Generation Star Wars: Ten App Store video games you should own!
On-rail shooters don't come much better than this atmospheric and visceral experience. Surely the Dead Space franchise won't be too far behind?
Namco's diminutive Dig Dug franchise is very much alive and well in the Noughties!
Contender for game of the year! Read my review to find out why here.
Hot on the heels of Wolfenstein 3D. RPG is a must for any fan of compelling game play!
The narrative of the Bryce family weaves a wonderful web.
Every successful video games console has a mascot. Mario for Nintendo and Sonic for Sega. Now there's a contender for iPhone. Meet Wizzy, you won't regret it!
The game that garnered plaudits from the Twittering generation and with just cause!
This game needs no introduction. Point and click has translated well to Apple's portable gaming platform. Can't wait for the likes of Full Throttle, Sam & Max, Day of the Tentacle and Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis.
By no means definitive, but there you have it! Please suggest your own favourites in comments.


The source for free market quotes, charts and news - - over 30,000 commodity futures quotes, stock market price and forex rates and charts following.About UF University Forex Futures trading markets trader information from University for Forex webtrading education on fx futures trading methods trading systems and.If you are going to trade futures and commodity options, you should choose a broker you can trust.A list of online brokers that offer forex trading, futures trading, as well as stock and options trading.
Retail participation in off-exchange foreign cur-rency (forex) markets has increased dramatically in the past few years. Forex. Futures and commodities trading with a wide selection of futures trading platforms for trading across the globe.
GCI Financial offers 24 hour online forex trading with instant execution, low fixed spreads, trading from charts, and a range of CFD products.Hello Endroute, I also day trade futures, for the same reasons as yours.
Learn the fundamental factors and best practices of Trading Forex with this FREE comprehensive resource from RJO Futures.Buy and sell currencies Forex trading allows you to buy and sell currencies, 24 hours a day, five days a week.A complete directory of all the Forex Brokers with offices in Canada.Our graphs show weekly data: net positions for major currency. The most heavily traded market is Forex cash, which is commonly known as the Spot Market.
Deep discount online futures broker with online trading in Eminis, crude oil, gold and currency futures with low daytrade margins and free trading platform.During this session, we will go over the details of what the CME Forex Futures are and how to trade them for profits.Online commodity trading is flexible and easy with IC Markets.
Live Chat Support Contact Us. and is a registered guaranteed introducing broker with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.Find the latest currency exchange rates, forex currency trading information and more on foreign currency trading.Why Trade Forex: What advantages does forex trading hold over futures trading.
Large, independently compiled Forex broker listings, detailing minimum account sizes, leverage, spreads, platforms, contact information, etc, and providing easy.TradeKing will now offer its clients an opportunity to trade the full spectrum of products, including stocks and ETFs, options, bonds, futures and Forex.AMP Futures and Forex Trading is a full service and deep discount commodity and online futures trading brokerage firm. In this section of MT5 portal you can find the most relevant and detailed information about Forex brokers.Commodities are goods for which there is demand, but which are supplied.
IC Markets offer a range of Futures from around the world, including the China A50 Index, ICE Dollar Index and CBOE.Find the best one for you in our comparative table of the most reputable Forex brokers.


text:
Officially Welcoming Bethesda to Team Xbox
by Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox • Mar 9, 2021 @ 6:30am
Publisher of iconic gaming franchises will expand Xbox's diverse portfolio on Xbox Game Pass
This is an exciting day for Xbox. Today we officially complete the acquisition of ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda Softworks. It's an honor to welcome the eight incredibly talented development studios – Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Studios – and their passionate global communities to the Xbox family. Now that everything is official, we can begin working together to deliver more great games to everyone. At every step building toward this moment, I've been inspired and motivated by the creativity, insight, and community-first approach of the talented people at Bethesda. Our goal is to give these teams the best foundation for doing their greatest work and to learn from them as we continue to build Xbox into an inclusive platform for all players.
This is the next step in building an industry-leading first party studios team, a commitment we have to our Xbox community. With the addition of the Bethesda creative teams, gamers should know that Xbox consoles, PC, and Game Pass will be the best place to experience new Bethesda games, including some new titles in the future that will be exclusive to Xbox and PC players.
As we shared previously, it's vitally important that Bethesda continues making games the way it always has. We look forward to empowering Bethesda's creative teams to reach even more players around the world, helping make future Bethesda titles the biggest and most popular games in their history. Xbox and Bethesda have long shared a common vision for the future of gaming. Both as fans and as creators, Bethesda understands the potential of Xbox Game Pass.
We would also like to honor the life and memory of my close friend Robert A. Altman, founder of ZeniMax Media. Robert believed deeply in the power of gaming and we are privileged to be able to continue his work by joining forces with the teams he built and led for many years. I will miss the opportunity to work directly with him on the future of our combined teams but I know that his spirit will live on in the shared work we do and motivate us to make this partnership all he envisioned.
Thank you to all our players for joining us on this incredible journey and to the millions of Bethesda fans around the world. Now that we're one team, we can start working together on the future ahead. We will have more to share about what's next for our teams later this year. In the meantime, to properly celebrate this special moment, we are bringing additional Bethesda games into Xbox Game Pass later this week. Stay tuned for more details!
20 Bethesda Games from the World's Most Iconic Franchises Available in Xbox Game Pass Tomorrow
Mar 11, 2021 @ 10:11am
Welcoming the Talented Teams and Beloved Game Franchises of Bethesda to Xbox
Sep 21, 2020 @ 6:00am

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I need recipes created to use for gathering information ...to automatically go through each page of results that post from these websites. Specifically address and phone number gathering. 4 output columns in total consisting of the street address, state and zip code. Then phone number data. All the data need to be set up to be downloaded as csv files.


I've had licenses, addresses, jobs and filed taxes but haven't had any wages garnished or taxes withheld or warrant for arrest. Xwife says I do have an active child support order, but is hard to believe. 5-6 years have passed since the divorce papers were filed. My parents had my kids for 18 months when my x was struggling and applied for conservatory for my kids and said the court found no support order against me? I don't want to get screwed down the line, I want to start paying if there is an order. If I hired a lawyer could they help forgive all arrears to my x if she agreed and then continue with monthly payments?
A: You can check with the court to see if there is a case. Maybe your ex can provide some detail re which court supposedly issued the order.


text:
Home>Health>Yemen conjoined twins: Doctors appeal for help evacuating boys
Yemen conjoined twins: Doctors appeal for help evacuating boys
February 6, 2019 Arun Menon440
Abdul Khaleq and Abdul Rahim share a liver, as well as two kidneys, two legs and two arms
Yemeni doctors have appealed to the UN to arrange the evacuation of newborn conjoined twin boys who are in urgent need of treatment abroad.
Abdul Khaleq and Abdul Rahim, who are two weeks old, will not survive if they stay in Yemen, where the health system has been ravaged by years of civil war.
The twins are currently at a hospital in the capital Sanaa, which is in the hands of rebel Houthi movement.
Its airport is blockaded by a Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen's government.
Yemen has been devastated by a conflict that escalated in early 2015, when the Houthis seized control of much of the west of the country and forced President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi to flee abroad.
At least 6,800 civilians have been killed and 10,700 injured in the war, according to the United Nations. The fighting and a partial blockade by the coalition have also pushed Yemen to the brink of famine and left 16 million people without basic healthcare.
Doctors at al-Thawra hospital are unable to carry out basic diagnostic tests
Abdul Khaleq and Abdul Rahim have separate heads, spines, lungs, hearts and digestive systems, but share a liver, as well as two kidneys, two legs and two arms.
The boys need help to breathe are being treated in an incubator at Sanaa's al-Thawra hospital.
Dr Faisal al-Babili, the hospital's head of paediatrics, said his colleagues were unable to carry out basic diagnostic tests, let alone an operation to separate them.
"They need to travel immediately. They will not be able to survive in Yemen under the social, political and economic circumstances in this country," he told Reuters news agency.
Dr Babili said he hoped the UN or another international humanitarian organisation would be able to evacuate the twins on one of their planes.
Sanaa's airport has been closed to commercial traffic since 2015 because the Saudi-led coalition controls Yemen's airspace.
The restrictions have prevented thousands of critically ill patients from travelling abroad to seek treatment unavailable in the country.
PTSD: Hampshire garage helps forces veterans
March 1, 2019 Arun Menon
[ad_1] Ex-forces veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have found a lifeline at a garage that runs an apprenticeship scheme
'The injury that made me commit a crime'
October 9, 2018 Arun Menon
[ad_1] Image caption Byron Schofield with members of his support team A head injury not only left Byron Schofield physically
What is it like to suffer a stroke at 25?
[ad_1] Dancer Emily Cane had everything she wanted from life.Then a heart defect caused a stroke when she was just
Dan Mallory: Best-selling author lied about having cancer
David Malpass: Who is Trump's pick for World Bank president?


text:
Recognition for Energy
View all recognition
Showing 1 - 10 of Total Results (10)
Dentons ASEAN sector leader appointments
These new ASEAN Sector Group Leaders and Co-Leaders will lead and set the strategic direction for the Sector Groups, in alignment with the ASEAN region and Global Sector Group's goals and strategies.
Dentons HPRPs ranking by Global Publications in 2022
Dentons HPRP continuously maintain its position as a Top Tier Law Firm and ranked by leading publications as an outstanding law firm with highly regarded lawyers.
Dentons HPRP ranked by Legal 500 as Top Tier Law Firm
Dentons HPRP is proud to share that the firm has been ranked as a Top Tier law firm in Legal 500 Asia Pacific, a leading legal publication, 2022 edition. The publication has now acknowledged Dentons HPRP for its outstanding expertise in every aspect of the aviation industry for 6 years.
IFLR1000 2020 recognizes Dentons HPRP lawyers as Highly Regarded
The 2020 edition of IFLR1000, the guide to the world's leading financial and corporate law firms and lawyers, researching over 120 jurisdictions worldwide, has recognized five Dentons HPRP lawyers as Highly Regarded in acknowledgement of their standout performance. In addition to that, two lawyers received a Notable Practitioner rating, while one has been rated as a Rising Star.
Dentons HPRP Wins Two Awards from ALB Indonesia Law Awards 2019
Dentons HPRP won two awards for "Aviation Law Firm of the Year" and "Projects, Energy and Infrastructure Law Firm of the Year" at The 2019 ALB Indonesia Law Awards in Jakarta, on 10 October 2019. The firm is recognized as the "Aviation Law Firm of the Year" for the 3rd consecutive years.
Dentons HPRP is Recognized by Asialaw as an Outstanding and Highly Recommended Law Firm
Dentons HPRP has been recognized by Asialaw Profile for its outstanding expertise in every aspect of the aviation industry for the 4th consecutive year. The publication also ranked the firm as a highly recommended law firm for other industry sectors and practice areas, among others, Banking & Financial Services, Energy, Infrastructure, Technology & Telecommunications, Labour and Employment.
Dentons HPRP Nominated in Several Categories for Southeast Asia Law Awards 2019
Dentons HPRP has been shortlisted in 8 categories at the upcoming Asian Legal Business Southeast (ALB SE) Asia Law Awards 2019.
Dentons HPRP is an outstanding and highly recommended law firm by Asialaw
Dentons HPRP has been acknowledged as an Indonesian leading law firm by Asialaw Profile 2019 edition. The recognition further confirms Dentons HPRP's outstanding services in 14 industry sectors and practice areas.
Dentons HPRP wins awards from ALB Indonesia Law Awards 2017
Hanafiah Ponggawa & Partners ("Dentons HPRP"), an Indonesian leading law firm, has won awards for three categories in the ALB Indonesia Law Awards 2017: Restructuring and Insolvency Law Firm of the Year, Maritime Law Firm of the Year, and Project Finance Deal of the Year.
Dentons HPRP partner listed as one of 40 under 40 by ALB Thomson Reuters
Dentons HPRP is pleased to share that one of its partners Hendra Ong has been shortlisted in the annual '40 Under 40' listed by Asian Legal Business (ALB) Thomson Reuters. The list features 40 outstanding legal professionals in Asia (excluding China) who are under the age of 40.


This process may include addressing acute concerns, then evolving into restorative and nourishing suggestions, as well as lifestyle supports that would carry beyond the scope of the 6-month period.
Assessment reviews at 6, 12, and 24 weeks.
We will look at where you are with your process, each person's process is different. What suggestions might be useful to you at this point? What suggestions might no longer serve you. Have your needs changed during this time? How has your vision of optimal wellness look at each point?
Up to 12 follow-ups over the course of your 6 month package.
These are check-ins that you can do in person, over the phone, or via email, your choice.
This is a short consultation in which we'll review your original assessment as well as the assessment reviews and take a look at what you may want to consider moving forward from this point.
Some herbal products and services such as workshops may be included in this package, others may be available for an additional fee. This will be determined at the time of your consultation.


text:
VanZant finds peace at 'scene of the crime'
Dave Matter
Tony VanZant
The view from Tony Van Zant's office of the football field at Lincoln. PHOTO BY DAVE MATTER
JEFFERSON CITY • If the eyes are indeed the window to the soul, for Tony VanZant, the window is the eye to the past.
The offices for the Lincoln University football program are housed in a two-story building at 1106 Chestnut Street in Jefferson City. The rickety stairs creak under VanZant's steps as he climbs them to the second floor. His office is down the hallway and to the right.
The Blue Tigers running backs coach squeezes behind a desk that takes up most of the room in what appears to be a converted frat house from another era. A computer sits on his desk, and just beyond the monitor, VanZant can look out the window and see Dwight T. Reed Stadium.
VanZant wouldn't have the same clear view if he worked in any other room in the building. Perhaps he wanted it that way. Maybe it's just a coincidence.
A few hundred yards outside that window lies the cruel reminder of what could have been — or what should have been if VanZant dared question his fate, which on this muggy July afternoon he does not.
A generation ago, VanZant was hailed as the savior for Missouri's football program. The running back from St. Louis was the 1985 Parade Magazine national player of the year.
"Like Paul Christman before him, Tony VanZant could make the highways seem shorter again to Columbia from St. Louis, Kansas City and other points on the state compass," the Post-Dispatch's Bob Broeg wrote on Feb. 18, 1986. "A breakaway back could do wonders at the gate."
Missouri's preseason camp was scheduled to start in 18 days, but before he'd launch his college career, VanZant decided to play in the Missouri Lions Club All-Star Game in Jefferson City.
What unfolded in the state capital July 26, 1986 — 27 years ago Friday — still resonates as one of the great gut punches in Mizzou sports history.
VanZant blew out his left knee on his second carry.
"And he was never the same," former MU teammate Damon Frenchers said.
Instead, VanZant missed the entire 1986 season and never fulfilled all the promise he displayed at
Hazelwood Central.
Depression soon took over. Years later, surely, regrets linger.
"I don't regret it," VanZant said. "People ask me all the time, 'Would you play in the all-star game again?'
"I say, 'Yeah. So what?'
"They say, 'Why? If you're the top player in the country, why would you risk yourself getting hurt?'
"But I could trip over a curb and get hurt. I don't regret it at all."
Now into his second decade as a football coach, VanZant, 45, has found peace with the injury that cost him stardom and possibly millions of dollars. Two years ago, when former Mizzou teammate and St. Louis Rams Super Bowl hero Mike Jones took over as Lincoln's head coach, VanZant was among his first hires. VanZant had spent the previous 15 years coaching high school football in Saginaw, Mich., the town where he lived before moving to St. Louis in the sixth grade.
"I think I was already in Missouri when (Jones) hung up the phone," VanZant said.
But it wasn't until the new Lincoln staff got together for the first time on Chestnut Street that VanZant realized where his new office was located.
"It was the scene of the crime," said Frenchers, Lincoln's defensive coordinator.
Every practice, every home game, VanZant would be back at Reed Stadium. He hadn't been there since the all-star game.
"We're sitting around talking, and (Jones) goes, 'What are you looking at it?' " VanZant said. "I said, 'Man, that's the field where I got hurt.' Mike just dropped his head and said, 'Are you kidding?'"
Lee Johnson was at Reed Stadium the night of the injury. He was VanZant's fullback at Hazelwood Central and had finished his first season at Mizzou. For years he lived with intense regret: Johnson played in the Lions Club game the year before. He had urged VanZant to do the same.
Former Mizzou coordinator Derek Dooley files suit against school
35 years ago: Tony VanZant is recognized as the top high school football player in the country
Mizzou shakes off rust, takes down Texas A&M
Tilmon's total game carries Mizzou to victory at Texas A&M
Read the full transcript of Dave Matter's Thursday Mizzou chat
"We were like brothers," Johnson said. "He was always in my hip pocket. He would grab the back of my pants as we were running through holes."
VanZant ran through those high school holes for 6,138 yards and 91 touchdowns, including 2,736 yards and 36 scores his senior year. Greatness was inevitable at Mizzou, Johnson believed.
"He could stop on a dime, give you nine cents and in the next step he's going 100 miles an hour," said Johnson, now the coach of the San Antonio Talons of the Arena Football League. "He was phenomenal."
Until Jefferson City. VanZant can still point to the exact location where he went down. He picked up 5 yards on the play but fell to the ground without absorbing any contact from a defender. He sat the rest of the game as a precaution. Initially, Mizzou's medical staff diagnosed the injury as a sprained left knee.
Three weeks later, doctors discovered a torn ligament and cartilage damage during arthroscopic surgery. VanZant's season was over before it started. He'd undergo reconstructive surgery later that month.
"It's a real tragedy," Tigers coach Woody Widenhofer said at the time.
VanZant delayed his enrollment at Missouri and stayed in St. Louis for the fall. Frenchers still believes that was a crucial mistake.
"When I saw him in January, he had a noticeable hitch to his stride," Frenchers said. "That hitch comes from not rehabbing the right way. … Every day sitting on that couch at home, looking at your bad knee and thinking what could have been, that'll send anyone the other way."
VanZant sank into what he now admits was severe depression.
"I thought about giving up on everything," he said. "Life, period. Sitting in the dark, not doing anything. Just contemplating."
He didn't seek counseling or therapy. Back then, there were other ways to cope.
"Let me say this, there wasn't a drink he turned down," Frenchers said. "You hide (depression) in the bottle sometimes."
VanZant made his Mizzou debut in 1987, but while other running backs carried the load, VanZant never touched the ball more than eight times in a game. He missed most of the 1988 season after suffering damage to his other knee.
In 1989, he briefly moved to wide receiver under new coach Bob Stull but didn't play enough to earn another letter until 1991. For his college career, he carried the ball 51 times for 203 yards and one touchdown.
"The explosiveness wasn't there," said former Mizzou quarterback Phil Johnson, now an attorney in Kansas City, "but you'd hand him the ball and watch him run, and you could just see he had that ability to set up blocks and find space where a lot of people can't. It just made you wonder what he was like when his knees were good."
VanZant tried to stay upbeat, but it wasn't easy, even when he got a letter in the mail from former Oklahoma running back Marcus Dupree, whose career fizzled after a great freshman season.
"I just didn't want to be around anyone," he said. "My girlfriend at the time, I didn't even want to talk to her. I just wanted to be alone."
His sadness extended to others, too.
"Tony kept telling me, 'It could have happened any time,'" Lee Johnson said. "But I carried guilt for a few years because of that."
At some point during his time in Columbia, VanZant was in a grocery store and had what he described as a life-changing experience. An older man who never identified himself recognized VanZant.
"He said, 'It happened for a reason,'" he said. "I didn't understand what he was saying at the time because I was frustrated, just down and out. He said, 'Maybe it's not meant for you to play. … Maybe the Lord has something better for you to do.'"
VanZant never asked the man his name. He never saw him again. He never forgot his message.
"I went back home and got in that stage (of depression) again," he said. "But all I could hear was that man talking. It snapped me out of it. I started thinking about coaching. It got me going."
As the Blue Tigers prepare for their third season under Jones and his staff — they've gone 2-20 the last two years — VanZant believes he's found his calling as a college coach. He's a tireless recruiter, Frenchers said. Recruits don't remember his time at Mizzou, but most recognize his name, especially in St. Louis.
"No one's seen me since I've left," he said. "Some people say, 'I thought you were dead.'"
Through coaching at Lincoln and a Facebook account, VanZant has reconnected with old friends and teammates from St. Louis and Columbia. He follows Mizzou football closely and has a special interest in sophomore wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham, who like VanZant came to Mizzou hyped as the country's No. 1 recruit. Like TVZ before him, Springfield's DGB is known simply by his call letters.
Meanwhile, when the Blue Tigers hold their home opener Sept. 28 against Pittsburg State, Frenchers will look over at his friend and colleague and wonder. A sense of sadness washes over Frenchers every time Lincoln plays a home game.
"I don't know if anyone else sees it," Frenchers said. "On game days, everybody's hooting and hollering trying to fire the kids up, and I look over there and he's kind of walking a little slow. That's him thinking, 'Gosh almighty.'"
More sports videos from STLtoday.com
Dave Matter brings you the latest updates from the Mizzou sports scene.
Dave Matter is the Mizzou beat writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Follow Dave Matter
Mizzou Sports News
On Jan. 12, 1986, Parade Magazine honored the Hazelwood Central star as its national player of the year.
Matter: Why Mizzou fans should be optimistic
The Post-Dispatch's Dave Matter & CineSport's Noah Coslov discuss storylines for the Missouri Tigers as they gear up for their second season i…


Chulyaeva Elena G. Ognev Boris I. Kuznetsov Sergey N.
The problem of organization of a wireless optical multi-node network (MANET) between surface ships has been considered. This type of connection can be an alternative to the classical radio message. The advantages of optical communication are faster data transmission, high security and immunity to interference. The goal of the work is creation of computer model of such communication network, a choice of an algorithm of the organization of logical network infrastructure and determination of the main technical requirements to optical communication terminals. The software "The emulator of a wireless optical network" was developed for simulation of the network of the moving surface ships. For the organization of a communication network the well-known algorithms of discrete mathematics (such as the Kruskal algorithm) were used. The simulation of the network was carried out; technical requirements to optical communication terminals as an element of the specified network were formulated.


Contract workers have evolved as an indispensable portion of today's workforce. Majority of the businesses, especially small businesses which offer services like landscaping, plumbing etc are utilizing them to a wide extent as it facilitates the organization to run cost-effective and more adaptable. But often they are treated comparatively different from the regular employees and this attitude demotivates them. Let's explore the strategies to be followed to motivate the contract employees.
Contract workers are the workforce who deals directly with your clients and represent your business. In order to make use of them to the best for achieving the predicted output and customer satisfaction, it is essential that the contract workers efforts should be recognized and stay motivated. Despite the fact that, they are not the permanent employees of your small business, they are equally important and hardworking as the regular employees to attain the business goals.
Most of the businesses are unaware of the fact that they contribute equally to the success of an organization. They are treated unfairly comparing the permanent employees as the organization does not realize that such difference of attitude causes a rift among them eventually leading to the loss in the quality of work they do which merely affects their business. To avoid encountering such things happening to one's business every business owners should ensure that all the employees irrespective of regular or contract should be treated fairly.
It's uncertain that the contractor who works for you, know about your business plans, policies, and procedures. Providing an orientation and training process, they realize the big picture of your small business and project goals more clearly. This paves a path to understand and learn the new process, thereby achieving full productivity. Also, encourage the contract employees to raise questions and clear the doubts they come across.
Often there is a miscommunication between the employers and contract employees as the employers assume that the contract employees are aware of the outcomes they desire to deliver. But it is not much easy for them to realize the expectations immediately as they change companies often and the culture and practices differ. Conduct a give-and-take discussion with them and explain them about the output you desire. With the mutual agreement to achieve the desired outcome, assure them to offer the necessary support they expect from you.
The relationship which the contract workers maintain with the organization differs from the regular employees. The contractors often perform operations on-site and stay separate from the organization. They should be involved in regular team meetings and events to build a bond and staying in touch boosts commitment and productivity.
Providing quick and accurate feedback is necessary for better performance and quality output. At the same time don't miss to appreciate the employees for their commitment towards work done and acknowledge their efforts. Offering incentive programs motivates them to perform better and at the same time, you can enjoy big payoffs.
Pay your contractors on-time as you do with your full-time employees based on the value of service they provide to your business. A good practice is to set up a payment agreement to avoid conflicts during the payment process.
To conclude, it is important to realize that treating the contract workers impartially builds a noble reputation for your business among the contract workforce and they will look for the opportunities to work for you in the future, safeguarding that you get ultimate performance from them.
These days even big Organisations are also going for contract employees because of the problems they are facing with the permanent employees. Even many employees are outsourcing the works on piece rated basis to a contractor and in turn, the contractor is also employing people on piece rate. The wage offered will be on the basis of their output. But one good thing in today's employment is everybody will have a contribution to Provident fund and ESI. This good for the contract workers. The bonus is also to be paid to these contract employees. As such they are getting all the advantages and also the minimum wages prescribed by the government. The condition of these employees is much better these and by following the points mentioned in the article these workers will become more productive.
The term worker sounds a little demeaning, employees would be a good term. Similarly, many refer to their employers as 'owners', this also should be discouraged., nobody can own a human being. In today's era of cost containment and seasonal needs in some sectors, contract employees are a lifesaver to small industries and firms.
Most of these contract employees often have a middleman who milks money from both sides under the promise of easy labour for the company and a chance to earn money for the poor unskilled or semi-skilled employees.
As an employer, one needs to find a reliable person in the group and groom them as a managerial level employee who can be the go between the management and the employees.
Contract employees should be and would move on to a better job once an opportunity arises for them. They often put in long hours but are paid much less than regular employees. I don't think these contract employees get sick leave, pension or health insurance.
Treating them on par with benefits will not only improve their productivity but also will keep the employer satisfying the legal needs too.


text:
Air Passenger Protection
National transportation system
Dispute resolution methods
National transportation system - More
Decisions & determinations
Future-Oriented Statement of Operations - For the years ending March 31, 2022 and March 31, 2023
Future-Oriented Statement of Operations (Unaudited)
For the year ending March 31
Forecast Results 2021- 22
Planned Results 2022- 23
Independent regulatory and dispute-resolution services for transportation providers and users
Revenues from fines
Sales of goods and services
Other revenues
Revenues earned on behalf of Government
(462,375) (188,180)
Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers
$ 48,425,523 $ 33,842,949
The accompanying notes form an integral part of the Future-Oriented Statement of Operations.
Notes to the Future-Oriented Statement of Operations (Unaudited)
1. Methodology and Significant Assumptions
The Future-Oriented Statement of Operations has been prepared on the basis of government priorities and departmental plans as described in the Departmental Plan.
The information in the forecast results for fiscal year 2021-22 is based on actual results as at December 1, 2021 and on forecasts for the remainder of the fiscal year. Forecasts have been made for the planned results for fiscal year 2022-23.
The main assumptions underlying the forecasts are as follows:
The CTA's mandate and activities will remain substantially the same as in the previous year.
Expenses and revenues, including the determination of amounts internal and external to the government, are based on past experience. The general historical pattern is expected to continue with the exception of administrative monetary penalties (AMPs). It is not possible to accurately forecast revenues related to AMPs associated with enforcement activities.
Based on resources provided, the CTA will deliver the expected results specified in the Departmental Plan.
Estimated information is based on the parliamentary appropriations granted to the CTA through its 2021-22 Main Estimates.
These assumptions are made as at December 1, 2021.
2. Variations and Changes to the Forecast Financial Information
Although every attempt has been made to forecast final results for the remainder of 2021-22 and for 2022-23, actual results achieved for both years are likely to differ from the forecast information presented, and this variation could be material.
In preparing this Future-Oriented Statement of Operations, the CTA has made estimates and assumptions about the future. These estimates and assumptions may differ from the subsequent actual results. They are based on past experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, and are continually evaluated.
Factors that could lead to material differences between the Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and the historical statement of operations include:
further changes to the operating budget, such as new initiatives or technical adjustments later in the fiscal year;
the timing and amount of acquisitions and disposals of equipment, which may affect gains, losses and amortization expense;
the implementation of new collective agreements; and
economic conditions, which may affect both the amount of revenue earned and the collectability of receivables.
After the Departmental Plan is tabled in Parliament, the CTA will not be updating the forecasts for any changes in financial resources made in ensuing supplementary estimates. Variances will be explained in the Departmental Results Report.
The Future-Oriented Statement of Operations has been prepared using Government of Canada's accounting policies in effect for fiscal year 2021-22, and is based on Canadian public sector accounting standards. The presentation and results using the stated accounting policies do not result in any significant differences from Canadian public sector accounting standards.
Significant accounting policies are as follows:
a) Expenses
The CTA records expenses on an accrual basis.
Expenses for the CTA's operations are recorded when goods are received or services are rendered and include expenses related to personnel, professional and special services, repair and maintenance, utilities, materials and supplies. Services provided without charge by other government departments for accommodation, employer contributions to the health and dental insurance plans, legal services and workers' compensation are recorded as operating expenses at their estimated cost. Vacation pay and compensatory leave are accrued as the benefits are earned by employees under their respective terms of employment.
Expenses also include provisions to reflect changes in the value of assets, including provisions for bad debt on accounts receivable and inventory obsolescence, or liabilities, including contingent liabilities, to the extent the future event is likely to occur and a reasonable estimate can be made.
Expenses also include amortization of tangible capital assets, which are capitalized at their acquisition cost. Amortization of tangible capital assets is done on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the asset.
b) Revenues
All revenues, including AMPs, miscellaneous non tax revenue (e.g. access to information fees), and gain on disposal of assets, are accounted for in the period in which the underlying transaction or event that gave rise to the revenue takes place.
Revenues that are non-respendable are not available to discharge the CTA's liabilities. Although the Chair and CEO is expected to maintain accounting control, she has no authority over the disposition of non-respendable revenues. As a result, non-respendable revenues are considered to be earned on behalf of the Government of Canada and are therefore presented in reduction of the CTA's gross revenues.
4. Parliamentary Authorities
The CTA is financed by the Government of Canada through parliamentary authorities. Financial reporting of authorities provided to the CTA differs from financial reporting according to generally accepted accounting principles because authorities are primarily based on cash flow requirements. Items recognized in the Future-Oriented Statement of Operations in one year may be funded through parliamentary authorities in prior, current, or future years. Accordingly, the CTA has different net cost of operations for the year on a government funding basis than on an accrual accounting basis. The differences are reconciled in the following tables:
a) Reconciliation of net cost of operations to requested authorities (in dollars)
Adjustments for items affecting net cost of operations, but not affecting authorities:
Amortization of tangible capital assets
Gain (loss) on disposal of tangible capital assets
Services provided without charge by other government departments
(3,548,587) (2,875,207)
Decrease (increase) in vacation pay and compensatory leave
416,299 (159,869)
Decrease (increase) in employee future benefits
(344,615) 294,836
Refunds of previous years' expenditures
Total items affecting net cost of operations but not affecting authorities
Adjustment for items not affecting net cost of operations but affecting authorities:
Acquisitions of tangible capital assets
Increase (decrease) in inventory
- (2,596)
Increase (decrease) in prepaid expenses
(36,498) 31,438
Total items not affecting net cost of operations but affecting authorities
Requested authorities
b) Authorities requested (in dollars)
Forecast Results 2021-22
Planned Results 2022-23
Authorities requested
Vote 1 - Operating expenditures
Statutory amounts
Total authorities requested
Available in multiple formats.
Our organization and mandate
Performance and statistics
Phone, email and address
Regional enforcement officers
Agency Secretariat
Twitter @CTA_gc


We are an independent digital premier marketing agency, specializing in performance-based marketing management. We combine the experience of seasoned search and digital marketing professionals with the latest in advertising technologies. We help you maximize your potential and get results. Our Services include pay-per-click advertising, search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, web analytics, display advertising, web design and mobile marketing. With over 10 years of direct and interactive marketing know-how, our team at Lever Interactive provides leading expertise in today's most advanced digital marketing opportunities. We'll be the smartest agency decision you ever make.


text:
"We meet at this service
and weave new threads to mend
The rent of our bereavement.
Not just through liturgy
But also by these formal yet essential rites
We are patched and made whole again"--from "Wake", by Dorothy McLaughlin
Last night I packaged sea shells without the benefit of a science fiction novel. My reading strayed into non-fiction, but I plan to restore myself to the path of story again soon. I think, sometimes, that sharing compassion and stories is all we really have. In some circles, story telling is seen as a form of glorified needlework, perhaps ornate and interesting in spots, but ultimately outmoded in favor of something less coherent, more elusive. Count me among those who like the pattern of a good woven story.
Two common themes in stories are the themes of loss and the rediscovery of hope. Grief erects caverns, dark places for which words are required. Hope is the light that leads one out. Some practical folks say that merely saying "I will be happy" will install happiness into oneself, like putting a "D" battery into a robot toy. I find that hope sometimes requires a more complex procedure.
I like the "light bulb" feeling when a novel helps me connect with a way of perceiving reality--and suddenly, things frustrate me a bit less than they did before. I even like the feeling when I throw a novel against the wall, because the thinking seems to me so flawed. I remind myself that I learn as I go, and neither I nor the author has learned it all.
Dororthy McLaughlin wrote a poem, a portion of which I quote above. Its opening line is "death's mindless claw has torn the fabric of our lives". I think it's a good poem, with good images, and yet to the point. For myself, I prefer my poetry not to dawdle unnecesarily, although I recognize that it is in the very leisure of the journey that the poem shows itself.
I think that I agree with Ms. McLaughlin that the stories we tell help with the grief--we patch the quilt, over and over, and soon the patches look completely different, but it is still the same quilt.
It's the same quilt even if every fabric has been substituted.
That's part of the circle and part of the ritual. We keep replacing and rebuilding, and it's very important not to stop. The eulogy is in the quilting needles, and the weave is more important than the words you sew into the pattern.
A Distance from the Twin Cities
"The chess pieces are the block alphabet which shapes thoughts; and these thoughts, although making a visual design on the chess-board, express their beauty abstractly, like a poem"--Marcel Duchamp


There's just one output port and you might just control inch device at a moment. Additionally, it moves slower compared to regular web connection. Privatix Network is a stage for selling and purchasing services that are different. Trust companies are organizations which supply various secure identity and trade solutions, including certification services. Direct server entry allows one particular system to possess access to another program's tools, it is a fast vpn for android VPN-like technological innovation that produces intranet connectivity into client computers whenever they're about the web. Network-security 101 Learn the essentials of network safety.
By focusing on documents for building a web site, cooperation instruments are among the most elastic and dependable means of raising productivity in a digital office. This is a portable, effective, and useful tool that could take care of containers and even supply huge scalability and automation in precisely the exact very same moment. The program detects and gets rid of them all. There is applications that communicates portable variants. The ideal program depends up on the particular person requirements and the state of the device. Malicious hardware or software might be released by means of an adversary with brief physical availability into this gadget. Friend Workspace applications may also be linked to the Friend Network.
The different items and pieces with each of these definitions could possibly be considered a bit confusing for non-tech-savvy readers. The thing supports the way in they align with the company's mobile safety objectives. 24 hour on line customer service throughout the whole world. Becoming free, but the consumer does not comprise the Sentinel Ethereum Rinkeby TestNet Wallets usedto pay dVPN trades. Like different VPNs, it's certainly going to select the ideal host for the own institution or enable you to select your region. Use a webbased Proxy ServerA online proxy server is most likely the simplest solution to your dilemma.
Now, in relation to location, it does not absolutely have to be someplace you are in a position to sunbathe and swim. In the event you would like to find location which are more economical, you consistently have the choice to elect for Egypt, because it's great ethnic cost, and less expensive price arrangements. Around the reverse side, if you're attempting to choose a terrific coastal location, then your condition of Florida will most certainly give you paradise-like encounter. Another factor to contemplate if you should be driving to a particular place for the exact 1st time, is which you are able to receive lost.
International travel SIMs such as GoSIM appear good written down, but the truth is they are far more pricey than simply finding a locality provider and purchasing a PAYG SIM with a few tons of information. A VPN can be really just a small amount of programming that generates a protected institution within the net, this means you are able to securely interface out of anywhere. The optimal/optimally thing about VPN could be the actual fact it weighs just a few of bytes around 4 M B. VPNs are a valuable add-on to some in depth assortment of privacy applications. They truly are likewise an indispensable safety tool for mobile pros who work with vulnerable information. They defend your institution's network from viruses and hackers and make certain that every dealing is kept private and confidential. Because of its very best value services, it is the an best VPN which is applied by millions of the people from all throughout the world.


text:
Cowboys news: Will the Cowboys move on from Cole Beasley, and could WR help already be on the roster?
That and all the Cowboys news that's fit to print.
By Michael Strawn@LifeInCharts Feb 5, 2019, 4:00am CST
Share All sharing options for: Cowboys news: Will the Cowboys move on from Cole Beasley, and could WR help already be on the roster?
Mailbag: What Can The Cowboys Learn From NE? - Bryan Broaddus & Rob Phillips - DallasCowboys.com
The Mothership's writers respond to reader's questions, including one asking how the Cowboys could possibly move on from Cole Beasley without an adequate replacement.
Bryan: Edelman has been doing this for years. It shouldn't have taken just this game to realize that. There comes a point in time where you can pay certain players so much. The front office might be at that point with Beasley. If you sign him, great. If you don't you move on. I saw three slot players at the Senior Bowl I'd love to have that could be just as productive as Edelman or Beasley for a quarter of the cost.
Rob: Cole Beasley can help this team, no question about it. Whether he returns probably will come down to money, though. It's not about the Cowboys' cap space this year, which right now sits over $50 million. It's about the number of key guys whose contracts are up within the next year. The club has to prioritize and budget for those. To answer your question, they don't have another player like him under contract right now. Tavon Austin is a speedy, shifty slot receiver, but he's also set to be a free agent.
3 under-the-radar Cowboys who could become big contributors in 2019, including a forgotten man at WR - John Owning, SportsDay
Owning provides his usual gif-heavy analysis of three under-the-radar contributors to the Cowboys' 2018 season.
Just 23 years old, [Cedrick] Wilson checks in at 6-foot-2 and a hair under 200 pounds, giving him nice size to go with his above-average athleticism.
Though he missed the entirety of his rookie season, Wilson's college tape reveals a player who is ready to contribute, and with Tavon Austin and Cole Beasley's contracts expiring in March, Wilson could see a lot of opportunities next season.
In college, Wilson found success because of his refined route-running ability. Despite the fact he lacks elite deep speed, Wilson was able to become the best vertical threat in Boise State's offense because he understands how to separate from coverage with pacing and subtle movements.
The Athletic's NFL "Super Bowl-Era" franchise rankings – Bob Sturm, The Athletic
The Sturminator embarks on his annual, long-term evaluation of every NFL franchise and notes how the Cowboys' have slid from the top spot to their current position in third place.
Dallas was much happier about this study when I did it the first time. The Cowboys had a sizable margin on the competition and felt great about their accomplishments. Unfortunately, they have one of the longest current droughts in the industry when it comes to simply reaching an NFC championship game. Who would have thought this group would manage only three playoff wins almost 25 years since the Triplets were young? As a credit to the eras of Tom Landry and Jimmy Johnson, they still hold a lead over everyone but Pittsburgh and New England. But the team that led this study for the first fifteen editions has now fallen to third place.
Jason Garrett's 4th downs attempts against the Rams - Eli Cuellar, CowboysWire
Jason Garrett's in-game decision-making has been questioned throughout his career. Here we get a detailed breakdown of Garrett's handling of fourth down attempts in the team's playoff loss to the Rams.
Garrett received criticism early in the year for avoiding such high-risk plays, It is understandable but his attitude towards fourth down tries had changed as the season went on. His decision making in close games began to improve, which is good news. In tight matchups, these kinds of plays shouldn't be optional, they should be mandatory, when given favorable opportunities.
This kind of aggressiveness can prove to be a double-edged sword at times, but more often than not, teams are winning with optimal fourth-down efficiency. Perhaps with new OC Kellen Moore officially at the helm, Garrett and company will only continue to build in these game situations.
5 things Dallas Cowboys must do to get to next year's Super Bowl - Jon Machota, SportsDay
The Cowboys' SportsDay beat writer gives his list of ways the team can improve and go farther next season.
More offensive creativity. Kellen Moore is the new offensive coordinator. Jon Kitna is the new quarterbacks coach. Will Moore's offense look completely different from what we've seen over the last few years? I have my doubts. Garrett had strong influence on the offense run under previous OC Scott Linehan and I expect the same this time around, especially considering this is Moore's first time as an OC and Garrett will be coaching for his job in 2019.
So what could change? I could see more pre-snap motion that would make the offense less predictable. I could see even more ways of getting the ball to Amari Cooper. I think most of all, there could be more opportunities for Dak Prescott to use his feet as not only a runner but also as a passer. Increased creativity could also come via new personnel. The Cowboys obviously don't have a first-round pick because of the Cooper trade. They're also not expected to be big-time players in the free agency market. But the league continues to get younger and it wouldn't surprise me to see Dallas draft a couple of offensive weapons either at tight end, receiver or third-down back that could add some new wrinkles immediately.
Back To The Future: Lessons From September - David Helman, DallasCowboys.com
Helman begins a series looking back at the 2018 season, summarizing each game from September. His thoughts after the team's come-from-behind victory over Detroit to even the team's record at 2-2:
Encouraging: At long last, the Cowboys showed us a glimpse of what Zeke Elliott can contribute as a receiver. At this point in the season, Elliott had caught just 11 passes for 37 yards, so it'd have been hard to guess he was headed for a career year as a pass catcher. Week 4's dramatic win was a taste of what was to come. Elliott only caught four passes, but they went for 88 yards – the highest total of his career. He caught a 38-yard touchdown on a screen in this game, but no catch was more important than his 34-yard wheel route to set up Brett Maher's 38-yard, game-winning field goal as time expired.
Alarming: Again, another uncharacteristic day from the Dallas pass defense. Golden Tate victimized the Cowboys' DBs, going off for two touchdowns and 132 yards on eight catches. No moment was more egregious than Tate's first touchdown, when Jourdan Lewis slipped in coverage and Jeff Heath took a poor angle in pursuit, allowing Tate to waltz into the end zone from 45 yards out. Again, for a unit that finished in the top half of the league in pass defense, it was an uncharacteristic showing.
Star Evaluation: Why Gallup's Future Is Bright - Bryan Broaddus, DallasCowboys.com
The Broad One looks at rookie wide receiver Michael Gallup and generally likes what he sees.
2018 Highlight: Gallup seemed to raise his level of play in the biggest games, including the wild-card round against Seattle. He atoned for that Week 3 miscue by catching a perfect back-shoulder pass from Prescott in the end zone that gave Dallas a 10-6 lead just before halftime. More examples? He kept the offense moving in the Rams loss with some clutch catches, and his early 40-yard catch set the tone against the Saints in what was probably the most impressive victory of the season.
What's Been Bad: Gallup had some quiet stretches as a rookie and dropped some would-be catches. In the Cowboys' Week 3 loss at Seattle, a ball bounced off his hands over the middle and got picked off by Seahawks safety Earl Thomas. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Gallup caught 33 of 68 targets for only a 48.5 catch percentage, though sometimes the definition of 'targets' is misleading. As the season wore on, he did a better job of being aggressive and going up to finish plays.
2019 NFL offseason: Nine headlines from ... the future! - Jeremy Bergman, NFL.com
The NFL.com writer plays Nostradamus and predicts the future. As with most such attempts, there are puzzling predictions:
4) Cowboys franchise-tag DeMarcus Lawrence
Attempts at working out a long-term deal between the Cowboys and Tank will ... tank, at least in the short-term, as the Dallas front office opts to take care of franchise faces Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott before its top edge rusher. Panic won't set in on either side for some time, though. Lawrence will have until mid-July to sign the multi-year deal he so desires.


This paper covers in some detail an information processing system, named SIMBULK, for the chartering and operations departments of shipping companies. The system has a modular structure, with the voyage estimate module as the central part of the system. This is because most of the data is entered by means of voyage estimates and voyage performance. The data is later used to make reports of various kinds, and as a basis for new calculations. This information system has evolved into a modular planning and controlling system for the chartering and operations departments, with the basic objective of improving the information flow within the shipping firm, improvement of the basis for decision making, and improving the control of the firm's total activity. By improving these aspects, it is hoped that the competitiveness of the firm will increase. The basic modules which form the system are also given, with the function, and a descriptive explanation, of each module included.


text:
Lagerkvist, Pär Fabian | Article about Lagerkvist, Pär Fabian by The Free Dictionary
https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Lagerkvist%2c+P%c3%a4r+Fabian
Lagerkvist, Pär Fabian
(pâr fä`bēän lä`gərkvĭst), 1891–1974, Swedish poet, dramatist, and novelist. Lagerkvist is considered one of the most significant figures of modern Swedish literature. His central concern is the human soul, his main theme the problem of good and evil. With the short novel The Hangman (1933, tr. 1936) and the play The Man Without A Soul (1936, tr. 1944) he became a major spokesman against totalitarianism. Midsummer Dream in a Workhouse (1941, tr. 1953) and Let Man Live (1949, tr. 1951) are experimental dramas. Of his novels, The Dwarf (1944, tr. 1945) deals with human destructiveness, while Barabbas (1950, tr. 1951), The Sibyl (1956, tr. 1958), and The Death of Ahasuerus (1960, tr. 1962) concern the human search for God. Lagerkvist's verse, marked by simple diction and imagery, includes Songs of the Heart (1926) and Evening Land (1953, tr. 1975). He received the 1951 Nobel Prize in Literature.
See his autobiographical Guest of Reality (1925); studies by W. Weathers (1968), R. D. Spector (1973), and L. Sjöberg (1976); bibliography by A. Ryberg (1964).
Born May 23, 1891, in Växjö. Swedish writer; member of the Swedish Academy (1940).
Lagerkvist graduated from the University of Uppsala in 1912. In his youth he participated in the socialist movement. In 1912 he published the collection of novellas People. Lagerkvist's early poetry and prose works revealed his interest in formalistic innovations. The collection of novellas Iron and Men (1915) and such expressionistic poems as "Anguish" (1916) and "Chaos" (1919) caught the pessimism engendered by World War I (1914–18).
The play The Eternal Smile (1920) and such expressionistic dramas as The Last Man (1917) and The Invisible One (1923) are characterized by the representation of reality as absurd and chaotic and an interest in the problem of evil as an abstract metaphysical principle, an essential element in Lagerkvist's work. The realistic principle intensified in the satirical collection Evil Tales (1924) and in the autobiographical work Guest of Reality (1925).
Lagerkvist's books of the 1930's enunciated the necessity to fight fascism, which he considered the extreme manifestation of eternal evil—for example, the allegorical novella The Hangman (1933), the collection of essays The Clenched Fist (1934), the collection of satirical short stories At That Time (1935), the play The Man Without a Soul (1936), the poetry collection The Song and the Battle (1940), and Lagerkvist's masterpiece, The Dwarf (1944).
In his postwar books, Lagerkvist related the problem of evil to man's complicated moral yearning—for example, the collected poems The Evening Land (1953) and the plays and philosophical novels and novellas on biblical subjects. Barabbas (1950), The Sibyl (1956), and The Death of Ahasuerus (1960). He received the Nobel Prize in 1951.
Prosa, [vols.] 1–6. Stockholm, 1951–60.
Dramatik, [vols.] 1–3. Stockholm, 1956.
Dikter. Stockholm, 1965.
In Russian translation. [Novelly.] In Shvedskaia novella XIX-XX vv. Moscow, 1964.
V miregost': Povesti i rasskazy. Introduction by S. Belokrinitskaia. Moscow, 1972.
Oberholzer, O. Pär Lagerkvist: Studien zu seiner Prosa und seinen Dramen. Heidelberg, 1958.
Henmark, K. Frä mlingen Lagerkvist. Stockholm, 1966.
Synpunkter på Pär Lagerkvist. Stockholm [1966].
Malmström, G. Menneskehjertets verden: Hovedmotiv i Pär Lagerkvists diktning. Oslo, 1970.
Scandinavica. New York-London, May 1971.
A. A. MATSEVICH
Lagerkvist, Pär Fabian
lag coefficient
lag correlation
lag deposit
lag error
lag fault
lag gravel
lag hinge
lag network
lag time
Lagarde, Christine
Lagarde, Paul Anton de
Lagash
Lågen
Lagenidiales
lageniform
Lagenorhynchus
Lagerkvist
Lagerlöf, Selma
lagged pile
lagging coil
lagging current
lagging network
Laghouat
Lagich
Lagidium
Lagin, Lazar
Lagin, Lazar Iosifovich
lag-lead network
Lago de Poopó
Lago de Texcoco
Lagodekhi
Lagodekhi Preserve
Lagomorpha
Lagomyidae
Lagonychium
Lagoon Deposits
Lagoon Islands
Lager and lime
Lager Economisch Administratief Onderwijs
Lager Hammelburg
lager louts
Lager Secundair Technisch Onderwijs
Lager shandy
Lager Syndrome
lager top
lager tops
Lager wine
Lagere Technische School
lagered
lagered-up
Lagerhaus Technik Center
Lagerkvist, Par Fabian
Lagerloef
Lagerlof
Lagerlöf
Lagerlöf Selma Ottiliana Lovisa
Lagerlof, Selma
Lagerlöf, Selma Ottiliana Lovisa
Lägern
Lagerphone
Lagerstatt
Lagerstätt
Lagerstatte
Lagerstätte
Lagerstatten
Lagerstätten
Lagerstroemia indica


While browsing various sites today looking for an interesting article to post on the site I came across a UK story where the Surrey Electronics and Amateur Radio Society had signed up 100 new members for this year. Quite an achievement I thought, considering I had coffee with a ham from another club this morning and when I asked him how things were going in his club he said "we don't do courses so we don't have enough members." Between that comment and the article it got me thinking about an article I posted back in June about if we had dummy up the exams to much.
The UK article said how excited this club was with these new members for what they will be able to achieve this year. Hmmm I thought. I wonder what they want to achieve and maybe clubs out here are missing something. To my fellow ham who said they don't have enough members maybe the answer is not only offer a course but offer the course with a specific goal in mind. By a goal I don't mean we graduated "x" amount of new hams. But, we need new hams to build a new radio room, a new repeater site, help promote our club in the community, emergency preparedness project, well the list is endless and each club could zero in on one maybe two goals.
Now when you advertise that you have a radio course to offer your advertising could go something like this. "ABC Radio Club is looking for people to help build the XYZ project. Our radio course will get you going so you can help us with this much needed project." Now your attracting students who have a common interest, the proposed project.
To my way of thinking your now attracting people who besides getting there license can now honestly say they were involved in a project. Would that get our repeaters with more use? Would this generate a whole new generation of HF hams? I wonder! What do you think, leave a comment and let's get a dialog going.
This entry was posted in Amateur Radio, Club, Coastal Ham Radio, Homebrew, Opinions, radio and tagged Amateur Radio, British Columbia, Coastal Ham Radio by ve7hamradio. Bookmark the permalink.


text:
IPO Review : Zomato IPO – Invest or avoid?
If there's talk in the stock markets today, it's devoted to the upcoming Zomato IPO, which aims to mop up Rs 9,375 crore. Unlike the crop of recent private equity investor backed companies doing IPOs, this isn't primarily an offer for sale. Zomato gets a whopping Rs 9,000 crore to deploy into its business mainly through a fresh issue of shares. Only one investor, Info Edge, will offload a Rs 375 crore stake. At the upper end of the price band of Rs 72-76, the post-offer market cap of listed Zomato will be around Rs 60,000 crore.
This IPO has got the market hooked by the sheer novelty of its business and the complete absence of any profitability both in the past and foreseeable future. So should you buy into the hype or dismiss it?
Zomato needs little introduction. The company operates mainly in the food-delivery business, linking restaurants and customers through its app. The company earns its revenues in the following ways:
Commissions that a restaurant pays Zomato. This commission is a proportion of the order value. Higher the order value, the higher the commission earned. This is the primary revenue source, making up about 88-90% of its revenue.
Advertisements that restaurants feature on Zomato's platform. This accounts for about 15-20% of the total revenue.
Subscription fee from Zomato's Pro membership plan. This holds a minor share in revenues at less than 5%.
B2B business of supplying restaurants with inputs restaurants needed such as vegetables and other food products.
Zomato's appeal lies in its ability to proxy an item of consumption that is undeniably taking up an increasing share of the Indian consumer's wallet – eating out. App-based businesses like Zomato also derive their growth prospects from the young, affluent, digitally savvy and upwardly mobile working demographic. Listed consumption plays whether in FMCGs, durables or restaurants and hotels do not offer such a focused play on this demographic.
Zomato is a fundamentally tech-enabled business, making it scalable and adaptable to changing market scenarios. It operates in an almost duopolistic market. Apart from Swiggy, other players have folded up or been bought out by either Zomato or Swiggy. It taps into a growing consumer spending segment, and one that is in a nascent stage. According to the offer document, of the population with access to the internet only about 9% currently use food delivery apps, leaving room for expansion. It offers a better play on food services and dining out than current listed players who are limited to traditional QSR and restaurant chains, which are hamstrung by high fixed and available costs.
Tech-enabled businesses such as Zomato tend to be evaluated purely on their ability to grow their customers and topline, and to build a network effect that makes it near-impossible for users to leave the platform. Let's see how Zomato fares on these metrics.
#1 Customer growth
Zomato's growth depends on how many users it attracts to its platform, how well it is able to retain these customers, and how much these customers spend. On all three fronts, Zomato has made good progress over the past 4 years.
The number of active users – i.e., devices with which there has been at least one visit to the app – has grown to an average of 32.1 million per month in FY21, from 29.3 million hit in FY-19, and well above the 13.8 million in FY-18 (based on DRHP numbers). But visits don't amount to much if they don't convert into transactions. Zomato though has managed to grow conversions at a fair pace too. Its monthly transacting users climbed to 6.8 million in FY-21 against the 5.6 million in FY-19. Going by the trends in these numbers, Zomato is getting better at converting visits into transactions.
Zomato uses various forms of marketing to attract users. One major avenue is digital marketing and content marketing (such as user reviews of restaurants). The funds raised in the IPO, along with funds the company already has, give it an enormous war chest to double down on marketing and to acquire users.
Zomato has indicated that about 68% of its customers came through the organic (i.e., not from paid marketing) route in FY-21. This suggests that the company's efforts in building brand awareness are paying off and the network effect of its customer base is lending more strength to its brand. It therefore may be able to divert some spend into pushing more discounts and promotions to improve transaction volumes. Restaurants too have their own promotional offers, which can spur volumes.
The gross value of orders placed has grown at an annual rate of 33% over the past 2 years. If FY-18 numbers from the DRHP are considered, the 3-year CAGR in order value works out to a good 92%. Zomato's commissions depend entirely on the amount customers spend, so higher spends translate into higher revenues.
Next, the average order value (i.e., the average per-order spend) has also moved higher to Rs 395 in the March 2021 quarter against the Rs 286 in the year-ago quarter.
The rising trend in average order values can be explained by customers ordering from more premium restaurants and by an increasing number of 'family' orders – that is, when a single order is placed for multiple people instead of only a single person. This helps improve margins Zomato makes on an order. The cost of delivery per order is fixed - it costs the same to deliver an order for, say, Rs 100 and an order for Rs 1,000. But the commission netted on the latter will be higher. The company has also expanded its restaurant network rapidly to now cover 1.48 lakh restaurants. It has expanded geographically into 525 cities.
#2 Improving unit economics
Zomato has a long way to go to turn an accounting profit, but it has managed to improve what it retains per order. In FY-20, the company was losing Rs 30.5 for every order it fulfilled. But thanks in part to higher average order values, plus higher commission drawn from restaurants and lower spends on discounts, the company managed to make a gain of Rs 20.5 per order in FY-21.
Note here that the customer delivery charge goes to the delivery partner and not Zomato. These costs do not include marketing and other support costs. Even so, the numbers above indicate three things: One, Zomato has in FY21 able to wrangle a higher commission out of its restaurant partners. An expanding user base could put the company in a better bargaining position in this respect.
Two, the company has been able to keep transaction volumes and value going despite shelling out lower discounts. It has been able to push restaurants into footing part of the bill for discounting. Three, the company is able to get customers to pay separately for delivery, a positive development suggesting that customers do see a value proposition in the service. This again helps bring Zomato's own costs down.
These changes have helped Zomato's EBIDTA losses shrink from Rs 2,158 crore in FY-19 to Rs 342 core in FY-21. This is primarily on account of lower spending on advertising and costs incurred on delivery agents and other third-party support entities.
#3 Diversification
Zomato's core proposition is in the delivery service. But the company has tried to diversify away from this one segment to reduce concentration and tap other revenue streams.
One avenue that appears to have started well is its B2B segment, through which it supplies ingredients such as vegetables, meats, groceries, packaging and so on to restaurants. This segment also saw lower impact from the pandemic than the delivery business. The company reduces the cost of this input supply service from the restaurant's order value commissions that restaurants owe it, which allows restaurants to fund their working capital cycle a tad more efficiently. This may improve the value proposition offered by Zomato to its restaurant partners, which has so far been a bone of contention. The segment was launched in 2019 and now accounts for about a tenth of sales.
Zomato after launching and shuttering its own grocery delivery services Zomato Markets during the pandemic, is set to acquire a stake of 9.25% and 9.27% in two Grofers entities, for their groceries' delivery business and B2B warehousing and trading business.
#4 Funding strength
Zomato has already raised Rs 6,608 crore last year from a clutch of PE investors. It is now raising Rs 9,000 crore through the IPO. Both give it the firepower to continue spending on customer acquisition and engagement, through heavier discounting and marketing. The company also intends to use 75% of the issue proceeds to fund inorganic growth. This cash pile holds Zomato in good stead for the coming years, even if a global rate rise or stimulus reversal shuts off the flood of abundant funding.
To put everything explained up to this point in a nutshell – Zomato is seeing strong growth in its customer base and its customers are spending more. It has managed to control costs enough to improve the economics of each order and brought down losses. It has begun diversifying into related avenues to tap more opportunities. And most importantly, built up a cash reserve to fund future operations and expansion plans.
The Risks
#1 Competition
Zomato, despite diversification plans, is still heavily dependent on the online food delivery space. It needs to acquire and retain customers, and push them to spend more from existing markets if it has to grow. Its city-strength is matched by Swiggy. Its international diversification has not taken off. Amazon, with its deep pockets and India focus and delivery strength, is set to enter the same food delivery space. All this means stiff competition for Zomato for its existing user base.
On another front, restaurants are fighting back against the commissions they are charged and the discounts they are pushed into funding, either by removing themselves from Zomato's app or by getting their own delivery systems in place; steps on this front have already been taken.
All this boils down to one thing – an increase in advertising and promotional offers and heavier cash burn. While Zomato will have the firepower to burn cash at a higher rate post-offer, such reversals will impact per-delivery economics. Zomato may also have to scale back on commissions it charges from restaurants. Improvement on the EBIDTA front, therefore, could be pushed back. Topline growth could also come under pressure. The company already operates on a negative operating cash flow basis. This situation can simply prolong.
#2 Uncertainty
Predicting the company's growth trajectory is hard because of the many moving variables influencing it. The inorganic route to growth where Zomato experiments with unrelated lines of business, like grocery delivery, creates more uncertainty on this front. Zomato has failed on acquisitions in the past both globally and locally.
Acquisitions may entail heavy spending that pushes back the path to profitability on its core business. Should it acquire a bigger stake in Grofers, for example, it could mean heavier spending to compete with the Tata-backed Big Basket or Reliance Industries' own delivery business.
Third, as we are already seeing in the Indian ecommerce space (where the domestic trade lobby has made life tough for overseas players) there can also be regulatory setbacks should the local restaurant or hotel industry push back. This can be either in the form of tighter controls on foreign funding, regulations to reduce the abuse of leadership positions or even regulations that target discounting efforts or payment systems that can increase customer inconvenience and reduce engagement.
#3 Losses
By the conventional yardsticks used by equity investors, Zomato wouldn't make it to any 'quality' shortlist. It is loss-making at both the EBITDA and net level and will continue to remain so for the foreseeable future. Normal valuation metrics do not apply here.
With Zomato-like companies, unlike your usual stock investments, you are not paying for a share of earnings or its ability to compound in the foreseeable future. Instead, you're paying for a slice of a fast-growing business in a growing consumer segment that you didn't have access to in the listed space until now, in the hope that the investor fancy for such 'new-age' business models will hold up.
#4 Liquidity
Stock valuations, and particularly valuations of cash-burning start-ups, have been powered by generous funding by global private investors in recent years, who have had access to ultra-cheap money thanks to near zero rates in the developed markets. Current market conditions are also conducive to Zomato making a successful offer.
But if this liquidity were to dry up, as central banks across the world scale back the money they are pushing into their economies or interest rates were to rise (the US Fed has already indicated it will eventually hike rates), narratives justifying valuations for EBIDTA-negative businesses could change. Should private investors and public markets revert to conventional investing - preferring viable, profit-making companies - Zomato-like companies could find funding hard to come by.
There is no way to value the company using conventional metrics, nor can this offer be viewed from a valuation perspective. Comparing valuations of overseas players may not be right as they operate in very different markets.
So, should you go for the Zomato IPO? Unless you're willing to think like a PE investor, it is best you sit this IPO out. But if you're able to tick all the following boxes, you can give the IPO a shot.
You're willing to take a very high risk. Given that Zomato is loss-making and will remain so, you need a high-risk capacity to bet that topline growth will continue to stay strong and that the market continues to be content with such growth without earnings.
You're willing to set aside textbook metrics and tried-and-tested wisdom to assess a stock's quality and growth prospects. The aim is solely to snag an opportunity where there is no listed alternative. Zomato is among the few options to play the tech-driven disruption opportunity in India (do note here that you have access to many similar tech-enabled businesses with a clearer path to profitability in the global markets which are now quite accessible. Betting on Nasdaq 100 or FAANG funds in India can also give you a more diversified exposure to such disruptive stocks).
You're able to gauge the impact of the company's moves, spotting any materialization of risks, whether it is acquisitions failing, competition hurting or funding drying up, and able to figure when customer acquisition and topline growth can continue to hold.
You're able to exit when the going is good - in other words, before the promise that drives interest in the stock peters out.
You have other stocks in your portfolio that can absorb the loss that may arise from this Zomato IPO bet. If you're looking to subscribe to the offer or buy it post-offer, it's best you keep such allocation to about 5-7% of your stock portfolio. This is precisely how private equity investors view their start-up bets – they back multiple ideas and business models in the hope that a few that deliver astronomical growth will make up for the many that fold up along the way.
Let's put it this way - Zomato is burning cash to acquire customers, engage and encourage them to spend more on eating out, and buy out other companies. As an IPO investor, you will be funding that cash burn. If that's something you're willing to do, like a PE investor would, in order to participate in a novel business no matter the risks, go ahead and subscribe. If you value profitability or at least visibility of profitability, then avoid this IPO.
With inputs from N V Chandrachoodamani
Please note that this review does not take into consideration the possibility of listing gains.
General Disclosures & Disclaimers
IPO Review, zomato, zomato ipo
IPO Review: Should you take a sip of the Sula Vineyards IPO?
N V Chandrachoodamani December 11, 2022
IPO Review: LIC IPO – 3 factors to consider before subscribing
Aarati Krishnan May 3, 2022
IPO Review: Star Health and Allied Insurance Co Ltd
N V Chandrachoodamani November 28, 2021
PrevPrevious2 bond offers playing on home loans – should you invest?
NextStock Review : Amara Raja Batteries – A fancied stock that has lost speedNext
11 thoughts on "IPO Review : Zomato IPO – Invest or avoid?"
mandarjborkar
Superb review Bhavana & Team. I always wonder in our country when any matrix about % of penetration of food delivery, number of users using internet %… gives 2 scenarios thoughts as follows
(1) Enormous untapped potential if I see comparison with US China ( brighter days ahead ) – optimism
(2) Our sheer population and economic development … puts a big risk in terms of time involved in break even and probability of success by sheer maturity of economy – pessimism
The early investors players in the game wins ….. cap moves to the lower in the chain . Ofcourse in this scenario practically all is fresh issue which is good to note and no OFS
Interesting scenario… I never imagined when I first ordered through zomato may around ~ 3 to 4 years back this the potential valuation of food delivery app !!
Thanks, sir! We'd be a bit wary of comparisons with US and China in terms of penetration levels or spends because the markets are very different. While the internet-enabled market is large, the proportion that will spend on online ordering from restaurants is much smaller. So banking on development and rising income is a very long-term game. In the meantime, in the next few years, it will go to how much more Zomato can capture of the existing market, and push into spending more. But yes, it's great to see new businesses aim at listing in our markets 🙂 – thanks, Bhavana
Satya Sudhakarudu Jonnalagadda
Wonderful analysis madam.
Sudhakarudu.
Thanks, sir! – Regards, Bhavana
Anand Vaidya
One thing to note is that these delivery businesses generate enormous amounts of packaging trash, consume lots of petrol. So ESG folks would probably stay away too and not fund eco-unfriendly business.
Zomato's somewhat trying to address that by using bicycles as part of their delivery fleet, trying to offset carbon footprint through environmental projects, and trying to use all-EV vehicles in 10 years' time. Some restaurants also try to use environment-friendly packaging. But yes, waste generation is a problem…but this exists in many fields, not just in the food delivery business. Even FMCG packaging, for example, can be waste generating when they use individual wrapping for their teas or biscuits etc. So it's a tough debate. – thanks, Bhavana
Thanx Bhavna, for a comprehensive analysis. Purely as a hypothetical exercise, at what price band, if any, would this have been an attractive valuation, in your opinion? Thanx again, Anil
Valuation itself, in the normal sense of profitability, growth in earnings, cash flows is not possible because there's only topline growth right now. As we said, there are far too many moving variables to correctly peg whether the company will even turn EBITDA positive, leave the net level. So even metrics such as EV/EBITDA and the like would be difficult to use. So the approach is to ignore the 'reasonable valuation' tag altogether because it won't apply here. That's why we said the approach needs to be like a PE investor and look at growth differently. – thanks, Bhavana
pravinmathew
Great article, really helpful.
devaonline
Bhavna, superb analysis. This is the best review and the most nuanced one at that of which I have come across and there have been quite a few.
The topic is a difficult one & you folks have given really grounded, well supported advice. Thank you and I look forward to Primeinvestor content with anticipation as always. Three cheers !!
Thank you, sir 🙂 Bhavana


text:
Q: Who is this "character" who gets mentioned in Justice League? In the 2017 movie Justice League, Steppenwolf is looking for the Motherboxes that are located on Earth for Darkseid.
A few times, when looking at a Motherbox, Steppenwolf refers to some "mother".
Who is that mother?
I always assumed that, since the boxes are powerful artifacts, the "mother" in their name meant "main" (as in "motherboard") and there were less powerful "daughterboxes" related to them.
The sequel may answer this question, but since it seems that this plot point is taken from Justice League mythology, an answer from the comics is fine.

A: Based on the comics:
"Mother" is just the box itself.  There are no "daughter boxes" but the mother boxes are occasionally referred to as just "mother" in the Fourth World corner of the D.C. universe.  The boxes are living computers, which are individually constructed by their owners and share a empathic rapport with those users.
They were invented by Himon, an underground/dissident inventor from Apokalips, although they are more associated with users from New Genesis, since constructing them requires tapping into the Source, the existence of which has (some of the time) been denied by Darkseid's regime.

A: "Mother" is used to refer to Heggra, Steppenwolf's mother who (per the original script) is trapped in the Mother Boxes and whose energy is what powers them. Heggra created Cyborg, hence why Steppenwolf laments that he was 'born from her'. Mother is also what the New Gods refer to their MBs as in the comics.
The original script for JL had Steppenwolf gathering the three boxes so he could release Heggra, which, due to the explosion it would create, resulted in the apocalyptic Earth we saw in BvS. Releasing Heggra would've given him the edge over Darkseid to overthrow him.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Rutenska, eller i vissa fall rusinska, kan syfta på:
Rusinska – ett slaviskt språk i före detta Jugoslavien
Karpatorusinska – ett östslaviskt språk som talas av rusiner i Karpaterna (i Slovakien, södra Polen och västra Ukraina)
Kanslirutenska – ett språk, som användes på 900–1400-talet av östslaverna i Kievriket

Se även
 Rutener
 Rutenien

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: Unable to exclude items from a list, in a while loop, that are in a certain range So I posted a question before, but it was too simplified and rightly got flagged as a duplicate. I'm now posting my problem in more detail so my issue might, hopefully, be resolved. Briefly it is as follows:
I have two lists: a = [10.0,20.0,25.0,40.0] and b = [1.0,10.0,15.0,20.0,30.0,100.0]
Using list comprehension, I want to exclude from b the ranges of elements specified in a. That is: remove from b all elements between 10.0 and 20.0, and between 25.0 and 40.0. Here is what I tried:
kk = 0
while kk < len(a):
    up_lim = a[kk] #upper limit
    dwn_lim = a[kk+1] #lower limit
    x = [b[y] for y in range(len(b)) if (b[y]<dwn_lim or b[y]>up_lim)] #This line produces correct result if done outside of a while loop. Somehow fails in while loop.
    b = list(x) #update the old list with the new&reduced list
    kk += 2 #update counter

I'm expecting the result x = [1.0,100.0], but I get x = [1.0,10.0,15.0,20.0,30.0,100.0]
In fact, the key line with the list comprehension works if I do it outside the while loop (of course this is useless because list 'a' could be arbitrary in size which is why I used a while loop).
So the question is: how and why does a while loop stop the list comprehension from happening correctly?

A: With vanilla python, you can generalise using any/all. I'm going with any here.
>>> [x for x in b if not any(i <= x <= j for i, j in zip(a[::2], a[1::2]))]
[1.0, 100.0]

This zips every alternate pair of list items with zip, and one by one check to ensure that x is not in any of them.
If you're interested in a performance, consider a pandas approach. You can build an Intervalindex, right for the task. Searching is logarithmic, and very fast.
>>> import pandas as pd
>>> idx = pd.IntervalIndex.from_arrays(a[::2], a[1::2], closed='both')
>>> [x for x, y in zip(b, idx.get_indexer(b)) if y == -1]
[1.0, 100.0]