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ECS LIVA Review: The Nettop Rises Again
by Ganesh T S on July 18, 2014 9:15 AM EST
Introduction and Setup Impressions
Nettops and netbooks, as a class of products, have been on the decline over the last few years. The most significant issue with the nettops was obviously the anaemic CPU performance. As consumers realized that they could get much better performance per watt from other platforms, the shift to tablets well and truly buried the old nettops and netbooks. However, the introduction of SoCs based on the new Silvermont Atom cores has served to address some of these major drawbacks. But, are those enough to revitalize a market that is almost already extinct? ECS, emboldened by the success of the Intel NUC form factor, is all set to find out with their LIVA mini-PC kits.
Readers might recognize ECS as more of a motherboard vendor. The ECS LIVA mini-PC kits are a little bit out of the pure motherboard-play zone. ECS has created a small motherboard (BAT-MINI) for Bay Trail-M parts. Since all of those are BGA, the Intel CPU is soldered on-board. A bunch of other components are included in the kit so that only the OS is necessary to complete the system. The full configuration of the ECS LIVA review unit is provided below.
ECS LIVA mini-PC Specifications | |
Processor | Intel Celeron N2806 (2C/2T x 1.60 GHz (2.00 GHz Turbo), 22nm, 1MB L2, 4.5W) |
Memory | 2GB DDR3L-1066 |
Graphics | Intel HD Graphics 313 MHz / 756 MHz (Turbo) |
Storage | 32 GB eMMC |
Networking | 1 x Gigabit Ethernet, 2x2 802.11n Wi-Fi |
Audio | Capable of 5.1/7.1 digital output with HD audio bitstreaming (mini-HDMI / mini-DP 1.2), 3.5mm Audio Jack |
Operating System |
Windows 8.1 (Retail unit comes barebones) |
Pricing | $180 |
Full Specifications | ECS LIVA Specifications |
Even though the retail unit is sold barebones, our unit came with a copy of Windows 8.1 Professional. Some of the above internal components didn't come pre-installed in our review unit package.
- ECS BAT-MINI Motherboard with Intel Celeron N2806
- WiFi / Bluetooth Combo Card with antennae
- AC Power Adapter (5V @ 3A DC)
- LIVA Case
- Manual & Driver DVD
Assembling the unit was quite easy, with just the matter of sticking the antennae to the chassis, mounting the Wi-Fi card in the M.2 slot, ensuring proper orientation of the board inside the chassis and snapping in the top. Our initial review sample had a small issue with the power button in the chassis. It was resolved by leaving a small gap between the top and the bottom sides of the chassis in order to align the switch the power button on the motherboard. However, ECS immediately came out with a replacement that didn't exhibit the issue and that resulted in a clean build. In any case, the issue seemed to be a one-off, as other reviews on Amazon and Newegg don't seem to indicate anything similar.
The chassis on the left had an issue with the power button's alignment, while the replacement on the right resolved that issue
In the rest of this review, we will first analyze the Bay Trail-M platform in detail and take a look at how ECS has managed to utilize it in the LIVA. We will follow this up with a benchmark section (which includes wireless and storage system evaluation numbers). The passive nature and size of the unit make it an ideal HTPC candidate, and we will take a look at how it fares in HTPC scenarios. Before the concluding section, we discuss the power consumption numbers and thermal performance. However, prior to all that, we have a table presenting the details of various systems that are compared against the ECS LIVA in this review.
Comparative PC Configurations | ||
Aspect | ECS LIVA | |
CPU | Intel Celeron N2806 | Intel Core i7-4770R |
GPU | Intel HD Graphics | Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 |
RAM | SKHynix H5TC4G63AFR 4Gb x16 DDR3L 11-11-11-20 @ 1067 MHz 4 x 4Gb (2 GB) |
Corsair Vengeance CMSX8GX3M2B1866C10 10-10-10-32 @ 1866 MHz 2x4 GB |
Storage | SanDisk eMMC SEM32G (32 GB, eMMC 4.41-compatible) |
Samsung SSD 840 EVO (120 GB, 2.5in SATA 6Gb/s, 19nm, TLC) |
Wi-Fi | AzureWave AW-NB136NF (Broadcom BCM43143) 802.11n + BT 4.0 M.2 Adapter (2x2 802.11n - 300 Mbps) |
Realtek 8821AE Wireless LAN 802.11ac (1x1 802.11ac - 433 Mbps) |
Price (in USD, when built) | $180 | $829 |
Note that this is only relevant to the networking and storage subsystem evaluation. For performance metrics, it doesn't make sense to look at the CPU and GPU credentials of the LIVA against devices in a much higher price class (We are trying to get in more Bay Trail systems for review, but currently don't have any in the $180 price range). Therefore, only the raw performance numbers will be presented. If readers are still interested in the comparison, reference can be made to our most recent mini-PC review for the corresponding numbers of others systems.
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rheinlds - Friday, July 18, 2014 - link
It would be good on ECS's part to integrate a Bay Trail-M part with Quick Sync enabled in the LIVA kits. 32 GB of eMMC turns out to be very less after installing a couple of Windows updates. 64 GB should be the minimum, particularly since flash storage needs plenty of free capacity in order to maintain performance.
In the Section above "...32 GB of eMMC turns out to be very less after installing a couple of Windows Updates..." Something seems to be missing from this sentence. -
ddriver - Friday, July 18, 2014 - link
And 4 gigs of ram. With the price of ram being so low, it should be considered a crime to cripple x86 machines by installing only 2 gigs of ram. -
phoenix_rizzen - Friday, July 18, 2014 - link
It depends what you want to use them for.
As an HTPC, more than 2 GB of RAM is really a waste, as you'll never use even that much (unless something goes horribly wrong with the running apps).
I have 3 homebuilt HTPCs at home (Athlon-XP w/1.5 GB of RAM running Windows XP; Athlon II X3 w/4 GB of RAM running Windows 7; Core2Duo w/2 GB of RAM running Windows 7) all running Google Chrome for Netflix and Plex Web. None of them even come close to using all the RAM.
Sure, if you're going to be doing a bunch of other tasks, then having more than 2 GB would be necessary. But as a pure HTPC, it's not required. -
leexgx - Saturday, July 19, 2014 - link
2GB should be enough for windows 8 but could eat quite easily windows alone uses 1GB at least (i do not bother with any thing less then 4GB (even if the system is 32bit 3.25-3.5GB is usable as i seen some systems sitting at 2GB of ram and up to 3GB just checking for updates if office is installed)
and 32GB for windows 8 is pushing it as well -
johnny_boy - Sunday, July 20, 2014 - link
Depends, of course, on use case. I have an undervolted A10-5800K in my HTPC which I also use for gaming and dedicate 1gb ram for iGPU use. I also prefer to leave all the apps I use open so I don't haveto keep resstarting them. That doesn't leave much ram left, and I am running a relatively lean linux distro. -
DanNeely - Friday, July 18, 2014 - link
The bigger problem is just that eMMC is slow. I've got a last generation atom tablet/laptop hybrid with eMMC flash. It's tolerably fast 98% of the time, the other 2% something is thrashing the IO system and the flash is showing 100% load in task manager and ~4MB/sec throughput. -
kyuu - Friday, July 18, 2014 - link
Is your eMMC filled up? Just like with SSDs, you really have to keep a certain amount of it free in order to prevent speed degredation. In eMMC's case, the consequences will be more severe since it isn't nearly as fast as a proper SSD to begin with.
Nowadays, eMMC is really pretty decently fast. Beats the hell out of an HDD. The main issue is that companies continue to insist on including so little of it, despite it being cheap as dirt. -
jospoortvliet - Sunday, July 20, 2014 - link
As a media center pc, you would be an idiot to want to incur the performance and especially maintenance overhead of Windows... Download an xbmc Linux and be done. Memory and disk pace won't be an issue and an end user won't see any difference - yet no costs and no work keeping Windows safe and running. Right tool for the right job, people... -
djfourmoney - Wednesday, July 23, 2014 - link
Tuner support is very limited to networked tuners and cable cards. I have DirecTV, none of the capture devices available work with Linux, especially in HD.
XBMC also has constant problems with the YouTube add-on. It's hardly updated and with Google often changing something in the code with YouTube, things like log-in gets botched up in XBMC. Last time I logged out believing it was another issue but the truth was a connection issue, U-Verse had gone down.
But I tried to log back in and I have yet to do the .py correction to allow log-in again. This would never be an issue with Smart TV's or Smart devices, they are updated and always work.
Windows has always been safe, don't visit silly sites and don't open email you don't know, pretty simple, not that you would be opening email on your HTPC????
I have a Llano based HTPC (upgraded from Athlon XP, Black Edition OC). Was able to remove the HD4670 (put in my mom's machine), cut down power usages quite a bit, Sliverlight Full Screen isn't an issue, maybe 20% CPU usage. Otherwise it's nearly idle on anything else. No driver issues which seems to always impact the performance of AMD hardware on Linux.
Finally there hasn't been a DVR program more solid or more reliable than Windows Media Center. The cost of adding it to Windows 8 is negligible and I also have 1GB dedicated to the GPU side of the APU, runs GRID and GRID 2 without issue, everything turned up (GPU slightly OC), but I play games on my PS3 not the PC but for some emulation.
HUBEMX - Sunday, July 20, 2014 - link
Anandtech: You should try OPENELEC!


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Main Economic Indicators - complete database (Edition 2021/04)
This dataset includes main economic indicators covering a wide range of areas, such as quarterly national accounts, business surveys, retail sales, industrial production, construction, consumer prices, total employment, unemployment rates, interest rates, money and domestic finance, foreign finance, foreign trade, and balance of payments. Data are available from 1955 onwards.
- Click to access:
Click to download CSV - 65.24MBCSV

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A planned offshore wind farm moved a step closer to construction Tuesday with the Department of the Interior announcing it has approved the project, to be located in federal waters near Rhode Island south of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.
The Revolution Wind project will have an estimated capacity of more than 700 megawatts of renewable energy, capable of powering nearly 250,000 homes, and is expected to create about 1,200 jobs during construction, regulators said.
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It's the department's fourth approval of a commercial-scale, offshore wind energy project, joining the Vineyard Wind project off Massachusetts, the South Fork Wind project off Rhode Island and New York, and the Ocean Wind 1 project off New Jersey.
The Revolution Wind project is another step toward the Biden administration's goal of developing 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030, said U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
"Together with industry, labor and partners from coast to coast, we are building an entirely new industry off the east and west and Gulf coasts," Haaland said in a statement.
The final version of the plan approved by the department calls for installing fewer turbines than originally proposed by the developer. The goal is to help reduce impacts to visual resources, the ocean floor habitat, and other ocean activities.
The plan identifies possible locations for the installation of 65 wind turbines and two offshore substations.
Revolution Wind will create a fund to compensate for losses by recreational and commercial fisheries in Rhode Island and Massachusetts — as well as fisheries from other states — directly related to the construction of the turbines.
The project will also take steps to reduce potential harm to protected species like marine mammals, sea turtles, and Atlantic sturgeon.
The Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management remains on track to complete reviews of at least 16 offshore wind project plans by 2025, representing more than 27 gigawatts of clean energy, the bureau said.
Vineyard Wind, a separate project, is under construction 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. It includes 62 turbines and is expected to put out 800 megawatts, enough electricity to power more than 400,000 homes, beginning this year.
The first U.S. offshore wind farm opened off Rhode Island's Block Island in late 2016. But with five turbines, it's not commercial scale.


text:
Computer Science and Software Engineering
All Monmouth undergraduate students are required to satisfy the Experiential Education requirement as part of the General Education requirements. Students may satisfy this requirement in a number of ways as discussed in the Undergraduate Catalog. For example, they may participate in a Study Abroad program, or take an approved specially designated experiential education course. The specially designated courses are available in most departments and CSSE students may take any of those courses provided that they have the necessary prerequisites.
Additional information may be found at the Monmouth University Experiential Education Web site.


text:
What is Tendonitis?
Tendonitis refers to the inflammation of a tendon, which is a band of fibrous connective tissue that attaches a muscle to a bone. Tendonitis can result from repetitive or overuse injuries and can occur during activities such as gardening, carpentry, shoveling, painting, scrubbing, tennis, golfing, skiing, and pitching. People with poor posture or those who avoid stretching before exercise are at a higher risk of developing tendonitis. Tendonitis can also affect individuals with rheumatoid arthritis, gout, psoriatic arthritis, thyroid disorders, infections, or an unusual medication reaction.
Who is at Risk of Tendonitis?
Tendonitis can affect individuals of any age but is more common in adults over the age of 40 years, as tendons lose their strength and elasticity with age, and become susceptible to tear. Tendonitis can affect any tendon; however, it commonly involves the shoulder, elbow, base of the thumb, hip, knee, and heel (Achilles tendonitis).
What are the Symptoms of Tendonitis?
The predominant symptom is pain at the site of the injured tendon. The pain may occur suddenly or develop gradually and may be severe. The motility of the joint, close to the affected tendon, may also be affected.
Tendonitis Treatment & Management
The initial treatment of tendonitis includes rest, avoiding activities that worsen the condition, application of ice to the affected area, and anti-inflammatory medications. Corticosteroid injections, physical therapy, and surgery may be considered if the symptoms of tendonitis persist and do not respond to the initial line of treatment. Depending on the severity of the damage, the healing period may vary from a few weeks to months.
Preventing Tendonitis
To decrease your chance of developing tendonitis, avoid repetitive movements; stop any activity that causes pain, and gradually increase your activity levels.
Contact your doctor immediately if you have fever, swelling, redness, and warmth to the area, multiple sites of pain, or lack of ability to move the involved area.


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Agnosticism is, in weaker forms, an affirmation of ignorance regarding the existence of a God or gods, and in stronger forms, the assertion that the existence of a deity or deities is unknowable. The word agnostic is derived from the Greek word "agnostos" which means "to not know."[1]
According to the philosopher William L. Rowe, "agnosticism is the view that human reason is incapable of providing sufficient rational grounds to justify either the belief that God exists or the belief that God does not exist."[2]
By contrast, the formal definition of atheism given by encycylopedias of philosophy such as the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy (and other philosophy reference works) is that atheism is a religion that denies the existence of God (see: Definitions of atheist and agnostic).[3]
Beginning in the latter portion of the 20th century and continuing beyond, many agnostics and atheists have argued that the definition of atheism should be a lack of belief in God or gods. [4][5] [6][7]
In terms of contemporary definitions of atheism, the Webster-Merriam Dictionary defines atheism in two ways: "1) a lack of belief or a strong disbelief in the existence of a god or any gods 2) a philosophical or religious position characterized by disbelief in the existence of a god or any gods."[8] Oxford English Dictionies defines atheism as "Disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods."[9]
Types of agnosticism
See also: Types of agnosticism and Agnostic beliefs
Weak and strong agnosticism
See also: Atheism and agnosticism and Antitheism and Denials that atheists exist
The proponent of the weaker form does not make a claim to knowledge about existence, but he simply suspends from making a decision. A suspension of decision, in terms of logic, does not have a truth value, and therefore they are not making an argument. The proponent of the stronger form goes a step further and makes a claim to knowledge by saying, I know that the existence of God cannot be known.
Apathetic agnosticism
See also: Apatheism and Atheism and apathy
Apathetic agnosticism is not knowing if God/gods exists exist and not caring if God/gods exist.
Agnostic beliefs
See: Agnostic beliefs
Origin of the word agnosticism
The word "agnostic" was coined in 1869 by T. H. Huxley[10] from the Greek roots a- not, and -gnostic, knowing; the philosopher Herbert Spencer was influential in spreading its use. One nineteenth century saw held that "There is no god but the Unknowable, and Herbert Spencer is his prophet."[11]
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Origin of the word agnostic
According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
" | Though there are a couple of references in The Oxford English Dictionary to earlier occurrences of the word 'agnostic', it seems (perhaps independently) to have been introduced by T. H. Huxley at a party in London to found the Metaphysical Society... Huxley thought that as many of these people liked to describe themselves as adherents of various 'isms' he would invent one for himself. He took it from a description in Acts 17:23 of an altar inscribed 'to an unknown God'.[12] | " |
History of agnosticism
See also: History of agnosticism
Up until at least 1970, there was a rise of agnosticism in the world. However, in the latter part of the 20th century and beyond, there was a decline of global agnosticism (see: History of agnosticism).
T. H. Huxley was an vociferous proponent of Darwinism and the worldview of Darwinism had extremely harmful effects on the world as it was influential in terms of Social Darwinism, Communism, Nazism and evolutionary racism (See: History of agnosticism).
The agnostic George Dvorsky points out that due to the greater intensity of the atheism vs. religion ideological struggle for cultural dominance, agnosticism has been pushed to the philosophical sidelines.[13]
Analysis of agnosticism and common objections to agnosticism
Common arguments for the existence of God
Norman Geisler on complete agnosticism
See also: Agnosticism quotes
Christian apologist Norman Geisler wrote on complete agnosticism:
" | Complete agnosticism is self-defeating; it reduces to the self-destructing assertion that "one knows enough about reality in order to affirm that nothing can be known about reality." This statement provides within itself all that is necessary to falsify itself. For if one knows something about reality, then he surely cannot affirm in the same breath that all of reality is unknowable. And of course if one knows nothing whatsoever about reality, then he has no basis whatsoever for making a statement about reality. It will not suffice to say that his knowledge about reality is purely and completely negative, that is, a knowledge of what one cannot meaningfully affirm that something is not – that it follows that total agnosticism is self-defeating because it assumes some knowledge about reality in order to deny any knowledge of reality (Geisler, Apologetics, p. 20).[14] | " |
Shaun Doyle: Four problems with agnosticism
Shaun Doyle writes:
" | First, either God exists, or He doesn't. And, theism and atheism imply starkly different worlds. Atheism is a world of no objective purpose, meaning, beauty, or value. Theism expects science to work; it's a massive accident if God doesn't exist. But this contradicts strong agnosticism, which entails that theistic and atheistic worlds must be indiscernible. It also means weak agnosticism is flawed. The wildly different implications of theism and atheism make it unreasonable to remain agnostic forever.
Second, the weak agnostic might be unreasonably incredulous regarding the evidence for God. For instance, most Muslims reject the historicity of Jesus' death by crucifixion based on the Koran (e.g. Surah 4:157), despite the fact there is overwhelming evidence that Jesus died by crucifixion. Muslims refuse to accept an obvious truth due to a deeply held prior commitment. If so many people can be blinded to well-evidenced truths due to a faulty bias, it's not hard to see that the same is possible for the agnostic. Third, it assumes that their allegedly poor position to know about God is permanent. Rather, a person's ability to know truths fluctuates with changing circumstances. It may be that they were once in a better position to know, or that they will come into a better position to know. The weak agnostic's ability to know about God is in principle provisional. Finally, a dogged stance of doubt in the face of uncertainty is not very reasonable. For instance, Jesus said: "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7). The psalmist said: "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!" (Psalm 34:8). God's goodness is worth grasping, and He is willing to answer those who seek after Him. As such, even if there is such a thing as reasonable uncertainty, that need not translate (and if God exists, certainly should not translate) into reasonable doubt.[15] |
" |
Laurence B. Brown on agnosticism
The Islamic scholar Laurence B. Brown raises the question to agnostics: ""You claim that nothing can be known with certainty ... how, then, can you be so sure?"[16]
Agnosticism is often seen as cowardly and fence sitting
See also: Agnosticism and cowardice
Both theists and atheists frequently accuse agnostics of being cowardly, due to their wishy-washy rejection of God.[17] Studs Terkel, a self-described agnostic, jokingly referred to the frequent charge of agnostics being called cowardly, "You happen to be talking to an agnostic. You know what an agnostic is? A cowardly atheist".[18]
It is also said by particular Christian groups, particularly but not exclusively in the United States of America, that those who know of Jesus but do not accept Him are just as damned as those who reject Him explicitly.
Agnostic Richard Dawkins and accusations of cowardice
See also: Agnosticism and debate
The evolutionists Richard Dawkins is an agnostic who flip-flops his public persona between being an agnostic and being an atheist (See: Richard Dawkins and agnosticism).
The Oxford University Professor Daniel Came (an atheist) wrote to Richard Dawkins: "The absence of a debate with the foremost apologist for Christian theism is a glaring omission on your CV and is of course apt to be interpreted as cowardice on your part."[20]
In October 2011, William Lane Craig went to England and the Daily Telegraph declared that Dawkins is either a fool or a coward for his refusal to debate William Lane Craig plus declared that Dawkins is a "proud man" and a "coward" who puts on an "illiterate, angry schtick" for the public.[21] In addition, Christian apologist Ken Ammi called Dawkins a "cowardly clown" because Dawkins and other prominent atheists refused to debate Creation Ministries International at the 2010 Global Atheist Convention.[22]
Below are some resources relating to Dawkins refusal to debate various debate opponents:
- Richard Dawkins and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach (Denied debating him after losing video taped debate, refuses to debate another time)
In addition, respected biochemist and intelligent design researcher Dr Michael Behe has openly challenged prominent evolutionists and proponents of Darwinism to debate him regarding the many failings of evolutionism, yet Richard Dawkins - one of the most outspoken Darwinists today - has declined all such invitations.
Agnosticism vs. biblical worldview
See also: Atheism vs. Christianity and Atheism and the Bible
The Christian website Gotquestions.org states:
" | The Bible tells us that we must accept by faith that God exists. Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith "it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." God is spirit (John 4:24) so He cannot be seen or touched. Unless God chooses to reveal Himself, He is invisible to our senses (Romans 1:20). The Bible declares that the existence of God can be clearly seen in the universe (Psalm 19:1-4), sensed in nature (Romans 1:18-22), and confirmed in our own hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
Agnostics are unwilling to make a decision either for or against God's existence. It is the ultimate "straddling the fence" position. Theists believe that God exists. Atheists believe that God does not exist. Agnostics believe that we should not believe or disbelieve in God's existence, because it is impossible to know either way.[23] |
" |
Agnosticism and atheism vs. other theism arguments
Agnosticism and morality
See also: American agnosticism and political views statistics and Atheism and morality
Barna Group studies: Atheism and morality
Barna Group study on behavior of agnostics vs. evangelical Christians:
Richard Deem wrote:
" | A random sample of 1003 adults were surveyed in May, 2008 by The Barna Group for their participation in a number of negative behaviors within the previous week. The results showed that there were vast differences in the behaviors of evangelicals compared to agnostics/atheists.
These results show that atheists/agnostics participate in morally questionable behaviors to a much greater degree than evangelical Christians - an average of nearly five times the frequency![24] |
" |
Barna Group study related to agnostics' beliefs about behaviors:
The Barna Group found that agnostics and atheists in America were more likely, than theists in America, to look upon the following behaviors as morally acceptable: illegal drug use; excessive drinking; sexual relationships outside of marriage; abortion; cohabitating with someone of opposite sex outside of marriage; obscene language; gambling; pornography and obscene sexual behavior; and engaging in homosexuality/bisexuality.[25]
Given the many diseases associated with homosexuality, the biblical prohibition against homosexuality is quite arguably one of the many example where the Bible exhibited knowledge that was ahead of its time. See also: Atheism and sexuality immorality
Agnosticism and Uncharitableness
See also: Agnosticism and charity
Per capita agnostics and atheists in the United States give significantly less to charity than theists.
Aldous Huxley and sexual immorality quote
See also: Atheism and meaninglessness
The agnostic Aldous Huxley wrote:
" | I had motives for not wanting the world to have a meaning; and consequently assumed that it had none, and was able without any difficulty to find satisfying reasons for this assumption. The philosopher who finds no meaning in the world is not concerned exclusively with a problem in pure metaphysics. He is also concerned to prove that there is no valid reason why he personally should not do as he wants to do. For myself, as no doubt for most of my friends, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation from a certain system of morality. We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom. The supporters of this system claimed that it embodied the meaning - the Christian meaning, they insisted - of the world. There was one admirably simple method of confuting these people and justifying ourselves in our erotic revolt: we would deny that the world had any meaning whatever.[26] | " |
Agnosticism and loneliness
See also: Agnosticism and loneliness
The agnostic Lyndsay West wrote in Religion News:
" | I know that I am not the only 25-year-old agnostic in the world, but the fellowship that is so easily accessible within the Christian community seems relatively lacking for nonbelievers. I went from being inundated by church events celebrating like-mindedness to feeling pathological in my irreligious rebirth.[27] | " |
Compared to deeply religious cultures where an extended family and a sense of community often exists, secular countries are often lonelier societies.
For more information, please see:
Agnosticism and demographics
See also: Demographics of agnosticism and United States, irreligion vs. religion and demographics and Atheist population
American agnosticism and gender
Pew Forum reported about agnosticism/gender in the United States:
" | Atheists and agnostics are much more likely to be male (64%) than female (36%). Americans who identify their religion as "nothing in particular" are more evenly divided: 53% are men, and 47% are women.[28] | " |
Western agnosticism and race
See also: Western agnosticism and race and Western atheism and race
Pew Forum reported about agnosticism/race in the United States:
" | Atheists and agnostics are particularly likely to be non-Hispanic whites. Fully eight-in-ten atheists and agnostics (82%) are white, 3% are black, 6% are Hispanic, and the remainder is of some other race or of mixed race."[29] | " |
For more information, please see: Western agnosticism and race
Global agnosticism
See also: Global agnosticism and Desecularization and Agnosticism statistics and Global atheism
According to the agnostic and religious demography scholar Eric Kaufmann, in the Europe of tomorrow, immigration and religious fertility will increase the proportion of committed Christians in Europe, many from the developing world.[30] See: Desecularization In 2015, Pew Research indicated in their report The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050 that agnostics and atheists "will make up a declining share of the world's total population."[31]
The Center for the Study of Global Christianity (CSGC) at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary estimated that agnostics made up about 12.8% of the global adult population in 2015. CSGC projects that agnostics will makeup about 11.5% of the global adult population in 2025 and 9.1% of the global adult population in 2050.[32]
The agnostic Eric Kaufmann is a professor of politics at Birkbeck, University of London and author. His academic research specialty is how demographic changes affect religion/irreligion and politics.
Kaufmann wrote in 2010:
" | Worldwide, the march of religion can probably only be reversed by a renewed, self-aware secularism. Today, it appears exhausted and lacking in confidence... Secularism's greatest triumphs owe less to science than to popular social movements like nationalism, socialism and 1960s anarchist-liberalism. Ironically, secularism's demographic deficit means that it will probably only succeed in the twenty-first century if it can create a secular form of 'religious' enthusiasm." [33] | " |
According to Kaufmann, in the Europe of tomorrow, immigration and religious fertility will increase the proportion of committed Christians in Europe, many from the developing world.[34]
Frequency in Western World Countries
Agnosticism has become a fairly common belief system in Western culture with 14% of people in the United States, 32% of people in France and 35% of people in Great Britain self-identifying as agnostics.[35]
Agnosticism statistics
Agnosticism debates
See also: Agnosticism debates
Despite there being more self-described agnostics in the world than self-described atheists (See also: Definitions of Atheist and Agnostic),[36] since at least the latter part of the 20th century, there have been more atheism vs. Christianity debates than atheism vs. agnosticism debates (see: Atheism debates and Atheism vs. Christianity debates). In recent times, however, there have been notable cases of atheists being unwilling to engage in debates (see: Atheism and cowardice).
Intelligent design proponent Phillip E. Johnson debated the evolutionary paleontologist and agnostic Stephen Gould at Harvard University before a select audience of elite American intellectuals in a closed door event not open to the public. The debate was considered a draw. At the end of the debate, Johnson hugged Gould and he noticed in the embrace that Gould was nervously shaking.[37]
For a listing of notable agnosticism related debates, please see: Agnosticism debates
Betrand Russell on agnosticism
Bertrand Russell once wrote that, in describing his beliefs,
- I never know whether I should say 'Agnostic' or whether I should say 'Atheist'.... As a philosopher, if I were speaking to a purely philosophic audience I should say that I ought to describe myself as an Agnostic, because I do not think that there is a conclusive argument by which one [can] prove that there is not a God. On the other hand, if I am to convey the right impression to the ordinary man in the street I think I ought to say that I am an Atheist, because when I say that I cannot prove that there is not a God, I ought to add equally that I cannot prove that there are not the Homeric gods.[39]
In 1927, Bertrand Russell wrote an essay entitled "Why I am not a Christian" which was based on a lecture Russell gave the same year.[40][41]
Below are some works by Christian apologists which show the inconsistencies and logical fallacies of Bertrand Russell's essay:
- Critique of Bertrand Russell's essay "Why I am not a Christian" by Dr. Greg Bahnsen
- Why Bertrand Russell was not a Christian by Rev. Ralph Allan Smith (1996)
- Bertrand Russell and Christianity by the Christian Courier
Charles Darwin and agnosticism
Charles Darwin likely abandoned Christianity as a student when he disappointed his father by refusing to become a minister. In his autobiography Charles Darwin wrote about the diminishment of his religious faith and Darwin stated that he was an agnostic.[44] Darwin wrote the following: "The mystery of the beginning of all things is insoluble to us; and I for one must be content to remain an Agnostic."[45] However, Darwin stated in his private notebooks that he was a materialist, which is a type of atheist.[46] [47][48] In the 1996 British Journal for the Philosophy of Science Kim Sterelny wrote in a book review the following: "I have no doubt that Darwin was a materialist and a mechanist..."[49] See: Religious views of Charles Darwin
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy states regarding a candid admission of Charles Darwin:
" | In 1885, the Duke of Argyll recounted a conversation he had had with Charles Darwin the year before Darwin's death:
In the course of that conversation I said to Mr. Darwin, with reference to some of his own remarkable works on the Fertilisation of Orchids, and upon The Earthworms, and various other observations he made of the wonderful contrivances for certain purposes in nature—I said it was impossible to look at these without seeing that they were the effect and the expression of Mind. I shall never forget Mr. Darwin's answer. He looked at me very hard and said, "Well, that often comes over me with overwhelming force; but at other times," and he shook his head vaguely, adding, "it seems to go away."(Argyll 1885, 244)[50] |
" |
For most of his adult life Charles Darwin suffered from very poor health.[51] The 1992 New Encyclopaedia Britannica stated that Darwin's illness was psychogenic in origin (A psychogenic illness is one that originates in the mind or in mental condition).[52] see: Charles Darwin's illness
Famous agnostics
See also: Famous agnostics and Ex-agnostics
- Richard Dawkins and agnosticism
- Charles Darwin
- T. H. Huxley
- H.L. Mencken
- David Hume
- Robert G. Ingersoll
- Clarence Darrow
- Stephen Jay Gould[53][54]
- Francis Crick[55]
- Alan Dershowitz
- Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Carl Sagan
- Timothy McVeigh[56]
- Bill Maher
- Larry King
- Steve Wozniak
- Studs Terkel
Famous ex-agnostics
Agnosticism quotes
See: Agnosticism quotes
See also
External links
- William Lane Craig critiques Agnosticism
- Atheism, Agnosticism, and Skepticism Synopsis of Understanding Secular Religions by Josh McDowell and Don Stewart
- ↑ Agnosticism - AllAboutPhilosophy.com
- ↑ Rowe, William L. (1998). "Agnosticism". In Edward Craig. Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-415-07310-3. "In the popular sense, an agnostic is someone who neither believes nor disbelieves in God, whereas an atheist disbelieves in God. In the strict sense, however, agnosticism is the view that human reason is incapable of providing sufficient rational grounds to justify either the belief that God exists or the belief that God does not exist. In so far as one holds that our beliefs are rational only if they are sufficiently supported by human reason, the person who accepts the philosophical position of agnosticism will hold that neither the belief that God exists nor the belief that God does not exist is rational."
- ↑ Multiple references:
- Smart, J. J. C. (August 8, 2011). "Atheism and agnosticism". The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2013 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.).
- Merriam-Webster dictionary: Atheism - a disbelief in the existence of deity; the doctrine that there is no deity. Origin of atheism: Middle French athéisme, from athée atheist, from Greek atheos godless, from a- + theos god [1]
- Atheism: a + theos, denying god, (Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology-1966).
- Sarfati, Jonathan, Ph.D. (23 June 2007). "Atheism is more rational?". See Creation Ministries International, Jonathan Sarfati.
- Day, Donn R. (2007). "Atheism - etymology".
- Definition of atheism by William Lane Craig
- Putting the Atheist on the Defensive by Kenneth R. Samples, Christian Research Institute Journal, Fall 1991, and Winter 1992, page 7.
- ↑ Day, Donn R. (2007). "Atheism - etymology".
- ↑ Definition of atheism by William Lane Craig
- ↑ Putting the Atheist on the Defensive by Kenneth R. Samples, Christian Research Institute Journal, Fall 1991, and Winter 1992, page 7.
- ↑ Britain is a less religious country than the United States and the online Oxford Dictionaries offers both the narrow/broad definitions of atheism (As noted in a previous footnote the Merriam-Webster dictionary, which is a traditional American dictionary, offers a more narrow definition of atheism similar to the definition that major encyclopedias of philosophy use). Oxford Dictionaries: Disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods.[2]
- ↑ Atheism, Webster-Merriam dictionary
- ↑ Atheism, Oxford online dictionary
- ↑ T. H. Huxley was also an early and influential supporter of Darwinism.
- ↑ London, Jack (1913), Martin Eden, Chapter 13
- ↑ [Atheism and Agnosticism], Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- ↑ Why Agnosticism Probably Doesn't Mean What You Think It Means by George Dvorsky
- ↑ http://www.greatcom.org/resources/secular_religions/ch01/default.htm
- ↑ Agnosticism by Shaun Doyle
- ↑ Laurence B. Brown (February 2008). MisGod'ed: A Roadmap of Guidance and Misguidance in the Abrahamic Religions.
- ↑ Studs Terkel, a self-described agnostic, jokingly referred to the frequent charge of agnostics being called cowardly, "You happen to be talking to an agnostic. You know what an agnostic is? A cowardly atheist".[3]
- ↑ Interview:Studs Terkel, PBS
- ↑ Richard Dawkins accused of cowardice for refusing to debate existence of God, The Daily Telegraph, May 14, 2011
- ↑ Richard Dawkins accused of cowardice for refusing to debate existence of God, The Daily Telegraph, May 14, 2011
- ↑ Richard Dawkins is either a fool or a coward for refusing to debate William Lane Craig - October 21, 2011 - The Daily Telegraph
- ↑ Richard Dawkins, the Cowardly Clown
- ↑ What is agnosticism?, Gotquestions.org
- ↑ Atheism Doesn't Lead to Immoral Behavior - Or Does It? by Richard Deem
- ↑ Practical outcomes replace biblical principles as the moral standard, Barna Group
- ↑ Aldous Huxley quote
- ↑ Agnostics need more support in coming out to family and friends By Lyndsay West
- ↑ "Nones" on the Rise - Demographics, Pew Forum
- ↑ "Nones" on the Rise - Demographics, Pew Forum
- ↑ Shall the Righteous Inherit the Earth? Demography and Politics in the Twenty-First Century by Eric Kaufmann
- ↑ The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050, Pew Research Forum
- ↑ Status of Global Christianity, 2015, in the Context of 1900–2050
- ↑ Shall the religious inherit the earth? - Eric Kaufmann
- ↑ Shall the Righteous Inherit the Earth? Demography and Politics in the Twenty-First Century by Eric Kaufmann
- ↑ http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/allnewsbydate.asp?NewsID=1131
- ↑ Table on the projected global shrinkage/growth of various worldviews including atheism and agnosticism (Source: Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary)
- ↑ Meyer on Phillip Johnson's Courage, ID the Future website, the account of the debate begins at the 4 minute 45 second portion of the audio recording
- ↑ The Making of an Atheist: How Immorality Leads to Unbelief By James Spiegel, page 72, Moody Publishers, 2010
- ↑ Russell, Bertrand (1947) Am I An Atheist Or An Agnostic? Most online sources say "by which one prove," probably a mistake.
- ↑ http://gregbahnsen.blogspot.com/2007/06/interlude-why-bertrand-russell-should.html
- ↑ http://gregbahnsen.blogspot.com/2007/06/interlude-why-bertrand-russell-should.html
- ↑ http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/teleological-arguments/notes.html
- ↑ http://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/entry-2109
- ↑ http://www.update.uu.se/~fbendz/library/cd_relig.htm
- ↑ http://www.update.uu.se/~fbendz/library/cd_relig.htm
- ↑ http://www.creation.com/content/view/1877
- ↑ Barrett, Paul H. Darwin on Man 1974:276
- ↑ American Scientist May 1977:323
- ↑ http://email@example.com/01cce4405c00501c2c38a&dpi=3&config=jstor British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, Volume 47, 1996, page 641
- ↑ http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/teleological-arguments/notes.html
- ↑ http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v17/i4/darwins_illness.asp
- ↑ http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v17/i4/darwins_illness.asp
- ↑ http://www.worldviewtimes.com/article.php/articleid-1739
- ↑ http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2007/03/20/a-review-of-the-dawkins-delusion-by-alister-mcgrath/
- ↑ Francis Crick, What Mad Pursuit: a Personal View of Scientific Discovery, Basic Books reprint edition, 1990, ISBN 0-465-09138-5, p. 145.
- ↑ https://townhall.com/columnists/AnnCoulter/2010/04/21/wouldnt_a_miniseries_on_attila_the_hun_explain_nancy_pelosi?page=2


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Sub-Total £0.00
Delivery to Shropshire
SEO delivery location module. Shropshire
Find a wide range of Watches to buy online at Trueloaded.co.uk. UK delivery or collect in-store.
Delivery to Shropshire. You can order online 7 days a week and you can also order online on the website 24 hours,7 days a week.
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands of England, bordering Wales to the west, Cheshire to the north, Staffordshire to the east, and Worcestershire and Herefordshire to the south.


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- Supervision newsletter
Securitisations: meeting significant risk transfer criteria
18 May 2022
Securitisation allows banks to transfer the risk of certain exposures and free up lending capacity, as regulatory capital may be released and used for loans to the real economy. But this capital can only be released if the securitisation transaction meets significant risk transfer (SRT) criteria as laid down in prudential regulation, and supervisors check on banks' compliance with these criteria. The banks are required to notify the ECB at least three months in advance of the expected closing date of the transaction. After supervisors have received this notification, they will start assessing whether the significant risk transfer criteria are met.
SRT transactions can be done with performing and non-performing assets. Banks that securitise performing assets typically pursue capital release, while securitisations of non-performing assets mainly intend to clean the balance sheet of the bank. Banks may use cash or synthetic securitisation structures in SRT transactions: if banks use cash structures, they sell the underlying loans and thereby remove them from their balance sheets. In a synthetic structure, they transfer the risk via credit derivatives or guarantees but keep holding the underlying exposures. A significant majority of performing asset SRT transactions are synthetic, while most SRT transactions with non-performing loans are done via cash transactions.
Since 2018, the number and notional volume of transactions have increased, for both performing and non-performing assets. During this period, around 30 banks were active in transactions with performing loans and 13 banks securitised non-performing loans. The notional volume of securitisations of performing loans peaked at EUR 142 billion in 2019, dropped significantly during the pandemic but picked up again in 2021, reaching EUR 104 billion. For securitisations with non-performing loans, the notional volume reached a record high of EUR 60 billion in 2021, a steep increase compared to previous years.
Evolution of the SRT market: transactions with performing loans
Evolution of the SRT market: transactions with non-performing loans
European banking supervision grants SRT following a comprehensive review of the transaction, in line with the rules laid down in the Capital Requirements Regulation (Article 244 for cash transactions and Article 245 for synthetic transactions) and supported by Guidelines issued by the European Banking Authority. Once supervisors confirm that a significant risk transfer is in place, the bank stops reserving capital for the underlying portfolio and starts allocating capital for the securitisation tranches that it must keep on its books. The overall net effect is that the bank saves capital, as capital requirements for retained securitisation tranches are lower than those for the (non-securitised) underlying portfolio.
Supervisors keep a close eye on securitisations as not every transaction may be successful, potentially harming the bank: if a bank does not sell all the securitisation positions, it will hold these tranches on its books, thus keeping some of the risk. This risk may materialise if effective losses are higher than the losses estimated at the time the bank originated the securitisation transaction. In that situation, the bank may face an ad hoc capital need which can only be covered if the bank has extra capital available for unforeseen situations. If not, the bank could experience a capital shortfall, which is detrimental to its financial soundness.
This is why it is crucial to ensure that banks have a robust SRT set-up, not only at origination but also throughout the life of the transaction. Meeting the SRT criteria throughout the life of the transaction supports healthy capital levels of banks. European banking supervision thus regularly assesses structural features of securitisations, such as granularity, amortisation, call options, excess spread and early-termination events. In addition, supervisors review the performance of outstanding SRT transactions on an ongoing basis. If they detect deficiencies, banks will be asked to address these.
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- Sonnemannstrasse 20
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- +49 69 1344 7455
- email@example.com
Razmnoževanje je dovoljeno pod pogojem, da je naveden vir.
Kontakti za medije


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Available in luscious, glazed solid colorways, Madelinetosh Tosh Sock is a 100% Superwash Merino wool. With a generous 395 yards per skein, this fingering-weight yarn comes with enough yardage to complete a woman's size large pair of socks! Each squishy soft skein of the Madelinetosh Tosh Sock is hand-dyed in small dye lots and machine washable.Interested in a color shown here, but we don't have enough in stock? Just place an order, and we will let you know how long it will take to arrive.Please Note: Dyed by hand in small batches, Madelinetosh yarns do not come in dye lots. We do our best to visually match hanks for each order and will contact you via email if one or more hanks differ noticeably from the others. The beauty of hand-dyed yarns is that each hank is a unique work of art, so please be aware that there can be a variation in coloring, hue, and saturation, even within the same dye batch. If you have any questions, give us a call or check out hand-dyed yarn guide!
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Asking City Residents for Help with Potential Flooding
With the recent warm weather, rapid snow melt, and heavy rains predicted for Thursday, Feburary 20, 2014, the City is asking residents to help by uncovering the catch basins in front of their properties. This will help keep the floooding down by letting the wter drain into the storm sewers. Please clear them of snow, ice, and debris.
Submitted by: City Engineer


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Spiced Shawarma Chicken Wraps
It's time for the second installment of the mid-east feast (read about the zucchini fritters from last week)! This week's recipe is for Spiced Shawarma Chicken Wraps. I was very intrigued by this recipe when I saw the great variety of spices it called for and I had to make a quick run to the grocery store for a few of the more interesting ones. The combination of spices ended up being absolutely perfect, and I couldn't believe how full of flavor the chicken was. I was in a rush making this, so I unfortunately I had to skip some of accompaniments to these wraps. In her cookbook, Faith has some great recipes for homemade pickles and garlic mayonnaise that sound really good! But if, like me, you're running short on time, these wraps taste great on their own. The chicken is tender, and the whole thing has a ton of flavor. Mike loved this, and I can't wait to make it again, this time with all the extras!
Spiced Shawarma Chicken Wraps
1 batch Shawarma Spice Mix (recipe below)
1/2 cup (125 ml) plain yogurt
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 lb (1 kg) boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for sautéing
flatbread, for serving
Shawarma Spice Mix
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground fenugreek
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne) (optional)
Prepare the Shawarma Spice Mix. Combine the spice mix with the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and salt in a large bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 2 to 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 350°F and spread 1 tablespoon of oil on the inside of a large baking dish. Scrape off any excess marinade from the chicken with your hands. Starting in the center of the oiled dish, arrange the chicken so that it overlaps, and drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil on top. Bake (uncovered) 1 hour, or until the chicken is fully cooked; cool. (It's done when you cut into the center and there is no pink.)
Remove the chicken from the pan and transfer it to a large cutting board; slice it very thinly across the grain, then transfer it back into the pan it was cooked in to soak up the juices (the chicken can be refrigerated this way for up to 3 days before continuing with the rest of the recipe, or you can continue after 10 minutes).
Coat the bottom of a large skillet over medium-high heat with oil. Once hot, add the sliced chicken and sauté until crispy and golden brown (you may need to sauté the chicken in two or three batches so the pan isn't overcrowded).
Add some chicken in the center of each piece of bread; (and any other vegetables you like) and roll it up. Toast the sandwiches on a dry griddle or a flat sandwich press so that the bread gets golden brown and slightly crispy. Serve as is, or cut into small rounds; serve with additional Garlic Mayonnaise for dipping.
from An Edible Mosaic


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What's On
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Dan Sharkey – Live in our Alfresco Area!
October 8, 2023 @ 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
An outstanding singer and guitarist, Dan is renowned for his ability to switch from one style to another at the drop of a G chord with plenty of laughs and surprises along the way. For more than two decades Dan has been one of the most popular entertainers in Sydney's Rocks Area.


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Ocean Cruising
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Maxi AyKasa Folding Crate - Orchid
These super cute stacking Aykasa folding crates are designed to create stylish storage space in your home. They are a great space saver and ideal for the clothes, toys and stationery of your children to organise their room, you can categorise everything in different coloured foldable crates to keep busy lives neat and tidy in a fun and colourful way.
Available in a variety of colours
Care: Food safe plastic, wipe clean
- Dimensions: 60 x 40 x 22 cm.
- Loading capacity: 22 kg.
- 100% recyclable.


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Cat No.: GB0320:
Once part of a larger volume The Six Home Counties Post Office Directory. This is one of the earliest directories published by Kelly's, and comes with a very detailed map of the county. The book lists all towns and villages (in alphabetical order), with their residents who have trades.
See also CD ref GB0354 Six Home Counties 1851 Post Office Court & Trade Directory
No. of CDs is: 1 ; Format is: PDF ; Searchable?: ;
FastFind: No; ISBN No.: unavailable;


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Andy Coulson has resigned as editor of the News of the World. This news comes a few hours after the NOTW royal editor Clive Goodman was jailed for intercepting phone calls from the Royal Family.
I have no idea if Coulson knew what was happening or not, but in a refreshing contrast to Government Ministers, Coulson has accepted responsibility for what Goodman did in his name. It happened on Coulson's watch, and he has taken the rap.
Maybe John Reid would like to take note. In this government everything is someone else's fault, as we all know. They operate by the lyrics to that most excellent Howard Jones song NO ONE EVER IS TO BLAME.


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Finally, a respite for both the Mitt Romney and Barack Obama campaigns. The Olympics begin this weekend in London, and both sides will be granted a reprieve from swing-state campaign trips, surprise visits to local diners, and daily hammering on insta-issues. Television cameras will focus across the pond, and for 17 days, both candidates' latest movement won't lead every news broadcast or front page.
But that doesn't mean they'll be taking time off. The Olympics are a time of intense patriotism for every competing country, America included. And as standard-bearers for the old Stars and Stripes rack up medals at the London Games, both Romney and Obama have sketched out intricate strategies to be associated with images of the U.S.A. at its best.
The Romney campaign, dogged by weeks of attacks on the candidate's personal finances, is eager to turn the page with an overseas trip focused on the Republican's would-be foreign policy. In a trip timed to coincide with the Games' beginnings, the former Olympics executive will appear at the opening ceremonies Friday evening in London, after a day of meetings with top British government ministers and opposition leaders. He has already scored an interview in London with Brian Williams of NBC, which is carrying the Games.
The strategy behind the trip is simple. Romney's team has privately mused about the boost Obama got in 2008 during a trip to Berlin, where Obama spoke in front of Berlin's Victory Column to 200,000 screaming Germans. The scene made him look adored. And judged by polling at the time, he also looked presidential.
Romney is then planning to visit Israel and Poland—a pair of countries, according to Romney, that "shares our love of liberty as well as the fortitude to defend it." All are opportunities for pensive photo-ops, but perhaps none more than Israel, a country whose survival is highly valued by American Jews and evangelicals. Trust in Romney among both groups has slumped compared with 2008, something that a well-photographed visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem might be able to fix.
Romney will give speeches in all three countries, at each port critiquing President Obama's foreign policy and priorities abroad. The ground will be ripe, especially after Obama's gaffe in May when he referred to "Polish death camps" during World War II, a statement that deeply offended the Polish government and that the White House later withdrew as a "misstatement." Romney is also expected to point out that Obama has yet to visit Israel as president. (The White House responds that Obama's commitment to Israel has been clear, that he visited as a candidate in 2008, and that he has welcomed top Israeli government officials to the White House many times since taking office. Officials also say he'll visit Israel during his second term.)
Obama's Olympics effort began last week, when he attended several exhibition basketball games in Washington and gave a reported pep talk to a handful of London-bound athletes. Seeking to avoid attacks that he's distracted from creating U.S. jobs, Obama won't attend the Games in London, sending his wife instead to lead a delegation of top U.S. officials. Obama will remain in the U.S., spending some time traveling on the campaign trail and other days at home working, all while enjoying what may be his only real downtime before the campaign revs up in earnest next month.
Obama's relationship with the Games has been rocky before, especially in 2009, when he traveled to Copenhagen to make a last-minute push to bring the Olympics to Chicago in 2016. After they were awarded to Rio de Janeiro instead, Obama ended up appearing as if he were unable to close the deal.
Romney's tour of Britain undoubtedly will play on the candidate's former role as the head of the U.S. Olympic Committee during the 2002 Games in Salt Lake, which Romney claims to have salvaged after their planning was plagued by poor management and unbalanced books. The Obama campaign has targeted that period of Romney's career, casting doubts about his concurrent role as the head of Bain Capital, which invested in several companies that shipped jobs overseas. One downside of Romney's trip, however, will be the focus on one of his wife's horses, Rafalca, that will be competing in the dressage events, a sport often noted for its heavily skewed popularity among wealthy people.
In the currency of media attention, it's Romney's week that appears to be the more competitive, assuring that voters back home will see images of a suited, smiling GOP candidate thoughtfully discussing America's interests abroad. The images are enough to have made the White House and Chicago campaign headquarters concerned. When Obama spoke in Berlin in 2008, he largely undercut the sitting U.S. president and appeared authoritative and in charge. Obama's team is hoping that Romney doesn't repay the favor.


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Dear Cecil: In your book The Straight Dope you were asked whether John Wayne had ever served in the military. You said no--that though Wayne as a youth had wanted to become a naval officer, "during World War II, he was rejected for military service." However, it may be more interesting than that. According to a recent Wayne bio, for all his vaunted patriotism, Wayne may actually have tried to stay out of the service. Virgiejo, via AOL
Cecil replies:
John Wayne, draft dodger? Oh, what delicious (if cheap) irony! But that judgment is a little harsh. As Garry Wills tells the story in his book John Wayne's America: The Politics of Celebrity (1997), the Duke faced a tough choice at the outset of World War II. If he wimped out, don't be so sure a lot of us wouldn't have done the same.
At the time of Pearl Harbor, Wayne was 34 years old. His marriage was on the rocks but he still had four kids to support. His career was taking off, in large part on the strength of his work in the classic western Stagecoach (1939). But he wasn't rich. Should he chuck it all and enlist? Many of Hollywood's big names, such as Henry Fonda, Jimmy Stewart, and Clark Gable, did just that. (Fonda, Wills points out, was 37 at the time and had a wife and three kids.) But these were established stars. Wayne knew that if he took a few years off for military service, there was a good chance that by the time he got back he'd be over the hill.
Besides, he specialized in the kind of movies a nation at war wanted to see, in which a rugged American hero overcame great odds. Recognizing that Hollywood was an important part of the war effort, Washington had told California draft boards to go easy on actors. Perhaps rationalizing that he could do more good at home, Wayne obtained 3-A status, "deferred for [family] dependency reasons." He told friends he'd enlist after he made just one or two more movies.
The real question is why he never did so. Wayne cranked out thirteen movies during the war, many with war-related themes. Most of the films were enormously successful and within a short time the Duke was one of America's most popular stars. His bankability now firmly established, he could have joined the military, secure in the knowledge that Hollywood would welcome him back later. He even made a half-hearted effort to sign up, sending in the paperwork to enlist in the naval photography unit commanded by a good friend, director John Ford.
But he didn't follow through. Nobody really knows why; Wayne didn't like to talk about it. A guy who prided himself on doing his own stunts, he doesn't seem to have lacked physical courage. One suspects he just found it was a lot more fun being a Hollywood hero than the real kind. Many movie star-soldiers had enlisted in the first flush of patriotism after Pearl Harbor. As the war ground on, slogging it out in the trenches seemed a lot less exciting. The movies, on the other hand, had put Wayne well on the way to becoming a legend. "Wayne increasingly came to embody the American fighting man," Wills writes. In late 1943 and early 1944 he entertained the troops in the Pacific theater as part of a USO tour. An intelligence bigshot asked him to give his impression of Douglas MacArthur. He was fawned over by the press when he got back. Meanwhile, he was having a torrid affair with a beautiful Mexican woman. How could military service compare with that?
In 1944, Wayne received a 2-A classification, "deferred in support of [the] national … interest." A month later the Selective Service decided to revoke many previous deferments and reclassified him 1-A. But Wayne's studio appealed and got his 2-A status reinstated until after the war ended.
People who knew Wayne say he felt bad about not having served. (During the war he'd gotten into a few fights with servicemen who wondered why he wasn't in uniform.) Some think his guilty conscience was one reason he became such a superpatriot later. The fact remains that the man who came to symbolize American patriotism and pride had a chance to do more than just act the part, and he let it pass.
Cecil Adams
Send questions to Cecil via firstname.lastname@example.com.


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No-Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake
serves 8
2 pounds fresh strawberries, washed
3 1/4 cups whipping cream, divided
1/3 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon rosewater (optional)
4 sleeves (about 19 ounces, or 24 to 28 whole crackers) graham crackers
2 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped
Take out a few of the best-looking strawberries and set them aside for the garnish. Hull the remainder of the strawberries and slice each berry into thin slices.
With a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, whip 3 cups of cream until it just holds stiff peaks. Add the confectioners sugar, vanilla, and rosewater (if using) and whip to combine.
Spread a small spoonful of whipped cream on the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking pan, or a similarly-sized platter. Lay down six graham crackers. Lightly cover the top of the graham crackers with more whipped cream, and then a single layer of strawberries. Repeat three times, until you have four layers of graham crackers. Spread the last of the whipped cream over the top and swirl it lightly with a spoon. Add a few more strawberries.
To make the ganache, heat the cream until bubbles form around the edges, then pour over the chopped chocolate. Let it stand for a few minutes, then whisk until the mixture is thick and glossy. Drizzle this over the layered dessert with a spoon, or transfer to a squeeze bottle and use that to drizzle.
Refrigerate for at least four hours, or until the crackers have softened completely. Garnish with additional berries.
via Summer Recipe: No-Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake | Apartment Therapy The Kitchn.


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It has been more than six months since Betsy DeVos was confirmed as education secretary after one of the most contentious Cabinet nomination battles in memory, and so we thought it worth an update on her major moves so far — and the public response.
School choice
DeVos is most associated with one idea: school choice. In particular, she has a record of supporting options other than traditional district public schools, such as charter schools, virtual schools, vouchers for private schools and home schooling. She has signaled that support as secretary by often visiting private and charter schools.
However, going all the way back to her confirmation, DeVos didn't actually advocate a stronger federal role in any area of education, including in expanding school choice. "The future of choice does not begin with a new federal mandate from Washington!" as sheput it recently in a speech at Harvard University.
President Trump's initial budget proposalsto expand money for charters and vouchers have been shot down in congressional committees; their fate is uncertain until Congress votes on the budget later this year. In the meantime, the department announced$253 million in grants to states for charter schools late last month — the continuation, at similar funding levels, of a program introduced in 2014.
For-profit colleges and student loans
Higher education is a source of research, innovation and inspiration and the training ground for America's future workforce. It is also a very big business, with student loan debt surpassing credit card debt.
And industry interests have been well-representedin DeVos' department.
In May, the top federal student aid official, an Obama appointee, suddenly resigned. His replacement, A. Wayne Johnson, was the CEO of a student loan company at the time he accepted the job. Julian Schmoke Jr., the department's new chief of student loan enforcement, has worked for a for-profit college.
DeVos is being sued by more than a dozen states for delaying a regulation designed to make it easier for defrauded student loan borrowers to get their money back, typically from for-profit colleges.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, formed after the financial crisis, has taken a lead role in consumer protection for students and student loan borrowers. Under President Barack Obama, CFPB shared information and cooperated on enforcement with the Education Department. At the end of August, the department terminated those arrangements. In a letter,department officialscalled the CFPB "overreaching and unaccountable."
Finally, Trump's education budget calls for phasing out Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Nearly half a million teachers, social workers, police officers and other public servants are enrolled in the decade-old program, with forgiveness set to begin this fall.
The department is being sued by some enrollees in the program. The latest motions in that case from the department assert that there has been no final decision on whether anyone will have their student debt erased under the program. A hearing scheduled for this week was postponed.
On the topic of student aid, one DeVos move with bipartisan fans has been the reintroduction of year-round Pell Grants.
Sexual assault on campus; transgender student rights
The Office of Civil Rights within the Department of Education is charged with enforcing anti-discrimination statutes, including Title IX, which prohibits discrimination against students on the basis of sex.
The Obama-era OCR stepped up enforcement and also used the bully pulpit, by issuing guidance to schools that they should affirmatively protect the rights of transgender students and actively investigate complaints of sexual assault and harassment on campus.
DeVos and her OCR appointee Candice Jackson have made headlines by rolling this guidance back. They have also indicated that open investigations will be wrapped up more quickly.
With regard to campus sexual assault, DeVos has spoken about the need to balance the interests of the accused with those of victims in statements that some survivors' groups likened to sweeping sexual assault under the rug.
That said, some legal experts have argued that the Obama guidance was taken too far in some cases, with negative impacts on due process, free speech and academic freedom on campuses. Others have already weighed inwith recommendations about making the process more fair and transparent.
Interim guidance, released in late September, focuses on "prompt," "impartial" and "equitable" resolution of complaints. It also gives colleges discretion to apply either a "preponderance of the evidence" standard or a higher "clear and convincing evidence" standard to complaints. The latter places a greater burden of proof on accusers.
Polls and protests
DeVos' nomination drew more opposition, by volume, than that of any other Cabinet member. In February, we explored some potential reasons why.
A poll out from Politico/Morning Consult on Sept. 27indicates that not much has changed. DeVos came in as the least popular Cabinet member with a 28 percent favorable and 40 percent unfavorable rating. (Not included is Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, who resigned after a scandal involving chartered flights).
Agree or disagree w @BetsyDeVos on any issue, but let's all agree she really needs to be in public schools. Please let her in.
— Arne Duncan (@arneduncan) February 10, 2017
DeVos has a stepped-up security detail compared with previous education secretaries. Whether the venue is Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, a commencement ceremony at the historically black Bethune-Cookman University, a conservative policy conference or an otherwise-routine school visit, she has drawn loud dissent.
Arne Duncan, who served as education secretary under Obama, faced down his own protesters from time to time. He spoke out to defend DeVos when she was physically prevented from entering a school in Washington, D.C., shortly after her confirmation.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Courtesy: W.B. State Archeo. Museum |
Have you heard of:
Chandraketugarh or Khana-Mihirer Dhipi?There is a fascinating place near Kolkata (West Bengal, India) where a bustling town from the days of Emperor Asoka is buried under the present day ricefields and village cottages. If you go there, you won't see much at first. But look down on the ground you're walking on, and you'll see something unusual. The ground appears strewn with a variety of potsherds. In fact, whenever the ground of Chandraketugarh is dug to build a house or to dig a pond, a variety of elegant and sophisticated artifacts is routinely unearthed. All available information points to a mature civilization centered around a busy port, which started flourishing in this area more than 2000 years ago. Indeed, it is thought to belong to the kingdom of a "mighty ruler" of whom Alexander the Great was familiar. Plutarch wrote about a powerful tribe called "Gangaridae" living near a prosperous port "Gange" in the Gangetic delta. From geographical description the Chandraketugarh area can be linked to this port. The inhabitants of Chandraketugarh achieved spectacular artistic refinement and created artifacts of exquisite beauty. Influence of foreign art raises intriguing questions. The numerous materials collected from this site point to a rich cultural and social life. Why did it vanish without a trace? We embark upon a journey to learn more, especially through the terracotta art of Chandraketugarh. |
Take a look at the photo below. We see a cyclist happily riding on a country road, through, which seems like two unassuming mounds of the kind we see everywhere in India. But these are no simple mounds! Buried under these mounds are the fortified ramparts of an ancient community -- the fort of King Chandraketu. The cyclist is unknowingly passing through what used to be one of its main entrances. The mound on the right is now called the "burz", and probably used to be a sentry tower. Archeologists have excavated numerous items dating back to the 3rd Century BC (the Pre-Mauryan Era in India) from the bottom of these ramparts and the surrounding area. |
I took the above photo at a place called Berachampa
(the site of Chandraketugarh) about 38
km northeast of Kolkata (India). The person seen in the photo probably lives
close by, and almost certainly doesn't know anything about the history
of the place.
Unfortunately, we don't know a whole lot either. There is no written record of this civilization. More mysterious is the fact that it vanished leaving no social memory in the surrounding area other than some local mythologies. Yet, there is no doubt that the civilization reached a very high level of sophistication (not possible in a short span of time) evidenced by the enormous amount of artifacts it is still routinely generating. Sounds interesting? Follow me through these pages and I will present you the fascinating facts and several photo albums of my journey to this place. |
Only a few kilometers from where I took the above photo, there are the ruins of a massive temple structure. Locally called the Khana-Mihirer Dhipi or the mound of Khana-Mihir, it has survived for almost a millenium in the form of another deserted mound. An excavation in the 1950s uncovered the structure (see the photos below). No one knows for sure how or when the names of Khana (pronounced khauna) and Barahamihir came to be associated with it. Barahamihir was one of the nine jewels in the court the famous Indian emperor Vikramaditya (also known as Chandragupta-II). Khana was his wife (daughter-in-law, according to another opinion). The ruins are now conjectured to belong to a Vishnu temple from the Gupta period. Who built the temple? Did it simply decay because of neglect or was it destroyed? We don't know. However, the temple complex was likely inside the fortification that we see at Chandraketugarh. For more details and a journey to this place. |
Wikipedia page on Chandraketugarh: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandraketugarh |
If you have any question, please contact me at firstname.lastname@example.com
Last Revised July 18, 2022


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This week, once more, we find mortgage rates are on a downward trajectory. Conforming mortgage rates have returned to near all-time lows. After Friday morning's Non-Farm Payrolls report, however, those low rates may come to an end.
It's a risky time for Florida home buyers and would-be refinancers to be without a locked rate.
Each month, on the first Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its Non-Farm Payrolls report for the month prior. More commonly called the "jobs report", Non-Farm Payrolls provides a sector-by-sector employment breakdown, and the nation's Unemployment Rate.
In December 2011, the government reported 200,000 net new jobs created, and an Unemployment Rate of 8.5%.
For January 2012, economists project 135,000 net new jobs with no change in the Unemployment Rate and, depending on how accurate those predictions are proved, FHA and conforming mortgage rates for homes in Parkland & Coral Springs are subject to change. The monthly jobs reports tends to have an out-sized influence on the direction of daily mortgage rates.
The connection between jobs and mortgage rates is fairly direct.
Job growth is a key cog in the economic growth engine and mortgage rates change daily based on short- and long-term economic expectation. As more people join the workforce, economic expectations change; the economy tends to expand, breeding optimism among investment. When this occurs, it often spurs investment in the stock market, which tends to leads mortgage rates up.
In short, in a recovering economy, when job growth is strong, all things equal, mortgage rates rise. Home affordability suffers.
So, for today's rate shoppers, Friday's job report represents a risk. The economy has added jobs over 15 straight months, a streak that's added 2.1 million people to the workforce. Although the jobs market remains weak and well off its peaks from last decade, a 15-month streak is worth watching. More jobs means more more income earned nationwide, more money spent by households, and more taxes collected by governments.
These items build a foundation for economic growth and Wall Street is watching.
If tomorrow's Non-Farm Payrolls shows more jobs created than the estimated 135,000, mortgage rates are expected to rise. If the jobs figures falls short, mortgage rates should fall.
The Non-Farm Payrolls report is released at 8:30 AM ET.
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text:
The Blockchain Development Fundamentals Bundle
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Course Curriculum
115 Lessons (9h)
- Your First Program
- 00 Course Overview00 Course Overview8:1201 What You'll Need6:11
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- 01B Introduction to JavaScript - 01. Introduction to the Course01 01 Introduction To The Course3:43Source Files
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- 01B - 08. JavaScript Execution08 01 What Will We Learn In This Section-10:5208 02 Javasript Parsers And Engines-25:1908 03 Execution Contexts And Execution Stack-32:2608 04 Creation And Execution Phases-46:2308 05 Hoisting-52:1308 06 Scoping-64:5208 07 Scope Chain-73:2008 08 This Keyword-84:1608 09 Coding Challenge-90:4608 10 Coding Challenge Solution-103:2108 11 Section Summary-110:47Source Files
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Why use it?
JangoSMTP is the first SMTP relay service to offer open and click tracking. It also comes with a variety of features that contribute to its extreme deliverability:
- DomainKeys/DKIM Signing
- SPF/SenderID Authentication
- Sender Score Certification
- Feedback Loops with ISPs
Who is it for?
JangoSMTP can be utilized by users of desktop email clients (Outlook, Thunderbird, etc.), Gmail users, and web programmers who send transactional emails through their own corporate servers.
Where can I learn more?
Go to http://www.jangosmtp.com/ for more information or Contact Us directly.


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We keep you up to date on the latest tax changes and news in the industry.
According to one recent study, plant-based foods are now available in about 53% of households in the United States. Roughly 35% of Americans say that they've consumed some type of plant-based food in the last year, and of that number, 90% say that would happily do so in the future. All told, searches on engines like Google for plant-based recipes are up an incredible 85% year-over-year - pointing to a trend that shows absolutely no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Statistics like these help highlight why Oatly - a company that bills itself as "the original oat milk company" - is so popular right now. But as an organization specializing in non-dairy beverages, it's safe to say that they were hardly an overnight success. Over 25 years ago, Oatly was little more than a niche startup specialized in alternatives to milk, ice cream, yogurt, cooking creams, and similar types of products. A few decades and one deal with Starbucks later and Oatly has transformed into a company with a $10 billion IPO.
Oatly: The Story So Far
Oat milk in general began life in the early 1990s after being developed by Rickard Oste, a food scientist and Lund University. He developed it after extensive research on the topics of lactose intolerance and sustainable food systems.
Oatly bills itself as "the world's original and largest oat drink company," and when you consider the amount of success that it's had over the years, it's certainly hard to argue with that sentiment. Since 1994, they've exclusively focused on developing first-class expertise around all things oats. Oats are a global power crop with inherent properties suited for both sustainability and human health and, sensing the way things were shifting towards organizations with a more environmentally-friendly slant, it's clear that this decision was a good one.
But when the product originally launched, it "languished" according to Oste. "Nobody wanted it," he was quoted as saying in an interview with The New Yorker.
Still, he persisted. And it's a good thing that he did.
Oatly is headquartered in Sweden. As a brand, its products are available in more than 20 different countries around the world. But it was a focus towards the United States that began to take hold nearly a decade ago that truly cemented the position it enjoys today.
In an effort to get its products in front of as many people as possible, Oatly started with those who could advocate for them: baristas. In 2021, Oatly CEO Toni Petersson sent cases of a special "barista-edition" product to the trendiest coffee shops he could find in many major American cities.
To say that this effort gave way to a success story is, at this point, a little bit of an understatement. Almost immediately, Oatly found what would become its first major launch partner in the region: Intelligentsia Coffee. But even expanding beyond that, Oatly became an almost constant presence in barista-made foamed espresso drinks around the country. As soon as those drinks became popular enough with consumers, suddenly everyone wanted oat milk in their own homes - which is exactly when their grasp on the market began to take hold.
Flash forward just a few years to 2018 and Oatly products were found in more than 1,000 different coffee shops. But at the same time, the company debuted its products in grocery store chains like Wegmans and ShopRite. It was regularly achieving $110 million in sales and by just a year later, Oatly's products were available to purchase in 2,500 grocery stores, too.
Of course, none of this is to say that Oatly hasn't faced challenges over the years - because it certainly has. After becoming the "number two milk alternative in all of Europe", Oatly first debuted in New York City in 2016. Within six months, the entire city was out of stock - that's right, you literally couldn't get oat milk in all of Manhattan. At the time, customers were beside themselves. They didn't like the fact that something that caught on so quickly could fade away just as fast. The company couldn't keep up with demand and had to adjust its supply chain efforts to empower its rapid expansion around the world.
Still, Oatly's general manager Mike Messersmith had a theory that periodic shortages were actually what made up a big part of the company's charm. He indicated in an interview with The New Yorker that every time the product became scarce, demand would only get higher. People weren't giving up on the product - they were becoming more loyal to it. Likewise, the oat milk process is nothing if not specific. You really do have to strike that perfect balance between "speed" and "quality" and trust the process. But that's exactly what consumers expect - and that's precisely what Oatly is trying to give them.
In the end, Oatly is nothing if not a shining example of an entrepreneur success story for a few reasons. For starters, it began life as a company that may very well be the example of "the right product at the wrong time." In 1994, the priority for sustainable living was nothing like it is now. But still, Oatly persevered and waited for the marketplace to catch up to its concept. Once it did, their success was overwhelming - and it seems poised to continue to be that way for years to come.
Each month, we will send you a roundup of our latest blog content covering the tax and accounting tips & insights you need to know.
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Typically, buying a house represents the single greatest investment and debt.Adequate research, knowing what you want and what you can afford, and the help of a real estate professional agent are the keys to the best outcome.
Know what your reasons for purchasing are, and decide the type of home, neighborhood, and features that you want. Because the buying and financing of homes are fundamentally linked, you will also need to examine your current financial situation and understand what you can afford realistically.
You'll be in a better position to research housing and mortgage options once you're clear on the above, and create a plan of action with timelines to move forward. While it's possible to do this on your own, you may benefit by taking the consultation of an experienced real estate professional right from the beginning.
Contact a genuine real estate professional once you've agreed to purchase. A professional agent will direct you through the property search, financing, negotiation, and transactions. Consider their awareness of the local market, experience, and track record when evaluating potential agents.
Before you begin looking at homes in earnest, it is important to get pre-qualified for a loan. The Pre-Approval method involves meeting and authorizing a lender to examine your current financial situation and credit history. Based on this examination, the lender may provide you with a document detailing the amount you are pre-qualified to borrow to buy a home.
Financing is available from many sources and it should be possible for your professional agent to suggest lenders with a history of offering excellent products and services for mortgages.
Knowing what you want helps in a home search. You can view homes, see photos, take videos, and access neighborhood information with today's mobile apps and online real estate websites.
However, to look at homes in person is very important. Although the specifics of the property can appear similar, homes can be very different in terms of layout, architecture, workmanship, and other aspects. Ideally, you should view homes with the help of an experienced real estate professional who may notice things you might miss, provide professional analysis, and act as an unbiased sounding board.
It's time to make an offer when you've found the home you'd like to buy. Your state or local real estate association probably has contracts that are commonly used for transactions in your area. These contracts enable you to set a selling price and also allow the inclusion of clauses specifying different terms of purchase, such as the closing and possession dates, your deposit amount, and other conditions. Through your real estate professional, you can carefully check these clauses to make sure they express your intended offer.
Successive counter-offers can be exchanged, with deadlines for responding and meeting conditions until a mutual pending agreement is reached or the negotiations breakdown between you and the seller. Negotiations involve a variety of considerations linked to various market conditions, homes and sellers, and other variables that a professional agent can handle with ease.
Key steps to be followed before closing