for the entire duration of the study including the 28-day post last dose follow-up.5.Male subjects must either be sterile or agree to use, for the entire duration of the study and for 90 days post last dose follow-up, a male condom and the female sexual partner must also use a medically acceptable form of birth control (e.g. oral contraceptives). 6. Male subjects must agree not to donate sperm for at least 90 days after the last infusion of study medication. 7.Able to understand the requirements of the study, to provide written informed consent (as evidenced by signature on an informed consent document that is approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB), and agree to abide by the study restrictions.
Exclusion Criteria:
A subject who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from this study.
1.Pregnancy or breastfeeding. 2. A positive urine or blood screen for drugs of abuse, including alcohol. 3.Use of any tobacco- or nicotine-containing products(including but not limited to cigarettes, pipes, cigars, chewing tobacco, nicotine patches, nicotine lozenges, or nicotine gum) within 6 months prior to Check-in (Day -1). 4.Donated blood within 90 days or plasma within 30 days of first dose on Day 1. 5.A positive cotinine test indicating recent nicotine use.6.Active substance abuse or any medical or psychiatric condition that could jeopardize the subject's safety or the subject's ability to comply with the protocol. 7.Use of any medications apart from vitamins, acetaminophen or hormonal contraception within 14 days of first dose on Day 1. Subjects with mild seasonal allergies may use antihistamines at the discretion of the Investigator after discussion with the Sponsor Medical Monitor.8.Participation in any interventional clinical trial within 45 days of first dose on Day 1 (i.e., received any other investigational drug).9. Recipient of an organ transplant (solid or hematopoietic). 10.Prolonged QTcF interval >(440 ms) for males or > 460 ms for females using the average of the triplicate ECGs collected during screening, on Day -1, or just prior to dosing on Day 1. 11.Other clinically significant electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormality, as determined by the Investigator. 12.Any clinically significant abnormal hematology, chemistry, coagulation, or urinalysis value, as determined by the Investigator. 13.Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of < 90 mL/min, based on the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation.14.Urine-albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) > 30 mg/g. 15.Positive test for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1 serology) or known HIV infection. 16.Positive result for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) or for hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody.17.Use of alcohol-containing foods or beverages within 72 hours prior to Check-in on Day -1.18.Use of caffeine-containing foods or beverages within 24 hours prior to Check-in on Day 1. 19.Febrile illness or significant infection within 48 hours before administration of the first dose of study drug on Day 1.
Note: Inclusion of each subject will be reviewed with a member of Sarepta Therapeutics Clinical Personnel prior to enrollment in the trial. Written approval from a member of Sarepta Therapeutics Clinical Personnel is required prior to randomization.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01566877
|United States, Maryland
|SNBL Clinical Pharmacology Center, Inc.
|Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21201
|Principal Investigator:
|Mohamed Al-Ibrahim, MD
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
|Responsible Party:
|Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|Other Study ID Numbers:
W9113M-10-C-0056 ( Other Grant/Funding Number: Transformational Medical Technologies, US Dept. of Defense )
|First Posted:
|March 29, 2012 Key Record Dates
|Last Update Posted:
|May 7, 2014
|Last Verified:
|May 2014
Multiple Ascending Dose (MAD)
Marburg Virus
Post Exposure Prophylaxis
Hemorrhagic Fevers, Viral
Marburg Virus Disease
RNA Virus Infections
Virus Diseases
Filoviridae Infections
Mononegavirales Infections
Pharmaceutical Solutions


text:
Earn the certification that professionals worldwide consider essential to their ongoing education, career progression and value delivery to their enterprises.
When an enterprise employs a CGEIT, they ensure good governance, which provides for an environment of no or few "surprises" and the ability to have an agile response to any that arise.
CGEIT is considered by many companies and governmental agencies as a prerequisite for employees involved with enterprise IT governance.
CGEIT enhances credibility, influence and recognition. CGEIT combines the achievement of passing a comprehensive exam with recognition of work, management and educational experience, providing greater recognition in the marketplace and influence at the executive level.
CGEIT demonstrates proven expertise. Boards and executive management expect IT to deliver business value. IT governance is a key component of enterprise governance and success. A CGEIT designation demonstrates that you have proven experience and knowledge in the governance of enterprise IT.
CISA, CISM, CGEIT and CRISC Approved
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has accredited the CGEIT certification program under ISO/IEC 17024:2012, General Requirements for Bodies Operating Certification Systems of Persons. ANSI, a private, nonprofit organization, accredits other organizations to serve as third-party product, system and personnel certifiers. ISACA is proud to be recognized with this international standard of performance.
CGEIT is developed for professionals with management, advisory or assurance roles relating to:
"The CGEIT qualification provides me with the credibility to discuss critical issues like governance and strategic alignment based on my recognized professional knowledge, skills and business experience." – R. Poole, CGEIT, CISM, Head of Business Consultancy, Sapphire Technologies Ltd.,


text:
Republic of Ireland 1 France 2
Robbie Brady got the Republic of Ireland off to a dream start as they threatened to dump hosts France out of Euro 2016.
The Norwich midfielder, whose goal against Italy had secured their passage to the last 16, gave Ireland a second-minute lead from the penalty spot after Shane Long had been barged to the ground by Paul Pogba.
France dominated the first half thereafter, but although goalkeeper Darren Randolph had to save from Dimitri Payet, Antoine Griezmann and Pogba, he was never over-extended.
Martin O'Neill named an unchanged team as the Republic of Ireland looked to dump hosts France out of the Euro 2016 finals and claim a quarter-final berth.
Full-back Stephen Ward shook off the ankle problem which has threatened his participation to allow the manager to field the same 11 men who started Wednesday night's 1-0 victory over Italy.
France boss Didier Deschamps reverted to his strongest starting line-up as N'Golo Kante, Blaise Matuidi, Dimitri Payet and Olivier Giroud came in for Yohan Cabaye, Moussa Sissoko, Kingsley Coman and Andre-Pierre Gignac.
After that dream start from Brady, France quickly poured forward in search of an equaliser, with Ireland keeper Darren Randolph relieved to be able to get both hands on club-mate Dimitri Payet's eighth-minute free-kick before Antoine Griezmann headed over from Pogba's cross seconds later.
Central defender Shane Duffy needed every inch of his sizeable frame to prevent Giroud from reaching Griezmann's 12th-minute cross with France attacking in waves, and the wide-man forced Randolph into another saved with a glancing header from Payet's free-kick six minutes later.
Lloris had to dive full-length to deny Murphy his first senior international goal with 21 minutes gone, but Randolph had to save from Griezmann and Pogba in quick succession with the pressure almost relentless.
Ireland were sitting deep as they attempted to deny the French space in behind, but with Kante allowing Matuidi and Pogba to link with the front three, the danger signs were there.
Kante's afternoon took a further turn for the worse with 27 minutes played when he was booked for a trip on James McClean, a caution which meant he would miss the quarter-final should his side fight back to win.
Long needed extensive treatment on the pitch after being caught by full-back Patrice Evra as the pair challenged for a loose ball on the sideline, although he was eventually able to continue.
Republic midfielder Jeff Hendrick also needed treatment after catching Pogba's swinging boot in the thigh, and he was roundly booed by the home fans as he limped off having gone to ground for a second time in some discomfort.
Ireland managed to push their line further up the field as the half wore on, although the ball was too often refusing to stick and France were able to start building once again.
But Duffy might have doubled the lead a minute before the break when he got his head to Brady's free-kick, only to send his effort wide of the far post.
However, it took stoppage-time blocks by Ward and Duffy to deny first Payet then Griezmann as France piled forward in search of an equaliser.
Deschamps opted for change at the break when he replaced enforcer Kante with the fleet-footed Kingsley Coman, to the approval of the locals.
But it was central defender Laurent Koscielny who very nearly levelled within three minutes of the restart when he glanced Payet's free-kick towards goal, but saw the ball fly just wide of the far post with Randolph helpless.
However, had Lloris not got a hand to James McClean's low 52nd-minute cross after Brady, Murphy and Hendrick had combined to set him up, Long would have had a tap-in at the far post.
But the traffic continued to head largely in Randolph's direction and he was relieved to see Payet drag a shot wide of his far post seconds later.
However, there was little he could do to preserve his side's lead when Payet picked out Bacary Sagna in space wide on the right with 58 minutes played.
The full-back's cross was unerring and, for once, Griezmann was unmarked as he powered his header past the keeper to send up a huge sigh of relief from the home crowd.
Ireland were undone once again just three minutes later as their dream started to slip away when striker Olivier Giroud climbed high to head the ball down into Griezmann's path, and his left-foot finish gave Randolph no chance.
The Republic's afternoon was going from bad to worse, and they left themselves with a mountain to climb with 66 minutes gone when Griezmann got in behind the defence and was felled by last man Duffy, prompting the inevitable red card.
O'Neill's depleted defence managed to deal with the resulting free-kick, but the manager responded by withdrawing McClean to send on central defender John O'Shea with 22 minutes remaining.
France now go forward to meet the winner of Monday's clash between England and Iceland.


text:
SIA: Snow business in fashion
Some of those attending the industry's biggest trade show get their thrills from seeing all the new skis and boards and boots, but those of us who like the soft side get just as much of a buzz from seeing all the new apparel and accessories designs. And there was a lot to get excited about at the SnowSports Industries America show Jan. 27-31 in Denver.
There was also a upbeat mood of the show that hasn't been evident in a couple of years, due largely to the fact that sales are up. And on the trade show floor, people were having fun, whether it was the four models who playfull posed in a display case for SmartWool, or the popular Skull Candy girls dispensing Snickers bars and other sweets from a cart they pushed through the aisles.
Color blocking; clean, clear shades; streamlined shapes; faux fur trims and streetwear influences were around every corner. And the trends were as much in evidence for the guys as for the girls. Marmot used red and muted green in its color-blocked parka for guys and Goldwin showed a vibrant blue men's jacket.
It's no secret that soft, light, luscious down has been seeing a major comeback, but one of the freshest new treatments is in what Patagonia is calling its down "shirt" for men and women. Warm, windproof and light, it weighs just 5.6 ounces for men and 5 ounces for women and can be stuffed into a pocket-sized pouch. It can be layered under a shell or worn on its own and should be in stores soon, $250.
Another company with the environment on its mind is eyewear maker Revo. The brand, which is back and part of Oakley's stable, is creating nylon frame material made from the seed of the castor bean plant and its Re-Use frames are made from recycled polymer resins. Meanwhile its polarized lenses are perfect for sports performance and the prices are right at $159-$279. Find the greatest selection at Sunglass Huts stores.
Those who like the look of ski and snowboard-inspired clothes but don't necessarily hit the slopes had many choices as well. One of the most fun lifestyle brands at the show was Alp-n-Rock, a tee-based collection out of California that debuted two years ago. Founder and owner Susanne Reich takes a simple organic cotton T-shirt and infuses it with all kinds of fun: vintage images from famous ski resorts (Chamonix to Vail), embroiders edelweiss in spots, offers inspirational words ("gratitude") puts her Alp-n-Rock logo on the sleeve and makes the whole thing reversible. The styles are high-quality and fashionable at the same time, which is why you'll find them in stores like Gorsuch. Reich gives back with each purchase, donating a percentage of sales to a program that teaches girls to read.


text:
Father Uses Hot Daughter to Sell 1977 Datsun on eBay
It's no secret that sex sells. It's just kind of creepy that a dad would use his sexy daughter to sell a 1977 Datsun — but it worked.
Kim Ridley (that's the dad) used his 20-year-old daughter Lexxa to model in front of his bright yellow Datsun and put the car up for sale on eBay. The car had fewer than 50,000 miles on it and sold for $7,500. No word on how many bids people put on Lexxa.
Mr. Ridley, owner of Ridley's Rides in Eugene, Oregon, sees nothing wrong with using his daughter to move merchandise. "Girls and dogs attract people's attention," he told AdWeek in an interview. He's also used his golden retriever Max in ads.
We've seen Max and that's one hot bitch.


text:
As part of the MSDN Academic Alliance, UMass Lowell CS maintains a large suite of Microsoft software packages which includes desktop/server operating systems (such as Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Server 2003/2008 ) and compilers (such as Visual Studio), but not Microsoft OFFICE.
As part of the agreement, students currently enrolled in a Computer Science class may borrow software for installation on their personal computer systems. When borrowing the software, you are NOT allowed to copy the CDs or distribute them to other individuals.
You may also DOWNLOAD the software using the Kivuto software management system (formerly ELMS/E-Academy). You will need a Kivuto username/password to download the software. Please send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com to request your account. Log In if you already have a Kivuto account.
To borrow a CD, please come to Olsen 312 between the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday. You may borrow more than one title at a time.
Please keep the following in mind when you wish to borrow a software package:


text:
When it comes to family vacations, I often enjoy the trip even more than the destination.
No results found in Publisher's Pen.
Spring vacations and summer trips require a little advanced planning. It's not too soon to start thinking about that much-needed family getaway. Vacations help relieve stress, bond families, and create lasting memories. But they can also provide learning opportunities that draw us closer to our Creator. Get tips for ten vacation destinations that will help build your family's biblical worldview, in a way they'll never forget!Browse Issue Subscribe
Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.


text:
At this point, let me confess to not being any sort of expert on the comics industry, though I am a fan of some of the medium's masters—Moore, Eddie Campbell, Art Spiegelman, Osamu Tezuka, Craig Thompson among them—and have followed developments in Indian 'graphic novel' publishing in the past few years, particularly the work of fine artist-cum-writers such as Sarnath Banerjee, Amruta Patil, George Mathen and Vishwajyoti Ghosh. Stepping into Comic Con 2, I knew very little about the current state of Indian comics – at least the ones that usually take the form of a continuing series and aren't typically brought out by big-name publishers. The result was something of a sensory overload.
Arrive an hour before the official opening of the event and it looks busy enough: groups of publishers, editors, writers and artists unpacking their wares and setting up stalls. By the time the first set of visitors begin trooping in, it's hard to keep track of everything that is going on. As you'd expect, hundreds of comic books are up for sale at stalls run by long-time players like Amar Chitra Katha and Diamond Comics as well as by relatively new companies such as Campfire, Level 10, Pop Culture Publishing (started by Twenty Onwards Media, the company that organised the convention), Rovolt and Libera Artisti. A small indoor stall houses Sufi Studios, which has on offer a book of benevolent spiritual teachings (with some faces depicted featureless in keeping with the Islamic tradition of not representing holy persons pictorially). The Chennai-based publishing house Blaft, known for its offbeat and imaginative publishing of pulp fiction, has a terrific-looking anthology of graphic stories titled The Obliterary Journal (the title comes from a tongue-in-cheek suggestion that visual storytelling should "obliterate" conventional literature). Sporting a green mohawk and a shiny red jacket, Blaft co-founder Rakesh Khanna looks very much into the spirit of things.
Comics aside, there is plenty of merchandise—T-shirts, bags, mugs, posters—as well as workshops, impromptu drawing sessions and magic-trick demonstrations. And, in true lit-fest style, a programme of events—book launches, discussions—held on a small stage, though they rarely last for more than 15-20 minutes each, and microphones routinely malfunction. Over the weekend in particular, there are large crowds, and much of the visitor interest is in the side-attractions: a stall noisily running round-the-clock promotions of the forthcoming film John Carter, photo opportunities with comic characters, or just the fun of walking around, gawping at things and being part of something unusual.
It's one thing to have an outsider's view of the Indian comics industry—to be told by people in the know that it is at a fledgling stage, roughly where comics in the US were 70 or 80 years ago. It's quite another thing to see it up close and realise just how much work is being done by scores of enthusiastic writers and artists all over the country. When I did online searches for the people and companies I had encountered, nearly every writer's blog or publisher's website led to a dozen other links about projects in various stages of completion (or abandonment). As you'd expect, there is plenty of depressingly mediocre work as well as some that is highly promising.
There are large variances in quality, a range of subjects and styles, and completely different attitudes about what comics can or should be. To understand this, it is important to remember that comics is not a "genre" (which is how graphic novels were frequently described by reviewers when they first became popular in India) but an expansive medium, throbbing with ideas, ideologies and objectives.
Sipping coffee at a stall, I have a conversation about form and content with Suhas Sundar, creative director, Level 10 Studios. Many readers new to the world of comics tend to be literal-minded, Sundar points out; they have no real understanding of an abstract narrative where (for instance) text flowing across a panel might not function as explicit commentary on what is being depicted. "Comics as art are not … where you have a panel of a man looking out of a window and the text that goes with it is, 'He looked out of the window'."
As a reader, I endorse this view; the graphic novels I admire most are the ones with layered narratives, where text and drawings work with—or against—each other in complex ways; and where it takes two or three readings before you can fully appreciate the many levels of storytelling. But a short while later I come to the World Comics stall where a much more egalitarian philosophy is being expressed. "Anyone can draw," Sharad Sharma is telling reticent visitors. "Your experiences and opinions are more important than your illustrations."
For about 15 years now, Sharma and his movement, Grassroots Comics, have been holding workshops in small towns and villages, encouraging people to use drawings to express the issues that are troubling them. Reading the bulletin A Tool for Democracy, which collects some of these narratives—simply told chronicles of injustice and discrimination, a few of which show emerging visual flair—one is reminded that comics, like any other artistic medium, can have a strictly utilitarian function as well, especially in places where underprivileged people don't have a voice of their own. It doesn't just have to be about artists honing their talents, practising fine lines and shading for the love of creativity. Something similar might be said about Zubaan's recently published Our Pictures, Our Words: A Visual Journey Through The Women's Movement, which collects pictorial representations of the many issues facing women across the country. Though this isn't primarily a book of comics, it is a reminder of the power of pictures—even unsophisticated ones—to spread information about important issues. As a Zubaan representative told me at an exhibition of posters included in the book, these weren't made by trained artists, "they were put together by ordinary people who were moved by a cause".
There are just as many conflicting approaches to content as well. At the Vimanika Edutainment stall, company head Karan Vir Arora talks in a way that make me feel like I've stepped into a time machine (perhaps the creaky thing in the sci-fi story I flipped through at the last stall) and travelled back to 1967 and a key incident in Indian comics history: Anant Pai being disturbed to find that youngsters knew more about Greek myths than Indian ones. Pai went on to establish Amar Chitra Katha (ACK), which introduced at least two generations of Indians to their mythology and history (and permanently fixed in their minds images of what gods, rakshasas and apsaras should look like). Companies like Campfire and Vimanika have been revamping many of these stories for newer readers. "We are confused about our past," Arora says, sounding older and wiser than he looks. "Discovering our heritage is a way of instilling pride in our country."
Personally I feel some of us have too much pride in our ancient culture and in the fantasy of a rosy past. Vimanika's website proclaims that each story in its comics "will have a moral in it" and refers to "virtues that were considered common during that era but which are now looked upon with amazement and fear in today's world". In these comics, mythological figures like Shiva are given a look that draws on Western fantasy while not straying too far from the template established by ACK. Bright colours are the norm, but as Arora points out, "We are careful to make sure that the proportioning of the figures—the body and head sizes—are true to life. We don't want to give it a cartoonish, anything-goes feel."
Other artists and writers take a different position on mythology. "Many of us are tired of doing the same old devotional stuff," says Harsho Mohan Chattoraj, one of the brightest, most prolific artists currently working in Indian comics, while Pratheek Thomas—a former engineering student who co-founded the independent publishing house Manta Ray two years ago—says his company isn't interested in turning mythological characters into new-age superheroes. "We'd prefer to produce new material and become a platform for original creative talent."
There is another, more practical consideration in shying away from the mythological-retelling bandwagon: since you don't have copyright on these characters, someone else with a better design and more money could make a couple of minor tweaks to your Hanuman and usurp your space. "The downside of working with original characters is that it takes longer for readers to become familiar with the stories we are telling," says Level 10's Sundar, "But the payoff can be big with a new concept that really catches on." Everyone in the industry is familiar with those international fairytales about entire franchises built around one little character. Everyone can dream it might happen to them one day.
The attempt to create fresh, contemporary content often means inventively juxtaposing the real world with the supernatural, so that the latter becomes a commentary on the former. "If you look at our festivals and crowded public events, this is a country begging for a zombie apocalypse," deadpans novelist Samit Basu, who has written the online series Unholi (about a zombie infestation during Holi) for Graphic India. An early passage in The Hyderabad Graphic Novel (a work about the city at various points in its history, intelligently written by Jaideep Undurti and drawn with fine attention to detail by Chattoraj) shows a time-travelling autorickshaw in the Cretaceous period, the driver telling a potential passenger "Jurassic Park mein savaari nahin milta". Another auto-driver becomes Yamaraj's chauffeur in the Trivandrum-based company Libera Artisti's Auto Pilot: Meter Down, one of the most impressive new comics I saw at Comic Con (and the first in a 10-volume series).
There are, of course, explicitly realist (and creatively illustrated) scenarios too: vignettes from an old-folks' home presented in austere black-and-white (Roney Devassia's 'Karuna Bhavanam', included in Blaft's Obliterary Journal); Charles Sobhraj's escape from Tihar Jail, told in rich colours in Manta Ray's 'Year of the Snake' (published in Motherland magazine's 'Prison' special). Manta Ray's goal of "amplifying the voices of interesting people" is being played out in the forthcoming 'Twelve', a black-and-white 12-part series about young Indian adults and the choices they make. They have also been producing a witty weekly strip on current affairs, 'The Small Picture', for the newspaper Mint.
Elsewhere, tropes from Indian pop culture—especially cinema—recur, as in Widhwa Maa, Andhi Behen (Widowed Mother, Blind Sister), about a crime-fighting duo who get their names from staple characters in melodramatic Hindi films of the 1970s and 1980s (and who try to stop Bollywood from "losing its soul" to cerebral, new-age directors like Anurag Kashyap and Dibakar Banerjee!). Or Munkeeman, conceptualised by Abhishek Sharma (director of the film Tere Bin Laden) about the Delhi-menacing 'monkeyman' who wants to lose his bad reputation. While the writing in some of these strips is uneven and the narrative leapfrogs all over the place (perhaps in imitation of a masala Hindi movie), they do provide a sense of what a good home-grown comic series might look like.
There is, in any case, a natural relationship between movies and comics—not least because of the large number of creative people who work in both media—and this sometimes translates into graphic stories being used as inexpensive advertising. For his still-to-be-released thriller The Blueberry Hunt, starring Naseeruddin Shah, director Anup Kurian developed a strip that was published in instalments on the film's Facebook page. More often than not, film-based comics are shoddily assembled works that end up dying quietly on the movie's website (try Googling "Ra.One official comic" and you'll see what I mean). A rare example of an official film comic put out by a major publishing house is the 80-page Agent Vinod strip for the yet-to-be-released Sriram Raghavan-directed Saif Ali Khan-starrer. "We are treating it seriously, as a publication in its own right," says Westland's Paul Vinay Kumar. "It's based on the characters and script, but it isn't slavishly faithful to the film." If the strip does well, more such tie-ups can be expected in the future. But of course, the movie-comics relationship can flow in both directions: director Anurag Kashyap has given Westland the go-ahead to turn his unfilmed script 'Allwyn Kallicharan' into a graphic novel, after which he might consider filming it.
Understandably, given the rich global history of comic storytelling, many Indian illustrators, even the really talented ones, are strongly influenced by the drawing modes of the international comics they grew up with. "Many artists become skilled copiers of other people's styles and don't push their own idiom," says Sarnath Banerjee who (along with other established comic artists like Orijit Sen and Parismita Singh) co-founded the Pao Collective to help promote originality and independence in the field.
But there have also been pleasing instances of indigenous art being used to tell stories. One of the pieces in The Obliterary Journal, 'Memories of the Nayagarh Incident', uses the Odia style of pata chitra to present an apparently straight-faced account of extraterrestrial sightings in Odisha in 1947 (among the depictions are a "yantra-purusha" with pincer-like hands and a spacesuit-wearing alien raising its palm in the "ashirvad stance"). This is the work of Sri Pachanana Moharana, who runs his own workshop in the Puri district and specialises in palm-leaf engravings. The Rajasthani miniaturists Shankar Lal Bhopa and Birju Lal Bhopa didn't get the canvas they deserved in the satirical Lie: A Traditional Tale of Modern India (a book that prioritised ideas over artwork, to its own detriment), but the Gond artists Durgabai and Subhash Vyam brought a distinct vision to last year's Bhimayana: Experiences of Untouchability—their surreal flourishes (a water tank given the shape of a fish; train wheels drawn as serpent heads) turned what could have been a textbook-like account of BR Ambedkar's life into a richly imaginative work, one where strangeness of form created its own commentary on social injustice.
Given all this variety—and the strong sense of an industry on the brink of big things—an event that brought comic creators and aficionados together was long overdue. Jatin Varma and his team at Twenty Onwards Media have reason to be happy about the success of the convention's first two editions. "There has been definite progress from Comic Con 1 to Comic Con 2 in terms of smaller players taking more initiative," Varma says. "Everyone was a little uncertain last year, but this time they have shown more promotional savvy and have come up with some good ideas to draw in readers."
Most of the mainstream publishers and bookstores did not participate, which may have been a missed opportunity. One of the exceptions, Random House India (RHI)—which has distribution rights in India for DC Comics, Vertigo and Archie comics—found itself in the happy position of having to replenish its stock four times. "We were left with fewer than 400 titles of the 1,700 we stocked—it was a huge success," says a thrilled Ritesh Singh, who manned the RHI stall. To put this in perspective, though, most of the comics sold at this stall were works by international superstars such as Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore. That doesn't necessarily say much about the prospects of the indigenous comics industry, which is still trying to build awareness and find a foothold.
Speaking with participants, the chief impression I got was of small start-ups with not more than five to 10 employees each: groups of artists, writers and entrepreneurs (including people who are some combination of all three) on the fringe of mainstream publishing. There was an appealing artlessness to many of these conversations. As a literary journalist, one is used to hearing self-aggrandising spiel from editors at big publishing houses who are convinced they know what they are doing (even if the quality of many of the titles they produce every month suggests otherwise). It's refreshing, then, to hear young comic publishers admit that there is a shortage of good content, and that it's pointless to expect profits in the near future. "I tell people, don't think you'll do five comics and then find an investor" says Level 10's Sundar. "You have to be in it for the long haul." Similar sentiments are echoed nearly everywhere else. Even Varma, who has worked hard to make the convention a reality, candidly admits that for all the footfalls so far, there is a basic lack of awareness. "Robert Crumb [the renowned American comics artist] was at our awards show the other night, and some people didn't know who he was."
Here, then, is a world of people—including those with important-sounding designations like "Content Manager", "Creative Head" and "MD" printed on their business cards—who haven't yet learnt the self-assured language of the marketplace. Speaking of visiting cards, I saw one (for the founder of the company Bombay Merch) that read: "Founder and MD. Packaging Boy. Delivery Boy. Chai-Coffeewala." That isn't just wry humour—it reveals something important about the workings of an industry where young entrepreneurs don't expect to sit in high-backed chairs ordering minions about. Most participants at the convention manage companies, and are here strategising and trying to strike publishing and marketing deals not because they went to B-schools but because they are essentially comic-book geeks pursuing a passion.
"I spend much of my time at events lifting jute bags filled with our comics, because we don't have labourers to do it for us," one of them tells me. While dignity of labour is always a good thing, this points to a larger problem faced by the industry: the fact that too many of its young talents have to constantly multitask instead of focusing on their field of specialisation. "We need a culture where writers have the freedom to do their work without worrying about things like marketing," says Sundar, citing the example of leading Japanese manga companies, where the division of labour is as neat as the arrangement of food items in a bento box.
But lack of finance and sponsorship makes this difficult: the advent of the Richard Branson-founded Virgin Comics a few years ago seemed to have heralded a new era of professionalism—good production values and decent salaries—for the industry, but Virgin pulled out and the company now operates in a more low-key avatar as Liquid Comics. Meanwhile, indigenous companies—including the ones that run small studios with their own contracted artists—know that the future lies in digital content, but that much work needs to be done. Internationally, the major comics are available online and on Apps—for a price. But in an industry where creating awareness is the first step, companies must put some free content on their websites (such as Level 10's Odayan series) to gauge interest levels. Print versions are brought out subsequently.
A running theme in nearly every chat I had at Comic Con was that the artists and writers working on comics were not in it for the money. But how far can passion alone take you? The savvier and more talented freelancers earn a living by working on multiple projects (and across media) simultaneously, but this raises another question: should a serious artist spread himself so thin? "We receive portfolios all the time," says Blaft's Rakesh Khanna. "But we haven't met enough Indian artists who are fully committed to one big, continuing story, which is how the comics industry really took off in the West. We need more nutcases who will spend ten years just drawing and trying to realise a grand, integrated vision." This creates a circle: quality can suffer when artists, to avoid sinking into a financial pit with a single long-term project, either keep day jobs or have their fingers in many different pies.
Other problems include lack of proper distribution and display, and the chariness of big publishers to deal in comics. "I approached a major newspaper group five years ago with an idea for starting a comic," says Chattoraj, "but they have been reluctant to take the initiative even though I said I would bring my expertise to it." There is a feeling in the industry that big publishers are more open to doing stand-alone graphic books than to commissioning a full-fledged comics series.
But there are also signs that this is changing. Westland will soon be publishing a Local Monsters series (written by Samit Basu, featuring a yeti and a rakshasa, among other characters) and is also partnering with Level 10 Studios to bring out print versions of the latter's online comics. At the International Comics Festival at Angoulême, France last year, Jaideep Undarti and the team behind the The Hyderabad Graphic Novel struck a deal with a French company to publish the book in translation—which means the French version will probably be out before the English one. The Obliterary Journal has an optimistic 'Volume 1' on its cover, suggesting that there will be sequels. This summer, Penguin India is publishing an anthology of graphic stories put together by the Pao Collective. Also in the works is a Partition-themed graphic anthology edited by Vishwajyoti Ghosh and published by Yoda Press. "The stories include contemporary and historical reportage and political documentary," says Ghosh, "and the visual style is diverse too: from notebook doodles to photo comics and comics out of film grabs."
Prominently represented at Comic Con this year was the popular online store Flipkart.com. Many in the industry agree that with physical bookstores reluctant to set aside much space for comics, Flipkart has been a boon for publishers and fans. ("Their display is the best too, because every book gets its own page!" says Varma.) Fittingly, the very first ad in The Indian Comics Journal—an industry magazine launched by Twenty Onwards Media—portrays the online store as a caped crusader for the comics world: "Whatever the Comic. Whatever the Odds. Flipkart Man will deliver."
It's a silver lining to be sure—one of a few that are beginning to reveal themselves—but one can't help feeling that the Indian comics industry will need more than one superhero to pull itself into the mainstream. For now, they can only help their own cause by carrying on trying to strike that all-important balance between good artwork, inventive content and intelligent writing—and hoping to get lucky along the way.


text:
The Metropolitan Hotel
Thu 24 Oct 2019 - 18:30
Experienced comedian, Nick Caddaye, hosts Thursday night trivia at the Metropolitan. The food and drink are good, the service is good and we think the trivia is very good. Enough variety to please both trivia enthusiasts and newbies.
Drop in after work one Thursday, have a bite to eat and, at 6.30 pm, be trivial!
We suggest you book if you know you're coming – 03 9670 1385.
263 William Street (Cnr Little Lonsdale St), Melbourne
Map Unavailable


text:
|Previous close
|Expiry date
|Day's range
|11.70 - 11.70
|Contract range
|Open interest
Buying shares in the best businesses can build meaningful wealth for you and your family. While the best companies are...
Wayfair Schedules Fourth Quarter 2019 Earnings Release and Conference Call
Investors need to pay close attention to Wayfair (W) stock based on the movements in the options market lately.
Target is the Yahoo Finance Company of the Year for 2019. We talk with Target's executive team and experts on how the retailer made it happen in 2019 and what's in store for 2020.
Wayfair Inc. (NYSE: W), one of the world's largest online destinations for the home, today reported a 36 percent increase year over year in direct retail gross sales, defined as dollars of order intake, for the five-day peak shopping period of Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday. Customers took advantage of the ease and convenience of Wayfair's online shopping experience throughout the entire weekend to discover exceptional value across a wide range of product categories making Black Friday and Cyber Monday Wayfair's highest revenue days ever. A record-breaking number of Wayfair customers shopped for every room of the house snapping up great deals across all categories including live Christmas trees and seasonal decor, furniture, rugs, bedding, housewares, large appliances and home improvement items. More customers than ever before took advantage of Wayfair's award-winning mobile app for a seamless shopping experience from their phone or tablet with approximately one in four holiday weekend orders placed through the app.
Yahoo Finance hits the stores to see how Black Friday has started for retailers.
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has $128 billion of cash. There is almost no purchase too large for the company — in fact, large is exactly what investors are waiting for. And yet, the only stock Berkshire bought last quarter was a dinky retailer, RH.Berkshire disclosed in a regulatory filing Thursday that it took a $212 million stake in RH, a California-based home-furnishings chain valued at $3.3 billion. Buffett could even buy the entire company and it'd still be a puny deal for him. But it was a big deal for RH, because the shares surged 9% in after-hours trading and held near that level early Friday morning.I admit I didn't even recognize the retailer's name at first. RH used to be called Restoration Hardware, a place that sells $6,000 linen sofas and elongated wooden dining tables with "forthright silhouettes." The company shrank its name and supersized its stores, an effort to target a more upscale clientele. It's even installed some on-site restaurants, a little nourishment to help one ponder a new addition to the ski house. That's partly what makes RH such a funny investment for Buffett. Not only is the billionaire known for his down-to-earth lifestyle — he's lived in the same fairly modest house for more than 60 years — but he's also usually drawn to businesses that mirror the America he sees from his unassuming Omaha office: railroads, truck stops, Dairy Queens, the Nebraska Furniture Mart. Furthermore, Berkshire tends not to waste time on minority stakes in small, specialty chains; its only other retail holdings are Amazon.com Inc. and Costco Wholesale Corp., companies valued at $870 billion and $134 billion, respectively. RH was the only new position Berkshire took in the latest quarter, aside from buying common shares of Occidental Petroleum Corp., in which it already purchased $10 billion of preferred equity (part of a financing deal to assist the oil and gas explorer in its takeover of Anadarko Petroleum Corp.). All in all, it was another dull period for Berkshire, whose last splashy stock pick was Amazon earlier in the year. With U.S. equities still on the rise, Buffett, 89, and his investing deputies are struggling to find cheap candidates. Whoever made the call on RH — Todd Combs, Ted Weschler or the Oracle himself — he may have had prescient timing. At the end of May, RH's price-to-earnings ratio hit a low, and the shares have doubled since then, taking a big leg up in September. That said, RH's overnight gains drove the shares above analysts' average target level, which is $181 apiece. "The business remains tough to predict and we believe expectations may now be somewhat elevated," Bobby Griffin, an analyst for Raymond James & Associates who has the equivalent of a "hold" rating on RH, wrote in a Sept. 11 report, citing the China tariffs and a slowdown in high-end U.S. housing. Similarly, Gordon Haskett Research Advisors wrote to clients Sept. 10 that the firm finds other retailers such as Wayfair Inc., Williams-Sonoma Inc. and At Home Group Inc. more attractive. At the end of the day, though, no matter how RH performs, it won't have much of an impact on Berkshire's portfolio. Another quarter has passed without a major acquisition by Berkshire, its cash pile hitting a record yet again. RH may sell a $449 wool felt elephant, but it isn't the kind of elephant Buffett is after. The wait continues.To contact the author of this story: Tara Lachapelle at email@example.com contact the editor responsible for this story: Beth Williams at email@example.com column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Tara Lachapelle is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering the business of entertainment and telecommunications, as well as broader deals. She previously wrote an M&A column for Bloomberg News.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
Wayfair Inc. (NYSE:W), one of the world's largest online destinations for the home, today introduced new features to its mobile shopping app that make it even easier for consumers to discover products and design their rooms on the go. With seamless access to simple and intuitive features including a breakthrough augmented reality (AR) tool, a central hub for all camera-based features and Room Planner 3D for mobile, home inspiration is within reach from anywhere as shoppers harness the power of innovative design tools - all from the Wayfair app.
Wayfair's (W) third-quarter revenues are driven by strong direct retail business across international regions. However, tariff-related volatility affects its earnings.
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- It has long been clear that the White House's tariffs on billions of dollars' worth of goods made in China were not going to be good for U.S. consumers or the retailers trying to get them to open their wallets. Exactly how bad, however, was hard to know.Now comes Wayfair Inc., the e-commerce home-goods site, with a kind of case study of their impact. Tariffs are hurting their business, executives said — not necessarily because they make their products more expensive, although they do, but because they make their customers more wary.Wayfair reported quarterly earnings on Thursday and forecast a significantly slower pace of sales growth next quarter than investors have become accustomed to. The company said that outlook in part reflected challenges related to tariffs, which jumped to 25% this summer on many of its products and had also created headwinds in the third quarter.On a conference call with investors, Wayfair executives said that certain items on their marketplace — some with a lot of customer reviews and enticing product images — have gotten more expensive as suppliers raise prices. This, it turns out, appears to be causing customers to spend more time deliberating over their purchases: Should they go with the highly rated but more expensive item? Or should they take a chance on something that's cheaper but has fewer reviews?Executives also said that as suppliers of more expensive items saw their sales volume sink, they would sometimes cut prices. The result, they said, was a "repetitive cycle of volatility" as customers tried to figure out how to get the best value for their money.Wayfair leaders said this is consistent with what they've observed in their business over time: Any kind of significant price movement — even downward — results in consumers taking their time before clicking the buy button.Of course, not every consumer business will see the same dynamics as Wayfair. Home furnishings purchases are generally more carefully considered, because couches, coffee tables and the like are expensive and are a hassle to return. But fellow retailers (and Washington lawmakers) should nonetheless consider Wayfair's a cautionary tale.The impact of tariffs on the consumer economy is often discussed rather simplistically: They will cause prices to rise, which means shoppers will buy less stuff. Wayfair's experience shows it is more complicated than that. Yes, consumers will change their behavior, but not always in a straightforward or predictable fashion. And this uncertainty complicates the response for manufacturers, retailers and, not incidentally, consumer brands.Last week, for example, toy giant Hasbro Inc. saw its shares sink nearly 17% after it reported disappointing earnings that reflected tariff-related difficulty. Certain retailers canceled toy orders that were to be imported directly from China and instead put in orders as domestic shipments from Hasbro. The maker of My Little Pony and Play-Doh was left scrambling to accommodate the changes, and ultimately wasn't able to ship all the orders in time.Few U.S. retailers and consumer brands will be able to escape the impact of President Donald Trump's trade policy. At this point, the best they can do is to commit to being flexible — and to analyzing their data for the potentially weird ripple effects of tariffs.To contact the author of this story: Sarah Halzack at email@example.com contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Newman at firstname.lastname@example.com column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Sarah Halzack is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering the consumer and retail industries. She was previously a national retail reporter for the Washington Post.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
Wayfair (W) stock was down 18.9% at 3:36 PM ET today. This drop in Wayfair stock wiped away its 12.2% year-to-date gain through October 30.
It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. On the other hand, we'd be...
Wayfair (W) delivered earnings and revenue surprises of -4.70% and 1.17%, respectively, for the quarter ended September 2019. Do the numbers hold clues to what lies ahead for the stock?
Q3 Direct Retail Net Revenue Growth of 36% Year over Year to $2.3 billion
Investors will be focusing on two big corporate earnings reports from Kraft Heinz and Pinterest Thursday.
The consumer has been driving growth and these five companies have been cashing in.
Wayfair (W) possesses the right combination of the two key ingredients for a likely earnings beat in its upcoming report. Get prepared with the key expectations.
Softness in adjusted OIBDA is likely to have hurt World Wrestling's (WWE) Q3 bottom line. However, efforts to expand original content, raise content rights fees and monetize video content bode well.
Wayfair (NYSE:W), one of the world's largest online destinations for the home, today announced a partnership with Big Sister Association of Greater Boston that will bring a workplace mentoring program to Wayfair's Boston-based headquarters aimed at building relationships between girls from Boston-area schools and Wayfair employees.
Here is a sneak peek into how four e-commerce stocks are poised ahead of their third-quarter 2019 earnings releases.
Wayfair (W) introduces a flagship brand, Hykkon, which offers over 700 products for the living room, dining room and bedroom. This is likely to aid growth in its European business.
Wayfair Inc., one of the world's largest online destinations for the home, today unveiled Hykkon, a carefully curated collection of stylish yet timeless home furnishings to help customers discover exciting design at an affordable price. Hykkon is the first flagship brand for Wayfair's European business and launched today across Wayfair.co.uk and Wayfair.de. "We're thrilled to launch our first flagship brand across Wayfair Europe, which gives our customers premium access to an in demand, modern assortment at an affordable price point," said Martin Reiter, Head of Europe, Wayfair.
Wayfair (NYSE:W), one of the world's largest online destinations for the home, announced today the winners of the Dream Classroom Giveaway, a contest awarding five teachers across the United States with brand-new classroom furniture, storage, and décor. Conducted by Wayfair Professional, Wayfair's business program, nominations from the public were accepted through a contest website earlier this year. "We're thrilled to announce the Dream Classroom Giveaway winners.
Investors need to pay close attention to Wayfair (W) stock based on the movements in the options market lately.
|By using Yahoo, you agree that we and our partners can use cookies for purposes such as customising content and advertising. See our Privacy Policy to learn more


text:
Albany Creek
Business IT Support in Yugar
Yugar IT Support for Business – by CRT
Are you looking for IT Support in the Yugar area? Do you need an IT Support company that is local to the Yugar area?
We are an IT Support company that provides fast responsive IT Support to Yugar Based businesses. Being based near the Yugar area allows for us to quickly respond to support requests and arrive onsite in a timely manner.
Our staff are not only friendly but also highly trained in their IT profession. We understand business IT support and all the aspects of keeping a business running smoothly.
Our IT Support staff are experts in Server technology, supporting workstations, Microsoft software suite, and basically anything to do with IT.
Starting a new business and need good advice to get you started off on the right foot? We can help.
Need IT Support in your Yugar office? We come to you.
IT Support Yugar. Why CRT?
- An IT company that knows how to support Business IT
- An IT Support helpdesk that is always available at your time of need
- We have in house tools to monitor your business network.
- We can keep your business data safe and secure
- We give you the right advice for your business
- Our staff are highly trained and understand business IT processes.
- Responsive business IT support that you can trust
We will help you get the best value out of your existing infrastructure. We only recommend replacing products when needed. Our IT Support staff always try save you money without compromising your IT Infrastructure.
With CRT there are no lock in contracts. We always try to deliver on our promises to you. Using our experienced CRT IT Support staff will bring you peace of mind.


text:
Thank goodness -- we can finally put to rest to all of the rumors and speculation. Google pulled the curtain on Android 4.4 KitKat Thursday, announcing the new mobile OS will appear first in the forthcoming Nexus 5 handset, which goes on sale for $349.
While we weren't expecting a hefty update, some of the features announced in KitKat -- like the newly revamped interface and new messaging features in the Hangouts app -- were on our wish list. Other features, like optimization updates to help KitKat run on low-end phones, simply remind us that Google is still battling all the issues that lead to device fragmentation.
[ Also check out the slideshow: 8 mobile OS features you saw on Android first. | Understand how to both manage and benefit from the consumerization of IT with InfoWorld's "Consumerization Digital Spotlight" PDF special report. | For a quick, smart take on the news you'll be talking about, check out InfoWorld TechBrief -- subscribe today. ]
Regardless, let's walk through some of the key features of KitKat and what you can expect when you finally get your hands on the new OS (whenever that is, because as we know, Android updates can take a long time to roll out).
A better phone dialer
You wouldn't expect an overhaul of a dialer application to be a marquee feature, but Google has achieved the near impossible. When you're in the dialer interface, now you can type just the first few letters of who or what you're looking for -- whether it's a business or a friend -- and the dialer will immediately bring it up. You won't have to venture into Contacts for this essential information.
If this search functionality sounds familiar, that's because some manufacturers already offer this feature in their own version of the Android dialer. Samsung's TouchWiz UI, for example, helps you find the name of the person you want to call by letting you key in the first few letters of his or her name on the number pad. So perhaps the bigger news isn't that Google overhauled its dialer applications, but that it's looking to what third-parties are doing to give consumers what they want.
KitKat also provides a novel form of caller ID, fetching the location information of unknown numbers that call you to provide a better glimpse into who might be calling and where they're located. This is an especially helpful addition when you consider the number of telemarketer calls that aren't routed through an 800 number.
Fabulous interface makeover
Stock Android doesn't have to be plain and simple. As some developers posited in our Android retrospective, KitKat includes a slightly revamped interface design. You'll see better use of screen real-estate in applications that utilize the new "immersive" full-screen abilities, like Google Music and Books. And the new navigation bar is now translucent, so your wallpaper won't be cropped by a colored menu bar. KitKat also sports a new condensed font.
Unfortunately, these interface changes won't necessarily be exposed on non Nexus devices -- meaning pretty much the entire universe of Android hardware. You'll still be held hostage to whatever interface the manufacturer wants you to look at if you're not using the developer edition of a phone.
It's unclear how these design changes could affect interfaces like HTC's Sense or Samsung's TouchWiz UI, but we're not holding our breath for substantial KitKat additions to those UIs. Third-party manufacturers will likely continue to push interfaces that match their brand, and for companies like Samsung that means gaudy icons and blue everything.
Never carry cash again
As leaks suggested, Android 4.4. KitKat will enable Google Wallet right off the bat -- without the need for your carrier's approval. And because Android is actually storing your payment information within KitKat, you won't have to rely on NFC security elements to make a transaction.
But that's not all: Not only will you be able to manage your credit card information from within the Settings panel and more easily pay for items anywhere NFC and Wallet is supported, but you'll also be able to send money to friends without annoying transaction fees.
Google enabled the payment settings from within the OS to help people on Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T take advantage of its Wallet offerings, as those three carriers have banded together to use Isis as the default NFC-payment platform. We won't know more about how Wallet works in KitKat until we physically have an Android 4.4 device in our hands, but at first glance the update looks like a win.
Okay, Google Now
How you access Google Now varies from phone to phone. Do you hold down the home button? Do you swipe up from the bottom of the screen? Do you shake your phone vigorously while shouting at it? Hoping to simplify things a bit, Google has put Google Now front and center by adding it to the Home screen. Now, instead of entering in some variable command, you can just swipe from left to right to quickly access Google's handy service.
The new OS also supports launching Google Now by saying, "Ok Google" while on the homescreen. It should be a helpful feature if your hands are tied up, or you would rather dictate than type. It's kind of like the Touchless Controls on the Moto X, but with a few more hoops to jump through. Unfortunately the functionality is currently limited to the Nexus 5, so your current phone probably won't get the feature. (But your next phone might!)
Also, Google Now can now access apps when it exposes information in its search results. Let's say you're looking for a particular restaurant. Not only will you get the usual Google results, you could also get an invitation to book a reservation via, say, the OpenTable app. This function has to be supported on the app level, but suggests an exciting new expansion of Google's digital assistant.
Indeed, by enabling easier access to Google Now, third-party manufacturers like Samsung won't be able to hide it behind its own proprietary services. (Ever try to get to Google Now on a Galaxy S 4, only to be defaulted to S-Voice?) Google just wants you to stick with it for all of your queries.
Finally! A few days ago, Google updated its Hangouts app to let you send both SMS, MMS, and chat messages from one application. It's the right idea, but Google is merely playing catch-up, since Apple released the all-encompassing Messages application in iOS 6 over a year ago. Google wrote in its official blog post that its intention for combining all the communication functionality into one was for added convenience.
Faster Android for aging phones
Okay, so maybe your hardware isn't exactly top tier compared to the ones running quad-core Snapdragon processors and massive amounts of memory. Google understands your plight and has introduced a new way for manufacturers to take advantage of all the latest Android features without the typical slow downs that plague most aging hardware.
It's called Project Svelte and it's designed to make KitKat run smoothly and efficiently even on low-end devices with as little as 512MB of RAM. As a result, Kit Kat uses 16 percent less memory than its predecessor, Jelly Bean, and there are additional features that allow developer to disable any features that use up more memory than needed.
This may help developers make apps for low-end devices, but that doesn't necessarily mean that all old hardware will be able to run KitKat. Not even the Galaxy Nexus will be eligible for an update, and that device is barely a year and a half old. However, the under-the-hood improvements should help the current generation of devices handle applications a bit better, like the now-aging Nexus 7 and Nexus 4. This means an overall smoother Android experience if you're running those devices.
Under-the-hood enhancements
You may not reap the benefits of some of the other features just yet, but that's because they're intended for developers to embed into applications.
If you walk to work everyday, you might appreciate that Google introduced a nifty new low-power step detector that enables you to track the number of steps you walk in a day without having to leave the screen on. Developers can also take advantage of system-wide captioning abilities that can display closed captions for various content, which is a nice enhancement for the hearing impaired -- and when you want to watch a video but don't headphones nearby.
As for that printer collecting dust in the corner, if it's Google Print-compatible you can now send documents directly to it with the built-in cloud print functionality. Android apps can print anything over Wi-Fi or from cloud-hosted services. You can also discover any available printers, change paper sizes, and choose specific pages to print.
This story, "What's inside Android 4.4 KitKat and why you should care" was originally published by TechHive.


text:
ALEX Toys Little Hands Clothespin Farm
by ALEX Toys
Please check your favorite toy retailer for availability. Prices may vary.
Buy Online:
Product Description
These farm friends will 'hang' out and play when you create them! Use paper shapes and stickers to make clothespin figures that fit right in at the farm. Make farmers and animals using 10 clothespins, 52 stickers, 35 paper shapes, glue stick and easy to follow instructions. Each project comes conveniently individually packaged, so you're ready to begin when you open the kit!
There are no reviews yet.


text:
Sophomore Emma Keller scored both
of her goals in the second half to help the Crimson to a 6-1
victory in its season opener at Jordan Field (photo courtesy David
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Harvard field hockey team scored five goals in the second half to earn a 6-1 win against Holy Cross in the Crimson's season opener Saturday afternoon at Jordan Field. Emma Keller tallied two goals for Harvard, while Carly Dickson handed out two assists on the day.
The Crimson (1-0) took an early lead at the 4:01 mark of
the first half, converting on its second penalty corner. Katelin Wahl
served the ball from the corner and Chloe Keating wound
up for a shot. Her chance was deflected to the right side of the
net and Carly
McNeill placed the ball through the Holy Cross defense, putting
Harvard ahead, 1-0.
Less than 10 minutes later, the Crusaders (0-1) knotted the game, as Carly Grimaudo carried the ball toward the net on the right side. Grimaudo found a wide open Jamie Caniglia in front of Harvard goalkeeper Cynthia Tassopoulos, and Caniglia fired, tying it, 1-1, at 13:13.
At 45:37, Keating gave Harvard a lead it would not relinquish, as she found the back of the net off a penalty corner pass from Wahl. Harvard continued its offensive surge with a goal by Wahl at 51:02, as she lifted a shot over Holy Cross goalkeeper Kelly Sotsky and into the back of the net.
With less than 10 minutes to go in regulation, Keller extended Harvard's lead to 4-1 as she sent a shot from the top of the circle off a corner at 60:45. Keller tallied her second goal only three minutes later, as she stole a loose ball in front and fitted a shot into the right side of the cage, making it a 5-1 game.
Georgia McGillivray capped the scoring with a goal directly off a corner at 66:04. Dickson played the ball from the corner and Kim Goh stopped the ball perfectly for McGillivray who fired for the score.
Tassopoulos finished with two saves, as Harvard outshot Holy Cross by a 21-15 margin and owned an 8-6 edge in penalty corners.


text:
8 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup frozen or fresh peas
1 1/2 cup cooked white rice
12 oz Spam lite, cubed
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
kecap manis
Preheat oven to 325. Brown the spam on all sides in In a 12 inch cast iron skillet*, heat oil and butter. Whisk together the eggs, peas, rice and spices, put aside. Add the garlic and onions and sauté until the onions are translucent. Add the egg mixture. Stir to evenly distribute the spam, onions and garlic. Keep on medium heat and cook until just beginning to set. Bake about 10 minutes or until the top is just beginning to brown. Remove from pan and slice. Drizzle with kecap manis.
*or other oven-safe skillet


text:
This website uses cookies to ensure proper functionality of the shopping cart and checkout progress. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to the use of cookies. Click here to learn about cookie settings.
Recently added item(s) ×
You have no items in your shopping cart.
added to cart
In stock
« Back to Main Product Info
Only 37 left
Our samples consist of a single tile, in order for you to establish whether size, colour and material is suitable for your project. Only one sample per product will be shipped. A maximum of 5 samples per order will be sent.
Be the first to review this product
Tel: 01865 684828
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Let the pots and pans fly.
Two major U.S. retail chains — J.C. Penney Co. and Macy's Inc. — are expected to duke it out in New York State Supreme Court starting Wednesday over the right to sell Martha Stewart merchandise.
At the heart of the case is whether Macy's has the exclusive right to sell certain Martha Stewart branded products, including cookware, bedding, and bath items. Company founder Martha Stewart, J.C. Penney's CEO Ron Johnson and Macy's CEO Terry J. Lundgren are expected to testify during the trial, which could last three weeks.
In December 2011, J.C. Penney announced a partnership in which it would open with Martha Stewart mini shops in most off its stores this spring. It also announced it had acquired a 16.6 per cent stake in Martha Stewart Living.
J.C. Penney is trying to re-invigorate flagging sales under Johnson, once an executive at Apple Inc.
Macy's sued Martha Stewart Living almost immediately, saying that it had exclusive rights on certain products until 2018. The pact goes back to 2007.
"J.C. Penney wanted to rob Macy's of market share and destroy the competitive advantage that it enjoys as a result of its existing exclusive agreement with (Martha Stewart Living)," Macy's said in its lawsuit.
Macy's has claimed substantial damages and said the manoeuvr by J.C. Penney "threatens to inflict incalculable further harm on Macy's. Billions of dollars of sales are involved."
Macy's is also trying to stop Martha Stewart from providing designs to J.C. Penney even if it gets rid of the Martha Stewart moniker.
Macy's won a preliminary injunction against Martha Stewart Living that would prevent it from selling housewares and other exclusive products at Penney. But Supreme State Court Judge Jeffrey K. Oing did allow J.C. Penney to open Martha Stewart shops as long as items under the exclusive contract are not sold in them. Penney plans to open the Martha Stewart shops on May 1.
Judge Oing will have to decide whether the shops meet a stipulation that allows the home maven to sell goods in Martha Stewart Living stores. Martha Stewart says the shops meet the definition, and the Macy's agreement doesn't impose any restriction that they have to be "stand-alone" stores. But Macy's contends these Martha Stewart shops at Penney don't meet the requirement since they are operated by Penney.
According to a memo filed by Penney, Macy's rights to Martha Stewart aren't nearly as sweeping as Macy's suggests. And it says that Macy's seeks to interpret the agreement as turning Martha Stewart Living into "little more than an in-house designer for Macy's"
"Macy's should stop competing in the courtroom and start competing in the marketplace," according to the memo filed by Penney.
The stakes are high for both retailers.
J.C. Penney is looking to Martha Stewart to bring popular brands to its stores as it grapples with mounting losses. Penney began adding various branded shops late last year and plans to overhaul the home department this spring with new names like Jonathan Adler and Michael Graves. But Martha Stewart is the major household name.
As for Macy's, having another major department store sell Martha Stewart towels, pots and other home merchandise could dilute its business.
Burt Flickinger, III, president of retail consultancy Strategic Resource Group says if Penney is unable to carry Martha Stewart, it could hurt Penney tremendously.
"It leaves Penney with one less power brand,"Flickinger said.
Judge Oing will be deciding the outcome rather than a jury.