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New BFGoodrich g-Force Rival - Testing 1, 2, 3, 4!
By D. Brian Smith
Photography: Courtesy of BFGoodrich
Recently, Redline Review visited New Orleans for the first time. BFGoodrich invited a rather large contingent of automotive scribes from disparate parts of North America, including the good old U.S.A., Canada and Latin America. We were all there for the launch of the new g-Force Rival Tire to discover firsthand how the Rival performs during very spirited driving.
We all arrived on Tuesday afternoon in New Orleans. To give proper time perspective, this was the first Tuesday of the two Tuesdays leading up to the Super Bowl. I departed the plane and made my way to the ground transportation/baggage claim area of New Orleans airport and was surprised to hear my name being paged. "Brian Smith, please make your way to baggage claim turnstile E." As I hadn't checked any bags, I figured perhaps someone from BFGoodrich might be at the airport to collect me and take me to the hotel where I would be staying. In fact, I was already beginning to think that the E in turnstile stands for 'Excellent'. Sure enough, there was a tall gentleman in a chauffeur's uniform standing there with a white placard that read 'Brian Smith' and said BFGoodrich up in the right hand corner.
This happenstance reminded me of that Michael Jordan commercial, where this white middle-aged Michael Jordan keeps showing up at places like airports and restaurants, in which the V.I.P. treatment to celebrities like Michael Jordan -- the pro basketball star is customary. I half expected the chauffeur's face to be crestfallen, when I arrived on the scene, since he was probably expecting some action movie star or better yet world number 1 pro tennis player Brian Smith, as opposed to someone like me, an automotive scribe with a crooked smile and an almost legendary lead right foot when behind the wheel of a high performance automobile. I was brought back to earth when I learned that I would be sharing the limo ride with a fellow automotive journalist. The chauffeur actually smiled broadly at both of us. I shook our driver's hand, introduced myself and then introduced myself to the chap who would be riding in the limo with me.
Unlike me, Ricardo Rodriguez-Long is a celebrity, especially in Latin America. He's an Automotive Editorial TV & Radio host and has his own production company, Garage Latino (www.GarageLatino.com). During the drive to the hotel, Ricardo and I began to get to know each other. He is one of many great people that I met on this press junket, but I digress.
The Meet & Greet
Tuesday evening, our contingent of BFGoodrich folks and media moguls met in the courtyard of the Ritz Carlton Hotel where we were staying for a nice cocktail reception. There we all had the opportunity to become acquainted with all the folks involved with this exciting BFGoodrich Rival Tire Launch and get an idea of what we'd be doing the following day at NOLA Motorsports Park. We were also divided up into five different driving groups. Fittingly, I was put in the Green group. Everyone knows that Green Means Go, and that's just what I'd be doing the following day at the newest road course in the country, NOLA Motorsports Park.
Of course, Tuesday night's festivities didn't end with a cocktail party. A very short stroll away from the Ritz Carlton Hotel cocktail reception was our group's fine Cajun dining destination, Arnaud's Restaurant, located on Bourbon Street. While we enjoyed the exquisite gustatory delights of real Cajun fare, like seafood jambalaya and Cajun spice seafood, a genuine New Orleans three-piece band played in the background. To end our New Orleans evening with the right sort of genuine ambiance, many of us walked off a small portion of our dinner by strolling up and down Bourbon Street, before adjourning early to our hotel rooms to get a good night's sleep in preparation for the day ahead of high-performance driving and tire testing.
NOLA Motorsports Park (www.nolamotor.com)
Located a scant 14 miles from downtown New Orleans, NOLA Motorsports Park is the new world class, state-of-the-art, high-tech auto racing venue in North America. The road course, go-cart tracks, skidpad areas, autocross courses and supporting facilities are all brand spanking new. The pavement surfaces where we conducted all four of our driving/tire performance tests are in perfect condition. We're talking the sort of tarmac that would be the envy of any Formula 1 race driver/race team.
Before taking part in what would amount to four different driving opportunities in four different kinds of enthusiast automobiles, we enjoyed an abundant breakfast that even included some of those tasty little New Orleans beignets at the NOLA Motorsports club house. Despite the fact that we would all be putting our collective digestive tracts to extreme stress on the various NOLA tracks -- road course, autocross and skidpad -- we all pretty much ate huge breakfasts. In my case, I figured I could digest all the food during our orientation, which occurred right after eating at that early morning hour.
Several key members of BFGoodrich's knowledgeable staff spoke to us about the new g-Force Rival tire, from BFGoodrich tire engineers, public relations employees, marketing mavens and BFGoodrich's resident professional racecar driver and tire tester. We received a thorough perspective on what makes these new Rival radial tires so special, which gave me the notion that I wanted to see how good they really are by driving them.
How the BFG g-Force Rival Sticks To the Tarmac
"The Rival complements a successful BFGoodrich launch of the g-ForceTM Sport Comp-2TM ultra- high performance street tire, which was introduced in February 2012. Unlike the mostly street driven g-Force Sport COMP-2, the g-Force Rival was designed for track level abuse while providing drivability on the street. The g-Force Rival is predictable, allowing drivers to turn faster lap times1, and turn heads on the street. Highlight features include:
• Razor-sharp reflexes - The Performance Racing CoreTM (PRC) with a reinforced internal structure reduces sidewall flex for instant steering response.
• Designed to stick - Asymmetric tread with large, solid tread blocks on the outside shoulder to optimize cornering grip.
• Raise the limit - Extreme Tread EdgeTM (ETE) design brings tread compound farther down the shoulder for increased grip in hard cornering and predictable feedback.
• Consistent grip lap after lap -- Silica-infused competition compound delivers better grip from start to finish.
• Street legal with a UTQG treadwear rating of 200, so you can drive to the track and back.
The Rival will initially launch in 15 sizes with rim dimensions from 15-20 inches and 205-335 section width. The product will be available through TireRack.com with pre-orders beginning on Feb. 1." - quote from BFGoodrich PR
Testing 1 - The Short Autocross
Our test vehicles for the Short Autocross were a trio of road conquering Subaru WRX-STi's shod with the new BFGoodrich g-Force Rivals, Hankook radials and Toyo Tires. The Hankook and Toyo equipped Subies would provide us scribes with a basis for comparison to the new Rivals. We made four circuits of the Short Autocross in total. All of us started the test in the Rival equipped WRX, then the Hankook shod car, the Toyo Tires equipped Subaru and lastly with the BFGoodrich Rival shod Subie.
I felt this was a great way to accurately evaluate the performance characteristics of each manufacturer's tire. In essence, we learned the Short Autocross course on the BFG Rival tires. We then were able to compare the Rival tires to two other manufacturers' tires, after knowing the course better and better each time. Our fastest circuit could then be attained using the Rival tires at the end.
I must say that on the Short Autocross test, the new BFGoodrich g-Force Rival performed better than its two competitors. Turn-in was crisp and precise. There was no sliding, whether I turned left or right with the Rival. The Subaru felt composed and balanced, no matter how fast I tried to go. I didn't clip any cones or slide off course for my first circuit on the Rival tires or on my last. However, I did clip a cone or two. And I did meander a bit off course both while piloting the Hankook shod Subie and while driving the Toyo Tires' equipped car.
What's more, if you think about it, I was probably driving my fastest on the fourth circuit of the Short Autocross course, as this was when I knew the circuit the best and accordingly had the most confidence in my abilities. I wish the Short Autocross circuit was timed. I will wager that I earned my fastest time on my fourth run, while I was piloting the BFG Rival shod Subie.
Testing 2 - The Skidpad
Sibling rivalry is the best way to characterize this second tire driving test. We drove three Mazda Miata Spec Racers on the Skidpad. The first Miata was equipped with BFGoodrich g-Force Sport Comp-2 tires. The second Miata Spec Racer had the new BFGoodrich g-Force Rival tires. And the last Spec Racer was shod with BFGoodrich g-Force R1 S tires.
Indeed, the Skidpad test brings us to the method to BFGoodrich's marketing prowess. The BFG Sport Comp-2 tires are intended to be a great street tire and an entry level performance tire for the track. The new BFG g-Force Rival tires are supposed to slot right in the middle of the street/track performance lineup for consumers. In terms of ultimate track performance, the BFG g-Force R1 S tires, which were made available to the public in 2012, are the Mack Daddy of road circuits.
My Skidpad scores on each BFGoodrich equipped Mazda Miata Spec Racer proved that BFGoodrich hit the mark perfectly. Here are my results:
Miata Spec Racer shod with BFG Sport Comp-2 -- 1.05g
Miata Spec Racer shod with BFG Rival -- 1.18g
Miata Spec Racer shod with BFG R1 S -- 1.25g
Suffice it to say that the ride and performance characteristics of any of these three BFGoodrich tires is far superior to what my daily driven Mazda Miata can deliver with the Brand X radial rubber that's currently on my little Miata.
Testing 3 - The Long Autocross
For our driving/testing pleasure in the Long Autocross, BFGoodrich provided a duo of delightfully equipped new BMW M3's. One M3 had the BFG g-Force Rival tires, the other Beemer had some competitive Hankook rubber.
As with the Short Autocross, we all learned the Long Autocross while driving the BFG Rival shod BMW M3, then drove the Hankook equipped M3 on the course and finished by piloting the Beemer with the BFG g-Force Rival tires. We seemed to all get the same results. The Rival tires outperformed the Hankook equipped BMWs. The outcome wasn't even close. In my case, I was driving the swiftest, when I was enjoying my last lap of the Long Autocross in the car that had the Rival rubber. Response was crisp and rapid whether I was turning left or right. I took on the Autocross with a quiet confidence that was well beyond the amount of time I had on the circuit. With the competitors' tires on the other BMW, I went off the course and dragged a cone in a fender well perhaps 50 feet. Turn in wasn't as crisp, and the car seemed to wallow and slide in the turns. After driving both cars, we all did a visual inspection of the tires. There was more wear on the Hankook tires.
Testing 4 - NOLA Motorsports Park Road Course
Being in the Green group was very beneficial, as our last official test of the day involved two Mustang FR500 racecars, BFG Rival Tires and Falken Tires and two professional driving instructors. We learned the course by driving two hot laps in the BFG Rival equipped Mustang FR500 and finished our driving test with two laps in the competitive tire equipped Mustang. As with the Short and the Long Autocross, the new BFGoodrich g-Force Rival tires performed the best. Though I was probably going a little faster in the Falken equipped car, since I knew the track a bit better, I spun out on one of the last turn's of the circuit. The Falkens just couldn't stay glued to the track like the BFG Rivals could.
It's a shame I couldn't take the last two laps in the Rival shod Mustang. Then I'm confident I would have shredded that track with a glorious and precise race of the circuit. The fact being, I knew the track on that fourth lap, but the Falken Tires weren't up to my aggressive driving. Mind you, a professional racer, like the guy sitting in the passenger seat, would have been able to keep the rear of the Mustang from coming around. But, I did prove to myself which tires I would like to have on my cars. BFGoodrich has a clear winner in the new g-Force Rival tires. I predict that these high performance tires will sell very well, and they'll have a huge following of automotive racers and enthusiasts all over the world.
For Dessert - Ride Alongs with the Pros
At the end of the Rival Launch, all of us scribes had the great opportunity to get a one-lap ride along with a pro driver at the wheel of one of the racing Mustang FR500s or the Miata Spec Racer. Since I had just spent four laps in a couple marvelous Mustangs, I elected to go for my thrill ride in a Miata Spec Racer. That way, I could sense the difference between the two racing machines.
I must say that the pro racer, who chauffeured me around the course could drive with the best of them. He had that Miata dancing around the circuit so deliciously. He could bring the tail out and give it a good drift or power slide with ease. It's as if he had an intuitive sense when the car would be on the verge of losing traction, and he'd magically reel the rear back in. All the while that he commanded the racecar around the course, he was explaining to me what he was doing. Meanwhile, I was hooting and hollering with complete joy. This chauffeur ride was a million times better than the most dangerous roller coaster trip I'd ever enjoyed. It made me appreciate the amount of skill and practice it must take to be a successful racecar driver. This young man's experience behind the wheel was light year's beyond what I could do, and I was almost twice his age. My ego tells me that I'm an excellent driver (not unlike Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man), but this dude was most excellent, skillful, magnificent and a downright consummate pro.
The bottom line is that great tires, like the BFGoodrich g-Force Rivals, can certainly help you be a better driver/racer. That's something to keep in mind for anyone looking to get new performance tires for their favorite enthusiast autos.
Redline Review Thanks BFGoodrich
Redline Review extends a gracious thank you to BFGoodrich for inviting us to take part in the BFGoodrich g-Force Rival Tire Launch on January, 22 and January 23, 2013. We are impressed with the street and track performance driving characteristics of this new Rival tire. All of the cars that we drove with the Rival tires performed admirably and handled more effectively in the three competitive tests that we put the Rival through. In addition, the Rival seems to slot in perfectly with BFGoodrich's plans to provide a high-performance street and track tire that's equally adept at providing safe transport for consumers and delivering superlative results on road courses, skidpads and autocross circuits, whether at the amateur level or in officially sanctioned pro events. We genuinely believe that the g-Force Rival will be a big winner for BFGoodrich and for all the sharp individuals, who choose to purchase, use and campaign these high-performance tires on their racecars.


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Investment Analysts: Soft Telecom Capital Spending (CAPEX), but 5G in China to Grow 25% in 2020
Investor's Business Daily reports that Goldman Sachs' Rod Hall and Bank of America's Tal Liani issued separate notes Tuesday and Wednesday which came to the same conclusion: Despite the ultra hyped 5G buildup, they see overall telecom capital spending remaining soft in 2020.
Hall said, "Telco capital spending trends look set to be muted with China being the only driver of growth," in his note, issued Tuesday. He sees 5G growth in China of 25% this year, but predicts only a 2% hike in global telecom capital spending.
Hall added: "The carrier environment is challenged globally by flat or declining revenue streams with 5G thus far offering limited or no additional revenue opportunities."
BofA's Liani concurred in his Wednesday note. He sees global telecom capital spending up only 1% to 2% in 2020, despite 5G network build-outs. The 5G build-out may fail to impress U.S. wireless customers over the next 12 months, he adds. "Contrary to the belief that the U.S. is an early leader with 5G, we see potential for users to be disappointed with either lack of coverage or lack of improvement, or both," Liani said. Here is an excerpt of his January 8, 2020 note to clients:
5G becomes mainstream, but the U.S. will likely lag:
5G traction remains front and center for 2020, and we expect the first phase of a major smartphone refresh cycle in 2H20, with all major vendors launching 5G devices. In 2019, we saw initial network build-outs, and we expect the device/semiconductor ecosystem to catch up in 2020, supporting and enabling ubiquitous 5G devices. However, some regions may lag behind, particularly the US where a lack of quality 5G spectrum injects delays vs. certain parts of Europe, China, Korea and Japan where mid-band spectrum is more readily available. Our top pick related to this theme is Qualcomm as the semi provider benefits from 5G devices and the China launch.
Verizon Communications and AT&T likely will lower spending on existing fourth-generation networks, says Goldman Sachs' Hall. They'll also pare back spending on wireline networks. "Although U.S. 5G deployments should advance in 2020 our U.S. telecom team expects wireless capex to be roughly flat in 2020 as 5G increases are mostly offset by slowing non-5G spending," Hall said.
Makers of electronic chips, network gear and fiber-optic technologies should gain from the 5G build-out, analysts say. Other5G stocks to watch will be tied to the deployment of "small cell" antennas, radio access network equipment as well as cloud computing infrastructure. Goldman Sachs favors fiber-optic play Corning. It's cautious on gear makers Nokia and Ericsson.
Liani said Apple's expected launch of 5G iPhones in late 2020 could be a game-changer. However, he says consumers may be disappointed in the 5G network coverage and 5G speeds provided by Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile US and Sprint. That's because not enough mid-band radio spectrum is available yet for 5G services, Liani said.
He calls Qualcomm one of the best 5G stocks to buy because it's dependent on smartphone sales, not core network upgrades. Qualcomm's customers include Apple and Chinese smartphone makers.
In 2020, we see potential for mass device availability to usher in the first meaningful device upgrade cycle for 5G," Liani added. "In 2021 and 2022, we expect the network equipment investments to potentially pick up once again as 5G usage accelerates and new applications emerge. Most importantly, however, spectrum availability drives both network upgrades and likely customer satisfaction with the new 5G networks.
Let's close with an interesting graph from Dell'Oro Group which shows very little growth in telecom equipment/services through 2023:
Addendum: BoAML – Hardware vendors bow to the white box:
Hardware standardization and white box networking continue and drive changes in IT equipment purchasing behavior. Hardware vendors are increasingly being forced to react to three major realities:
1) public cloud capex represents the majority of growth and some companies (e.g. Cisco) find it hard to penetrate,
2) software is taking the forefront, with vendors of traditional networking gear, like ADC, switching, or routing, facing significant pricing pressure and a new breed of competitors, and
3) the value is also pushed to semiconductors, with Cisco's SiliconOne semiconductor strategy and the proposed acquisition of Acacia designed to address the associated risk and opportunity
Lastly, the trends of software-defined networking, white boxes, and cloud migration come together to support our fifth major trend for 2020: the shift to software-defined branch/campus offices. In our view, this trend began with SD-WAN, continued with Cisco's Catalyst 9k introduction, and comes fully together with the acceleration of WiFi 6.
Dell'Oro: Worldwide Capex Forecast to Rise 2017 – 2020 Despite Flat Carrier Revenues with only 2% from IoT
According to a recently published report from Dell'Oro Group, worldwide newtork operator capex is forecast to rise from 2017 through 2020 despite flat carrier revenues. The most notable increases come from AT&T, Sprint, Megafon, Orange, Etisalat, and Deutsche Telekom.
"We have adjusted our overall three-year CapEx expectations upward to reflect a more optimistic investment view than we had originally envisioned in both the US and Chinese markets," Stefan Pongratz, a senior analyst at Delloro, said in a blog post online. The increase in global CapEx is being driven by increased spending in the US, as the country tries to position itself at the front of the queue for 5G deployment.
"After three consecutive years of declining capex, short-term and near-term market expectations have shifted up," Pongratz said.
"Here in the US, we maintain the view that conditions are stabilizing and both capex and capital intensity will continue to trend upward. There are multiple factors that support our renewed optimism for capex in the US:
- We are seeing our first signs of US Federal tax reductions translating into increases in capex with a clear boost in AT&T's 2018 capex projections.
- We see Sprint investing again
- FirstNet investments are set to commence in 2018
- Larger data plans are propelling capacity investments
And lastly, overall carrier revenue trends are stabilizing," continued Pongratz.
However, total capex spending in China [Figure 1. below] is still expected to decline year-on-year in 2018 and stay flat in 2019 before returning to growth in 2020.
Currency adjusted operator revenues are projected to remain flat between 2017 and 2020, with operators expected to struggle to find new revenue streams to offset slower smartphone revenue growth.
While the IoT has long-term revenue generation possibilities, there is expected to be limited benefit over the next few years. Dell'Oro estimates that carrier IoT revenues will account for just 2% of total mobile revenues by 2020. Preliminary IoT connection pricing trends for 2017 are cause for concern, with downside risks to the IoT carrier revenue forecast, should price trends prevail. Please see Figure 2. below for Dell 'Oro forecast of IoT Carrier revenue growth through 2020.
About the Report
The Dell'Oro Group Carrier Economics Report provides in-depth coverage of more than 50 carriers' revenue, capital expenditure, and capital intensity trends. The report provides actual and forecast details by carrier, by region, by country (United States, Canada, China, India, Japan, and South Korea), and by technology (wireless/wireline). The report also discusses further capex accelerating factors such as preparation for 5G and inhibiting factors such as the flat revenue trend. The report assumes operators will struggle to identify new revenue streams.
To purchase this report, please contact Matt Dear at +1.650.622.9400 x223 or email email@example.com.
About Dell'Oro Group
Dell'Oro Group is a market research firm that specializes in strategic competitive analysis in the telecommunications, networks, and data center IT markets. Our firm provides in-depth quantitative data and qualitative analysis to facilitate critical, fact-based business decisions. For more information, contact Dell'Oro Group at +1.650.622.9400 or visit www.delloro.com.
AT&T at DB Investor Conference: Strategic Services, Fiber & Wireless to Drive Revenue Growth
At the Deutsche Bank Media, Telecom and Business Services Conference, John Stephens, senior executive vice president and chief financial officer, AT&T discussed the company's plans for 2018 and beyond. Mr. Stephens said AT&T remains confident that it is on the right track to get its wireline business services back to positive growth as more customers transition to next-generation strategic services like SD-WAN and Carrier Ethernet. However, the drag from legacy services will continue to be an issue for the near term. He then outlined the company's priorities for 2018, which include closing its pending acquisition of Time Warner and investing $23 billion in capital to build the best gigabit network in the United States.
On the entertainment side of the business, AT&T plans to launch the next generation of its DIRECTV Now video streaming service in the first half of 2018. The new platform will include features like cloud DVR and a third video stream. Additional features expected to launch later in 2018 include pay-per-view functionality and more video on demand. Note that DIRECT TV Now can operate over a wireline or wireless network with sufficient bandwidth to support video streaming. Stephens said during the interview:
"……Giving us this opportunity to come up with a new platform later in this first half of this year, the second-generation plant for giving customers Cloud DVR, additional ability to pay per view and most sporting events and movies, and all kinds of other capabilities is what we're seeing here, that's what we want to do with regard to that entertain business and transitioning and we're confident that we're on the right track and it's going quite well."
The company's 2018 plans also include improved profitability in its wireless operations in Mexico and, after the Time Warner acquisition closes, deployment of a new advertising and analytics platform that will use the company's customer data to bring new, data-driven advertising capabilities within premium video. And, as always, AT&T remains laser-focused on maintaining an industry-leading cost structure.
AT&T's investment plans include deployment of the FirstNet network, America's first nationwide public safety broadband network specifically designed for our nation's police, firefighters, EMS and other first responders.
"We were 56 out of 56, 50 states, 5 territories and the districts, probably all choose to put their public safety network, their FirstNet, their first responder network with AT&T, so that's thrilling for us, that gives us the full funding of the program, it gives us the full authority to be the public service provider for the country, we're really proud of that, and only because of the business aspects that's serving our fellow citizens and being able to participate in the honorable job of saving lives and protecting people. So we're really jazzed up about that.
Secondly, our plans were made last year for how to build out, and we've now been given the authority and the official build plans, approved build plans from the FirstNet authority. We spend last year investing in the core network, I think if people filed us in the fourth quarter; they said we actually got a $300 million reimbursement from the FirstNet authority for the expenditures we incurred last year. So the relentless preemption, the prioritized service refers to prices for police and fire and handling some emergency medical personal; all of that's been done and now we're out deploying the network, not only the 700 but also our AWS and WCS, our inventoried network that we now get to put into service on a very economic basis because we can do one tower client, we have the crane out there once, we have the people out there once and they've put all three pieces of spectrum at it once."
The company will also enhance wireless network quality and capacity and plans to be the first to launch mobile "5G" service in 12 cities by the end of the year. AT&T announced in February that Atlanta, GA; Dallas and Waco, TX. will be among its first "5G" markets.
"We think about 5G is 5G evolution and I say that because it's really important to put it all in perspective. So we think FirstNet, put WCS, AWS with 700 band 14 [ph], and use carrier aggregation and you use forward [indiscernible]; we've done that kind of test without the 700, we did that in San Francisco, we got 750 mag speeds in the City of San Francisco on this new network, this new 5G evolution; it's using the LTE technology, it's using the existing network but all this new technology. So if you think about that evolution now, when you lower that network hub, those 750 theoretical speeds might go down to 150 or 100 or somewhere down but tremendous speed even on a loaded network; so that's the first step, we're doing that now extensively and we're going to do more of that as we build the first step that work out and put the 700 band in. So that's the first step for us in this evolution.
Second, people might not think about this way but for us absolutely critical is the fiber bill. We're taking a lot of fiber out to the Prime [ph], we're taking a lot of fiber out to business locations, currently we have about 15 million locations with fiber between business and consumer, and by July next year, we'll have about 22 million, about 8 million business, about 14 million to the Prime if you will, for consumers. So fiber is the key, and it's a key not only delivering to the home or to the business but for the backhaul support. So if you're an integrated carrier like we are and you're building this fiber to go to the home, you're going to pass the tower, you're going to get fiber to that tower, you're going to pass the business location, shopping mall, strip center, you're going to build out to those.
So 5G is the second stage, we've got to think all the inter-gig this is the ability to deliver broadband overall electrical power lines, we're testing that, we'll see how that goes, that's another step. If you think about using millimeter wave to do backhaul for small cells in really congested areas, we have high traffic volumes, you want to take a lot of traffic off, we have tested that, we have used millimeter wave to do that, we can do that. If you think about millimeter wave to do fixed wireless; so from the ally to my home, we have tested that we have the capability to do that, the challenges on that is where do you take it from the ally, where do you offload it, give it on to the network at what those costs are, but we can do that.
Lastly, you will see us put 5G into the core network. All of those things that were going to have to be measured by one of the chipsets ready for the handsets, we expect the chipsets might be next year, handset will come after that but we're looking at the historically slow upgrade timeframe for phones. We had a couple of quarters last year that the upgrade rates were about 4%, that would equate the 25 quarters before your phone base turned over in an extreme example; so suggesting that things are going to be in the core network, it's going to take a while, we'll have pucks [ph] out by the end of the year, that will help but you have to have balance with regard to this.
When you think about those business cases, you think about those augmented reality and virtual reality and robotics and autonomous cars and things on the edge, those are going to be really important, that's where the business cases will take us but we've got a long way to go before we get there. As we build FirstNet, we have been good fortunate being able to so to speak build the network house and leave the room for our 5G capability so that when it's ready, we can just plug it in to do it with software defined network design, we had a great advantage for that but we're going to have to make sure we have all of the equipment, not only switching equipment, the radio, the antenna but also the handset equipment before we start — if you will over-indexing on the revenues opportunities, they will be there, we will lead in the gigabit network.
We'll have the best one because what FirstNet provides us and what the technology developments have allowed us and we will use 5G in that network but I want to be careful about how we think about when it's going to be — you're going to have a device in your hand and walking around on a normal kind of usage basis using 5G."
Stephens said that AT&T reaches about 15 million customer locations with fiber. This includes more than 7 million consumer customer locations and more than 8 million business customer locations within 1,000 feet of AT&T's fiber footprint. He expects this to increase to about 22 million locations by mid-2019.
For 2018, AT&T expects organic adjusted earnings per share growth in the low single digits, driven by improvements in wireless service revenue trends, improving profitability from its international operations, cost structure improvements from its software defined network/network function virtualization efforts and lower depreciation versus 2017.
Like earlier quarters, the challenges in the fourth quarter for AT&T came from declines in legacy services like Frame Relay and ATM. The company noted that fourth-quarter declines in legacy products were partially offset by continued growth in strategic business services. Total business wireline revenues were $7.4 billion, down 3.5% year-over-year but up sequentially.
Stephens said that more AT&T customers are adopting next-gen services, creating a new foundation for wireline business revenue growth.
"What's happened is our customers have embraced the strategic services," Stephens said. "Strategic services are over a $12 billion annual business and are over 42% or so of our revenue and are still growing quickly."
Indeed, AT&T's fourth-quarter strategic business services revenues grew by nearly 6%, or $176 million, versus the year-earlier quarter. These services represent 42% of total business wireline revenues and more than 70% of wireline data revenues and have an annualized revenue stream of more than $12 billion. This growth helped offset a decline of more than $400 million in legacy service revenues in the quarter.
Stopping short of forecasting overall wireline business service revenue growth, Stephens said that AT&T will eventually see a point where strategic services will surpass legacy declines.
"As we get past this inflection point where strategic services are growing at a faster than the degradation of legacy, we can get to a point where we are growing revenues," Stephens said. "We're not predicting that but we see the opportunity to do that."
To achieve these business services revenue goals, AT&T's business sales team is taking a two-pronged approach: retaining legacy services or converting them to strategic services.
While wireline business services continue to be a key focus for AT&T, the service provider is not surprisingly looking at ways to leverage its wireless network to help customers solve issues in their business. The wireless network can be used to support a business customer's employee base while enabling IoT applications like monitoring of a manufacturing plant or a trucking fleet. Stephens expanded on the role of IoT to close out the interview:
"…you ('ve) got to realize that if you build this FirstNet network out, things like IoT, things like coverage for business customers, things like the ability to connect factories that are automated, the robotics that have to have wireless connectivity to a controlled center for business customers, all improves dramatically and with that comes this opportunity to sell these wireless services. When you're in — with the CIO and you can solve his security business, you can solve his big pipe of strategic services but you can also solve some wireless issues that his HR guy has for his connectivity for his employees, you can solve some issues that his engineering department has because they want to get real-time information about how their products are working out, whether it's a car or a jet engine or a tractor, how it's working in the field in real-time or you can give them new product and services demand for their internal sources like their pipelines or their shipping fleet.
This IoT capability can solve a lot of issues, you can make that CIO as the success factor for all his related peers, that's a great thing to great solutions approach to business and that's what we're trying to do. Our team is trying to provide solutions for the business customers and we think having those two things together are really important."
Sprint to increase CAPEX to focus on mobile 5G deployment in 1H-2019
Sprint will increase its network capital expenditure by at least $1 billion for the coming year as promised on Friday morning's earnings call. The #4 U.S. wireless carrier plans to deliver mobile 5G in the first half of 2019.
–>That's 1 year before the IMT 2020 standards will be completed!
Sprint Corp talked about its mobile 5G plans: "We're working with Qualcomm [and others] in order to deliver the first truly mobile 5G network in the US in the first half of 2019," CEO Marcello Claure said on the call.
Mr Claure said that Sprint will be able to deploy mobile 5G nationwide on 2.5GHz band in 100MHz channels. "We have the spectrum to lead on 5G, and basically lead in a different way," he noted. Claure said later in the question and answer session that Sprint had a commitment from a "leading Korean" device vendor that it will have a 5G device ready within its 2019 timeframe.
This implies an increase in capital expenditure spending for Sprint's network for fiscal 2018, new CFO Michel Combes said. Sprint's total capex spending for fiscal 2017 will be in the $3.5-$4 range. Capex will hit $5-$6 billion in fiscal 2018, which starts in April 2018.
Sprint will spend to increase the number macro cell sites by 20%, and support its 2.5GHz, 1900MHz, and 850MHz bands on nearly all of its existing macro sites. Currently, around half of its macro sites have tri-band support.
The CEO added that Sprint plans to deploy more than 40,000 outdoor small cells, and "more than 1 million Magic Boxes," the wireless small cells that it uses to improve in-home coverage.
In the field, Sprint expects to update sites with multiple-antenna array hardware, or "Massive MIMO" in 2018. "Massive MIMO will serve as Sprint's bridge to 5G," Claure said. (See Sprint Says No to mmWave, Yes to Mobile 5G.)
This is because the MIMO hardware can be updated to 5G NR standard over-the-air, the CEO said.
Our strategy is predicated on creating on amazing customer-experience, offering customers the best products and services, while delivering superior financial results. First, we recognize that to be a truly great company we have to have a great product, which for us is our network. While our network is much improved, we believe our next-gen network will truly differentiate Sprint over the next couple of years, due to our strong spectrum assets that enables Sprint to be the leader in the true mobile 5G.
This is the biggest network capital program in many years. And I will share more details of our network strategy in a few moments. I cannot wait to, once and for all, be able to sell the product that is best in the industry with competitive coverage, the fastest speed and the highest capacity.
Second, we will continue to deliver the most compelling value proposition to our customers across all of our segments. We will continue to play from a position of strength by leveraging our spectrum holdings and continue to lead with the best-only net offering in the market. Data usage strength are projected to grow exponentially, especially with 5G.
By having the most spectrum, combined with new technology that massively increases our capacity, we're certain that we'll be best position for to support unlimited data in the future.
Third, we will continue to drive a smart distribution strategy, with over 1,000 new stores open year-to-date across our Sprint and Boost brand, and several hundred several hundred throughout next year. We have designed a dynamic distribution model that allows to continuously optimize the right balance of physical and distribution – and digital distribution.
Sprint will also leverage its partnerships with Altice and Cox Communications Inc. to expand its backhaul capabilities for LTE-Advanced and 5G. Sprint CTO John Saw chimed in briefly on the call to say that some of the capex spend could be on "dark fiber" for backhaul needs.
Against this backdrop, Claure said there would be continuing job cuts at Sprint, including at the executive level, aiming for "a leaner and more agile company across our non-customer-facing workforce." Sprint has cut thousands of jobs during the past couple of years.
True to his reputation as a "turnaround specialist," new CFO Michel Combes said he is looking at more ways to "decrease cost structures" at Sprint. He promised to reveal more details in the March quarter. (See Sprint Appoints Ex-AlcaLu Boss Combes as CFO.)
For the quarter, Sprint reported revenue of $8.24 billion, down from $8.55 billion a year ago. Net income for the quarter was $7.16 billion (or $1.76 per share) thanks almost entirely to tax reform gains of about $7.1 billion, compared with a net loss of $479 million a year ago.
IHS Markit: Telecom Revenue +1.1%; CAPEX -1.8% in 2017
Despite unabated exponential growth in network usage, global telecom revenue is on track to grow just 1.1 percent in 2017 over the prior year, according to a new report [1] by business information provider IHS Markit.
Global economic growth prospects, meanwhile, are looking up. IHS Markit macroeconomic indicators point to moderate global economic growth of 3.2 percent for 2017, up from 2.5 percent in 2016, and world real gross domestic product (GDP) is projected to increase 3.2 percent in 2018 and 3.1 percent in 2019.
"Although the telecom sector has been resilient, revenue growth in developed and developing economies has slowed dramatically due to saturation and fierce competition," said Stéphane Téral, executive director of research and analysis and advisor at IHS Markit. "At this point, every region is showing revenue growth in the low single digits when not declining, and there is no direct positive correlation between slow economic expansion and anemic telecom revenue growth or decline as seen year after year in Europe, for instance."
China alone is tamping down global telecom capex in 2017:
IHS Markit forecasts a 1.8 percent year-over-year decline in global telecom capital expenditures (capex) in 2017, mainly a result of a 13 percent year-over-year falloff in Chinese telecom capex. Asia Pacific outspends every other region in the world on telecom equipment.
"Call it precision investment, strategically focused investment or tactical investment, but all three of China's service providers — China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom — scaled back their 2017 spending plans, and the end result is another double-digit drop in China's telecom capex bucket, with mobile infrastructure hit the hardest," Téral said. "Bringing down capital intensity to reasonable levels of 15 to 20 percent is the chief goal of these operators."
The virtualization trend:
A transformation is underway in service provider networks, epitomized by software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV), which involve the automation of processes such as customer interaction, as well as the addition of more telemetry and analytics with feedback loops into network operations, operations and business support systems, and service assurance.
"Many service providers have deployed new architectural options — including content delivery networks, distributed broadband network gateways, distributed mini data centers in smart central offices, and video optimization," said Michael Howard, executive director of research and analysis for carrier networks at IHS Markit. "Nearly all operators are madly learning how to use SDN and NFV, and the growing deployments today bring us to declare 2017 as The Year of SDN and NFV."
Data is the new oil, and AI is the engine:
Big data is becoming more manageable, and operators are leveraging subscriber and network intelligence to support the automation and optimization of their networks using SDN, NFV and initial forays into using analytics, including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).
"Forward-thinking operators are experimenting with how to use anonymized subscriber data and analytics to create targeted services and broker this information to third parties such as retailers and internet content providers like Google," Téral said. "No matter their size, market or current level of digitization, service providers need to rethink their roles in the new age of information and reset the strategies needed to capitalize on this opportunity."
Note 1. The Telecom Trends & Drivers Market Report is published twice annually by IHS-Markit to provide analysis of global and regional market trends and conditions affecting service providers, subscribers, and the global economy. These roughly 40- page reports assess the state of the telecom industry, telling the story of what's going on now and what we expect in the near and long term, illustrated with charts, graphs, tables, and written analysis. These critical analysis reports are a foundation piece for all market forecasts.
The reports include top takeaways on the economic health of the global telecom/datacom space; regional and global trends, drivers, and analysis for the service provider network sector in the context of the overall economy; financial analysis of the world's top 10 service providers (revenue growth, capital intensities, free cash flow, debt level); regional enterprise and carrier spending trends; top-level service provider and subscriber forecasts; macroeconomic drivers; and key economic statistics (e.g., unemployment, OECD indicators, GDP growth). The reports are informed by all of IHS Technology research, from market share and forecasts to surveys with telecom service providers and small, medium, and large businesses.
The chart below from Bharti Airtel (India's largest telecom company) shows that telecom industry revenue has declined in 2017 Q2, Q3, and Q4 with only Q1 showing positive growth.
Optical Network Equipment Vendors:
In a service provider survey report on Optical Networking and equipment vendors, IHS-Markit found Ciena, Huawei and Nokia as the three most popular optical networking equipment vendors. The report also highlighted Data Center Interconnection (DCI) is a huge growth opportunity.
IHS-Markit predicts DCI will be a significant driver for the optical equipment market, surging from 19 percent of overall equipment sales at mid-2017 to nearly 30 percent by 2021.
Ciena was deemed the top DCI vendor by 39 percent of those surveyed by IHS-Markit. Cisco, Coriant, and Infinera each garnered 36 percent of the votes.Last year Ciena reportedly won a DCI deal from rival ADVA Optical, which had a negative impact on ADVA's operational results.
Ciena also topped the list of top (optical) transport software-defined networking (SDN) vendors, with 46 percent of those surveyed citing the company as a leader in the segment. Adams noted that while this market was still in its early days, Ciena's continued integration of its Blue Planet software platform with its optical equipment products was driving differentiation in the market.
Cisco attracted the second most votes in terms of transport SDN leadership, followed by Nokia and Infinera.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Kingman has 15 schools including 13 public schools and 2 private schools. Kingman public schools belong to three districts, Hackberry School District, Kingman Academy of Learning School District and Kingman Unified School District. There are 10 Kingman elementary schools, 12 Kingman middle schools and 3 Kingman high schools.
There is also community college, as well as an extension of a state university. Various vocational opportunities are available. If you have a child with special needs, one word you are going to hear regarding education is "inclusion." It applies to the US educational system, as mandated by the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Kingman Academy of Learning
3410 N. Burbank Street
Kingman, Arizona 86409
(928) 681-2400


text: Company Citroen has announced that the model C4 Picasso and Grand C4 Picasso will soon be renamed: five-seat van will be known as the C4 SpaceTourer, will sell the seven-seat Grand C4 SpaceTourer. Such a decision maker explains the desire to unite all passenger MPV under one brand. Recall, just SpaceTourer is a minivan, introduced… More


text:
Are you a Registered Mental Health Nurse? Do you really want to make a difference to patient care? Do you have an interest in the delivery and implementation of quality healthcare in a challenging and dynamic area?
Inmind healthcare are seeking to recruit experienced, caring and dynamic mental health nurses in order to provide high quality care to our patients in our service in Leicester. We are especially interested in mental health nurses who have experience with women or who have a genuine interest in working within and locked rehabilitation environments.
Sturdee Hospital employs the full multidisciplinary range of services to provide person centred mental health care to and women with complex mental health and behavioural issues. The post holder will be expected to work on a roster system which covers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The successful applicant will have:-
- Up to date clinical experience of Mental Health and current registration with the NMC
- Be able to demonstrate that they can make positive contributions to the team, whilst providing safe, effective and personalised care.
Rate of Pay: £15 - £18 per hour (depending on experience)
Download Application Form
Download PDF Application Form Download Microsoft Word Application Form


text:
U2's Berlin Show Cut Short After Singer BONO Completely Loses His Voice
Brianne Constantino
Posted at
Premiere rock crew U2 was forced to cut short their Berlin show last Saturday, September 1 after Bono suffered a "complete loss of voice" following one of their performances.
Get well soon, Bono! 🙏@U2 #u2eitour pic.twitter.com/aOXlgTf0FN— Mercedes-Benz Arena (@MBArenaBerlin) September 1, 2018
The band was still able to play their hit anthem "A Beautiful Day". After which, Bono addressed the crowd in attendance that they have to abruptly close the show due to his condition.
Bono visited a doctor on Sunday and much to his relief, he received a positive prognosis. In a stament posted on the band's official website, Bono said he was happy and relieved his condition was nothing serious. "I've seen a great doctor and with his care I'll be back to full voice for the rest of the tour. So happy and relieved that anything serious has been ruled out."
The band's European tour is set to resume with their Berlin show being moved to November 13th.
Tour is going on. Great news for all of us who planned for upcoming shows #U2eiTour https://t.co/fIHfuGll2E— U2gigs (@u2gigs) September 2, 2018


text:
This is a chance to have a birthday that's a bit different!
The room will be decorate with rainbows and sparkles and there will be two lots of crafting. and lots of colour!!
Please note that some unicorns may be smaller depending on the age of the groups.
Although we do not supply food we can set up a table for you to put the food on. The party will last 1.1/2 but you will have 2hrs in the space. We can take no more than 14 children per party.
For more details please contact the store on 0207 993 5479
Price is per child.
If you would like a an original craft party there is an additional fee.
Find us here
Crafty Arts,
Creative House
Bryant Avenue
A bit about the brand: This is where the magic happens, we create, learn and have a lot of fun. From lino-cutting to fine art card making, to kids activities we can cater to all ages and all requests, just let us know what you are looking for!
See all the Creative Hub range ›
We offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee* on our returns. This however is only available for UK mainland customers.
This may also exclude additional delivery charges that were made to send to you initially.
Saver Delivery - £2.95 on UK orders below £30
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We offer a 1-2 day service! Once the items have been dispatched through our service provider your item will take 1-2 working days to arrive.
Please see terms and conditions ›


text:
FAST Natural Weight Loss
Natural Weight Loss The Easy Way!
You probably don't know it but many of the weight loss products and diets out there are actually harmful to your body. Some of them also contain unnatural ingredients that can cause illness and allergic reactions. When you start diets then ou can only trick your body for so long and then afterwards it will start compensating and storing fat because instinctively its is going to be thinking there is a famine.
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text:
So-Young Lee Mangaka Model Series Michael Moyers Character
Another Model scan that had been in my folders for months; this time, from the second volume. I removed the speech bubbles and a panel on the top left.
It's been quite some time since I read the manga so I don't remember the exact context, but he's most likely talking to Jae.
More Model Scans
Browse Model Gallery: Recent | Popular.
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text:
Brightly Adorable Kids Dinosaurs Tatutina Bookends is decorative and functional bookends in 5.5 x 3.5 x 8 inches dimensions. This bookend can be the perfect accessory in all types of kid's room. The unique Dinosaurs design will inspire the imagination to come along on a reading adventure. Handpainted on both sides, this product will brighten up any room.
Brightly Adorable Kids Dinosaurs Tatutina Bookends, BUY HERE!
Join the discussion on this Brightly Adorable Kids Dinosaurs Tatutina Bookends using your facebοοk account below.
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text:
MLS Listings TORONTO E11 & kingshah.com as TORONTO E11 Real Estate provider
With more than 76 Homes for sale listed in TORONTO city, kingshah.com provides the most up to date information about real estate properties and also the help and guidance for the customers to buy their new dream home. With kingshah.com you may get instant access to relevat information about TORONTO, TORONTO including real estate property descriptions, photos of Homes for sale and the most recent added MLS Listings and the latest sold properties.
As a bonus kingshah.com offers an updated lists of Condos for sale in the most recent launched condominium buildings in TORONTO. You may find also key information as floor plans, ammenities, prices per sqft on dedicated pages about recent condo buildings in TORONTO. There is also an updated TORONTO list of pre-construction and VIP Platinum stage of the recently annuonced Condos for sale.
37 Homes for sale TORONTO E11 on 2018 02 23
On 2018 02 23 in TORONTO E11 were 69 MLS Listings on Real Estate Market. From them 37 are Homes for sale and only 31 real estate properties were active on market and were updated today. In TORONTO E11, prices for Homes for sale varies between a minimum of $559000 and a maximum of $2769000 and usually the price per square feet(PPSQF) for houses for sale is around $0 .
Detached homes for sale prices are between $659900 and $2769000 and their price per square feet (PPSQF) is around $0 . On the other hand average prices for detached houses for sale - $956587 04 could be easy compared with average prices for semi-detached houses - $1422 50 or with the prominet average price of townhouses for sale - $1831 25. Have in mind that prices for semi-detached residential real estate properties varies between $559000 and $918000 and the prices for townhouses interval is between $599000 and $868000 .
In 2018 02 23 at this moment 2018 02 23 you could find MLS Listings with an average surface square feets of 0 SQFT.
32 Condos for sale TORONTO E11 on 2018 02 23
On 2018 02 23 in TORONTO E11 were 69 MLS Listings on Real Estate Market. From them 32 are Condos for sale and only 34 condominiums were active on market and therefore were updated during this day. In TORONTO E11, prices for Condos for sale varies between a minimum of $288900 and a maximum of $649900 and usually the price per square feet(PPSQF) for condos for sale is around $0 . Around average surface square feets of condos is 0 SQFT.
Families who might be looking for a new Condos for sale could find in TORONTO E11 3 rooms condominiums for an aerage price like $544900 between a minimum of $439900 and a maximum of $649900 . For an average price per suqre feet like $0 all family could move into a new condo.
For smaller families there is always the 2 rooms condos with a smaller price per square feet (PPSQFT) $0 and the price in an interval between $289000 and $614000 .
Bachelor may find perfect the 1 room condo because of their price interval between $288900 and $385000 and average price per square feet (PPSQFT) of $329950 .
TORONTO Stats
For a better understanding of Real Estate Market in TORONTO kingshah.com provide some detalied Stats of Homes for sale available today. Our data is provided by updated MLS Listings and are not older than 24 hours. Through this dedicated Stats page kinghshah.com is trying to help their customers to have an informed choice about the location of their new home.
TORONTO Neighbourhoods
Location is everything in Real Estate. Knowing where to look for your new home is essential. Kingshah.com is helping their customers by offering a dedicated page with simple stats about Neighbourhoods of every region.
Knowing the ups and downs of your new home location is an adavantage.


text:
Now you can skip hours of internet research and jump straight to getting answers with our meaningful at-a-glance Demographics Spreadsheet Report. With the most current & most popular demographic data, it's the perfect starting point for your research about Rittman and the rest of Ohio.
We know Rittman Demographics, just keep scrolling...
All Rittman population data above are from the US Census Bureau.
The population data for Rittman are from the Census' American Community Survey 2017 5-year estimates and the Census' 2018 Population Estimates. The demographic data for Delphos, Hillsboro, Rossford, Rushsylvania, and Wharton are the most current, comparable demographics available from the US Census Bureau, are from the American Community Survey 2017 5-year estimates, and were downloaded on 6 December 2018. Check out our FAQ section for more details.
With 6,551 people, Rittman is the 239th most populated city in the state of Ohio out of 1,213 cities. But watch out, Rittman, because Hillsboro with 6,527 people and Rossford with 6,548 people are right behind you.
The largest Rittman racial/ethnic groups are White (96.7%) followed by Two or More (2.0%) and Black (0.7%).
In 2017, the median household income of Rittman residents was $46,205. Rittman households made slightly more than Delphos households ($45,962), Rushsylvania households ($46,000), and Wharton households ($45,962) . However, 13.8% of Rittman residents live in poverty.
The median age for Rittman residents is 39.8 years young.
86% of people CANNOT find the data they're looking for on the US Census Bureau website. Source: Nielsen Norman Group
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Collect guest zip codes and other demographic details for granular market segmentation.
Customize coupons for single or multi-use, specific purchase requirements, etc., to meet your marketing objectives.


text:
Kate Moross In Topshop
White 'Diamond Stellar Object' sweater, £30
In our January 2008 issue, we named 21 year-old graphic designer and illustrator Kate Moross as one of our latest batch of Creative Futures. This week sees the unstoppable Moross launch her signature range of clothing – six jersey pieces adorned with bright, psychedelic graphics hand drawn by Moross using Lettraset markers…
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text:
Updated September 2005
In New York City, "The Passion of the Crawford" was great fun. Some of the backstage guests in our unfortunately wood-paneled dressing room included:
Isabella Rossellini and her daughter Elettra
Mark Morris and his only friend (so he says)
Steve Cuiffo (my co-star), Joel Schumacher, style guru Freddie Leiba, Jess Cagle and Michael Volbracht who was a close friend of Joan Crawford and is now the designer at Bill Blass.
Dancer Vladimir Malakhov (head on shoulder) with his manager Yuri and Judy and Sam Peabody.
Joan Crawford's surrogate daughter Queeney
America's prima ballerina Cynthia Gregory (the lady on the right who approaches Miss Crawford's stature) and Ann Marie D'Angelo.
During the run of the production, I was music director for, and sidekick to, Greg Proops on his chat show at Joe's Pub. His guests included:
movie star Jeff Goldblum
and comedian Lewis Black, well known from "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart."
Also in the summer of 2005 I emceed the annual Village Care Benefit and floral headdress show...
...where I met designer and reality show star Austin Scarlett from "Project Runway" and his muse Sophia LaMarr.
A friend of mine says he won't look at my website unless there are gratuitous photos of handsome, nude men. So here are a couple of shots...
...of a fellow from England I met at a party for Adel Rootstein Mannequins in NYC. Here he is with some of his friends. I will not print his name to protect the so-called innocent.
I also met Kevin Arpino, the creative director of Adel Rootstein, and his latest muse...
And the legendary fashion model emeritus assoluta, Carmen!
Be sure to check out Robert Trachtenberg's new, clever and moving book "When I Knew" featuring a childhood anecdote of yours truly and many other notables.
Adorable, life-loving Bruce Weber generously devotes 4 pages to your Lypsinka in his new book "Blood, Sweat and Tears." 2 pages of a story/essay about Lypsinka and a double page spread of Daria Werbowy and The Lyp wearing Gaultier! Buy it here!!
Spring Sprang Sprung 2005
2004's Big Bang
Summer Magic
Moving On
What Do Legends Become?
What Becomes a Legend Most?
Tammy And The Lyp
Hollywood Screwballs
Caged and boxed celebrities
early 2000 antics
me and my infamous friends
fashion, fun and fanatacism
Chillin' with Puff Lyppy
Lypsinka and Faye Dunaway tete-a-tete at the 25th anniversary screening of "Chinatown".
At the premiere screening of "Scandalous Me: The Jacqueline Susann Story."


text: The LINX® device is designed to treat patients with severe heartburn or acid reflux, also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Matthew Burruss, MD, performs this special procedure, which is done laparoscopically using a camera and tools that are placed through five small incisions. This helps minimize the recovery time and risks to the patient. The procedure generally lasts between 30-45 minutes and patients can often resume a normal diet that same night. Watch this video to learn more about the LINX device:


text:
Contact me: firstname.lastname@example.com
Or instant share on Tweeter
This website is soul purpose is for Motivation and Inspiration
Things to inspire you.
Is there a place that can make your life better?
Can Love make your life wonderful?
Open you eyes, stay motivated, and Subscribe, it can help you to think upward about life. Each Month new inspirational and motivational stories added. Follow along by Subscribing, and Stay motivated to change your life. Completed below:
Positive brings Positive thoughts
motivation and inspiration,motivational thoughts
Ivy's Memory Makers, Online Magazine,
motivational stories,
online lifestyle magazines,
Short Stories,
inspirational quotes,
The movie, "It's a Wonderful Life," is a story of a man who was disappointed about events in his life. He had wonder if his existence had value. An Angel is sent to show him what his life would be like if he had not been born. By reflecting on his life, he was able to see all the good he had done for others.
We all can relate times in our lives where we are in life. We get to a point in life where it can feel like you are just there. However, each thing we do marks a path to a wonderful life.
Copyright @ Ivy's Memory Makers. All rights reserved. 2018
The Wonderful Life
We know what a great days; the enjoyment of a good meal, the pleasure of a peaceful moment, but what is a wonderful life?
When we meet that special person, our world can become great, even though it may take some time and energy. Having special people around you allows you to laugh, enjoy, and live and make great memories.
Things will happen as we go through life, We Just Have To Keep On Moving Forward. What's Next?
There are many ways to support this magazine.
Can we have the life that we want, a wonderful life? There are movies and songs, that entail the wonderful life, but what is it really. I watch some of the reality shows occasionally based on people's real life. Sure they may have money and do the things that many of us would love to do, however, the great American family that we want to see does not have a lot of money. I have never seen one's reality show similar to what we use to watching when I was young, or can image as a wonderful life. I really don't believe that my mother would be constantly drinking with friends as in most of the reality shows. Most people with families rarely drink or hang out a lot, because of their children. Your children become your social club when you have them.
Where are the home-cooked meals made by the mother each night? I don't remember seeing one. There a none that reflects that type of wonderful life of a mother taking a child to school each day, as I remember mine doing. On a good day, I am able to remember to put on my lipstick before leaving the house. I never have time in the morning to put on eyelashes and lots of make-up on in the five minutes that I allow for myself in the morning.
What is it that could make your life fulfilled and great, does it entail a partner, and children? Many of us watch television or read a book to get ideas for what we want. It is a great way to see what is going on, what is on sale, nice ideal for the home and things of interest. on look at life as straight forward not expecting anything great to happen. We work, have a family to provide for. The money that most people make with or without a family is average, some less and more, but for most of us we a wonderful life.
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Motivational and Inspirational through the times. (click the topics)
I love celebrating like birthday, holidays, and special events. Everyone has wonderful memories of a few events, that they had or attended. Giving joy to others can be as wonderful as receiving it. When we enjoy things it can make our life worth living.
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Reflect on Life
Events from your Past?
Words For The Day
I think about issues or things in life, then I Tweet.
It can be a wonderful life having a job that requires you to travel to many places for a while. However, many people who have those types of jobs may say something different. I person in the military, or any job that it is your job, there can be many trials in leaving your family and life to travel constantly.
Take the great things, and add to them.
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What can you do to help others?
It is about putting on our best even with little money.
Join the Challenge, Subscribe. We want to do better in life.
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Want to help others to make the Memories happen?
Everyone wants that wonderful life
"I want to inspire you to feel something for your life."
If you struggle with life's issues or know someone who is, pass this site on: www.ivysmemorymakers.com. This Magazine, provides short stories that can get better. This magazine sole purpose is to motivate personal change, and in no way can replace the help you will get from an professional.


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The Toyota has launched the Toyota Etios's 'Xclusive' edition on 16th September 2013. Etios has been already successful in India because of its quality, performance and low cost, now its exclusively limited edition has come in Indian market too with some additional features availability. The Etios Xclusive is available in three colors i.e. Silver, Grey and White.
Variant details:
It has been launched in two variants One of Petrol & Diesel each. You can check all about it @ Etios Xclusive Variants.
Engine details:
It is available with petrol and turbo diesel engine options. The diesel version is equipped with 4-Cylinder 8V, SOHC, D-4D engine and displaces 1364cc along with the max. power of [email protected] 3800rpm and torque [email protected] 1800rpm. The mileage capacity of this variant is 23.59kmpl (ARAI certified).
On the adverse, the petrol version has 1496cc, 4-Cylinder 16V, DOHC engine. It offers max power and torque of [email protected] 5600rpm and [email protected] 3000rpm respectively and the ARAI certified mileage of this variant is 16.78kmpl.
Both the variants have 5-speed manual transmission gearbox.
Brand Value:
Undoubtedly, Toyota is a brand which is more reliable and trustable than others in India. Its excellent after-sale service is one of the remarkable identities of this brand.
Dimension wise, this sedan is 4265 in length, 1695 in width and 1510 in height. The car has the ground clearance of 174mm which is said to be good coz it saves the car's bottom from unwanted speed breakers on bad roads.
The turning radius of this sedan is 4.9m which is comparatively less than other cars in its segment. The fuel tank capacity is of 45 liters and 595 liters of amazing boot space which can take holiday luggage. The total weight of this car (kerb weight) is 945 kg. Five passengers can sit easily inside this sedan.
The new features of this exclusive edition model are:
- Chrome accented gear knobs
- Bluetooth audio with remote
- Modified seat fabric
- Reverse parking sensors
- Height adjustable driver seats
- 2-tone beige and grey interiors,
- 'Xclusive Edition' badges.
While the other repeated features which were also available in previous version i.e. Toyota Etios, are air conditioner with heater & clean air filter, power windows with driver side Auto-down, electric power steering with tilt function, central locking, cooled glove box, front cabin lights, adjustable front Headrest, pillow type rear headrest, digital trip meter, speakers, 7 bottle holders, front and rear door pockets, day/night inside rear view mirror, remote fuel lid & tailgate opener, 2-din 1CD MP3 system along with USB, Aux-in & Bluetooth.
These already available as well as newly added features make this sedan a premium and trendy car.
On outside, it is well designed and well embellished with various necessary features like body colored bumpers, body colored door handles & ORVM, intermittent wiper, full wheel caps, roof mounted foldable antenna, chrome garnish on boot which provides an attractive glimpse to this car.
Road handling & safety features:
Safety wise, it is not as good as it previous version because of the omission of dual air bags as well as ABD with EBD system. These features have become the necessary requirements of users today, so buyer will definitely miss them. But immobilizer (an electronic anti-theft device), door ajar warning (which warns if door is not closed properly) and keyless entry are some available safety features in this sedan.
This sedan has ventilated disc brakes at front while Drum at rear along with the MacPherson strut suspension (which is used to cushion the car, to limit bounce and to transmit the steering motion) at front while torsion beam suspension (which gives good directional stability) at rear.
This Etios Xclusive along with the Etios Liva Xclusive is the first to be limited designed for the Indian customers. This limited edition sedan has definitely some eye catching features which make this car absolute, but we definitely miss the omitted safety features in this.
To push sales in a market, the carmakers are taking support of different attractive schemes as well as launching of special or limited edition models which is definitely working out, and this launch seems to be part of such support too.


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It's Saturday night and I'm splayed on the couch. There's nothing on TV so I start daydreaming about being a secret millionaire and surprising my wife with a cheque for a million pounds.
Relaxing in the warm, cosy glow of my own pretend generosity, I glance over to my wife who also looks lost in thought. "What you doing?" I ask.
"Just thinking," she replies.
"Me too. What about?"
"What type of disease you would have to get for me to leave. You know, the Disaster Scenario."
Please take note, TV schedule people, this is what happens when you keep showing reruns of Border Patrol, it gives my wife enough breathing space to come up with an exit strategy.
To be honest, my wife's always trying to work out what she would do if I ruined the party by having a long, lingering death. She once saw a film called, Love Triangle, where the husband had an accident and was confined to a wheelchair, but allowed his wife to take on a lover, who eventually moved in with them both. It wasn't all bad news for hubby, she still made him his tea everyday, and installed wheelchair access to the patio so that he could get some fresh air while he was crying.
"What did you decide? Which ailment would make it OK for you to leave?" I ask.
"Tinitus," she says.
"Well done. You've just lost a million pretend pounds," I reveal.
"I don't need it. I'm a modern woman. I've got my own pretend money that I can live off."
"You're being a bit harsh," I say.
"You deserve it. Especially after last night."
"Last night?"
Last night…
It's Friday night and, rather frustratingly, I find myself four days into a two-day DIY job.
I'm making cupboards in my daughter's bedroom. A job which requires the use of sharp, stabby items, and with the kids flying around barefoot it looks like the opening scene from Casualty. All that's missing is a pair of abandoned roller skates at the top of the stairs and two men moving a large pane of glass at the bottom.
I'm busy thinking about all the possible scrapes the kids could get into when I trip and bang my head.
"Aaaaagh. For f*ck's sake!" I scream.
"Mum. Are you OK?" asks my son through the door.
"It's me," I reply. "I'm the one swearing in here."
"Where's Mum?"
"She's swearing at people in Sainsbury's."
"What's for tea?" he asks and then I hear the front door bang, followed by much profanity. "It's Ok. I can hear mum now," he says and scuttles off.
I trudge downstairs rubbing my head, looking for sympathy from my wife. She is stood in the kitchen, and by the way the shopping bags lay strewn on the floor, I can tell that sympathy will be hard won.
My son barrels into the room, ignores all around, and sticks his head in a bag like a sniffer dog. Most pre-teens trying to feed a growth spurt 'apple bob' their head in a shopping bag to root for food; its a real time-saver. I find this side-effect of puberty to be the height of ignorance, and also something that I must try out.
"That was an absolute nightmare," she says. "I'm never going back to TK Maxx again. It's just full of ignorant people; all pushing each other. And they just sell cheap crap."
"This happened the last time you went to TK Maxx, why do you still go?"
"To get your Christmas presents."
My son pulls his head out of a bag and says, "What's for tea?"
"Fish cakes," she announces matter-of-factly.
"I don't like fish cakes," he says.
"I know," she replies, looks at me curiously and mouths, "What the f*ck's wrong with your head?"
In case you're wondering, I don't count this exchange as sympathy. In fact my wife is exhibiting all the classic 'please leave me alone' signs: the scattered shopping bags, swearing at my head, forcing fish cakes on a twelve-year-old. My son and I should have just walked away. Granted her ten minutes' peace to put her feet up and let the day wash off her. But we didn't.
"I don't want fish cakes," he repeats, then sticks his head in another bag.
My daughter walks in. "What's for tea?" she booms and sticks her head in a bag.
My wife calmly walks out of the kitchen and into the front room, slamming the door behind her.
Both kids jerk heads out of bags and scan around nervously. "What are we going to do about tea now?" they chant in unison.
"I don't know," I say and go after my wife. I enter the room. I sit on the couch and we make eye contact. "Sorry," I say.
"I should think so too," she replies. "Especially after last night."
"Last night???"
Merry Christmas Facebookers, The Twitterati and my fellow bloggers!
Thanks for giving me your time, support and feedback this year. And I promise, the next time I daydream about being a millionaire, you'll all get a slice. Pretend-spend it wisely!


text: Moving is an emotional experience whether you are buying or selling, and can mix with uncertainty and confusion with excitement if you are doing both. I was both selling a family home and downsizing to a smaller home in another city. I was fortunate enough to find a Realtor, Megan Gonzalez, who was not only savvy about the real estate market, but also proactive and kind. When I felt consumed about the sale of my house, she expertly maneuvered me through every aspect of buying my new home. I had an impossible wish list and hoped to find a place with maybe half of my desires, Megan found me a place with every one of items on my wish list and then through in a few extras to my delight. I loved working with Megan. She is skilled, knowledgeable, detailed and thorough. Megan is excellent at negotiations and understands real estate law and practices. She has a long list of resources and can help with inspections, repairs, and decorating when the right home is found. Megan was much more than a Realtor, she was a guide through unfamiliar territory, and friend when I needed a calm opinion, and patient during those times when I needed to better understand the process. I consider Megan a treasure and now a friend.


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TOP JOB: Koroit defender Chris McLaren will coach the Saints in 2017. Picture: Amy PatonNEW Koroit coach Chris McLaren expects to lead the Saints from the sidelines in 2017.
The five-time Koroit premiership player returns to the Hampden league powerhouse'scoaching hot seat after a four-year break, replacing Adam Dowie.
McLaren, who missed the Saints' third straight flag last month through injury, said he was content with leading from the bench.
"I'm undecided but it's unlikely I'd say," he said of playing on.
"Soft tissue injuries are getting to me a bit and I think it's much easier to coach and not try to play.
"I think our list is deep enough, strong enough and will be going well enough that I don't have to."
McLaren coached the Saints in 2011-12 and has remained in leadership roles since through TAC Cup North Ballarat Rebels and as Hampden interleague mentor.
The challenge of leading Koroit to a fourth straight premiership is one the key defender has embraced.
"I have always enjoyed coaching. When I did it the first time we had a strong side the first year and a big turnover the next year and it was a bit of a battle," McLaren said.
"I thought it was time the club had a freshen up and it was great the club was able to get Adam.
"Clearly they are big shoes to fill but the key to it is not to try and be Adam Dowie.
"His record stands alone. Everything we do will have his fingerprints on it but it's important to try new things as well."
McLaren is confident the Saints can remain a force in the Hampden league.
"Wehad 16 guys in the premiership team 26 or younger," he said.
"(Plus) Blair McCutcheon had an unbelievably good start to the season and Tom Lynch played every game in a premiership game the year before and missed with a foot injury which he'll have an operation on in the off-season."
McLaren said his older brother Joe and ruckman Ethyn Zimmer –two of the Saints' most experienced players –had indicted they wouldplay on in 2017.
This story Administrator ready to work first appeared on 苏州美甲培训.


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Harsh Acharya (DELL): Mentor
This session requires RSVP, and access will only be available to badge types listed under "Primary Access."
Sign up to talk to Harsh to learn how to take your product management career to the next level by learning how to influence your organization to build great products.
Product Management in the software industry is as much an art as a science. While Product/Market fit, a good sense of UX needs and good analytical skills are critical aspects of being a good Product Manager, there are a number of other soft and hard tactics that can make a good Product Manager an outstanding one.
[Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]
Primary Entry: Platinum Badge, Interactive Badge
Format: Mentor Session
Event Type: Session
Track: Brands & Marketing
Level: Advanced


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Articles tagged "James Sie"
2016 Lammy Awards Finalists
The Lambda Literary Foundation (LLF) announced the finalists for the 28th annual Lambda Literary Awards (a.k.a. the "Lammys") celebrating achievements in LGBT literature. We're waving our rainbow flag in support of these eight nominees from Macmillan!
Gay Fiction
A POET OF THE INVISIBLE WORLD by Michael Golding
STILL LIFE, LAS VEGAS by James Sie
Bisexual Literature
IRREPRESSIBLE: The Jazz Age Life of Henrietta Bingham by Emily Bingham
Gay Poetry
RECONNAISSANCE by Carl Phillips
Lesbian Mystery
THE GRAVE SOUL by Ellen Hart
Gay Memoir/Biography
CHASING LOST TIME: The Life of C. K. Scott Moncrieff: Soldier, Spy, and Translator by Jean Findlay
A HOUSE IN ST. JOHN'S WOOD by Matthew Spender
LGBT Children's/Young Adult
ABOUT A GIRL by Sarah McCarry readmoreremove
Teen Talk Tuesday (8/18/15)
Hey hey, it's time for YA! Books, that is. Check out the latest & greatest from Griffin Teen & SMP, then join us and @earlyword later today at 5pm EST for Early Word YA Galley Chat (NEW hashtag: #ewgcya) to brag about your favorite teen reads!
THE CRYSTAL KINGDOM by Amanda Hocking (The Kanin Chronicles #3)
"The author's spin-off trilogy of her 'Trylle' series come to an explosive end. As Bryn fights to clear her name and restore her rule in the kingdom, she must also choose between the love of the dangerous Konstantin or that of the steadfast Ridley. Hocking's paranomal romance expertise shines through." — School Library Journal
STILL LIFE LAS VEGAS by James Sie, illustrated by Sungyoon Choi
An astonishing literary debut about a young man who, in the search for clues into the disappearance of his mother twelve years earlier, discovers himself in the process. "The stories are haunting, a quality that is beautifully captured by artist Choi's interpolated graphic-novel chapters that expand and complement the text. Sie's first novel is richly imagined and beautifully written with a well-realized setting and memorable characters. Together they make for an altogether auspicious debut." — Booklist
MAKE YOUR HOME AMONG STRANGERS by Jennine Capó Crucet
A "heartfelt first novel" with "sharp cultural observations and terrific dialogue" (New York Times Book Review) about a young, Cuban-American woman accepted into an elite college just as her home life unravels. readmoreremove
St. Martin's First – Spring & Fall 2015 E-Samplers
Our friends at St. Martin's Press have put together two fabulous debut chapter samplers just for you!
The samplers are available for direct download on Edelweiss (and each have a corresponding Edelweiss collection) and are Read it Now! titles on NetGalley.
Spring/Summer 2015 titles include:
EVERYBODY RISE by Stephanie Clifford (an August 2015 LibraryReads pick!)
MAKE YOUR HOME AMONG STRANGERS by Jennine Capó Crucet
MURDER AT BARCLAY MEADOW by Wendy Sand Eckel
LETTERS TO THE LOST by Iona Grey
THE DEVIL'S MAKING by Seán Haldane
THE EVIDENCE ROOM by Cameron Harvey
THE CASUALTIES by Nick Holdstock
THE SECRETS OF LAKE ROAD by Karen Katchur
BETWEEN THE TIDES by Susannah Marren
STILL LIFE LAS VEGAS by James Sie, illustrated by Sungyoon Choi
FISHBOWL by Bradley Somer
HELLO, I LOVE YOU by Katie M. Stout
THE BOOK OF SPECULATION by Erika Swyler (a June 2015 LibraryReads pick!)
HANGMAN'S GAME by Bill Syken
THREE RIVERS by Tiffany Quay Tyson
THE ART OF BAKING BLIND by Sarah Vaughan
Download a PDF of the Spring/Summer 2015 sampler from Edelweiss and view the collection of sampler titles. Download the Read It Now! file from NetGalley.
AVELYNN by Marissa Campbell
THE MAN ON THE WASHING MACHINE by Susan Cox
THE DEBT OF TAMAR by Nicole Dweck
A GOOD FAMILY by Erik Fassnacht
DARK RESERVATIONS by John Fortunato
HOW TO BE BRAVE by E. Katherine Kottaras
DREAM THINGS TRUE by Marie Marquardt
THE WEIGHT OF FEATHERS by Anna-Marie McLemore
BLISS by Shay Mitchell
THE MARRIAGE PACT by M.J. Pullen
TIME OF DEPARTURE by Douglas Schofield
IN BITTER CHILL by Sarah Ward
Download a PDF of the Fall 2015 sampler from Edelweiss and view the collection of sampler titles. Download the Read it Now! file from NetGalley.
Happy Reading!
For Your Consideration: August 2015 LibraryReads Titles
Download, read, and nominate your favorite titles now for the August 2015* LibraryReads list!
*Nominations are due June 20! Click here for the full list of 2015 deadlines.
THE NATURE OF THE BEAST by Louise Penny
Nine-year-old Laurent Lepage loves to tell tall tales so extraordinary no one can possibly believe him. When he disappears, the villagers of Three Pines are faced with the possibility that one of his stories might have been true. The frantic search for the boy and the truth sets off a sequence of events that lead to murder, an old crime, and right to the door of the town's old poet, Ruth Zardo.
Download a copy from Edelweiss
EVERYBODY RISE by Stephanie Clifford
A Maximum Shelf Awareness pick & BEA giveaway title! Lying your way to the top of the social strata has devastating consequences for Evelyn Beegan, a 26-year-old desperate for a "better life" even if it's a lie in this debut novel of class, ambition and ultimately spectacular ruin. "A compulsive, up-close-and-personal read about the first cracks in the greed-and-bleed U.S. economy that went flying off the rails so spectacularly a short time later." — Library Journal, starred review
Download a copy from Edelweiss
ALL THAT FOLLOWED by Gabriel Urza
A Publishers Weekly Best of Summer 2015 selection and Summer/Fall 2015 Indies Introduce pick, this psychologically twisting debut novel about a politically-charged act of violence that echoes through a quiet Spanish town is "as subtle and enveloping as the txirimiri, a Basque word for 'rain so fine that an umbrella is useless against it.'" — Publishers Weekly, starred review
Download a copy from Edelweiss readmoreremove


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The stakes are high - $90 billion in fees paid collectively by merchants each year, according to Bloomberg. The proposed class action settlement amount is record-breaking - $6.2 billion, the most significant dollar amount ever, to be paid to 12 million merchants who do not opt-out of the settlement.
What does this mean for the future of interchange fees? It's still murky, at best.
A lawsuit that was being argued since 2005 was finally settled on September 18, 2018, some 13 years later. The class action was initially filed by the National Retail Federation, the Retail Industry Leaders Association, and the National Association of Convenience Stores, collectively representing about 12 million merchants in the U.S. It named Visa, Mastercard, and several large issuers, including JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America Corp. as Defendants. The suit accuses the defendants of conspiring to fix interchange fees that businesses pay to process credit and debit cards. A previous settlement had been reached in 2012 but was thrown out by the courts. This time around, the settlement, which still needs to be approved by the courts, leaves open several unanswered issues.
Initially, the liability shift associated with upgrading the card readers at gas pumps, known as Automated Fuel Dispensers (AFDs), was set to two years after in-store POS terminals, due to the complexities of retrofitting or replacing AFDs. But, even those extra two years are proving insufficient for many gasoline retailers. In response to the delays, Visa and MasterCard are postponing their Oct. 1, 2017, EMV liability shift for U.S. AFDs until Oct. 1, 2020.
Contactless debit, credit and prepaid cards - payment cards that can be used by tapping a point of sale (POS) terminal or waving the card near the terminal - have been issued by major banks around the world since 2007. Also referred to as "tap and pay" or "tap and go," these cards feature an embedded NFC antenna and chip (different than the EMV chip) which allows the card to exchange payment credentials to an NFC enabled terminal with just a wave or a tap. They are touted for both speed and convenience mostly because no signature or PIN is needed. In addition, the transaction amounts using this capability are typically limited to $25 or $50, consistent with the waiving of the need for signature for mag stripe transactions for those amounts.
Chargebacks to merchants have become a hot topic of late. And for good reason. According to a recent report by First Annapolis Consulting, chargebacks for card-present transactions increased 50% following the October 1 EMV liability shift. While this took merchants by surprise, it did not surprise issuers who, until the October 2015 liability shift for chip cards processed at card-present non-chip terminals, were absorbing the cost of fraud for counterfeit cards. Now issuers are allowed to chargeback, or pass back the fraud to the merchants who were not processing chip cards.
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You Can Never Be Overdressed at Henley Festival
Posted on Jul 4, 2018
Since the start of Henley Festival back in 1983, the interpretation of 'Black Tie' has become rather varied. With the countless dress styles and numerous suit designs that exist in today's fashion world, it's no wonder people are getting confused. So, to make it that little bit easier when picking your festival outfit, we have created a simple guide to the Henley Festival Black Tie dress code.
Think Elegant Heels and Fancy Flats, not Trainers and Flip Flops
Whether it be stilettos, kitten or block heels, a little extra lift makes all the difference when it comes to a Black Tie event. Whilst the terrain of the festival can be a difficult one to judge (especially with the unpredictable weather), and if you expect to be dancing til the early hours of the morning - it's best to plan in advance. If you know you'll be living it up in Pure Heaven after the Floating Stage headliner, why not go for a comfortable (but fabulous) lower heel or flat shoe? It's better to be prepared than ruining your night with an unwanted splinter or sore feet.
Become the iconic Grace Kelly
Black Tie is an opportunity, not a burden, a chance to bring out all the stops. That glamorous dress you've had your eye on in the shop window but never had a reason to wear? Now is your chance. It's all about class and elegance, think evening gowns and cocktail dress - become the Bond girl (or woman). Dresses aren't everyone's cup of tea so if you're more of a jumpsuit or trousers kind of person, join the club. We do of course allow formal jumpsuits and trouser suits.
You can never be overdressed at Henley, so why not make the most of it?
Channel your inner James Bond
Name a Bond film where the man himself doesn't look incredible in a sharp DJ? Are you struggling? Exactly, you can't because he always looks the height of sophistication. It's impossible to look bad in a well fitting DJ with a crisp white shirt and bow tie, take a look at the images below and see for yourself! We understand the bow tie look may not be to everyone's taste however, so in this area we have 'relaxed' the rules of Black Tie slightly. By 'relaxed' we mean the alternative of a smart tie.
In regard to colour for the Black Tie dress code, the clue is in the name. The classic black DJ is preferred, however dark coloured lounge suits such as black, charcoal and navy are accepted. Why not match your elegant suit with a classic Oxford Shoe? Be sure to polish them to perfection - remember, the chic is in the shine.
So there you have it, a guide to the Henley Festival Black Tie dress code. Stick to this and you can't go wrong. Ladies remember it's a night for you to look your most fabulous, so embrace it and have fun. Gentlemen, well there's really nothing more sophisticated than a man in classic Black Tie.
For more inspiration on what to wear, take a look at our gallery here