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There is a sentence in Dr. Johnson's Gray which might well be written up in all those rooms, too humble to be called libraries, yet full of books, where the pursuit of reading is carried on by private people. " . . . I rejoice to concur with the common reader; for by the common sense of readers, uncorrupted by literary prejudices, after all the refinements of subtilty and the dogmatism of learning, must be finally decided all claim to poetical honours." It defines their qualities; it dignifies their aims; it bestows upon a pursuit which devours a great deal of time, and is yet apt to leave behind it nothing very substantial, the sanction of the great man's approval.
The common reader, as Dr. Johnson implies, differs from the critic and the scholar. He is worse educated, and nature has not gifted him so generously. He reads for his own pleasure rather than to impart knowledge or correct the opinions of others. Above all, he is guided by an instinct to create for himself, out of whatever odds and ends he can come by, some kind of whole–a portrait of a man, a sketch of an age, a theory of the art of writing. He never ceases, as he reads, to run up some rickety and ramshackle fabric which shall give him the temporary satisfaction of looking sufficiently like the real object to allow of affection, laughter, and argument. Hasty, inaccurate, and superficial, snatching now this poem, now that scrap of old furniture, without caring where he finds it or of what nature it may be so long as it serves his purpose and rounds his structure, his deficiencies as a critic are too obvious to be pointed out; but if he has, as Dr. Johnson maintained, some say in the final distribution of poetical honours, then, perhaps, it may be worth while to write down a few of the ideas and opinions which, insignificant in themselves, yet contribute to so mighty a result.
by Virginia Woolf


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1971-S $1 Silver MS66 Certification #81283439, PCGS #7408
Expert Comments
Ron Guth
In 1971, the U.S. Treasury made available Unciruclated and Proof verisons of the Eisenhower Dollar in 40% silver. These were the first "silver" Dollars since 1935 (or 1964, if one counts the unissued 1964-D Peace Dollar). The Uncirculated versions were packaged in pliofilm and inserted into a heavy-stock, blue envelope. The Proof versions were placed into GSA-type, hard plastic "slabs" inside a slip-case cover with a faux-wood finish. These new coins were an instant success and collectors snapped up nearly 7 million of the Mint State silver dollars.
Many thousands of MS65 and MS66 silver 1971-S Dollars have been certified, and even MS67 examples are common. However, in MS68, this coin becomes a true condition-rarity. The auction price record for this date is $6,900, realized in 2012 when a PCGS MS68 example came onto the market. Considering what "finest knowns" of other series bring, especially those of the 19th century, this seems like a relative bargain.

subset: commoncrawl


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Engage POACH Advantage
Regular price
The NEW Poach Advantage. The most technologically advanced paddle in the market. Truly the first next generation paddle taking paddle design and development to new levels.
Most of the paddles today, only have 1-2 layer skins. Using the latest in technology advancements Engage developed a proprietary skin made of 6-layers that is the same thickness as the existing 1-2 layer skins. After vigorous testing, Engage found the optimal angle/pattern sequence for the 6 layers to produce the desired playability and maximum ball responsiveness. A proprietary design and concept developed by Engage. This concept and design not only creates the softest feeling paddle in the market, but holds the ball even longer than past generation skins. The texture is also new. Engage developed a new texture concept that helps induce proper ball rotation making it easier to place the ball where you want. The texture runs top to bottom in a vertical alignment and hits the USAPA limits in roughness.
Engage took paddle development even further by creating a new core never used before in Pickleball. Engage wanted a core that was specifically designed to act as one with the new skin technology. One that would behave differently at varying contact speeds. Producing a paddle that would hold the ball longer than past generation paddles when swinging slow (enabling the most control possible), but would also maximize deflection/power so you could put the ball by your opponents at will when swinging fast. We call it Variable Release Technology.
All the polymer cores used today are transparent in color. Our new proprietary polymer composite core is black, due to changing the chemical attributes to provide the desired playability and to make it the most advanced core in Pickleball. We call it Control Pro 'Black' Technology.
Never before has so much research and development gone into paddle development. The NEW Poach Advantage is the most advanced paddle in the market designed to take the game and you to the next level.
Innovation. Creativity. Ingenuity. Exclusively by EngagePickleball.
- Core: Proprietary Polymer Composite (Control Pro 'Black' Technology)
- Skin: Proprietary Variable Release 6-layer Fiberglass Polymer Composite
- Weight: 7.5 - 8.3 oz
- Size: 16" long x 8" wide
- Grip Circumference: 4 1/4"
- Grip Length: 5"
- Colors: Blue, Red, Purple, Green
- Optimized to pass most stringent community noise requirements
- Vibration Control Technology
- USAPA listed and approved for tournament play


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Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and do the exercises.
City flat
Beautiful two-bedroom city flat five minutes' walk from the cathedral. Fully equipped kitchen, living room with a large sofa and chairs, big TV and balcony. The balcony has space for four people to sit and gets the sun in the mornings, and the flat is light and warm. It has Wi-Fi and fast internet. The upstairs bedroom sleeps four people, with two double beds; the downstairs bedroom sleeps two in single beds. The flat is perfect for families and is near shops, bars and restaurants.
Four-bedroom farmhouse in the countryside. All of the four double bedrooms are en suite with luxury shower and bath. Farm kitchen with barbecue, tables and chairs outside. Great for groups of friends. The supermarket is half an hour by car and you can take a train from the village into the city. Escape from normal life for a few days as we have … NO INTERNET and you can only use mobile phones at the bottom of the garden!


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Today we have the amazing and very talented J.D. Watts with us here on the blog. I am very excited to share her book and spend the day talking about her amazing book Convergence! I want to thank her for doing being here and say thanks to TWCS Publishing for letting me join in this great Blog Tour!
So with all the Thanks out of the way its now time to check out J.D Watts amazing guest post!
I've always been the kid with the huge imagination. I don't know if it's a byproduct of being an only child or if God just created me this way, but from the time I was tiny, I could make up these incredible stories. My imaginary play was filled with anything from castles and dragons to imaginary bike races across the countryside. Throughout the course of these journeys, I was never the damsel in distress. I was always a knight, fighting right alongside the boys. I was a martial artist completely devoid of any training, yet pretend karate chopping my way through our back yard. It's embarrassing to admit, but it's so true…I was the poor Star Wars kid before the advent of streaming video and youtube. I loved to imagine action, adventure, and of course in the end I would get the boy, because I WAS a romance-stricken girl at heart and proud of it. I love a good, strong female lead with the character and tenacity to defend herself, or at least help defend herself. That's why I loved Serenity, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dollhouse, and pretty much any other movie or show with a strong female lead that might come to mind. It's like an addictive stimulant. I love when a woman can kick butt!
That being said, it really isn't such a big surprise that my lead character, Daniella (Dani) Rossi is sassy, strong, willful, and destined to do a lot more than just sit on the sidelines. Of course, she doesn't start out there. Just as we all do, she learns and grows along the course of her journey. She's an independent spirit who, at the same time, is also being forced to be very dependent on her Guardians whose sole purpose in life is to protect her. It was a very fun dichotomy to write; the balance between seeking independence and yet still needing protection, a situation that will also morph and change throughout the series as her situation changes. Then you add to it forbidden attractions between herself and her male Guardian, Nate, and you have all the trappings of my childhood fantasies wrapped up in one tidy little series.
Even now, as a 'thirty-something' mom of two, that imagination I always had as a kid is still going strong. I can't seem to shake it, which makes me so grateful I have this great medium of writing to use it for good instead of evil. *Insert devious laugh here because I just can't help it!* I know it's quirky, but to this day you can still catch me talking to myself while I'm writing, maybe even acting out a scene if I'm not sure I'm getting the dynamics quite right. I guess, when you get right down to it, I never really did grow up, and if someone decides to lurk outside my family room window late one night, my antics might just end up joining the ranks of people like the Star Wars kid on youtube!
J.D. Thank you again for being on the blog today and for writing up this amazing blog post that I just love!
Now, everyone make sure you keep a watch out today on the blog there is still my review of Convergence and a big Giveaway!!!


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[Image: Betelgeuse, before dimming; photo by ESO, M. Montargès et al, via NASA.]
There are many interesting things about the dimming of Betelgeuse, a giant star in the constellation of Orion's belt—perhaps a sign that the star is on the verge of exploding in a giant supernova—including the fact that I remember talking about this very scenario in a poetry workshop more than two decades ago. Here we are, still waiting for that light.
[Image: Betelgeuse, during dimming; photo by ESO, M. Montargès et al, via NASA.]
Betelgeuse, of course, is more than 700 lightyears from Earth, which means that it could very well have exploded centuries ago—it could, technically speaking, not even be there anymore, and wasn't there for your parents or their parents—but the light from that catastrophe simply hasn't reached Earth. We are always out of synch with the stars we think we're seeing, unwitting recipients of dead news from above.
Delayed explosions, stars that are no longer there, constellations made of ghosts: the death–or not—of Betelgeuse is the metaphor that gives on giving, as evidenced by the fact that, even in my own lifetime, the topic has come up once again.
But what's also so interesting about this sort of news is its juxtaposition between human timescales and astral ones, or human awareness colliding with cosmic time more generally: the implication that the universe is capable of extraordinary events that, in the long-term scheme of things, are actually extraordinarily common, but, from within the limits of a human lifetime, even the lifetime of an entire animal species, appear so rare as perhaps never to be encountered. To never be witnessed or even thought possible. There are things that happen only every 100 million years, every billion years, yet here we are right in the middle of it, unaware of strange gravitational inversions or churning, stroboscopic tides of light, of impossible stars and energy forms stranger than all mythology. Black chemistries in space, awaiting catalysis.
There could be physical processes as regular as clockwork pinging off like fireworks—constant, dead rhythms pulsing through the cosmos every two billion years—but our species will never see, hear, or know, because we simply never overlap.
We inhabit the same universe but not the same time.


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Top app localization languages
Often I'm asked which languages an app should be localized into.That really depends on the type of app, and where the market is going to embrace it. But, speaking generally, if I had to pick the top app localization languages, I'd look no further than WWDC 2012 again. Take a look at the languages Apple has focused on for localizing Siri, its latest "app".
And there they are: French, Spanish, Japanese, Italian, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. Siri has to listen to accents and dialects, so many languages are represented more than once here, for example French for France, French for Switzerland, and French for Canada. In my experience I'd add German and Portuguese to this list, and I wouldn't doubt if those are next on Siri's curriculum. But going forward the one to really focus on for app localization has to be Chinese.
Get your apps ready for China
"It's going to be important. Get your apps ready for China." Those are the words of Craig Federighi, Apple Senior Vice President of Software Engineering speaking to WWDC 2012 attendees during this year's keynote. Make no mistake about it, localization into Chinese dialects is a critical part of global marketing and distributing apps in the booming (and expanding) iOS and Mac world. The App Store was recently updated to include support for Traditional as well as Simplified Chinese and a dozen other languages. But Chinese app localization, while a new focus at Apple, is already common amongst app developers.
App localization services (like us at app localization services at Babble-on) enjoy helping developers reach all the markets that iOS allows. Dozens of app localization languages are available for iPhone and it is clear from the data that users overwhelmingly download apps localized into their own languages. In fact, take a look at the App Store in countries outside the US and you'll find that 9 out 10 of the Top Ranking apps are localized into the regional languages. It's THAT important.
Now you know the top app localization languages. If you want to learn more, let me know in the comments.


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I understand the how, but the why escapes me completely. After a decent amount of searching on the internet I can only find people talking about how to capitalize a title (or more importantly which words to not capitalize). Even the style guides have been mute about why they are asking us to use such a convoluted set of rules.
Is there some typographical or grammatical reason for some words to not have intial caps in a title (other than the arbitrary "because that is what is done")?


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How does this medication work? What will it do for me?
Moxifloxacin is an antibiotic that belongs to the group of medications known as quinolones. It is used to treat infections caused by certain bacteria.
Moxifloxacin tablets are most commonly used to treat infections of the sinuses and lungs. It may also be used to treat skin and abdominal infections. Moxifloxacin given intravenously (injected into a vein) is most commonly used to treat infections of the lungs and complicated infections of the skin and abdomen.
This medication may be available under multiple brand names and/or in several different forms. Any specific brand name of this medication may not be available in all of the forms or approved for all of the conditions discussed here. As well, some forms of this medication may not be used for all of the conditions discussed here.
Your doctor may have suggested this medication for conditions other than those listed in these drug information articles. If you have not discussed this with your doctor or are not sure why you are taking this medication, speak to your doctor. Do not stop taking this medication without consulting your doctor.
Do not give this medication to anyone else, even if they have the same symptoms as you do. It can be harmful for people to take this medication if their doctor has not prescribed it.
What form(s) does this medication come in?
Each dull red, modified-capsule-shaped, film-coated tablet debossed with "E 18" on one side contains 400 mg of moxifloxacin. Nonmedicinal ingredients: cellulose microcrystalline, sodium starch glycolate, povidone, and magnesium stearate; coating: Opadry Pink 03B54025 (hypromellose, titanium dioxide, macrogol, and iron oxide red).
How should I use this medication?
The recommended adult dose of moxifloxacin is 400 mg once daily. The medication may be taken for 5 to 21 days depending on the particular infection being treated.
Moxifloxacin tablets should be swallowed whole with plenty of fluids. They may be taken with or without food. Moxifloxacin tablets should be taken at least 4 hours before or 8 hours after multivitamins that contain iron or zinc, antacids that contain magnesium or aluminum, or sucralfate. Ask your pharmacist if you are not sure if your multivitamins or antacids contain these ingredients.
Many things can affect the dose of medication that a person needs, such as body weight, other medical conditions, and other medications. If your doctor has recommended a dose different from the ones listed here, do not change the way that you are taking the medication without consulting your doctor.
Finish all of the medication, even if you have started to feel better.
It is important to take this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor.
If you miss a dose, take it as soon as possible and continue with the next dose 24 hours later. Do not take more than 1 dose within any 24 hour period. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one. If you are not sure what to do after missing a dose, contact your doctor or pharmacist for advice.
Store the tablets at room temperature, away from heat and direct light, and do not allow them to freeze.
Keep this medication out of the reach of children.
Do not dispose of medications in wastewater (e.g. down the sink or in the toilet) or in household garbage. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of medications that are no longer needed or have expired.
Who should NOT take this medication?
Do not use this medication if you:
- are allergic to moxifloxacin or any ingredients of the medication
- are allergic to other quinolone antibiotics (e.g., ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin)
What side effects are possible with this medication?
Many medications can cause side effects. A side effect is an unwanted response to a medication when it is taken in normal doses. Side effects can be mild or severe, temporary or permanent.
The side effects listed below are not experienced by everyone who takes this medication. If you are concerned about side effects, discuss the risks and benefits of this medication with your doctor.
The following side effects have been reported by at least 1% of people taking this medication. Many of these side effects can be managed, and some may go away on their own over time.
Contact your doctor if you experience these side effects and they are severe or bothersome. Your pharmacist may be able to advise you on managing side effects.
- dizziness or lightheadedness
- headache
- inability to think clearly
- nausea
- nightmares
- trouble sleeping
Although most of the side effects listed below don't happen very often, they could lead to serious problems if you do not seek medical attention.
Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur:
- agitation
- anxiety
- confusion or changes in thought patterns
- hallucinations (seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there)
- memory loss
- muscle or joint pain
- muscle weakness
- nervousness
- numbness, tingling, or weakness
- pain, swelling, or rupture of a tendon
- paranoia, loss of touch with reality
- signs of depression (e.g., poor concentration, changes in weight, changes in sleep, decreased interest in activities, thoughts of suicide)
- swelling, redness, or other irritation at the place of injection (for intravenous only)
- symptoms of high blood sugar (e.g., frequent urination, increased thirst, excessive eating, unexplained weight loss, poor wound healing, infections, fruity breath odour)
- symptoms of low blood sugar (e.g., cold sweat, cool pale skin, headache, fast heartbeat, weakness)
- symptoms of liver problems (e.g., abdominal pain, dark urine, yellowing of the skin or eyes, nausea, pale stools)
- tremors
- vision changes
Stop taking the medication and seek immediate medical attention if any of the following occur:
- diarrhea (watery and severe; may also be bloody)
- fainting
- irregular or fast heart rate
- seizures
- signs of a severe allergic reaction (e.g.: hives, difficulty breathing, or swelling of the face, tongue, or throat)
- skin rash, especially if skin is blistering, loosening, or peeling
- thoughts of suicide or self-harm
- sudden, severe abdominal, chest, or back pain
Some people may experience side effects other than those listed. Check with your doctor if you notice any symptom that worries you while you are taking this medication.
Are there any other precautions or warnings for this medication?
Before you begin taking a medication, be sure to inform your doctor of any medical conditions or allergies you may have, any medications you are taking, whether you are pregnant or breast-feeding, and any other significant facts about your health. These factors may affect how you should use this medication.
Bacterial resistance: Misuse of an antibiotic such as moxifloxacin may lead to the growth of resistant bacteria that will not be killed by the antibiotic. If this happens, the antibiotic may not work for you in the future. Although you may begin to feel better when you first start taking moxifloxacin, you need to take all the medication exactly as directed by your doctor to finish ridding your body of the infection and to prevent resistant bacteria from taking hold. Do not take moxifloxacin or other antibiotics to treat a viral infection such as the common cold; antibiotics do not kill viruses, and using them to treat viral infections can lead to the growth of resistant bacteria.
Allergic reactions: In rare cases, some people may develop a severe allergic reaction to this medication. Signs of a severe reaction include a severe rash, swollen face, or difficulty breathing. If these occur, get immediate medical attention.
Antibiotic-related diarrhea: As with other antibiotics, moxifloxacin can cause a severe form of diarrhea associated with the condition called pseudomembranous colitis. If you develop severe diarrhea while taking this medication, contact your doctor as soon as possible.
Behaviour and movement changes: Rarely, this medication can cause movement disorders or behaviour changes such as agitation, anxiety, confusion, depression, tremors, hallucinations, and other mood changes. If you experience any of these, or notice them in a family member who is taking this medication, stop taking this medication and contact your doctor immediately.
Diabetes: Moxifloxacin may cause changes in blood sugar levels (may cause a loss of blood glucose control) and glucose tolerance may change. People with diabetes may find it necessary to monitor their blood sugar more frequently while using this medication.
If you have diabetes or are at risk for developing diabetes, discuss with your doctor how this medication may affect your medical condition, how your medical condition may affect the dosing and effectiveness of this medication, and whether any special monitoring is needed.
Driving and operating heavy machinery: Moxifloxacin may cause dizziness and drowsiness, impairing your ability to drive or operate machinery, especially when combined with alcohol. Avoid driving, operating machinery, or performing other potentially hazardous tasks until you have determined how this medication affects you.
Liver problems: Liver disease or reduced liver function may cause this medication to build up in the body, causing side effects. If you have liver problems, discuss with your doctor how this medication may affect your medical condition, how your medical condition may affect the dosing and effectiveness of this medication, and whether any special monitoring is needed.
This medication may cause liver problems that in rare cases can be fatal. If you experience symptoms of liver problems (e.g., yellowing of the skin and eyes, abdominal pain, dark urine, pale stools, loss of appetite, itchy skin) while taking this medication, contact your doctor immediately. People with a severe reduction in liver function should not use this medication.
Neuromuscular disorders: Moxifloxacin, like other antibiotics in this family, can cause increased muscle weakness, including difficulty breathing, for people with myasthenia gravis (an autoimmune disorder that causes muscle weakness). If you have myasthenia gravis, discuss with your doctor how this medication may affect your medical condition, how your medical condition may affect the dosing and effectiveness of this medication, and whether any special monitoring is needed. Generally, moxifloxacin is not recommended for people with myasthenia gravis.
Palpitations and fainting spells: See a doctor as soon as possible if you experience palpitations (irregular or rapid heartbeat) or fainting spells while taking moxifloxacin.
Peripheral neuropathy: Although rare, moxifloxacin may affect the nerves of the skin and limbs. If you start to feel pain, burning, tingling, numbness, or weakness, stop taking this medication and contact your doctor immediately.
QT prolongation: This medication can lengthen heartbeat as shown on an electrocardiogram test, also known as QT prolongation. Very rare cases of abnormal heartbeat have been reported by people on moxifloxacin, but these reports generally involved people who had conditions that made it more likely for them to have abnormal heartbeat, or who had been taking other medications that can increase the risk of developing an abnormal heartbeat.
You are more at risk for this type of abnormal heart rhythm and its complications if you:
- are female
- are older than 65 years of age
- have a family history of sudden cardiac death
- have a history of heart disease or abnormal heart rhythms
- have a slow heart rate
- have congenital prolongation of the QT interval
- have diabetes
- have had a stroke
- have low potassium, magnesium, or calcium levels
- have nutritional deficiencies
If you have heart disease and abnormal heart rhythms, or if you are taking certain medications (e.g., verapamil, atazanavir), discuss with your doctor how this medication may affect your medical condition, how your medical condition may affect the dosing and effectiveness of this medication, and whether any special monitoring is needed.
Seizures: Seizures may rarely occur with this medication. If you have a medical condition that increases the risk of seizures, discuss with your doctor how this medication may affect your medical condition, how your medical condition may affect the dosing and effectiveness of this medication, and whether any special monitoring is needed.
If you have a seizure while taking this medication, stop taking the medication and get immediate medical attention.
Sun sensitivity: People who take moxifloxacin may be more likely to experience sunburn. While taking moxifloxacin, avoid excessive sunlight or artificial ultraviolet light exposure (e.g., sun beds, sunlamps). Stop taking the medication and contact your doctor if you develop sun sensitivity.
Tendonitis: Moxifloxacin may increase the chance of tendon injury. Injury occurs more commonly for seniors who are also taking corticosteroid medications. If there is any new pain in the tendons or joints, stop taking moxifloxacin, avoid physical exercise, and consult your doctor.
Pregnancy: This medication should not be used during pregnancy unless the benefits outweigh the risks. If you become pregnant while taking this medication, stop taking it immediately and contact your doctor.
Breast-feeding: It is not known if moxifloxacin passes into breast milk. If you are breast-feeding and taking this medication, it may affect your baby. Talk to your doctor about whether you should continue breast-feeding.
Children: The safety and effectiveness of this medication have not been established for children under 18 years of age.
What other drugs could interact with this medication?
For a full list of interactions, use the Drug Interaction Checker available on the Drugs.com website.
If you are taking other medications, speak with your doctor or pharmacist. Depending on your specific circumstances, your doctor may want you to:
- stop taking one of the medications,
- change one of the medications to another,
- change how you are taking one or both of the medications, or
- leave everything as is.
An interaction between two medications does not always mean that you must stop taking one of them. Speak to your doctor about how any drug interactions are being managed or should be managed.
Tell your doctor or prescriber about all prescription, over-the-counter (non-prescription), and herbal medications you are taking. Also tell them about any supplements you take. Since caffeine, alcohol, the nicotine from cigarettes, or street drugs can affect the action of many medications, you should let your prescriber know if you use them.
All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2024. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/drug/getdrug/Moxifloxacin-by-Sanis-Health


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Community Newsletter: November 2013
- Message from the Chair
Shishpal Rawat talks about the latest in standards innovation - New UPF Tutorial on Low Power Design
Complete set of technical tutorials from DVCon available
- In the News
IP-XACT extensions, OCP-IP
- Events
SystemC Japan Trip Report by Dennis Brophy
Stan Krolikoski reveals what's on the horizon for DVCon 2014
2013 Taiwan Accellera User's Forum
- Setting the Standard Blog
Yatin Trivedi talks Community, Collaboration and Standards
Message from the Chair
Season's Greetings from Accellera Systems Initiative! Exciting things are happening in the world of intellectual property (IP) standards. We recently acquired the OCP 3.0 standard and supporting infrastructure, which facilitates reuse of IP blocks used in the design of semiconductor products. And earlier this year, we announced enhancement of the IP-XACT standard with new vendor extension for analog/mixed-signal and low-power designs. These standards complement other IP interoperability standards developed by Accellera, including SystemC and transaction-level modeling.
What does this mean for the industry?
Accellera has been collaborating on IP-standards for many years and sees the industry opportunity to consolidate standardization practices through established technologies such as SystemC TLM, IP-XACT and OCP-IP. Under one roof, the combined technologies better serve the industry to provide a one-stop, front-end electronic design resource to address interoperability of IP design that will improve reuse, ultimately increasing designer productivity and reducing development costs.
With Accellera's broad exposure to the electronic design industry, standards can be made more readily available and adopted. Through our partnership with the IEEE-SA, we make standards freely available to the worldwide engineering community. This not only provides a huge benefit to the industry as a whole, but to the individual engineer responsible for making a faster, cheaper, better product in less time.
Read more about our partnership with the IEEE-SA in our blog.
As we forge ahead into 2014 and the next era of electronics, IP standards are crucial to the successful design process. Accellera is thrilled to lead the way.
From all of us at Accellera, we wish you a safe, happy and healthy holiday season!
Shishpal Rawat, Accellera Systems Initiative Chair
November 2013
New UPF Tutorial on Low Power Design
The "Low Power Design, Verification, and Implementation with IEEE 1801™ UPF™" tutorial covers the basics of Accellera UPF and then focuses on the features of IEEE 1801 that enable the description of more sophisticated power management systems. The tutorial also provides recommendations regarding migration from Accellera UPF to IEEE 1801 and the methodology changes that are required. And, it presents a UPF-based design flow highlighting the practical aspects of using UPF for verification and implementation. This flow is illustrated with practical examples representative of real systems and includes best practices for successful design and verification of low power systems with UPF. Watch now!
Additional technical tutorials presented at DVCon 2013 are also available:
- User Experiences at the Forefront of Mixed-Signal Design and Verification
- Increasing Productivity with SystemC in Complex System Design and Verification
- Lessons from the Trenches: Migrating Legacy Verification Environments to UVM
In the News
Accellera Acquires OCP 3.0 Standard and Supporting Infrastructure
The OCP-IP 3.0 standard complements other IP interoperability standards developed by Accellera such as SystemC for transaction-level modeling and IP-XACT. The combination of these standards under one organization will result in more efficient ways to address the need for interoperability of IP design and will improve reuse.
Read the press release >
Visit the OCP community >
Download the OCP 3.0 specification >
New IP-XACT Vendor Extensions for Analog/Mixed-Signal and Low-Power Designs
IP-XACT is an industry-wide standard that provides a formal way to model IP and enable reuse of IP for future designs. The Accellera vendor extensions are recommended practices that do not change the IEEE 1685 standard, but enhance the functionality and flexibility of that standard to address multiple users of multiple tools in emerging areas of design such as analog/mixed-signal, physical design planning and power.
Read the press release >
Download the extensions
SystemC Japan Trip Report
by Dennis Brophy, Accellera Vice-Chair
This past June, the annual SystemC Japan seminar was held in Yokohama, Japan. More than 250 SystemC users and tools suppliers met to exchange information and ideas on how to best apply SystemC to the pressing system design and verification challenges we all face.
Accellera is one of the event sponsors. Stan Krolikoski, Accellera Secretary, and I opened the conference with a presentation where I updated the attendees on Accellera's standardization activities and Stan updated them on our collaboration with the IEEE. As Stan is also the chair of the IEEE Design Automation Standards Committee, having him address the Accellera/IEEE collaboration allowed us to share information from the expert.
The SystemC Japan seminar is held in Japanese, and Accellera is indebted to be allowed to share the introduction portion with the attendees in English. The rest of the program offered presentations by Japanese users of SystemC ranging from leveraging IP-XACT with SystemC, efficient DSP design using high-level design technology, efficient verification in large-scale systems to integration of FPGA prototypes and virtual prototypes. The day-long seminar was followed by a social event that allowed attendees to mingle, talk and visit sponsor exhibit tables.
What impressed me were the wide variety of topics covered in the seminar ranging from silicon to software and electronic systems in silicon to systems in automobiles. SystemC has broad appeal and a diverse set of application areas. The SystemC Japan group is active year round, and they share updates on current activities and plans at www.systemcjapan.com. Check them out! They are planning the 2014 event now.
On the Road to DVCon 2014
by Stan Krolikoski, DVCon 2014 Chair and Accellera Secretary
After yet another record year for attendance in 2013, DVCon (Design and Verification Conference) returns for 2014 determined to raise the bar even higher. New DVCon 2014 features that have been added to appeal to even more attendees are:
- An expanded focus on design, especially higher level, low power and analog/mixed-signal design
- An expanded day of sponsored tutorials on DVCon Thursday
- Vendor exhibition on Monday in addition to the traditional Tuesday and Wednesday exhibition hours
- Coverage of the latest Accellera standards, including a tutorial focused on the latest member of the family, OCP
Add to all of this DVCon's extensive coverage of the latest functional verification happenings, and DVCon 2014 promises to be a "can't miss" event for design and verification engineers worldwide.
Upcoming Event: 2013 Taiwan Accellera User's Forum
December 19, 2013 — Hsinchu, Taiwan
December 20, 2013 — Tainan, Taiwan
Community, Collaboration and Standards
Setting the Standard Blog
by Yatin Trivedi, Member of the Board of Directors, Accellera
EDA tools/methodologies and semiconductor IP creation are strongly driven by standards. Dating back to the 1980s, standards have helped shape electronic design industry — from the way we design silicon to the way we do business. Indeed, Accellera was formed from a merger of two leading standards bodies in the early 1990s, VHDL International (VI) and Open Verilog International (OVI), to promote cooperation among users and vendors as well as address tool interoperability and design flows. And as the saying goes, since that time, we've come a long way baby!
Since its inception, Accellera has delivered over 19 standards and implementations of which nine are now IEEE standards and governed by the IEEE-Standards Association (IEEE-SA), the leading consensus-building organization that nurtures, develops and advances global technologies. Their work drives the functionality, capabilities and interoperability of a wide range of products and services that transform the way people live, work and communicate.
Accellera has now worked closely with the IEEE-SA for more than 25 years — since the early days of VHDL (IEEE Std. 1076-1987) and Verilog HDL (IEEE Std. 1364-1995) — to provide the seed work for many of today's ubiquitous electronic design automation standards. Through an ongoing partnership with the IEEE-SA, standards developed by Accellera are contributed to the IEEE's standards development process for formal standardization and governance. Accellera further leverages the IEEE's relationship with the IEC under a dual-logo program to bring these standards to the international community.
Developing standards is only a part of the activities at Accellera. No standard is really useful unless it is put into practice and widely adopted by the community for which it is intended. Accellera especially invests its volunteer efforts to increase the adoption of standards by the semiconductor industry practitioners, i.e., the users, academia and vendors. For example, its flagship DVCon Conference and Exhibition provides an excellent annual venue for designers and verification engineers to learn standards-based methodology and interoperability using EDA tools and semiconductor IP.
Starting in 2006, Accellera went one step further in its collaboration with the IEEE-SA. In order to ensure free access to the most widely used EDA and semiconductor IP standards, Accellera became a sponsor in the IEEE Get program which grants public access to view and download select IEEE standards at no charge. Standards currently available through the IEEE Get program include:
- IEEE 1685™ Standard: IP-XACT, Standard Structure for Packaging, Integrating, and Reusing IP within Tool Flows
- IEEE 1666™ Standard: SystemC™ Language Reference Manual
- IEEE 1800™ Standard: SystemVerilog Unified Hardware Design, Specification, and Verification Language Reference Manual
- IEEE 1801™ Standard: Design and Verification of Low Power Integrated Circuits (also known as Unified Power Format)
You can find all of the available standards and download them at no cost by visiting the Accellera Downloads page or IEEE Get webpage. Accellera plans to continue sponsoring additional standards as the work of current IEEE working groups (WGs) is ratified through the IEEE-SA standardization process.
The IEEE Get program has yielded some exceptionally good results in the past four years. The chart below shows the number of downloads of Accellera-sponsored standards available through the IEEE Get program. In order to show the most recent download activity, the first two years (2010 and 2011) are aggregated for the entire year, whereas 2012 and 2013 (year-to-date) are shown for each month. After launching the program with IP-XACT (originally under The SPIRIT Consortium before its merger with Accellera), SystemC, SystemVerilog and UPF standards were gradually added to the IEEE Get program. For SystemC, the download data only includes the most recent release of the standard (IEEE 1666-2012). For trivia buffs, it would be interesting to note that you can download the most widely used communication standards (IEEE 802 family) from the IEEE Get webpage. You know you are in good company!
Establishing a standard across the industry can determine success or failure for a product or even a company. Making a standard freely available helps accelerate adoption and improves the overall lifecycle of the standard — from the users who develop the leading edge technologies to the vendors that provide the tools and services that bring those technologies to life. Not to forget the free access to standards that also encourages students and researchers in academia to develop skills that eventually help the industry.
IEEE Get is a very effective program leveraged by Accellera to serve our community. We welcome you to join us and participate in standards development. Help us build a strong collaborative and inclusive community around standards. Of course, if you are already a member of Accellera, we thank you. Your membership dues and volunteer participation are serving the entire industry. Kudos!
This blog post is also available on www.semiengineering.com.
2013 Global Sponsors
Event Sponsorship
Are you interested in becoming a Global Sponsor for 2014 or sponsoring a specific Accellera event? Find out more about our Sponsorship Packages.
If you have questions or need assistance, please contact:
Jill Jacobs
Add accellera.org to your list of acceptable domains to make sure you receive updates from Accellera Systems Initiative.
Copyright 2013 Accellera Systems Initiative


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Britney Spears' Engagement Ring 'Fit for a Princess'
What do you tell the jewelry designer about Britney Spears when you are creating a custom-made engagement ring? In her new fiance's case, you don't talk about her being a "pop princess," but rather his "everyday princess."
Brit's beau Jason Trawick went to celebrity jeweler Neil Lane to come up with the perfect ring for his bride-to-be. "Jason is a romantic," Lane tells PEOPLE. "When I asked him to tell me about Britney and what the ring would represent to them so I could find inspiration, his response was always the same — she is his princess!"
After their conversation, Lane was hard at work coming up with the delicate design, which he created from scratch, of a tiara-motif sparkler with a round and perfect white diamond in a handmade platinum setting that "looks like a mini crown." The jewelry designer added 90 small round diamonds around the eternity band. "Jason didn't want an over-the-top ring with a giant stone," adds Lane.
Lane and Trawick exchanged phone calls, text messages and emails over the past month about the ring, getting it fit for his "princess." Once Spears and her main squeeze returned home from her Femme Fatale tour, Trawick stopped into Lane's Los Angeles store to pick up the ring, which happened less than a week before he popped the question.
"He loved it," Lane recalls. "The guy was so excited and nervous. At the end of the day, even with all the fame, he's still a normal guy who was about to propose to the woman he loves. He's deeply in love with her. Britney is his princess and he is her knight in shining armor. Jason's protective of her. He adores her. Every good fairytale needs a princess, and now Britney has a ring fit for a princess!"


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We are a Eastern European company and created this online store featuring model kits produced by manufacturers from the whole USSR region and distribute these items worldwide.
Tight relations with local manufacturers and distributors allow us to keep our inventory up to date and all items in stock. Also in case of the peak of sales or some accidents these contacts allow us to replenish inventory in short term.
So we would like to assure that all items listed on the site are in the stock or, in case of some accident any item isn't in stock we are able to get it from manufacturers quickly and process your order as soon as possible.
CCNow - Our authorised online retailer.
Why have we chosen CCNow? CCNow is one of the leading secure online checkout service companies. Since our client security from credit card fraud is number one priority for us, CCNow is the only processing center. Thus, all private information like your address and credit card numbers is being processed by CCNow only.
For more detailed information about the order process and our policies click here...
If you have any questions or comments about our products, please feel free to contact us!
If you have any comments or problems regarding the website, please contact the webmaster.
We will respond within 24 hours.


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Stand-Up Paddleboard Lesson
July 10, 2023 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am
$60- This event has passed.
Event Series:
Stand-Up Paddleboard Lesson
If you are ready to take the plunge and give SUP a try, this is the perfect way to start. Our expert staff will go over detailed instructions on and off the water to give you the tools to enjoy your new adventure.
$60/ person. $55 for Kiawah Island Golf Resort guests and KICA members. Participants must be 13 years of age, children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Schedule subject to change. Please call the Nature Center for reservations and details: 843.768.6001.


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A measure is a specific import or export requirement that applies to a commodity or to certain types of products. Typically a measure requires permits or licenses to be obtained from the relevant government agency prior to importing or exporting the goods. You can find out what measures are currently in force by using the search feature below.
By using the search facilities below you will also be able to look up any generic requirements associated with specific commodities or products, such as the need to register to import certing products.


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Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A-010
Watch photography is one of the key elements to a watch brands success and for example, the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1a-010 is one of the most desirable sports watches available made by one of the leading manufacturers in the World Patek Philippe.
Patek Philippe Nautilus – Modern Is Good, But Legendary Is Better
This particular watch the Patek Philippe Nautilus has a retail price of £22,820 and due to the lower build number, this watch brand new and unworn is often sold for double the retail value fetching around £47,420 on average. This luxury timepiece is an attractive asset to purchase as an investment. Patek Philippe as a watch brand is one that is appreciated very highly due to century's worth of technical innovation into mechanical complexity, effort and the time it takes to make one of their watches.
Due to the fact that this watch is all about quality, it is the perfect watch to be used to explain the quality of photographs. Looking online we found companies that are using images to advertise this watch that whilst they look ok at first when you compare them to what we can achieve automatically in our automated photography studio the differences are huge.
The photograph above shows the Nautilus in a nice angle and the shadow brings the photograph to life. However when you look carefully you can see due to the reflection the photographer:-
This is a an error the photographer would not be looking for when taking the image and the photographer was also focussed on a specific point on the watch to ensure the watch face is in focus giving a nice clear image at the focal point:-
Due to the this, the rear of the image around the strap area becomes blurred due to the aperture being wider which allows for a shallow depth of field. The blurry watch strap is caused by the f-stop and the wider the f-stop is, the smaller the depth of field will be. To make sense of this the Depth of field is the amount of the photo that is in focus and this can make for a nice effect in photography but when showing off an expensive watch you want to see all the fine detail which causes photographers issues which is actually difficult at times to overcome when photographing.
To show this depth of field issue we found this photography online which is a great example:-
In this example, the photographer has photographed the detail of the crown and in this has resulted in our view a poor image due to the focus point being used. This photograph shows perfectly the difference in the focal area of an image and in this example the very front of the watch crown area is in focus which provides a blurred image of the rest of the watch itself which can be intended but if it was possible to capture this detail and have the entire watch it would be great (check out our images later in this blog post):-
As a photographer moves a watch around to get the different angles the watch reflection will change and also the focal point will be changing as new parts of the watch become the closest point to the camera. The other problem here is the background, the image has been shot on a white background and this works ok, but if you could completely remove the background and have a pure white background it would be better as the watch become alive.
The images of this watch are the normal style of images we can find when shopping online and they work to show the product itself.
Official Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A-010 Photography
If you take a look at what can be achieved, Patek themselves have photographed the watch and provided on the website images that are fantastic as you would expect them to be, being as they are from the manufacturer.
Note: These images are Copyright © Patek Philippe and we have only used them for research purposes clearly stating the original origin and they have only been used to provide an example of the required high-end photography needed to make this blog post adding more value to its reader showing the quality thay Patek Phillippe achieve.
The images are clearly on a different scale to the images shown earlier and the manufacturer would have taken a great length of time to create such images. The lighting is very good providing lovely product photography. The side view of the watch shows the focal point being at the front as we discussed earlier:-
Overall the images used are very good and this should be the standard needed and we have tried here to provide a bad example and then the best.
So now what can be achieved and using our automated photo studio that is different from the images we have shown above and how long will it take to achieve something similar.
Our system can focus on the front of the watch and the rear of the strap which might result in 4 to 6 steps in focus and then the automated photography software will take all the images and at the same time remove the background from each image and stitch them together to give you the perfect in focus product photograph showing all of the entire product in focus which looks simply amazing adding value to the person viewing as they can really see the detail.
This is an unedited image using the automatic software controlling everything (2 minutes to produce and no effort to tweak lighting):-
Note: The crown was pulled out to stop the watch movement here.
To show an example of the stacked photograph we need to rotate the watch slightly to the side to allow us to see the reat of the strap. If you look at the stacked image you will see everything is fully in focus, this is due to the focus point being the entire watch at different point when the multiple photographs were taken:-
This image took less than 2 minutes to achieve with no editing as the software does all the hard work.
We can then create a 360 spin photography set of images, rotating the watch automatically using the software and creating a 360 transparent background image set that can be used with touch points with HTML or as a video.
This took less than 5 minutes to complete automatically and with no editing (note we did not attempt to fix or improve lighting as this was to show the simple automated process):-
These images we have taken are to show what can be achieved without cleaning up the images or trying to improve them.
A quick photoshop and we can bring the colour of the face out and make the strap stand proud. The images be enhanced as per any normal photograph but can achieve a starting point in minutes that saves us 20 to 30 minutes each image:-
Patek Philippe 5711/1A – NAUTILUS
The Patek Philippe 5711/1A – NAUTILUS has a rounded octagonal shaped body based on a porthole with a horizontally embossed dial. This has been one of the most elegant sports watches since it was developed over forty years ago in 1976.
The Nautilus collection of models available for men and women is available in steel, rose gold, white gold or two-tone combinations providing incomparable class making this model range of the most desirable of all watches ever made.
The Nautilus is an automatic watch using a mechanical self-winding movement the Caliber 324 S C with the date in an aperture. The power reserve is suggested to be a minimum of 35 hours to a maximum of 45 hours. The central rotor is built in 21K gold with a unidirectional winding that operated using a balanced Gyromax® which operates at vibrations/hour of 28 800 (4 Hz) and uses a balance spring Spiromax®.
Gold applied hour markers which have a luminescent coating bring the watch face to life at night.
The Nautilus also has one of the most attractive steel bracelets available in the watch market which has been made with attention to detail, perfecting the bracelet to be something that fine jewellers can really appreciate and yet still provide a secure strap, keeping everything in perspective with the size being perfect.
The case is steel with a screw-down crown and the Nautilus has a sapphire-crystal case back showing off the amazing calibre 324 c movement. This watch is water resistant to 120 metres.
Case diameter (10-4 o'clock): 40 mm. Height: 8.3 mm.
Suggested retail price taxes included. Prices May be subject to alteration at any time and do not constitute a contract.
Patek Philippe "Generations" film: the legacy
Patek Philippe "Generations" film: from father to son in Los Angeles


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Fabulous villa with private tennis court and large pool
The villa has six bedrooms in total, five of which are on the ground floor. All bedrooms have either shower or bathrooms en-suite, and are air conditioned. All bedrooms can be configured as doubles (180 x 200 cm) or twins (90 x 200 cm), the two largest rooms have an extra single bed (90 x 200 cm). Three bedrooms have doors leading out on to the pool terrace, and two have doors onto the lawn, while the first floor bedroom has its own balcony, with wonderful sunset views towards Monchique.
The spacious kitchen is well fitted with ample work top for preparing and plating up magnificent feasts. It is well equipped with a large fridge freezer, plus a second fridge for drinks, dishwasher, oven, five burner gas hob, microwave, juicer, kettle etc. There is more than enough crockery, glassware, dishes, pot and pans for even the largest party that can be accommodated.
Inside, the villa is furnished to a very high standard with a mixture of antiques and stylish contemporary furniture, providing a really relaxed environment. The open plan living and dining area has a superb dining table that comfortably seats twelve, and a lounge area with large sofas and occasional chairs around a real fireplace. The lounge has a quality hi-fi, flat screen satellite TV, DVD and playstation, and bookcases with a wide variety of reading material. Patio doors lead from the living area, to the alfresco dining terrace with a marble table that seats 14. The dining table is protected from the heat of the afternoon sun by large shade sail. The HiFi is connected to speakers on the dining terrace.
There is a boiler/laundry room in the basement which has a washing machine that is available to clients, ironing facilities are provided in the villa.
For the low season there is central heating, plus the wood-burning fireplace to keep the house warm and cosy. Despite the fact that wintertime temperatures often reach the 20° – 25° C range, the average daytime temperature for the winter months is nearer 12° – 15° C.


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Best Of: Enoxaparin And Pregnancy
Pregnant women get seriously injured, too. And pregnancy is an independent risk factor for deep venous thrombosis. We reflexively start at-risk patients on prophylactic agents for DVT, the most common being enoxaparin. But is it safe to give enoxaparin during pregnancy?
Studies have looked at drug levels in cord blood when the mother is receiving enoxaparin, and none has been found. No specific bleeding complications have been identified, either. So from the baby's standpoint, administration is probably safe.
However, there are two other issues to consider. In a study looking at the use of enoxaparin for prophylaxis in women with a mechanical heart valve, 2 of 8 women (and their babies) died. Both suffered from clots that developed and blocked the valves. Most likely, the standard dose of enoxaparin was insufficient, so monitoring of anti-Factor Xa levels must be done.
The other problem lies in the multi-dose vial of Lovenox (Sanofi-Aventis). Each 100mg vial contains 45mg of benzyl alcohol, which has been associated with a fatal "gasping syndrome" in premature infants. The individual dose syringes do not have this preservative.
Bottom line: It is probably safe to give enoxaparin to pregnant women after trauma. However, it is unclear if the dose needs to be increased to achieve adequate prophylaxis. Only consider using this medication after consultation with the patient's obstetrician, and use only the individual dose syringes. Otherwise fall back to standard subcutaneous non-fractionated heparin (even though it is a Category C drug by FDA; it is still considered the anticoagulant of choice during pregnancy).


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Fjallraven Kanken Bag
$189.95 Original price was: $189.95.$172.95Current price is: $172.95.
Fjallraven Kanken Bag – Deep Red
Classic Kanken backpack in hard-wearing Vinylon fabric with a zip that opens the entire main compartment. Removable seat cushion, small front pocket, simple shoulder straps and handles at the top. Straight backs are happy backs! Kanken was created as far back as 1978 to help prevent back problems among Swedish school children and quickly became a common sight at preschools and nature schools throughout the country. Today, 35 years later, Kanken has straightened millions of backs across the globe and has become one of Fjallraven's most beloved products. This classic backpack is equally suited to journeys to and from school or work, as it is to trekking and travelling. The material is hard-wearing, lightweight Vinylon F fabric that is able to withstand dirt and wetness. The spacious main compartment has a large opening with a zip, which makes it easy to pack and unpack. It has two flat side pockets and a zipped pocket on the front, perfect for those bits and bobs that you want to keep close at hand. The included PE foam seat cushion is stored in the interior back pocket where it prevents the contents of the backpack from poking against your back. and is always within reach for when you need to take a break and sit down, wherever you may be. The carrying system is simple but practical and consists of handles at the top and slender, adjustable shoulder straps. The logo on the front is reflective. It also has an address label inside the main compartment.
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Amazon Prime Video App Finally Coming to Apple TV This Summer
Amazon's feud with Apple might have suddenly ended. The streaming service has been loath to give Apple TV access to its Prime video app, or even sell Apple products, for the past two years, but it looks like Amazon Prime is coming to an Apple TV near you, and it could be very soon.
Buzzfeed News reports that Apple plans to announce this officially during its keynote address at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose on June 5. A source told Buzzfeed that Apple plans to launch the Amazon Prime app as soon as this summer, but cautioned that a hard date hasn't been set yet and is subject to change.
Amazon hasn't sold Apple TVs (or Google Chromecast devices) on its site for two years, claiming "customer confusion." I guess some customers had bought an Apple TV from Amazon, thinking the set-top box had Amazon Prime already loaded. Part of Apple and Amazon's new agreement includes the provision that Amazon resume selling Apple TV products. A hard date for that hasn't been set either.
Earlier this month, Recode announced that Tim Cook and Jeff Bezos may have reached a deal, and as of Buzzfeed's article the news is now official. The two services constantly compete for customers' time and money, but an agreement between the two could gain them even more of each.


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Top Franchises You Can Launch for Less Than $50,000
Business ownership doesn't have to be super-expensive. Sure, some franchises cost thousands--even millions--of dollars to start. But a growing number of franchisors are coming up with homebased and mobile options, as well as new technologies, to help keep costs down for franchisees. Below, you'll find Entrepreneur 's Top Low-Cost Franchises, 97 businesses that can each be started for less than $50,000.
These companies are listed based on their ranking in Entrepreneur's 2013 Franchise 500®, which is determined using objective, quantifiable criteria, including system size, growth and financial strength and stability. This listing is not intended as a recommendation of any particular company, but merely as a starting point for your own research. Always make sure you know what you're investing in by reading a company's legal documents, consulting with an attorney and an accountant and talking to franchisees.
If costs are a priority in your franchise evaluation, pay particular attention to three sections of the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
Item 5: Initial Fees This section outlines what you will owe to the franchisor before your franchise opens--most important, the franchise fee. Typically this is a uniform lump sum, but for some companies it varies based on factors like experience, location and territory size--so make sure you know exactly what you're paying for. A smaller territory may be cheaper, but it will also limit your business.
Item 5 will also tell you whether the franchise fee must be paid in full or whether it can be paid on an installment basis, and what the payment terms are.
Item 6: Other Fees Don't make the mistake of thinking your financial obligation to the franchisor ends when you pay the franchise fee. Item 6 outlines recurring and occasional fees, including royalties, which are required by almost all franchisors in return for their ongoing support. Usually royalty fees are a percentage of sales, but some companies may instead charge a flat fee on a weekly, monthly or yearly basis.
Although royalty fees are not included in startup costs, they are just as important a consideration. A franchise with slightly higher startup costs but low royalties may turn out to be a better deal in the long run than one with low startup costs but high royalties.
Item 7: Estimated Initial Investment Two words are important to note here: estimated and initial. Item 7 gives a range of how much it likely will cost to start the business: the franchise fee, plus additional costs such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses and working capital. Actual costs will vary depending on your individual circumstances. While all the companies on this list can be started for less than $50,000 (based on their Item 7 estimates), that doesn't mean all their franchisees start their businesses for that little. If keeping startup costs low is a priority, examining the table in Item 7 will help you determine how to do it, whether it's running the business from home, buying used equipment or leasing equipment.
It's also important to recognize that this is just the initial investment. It covers only the money needed to get the business up and running, along with operating expenses for a short period--typically around three months. Don't get into a franchise thinking this is all the money you'll ever have to spend. Like with any business, you will have significant ongoing expenses.
Unlike most independent businesses, though, you can talk to existing franchisees to find out what those ongoing expenses are and whether you'll be able to manage them. Reading the FDD is essential to your decision-making process, but firsthand accounts from the trenches are indispensable when deciding what makes a wise franchise investment.
1. H & R Block Tax preparation & electronic filing Startup cost: $31.5K-138.7K Total franchises/co.-owned: 5,083/6,588
2. Jan-Pro Franchising International Commercial cleaning Startup cost: $3.1K-50.4K Total franchises/co.-owned: 11,146/0
3. System4 Commercial cleaning Startup cost: $6.2K-37.8K Total franchises/co.-owned: 1,392/2
4. Vanguard Cleaning Systems Commercial cleaning Startup cost: $9.9K-39.4K Total franchises/co.-owned: 2,696/0
5. Jazzercise Dance fitness classes, conventions, apparel & accessories Startup cost: $2.98K-76.5K Total franchises/co.-owned: 8,641/2
6. Cruise Planners-American Express Travel Cruise & tour travel agency Startup cost: $1.6K-19.5K Total franchises/co.-owned: 1,172/0
7. Anago Cleaning Systems Commercial cleaning Startup cost: $8.5K-65.4K Total franchises/co.-owned: 2,432/2
8. Chem-Dry Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Carpet, drapery & upholstery cleaning; tile & stone care Startup cost: $32.7K-127K Total franchises/co.-owned: 3,500/0
9. CruiseOne Cruise & travel agency Startup cost: $4.6K-26.3K Total franchises/co.-owned: 884/0
10. Novus Glass Auto glass repair & replacement Startup cost: $31.6K-134.8K Total franchises/co.-owned: 1,581/13
11. Heaven's Best Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Carpet & upholstery cleaning Startup cost: $44.9K-65.9K Total franchises/co.-owned: 1,304/0
12. Proforma Printing & promotional products Startup cost: $4.7K-44.7K Total franchises/co.-owned: 709/0
13. Cellairis Franchise Cell-phone & wireless-device accessories Startup cost: $36.8K-182.5K Total franchises/co.-owned: 620/0
14. Buildingstars International Commercial cleaning Startup cost: $2.2K-52.8K Total franchises/co.-owned: 376/0
15. DKI Insurance restoration services Startup cost: $7.1K-117.5K Total franchises/co.-owned: 265/0
16. American Poolplayers Association Recreational billiard league Startup cost: $17.1K-24.2K Total franchises/co.-owned: 308/4
17. Coffee News Weekly newspaper distributed at restaurants Startup cost: $9.4K-10.4K Total franchises/co.-owned: 883/4
18. U.S. Lawns Commercial landscape maintenance services Startup cost: $48.5K-75.3K Total franchises/co.-owned: 262/0
19. Real Property Management Property-management services Startup cost: $35.6K-74.4K Total franchises/co.-owned: 198/1
20. Mint Condition Franchising Janitorial & building-maintenance services Startup cost: $4.9K-45.4K Total franchises/co.-owned: 265/0
21. SuperGlass Windshield Repair Windshield repair Startup cost: $9.9K-31K Total franchises/co.-owned: 285/0
22. N-Hance Wood floor & cabinet renewal systems Startup cost: $30.5K-130.9K Total franchises/co.-owned: 218/0
23. Club Z! In-Home Tutoring Services In-home tutoring services Startup cost: $27.7K-56.6K Total franchises/co.-owned: 404/0
24. Rooter-Man Plumbing, drain & sewer cleaning Startup cost: $46.8K-137.6K Total franchises/ co.-owned: 481/8
25. MaidPro Housecleaning services Startup cost: $19.8K-114.5K Total franchises/co.-owned: 158/1
26. Caring Transitions Sales of estates & household goods Startup cost: $45.5K-73.7K Total franchises/co.-owned: 127/0
27. Soccer Shots Franchising Soccer programs for children ages 2 to 8 Startup cost: $17.9K-22.6K Total franchises/co.-owned: 133/8
28. Mr. Sandless/Dr. DecknFence Sandless wood refinishing Startup cost: $12.4K-62.6K Total franchises/co.-owned: 254/11
29. HappyFeet Legends International Soccer programs for children ages 2 to 18 Startup cost: $18.3K-23.2K Total franchises/co.-owned: 107/5
30. Guard-A-Kid Children's identification & safety products Startup cost: $21.4K-38.7K Total franchises/co.-owned: 182/1
31. OpenWorks Commercial cleaning & facility services Startup cost: $17K-119.95K Total franchises/co.-owned: 303/5
32. Bricks 4 Kidz Lego engineering classes, camps & birthday parties Startup cost: $33.8K-51.1K Total franchises/co.-owned: 231/2
33. Fresh Coat Interior painting Startup cost: $44.4K-70.95K Total franchises/co.-owned: 89/0
34. Just Between Friends Franchise Systems Children's & maternity consignment-sale events Startup cost: $25.4K-32.8K Total franchises/co.-owned: 132/0
35. Complete Music Mobile DJ-entertainment service Startup cost: $30.4K-48.7K Total franchises/co.-owned: 180/2
36. ASP-America's Swimming Pool Swimming pool maintenance, repairs & renovations Startup cost: $48.8K-89.96K Total franchises/co.-owned: 124/1
37. City Publications Publication for affluent homeowners Startup cost: $45K-150K Total franchises/co.-owned: 96/0
38. Estrella Insurance Auto, home & business insurance Startup cost: $49.95K-84K Total franchises/co.-owned: 55/0
39. The Glass Guru Window restoration & replacements Startup cost: $27.7K-117.5K Total franchises/co.-owned: 69/1
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44. Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Commercial cleaning Startup cost: $14.9K-59K Total franchises/co.-owned: 110/1
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Tuesday, September 11, 2007
(On a side note, does anyone have a creative--yet cheap--solution to cracked and pitted asphalt? I'd love to cover this large square parking area with pavers, but it would cost $2000 in materials, or about the same as repaving.)
13 comments:
- Pen In Cheek said...
Have you looked into "grasscrete"? By the way, I LOVE your blog!
- September 11, 2007 11:48 PM
sounds wonderful to me :)
- September 12, 2007 1:23 AM
- Unknown said...
what a perfect picture!
oh, little girls with bows and dresses ... there's nothing so sweet. - September 12, 2007 4:19 AM
How sweet! She must have had a great time!
How about crushed rock? this was an inexpensive and lovely solution for our home. We use it in walkways, but have seen it used extensively in driveways in our area. It cost us $26 a ton, which covers quite a large area.
Good luck! - September 12, 2007 6:43 AM
- Angela - Life w/ Two Busy Boys said...
What a sweet picture!!
- September 12, 2007 7:04 AM
- Tamara said...
You might check Craigslist under the "free", "material", or "farm+garden" categories. I frequently see landscaping rocks & pavers in our area (although we live in a quarry-rich area, so we may have more of that sort of thing here).
- September 12, 2007 9:00 AM
We had a patio area at a previous home that we wanted to do with pavers but couldn't afford. Instead, we had colored, stamped, and glazed concrete installed. It ended up looking REALLY nice and was about 1/3 of the cost that pavers would've been.
Grace - September 12, 2007 10:04 AM
I had a similar area to frugally replace. At the time, a local strip mall was being demolished. My husband obtained permission to have all the intact concrete blocks we could use.
We dug out the old asphalt the depth of the blocks laid on their side (holes parallel to the dirt surface, not pointing up to the sun), laid the blocks in a running bond pattern, filled in the gaps with soil. If I had it to do over I would have sown creeping fragrant thyme at this step. Subsequent efforts to establish thyme in the cracks has not been super successful. So we keep the grass which has grown up between the blocks very short and it is a pretty little patio area.
dmeyers - September 12, 2007 10:16 AM
- Amy said...
I adore this picture- I can't believe how big Elise is getting!
No suggestions for the asphalt- sorry I don't know more about that, but I will love reading the ideas in your comments! - September 12, 2007 12:53 PM
- Shannon said...
Elise is so precious! I'm glad y'all enjoyed the mudpuddles!
- September 12, 2007 6:02 PM
- JavaMama said...
Like my momma always said "Take time to stop and... play in the mud puddles" Seriously though, you can not pass up a good puddle with out a good splash or two ;0).
JOYfully in Him,
Kelli - September 12, 2007 11:04 PM
Elise and her muddy dress-tail is just precious.
- September 13, 2007 7:19 AM
- Nicola said...
i agree! try craigslist.org and freecycle.org for free yard supplies! or what about planting ground cover creeper plants in all the cracks?
i am enjoying your blog, too! - September 13, 2007 11:50 AM