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North Korea says we've declared war on them, and the market didn't really care. Aside from that there was so much to digest I don't know where to start other than at the beginning. Asian markets were mixed on election results in New Zealand and Germany. New Zealand's Nationalist Party won their election although by a smaller than expected margin while in Germany Angela Merkel's won here election with similar results. Both causing their respective currencies to fall versus the dollar as political uncertainty remains.
Japanese politics didn't help any as PM Shinzo Abe has announced a $17 billion dollar stimulus package and the dissolution of the lower house of parliament. He is seeking a stronger mandate to push further reforms. Indices throughout both regions made small moves for the most part; results were mixed, some closing up and some down. Japan led in Asia with a gain near 0.5% while Germany led in Europe with a more modest 0.03%. The Hang Send led losses with a decline of -1.36% while losses in Europe were closer to -0.30%.
Market Statistics
Futures trading indicated a slightly lower open for most of the morning. The SPX was indicated to lose about 3 points at the open with little to support it in the early hours. The open was calm, surprisingly calm in retrospect, trading near perfectly flat for a half hour before a brief rally moved up to test break even. About this time, just before 10:30AM, news from North Korea hit the wires with comments from a minister that Trump had declared war on it. This news caused a fast and rapid sell-off that left the index down about -12 points. Bottom was hit at 2,490 at which level a double bottom formed. This resulted in a move higher but less than half the days losses were recouped. By 2:45 the index was heading lower again but support was quickly found. Another bounce had it moving up by the close but still not enough to recoup the days losses.
Economic Calendar
The Economy
Not much in the way of data this morning, just the Chicago Fed's Activity Index. The index came in at -0.31%, falling from last month's 0.03%, but remains in line with economic trend. The indicator is a composite of some 85 indicators and a broad measure of the economy. It is reported in four broad categories of which 2 fell this month and 2 provided negative impact. The categories are Production and Income, Spending and Housing, Employment/unemployment and hours, and Sales, Orders and Inventories. Production and spending both contributed negatively, production fell. Employment and sales both contributed positively but employment fell.
Moody's Survey of Business Confidence gained 0.1% this week to hit 30.8%. This is a 3 week high and the 2nd week of recovery since the last dip. Mr. Zandi says the index shows global business sentiment is strong and stable as it has been all year, and that forward outlook is even stronger.
The 3rd quarter earnings cycle has begun but there are still a few weeks until peak season. So far 6 S&P 500 companies have reported with 4 beating on earnings and 4 beating on revenue. The blended rate of growth is now 4.2%, the lowest it's been in the 6 month's of data I have available. Now that the season has started, based on long running averages, we can expect to see this rise over the next 2 months with a final rate somewhere in the range of 8.5% to 9.5%.
Forward earnings outlook has firmed and likely to rise soon. This is because the energy sector is expected to lead with earnings growth in the range of 110%. With oil prices on the rise forward outlook will likely rise as well, dragging the all-index expectation with it. That being said 4th quarter outlook held steady at +11.1%, as did Q1 2018 at 10.3%. Q2 2018 fell from 10.2% to 10.1%. Full year 2017 held steady at 9.6% while full year 2018 ticked lower to 11%. Bottom line, estimates have fallen from their highs and may fall further but forward outlook is positive and strong.
The Dollar Index
The Dollar Index got a boost today that only threats from North Korea could contain. The elections in Germany and New Zealand both weakened their currencies versus the dollar while the stimulus package and snap-elections in Japan have driven another wedge between BOJ and FOMC policy. The dollar index gained a little more than a half percent to trade at the $92.50 resistance line. The index is in a consolidation within a down trend that may turn out to be a bottom. A break above resistance would be bullish in the near term at least with a chance of moving higher short to long term. If it is able to break out of this pattern and move higher next resistance is at $92.75 and then near $93.50.
The Gold Index
Gold prices had been down and trading under $1300 on a strong dollar. Then the North Korea news sent a jolt through the market and unleashed a small flood of safe-haven seekers. This drove the metal up more than 1% to trade above $1,310 but the move does not look sustainable. More North Korea news could support in the near term but near to short term outlook for the dollar is bullish so gains in gold will likely be limited and could easily reverse.
The gold miners got a boost from gold's gains. The miners ETF GDX rose nearly 1.5% creating a long green candle moving up from support and capped by resistance. Support is the long term moving average near $23, resistance is the short term moving average near $23.75 and a previous level of resistance within the long term trading range. The indicators are rolling into a bullish signal that has yet to confirm. A move above resistance would be bullish but only near term with next target at $24.75. Gold may move higher near term, longer term it looks firmly range bound.
The Oil Index
The oil price move up today and set a 5 month high. The price gained nearly 3% to trade above $52 as a number of bullish catalyst work their way through the market. The first is expectations for OPEC to extend its production cut. The second is an increase of demand forecast by OPEC and others for this year and next. Third are signs from the CFTC that hedge funds are getting increasingly bullish on oil prices. Long term prices may remain low relative to the peak but near term is bullish with upside target at $55.
The Oil Index gained about 1.5% to create a long green bodied candle and set another new high. The index has now moved higher for 22 of 25 days and showing evidence of steady, continued and strong buying within the sector. There may be a pullback, if there is it'll be a buying op, but I don't know that it's going to happen anytime soon without a dip in oil prices. The sector was expecting 100% earnings growth on $45 oil, now that prices are moving up forward expectations for the sector will grow. The play for now may be to sell puts, make some cash up front with a chance to buy on a dip.
In The News, Story Stocks and Earnings
Apple fell another -1% today as reportedly tells it suppliers to slow down on iPhoneX production. The news is yet another slam to iPhone bulls who were betting on a big roll out. Today's action brings the stock down to just above support targets at the long term moving average and in a range where long term investors may begin to get interested again. The indicators are bearish and gaining strength so I would expect to see support tested and possibly retested before bouncing. The long term trend is still up and this is Apple we're talking about.
Target announced it would raise its minimum wage to $11 in October and to include seasonal holiday employees in the new wage. The company is going to raise it further over the next few years with a target of $15 by 2020. The news did not seem to phase investors, I'd have thought the idea of lower profits or higher prices for product would scare people off. The stock fell early, opened at support and then rose throughout the day. The candle is small but green, confirming support at the long term moving average. The short term moving average is just below the longer term and looks like it could crossover in the near term.
The VIX spiked today but it doesn't look like it will develop into much yet. The move created a medium sized candle with long upper shadow testing resistance near the short term moving average and the $11 level. The indicators are rolling over and showing a bullish buy signal so resistance may be tested again. A move above $12 would be bullish and consistent with correction. So long as it doesn't go above $16 any correction that may come will likely be short and shallow.
The Indices
The indices began the day tentatively, there is a lot going on without North Korean antics and reason enough to be wary. The North Korean news sent the market moving lower but the move was a head-fake. By the end of the day the candles were looking optimistic and one index in particular set a new high. The Dow Jones Transportation Average gained 0.11% and is now a hairs breadth away from tickling its all time high. The index is drifting up following the break of a near term continuation pattern. The indicators are bullish and on the rise with positive forward economic outlook so I am bullish. That being said resistance is at the all time high and may cause consolidation or pull back, if so I would view it as a buying opportunity.
The NASDAQ Composite fell the hardest, -0.87%, and created a smallish red bodied candle with visible lower shadow. Today's candle tests support at the short term moving average and at least indicates there is some there. I'd say it confirms if not for the close below the moving average and the bearish indicators. The indicators are pointing lower after bearish crossovers and consistent with a test of support and/or move lower. A confirmed break of the moving average would be bearish with downside target near 6,250 and the long term up trend line. A bounce form the short term moving average would confirm support, be bullish and trend following.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average made the 2nd largest decline, -0.23%. The blue chips created a small hammer doji sitting on a long term up trend line and a small test of support. The indicators are consistent with a crest within an up trend but have not yet turned bearish. Support is the up trend line in the near term, a break below there may not fall far as the short term moving average is just below. A break below that would be more bearish with downside target near near 21,750. A bounce from the up trend line would be bullish, trend following and confirm support.
The S&P 500 closed with a loss of -0.22% and just ahead of the blue chips. The broad market created a small hammer like doji candle just above the short term moving average. Today's action is bearish in the near term and a test of support. The indicators are consistent with this test and suggest a move down to the moving average at 2,380 may be possible. A break below 2,380 could take it down to the long term trend line near 2,450. A bounce from current levels and/or the short term moving average would be bullish and trend following.
Today's news was mainly geopolitical, had little impact on economic or growth outlook and was shrugged off by the market. The indices themselves are a bit mixed but generally consistent with consolidation and rotation within an up trend. We may see today's weakness develop into a stronger test of support but at this time it does not look like a major correction is brewing. With earnings season at hand and expectations for this quarter, next quarter and all of next year I just don't see any reason to sell other than on news or some development that hasn't happened yet (to my knowledge). I am bullish for the long term and eyeing this dip as a buying opportunity for the near term.
Until then, remember the trend!
Thomas Hughes
There is a buying opportunity in our future if we are patient. Using better judgment means not rushing into weak markets. The indexes retreated farther away from the recent highs and there are a lot of broken charts. We are in the most volatile three-week period of the year and even without the political cliffhangers, there is plenty of risk. I am glad to see the market pullback but that does not mean I want to catch a falling knife. S&P futures are down -3.50 as I type this. There is no rush to enter new positions and I saw nothing in my scans today that was screaming buy me.
NEW BULLISH Plays
No New Bullish Plays
NEW BEARISH Plays
No New Bearish Plays
Editors Note:
The Russell 2000 only gained 1 point but it was a new high. The Russell posted a gain when all the rest of the indexes were down. The Dow lost 53 points and Nasdaq 56 points. The S&P was slightly better at -5 points. The Russell was the star performer but posted only minor gains.
The Nasdaq was down hard with all the big cap tech stocks posting large losses. A noted analyst warned he was seeing a slowdown in the semiconductor sector and all the chip stocks crashed.
Stop Loss Updates
Check the graphic below for any new stop losses in bright yellow.
We need to always be prepared for an unexpected decline.
Profit Targets
Check the graphic below for any profit stops in green.
We need to always be prepared for a profit exit at resistance.
AMD - Advanced Micro
The long call position was entered at the open.
HIMX - Himax
The long stock position was stopped at $9.65.
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BULLISH Play Updates
AMD - Advanced Micro Devices - Company Profile
AMD and Nvidia declined after Intel announced the next generation in the Core CPU line for desktops. This 8th generation Core-i7-8700K is the bet gaming processor ever with an internal clock frequency of 4.7 Ghz and Intel's fastest ever. They will also support 4K video. This is a challenge for AMD but the company is still ahead of Intel in the GPU race.
Original Trade Description: Sept 23rd
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. operates as a semiconductor company worldwide. Its primarily offers x86 microprocessors as an accelerated processing unit (APU), chipsets, discrete graphics processing units (GPUs), and professional graphics; and server and embedded processors, and semi-custom System-on-Chip (SoC) products and technology for game consoles. The company provides x86 microprocessors for desktop PCs under the AMD A-Series, AMD E-Series, AMD FX CPU, AMD Athlon CPU and APU, AMD Sempron APU and CPU, and AMD Pro A-Series APU brands; and microprocessors for notebook and 2-in-1s under the AMD A-Series, AMD E-Series, AMD C-Series, AMD Z-Series, AMD FX APU, AMD Phenom, AMD Athlon CPU and APU, AMD Turion, and AMD Sempron APU and CPU brand names. It also offers chipsets with and without integrated graphics features for desktop, notebook PCs, and servers, as well as controller hub-based chipsets for its APUs under the AMD brand; and AMD PRO mobile and desktop PC solutions. In addition, the company provides discrete GPUs for desktop and notebook PCs under the AMD Radeon brand; professional graphics products under the AMD FirePro brand name; and customer-specific solutions based on AMD's CPU, GPU, and multi-media technologies. Further, it offers microprocessors for server platforms under the AMD Opteron; embedded processor solutions for interactive digital signage, casino gaming, and medical imaging under the AMD Opteron, AMD Athlon, AMD Sempron, AMD Geode, AMD R-Series, and G-Series brand names; and semi-custom SoC products that power the Sony Playstation 4, Microsoft Xbox One, and Xbox One S game consoles. Company description from FinViz.com.
Expected earnings Oct 24th.
Nvidia (NVDA) shares were rocked last week after news broke that Tesla was looking at moving to AMD and away from Nvidia for the chips to power the autonomous driving functions. The initial headline saw AMD spike and Nvidia decline. The actual story is that AMD and Nvidia are partnering on creating a chip solution for Tesla. It is no surprise that AMD is in the mix because Tesla hired Jim Keller to lead development of Autopilot. Keller previously worked at AMD and led the development of the Zen architecture and the new Ryzen processors.
It appears that Nvidia and AMD have a team of about 50 engineers working to develop a comprehensive solution for Tesla. Here is where it gets interesting. I would not be surprised to see Tesla make an acquisition bid for AMD. The company only has a $13 billion market cap compared to $110 billion for Nvidia. AMD has a lot of products that are different from the Nvidia product line even though they both make GPUs. AMD has only existed for years as a foil for Intel. The bigger company could not be considered a monopoly as long as AMD existed. Now with Qualcomm getting into the processor market and AMD and Nvidia in a high tech partnership, it would make sense for Nvidia to acquire AMD. Since GPUs are a small part of AMD's product line, there may not be that much regulatory concern. Is it a long shot? Absolutely, but definitely in the realm of possibilities.
Even if there is never an acquisition bid, just the combination of AMD and Nvidia in a partnership validates the technical capabilities of AMD and lifts them into the big league. Where AMD has always been a low cost alternative to Intel and always 1-2 generations behind in technical expertise, they have dramatically improved their game in the last 12-18 months. Instead of being road kill on the Intel superhighway to state of the art processors, they have surged to be a real competitor. Partnering with Nvidia is a real step up for the company.
The chart is ugly with no apparent trend but there is decent support at $12. They could easily catch fire as investors begin to understand the ramifications of the partnership and we could see another leg higher like the one that started the prior May. There are no guarantees but I do not believe anyone sees AMD's future as anything but positive given recent events.
Position 9/25/17:
Long AMD shares @ $13.25, see portfolio graphic for stop loss.
Alternate position: Long Jan $14 call @ $1.25, see portfolio graphic for stop loss.
DVAX - Dynavax - Company Profile
No specific news. Back over the upper end of the consolidation range.
Original Trade Description: Sept 20th
Dynavax Technologies Corporation, a clinical-stage immunotherapy company, focuses on leveraging the power of the body's innate and adaptive immune responses through toll-like receptor (TLR) stimulation. Its product candidates are being investigated for use in multiple cancer indications, as a vaccine for the prevention of hepatitis B and as a disease modifying therapy for asthma. The company's lead product candidates include HEPLISAV-B, an investigational adult hepatitis B vaccine, which is in Phase III clinical trials; and SD-101, an investigational cancer immunotherapeutic that is in Phase I/II studies. Its product candidates also comprise AZD1419, which is in Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of asthma; DV230F that is in preclinical stage for the treatment of liver tumors; and DV1001, a TLR 7&8 agonist, which is in preclinical stage for the treatment of for multiple malignancies, as well as DV281 for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. It has collaboration and license agreements with AstraZeneca AB to develop AZD1419 for the treatment of asthma; and Merck & Co. to develop SD-101 for varios immuno-oncology therapies. Company description from FinViz.com.
Dynavax has a vaccine for Hepatitis B. Shares crashed on August 10th when the FDA asked for more information despite a 12-1 vote to approve it. The results of the request for info will be released no later than November 10th according to the company. They are confident the drug will be approved and they are already targeting an early 2018 release date.
Cathy Reese of Empire Asset Management said investors should use the current volatility to buy the stock and she has a $38 price target.
Earnings Nov 1st.
Shares have rebounded from the early August dip as investors become more confident the vaccine will be approved. Shares peaked a $21.85 on September 11th and then faded for a week as profit taking appeared. Wednesday's close was a 7-day high.
I am not planning on holding this position into the announcement. I would like to exit by the end of October to avoid any unplanned declines.
Options are very expensive because of the big expectations. This will be a stock only position.
Postion 9/21/17:
Long DVAX shares @ $21.10, see portfolio graphic for stop loss.
ETSY - Etsy Inc - Company Profile
No specific news. Not a big decline but initial support failed.
Original Trade Description: Sept 13th.
Etsy, Inc. operates as a commerce platform to make, sell, and buy goods online and offline worldwide. Its platform includes its markets, services, and technology, which enables to engage a community of sellers and buyers. The company offers approximately 45 million items across approximately 50 retail categories to buyers. It also provides various seller services, including direct checkouts, promoted listings, and shipping labels, as well as Pattern by Etsy to create custom Websites; and seller tool and education resources to start, manage, and scale businesses to entrepreneurs primarily through Etsy.com. In addition, the company operates A Little Market, a handmade and supplies market for sellers and buyers. Company description from FinViz.com.
For Q2, the company reported earnings of 10 cents that rose from a 6-cent loss in the year ago quarter. Revenue rose 19.1% to $101.7 million. Active sellers rose 10.9% to 1.83 million. Gross merchandise volume rose 11.7% to $748 million. Sales on mobile devices rose 47%. International sales rose 31% to 32% of gross sales. The number of employees in the workforce declined 23% thanks to an aggressive push by the CEO to expand profitability.
They guided for gross merchandise sales to rise 12% to 14% for the full year, up from prior guidance of 11.7%. Full year revenue is expected to rise 18% to 20% and in line with the 19.1% in Q2.
The company is growing rapidly, especially internationally and they are reducing costs significantly. Over the last several months, they replaced the CEO, CFO and CTO in their push to grow the company and profits quickly.
Expected earnings Nov 2nd.
On Sept 7th a Davidson's analyst, Tim Forte, went all in on ETSY with a glowing forecast. Shares spiked to $17.50 and then faded for a couple days. They have rebounded over the last three days and closed at a new high on Wednesday.
Position 9/14/17:
Long ETSY shares @ $17.79, see portfolio graphic for stop loss.
Alternate position: Long Dec $20 call @ 70 cents, see portfolio graphic for stop loss.
HIMX - Himax - Company Profile
Susquehanna warned they see a semiconductor slowdown in progress. Shares if HIMX declined to our stop loss to take us out of the stock position. The option position is still open and will move to the Lottery Plays next weekend.
Original Trade Description: Sept 9nd
Himax Technologies, Inc., a fabless semiconductor company, provides display imaging processing technologies to consumer electronics worldwide. The company operates through Driver IC and Non-Driver Products segments. It offers display driver integrated circuits (ICs) and timing controllers used in televisions (TVs), laptops, monitors, mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, car navigation, and other consumer electronics devices. The company also designs and provides controllers for touch sensor displays, liquid crystal on silicon micro-displays used in palm-size projectors and head-mounted displays, light-emitting diode driver ICs, power management ICs, scaler products for monitors and projectors, tailor-made video processing IC solutions, and silicon IPs. In addition, it offers digital camera solutions, including complementary metal oxide semiconductor image sensors and wafer level optics, which are used in various applications, such as mobile phone, tablet, laptop, TV, PC camera, automobile, security, and medical devices. The company markets its products to panel manufacturers, agents or distributors, module manufacturers, and assembly houses; and camera module manufacturers, optical engine manufacturers, and television system manufacturers. Company description from FinViz.com.
Himax produces video drivers for 4K TVs and that accounted for 36% of total revenue in Q2. However, the big news comes from the 3D sensing chips. They are expecting a 90% increase in revenue from this technology in Q3. There are rumors that Himax is going to supply the 3D sensing technology for the new iPhones. Since several companies are rumored to have been selected, somebody is riding the rumor wave.
Since Himax guided for a 90% increase in revenue in Q3 from those sensors, it would suggest there is a surprise in store for the chip community.
They also provide chips for vehicle display panels and they recently guided for demand to jump from 135 million units in 2016 to 200 million by 2022.
On August 30th, Qualcomm and Himax jointly announced a new high resolution, low power, active 3D depth sensing camera system to enable conputer vision capabilities such as biometric face authentication, 3D reconstruction and scene perception for mobile, IoT, surveillance, automotive and AR/VR. They specifically said it would enable Android smartphones to have unparalleled 3D experiences. They called it "game changing technology for smartphones." This technology is the culmination of 4 years of research and development by these two firms.
Shares rallied on the announcements but then faded last week. The company issued a press release suggesting an Oppenheimer analyst had become too excited about the prospects and they reaffirmed their recent guidance. The fading excitement erased $1.50 in gains but support appeared at $10 and the overall uptrend should resume.
Expected earnings November 7th.
Position 9/11/17:
Closed 9/25/17: Long HIMX shares @ $10.31, exit $9.65, -.66 loss.
Alternate position: Long Dec $11 call @ $1.20, see portfolio graphic for stop loss.
KTOS - Kratos Defense - Company Profile
No specific news. Minor retracement.
Original Trade Description: August 14th.
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. provides mission critical products, solutions, and services in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Kratos Government Solutions, Unmanned Systems, and Public Safety & Security. The Kratos Government Solutions segment offers microwave electronic products; satellite communications; technical and training solutions; modular systems; and defense and rocket support services. The Unmanned Systems segment provides unmanned aerial, ground, and seaborne, as well as command, control, and communications systems. The Public Safety & Security segment designs, engineers, deploys, operates, integrates, maintains, and operates security and surveillance solutions for homeland security, public safety, critical infrastructure, government, and commercial customers. The company serves national security related agencies, the department of defense, intelligence agencies, and classified agencies, as well as international government agencies and domestic and international commercial customers; and critical infrastructure, power generation, power transport, nuclear energy, financial, IT, healthcare, education, transportation, and petro-chemical industries, as well as government and military customers. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in San Diego, California. Company description from FinViz.com.
Kratos builds drones for target practice for the U.S. military. They are also building drones for combat for air to air and air to land. They also provide communication systems for missiles, satellites and various other platforms.
China and Russia are rapidly militarizing space and Kratos is working with the U.S. military to improve satellite communication to defend against attacks. The DoD is currently spending a lot of money to prepare for war in space. Kratos owns and operates a global satellite demonitoring business with revenues rising 61% in Q1.
Kratos has so many new programs in operation it would be impossible to list them here and several of them are secret programs for unnamed clients.
Kratos guided for a return to profitability in Q2 and sharply rising revenue for the full year. Shares spiked 30% in the four weeks after Q1 earnings. Their next report is August 3rd. I am recommending we buy an option and hold over the report. If the earnings are as positive as they teased in the Q1 report we could see another sharp reaction. This company is in all the right places for the increase in defense department spending.
Kratos unveiled its newest high performance class of military unmanned aerial system technology at the Paris Air Show. The XQ-222 Valkyrie and UTAP-22 Mako drones provide fighter like performance and are designed to function as wingmen to manned aircraft in contested airspace. The Valkyrie can carry various weapons and intelligence systems and has a range of 3,000 miles. The Mako is designed to carry sensors and stealthily infiltrate hostile airspace to gather intelligence. Both are designed to operate with or without manned flights. The Air Force recently pitched the functions of the Valkyrie saying a F-35 with a group of fighter/bomber drones could maximize control of airspace and ground attack operations. The F-35 can select targets and pass information to specific drones while maintaining situational awareness from a stealthy and relatively safe position.
Just over the last couple weeks Kratos announced a $2.9 million order for an airborne communications system, a $10 million order for a ballistic missile defense system, $23 million for a military radar system and $8 million for a GPS Satellite protection system. Analysts are expecting a record $800 million in revenue for 2018. They expect to do $150 million in unmanned revenues in 2018.
Kratos posted earnings of 1 cent and a $10.4% increase in revenue to $186 million. They guided to be free cash flow positive by $25 million in 2017.
Expected earnings Oct 26th.
With the daily new contract awards shares have risen $1.50 in the last week and closed at a 5-week high on Monday. They are very close to breaking out to a new high.
Update 9/5/17: New high in a weak market. Unfortunately, after the close they announced a secondary offering of 12.5 million shares that will increase the float by 14%. If I recommended we sell at the open on Wednesday, we are going to get hit with the normal "sell the news" decline. If we retain the position, stocks normally rise after a secondary is completed. We can either take a loss on Wednesday or hang on for a bigger gain later. I am recommending we hold the position. I am removing the stop loss to avoid being knocked out of the position for a loss. Shares declined to $12.80 in afterhours, a drop of $1. If that is all the decline we get, I would be very happy.
Update 9/6/17: KTOS announced a $46 million contract with the Saudi Royal Navy to assist in increasing military communications and preparedness. They also announced the QWK Integrated Solutions LLC, a partnership of multiple defense firms had won a $3.038 billion five year contract. The partnership will provide for rapid development and integration of space, missile defense, cyber, directed energy and related technologies to support SMDC/ARSTRAT and the warfighter.
Update 9/11/17: The company announced it had successfully completed a required number of missions with their jet powered unmanned drone system. The missions are part of the performance demonstrations prior to delivery of ten drones over the next six months. The customer was not announced for security reasons. However, a program they announced with the Navy several months ago called for delivery of 10 drones in 2017 with the potential for multiple follow on orders in 2018. This could be part of that project.
Update 9/18/17: Kratos deployed the first fully autonomous vehicle in Colorado with the Colorado Dept of Transportation. The robot vehicle replaces the trailing vehicle in a work construction crew. It follows the crew throughout the day and acts as a mobile crash barrier. Previously, a CDOT employee had to drive a specially built truck mounted with impact absorbing rear bumpers. Basically, this protects the work crew on the road by giving erratic drivers something to hit other than the work crew. There is still the problem of the driver in this truck when a car, truck or semi plows into the truck at 70 mph. In Colorado these bumper trucks were hit an average of 7 times per year, sometimes with injury to the CDOT drivers. The Kratos robotic crash guard truck has no driver so nobody is injured with an errant civilian vehicle crashes into it. The robot vehicle monitors the work crew and maintains a safe distance behind them with enough lane coverage to keep them from getting hit.
Update 9/21/17: KTOS successfully completed the third test of AN/SPY-6(V) Air and Missile Radar (AMDR) against a live ballistic missile target. The new radar is slated to begin service on the Navy's next generation Arleigh Burke Class Guided Missile Destroyer currently under development. This is a big step for Kratos.
Position 8/15/17:
Long KTOS shares @ $12.78, see portfolio graphic for stop loss.
Alternate position: Long Nov $15 call @ 65 cents, see portfolio graphic for stop loss.
With shares just crossing the $12.50 strike price, we had to reach out to $15 and a distant month.
MRVL - Marvel Technology - Company Profile
No specific news. Down on analyst warning about slowdown in the sector.
Original Trade Description: August 30th.
Marvell Technology Group Ltd. designs, develops, and markets analog, mixed-signal, digital signal processing, and embedded and standalone integrated circuits. It offers a range of storage products, such as hard disk drive (HDD) and solid-state drive controllers, as well as HDD components, such as HDD preamps components; and develops software enabled silicon solutions consisting of serial advanced technology attachment port multipliers, bridges, serial attached SCSI, and non-volatile memory express redundant array of independent disks controllers and converged storage processors for enterprise, data centers, and cloud computing businesses. The company also provides networking products comprising Ethernet solutions comprising Ethernet switches, Ethernet physical-layer transceivers, and single-chip network interface devices; and embedded communication processors. In addition, it offers a portfolio of connectivity solutions, including Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth integrated system-on-a-chip products, which are integrated into a variety of end devices, such as enterprise access points, home gateways, multimedia devices, gaming products, printers, automotive infotainment and telematics units, and smart industrial devices. Further, the company provides printer-specific standard products, as well as full-custom application-specific integrated circuits; and communications and applications processors. Company description from FinViz.com.
Marvel reported earnings of 30 cents that beat estimates for 28 cents. Revenue of $605 million beat estimates for $601 million. Free cash flow more than doubled from $38 million to $89 million. Core revenues rose 6%, storage controller revenues rose 13%. SSD chips rose from 20% to 25% or revenue. The new SSD products are rapidly gaining market share and remain a high profit item. Gross margin was 60.4%. They guided for Q3 for revenue of $595-$625 million with earnings of 30-34 cents per share.
Expected earnings Nov 23rd.
The company is in the midst of a restructuring process while they are changing their product mix for the better. Apparently it is working.
Shares spiked from $15.75 to $17.25 after earnings then pulled back slightly on post earnings depression. They rebounded today to a new 2-month high and very close to a new high.
Position 8/31:
Long MRVL shares @ $17.79, see portfolio graphic for stop loss.
Alternate position: Long Oct $18 call @ 64 cents, see portfolio graphic for stop loss.
BEARISH Play Updates
DF - Dean Foods - Company Profile
No specific news. Shares closed at a new 5-year low.
Original Trade Description: September 16th.
Dean Foods Company, a food and beverage company, processes and distributes milk, and other dairy and dairy case products in the United States. The company manufactures, markets, and distributes various branded and private label dairy case products, such as fluid milk, ice creams, cultured dairy products, creamers, ice cream mixes, and other dairy products; and juices, teas, bottled water, and other products. It sell its products under approximately 50 national, regional, and local proprietary or licensed brands, and private labels, including DairyPure, TruMoo, Alta Dena, Berkeley Farms, Country Fresh, Dean's, Friendly's, Garelick Farms, LAND O LAKES, Lehigh Valley Dairy Farms, Mayfield, McArthur, Meadow Gold, Oak Farms, PET, T.G. Lee, Tuscan, and others. The company sells its products to retailers, distributors, foodservice outlets, educational institutions, and governmental entities through its sales forces. Company description from FinViz.com.
Dean Foods reported earnings of 21 cents that declined -47.1% and missed estimates for 31 cents. Revenue of $1.93 billion, which also missed forecasts. The CEO warned, that volume and mix challenges are occurring at a higher-than-planned rate. As such, given the resulting volume shortages, they lowered their full-year guidance from $1.35-$1.55 to 80-95 cents. That is a major haircut.
On August 22nd the CFO resigned unexpectedly, effective Sept 1st. That is never good when a CFO exits with only one-week's notice.
Expected earnings Nov 8th.
Dean Foods handles a lot of milk brands and the USDA said milk sales nationwide declined -2.9% in May alone. Management said competitive and volume pressures are hurting the company and the negative dynamics are expected to continue the rest of the year.
Milk has been found to cause diabetes or at least make it worse and the news is spreading fast. I have a friend that has been taking insulin for 20 years. I talked him into dropping milk from his diet and he was able to get off insulin within 3 weeks. A year later he backslid and began to drink milk again and he had to go back on insulin. He was quickly convinced and has sworn off forever and now leads a normal life with no diabetes meds.
Shares fell sharply to a 5-year low but given the severity of the guidance warning and the size of the earnings miss, the stock could continue to decline.
We shorted this stock on August 10th at $11.37 and shared dipped about 60 cents then rebounded to take us out of the short. The long put ended 6 cents in the money after shares began to roll over again. I believe we are going to see new lows.
Position 9/18/17:
Short DF shares @ $11.02, see portfolio graphic for stop loss.
Alternate position: Long Dec $10 put @ 40 cents, see portfolio graphic for stop loss.
VXX - Volatility Index Futures - ETF Description
No specific news. Since this is a long-term position, there will not be daily commentary.
Original Trade Description: September 18th.
The VXX is a short-term volatility ETF based on the VIX futures. As a futures product it has the rollover curse. Every time they roll to a new futures contract, they have to pay a premium and that lowers the price of the ETF. It is a flawed product with a perpetual decline built in from the monthly roll over in the futures contracts.
As evidence of this flaw, they have now done four 1:4 reverse stock splits. The last five reverse splits occurred at $13.11 (11/2010), $8.77 (10/2012), $12.84 (11/2013), $9.52 (8/8/16), $12.77 (8/22/17). The prospectus says it can reverse split anytime it trades under $25 for a prolonged period and the splits will always be 1:4.
We know from experience that the VXX always declines. The last two times we shorted this ETF we had a $7.23 and $5.98 gain.
Unfortunately, put options are expensive with a volatility instrument at this price level. The only recommendation is to short the ETF and forget it. If we do get a prolonged rally into year-end we could see a sharp decline in the VXX over the next 2-3 months. This will be a long-term position. This is not a 2-3 week play. I can guarantee you, if history holds, we can play this until it splits 1:4 again at $10. Once we are in the position and profitable I will put a trailing stop loss on it. We will take profits and then look for a bounce to get back in.
The VXX is hard to short. Shortsqueeze.com says there are 19.9 million shares short out of 26.7 million shares outstanding. The shares are out there and being traded because the volume on Monday was 29.6 million. You have to tell your broker you really want to short it and make them find the shares. Sometimes it takes days or even a week before your broker will find you the shares. Trust me, be persistent and it will be worth the effort.
I had held off after the 1:4 reverse split because the options were expensive and I was expecting volatility in September from the budget battle and debt ceiling hurdle. With those issues pushed out into December, the volatility is dropping like the proverbial rock. Several readers have already emailed me asking when I was going to put this position back in the portfolio.
Position 9/19/17:
Short VXX shares @ $40.95, see portfolio graphic for stop loss.
If you like the trade setups you have been receiving and you are on a free trial then now is the time to subscribe. Do not wait until you miss a newsletter to decide you want to take the plunge.


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Chance The Rapper made a statement when he donated $1 million to Chicago Public Schools yesterday (March 6).
Many applauded the Grammy-winning rapper for his efforts, including former First Lady Michelle Obama.
Thanks @chancetherapper for giving back to the Chicago community, which gave us so much. You are an example of the power of arts education.
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) March 6, 2017
Several in the Hip Hop community shared their gratitude for Chano making this move, especially after he said he had an "unsuccessful" meeting with Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner earlier in March.
Chance has been inspiring me for so long. and STILL. smh.
What's next my nigga?
— spread love (@mickjenkins) March 6, 2017
Chance gave 1 Mill CPS.. that shit was beautiful to watch.
— Chuck Inglish (@Chuckisdope) March 6, 2017
Fellow Chicago MC Lupe Fiasco shared his thanks to Chance for continuing the Windy City's Hip Hop legacy.
A lot of us been on the front lines of chicagos issues for a while now in the capacities each individual is capable, privately & publicly https://t.co/jCzaG3WxKY
— DROGASLight Out Now! (@LupeFiasco) March 6, 2017
The brother @chancetherapper gesture is a part of LONG heritage of chicago's artist class giving back to help improve the city how they can https://t.co/jCzaG3WxKY
— DROGASLight Out Now! (@LupeFiasco) March 6, 2017
It's good to see that that legacy of reciprocation will continue in the new generation of chicago artists. It's what we do. ?? https://t.co/jCzaG3WxKY
— DROGASLight Out Now! (@LupeFiasco) March 6, 2017

subset: commoncrawl


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Several times a year, Vistans hit the streets with the goal of keeping Vista litter-free. Since its inception in 2017, Only Losers Litter Trash Walks have had 331 participants for its eight community trash pick-up events. Now in its second year, has had four trash clean-up walks with 100 people taking part in the day.
The next trash pickup is slated for May 20.
Only Losers Litter is a team effort championed by The Backfence Society and The Woman's Club of Vista. The idea for Only Losers Litters came from Sarah Spinks, the president of the Backfence Society, who has lived in Vista her entire life.
"Only Losers Litter comes from a pop-up art event the Backfence put together in October of 2015," Spinks said. "The pop-up art event was around Halloween and based on the idea that trash is scary and most scary because there is no day that passes that I don't find trash littered all over town, or anywhere I go really."
Spinks said when she was collecting trash for the October art installations event, she noticed all the garbage she gathered from her very short daily walk taking her son to school.
"We parked maybe two blocks from the school, but I was always able to fill a five-gallon bucket with garbage," she said. "Then I would walk around my neighborhood, and there would be no shortage of litter. I sadly joked about how the medium of trash was so abundant."
On her trash walks, Spinks said she noticed the attention she would receive from drivers and other walkers. So, she decided to make the most of it by dressing more outlandishly.
"I made a glittery gold cape, put on pink gloves, wore a massive sun hat and gaudy sunglasses," she said. "From this, the idea to make cleaning up litter performance art came about. Talking about all the trash I was picking up, got me thinking about what a loser behavior it is and from there the tagline, 'Only Losers Litter' was born."
Spinks believed that making the trash pick-up a spectacle was a positive action that was in and of itself infectious to other Vistans who became eager to join.
"My friend Alexis Panchevre, who is now the director of the Only Losers Litter program under Backfence, and I went out to lunch one day where she expressed how she wanted to get seriously involved in the effort," she said. "Also, Judy Pantazzo from the (Vista) Woman's Club wanted to sponsor the program with a $500 grant. Out of these serendipitous actions, the idea that we would meet once a month and invite people to pick up trash with us came to be. I think what is so successful about our events is how simple it is. Meet up with us and go clean up trash — it's not hard to find."
Nancy B. Jones, a longtime Vista resident and also the first vice president of The Woman's Club of Vista GFWC, said the club donated to support the development of the Only Losers Litter Trash Walk website. Jones also helps coordinate the community trash events via email.
Jones said the club continues to be a sponsor of the walks. Jones attended the first trash walk in 2017 and to date has participated in 10 of them.
"Sarah is an amazing inspiration with her civic involvement on the Arts Commission and with the Backfence Society clubhouse promoting art events and meetings," Jones said.
Jones shared that on average, the community trash clean-up walks has 20 to 30 participants each time. The events last about an hour-and-a-half. Supplies such as gloves, pickers and trash bags are provided.
"Only Losers Litter is all about citizens taking responsibility for cleaning up trash here in Vista," Jones said. "Every month, we remove at least 10 bags of trash and recyclables from an area of our city.
"We cover what no one else is taking care of like ordinary litter, discarded furniture and clothing and lots of cigarette butts and plastic water bottle caps," she added.
Participants have also been coined "the caped community crusaders." People of all ages come pitch in — and they cover a lot of ground. According to Jones, the first trash walk was based at the NCTD Transit Center in January 2017.
Since that time, these caped community crusaders have covered areas such as Shadowridge and North Santa Fe, East Vista Way and Hacienda Drive, downtown and Vista Village and Brengle Terrace Park and Buena Vista Park.
"There's trash everywhere, and we're doing our best to reduce that blight on our environment," Jones said.
Spinks has a roster of people she'd like to thank for making the Only Losers Litter Trash Walks so successful. The list includes Pantazzo for sponsoring the program through the Woman's Club of Vista, Jones for email event coordination, Panchevre for her leadership role, EDCO for its sponsored dumpsters, her family members and the volunteers who have helped make Vista cleaner.
"Everyone out there should challenge themselves to pick up five pieces of litter a day," Spinks said. "Imagine what an impact that would have."
To learn more about the Only Losers Litter Trash Walk at 4 p.m. May 20 at the Food 4 Less parking lot on Hacienda Drive, visit OnlyLosersLitter.com.


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In an interview with Capital Xtra's Tim Westwood, Tiwa Savage described Ciara's Freak Me as a pleasant surprise.
This is coming from Savage after Ciara was accused on Nigerian social media of alleged song theft and unapproved sampling of Savage's Before Nko.
Addressing the issue, she said that she had foreknowledge of the sampling.
According to her, her representatives spoke to Ciara's camp, inferring that they reached an understanding on the usage of the song. She stated that:
"It's amazing. It's an honour. I knew she was going to sample the record.
"Her people had spoken to my people but I didn't hear the final product until it came out but it was a pleasant surprise. Big shout out to her".
Speaking on her upcoming collaboration with Coldplay, and how it came to be, Savage said:
"They have a record with Stargate and it kinda has like an Afrobeat influence in it and I already worked with Stargate on a couple of records, so they wanted a female vocal on it, so here I am.
"When I was in the studio with Chris Martin, he was so cool. I was so nervous. He made it so easy".
She described her collaboration with Duncan Mighty, 'Lova Lova', as her current favourite song, saying that "I knew it was a big record when I recorded it".
Speaking on the inequality suffered by women in the music industry, she noted that it is not limited to Nigeria.
"I think it's all over the world actually. I have heard other female acts from America, the UK talk about how hard it is".
She said songs by male artistes find quick acceptance on the radio as opposed to those recorded by female singers.
"I think it's a lot easier to accept male artist's songs. On radio, it gets played quicker. Sometimes, I feel like some records when I have male artistes on it, is accepted a lot quicker".


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- Home /
- Furniture /
- Luxury Bedroom Furniture /
- Designer Dressing Table Stools
Showing all 32 results
Designer Dressing Table Stools
"Juliettes Interiors offers a luxurious and distinctive collection of designer dressing table stools, each one finished to a breathtakingly high standard."
Exclusive High End Luxury Dressing Table Stools
All of our designer dressing table stools can be fully customised, allowing you to create beautiful, bespoke pieces to fit your interior perfectly.
Visit our London showroom on the Kings Road to fully appreciate the quality of our designer furniture in glamorous settings. Discover how we can transform your home, or advise on items to complement your existing pieces.
We offer full complimentary interior design services to all of our customers, unique to Juliettes Interiors.
Please call +442078707415 if you have any questions about our designer dressing table stools, or to book an appointment with one of our highly qualified interior designers.
Luxury Upholstered Cream Pouffe
Designer Luxury Brass And Velvet Upholstered Footstool
Art Deco Inspired Luxury Designer Upholstered Dining Chair
Luxury Italian Designer Footstool
Luxury Ivory Velvet Bedroom Pouffe Chair
Modern Velvet Upholstered Hexagon Studded Designer Stool
High-End Handmade Romanesque Gold Leaf Stool
Italian Large Soft Nubuck Leather Pouffe
Ivory Velvet Button Upholstered Stool
Old Fashioned Ivory Velvet Fringed Pouffe
Old Fashioned Upholstered Velvet Fringed Pouffe
Italian Velvet Button Upholstered Stool
Luxurious Italian Dressing Table Stool
Italian Alligator Embossed Leather Tub Chair
Designer Dressing Table Stools
When it comes to interior design, a designer dressing table stool can add a real touch of class and elegance to a room. No dressing table is complete without a luxury pouffe or a designer stool.
At Juliettes Interiors, we have a superb range of designer dressing table stools to complement every style of interior décor. Explore our distinctive collection and you will find traditional, plush upholstery, classic Romanesque lines and extravagant rococo styling, through to refined, Italian-inspired detailing, and modern, contemporary designs.
Every designer dressing table stool is available in a very wide range of fabrics and finishes. Choose from vibrant velvets, the softest leathers and exquisite fabrics. Ornate baroque scrolls, beautifully-turned legs, or charming feet, each element can be enhanced to suit your own individual style with hand-painted accents, gold or silver leaf and a choice of natural wood finishes. Or specify your own fabrics to create something unique to match every area of your home.
Imagine sitting in style on a designer dressing table stool from Juliettes Interiors. Take a few minutes to ponder which of our eclectic pieces will look best in each of your rooms. And if you can't decide, we are always here to help.


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A blitz on industrial sites in the West Footscray area in the wake of last week's fiery inferno has identified almost 70 dangerous goods breaches.
The WorkSafe and EPA blitz on 78 sites, sparked by community fears following last week's fire at a near Somerville Road in Tottenham, identified 68 contraventions relating to the handling and storage of dangerous goods.
The huge blaze caused thick, black, toxic smoke to billow across the western suburbs on Thursday, and was described by authorities as one of the biggest infernos the city has seen in decades.
The fire provoked anger among residents about potential health effects and a commitment from the state government to review authorities' response to the incident.
WorkSafe inspectors have so far issued notices to about 40 per cent of inspected sites for a range of breaches.
Businesses have so far been slapped with 68 notices for failures including a lack of fire protection reports, incompatible storage, poorly maintained dangerous goods manifests and inadequate placarding or labelling.
WorkSafe regional operations manager Ian Matthews said while many sites were compliant, sites with poor storage practices for dangerous good have attracted multiple notices.
"So far, most of the sites we have visited have tended to have smaller amounts of chemicals on site, and the issues have been around the storage and handling of those, rather than the quantities they are storing," he said.
"The results are disappointing. Any dangerous goods stored or handled incorrectly pose a serious risk to workers and the general public."
Mr Matthews said the priority in the blitz is the safety of workers and surrounding residents.
The EPA joined WorkSafe on the blitz to ensure potentially dangerous chemicals were being stored correctly.
Resource recovery audit taskforce manager Danny Childs said the EPA would continue to hold polluters to account.
"With such a high density of heavy industries in the west, EPA will look for more ways to increase the local community's protection from environmental harms from risks and hazards," he said.
"EPA's focus was around ensuring appropriate bunding is in place around chemicals, fuels and other hazardous liquids; and ensuring appropriate stormwater controls were in place as well as keeping an eye out for sites that receive or store combustible recyclable waste material."
Inspectors will continue their blitz on sites in the area for at least another week.
The cause of the massive fire is yet to be determined, Arson and Explosive Squad investigators believing it may still be some time before they are able to adequately access the property and undertake all the required forensic work.
Detectives are seeking any CCTV, dashcam footage, or mobile phone video in the lead up to or early stages of the blaze.
Maribyrnong Council is hosting a community meeting about the fire, from 6.30pm Thursday, September 6, at the Footscray Town Hall.


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NEWS: Founder Alec Golini Receives National Award
Athletes C.A.R.E. Founder and President Alec Golini has been awarded the 2015 Newman Civic Fellows Award presented by Campus Compact. This national honor was handed out to 201 young leaders on Wednesday from Colleges and Universities across the country. To be nominated for the award, one must be a "promising student leader who has demonstrated an investment in their community to be a Newman Civic Fellow. The Newman Civic Fellows Award is generously sponsored by the KPMG Foundation. Through service, research, and advocacy, these Fellows are making the most of their college experiences to better understand themselves, the root causes of social issues, and effective mechanisms for creating lasting change."
The award description goes on to mention, "As these students tackle community challenges, they provide fresh energy and perspective, inspire and mobilize others, and develop their own skills and potential."
In order to be eligible for the award, individuals must receive a formal nomination from the President of their College or University recognizing their commitment to the standards held by the Newman Civic Fellows. In a statement provided to Campus Compact accepting the award, Golini commented, "The recognition received from this award simply speaks to the greater Athletes C.A.R.E. team that has worked so hard to create long-term change in the communities in which we live. Our athletes are passionate about the communities that have afforded them so much – it is a privilege to give back and serve those same communities by addressing hunger and homelessness, issues that are so prominent in our society today. Each day, we take a small step forward in creating long-lasting change in our communities – but it always feels just as good to receive a hug, smile, or handshake – a token of gratitude from the very hunger-stricken and homeless whom we serve."
He went on to say, "I am overjoyed to have been nominated and received such a prestigious award. I am truly honored to be amongst the 200 award winners across the country that do such great work every day to better themselves and those around them. Receiving this award truly speaks to the people of Athletes C.A.R.E. – an organization like this isn't built by one person, but by a group of people passionate about making a difference."
Campus Compact is a national coalition of more than 1,100 College and University presidents helping to drive campus-initiated civic engagement. The organization promotes public and community service that help to develop young people as students, leaders, and members of their greater community. For more information on Campus Compact, please visit their website at www.compact.org. To read more about the award and learn more about the other honorees, visit http://bit.ly/1LYN08q.


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Role Description
Smallcloud is a niche consultancy that works with clients across Australia & Asia. Our clients are growing startups and corporations delivering challenging products. We help them to scale by improving their product development, find great people and support capability development.
We are looking for an intern to join Smallcloud, help develop our business, work with clients, learn & develop...with the hope that at the end of the term there will be opportunity for you to work directly with one of our impressive clients.
There will be some degree of analysis required in early parts of the engagement, however Smallcloud will commit to providing opportunities to develop trade of choice (engineering or business analysis).
For the right candidate this is an extraordinary opportunity to get exposed to the smartest and best minds in technology.
Required Skills/Knowledge
Some core skills:
Must be passionate about a career in ONE of the following, showing previous personal effort of exploring these careers (e.g. work experience, volunteer work, competitions, related subjects):
Desired Experience/Business Skills
Startups are inherently high-pressure environments, and not for the faint hearted. We are looking for people that display grit, passion and hunger.
This position will also suit someone not too precious with role title and keen to contribute to business outcomes in whichever way they can.
Both undergraduates and postgraduate students are considered with a preference to penultimate year students.
Candidate must be currently enrolled at an Australian University and is available full-time to be eligible for this role. The scholarship amount is $20,000 tax-free for 6 months full-time.
Work Integrated Learning
Smallcloud Consulting
6 months
Full time
Australian citizen or permanent resident
Sydney, NSW


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We're Back!
Really? A second edition? Well… It's true, we're back!
Here we are for another edition of the world online congress in esthetic dentistry, the International Esthetic Masters.
We are excited for bringing again this project to life. We have kept the mission intact focusing on bringing the state of the art in esthetic dentistry to the four corners of the world, without any geographical, political and financial boundaries. In fact, this congress is a unique project in the world of dentistry as the access is totally free and the lectures are all broadcasted online, allowing everyone and everywhere to follow it.
The second edition will happen this year from December 4 to December 9 and this time we will have more speakers coming from even more countries than in 2015.
Can you imagine? 50 world renowned speakers from 26 different countries, from all the continents in the world.
We are very excited coming close to the start of this congress, putting everything together to bring you 6 full days of the world's best esthetic dentistry in a intense and complete 15 hours per day program. Be sure you don't miss it and that you follow and share with all your friends and colleagues the website and the official facebook and Instagram page of the event. We are looking forward to see you there!


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Schumacher's son in bid to SURPASS his Formula one champion father at age 19
MICK Schumacher at the age of 19 is emulating his father's success - with speculation gathering he could outperform his father Michael at the same age as he attempts to win the Formula Three European Championship title.
The 19-year-old's win in the Formula Three European championship at Spa has left his fans comparing him to his father, the seven time world champion of F1.
Michael Schumacher won his first Formula One championship in 1994 at the age of 25.
After Mick's three victories, he is now only three points behind the leader Dan Ticktum with only two rounds to go and has a good chance of winning the Formula Three title.
His hat-trick of victories at Nürburgring follow successes at Francorchamps, Silverstone and Misano.
Mick Schumacher is taking after his father in the F1 stakes
I hope and am also optimistic that things will go on this way until the end of the season.
Schumacher crossed the finish line five seconds ahead of the second-placed Robert Shvartzman.
He told Autosport magazine that this weekend "was the best of my career in motor racing to date".
Michael Schumacher drove in Formula three when he was 20 in 1989 and won the title in 1990.
Mick said to Germany's Express.de: "I hope and am also optimistic that things will go on this way until the end of the season.
"I'm not looking at the chart."
Prema car boss Rene Roisin said to Autosport: "He's now doing the job we expected last year.
"And last year we saw some spots of performance, some dips.
"Mainly the problem was in qualifying, where he was not able to achieve a very good lap time, which is so important in Formula 3 because overtaking is quite difficult."
Mick was with his legendary father on the slopes in the French Alps in December 2013 when he had a ski accident leaving him with a severe brain injury.
His medical condition is not publicly known but it is thought he is unable to show any sign of emotion.
Schumacher was placed in a medically induced coma for six months after his accident and he was eventually moved to a rehabilitation ward when he regained consciousness in June 2014.


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Abby Johnson is a nationally-known pro-life speaker. After working as a manager at a Planned Parenthood affiliate in Texas, Abby's eyes were opened to the negative impacts abortion has on women and she left the life of an abortion worker. She now runs a ministry focused on freeing others from the abortion industry and helping women understand why being pro-life is being pro-woman.
Topics discussed:
- Rumors and rhetoric that Planned Parenthood uses to dominate the narrative
- How to treat workers in the abortion industry
- The most effective ways to fight the abortion industry
- How abortion harms women in both the short and long-term
- Mistakes Christians are currently making in the pro-life movement
- The impact the Catholic Church has had on her life
We mentioned:
Find Abby:
- Online
- At her ministry, And Then There Were None
- On Facebook
Here's a FREE guide just for you.
Snag some pro-life answers to five popular pro-choice questions. Whether you're still wrestling with your own pro-choice beliefs or want to learn to communicate your pro-life beliefs better, I pray this guide helps you understand the importance of having a right to life.


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Don't want to miss any product due to being sold out or not available at the stall? (we can't fit everything on two tables)
Save 10% by pre-ordering and paying online for pick-up at the market. We offer Afterpay on our website too - leaving you more to spend on the big day.
Of course shipping is waived for pick up too.
Enter Code: SYDMARKET
Offer valid before midnight Wednesday 21st June, 2017.
Terms and conditions:
When the voucher code: SYDMARKETS is entered on checkout you agree that:
- You will pick up your order between 10am and 3pm at the Sydney Planner Market.
- You will bring either a digital copy or printed copy of your reciept to pick up your order. Or a valid ID will do too.
- Refunds are not given if order is not picked up on the day. However, an extra charge for shipping will be accepted and items will be shipped the next day after shipping payment is received.


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Before you can start setting up any clients on Expensify, here are a few important notes and tasks:
- Recall from Chapter 1 that one Expensify account (tied to your email) is all you need to manage multiple clients.
- If your client uses company cards, you'll need to validate the client's domain. Sound unfamiliar? Check out Chapter 4.
- You'll need the admin login credentials to connect your client's accounting package.
Now, let's walk through best practices for client setup. You'll start in your Expensify Inbox, which will guide you step-by-step through setup.
Training video 1 - How to set up clients on Expensify
After you've gone through initial client setup, you'll want to move on to advanced client setup. This is where you'll deep dive into the client's policy, where you can:
- Set compliance and expense-level rules
- Choose the cadence for Scheduled Submit
- Disable categories (chart of accounts) that employees don't need to see
- Disable other coding not applicable to employees
- Invite employees of the client and set an approval workflow
- Add a withdrawal account to trigger reimbursements
Training video 2 - How to set up clients on Expensify
P.S. Does your client have coding requirements that differ based on a certain user group, such as a sales team with client coding that the rest of the organization doesn't need? Create multiple policies for the client to group employees into different coding environments!


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The prospect of doing business in Myanmar just got juicier. With its very first credit-risk rating coming up, Myanmar is likely to see a new injection of investments.
Banking groups Citibank and Standard Chartered are expected to receive a formal mandate to advise Myanmar on how to earn a credit rating, which would be necessary if the government hopes to raise capital by selling bonds.
However, it is anybody's guess where the bulk of the investment money will flow. This is, after all, a land of legendary riches. Besides precious stones, Myanmar has proven oil reserves of 50 million barrels (and 10 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves). But with its financial sector in infancy, an open-door policy could do more harm than good if not carefully calibrated.
If the country is to avoid the pitfalls of transitioning into a market economy, it must build a robust financial sector. But it should be one that makes it easier for an entrepreneur to borrow 150,000 kyat (S$165) for setting up a rice farm rather than a speculator seeking to make a windfall.
A well-lubricated financial sector is the key to unlocking the enterprising energy of an economy. It helps create jobs and provides families the incomes with which they can improve their lives. Development economists call that financial inclusion, but Mr Aung Khaing Htay, a taxi driver who drove me around Yangon recently, simply calls it "money".
Prosperity depends on how much money you have access to. Yet, according to the World Bank, 73 per cent of the world's poor still do not have bank accounts.
For a family living on less than US$1.25 (S$1.76) a day - the widely accepted income line of poverty - a bank account is the first step on the ladder out of misery. It can help start a small business, protect what little income the family has and ensure it gets the social security promised. Which is why access to finance is seen as the silver bullet that can break the cycle of poverty. But that is not as easy as it looks.
Mr Aung moonlights as an entrepreneur on the side. The dried salted-fish business that he runs from his home earns him 200,000 kyat a month. But with the price of fish being volatile and the value of the kyat sliding, he is contemplating shutting down his business. If only he could borrow enough money to set up a small cold-storage, he could turn things around.
The trouble is, he has almost no assets to put up as collateral. That leaves him relying mostly on friends and family to find the money to start a venture. That is not the way to make small enterprises successful.
The unmet demand for microfinance in Myanmar is estimated to be at least US$1 billion - four times greater than supply. There are 142 microfinance providers operating in the country, and collectively they reach 2.8 million borrowers. Together, they hold a total loan portfolio of 236 billion kyat. But only 16 per cent of households in Myanmar have access to formal financial services.
The vast majority of the poor have to knock on the door of a local moneylender who charges 10 to 20 per cent a month as interest. Borrowings at such rates can rarely ever be paid back. This is why the country needs a financial architecture that allows legitimate banking to reach the poorest.
Providing access will be a long, hard slog. The most urgent need for Myanmar is to establish a consumer credit bureau that is capable of evaluating risk on loans for the many smallholders and entrepreneurs who cannot put up hefty collateral. It would also need to lift the cap of 13 per cent interest on loans that makes banks reluctant to service low-income borrowers.
Myanmar's antiquated clearing system, which requires banks to physically transfer truckloads of cash each day, will need to be replaced with an electronic one. Therefore, real-time network connectivity between branches should be a priority. And, with mobile phones fast becoming common, it should be possible to provide everyone minimum guaranteed access to some form of financial service reasonably quickly via mobile-banking.
As Myanmar counts down to elections in November, it will come under pressure to liberalise its financial sector. But the generals in charge must be cautious. The microfinance sector is already too fragmented. There are far too many small players in the market. The capital requirement - US$30,000 - for setting up microfinance institutions is low, putting into question the viability of some of these lenders.
Also, the apex microfinance regulatory body, the Microfinance Supervisory Enterprise, does not have the capacity to supervise small money-lending institutions.
If Myanmar liberalises rules too quickly, Mr Aung could borrow more than he can afford to pay back. Expanding credit too swiftly could tip the financial sector into a crisis. The last thing that Myanmar wants is a repeat of its bank run of 2003. Transitioning to a liberal market economy is fraught with dangers - and whoever wins the coming elections must introduce reforms with caution.
The writer is the director of research at the Global Institute for Tomorrow, Hong Kong
This article was first published on September 10, 2015.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.


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Health Care In Ponte Vedra Beach
In addition to its many natural resources, Ponte Vedra Beach and surrounding areas are home to a thriving medical community. Most Ponte Vedra Beach homes for sale in Floridaare located in close proximity to world class Jacksonville hospitals, making it an ideal location for seniors and growing families.
The Mayo Clinic hospital provides inpatient and outpatient services and offers its patients top-ranked physicians from many diverse disciplines. The facility features spacious patient rooms, most of which are private, and 22 total operating rooms for inpatient procedures. Mayo is a hub for state of the art cancer treatments, organ transplants, stroke care, epilepsy monitoring and many other specialties. The Mayo Clinic hospital can be reached from most points in Ponte Vedra in 15 minutes or less.
Baptist Medical Center Beaches is a campus-style medical center providing inpatient and outpatient surgeries, emergency room care, cancer care, behavioral health and more. This local facility features 146 beds. Baptist Hospitals were ranked #1 in the Jacksonville metro area in 2012 and 2013 by the US News & World Report. Baptist is also a Magnet Designated Hospital and an accredited chest pain center. Baptist Medical Center Beaches is just a 10 minute drive from most Ponte Vedra Beach homes.
St. Vincent's HealthCare – http://www.jaxhealth.com/Wolfson Children's Hospital –http://www.wolfsonchildrens.orgNemours Children's Hospital – http://www.nemours.orgShands Jacksonville Medical Center –http://www.ufandshands.orgMemorial Hospital Jacksonville – memorialhospitaljax.com
U.S. News Best Hospitals – http://www.health.usnews.comHealth Performance Rankings – http://www.healthinsight.orgConsumer Reports –http://www.consumerreports.org/health/doctors-hospitals/hospital-ratings.htmHealthGrades – http://www.healthgrades.com
Florida Health Finder –http://www.floridahealthfinder.gov/index.html
Florida Health Finder is well-established website founded by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) with the goal of providing easy access to health care information for consumers. The site offers comparison tools for hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, health plans and physicians.
Contact Jack McCarthy at 904.280.0050 for more information about health care options in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.


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Our Angel, Shirley Ann Fordham, passed away on March 12, 2019. Shirley is preceded in death by her mother, Marcella Fordham, and is survived by her father, Bill Fordham, brother, Dennis Fordham, and sisters, Karen Fordham and Sharon Romero (Leonard), and many nieces and nephews. Shirley's friends and caregivers of Easter Seals will miss her dearly. A private service will be held with the family.
We would like to give a special thank you to Gail Mullins of Easter Seals for her care and kindness towards Shirley and our family throughout the years. Rest in perfect peace, Shirley.


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|[jira] Commented: (JELLY-148) Huge memory leak resulting from the use of ThreadLocal
|Wed, 13 Oct 2004 04:44:51 GMT
The following comment has been added to this issue: Author: Hans Gilde Created: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 9:44 PM Body: I'll attach a unit test to explicitly test for a memory leak tomorrow. In the mean time, the lack of a leak can be verified visually with the tester that I uploaded before. --------------------------------------------------------------------- View this comment: http://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/JELLY-148?page=comments#action_53979 --------------------------------------------------------------------- View the issue: http://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/JELLY-148 Here is an overview of the issue: --------------------------------------------------------------------- Key: JELLY-148 Summary: Huge memory leak resulting from the use of ThreadLocal Type: Bug Status: Unassigned Priority: Critical Project: jelly Components: core / taglib.core Versions: 1.0 Assignee: Reporter: Hans Gilde Created: Sat, 18 Sep 2004 9:34 PM Updated: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 9:44 PM Description: There is a huge memory leak that results from the TagScript's use of ThreadLocal. ThreadLocal is usually used from a staic variable, while TagScript uses it from an instance variable. Although this looks legal to me, it causes a huge memory leak. --------------------------------------------------------------------- JIRA INFORMATION: This message is automatically generated by JIRA. If you think it was sent incorrectly contact one of the administrators: http://issues.apache.org/jira/secure/Administrators.jspa If you want more information on JIRA, or have a bug to report see: http://www.atlassian.com/software/jira --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com For additional commands, e-mail: email@example.com
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I have finally started back at the gym! Miracle - yes I know :-) Anyway - as I was swimming this morning I started thinking about how our whole body thrives and benefits when we excercise it. It is not just the muscles that we are excercising that benefits - but our general health overall and wellbeing improves and benefits. For me personally, I feel empowered and energised after a good workout. And then it hit me - that is exactly what happens when we "excercise" the fruit of love ... everything in our lives benefits!! Practicing (excercising) love changes our situations, mind sets, realtionship etc.
After my first day back at gym on Friday, I went through a very "stiff" weekend. My whole body ached! But in some funny way - it was a "good" ache because I know that it is EVENTUALLY going to give way to some promising results ;-) And maybe that is quite true of the process of practicing love when we really don't want to ... or when it is hard to. It takes sheer discipline and willpower to over-ride our stubborn feelings and emotions to love with God's love especially when the person or situation doesn't "deserve" our love. But oh the wonderful fruit when we do love with His love!!! It breaks down walls ... builds bridges ... ushers in peace and brings life to all that it touches.
I have always been moved by how God gives us the power of choice to choose whom we love. It just shows that He is a true lover. One who really loves, never demands love in return - because they want to be loved from the heart, not on demand. That is the love that God has for us - He loves us enough to give us the choice to either love Him or reject Him. But when we start to live with the knowldge of how completely He loves us, how can we not respond to Him in love. And to love Him is to love those that He loves ... people ... and who of us actually deserves His kind of love? So then should I only love those desrving of my love? Hmmm ... I think I have a lot more excericising to do!!!


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Content Panda accelerates user adoption, simplifies training and support, promotes governance, and centrally manages the user experience for Microsoft SharePoint® and custom application deployments
Toronto – July 12, 2016 – From the halls of Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) 2016, Content Panda, the online user experience expert, today announced enhancements to its flagship product, Content Panda for SharePoint, and the immediate availability of its newest product, Content Panda for Custom Apps. Both products deliver meaningful experiences for members of the Microsoft technology and partner communities to drive business value.
New Enhancements to Content Panda for SharePoint
Research from AIIM found more than half of SharePoint users are introduced to the platform without training. Sixty percent of respondents state persuading users to manage and share content in SharePoint and not elsewhere is the biggest ongoing issue.
To help close this user adoption and training gap, Content Panda for SharePoint now offers:
Complete in-context training for SharePoint 2010, SharePoint 2013, SharePoint 2016, and SharePoint Online
Full hybrid support to organizations using Content Panda for on-premises and online SharePoint deployments
A new management console enabling IT administrators to centrally manage SharePoint training content, permissions, branding, settings, and user analytics with drag-and-drop ease
Introducing Content Panda for Custom Apps
In today's fast-paced business landscape the addition of contextualized help and training is key to accelerate user adoption of new technology. Individuals spend an average of two-and-a-half hours just to find information they need to complete their daily tasks. Businesses need to leverage all the ways users learn in-person, on-demand and in-context.
Content Panda for Custom Apps extends the superior user experience enterprises already enjoy with Microsoft SharePoint to all in-house, third-party, and community applications across platforms to drive business value.
Accelerate User Adoption: Users receive guidance to complete their business tasks using custom applications with in-context training materials that match their learning preference
Simplify Training & Support: Users simply click the panda wherever they need help, without being distracted by intrusive pop-ups, to access a robust search engine delivering curated support articles and company-approved help content
Promote Governance & Compliance Policies: Reinforce company-specific business processes by making this information available right where users complete their daily tasks
Centrally Manage the User Experience: Control and customize the entire training and adoption experience for users consuming custom applications from one console, including training content, permissions, styles, branding, settings, and user analytics
"We're excited to work hand-in-hand with Microsoft to support its mission of empowering every person and organization to achieve more," said Heather Newman, Co-Founder, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Evangelist at Content Panda. "We look forward to meeting with the partner ecosystem at WPC to align on how we can provide superior online user experiences for Microsoft technologies and custom applications that drive business value."
To speak with Co-Founder and CMO Heather Newman about Content Panda's family of products at WPC 2016, please schedule a meeting using the WPC Connect tool.
About Content Panda
Founded in 2011 and headquartered in California, Content Panda is a high tech business dedicated to creating products that deliver a superior user experience that drive value to businesses.
The Content Panda family of products deliver in-context help, training and support content in the user interface – right where and when you need it. To learn more, visit www.contentpanda.com.


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I met the most difficult patient of my career not quite two and a half years ago. After working for more than 11 years in cancer medicine, ranking as my hardest patient is no easy feat.
Joe initially presented with vague symptoms. Some abdominal discomfort and bloating had, over the course of just a couple of weeks, progressed to the point of debilitation. By his first visit to our office, he could no longer work.
When I met Joe, he looked beaten down. Answering my questions at his initial visit, he was exhausted. Before coming us, he had been diagnosed with incurable stage IV colon cancer. He knew he had an unsolvable problem but was hoping for the chance to feel better than he did.
Joe was just 37-years-old, accompanied by his even younger wife. They had left their two boys at home with a sitter to make the trip. I wish I could tell you we found a loophole and that there was a shot of a cure, but we didn't. Joe was in bad shape. He started chemotherapy that same week.
During his second visit, I somehow managed to give him even worse news than before. Some pathology had testing come back, and it showed a rare mutation. There's something worse than having incurable stage IV cancer, and Joe had it.
Things had gone from bad to worse. Joe and his wife were understandably distraught but, they remained remarkably composed. They expressed that they were glad that he had already started treatment. And they were happy to know that we had a plan B—a clinical trial intended for patients with this rare mutation—for when his current treatment stopped working.
After a couple of doses, Joe started to feel better. Not cured, the cancer wasn't going away. But, Joe was able to get to get back to work and even started running a few miles at a time again.
Then, about a month into treatment, Joe and his wife learned she was pregnant. They called in a panic, worried that the chemotherapy would affect the baby. They were relieved to learn it wouldn't.
For a few months, Joe's treatment went pretty well. At every visit, he looked a little better while his wife's belly grew a little bigger.
But, we all knew what was coming, Joe included. In the fall, it came. A CT scan showed that the chemotherapy was no longer keeping things in check, and Joe started to feel worse.
He began treatment with the clinical trial. But, the treatment couldn't keep pace with the growth rate of the cancer. He started to show signs of liver failure, and the trial had to be stopped.
At that point, Joe's wife was just a few weeks away from her due date. He continued to decline, and once it was safe, labor was induced so that he could meet his third son. Joe died less than a week later.
Joe was not my most difficult patient because he was only 37, I've had far too many patients who were his age or younger. It wasn't that he had young kids or even a pregnant wife. Sadly, those weren't firsts either. There have been other healthy patients who exercised, were highly intelligent, and who were overall nice human beings.
What made Joe my most difficult patient was how he coped with his final nine months of life.
I've had the chance to witness how thousands of individuals and families handle a serious diagnosis and the strain it puts on relationships.
When they are the patients, even seasoned medical professionals can have unrealistic expectations for what modern medicine can accomplish in the face of a poor prognosis. Or, on the flip side, patients who cannot be cured can feel hopeless and lose sight of any remaining good in their lives.
I've had a lot of time to consider how I would want to act and what I would do with my remaining days if I were given the diagnosis I've so often given others. Most of what I've come up with are slices from what I've seen in my patients — being realistic, honest, grateful, and happy. I hope I would enjoy my loved ones, continue to live my life, and benefit from the relationships that I had built.
Joe was the embodiment everything I hope I would be if I were faced with the same circumstances. It's easy to feel pity or empathy for a someone, particularly when they have a desperate situation. But when you see yourself or who you hope to be in someone else, it's a different kind of connection.
Joe had some of the most dramatic moments you can have in any life crammed into a few months. He enjoyed the little improvements and moments of good news but never denied or glossed over what he was facing.
His relationship with his wife was remarkable. In the cancer world, we often receive calls or messages from family members without the patient's knowledge. Sometimes they want to discuss a prognosis outside of the presence of the patient or to secretly tell us their loved one isn't eating right/losing weight/taking their medications correctly.
But with Joe and his wife, everything was out in the open. She was engaged and with him at every visit, but she always allowed him to take the lead in his care. The immense mutual respect they had for each other was admirable.
The way that Joe approached his diagnosis and final months had a long-lasting impact on his family. He and his wife knew that as their baby got closer to joining the world, Joe had less time remaining in it.
But, his wife will still tell you how great those last nine months together were. Now, over a year and a half later, his wife and boys are thriving and continuing his legacy of appreciating the moments life has to offer.
I'm often asked how I can work with cancer patients, the assumption being I spend all day seeing tragedy and giving bad news. On some days, that's true. But, I also have the privilege of seeing how people can live well, even when life is limited.
In practice, you will have patients who you relate to more than others. Ones you will think about long after you leave your office or hospital for the day, and even for many years to come.
But, that's not a weakness or an indication that you don't care enough for all of your patients. Having those who affect you more than most can change your perspective. They can make you a better provider and improve your own life.
Joe certainly helped me to do both.
[While Joe's name was changed for this article, my telling of his story is done with the support of his family. It's a story that deserves to live on, as it does every day in the hearts of those he loved.]