The health insurance industry has confronted many external challenges in the recent past, such as an uncertain regulatory environment, a challenge to meet the demand of more price- and service-conscious consumers, a fiercely competitive market, shifts in customer mix and a slowly recovering economy, just to name a few.
Notwithstanding the headwinds, the industry continued to remain profitable with the top six players -- UnitedHealth Group Inc. ( UNH ), CIGNA Corp. ( CI ), WellPoint Inc. ( WLP ), Aetna Inc. ( AET ), Humana Inc. ( HUM ) and Coventry Health Care Inc. ( CVH ) -- reporting earnings growth and delivering positive earnings surprises in the third quarter of 2012.
The earnings performance at each of these players were primarily driven by industry-wide factors like higher enrollment, increasing premium, lower-than-expected medical care utilization and improving commercial insurance pricing. Most of the carriers even raised their 2012 earnings estimates, which reflect optimism for the fourth quarter results as well.
The health and medical Insurance industry is an integral part of the U.S. economy. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. health expenditures account for about 18% of the country's annual GDP. According to the World Health Organization, health care expenditure per person in the United States is the highest in the world.
Despite huge sums of money spent on health care, millions of Americans lack health insurance coverage or are underinsured. This was largely attributed to a dysfunctional health care system. To rein in the waste and make health care more accessible effective and affordable, President Obama pushed health care reform in an attempt to overhaul the nation's ailing health care system.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was passed in 2010 and marked the beginning of a multiyear implementation process. It is the most substantial overhaul in the history of the nation's health care sector.
The reform was intended to provide coverage to the 32 million uninsured Americans, to make health care facilities more affordable, expand coverage for customers with pre-existing health conditions and keep a check on health insurers.
Certain significant provisions of the legislation were: mandated coverage requirements, rebates to policyholders based on minimum benefit ratios, adjustments to Medicare Advantage premiums, the establishment of state-based exchanges, greater investment in health IT, annual insurance industry premium-based assessment, reduction in Federal assistance on Medicare Advantage, restriction on rescission of policies and elimination of annual as well as life time maximum limits.
The Reform has endured rough patches since its inception, with opponents challenging its individual mandate and Medicaid expansion clause and dragged it to the courts. Insurers were lobbying against most of its provisions and opposition political parties swore to repeal the whole law if they were elected.
But the law survived the challenges with Supreme court upholding the constitutionality of its individual mandate -- the core of the reform. Also, Obama's re-election provides ratification to the health care reform. That said, the full implementation of the reform is far from guaranteed given the substantial leeway states enjoy in enforcing key parts of the legislation, particularly the setting up of exchanges and expansion of Medicaid.
The re-election of President Obama means his signature Health Care law is likely here to stay, putting behind the major ambiguity prevailing over the industry. Obama's second term will see major implementation of key provisions. However, in the short- to mid-term there is some uncertainty over how regulatory reform will play out.
So far, the carriers in the industry have handled the impact of implementation of some of the less onerous provisions of the reform (relating to MLR requirements, ban on denial of coverage due to pre-existing conditions, dependent coverage up to age 26 and annual rate review) relatively well.
For the moment, the biggest wild card in the regulatory reform is how the law's biggest and most impactful provisions (relating to setting up of insurance exchanges, individual mandate, ICD-10 requirements, pre-existing conditions, Medicaid expansion, an annual insurance industry assessment of $8 billion in 2014 with increasing annual amounts thereafter), which are due to be implemented in 2014, will effect the industry.
Exchanges will act as an online marketplace where consumers who are underinsured or uninsured will be able to shop for subsidized coverage, and small businesses can buy more affordable plans for their workers. A key risk to insurers is that insurance exchanges will lead to commoditization of insurance products, making product offerings highly standardized. This product standardization along with a framework for strong government price regulation will expectedly lead to very low profit margins for the carriers in the long run.
While the individual mandate provision will bring into the loop approximately 32 million uninsured, the gain in revenue due to increasing industry enrollment is expected to be offset to a large extent by the costs to realign their business to comply with the new rules (ICD-10 coding) and deal with other challenges.
Several provisions in the Health Reform Legislation -- excise tax on medical devices, annual fees on prescription drug manufacturers, enhanced coverage requirements and the prohibition of pre-existing condition exclusions -- will likely increase insurers' medical cost trends. Moreover, the annual insurance industry assessment, which is not deductible for income tax purposes, will increase their operating costs.
In the meantime, rules of the road remain uncertain. Insurers do not know what exactly will be expected of them, what changes they will be forced to implement, or what expenses they might have to incur to meet new data and regulatory demands. Carriers may see potentially game-changing developments threatening their ability to achieve top- and bottom-line growth.
However, the insurers are being proactive, trying very hard not just to survive, but to prosper.
With organic growth remaining challenging, carriers in the health insurance sector are flocking toward international markets, which specifically appear attractive on account of lesser regulations, higher margins and lower competition. Additionally, pressures on social health care systems along with increasing wealth and education in emerging markets are leading to higher demands for health insurance and financial security. This provides carriers with a vast market opportunity.
Companies like Cigna and Aetna, which have active presence overseas, believe that their international business is a positive differentiator and a key driver of higher-than-peer growth rates. Both companies are targeting penetrating deeper mainly in the emerging economies of Asia and the Middle East.
UnitedHealth's recent big acquisition of Brazil-based Amil Participacoes for $4.9 billion attests the fact that insurers are actively seeking international exposure. The company already has a significant presence in Portugal, India and the Middle East through joint ventures.
Though the U.S. health insurance industry currently had little international presence until the recent past, insurance firms are fast catching up. We expect to see more international deals going forward.
According to U.S. Census data, the population of Medicare beneficiaries will grow by 36% by the end of this decade, led by a vast aging baby boomer population. In September 2012, CMS projected that the entire Medicare Advantage market would grow 11% in 2013.
Until now, only two of the public providers -- UnitedHealth and Humana -- were the primary market share holders. However, consolidation in this market is scrambling market share ratios. Carriers in the health insurance sector are in a race to win Medicare Advantage market share and the fastest way of achieving the target is to acquire a company in the same business.
Some of the examples are Cigna acquisition of HealthSpring Inc., UnitedHealth's acquisition of XLHealth Corp., Aetna's pending acquisition of Coventry Health Care Inc. and WellPoint's pending acquisition of Amerigroup Inc. ( AGP ).
Notwithstanding the fact that the health insurance industry has been witnessing copious mergers and acquisitions for the last several years, the landscape created by health care reform has set the stage for further consolidation. In the changed environment, small insurers are becoming inefficient. The inability to achieve the required scale to be profitable is forcing these small players to become acquired.
Health expenditure and reliance on managed care gradually increasing. According to the government, national health spending is expected to touch $4.6 trillion by the end of this decade from $2.6 trillion currently, representing a compounded annual growth rate of nearly 7%. This clearly points to the fact that the health care industry will most certainly outstrip broader economic growth. Moreover, over the same time frame, managed care penetration is expected to grow to about 1/2 of the total national health care spending, up from approximately 1/3 at present, driven by increased reliance on insurers in managing government's fee-for-service Medicare and Medicaid products.
Recent Census figures show that seniors constitute a larger share of the American population than ever before. This trend will gain steam in the years ahead. Consequently, the aging population is expected to drive industry demand as they would aim to reduce their health-related costs.
We expect most of the companies within our coverage to benefit from the trend. Among others, Cigna Corp. ( CI ) with a Zacks #2 Rank (Short-term Buy) and UnitedHealth Group Inc. ( UNH ), Humana ( HUM ), WellPoint ( WLP ), Aetna Inc. ( AET ) and Amerigroup ( AGP ) with a Zacks #3 Rank (Hold) will offer good investment opportunities in the upcoming years.
CIGNA Corp. remains attractive given its strong growth profile in the industry with its double-digit growing International segment, significant presence in Medicare Advantage book as well as a growing book of commercial self insured business. The company has been putting strong earnings performance and the trend is expected to continue.
Aetna has been beating earnings expectations for the past several quarters on the back of declining utilization, strong performance across all the product lines, disciplined pricing and medical cost trends. The company is also making strong progress in its Medicare business. It is also growing its international business for diversification benefits. A solid balance sheet, well-controlled debt and adequate liquidity will provide overall strength.
WellPoint, a dominant player with a vast provider network, is also poised for solid growth over the longer term. The recent announcement to acquire Amerigroup will make it a top player in the Medicaid business. Other acquisitions in this area include the buyout of CareMore Health Group, which will further expand its presence in the U.S. government program for the elderly. The company has been witnessing substantial earnings growth over the past few quarters, spurred by membership gains, improvements in operating cost structure, strategic acquisitions and capital transactions. The company is also well poised to benefit from economies of scale and favorable demographic trends.
UnitedHealth has also been showcasing a favorable earnings performance for the past many quarters. It has strengthened its position in the Medicare Advantage market with the acquisition of XLHealth. The company's diversified business model, with a leading market share in the Commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid markets, a solid balance sheet, a highly conservative investment portfolio, expansion into higher margin Health Services segments (Optum) and penetration into international markets will provide investors with a high risk-return investment opportunity over time.
Health insurers are expected to face challenges related to medical cost inflation. The Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services expects U.S. health expenditures to increase at an average annual rate of 5.7% to $3.3 trillion during the next five years. Furthermore, the demand for Medicare is expected to increase as the baby boomer generation goes into retirement. Consequently, insurers will likely face increased pressure to maintain medical-benefit ratios due to the lack of funds for these programs along with government's initiatives to control costs.
The U.S. economy continues to experience a period of slow growth and high unemployment. Workforce reductions have caused corresponding membership losses in insurance companies' fully-insured commercial group business. Continued weakness in the U.S. economy and high unemployment rate will adversely affect medical membership, operations, financial position and cash flows.
The overall thrust of healthcare reform and regulatory changes is expected to lower the industry's profitability in the long run.


Cisco stock was added to the Dow Jones Industrial Average on June 8, 2009, and is also included in the S&P 500 Index, the Russell 1000 Index, NASDAQ-100 Index and the Russell 1000 Growth Stock Index.
Cisco Systems was founded in December 1984 by Leonard Bosack and Sandy Lerner, two Stanford University computer scientists who pioneered the concept of a local area network (LAN) being used to connect geographically disparate computers over a multiprotocol router system. By the time the company went public in 1990, Cisco had a market capitalization of $224 million. By the end of the dot-com bubble in the year 2000, Cisco had a more than $500 billion market capitalization.


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Nikolaï N. Artamonov (1906-1965) était un ingénieur soviétique spécialiste des fusées. Un cratère lunaire porte aujourd'hui son nom.

Notes et références

Liens externes

Personnalité du programme spatial de l'Union soviétique
Ingénieur soviétique
Exploration de l'espace
Naissance en 1906
Décès en 1965

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Bringing comfort to the casual player on and off the court, the HEAD Women's Sprint Team 2.5 all-court tennis shoe features a low-to-the-ground midsole and a breathable and comfortable mesh upper.
The HEAD Women's Sprint Team 2.5 all-court tennis shoe has a new sleeker design which features a low-to-the-ground midsole for faster movements as well as a breathable and comfortable mesh upper.
An EVA sockliner boosts comfort and the midsole delivers great cushioning and high rebound while the hybrid outsole profile offers versatility for all different kinds of surfaces.


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Dion's Cyprus fans angry at ticket website system crash
By Jonathan Shkurko October 21, 2019 October 21, 2019 01838
People waiting to get their hands on the coveted tickets for the Celine Dion concert in Cyprus were left disappointed on opening sale day as the webpage of reseller SoldOut tickets crashed due to high demand.
The company's Facebook page has since Friday been filled with angry complaints from customers who tried to buy their tickets only to see the purchase "pending for 24 hours" before being rebuffed.
"Very unprofessional and incompetent," one angry customer commented on SoldOut tickets' Facebook page
"I was trying to buy the tickets for four hours. However, I was not able to complete the purchase and the seats I selected got blocked."
The website seemed to have restarted working by Monday, according to Helen Katsambas, of Moonlight Show Productions.
"There were over 15,000 people trying to buy tickets for the gig at the same time in the first hour and the system crashed for four hours," she told Cyprus Mail.
"The problem has now been completely fixed and customers who have their purchase pending have been given four hours to complete the payment before they are put back on sale."
There are some 19,000 tickets available for the singer's gig, taking place on August 2, 2020, in Nicosia's GSP Stadium. The event is expected to be completely sold out in the next days.
The award-winning French-Canadian singer's Dion 'Courage World Tour', Cyprus is presented by Melco Resorts and Entertainment.
This is Dion's 14th concert tour and the artist's first world tour in over a decade. The tour follows Celine Dion's 16-year Las Vegas residency of more than 1,100 performances enjoyed by over 4.5 million fans.
https://celinedioncyprus.soldoutticketbox.com.
https://www.celinedion.com/courage-tour
Celine DionconcertGSPpicks4
Recorded Aids cases increase significantly in the north
Jonathan Shkurko
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Journalists union reelects Giorgos Frangos as president

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Please check the Voltage information and make sure it matches the one in your country. In case it's not stated in the description, do ask us. We guarantee that your issue will be solved quickly. We usually respond within 24 hours on weekdays. If you are in the market for a popcorn popper, stop looking.
These Great Northern Popcorn top quality machines. The Little Bambino popcorn maker features a revolutionary "removable serving tray" that is the first of its kind. Once the corn has popped, simply remove the tray and enjoy fresh theater popcorn in the convenience of your home. The slide-out popcorn tray makes cleanup simple since it is dishwasher safe.
Specifications: Includes the removable popcorn tray, measuring spoon, measuring cup, and instruction manual Measures approx. 9-3/4"L x 11"W x 18-3/4H Weighs approx. The kettle hanger is a metal arm that hangs down from the inside top of the machine to hold the kettle in place. Makes up to 1-gallon of popcorn per batch - 2-1/2-ounce stainless steel kettle with built in stirring system - Convenient pull-out popcorn tray - Warming light to keep popcorn warm - Includes 2 popping kettle hangers, a removable popcorn tray, measuring spoon, and cup. Old-Fashioned Retro Vintage Theatre Kettle Popcorn Maker Pop Corn Machine Popper. The item "Old-Fashioned Retro Vintage Theatre Kettle Popcorn Maker Pop Corn Machine Popper" is in sale since Saturday, December 23, 2017. This item is in the category "Home & Garden\Kitchen, Dining & Bar\Small Kitchen Appliances\Popcorn Makers". The seller is "home-garden-and-beyond1" and is located in US. This item can be shipped to United States.


The candidate MUST HAVE Business Intelligence (BI), Enterprise Data Warehousing (EDW), and ETL type background. The candidate must have led and managed BI and EDW initiatives with an ability to manage a demanding client by proposing alternate solutions. This type of critical thinking comes from experience and exposure in this domain that you grow after being in the industry for 8+ years.
Deep hands-on MS Power BI experience is a MUST.
Deep and Broad BI, EDW, and ETL type background is a MUST.
8+ years of industry experience.
Excellent written and verbal communication, and presentation skills.
Ability to regularly interact with customer, discuss and design requirements.
Ability to hold grounds in complex and tough discussions. Remain objective and goal focused in all phases of project.
Ability to communicate with offshore team on regular basis and become a communication bridge between customer and dev team.
Ability to organize raw data in spreadsheets and perform basic statistical analysis.
Ability to Work effectively in fast-paced, team-oriented, rapidly changing environment.
Familiarity with BI models, star schema.
Ability to create BI reports examples, prototypes and demonstrations autonomously.
Bachelors or MS in computer science.


I started my career as an actor as the lead in the first two series of Byker Grove on BBC1 alongside Ant and Dec. After two years of doing this – during my A levels – I was fortunate enough to get into Cambridge to read Economics where I spent most of my time directing Theatre speakers such as the Cambridge footlights and working with such talented performers as Olivia Colman, David Mitchell and Robert Webb. After setting my sights on becoming a professional film writer, I had my first screenplay produced by Film Four whilst still in my final year of university. By the time I was 23 I was writing for Miramax and Columbia Tri Star. And my future looked pretty certain. Then at 25, I took the decision that would dramatically change my life forever: I moved to Las Vegas and became a professional poker player!
In many of my seminars I speak about both the motivations and consequences of this deci-sion and ask participants to think in similar terms about the significant decisions that have defined their life to date.
I played poker professionally for most of the next 3 years of my life during which time I made a good living pitting my wits against the game's best known players. It was a great period of my life during which time I learned many of the key messages which I now impart to businesses today. At the same time, there was something unfulfilling about it. Poker is a lonely pursuit which doesn't contribute anything to society really and I still had the urge to create things and work as part of a fulfilling team.
So, in 2002, I returned to the UK and co-founded Twenty First Century Media - building it into the fastest growing audio visual media company in the North East of England before selling it in 2008 to Bob Geldof's media giant, Ten Alps.
It was while still at the helm of Twenty First Century Media that I began my career as a speaker and catalyst for new thinking within business about risk-taking and decision-making. Initially, I combined this role with my work as a speaker and broadcaster on the subject of poker. This was at the beginning of the poker boom and it was during this time that I had the privilege of being one of the two poker advisors on the James Bond movie, Casino Royale.
Then, in 2005 I become a trainer for The Mind Gym who schooled me in the fundamental skills of delivery and facilitation which laid the foundations for my work as a serious speaker and trainer for business using poker as merely a metaphor for the risks and decisions that we all take every day. I worked for them for two years before going alone in 2007.
In total, I have now been a professional motivational and keynote speaker for the last 7 years during which time I have delivered over 1,000 speeches for over 200 great companies around the world such as Google, Visa, KPMG, HSBC and IBM. I have earned a worldwide reputation as a highly professional and impactful speaker who catalyses change in any audi-ence.
My key messages – which address the need to take calculated risk in order to achieve suc-cess – are timeless and non-sector-specific. This makes them perfect for any training day or conference where new ideas, innovation, leadership, decision-making or change are being discussed or debated.


text:
Q: FAIL - Application already exists at path /Teste Boa noite! Estou tendo problemas com o TomCat e o NetBeans, ele segue com a seguinte mensagem de erro?
Implantação em andamento...
deploy?config=file%3A%2Ftmp%2Fcontext5869996979793086537.xml&path=/Teste
FAIL - Application already exists at path /Teste

Saberiam me dizer qual o problema? Ja reiniciei diversas vezes o tomcat porem nada adianta.
Estou utilizando o linux Mint e a versao 8.2 da IDE.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


LOCATED IN THE STILLWATER NEIGHBORHOOD OF MIAMI BEACH, ACROSS FROM STILLWATER PARK AND JUST A SHORT WALK TO THE BEACH. THIS HOME IS A BOATERS PARADISE WITH ONE OF TE MOST BEAUTIFUL EXPANSIVE WIDE BAY VIEWS OVER LOOKING INDIAN CREEK ISLAND. THE SEA WALL IS LESS THAN 5 YEARS OLD. THE HOME FEATURES AN OPEN FLOOR PLAN WITH A KITCHEN THAT FLOWS OUT ONTO THE FAMILY ROOM AND DINING ROOM AREAS. JUST A SHORT DRIVE PUTS YOU IN THE MIDST OF EXCITING SOUTH BEACH OR THE UPSCALE SHOPPING AND DINING OF BAL HARBOR. SPLIT FLOOR PLAN WITH THE MASTER BEDROOM LOOKING OUT TO THE OPEN WATER.


Highlights of the deal were released Monday by the office of Sen. Patricia Jehlen, co-chair of a conference committee that spent several weeks trying to resolve differences between the two chambers.
To stay abreast of the latest industry trends and news from the East Coast to the West, be sure to BOOKMARK our blog site. CannaCon is dedicated to creating and strengthening lifelong partnerships within the emerging cannabis industry. It is our mission to provide a global venue for Cannabis Businesses, entrepreneurs, Investors, and community partners to showcase industry products, people and innovations; to cultivate business values within the cannabis industry through education and responsible community involvement.


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New skills, new hope
A farmers' group helps Akuilina Ihurre to press on through hard times
Conflict, economic turmoil, climate extremes and poor infrastructure are some of the challenges to food security in South Sudan. FAO is working with partners to provide emergency support to protect and rebuild livelihoods. ©FAO/Stefanie Glinski
Akuilina Ihurre used to think she was too old to join a farmers' group but she knew she needed support to overcome years of hunger. Today, she is producing food with seeds, agricultural tools and techniques acquired through an FAO Farmer Field School in Torit, in South Sudan.
Akuilina is one of nearly 1 800 people who are learning farming skills at more than 60 new FAO agropastoral Farmer Field Schools in the state of Eastern Equatoria. Her group of 30 farmers includes 20 women, many of whom are single mothers with sole responsibility for their children.
Farmer Field Schools (FFS) are centered on the concept of hands-on learning with the goal of building on farmers' skills and enhancing their capacity to critically analyse and solve their agricultural challenges. In FFS, farmers are the experts and decide what is relevant to them and what they want the FFS to address in their curriculum. This ensures that the information is relevant and tailored to the participants' actual needs.
"Together we have planted a whole field of vegetables and crops that help to feed our families," Akuilina says.
This is a turning point for the mother of seven children and grandmother of five, who in recent years was widowed,attacked and robbed in her own home.
Akuilina was born more than sixty years ago, though she doesn't know her exact age. When she was an infant, her mother gave her the second name "Ihurre", which means "hunger."
"Hunger and hardship have followed me all of my life," Akuilina says.
South Sudan has experienced ongoing conflict, an economic downturn and deepening food insecurity, but Akuilina is doing her part to realize her community's potential. She lives in a fertile, picturesque area of the country, nestled between green hills and a rocky mountain range.
Farmers began planting ahead of the rainy season, using seeds, tools and training provided through FAO projects funded by Canada and Denmark. The planting season is the main opportunity to tackle food insecurity throughout the country. ©FAO/Stefanie Glinski
Since joining the agropastoral training programme, Akuilina has learned to line up and space crops, take care of growing plants by weeding, and use tools to loosen the soil.
Once group members graduate from the programme, they often join the next phase, supporting each other through a savings-and-loan club to make their community more resilient.
FAO in South Sudan aims to reach at least 800 000 food-insecure households through emergency livelihood support and activate resilience-building activities where possible. These include agropastoral field schools, like the one where Akuilina has received training.
As the farming group's elder, Akuilina has become a counselor, the person other women turn to whenever disputes arise. ©FAO / Stefanie Glinski
As the farming group's elder, Akuilina has become a counselor, the person other women turn to whenever disputes arise.
"I don't have a solution when it comes to the situation in South Sudan, but I can offer solutions to the women in my group. I think we understand now that we are strong. Together we can fight hunger."
By investing in people's livelihoods, FAO is empowering them to take action and be a part of the global goal to achieve Zero Hunger.
Schools without walls
FAO's Farmer Field Schools
How much do you know about Farmer Field Schools
Publication: Farmer Field School Guidance document
FAO in South Sudan
1. No poverty, 2. Zero hunger, 5. Gender equality, 10. Reduced inequalities


Mr Jackson has more than 24 years experience in the hospitality industry, and began his career with Mandarin Oriental in 2006 as Executive Assistant Manager, Food and Beverage at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong.
Eric Kee will join Mandarin Oriental, Sanya in May from his most recent role as General Manager of Pan Pacific, Xiamen.
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has announced the appointment of Pierre Barthes as General Manager of Mandarin Oriental Pudong, Shanghai with effect from 1 January 2012.
Goh succeeds Martin Schnider as general manager of Mandarin Oriental, Macau.
Mr Hoerth joins Mandarin Oriental Pudong, Shanghai - a proud recipient of the prestigious Forbes Five-Star hotel award -from Mandarin Oriental Guangzhou, where he has been General Manager since the hotel's opening in 2013 and helped to establish it as one of the city's premier luxury hotels.


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Piglet in Bed is Carbon Neutral for 2020!
By Jessica Hanley November 2021
We are very excited to announce that Piglet in Bed is carbon neutral for 2020! Never has it been more important to take action on our climate crisis and to implement changes for the better. At Piglet in Bed, this is something we strive to achieve every day, both as a business and on behalf of our customers, as responsible consumers. Our 2020 carbon footprint was offset with the help of BeZero Carbon and we'd love to explain a little bit more about what that actually means.
How do you find out what your carbon footprint is?
BeZero Carbon is a climate solutions company that calculated our carbon footprint for 2020. They did this through a full product Life Cycle Assessment of Linen, which takes into account full carbon emissions for a product, from acquiring the raw materials that go into our products, to producing them, storing them, transporting them and beyond. Linen is grown in a highly sustainable manner, with zero waste and no additional irrigation requirements. However, even the most sustainably produced and sourced materials have a carbon footprint. Analyzing our product life cycle assessment, and our operational footprint, enabled us to not only offset our emissions , but to also identify areas where we could reduce them. To learn more on the sustainable benefits of linen, check out our All About Linen post.
How do we offset it?
Now that it's been quantified, the next step is to then offset your footprint by the same amount. This means contributing to quality carbon projects, such as (in our case) deforestation prevention in Colombia, peatland protection and restoration in Indonesia and waste methane avoidance in India.
Carbon neutrality is just one building block of a larger effort to tread as softly as possible on the planet. We will be using the information gathered by BeZero Carbon to work out ways that we can continue to work towards lowering our carbon emissions further.
We are committed to ensuring that Piglet in Bed continues to have a neutral impact on our planet, so that you can sleep easy in your bedding, knowing that you made a sustainable choice for your home.
Written by Jessica Hanley
Jess is our Founder and CEO. You can follow Jess' life, hobbies and adventures in Illinois - where she lives with her husband Patrick and dog Henry - via 'Jessica's Journal'.
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Signs of the zodiac beautifull shown with star layout and mythical symbol. Sharp colours, great depth and detail all on a blue cotton fabric. Kit comes with pre-sorted stranded cotton, needle, chart, fabric and full instructions.


The symposium will focus on the theme of "The Road to Recovery: How Integration and Innovation Help the Energy Industry to Evolve and Adapt Successfully". The oil and gas industry had gone through what was considered the most challenging environment in the last few years and starts to show signs of new asset development. There is no doubt that the global energy demand will rapidly grow, albeit the growth of fossil fuels in general are strongly challenged by energy mix shifting to alternative renewable sources, increasing supply abundance, energy efficiency increase, and more stringent regulations on global climate change issues. While integrations and innovations are keys to generate and grasp new opportunities to grow our capabilities for long term sustainable development, what are some of the key enablers critical for the industry's sustainable success? What are likely to be the new industry trend and key uncertainties coincide with the opportunities and solutions? We'd like to explore these topics in this year's technical symposium with technical experts, industry leaders, and fellow members.
We encourage you to submit presentations relevant to the symposium theme. Exceptional technical papers will potentially be considered for future Global Chinese Petroleum and Petrochemical Technical Symposiums (GCPPTS). Student members are encouraged to submit their papers to the Student Paper Contest session and take this opportunity to share their research results as well as to improve their presentation skills.
Four invited keynote speakers from major oil companies and the service sector will discuss high-level, current and future challenges, opportunities and solutions.
· Abstract: one-page in English, including your brief biography. Please use the attached template for your abstract.
· Please submit your abstract to Dr. Po-Ching Tai via email at capasymposium@gmail.com and clearly indicate the session for your paper in your email subject.
We look forward to seeing you at the 2017 Technical symposium on Nov. 3rd, 2017.
Chinese American Petroleum Association is pleased to announce the 2016 Petroleum and Petrochemical Technical Symposium, which is to be held on Friday, November 4, 2016. The Southwest Section of the Chinese American Chemical Society (SW-CACS) and the Society of Petroleum Resources Economists (SPRE) will co-organize the downstream / petrochemical and Petroleum Economics sessions with CAPA, respectively. The Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) will continue to sponsor the student paper contest.
The symposium will focus on the theme of "Navigating and Repositioning for the Future". The oil and gas industry is going through another round of rebalancing. The challenging oil price environment has caused significant reduction in the work force and slowdown in asset development, especially in North America. Commitment of global leaders to climate change issues will likely lead to more stringent regulations and create impact on resource development worldwide. What will be the new "norms" for the O&G industry? How should we adapt to this new operational, financial, and social environment, while continuing to deploy advanced technologies in the field? How do we turn challenges and obligations into opportunities to grow our capabilities for long term sustainable development? What are some of the key enablers critical for our future success? We'd like to explore these topics in this year's technical symposium with fellow members, technical experts and leaders in our industry.
We encourage you to submit abstracts relevant to the symposium theme. Student members are encouraged to submit their papers to the Student Paper Contest session and take this opportunity to share their research results as well as to improve their presentation skills.
Student paper contest - All student papers will be oral presentations in English. Awards will be given at the end of the session ($500 – 1st place; $300 – 2nd place; $200 – 3rd place).
Abstract: one-page in English, including your brief biography. Please use the attached template for your abstract.
Please submit your abstract to Dr. Hong Jin via email at capa2016tech@gmail.com and clearly indicate the session for your paper in your email subject.
We are very excited to announce the official commencement of our CAPA Book Club. We kicked it off at our annual meeting and now are ready to put it into operation. The Book Club will be an extension of our annual career development forum to build a community of support.
Mission Statement: Act as a platform to encourage and assist members to carry out the implementation of professional and personal development. To share learnings and support each other in making positive changes in life.
Book Club Salon: we'll have periodic salon for members to share their learnings in a private and confidential setting.
Please follow the below link to our CAPA Book Club site for instructions on how to join and check out / return books. We also greatly appreciate members to donate books to the club and share learnings. Feel free to contact Tracy Pan at 832-518-0006 or Jing Xiang at 979-571-6223 if you have any questions.
Wish you all a great start to another year of fulfillment!
Oil price prediction based on WTI crude oil price on the closing date of June 30, 2016.
Please submit the price prediction to xyzyang@hotmail.com, and the deadline to submit the prediction is Feb. 1, 2016.


text:
package net.engio.mbassy.bus.common;

import net.engio.mbassy.bus.config.IBusConfiguration;
import net.engio.mbassy.bus.error.IPublicationErrorHandler;

import java.util.Collection;

/**
 * Publication errors may occur at various points of time during message delivery. A handler may throw an exception,
 * may not be accessible due to security constraints or is not annotated properly.
 * In any of all possible cases a publication error is created and passed to each of the registered error handlers.
 * Error handlers can be added via the {@link IBusConfiguration}.
 *
 */

public interface ErrorHandlingSupport {

    /**
     * Get all registered instance of {@link IPublicationErrorHandler}
     *
     * @return  an immutable collection containing all the registered error handlers
     */
    Collection<IPublicationErrorHandler> getRegisteredErrorHandlers();

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Book a consultation now to see how dentures can bring back your smile and help you eat with comfort again.


text:
Tokyo 2020 unveils Olympic medals made from old electronics
Updated 24th July 2019
Written by Oscar Holland, CNNAmy Woodyatt, CNN
The winners' medals for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics were revealed Wednesday, exactly one year before the event's opening ceremony. And they feature an unlikely design quirk: The medals will be made using old cellphones and other electronics.
Selected following a nationwide competition, the newly unveiled designs have a pebble-like appearance and will measure 8.5 centimeters in diameter. As in recent Olympics, the front face will feature an image of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory.
But unlike in previous years, all the medals will be produced from gold, silver and bronze (in this case, copper and zinc) that has been stripped from donated cellphones and other electronics.
The medals' reverse face has a pebble-like appearance. Credit: Courtesy Tokyo 2020
In 2017, the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee launched its "Everyone's Medal" campaign, which called on citizens to donate devices that could be stripped of their constituent metals. The resulting medals will be presented at both the Olympics and Paralympics, which begin in July and August next year, respectively.
These striking portraits of female athletes help address the gender gap in sport photography
The medal was chosen from over 400 entries to a competition for design students and professional designers. Winner Junichi Kawanishi described the use of his proposal as a "great honor."
"I never dreamed that the design I submitted, only as a memorial to this lifetime event, would be actually selected," he said in a press statement. "With their shining rings, I hope the medals will be seen as paying tribute to the athletes' efforts, reflecting their glory and symbolizing friendship."
Olympics organizers said that 32 kilograms of gold was collected as part of its "Everyone's Medal" campaign. Credit: TANAKA Precious Metals
According to International Olympic Committee guidelines, silver medals must contain a minimum of a minimum of 92.5% silver, although Tokyo 2020's will be made of pure silver. Gold medals are, in fact, also made largely from silver, though they must each be plated with at least 6 grams of pure gold.
Approximately 5,000 of the medals will be produced for next summer's games, which mark the second time the Japanese capital has hosted the event.
The medals will measure 12.1 millimeters at their thickest point. Credit: Courtesy Tokyo 2020
The Olympics' new Swiss HQ is both eco-friendly and symbolic
Around 79,000 tons of used cellphones and other small electronic devices were collected by municipal authorities during the campaign, which ran from April 2017 to March of this year. More than 6 million used cellphones were handed in, with the Japanese phone operator NTT Docomo operating in-store collection points for customers' unwanted devices.
In total, the campaign yielded 32 kilograms of gold, 3,500 kilograms of silver and 2,200 kilograms of copper and zinc.
A circular medal case will be hand-crafted from Japanese ash wood. Credit: Courtesy Tokyo 2020
Night photos that make Tokyo look like a sci-fi utopia
A circular medal case, made from Japanese ash, was also unveiled Wednesday. So too were the accompanying ribbons, which were inspired by traditional Japanese patterns and kimono-layering techniques.
"I am convinced that Japanese metal molding techniques and the superb design have combined well, and that we have the best medal in the world -- one that we can be proud of," said the chair of Tokyo 2020's medal design selection panel, Ryohei Miyata, in a press statement. "There is also a beautiful balance between the design of the medals and their ribbons. It makes me want to strive for a medal myself."
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text:
Schuylkill County Obituaries for 09/04/19
Bobbie L Harner, age 90, of Chestnut Knoll, Boyertown, formerly of Valley View, passed away Tuesday, September 3, 2019 at Chestnut Knoll.
He was born on Wednesday, July 17, 1929, in Valley View, a son of the late H. Stanley Harner and the late Hilda I Schwalm Harner
Bobbie was a 1947 graduate of the former Hegins Twp High School and a 1956 graduate of Penn State University.
He served in the US Army during the Korean War.
He was a draftsman for Eastern Prestressed Concrete Corp, Hatfield and then a cost engineer for Gilbert-Commonwealth Consulting Engineers, Reading, until his retirement. After retirement Bobbie was very active in the Hegins Area Ambulance Association and had also worked as a funeral attendant for the Buffington-Reed Funeral Home for many years.
He was a member of Christ's United Lutheran Church, Ashland.
Bobbie was a former Boy Scout Master.
His wife, Anna M Ebert Harner passed away in 2015. He was also preceded in death by his parents; and by a daughter, Debra A Harner.
He is survived by a daughter, Barbara L Harner and her husband Anthony Kerlavage of Montgomery Village, MD; a son, Steven J Harner and his wife Ronlyn of Palm; four grandchildren; five great grandchildren; a brother, Donald "Ted" Harner of Camp Hill; and a niece and a nephew.
Funeral services will be held at the Buffington-Reed Funeral Home, Valley View, on Saturday, September 7, 2019, at 11:00 am, with Rev. Donald Zechman officiating.
A viewing will be held from 9:30 am to 11:00 am on Saturday at the funeral home.
Burial will be made in St. John's "Kimmel's" Cemetery, Ashland.
Memorial contributions can be made to Hegins Area Ambulance Association, P.O. Box 678, Valley View, PA 17983.
Condolences can be left for the family at www.buffingtonreed.com.
Edna M. "Ande" Beach, of Luther Ridge at Seiders Hill, and formerly of Orwigsburg, went with a grateful heart to her eternal rest on Sept. 2, 2019, at Schuylkill Center, Pottsville.
Born in Barnstaple, Devonshire, England, April 4, 1926, she was a daughter of the late Francis and Ellen Timson Cater.
She was a graduate of Triangle College, and attended St. Mary's School of Nursing, both in London, England.
In 1948, at 22, Ande came to New York City with the intention of seeking employment for a year or two before returning home to England.
The highlight of her working life was when she was hired by the British Travel Association. Her responsibility was to encourage travel to war scarred England, which was a challenge at that time. Some time later, she was chosen to travel throughout the U.S. as a good will ambassador for Britain and the six week tour proved to be a great success.
Soon after this, Ande's plans to return home to England changed drastically when she met the man who would become her husband, James W. Beach. He accepted a position as professor of music at Penn State University Park.
After their engagement, he moved to State College and Ande went home to visit her parents before joining him there. They were married at the Eisenhower Chapel on campus. They spent five happy years there, Jim teaching and Ande working as secretary to the assistant chaplain. From there, they moved to Madison, Wis., and while there, Jim was asked if he would consider starting a music program at Penn State Schuylkill. They moved here in 1967, thinking they would stay for about a year, but they never left.
In addition to her parents, Ande was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Jim, on Jan. 7, 2008.
She is survived by several cousins and an abundance of friends who meant the world to her. She spoke many times of her gratitude for them, some of whom were like her family and she marveled at the loyalty of their "kids" (Jim's former students from as far back as the '50s who continued to love and care for her as they had for Jim.)
She was a member of First United Methodist Church, Pottsville, and until moving to Luther Ridge, was a member of OWLS (Orwigsburg Women's League).
There will be a memorial service at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, at First United Methodist Church, 330 W. Market St., Pottsville, with the Rev. John C. Wallace officiating. Friends may gather at 10 a.m. until the time of service. Burial is private. In lieu of flowers, it was Ande's wish that any remembrances that friends might wish to give, should be sent to one of the following, all of them dear to her heart: Penn State University, Attn: James W. and Edna M. Beach Scholarship Fund, PSU, 200 University Drive, Schuylkill Haven, PA 17972; Penn State University, Attn: James W. Beach Endowment Fund, College of Arts and Architecture, 124 Borland Building, University Park, PA 16812; First U.M. Church, 330 W. Market St., Pottsville, PA 17901.
Bettie Lou (Schaeffer) Emerich, 81, of Cressona, passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 1st, at Seton Manor, Orwigsburg.
Bettie Lou was born in Cressona, PA on November 20, 1937, a daughter of the late Elizabeth (Kantner) and Vernon Schaeffer.
She was the wife of Clifford E. Emerich. The couple shared 63 years of marriage.
Bettie Lou was preceded in death by her brother, Drew Schaeffer, and her sisters, Donna Reed and Shirley Hill.
She was a graduate of Cressona High School, Class of 1955.
She was previously employed as a waitress at Sites Luncheonette, Cressona, and had served as the Cressona Tax Collector for 8 years.
Bettie Lou was a kind and gentle person who adored her family. She loved the community of Cressona in so many ways. She was a lifelong member of St. Mark's United Church of Christ, teaching Sunday School, serving on Consistory and the Lay Fellowship Committee, and assisting the Candy Elves. She was a charter member of the Cressona High School Alumni Committee and looked forward to seeing her classmates at their reunions. Bettie Lou also was an active member of the Cressona Historical Society and a member of the Good Will Hose Co. Ladies Auxiliary.
Bettie Lou is survived by a daughter, Cheryl Lagola, wife of John, of Orwigsburg; two sons Jeffrey Emerich and Clifford L. Emerich, both of Cressona.
Bettie Lou is also survived by grandchildren: Jennifer Emerich, Brandy Emerich, Jacob Emerich, Jillian Krammes, Ryan Lagola, and Mark Lagola; 15 great-grandchildren; and sister, Bernice Yoder, wife of William, Sun City West, Arizona.
A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be conducted on Thursday, September 12, at St. Mark's United Church of Christ, Cressona, at 10:30 AM, with Rev. Kevin Fruchtl officiating.
A visitation will be held at the church from 9:30 until the time of the service.
The family requests that contributions be made to St. Mark's United Church of Christ Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 55, Cressona, PA 17929 in memory of Bettie Lou.
The family also wishes to thank the staff of Seton Manor for their compassion and support of Bettie Lou while she resided there.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Ebling-Stabingas Funeral Home, Cressona, with cremation services provided by Riverside Cremation Services, LLC, Schuylkill Haven, PA.
To extend online condolences, please visit www.gsesfuneralhomes.com
Lois F. "Loie" Walsh, 91, passed away Monday at Lehigh Valley Hospital Schuylkill- East Norwegian, Pottsville, after a brief illness.
Born in Pottsville March 21, 1928, she was the daughter of the late Arthur "Scoop" and Margaret "Peg" Lesher Felsburg.
She was a 1944 graduate of Pottsville Area High School. She was married to John B. "Jack" Walsh who preceded her in death in 2008.
Loie lived in Tampa, Florida for 46 years working at the Hillsboro County Courthouse as a judge's assistant until her retirement in 2001. She was an avid Philadelphia and Penn State sports fan as well as a talented knitter and crocheter. She was an avid reader of paperback book novels. Lolie had a heart of gold, always willing to help her family and giving to numerous charities. She will be deeply missed.
In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by a sister, Joan F. Andrews in 2017 and a niece, Debra Sue Andrews in 1958.
Surviving family members are a brother-in-law Donald Andrews, Pottsville; niece Wendy Kline, Bethlehem; nephew Donald Andrews, Jr., Pottsville; and several great nieces and nephews.
Schlitzer Allen Pugh Funeral Home 515 West Market Street Pottsville has been entrusted with arrangements. As per Loie's wishes there will not be any funeral services. Interment will be held at Schuylkill Memorial Park, Schuylkill Haven. Please visit schlitzerallenpugh.com to leave a condolence for the Walsh family.
John W. Holmberg, 75, of Tamaqua, PA died on Wednesday, September 4, 2019, at home. He was the husband of Elizabeth "Betsy" (nee Kane) to whom he was married 55 years.
Born in Northampton, England on October 19, 1943, John was the son of the late John F. and Betty (nee Love) Holmberg. A 1961 graduate of Tamaqua High School, he attended the Ford School of Business in Pottsville, PA.
John worked for the Borough of Tamaqua for 29 years as an operator of the borough water treatment plant. Prior to his employment at the water treatment plant, he worked for Joseph Boyle Builders and also Holmberg Builders. John was a member of The Parish of St. John XXIII, one of the original founding members of the Tamaqua Rescue Squad, and a member of the Tuscarora Sportsman Club.
In addition to his wife Betsy, he is survived by sister, Betty Horton and her husband Thomas of Haddon Heights, NJ; nephews, Edward Kane, Brian Kane, Sean Kane, Michael Horton, and Douglas Horton; niece, Christine Kane; and numerous great nephews and nieces.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 AM on Monday, September 9, 2019, in St. John XXIII Catholic Church, 307 Pine Street, Tamaqua. Call 8:30AM - 10:30 AM on Monday at the Zizelmann-Gulla Funeral Home, 500 East Broad Street, Tamaqua.
Interment will take place at the convenience of the family. Memorials in John's name may be made to the Tamaqua Rescue Squad, 19 Pine Street, Tamaqua, PA 18252. Online condolences may be made at www.zgfuneralhome.com. Arrangements are being handled by Zizelmann-Gulla Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Inc., Tamaqua.
Timothy J. Whiteash, 38, formerly of Tower City, passed away Saturday, August 31st, in Reading.
Tim was born in Coaldale, March 15, 1981, a son of Esther Rockwell, Girardville and the late David Whiteash. At the age of two, Bill and Ruth Davidson, Mahanoy City, became his legal guardians and raised him in Tower City.
Tim was a 1999 graduate of Williams Valley High School. He currently was employed as a laborer at a distribution center in Reading.
He loved his children with all his heart and was extremely proud of all of their accomplishments. He enjoyed the outdoors, especially fishing. He was an avid fan of the Red Sox, Steelers and Penn State.
Surviving in additions to Esther, Bill and Ruth are his wife, Cara Klinger Whiteash, Lykens; his children; Breanna C. and Isaac D. Whiteash both at home; a stepson, Zachary Burian; siblings Brenda Shadle, Fountain Springs, Derek Davidson, Mahanoy City; Kristen Evans, Ashland; Joe Breslin, Camp Hill, Michelle Keffer, Tower City and John Davidson, Frackville; an uncle Eric Whiteash, Reading.
A Celebration of Tim's life will be held on Saturday, September, 7th at 11:00 am from the Calvary United Methodist Church, Wiconisco with Pastor Annette Shutt. Visitation will be from 10-11 at the church. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Dimon Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Inc., 644 E. Grand Avenue, Tower City, PA 17980 to help with expenses. To sign the guestbook visit www.dimonfuneralhome.com
Marian R. Miller, 82, of Pottsville, who made us laugh, who walked the bike path, who sported a tan, who loved the beach and the sand, went to her Eternal Rest on Sunday, September 1st in the comfort of her home.
She was born on November 13, 1936 at the Pottsville Hospital to the late Walter and Doris Michael Hurst.
She attended the Pottsville Schools and graduated from Pottsville High School in 1954.
Marian worked for 38 years as a legal secretary to several judges of the Court of Common Pleas of Schuylkill County, retiring in 1992.
She was married for 57 years to the former, Gurney Miller who died on April 6, 2015. They had two children, Elaine Hafer, wife of Greg, and Gurney R. Miller, all of Pottsville.
Marian was an active member of the Evangelical United Methodist Church of Pottsville, where she served as Sunday School Superintendent, Sunday School teacher, President of the United Methodist Women, and past president and member of the Administrative Board. She also served on the Conference and District levels of the United Methodist Church. She served as a member of the Conference Board of Lay Ministry, where she was chairperson of the Lay Academy for 6 years and received training to be a certified Lay Speaker. She spoke in many local churches. She and her husband hosted vacation bible school at their home for 27 years and also several Bible Study groups.
Marian went on four mission trips to Homestead, FL, Albany, GA and Buffalo, NY to help clean up after hurricanes, floods and to restore homes in depressed areas. She claimed those trips to be one of the high-lighes of her life. Her mission in life was to help others.
Marian enjoyed walking, swimming, bicycle riding; her visits to the shore at Ocean City, N.J; going on trips; and, spending time at her Florida home in Tropicana Park, Ft. Myers, FL, where she had many good friends.
She loved her grandchildren and was known as "Mimi" to them and others. Preceding her in death were her husband Gurney and her sister Jean Dilcher, 2013. In addition to her children she is survived by 4 grandchildren, Jade, Luke, Mariah, and Hannah, sister Lois Lowthert, 2 brothers, Edward (Ned) Hurst married to Gayle and Kenneth Hurst; several nieces and nephews whom she adored; and also great nieces and nephews and great, great nieces and nephews.
Memorial service celebrating the life of Marian will be held Saturday at 11am at Evangelical United Methodist Church, Pottsville with Rev John Wallace and Rev. Greg Hafer officiating. Family and Friends and invited to a visitation from 9-11am at the church.The family would prefer remembrances in the form of contributions in memory of Marian be made to Evangelical United Methodist Church, 305 S. Centre Street, Pottsville, PA 17901 or Department of Surgery Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund, 1015 Walnut Street, Curtis Bldg., Suite 620, Philadelphia, PA 19107.
Arrangements are under the care of James B. Humphrey, F. D., James E. Humphrey Funeral Home, Pottsville.
Please share your memories and condolences with Marian's family by signing the guest book at www.jehumphreyfuneralhome.com
These Obituaries are brought to you by
Louis D. Truskowsky Funeral Home & Crematory INC.
Posted by Skook News at 9/05/2019 12:32:00 AM
Labels: News, Obituaries


text:
Q: How do we define select statement as a variable in dbt? Hi I am trying to define a select statement in a set variable in dbt,
can any one suggest how to set sql query as a variable in dbt  and how to access those variables in below CTEs?

A: You could consider embedding your SQL statement in a macro and call that macro in your models.
{% macro get_data() %}
    {% set query %}

        select
            column_a_boolean,
            column_b_varchar
        from my_table

    {% endset %}

    {% set results = run_query(query) %}
    {# execute is a Jinja variable that returns True when dbt is in "execute" mode i.e. True when running dbt run but False during dbt compile. #}
    {% if execute %}
    {% set results_list = results.rows %}
    {% else %}
    {% set results_list = [] %}
    {% endif %}

    {{ return(results_list) }}

{% endmacro %}

You can then use the above macro in a model.
For example, in a model below, we UNION records returned by the macro if a value in a column column_a_boolean is equal true.
{% for record in get_data() %}
    {% if record.column_a_boolean == true %}
        {% if not loop.first %}
            UNION ALL
        {% endif %}
            SELECT
                record.column_b_varchar
    {% endif -%}
{% endfor %}

A: You can use call statement and get the result in a variable with load_result
Here is an example of retrieving only one field from the select statement:
{%- call statement('my_statement', fetch_result=True) -%}
      SELECT my_field FROM my_table
{%- endcall -%}

{%- set my_var = load_result('my_statement')['data'][0][0] -%}

Then you can use {{ my_var }}
You can play with ['data'][0][0] depending on the rows and columns that your select returns

A: You can use dbt_utils.get_column_values:
{%- set my_var = dbt_utils.get_column_values(
    table = source('source_name', 'object_name'),
    column = 'my_col',
    where = "my col != 'some_value") -%}

{%- for x in my_var %}
    select
        '{{ x }}' as test
    from {{ source(x, 'object_name') }}
    {% if not loop.last -%}
        union all
    {%- endif -%}
{%- endfor -%}

Make sure your packages.yml file contains dbt-utils:
packages:
  - package: dbt-labs/dbt_utils
    version: 1.0.0 # latest version as time of writing, change as needed

Then run dbt deps to initialize the package:
$ dbt deps

The run_query documentation has a nice example as well.

A: {% macro hello() %}

{% if execute %}
    {% set results = run_query("select 'hello'; ").columns[0].values()[0] %}
{% endif %}

select {{results}} as id;

{% endmacro %}

output
results will contain hello


text:
Shibata Zeishin Exposition Nezu Musee Tokyo
Lacquers master Shibata Zeshin
With a career transition of Japan before decaying feudal system to the modern nation Zeshin Shibata (1807-1891) was an exceptional artist, reaching the peak of paint and lacquer. Nezu Museum exhibition « Shibata Zeshin: From Arts lacquer painting » presents 139 objects from arguably the most talented artists of the 19th century largely in Japan.
Urushi-e lacquer paint Album (19th century).
Born in Edo (now Tokyo), Zeshin joined the studio of the artist paint Koma Kansai II (1766-1835) as an apprentice at the age of 11 years there learning detailed methods of using tree sap to create surface decoration soft and beautiful. He then moved to Kyoto to study Maruyama-Shijo School of painting, which, combined with Western naturalism East Asian brush. This training is the foundation of his intellectual and aesthetic sophisticated art.
Back to Edo, Zeshin established his career in the last decades of the Edo period (1603-1867), creating paintings and luxury goods such as Boi painted your writing. Since 1868, Japan has sought to establish itself as a global power player in the market and international art, and the elegant fusion of tradition and modernity in the work is Zeshin became popular with the public occidental.Par Therefore, many of the best examples of the work Zeshin, especially its urushi-e (lacquer) are in collections abroad .
Despite substantial commissions of the imperial house and the Meiji government Zeshin was largely forgotten by his countrymen after his death. It is possible that the ability to move freely Zeshin between the fields of art and craftsmanship means that, until recent years, it has been seen as belonging to no.
The exhibition opens on more than 100 lacquerware, including many of the techniques developed by Zeshin films to simulate the appearance of wood, ink sticks, or bronze. « Tiered Candy Box crows and egrets » is representative of the sensitivity Zeshin regarding the shape and surface decoration. Flocks of crows and egrets rendered in black lacquer and silver explode from the bottom of a box or straight. The effect is at once dark, lively, and terribly chic.
« Box Sweets flying crows and egrets » (19th century) Tokyo National Museum
The next section explores the experiences of Zeshin in urushi-e executed on paper and hanging scrolls album to evoke the splendor of Western oil painting. Although urushi-e failed to thrive after the death Zeshin, these paintings are unconventional evidence of a restless spirit attempt to redefine traditional media.
Before reaching fame as an artist lacquer Zeshin was a respected painter of hanging scrolls and screens. Landscapes, including literary and folkloric themes and images auspicious, such as cranes, the last section of the exhibition presents paintings characterized by lightness ; mind. Many include kakihy ō s o (painted fasteners) the border « Hina Dolls » is a space filled with lacquered miniatures accoutrements for poupé , girls day are shown in the central image.
Ultimately, however, we remember that Zeshin Japan artist par excellence lacquer, and this exhibition is a timely reflection of his original vision and superb skills.
Par MIZEN Fine Art|janvier 2nd, 2013|Beautiful Japan, Beautiful Japanese Art, Japanese Art Craft|0 Commentaire


text:
Miracle AtianashieJanuary 14, 2022
2022 Best photo editing apps for students
If you've ever watched your students hypnotically click through an online photo album, you know about the captivating power of digital photography. Below JBKlutse.com tech blog has presented all apps according to their categories.
The rise of Facebook, Instagram and other image-driven social media has made today's students hyperaware of the power of the digital image–but at the same time, most kids and teens are less savvy about design and communication principles as well as the basic how-tos of image manipulation. This is where educators can step in and capitalize on our society's ever-growing fascination with digital imagery.
By integrating image-based technology into the classroom, teachers can create engaging presentations as well as inspire and support collaborative projects among their students. However, there are so many of these apps and browser-based services popping up these days, it's hard for even the most cutting-edge techie to know where to get started. Here's the rundown on just a few of the latest photo editing apps for students to use in your classroom.
ACDSee Ultimate
Afterlight
Camera+
Facetune 2
Instasize
Movavi Picverse
ON1 Photo RAW
Pixelmator Pro
Superimpose X
Price: Try the full version of any products for up to 30 days. The ACDSee Home Plan is $8.90/month or $89/year and includes access to four of the top ACDSee products, up to give users per product, and 50GB of cloud storage. Alternatively, users can purchase a lifetime license for $109.95.
ACDSee Ultimate has many photo and video editing tools to choose from. The Photo Studio Ultimate 2022 version is ideal for parametric photo manipulation using layers and created for graphic designers and creative artists. Users can align and blend layers, and add layer effects between images, objects, and text. Ultimate is best for students who have a thorough understanding of basic photo editing techniques and are ready to move on to more complex editing skills.
Price: Students and teachers are eligible for a 60% discount on Adobe Creative Cloud, which includes 20+ apps in addition to Lightroom. The cost is reduced from $52.99/month to $19.99/month. Following a free trial, any user can purchase Lightroom by itself for $9.99/month. Adobe Lightroom has recently added the Tone Curves and Color Mixer tools, which allow users easy access to edit light and colour properties of their images. Users can also shift focus, reduce distractions, and build in compelling effects.
Price: Students and teachers are eligible for a 60% discount on Adobe Creative Cloud, which includes 20+ apps in addition to Photoshop. The cost is reduced from $52.99/month to $19.99/month.
This app for iPad and Android has fewer features, to be sure, but the important ones are all there. Furthermore, it's a great way to get students comfortable with the lingo and limits of digital image manipulation. Though it boasts a number of filters and effects, it's not the emphasis of the app; it's a good program for getting to know the ABCs of digital image manipulation. Then before you know it, instead of absently clicking through Facebook during their breaks, your students will be critiquing their friends' photos' contrast and tint.
Price: Users can try Afterlight for free. They offer the following memberships: $2.99/month, $17.99/year, and $35.99/lifetime.
Afterlight has something for image editors of all levels. Designed for Android or iOS, it offers over 200 filters, advanced tools, textures, overlays, frames, and borders. They also host a Fusion Library–a curation of free, downloadable Fusion Filters. Additionally, Afterlight's Touch Tools allow users to edit photos with precise touch gestures and control over light, sharpness, and saturation. A final cool feature–double exposure–lets users blend photos to design neat combinations.
Price: Free! Bazaart offers premium monthly packages for $7.99 and a premium yearly package for $71.99.
Winner of the Best of 2020 and Best of App Store Award for Android and iOS, Bazaart is an image editor and graphic design app that allows users to create stunning collages and professional designs. Their magic eraser removes the background from any photos and allows users to add a new background or keep it transparent. Bazaart also houses an expansive collection of free templates, backgrounds, shapes, overlays, fonts, and more. What's more? They offer many tips, tricks, and tutorials on their Instagram page.
Price: $7.99–available for download on the Apple App Store.
Some of Camera+ 2's newest features include monuments mode, social filter packs, and 'favorite edits.' Monuments mode allows users to remove moving objects to get uncluttered images and 'favorite edits' lets you save your favorite editing sequences for reuse. Camera+ stands apart through its shooting modes: manual, RAW capture and editing, portrait and depth capture, slow shutter, and macro mode. There is so much to explore within this app, which is best suited for students who already possess a strong knowledge of basic photo editing skills.
Price: Canva offers several pricing structures suited for individuals or teams of different sizes. The Free plan allows users access to 250,000+ templates, 100 design types, hundreds of thousands of free images and graphics, 5 GB of cloud storage, and the capacity to invite team members, collaborate, and comment in real-time. The Pro plan is $119.99/year for up to five people. It includes everything from the Free plan, plus 100GB of cloud storage, 100+ million stock photos, videos, audio, and graphics, and over 610,000 free templates. The Enterprise plan has everything that the Pro plan has, plus much more control and brand identity tools–businesses can consult with Canva to receive a quote. Good news–Canva Pro is available for free to schools and nonprofits!
Canva is best known as a graphic design tool–the photo editing tools are just one piece. Their all-in-one editor lets users autofocus to add depth of field to their images, adjust focal points, blur out backgrounds and foregrounds, remove backgrounds, and more. Users can design on the go from any device.
Price: Check out Facetune 2's 7-day free trial, which moves into unlimited access plans that start at $7.99.
Facetune 2 is the top selfie editing app in the world! Its newest feature, Filtertune, allows photo editing and filter sharing. Users can match the style of their favourite influencers by scanning and downloading filters. Facetune also regularly shares useful content on topics like posing for selfies, editing photos, and more.
Price: GIMP is free to download.
GIMP is a tool for editing experts–a free, open-source image editor and manipulator. With GIMP, you can fix perspective distortion, eliminate barrel distortion, retouch digital images, and more. GIMP is also a high-quality framework for scripted image manipulation, with support in C, C++, Perl, Python, Scheme, and more. GIMP is supported by GNU/Linux, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Sun OpenSolaris, and FreeBSD.
Instagram's one of the most widely-used social media apps among students and teachers alike. Other than basic image editing tools and a library of filters, Instagram is extremely accessible for students to complete, share, and collaborate on projects as individuals or with peers.
Price: The Standard version is free — users can create original filters, transform images with vintage overlays, adjust colour, contrast, grain, and saturation. They can also edit videos on mobile devices with filtering and editing tools. The Instasize Premium version costs $4.99/month. Users can begin with a free trial to access 100+ premium filters, create tappable web stories, upload unique backgrounds, and use advanced beauty tools that edit blemishes, whiten teeth, and remove redness on the skin.
Instasize offers countless features to its users, including filters, layering, resizing, overlays, video editing, a stock library, backgrounds, a text editor, magic fill, editing tools, touch-up tools, and web stories. Instasize categories its design tools based on colour, light, and definition.
Price: Microsoft or Apple users can try for free, then purchase a plan. The personal 1-year subscription costs $29.95 while the lifetime subscription costs $59.95.
Movavi Piverse Photo Editor for PCs is ideal for students who are new to photo editing. Students can optimize color and contrast in seconds, remove or change backgrounds, restore old photos through hiding creases, scratches, and stains, and access 100+ effects and filters. Its newest features include facial recognition/photo organization, geolocation, sharing via Google Drive, improved retouching, and image overlay.
Price: ON1 offers free 14-day trials–plans range from $79.99 to $179.99 per year, making this one of the pricier packages on the list. That being said, they often offer deals that include bonus perks.
ON1 Photo RAW is advertising many new features for the upcoming year, including sky swap AI, time-lapse creator, photoshop plugin host, NoNoise integration, export and backup, liquify tool, and advanced search. Their editing tools go beyond the typical tone and colour adjusters to include effects like dynamic contrast, textures, BW, split tone, glow, HDR, and more.
Price: Free for basic features. $4.99 per month for the premium "Royale" version.
Though the cost to access this photo editor's premium "Royale" features might be a little steep for most educators, the free, basic version of PicMonkey is still a fun browser-based editor that students will enjoy experimenting with.
The interface itself is no-nonsense and friendly for beginners. The "Auto adjust" button can be used to illustrate the basic elements of image manipulation. Clicking the "Auto adjust" button will change the settings for the photo according to what the program determines to be the optimum exposure, colour, and clarity. It's fun to experiment with why those different settings make a photo look "good" and what results can be achieved with further manipulation.
Price: The Free version includes a standard photo and video editing tools, and millions of free, editable images. The Gold version includes unlimited access to premium tools and content for $4.66/month or $55.99/year. The Team version manages and provides premium access to multiple members under one account for $6.24/month or $74.98/year.
We love how PicsArt makes it easy to create a range of media projects that students might design, such as banners, stickers, collages, memes, brochures, and posters. PicsArt is also known for its efficiency–its Batch Editor can process images in greater quantities at rapid speed.
Price: Pixelmator Pro offers a free trial before you can purchase a plan for $19.99–check the site to see if discounts up to 50% are available!
There are oodles of ways to edit and enhance photos on Pixelmator Pro. Users can utilize machine learning-powered tools to enhance photos, increase resolution, correct white balance, and remove noise. They can remove unwanted objects or backgrounds and choose from 40 presets. Pixelmator Pro is built exclusively for Mac.
Price: The Free version allows access to Pixlr X and E, basic editing tools, and a limited set of stickers and overlays. It is supported by ads. The Premium version is $4.90/month–you can start with a free trial and gain access to more extensive editing tools, AI CutOut, 3,000 extra overlays, 7,000 extra icons and stickers, 5,000 decorative texts, 18,000 assets, templates, video tutorials, and more. The Premium version is ad-free. The Creative Pack grants unlimited access to millions of stock graphics, templates, fonts, photos, videos, and 3D files. It's ad-free and costs $14.99/month.
Pixlr has two editors–X and E. Pixlr X is for quick and easy projects, while Pixlr E is for more advanced designs. the layout is somewhat similar to Canvas. It's very easy to start a new project, making this a friendly option for students. With their free advanced photo editor, you can start editing by opening a photo, dragging and dropping a file, pasting from a clipboard, or selecting from a pre-made template.
Price: Download for $4.99 on the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Superimpose X makes it easy to superimpose images on top of each other. Editors can mask, erase, or blend backgrounds, layer images, and tinker with a smorgasbord of editing tools, such as colour correction, paintbrush, effect brush, smudge, and warp.
Price: $3.99 on Apple or Google.
This handy app features object-aware retouching, flexible line removal, smart mesh removal, blemish removal, and 360-degree photo editing. It's best used for removing unwanted marks or objects from images.
Price: VSCO is free to download–you're granted access to their original presets and standard editing tools. With a monthly or annual VSCO membership, you unlock 200+ VSCO presets, advanced photo editing tools, video editing tools, montage tools, weekly photo challenges, and bonus content.
To add to this article or start a conversation, join our forum to share your opinions with other readers. For stories of this sort and more, do well to log on to www.jbklutse.com or visit us on Facebook.
Miracle Atianashie
Content Writer at JBKLUTSE | Website | + posts
Miracle. Has worked as a research analyst for hightail consult limited in Accra, Ghana, and as a publishing assistant in a peer-reviewed journal for the Catholic University College of Ghana. he has also worked as a data operator, team writer, and turnitin plagiarism software evaluator for research institutes and as one of his Illustriousness's services specializing in academic journal management and software development. He is currently working as a neural network tutor, content writer, lecturer, and consultant. Miracle Research focuses on public health technology, testing and penetration, business intelligence, content management, neural networks, transitions and trajectories, as well as image and video steganography with cryptosystems.
https://www.jbklutse.com/author/miracle/
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Miracle AtianashieJanuary 3, 2022
When purchasing a bath pillow on the internet, consider the following factors


text:
Jafarabad (, also Romanized as Ja'farābād; also known as Deh-e Īlkhānī and Īlkhānī) is a village in Dastgerdan Rural District, Dastgerdan District, Tabas County, South Khorasan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 22, in 10 families.

References

Populated places in Tabas County


In the Oldene Dayes, Christians were being persecuted, so they hid in caves. A woman named Lucia risked her life to bring them food. In order to keep her arms free for carrying supplies, she put candles on a wreath and wore it like a crown on her head. That way she didn't have to haul around a lantern, although she did increase the risk of setting her hair on fire. I like this story a lot; there's a lot of delicious allegorical potential going on there. No lie: Eleanor was almost named Lucia.
The traditional way of observing St. Lucia's Day is to have the oldest girl in the family (or the most popular girl in the village) get up early on Dec. 13th, put on a white dress and a candle-wreath-crown, and bring breakfast in bed to everyone else.
Option Two is simply to EAT a candle-wreath-crown. One made of pastry, of course. I've wanted to obeserve St. Lucia's Day for years (hey, I like pastry, and with Brian's Scandinavian ancestry, it feels legit) but it's only been until today that I've found a candle-wreath-crown recipe easy enough to pull off on a weekday morning.
This is mainly thanks to the cans of Pillsbury "full sheets" of crescent roll dough I've recently found in stores. It contains one big giant rectangle of dough that you can transform into anything you want.
Preheat the oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and coat with baking spray.
In a small bowl, combine sugar and spices. De-tube or whatever a can of dough and roll it out. Brush butter down the center third of the dough and sprinkle half of the sugar-spice mixture on top, leaving the rest of the dough plain.
Repeat with the other tube of dough and remaining mixture, then form both braids into a wreath on the baking sheet.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a nice golden color. I suppose the more proactive among you could form the wreath the night before, refrigerate it, and bake it off in the morning. If you do, it'll probably take 30 minutes of baking time.
The fancy-schmancy among you have probably already had the idea of putting on a butter, milk, or egg-wash glaze before baking and/or sprinkling it with white sugar. Good for you.
You're supposed to light candles in the wreath before you eat it. It looked pretty, but I didn't have time to wait for the wreath to cool before I stuck the candles, in, and the bottoms melted a bit into the hot pastry. Silly me.


The castle of Montefioralle (originally Monteficalle) is located in an area that does not lack testimonies of Roman life. The origins of the castle go back to the year 931.
During his trip from Cluny to Rome, a German monk named Tanchelmo founded a fortified monastery, in German military style, on top of the hill of Montefioralle. The castle is mentioned for the first time in a document of the year 1085.
Over the years, it belonged to the families of Ricasoli, Benci, Gherardini and Buondelmonti. In 1325, Castruccio Castracani conquered the fortified abbey and modified the architecture. He reinforced the first protecting belt with a second set of walls and increased the number of towers.
Afterwards, the castle fell under the rule of Florence, then of Siena, and then again definitively under Florence. Montefioralle played a significant political role for a very long time. It was the seat of the administration and the hospital of Santa Maria del Bigallo. It administered and controlled the surrounding territory for generations.
Currently, the village of Montefioralle has about 70 inhabitants and is entered in the Beautiful Villages of Italy register.
The vineyards are located at the southern foot of the hill where the village lies.
The vineyards are situated on the hill and arranged on several terraces. The hill faces south-east and is located about 400 meters above sea level.
The soil is rich in texture, mainly limestone, and has an excellent drainage capacity allowing the vines to push their roots deep underground.
The territory of Montefioralle can be considered a real cru in terms of soil composition and microclimate. The wines produced by our company are unique and distinctive.


It's not easy to find a company with both huge potential and solid past performance.
Paul Commins: David and Jeff, is the essential purpose of the Relative Strength criterion to allow the huge, efficient market brain to "validate" our risky pick? In other words, to say that there really is something here, as opposed to picking up an "undiscovered nugget" that might not be well-known enough by the market brain, or by us, to allow for such a risky selection?
David Gardner: It is an important confirmation. It is telling us that the market recognizes that this company does have an opportunity to shake the world, though of course the market can be fickle, and sentiment fleeting. But, even with that acknowledged, I consider it essential to be in place for a Rule Breaking investment.
Paul: Then, my concern about 10x/5y is that it puts us in a tight box. We can't go too early, or we violate the 90 Relative Strength criterion, one I very much like and agree with. We can't go too late either, or we run up against 10x/5y. It starts to look a little more like market timing than Rule Breaker investing. Just playing the devil's advocate.
David: You make a fine observation: It is a tight box. We acknowledge that.
Brian Lund: I don't think the box has to be all that tight. If we're looking for blowout companies, I think that there can be quite a healthy space of rapid appreciation with future 10x/5y potential.
Jeff Fischer: I also see Relative Strength cutting both ways. On the one hand, it is important validation. On the other hand, it can be fun to buy before it starts to run, but that doesn't happen much. It could have with Celera Genomics (NYSE: CRA).
David: I have an open mind. I'll just say that the best Rule Breakers I've ever bought had 90+ Relative Strength, which was scaring investors (and the media) away at the time, and yet those companies have given me my best returns. That's the dynamic.
Paul: It really comes down to what bias in the market we're trying to exploit. If the bias is "the market tends to undervalue the long-term potential of world-changing Rule Breakers," then 90 Relative Strength is perfectly appropriate. It goes along with David's short-term efficiency idea and against "picking undiscovered nuggets." If we want to pick "undiscovered nuggets," we're positing a lack of short-term efficiency in pricing, and that we have knowledge others don't (beyond the idea that the market rewards patient investors in true Rule Breakers).
Jeff: That is part of the argument, indeed. The market tends to undervalue true Breakers. That Relative Strength above 90 shows that the market currently believes in great potential. But, if it's a true Breaker, the market will have undershot it still. Take America Online (NYSE: AOL), for example. Was AOL a nugget? Or Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN)? Those are our two best investments to date, and their names were two of the best known, even when bought.
Paul: I agree. This jives with how I think about Rule Breaking. You guys certainly didn't pick them up before they were well-known. Right?
Jeff: No, not at all. AOL was talked about all the time before the Fool bought it. But it was talked about as highly risky. The thing would swing 20% a day sometimes. I think the answer is: Rule Breaker investors are not looking for nuggets. We're looking for Earth-shakers that are raising eyebrows.
David: Tiger Woods is a Rule Breaker -- began that way, anyway. Lots of hype surrounding Tiger from his first tourney. Lots of value creation since.
Paul: So was that gal in For Whom the Bell Tolls. Did you see 10x/5y potential in "grossly overvalued" AOL that doesn't exist in, say... Ariba (Nasdaq: ARBA)? Is it really about the location of the "ceiling"?
David: Yes, because the scope of AOL's opportunity at the time wasn't reflected in the market cap.
Paul: OK, then I don't think the box is too small. But, I'm wondering why Ariba can't be squished into it? Not from a selfish perspective, of course, but from an "understanding 10x/5y" perspective.
David: Five years might be tough... I wouldn't say 10 is impossible.
Brian: Hey, Ariba could grow 10 times in five years. I certainly wouldn't say that it couldn't. That's for Rule Breaker investors to decide for themselves. We, as a group, thought that there was more potential for Human Genome Sciences (Nasdaq: HGSI) to achieve 10x/5y. That's what helped us differentiate between potential investments.
Paul: Didn't people say the same about AOL and Amazon?
David: But in considering Ariba, we were balancing it against a few other companies we liked as much.
Paul: Is it the limitless nature of the industry (its ceiling) that's key?
Jeff: The ceiling on the industry and the current market value. Other people said the same about AOL and Amazon, yes -- that they were "overvalued."
Paul: Again, I don't want to focus too much on Ariba. It's the essence of Ariba vs. AOL/Amazon at the time of their pick (or not-pick) that interests me.
David: They were actually saying not so much that AOL and Amazon were overvalued, but that the businesses were going to be crushed like tin cans. That they would die.
Jeff: Yes, AOL was valued around $300 million when we bought it. Amazon was at $800 million.
Paul: I see. That is different. So, part of a Rule Breaker should be that naysayers think the industry or company might actually disappear, which is clearly not the case with something like Ariba. Is that right?
David: I'm not generalizing that point across all Rule Breakers, Paul, but your comment does reflect my thinking on the "grossly overvalued" nature of AOL and Amazon.
Brian: I don't think naysayers have to say that the industry might become totally extinct, but that the stock or industry isn't worth what people are paying for it, based on an inapplicable valuation model, without considering the blowout potential of the industry.
Paul: That strikes me as too generic. That's what people say about all Breakers.
Brian: Exactly. Now drill down to find the best in those spaces, the ones with the greatest potential. We need to wrap up. Should 10x/5y be a criterion? Why or why not?
Paul: I guess I still don't understand it, to be honest.
Jeff: I believe it should be a criterion to consider, but not one that is necessary, as others are. Some investors in Rule Breakers might not be shooting for 10x. That is, after all, a pretty monstrous goal in five years. But, it should be a criterion to consider. Consider the market opportunities, consider the competition, consider the market value of your potential Rule Breaker, and try to weigh the overall value-creation potential, loosely. If it's nearly impossible to do this, you might not want to invest after all, because it demonstrates you don't know much about the market potential. So, I think 10x/5y should be a criterion to consider, but the emphasis is on the qualities to consider (market cap, market potential, competition) more than the 10x, per se. That is up to the investor's discretion.
Paul: I think 10x/5y worked for us in our selection, but I'm having trouble generalizing the concept. 10x/5y is not a proper Rule Breaker criterion in the sense that it does not help us select world-changing business models. In this way, it's actually very different from Relative Strength, which I don't see as a market-related criterion, but as a validation of the business potential. 10x/5y, then, is just a way to select which potential Rule Breakers to buy in the stock market.
Brian: Yes, it's a way to sort through choices. But I think it's pertinent even if you're only considering one stock, because Rule Breakers take big risks. They require a big reward, or at least the potential for one.
Paul: All investing is about uncovering a pricing bias. Rule Breaking has always been about the market's inability to see long-term potential for truly ground-breaking industries. That's how we say we're different. 10x/5y is just a way to say we want to ensure that we're really different.
Jeff: Yup, good point, Paul. It doesn't help you find a company. It helps you sort through choices or decide about a company, in the end, once you've found it.
Paul: "The swallow might fly south with the sun or the house martin, or the plumber might seek warmer climes in winter, yet these are not strangers to our land." Dudes.
Jeff: And, on that, I think the chat is over!


Everybody knows how important is to have healthy teeth, but our gums need the same amount of the attention. There will be no healthy teeth without healthy gums. To keep your gums healthy, it is important not only to follow the rules of proper oral hygiene but be sure that they are provided with proper blood circulation. That's when a good and simple gum massage comes in handy!
Normally, the gums work as they supposed to as they chew some hard vegetable food. This provides them with the necessary workout that strengthens them. However, if your gums are weak and constantly bleed, you can provide them with additional support by doing a gum massage.
What Are the Benefits of a Gum Massage?
When done with antibacterial ointments, it disinfects your mouth.
Preventing the development of cavities.
How to Massage Your Gums With A Toothbrush?
Put the toothbrush tightly to the base of the teeth. Part of the bristles need to lay on the gum, but not the sharp edges – they must look up. Rotate it with a little vibration.
This massage is better to do in the morning. In the evening, use your fingers instead.
How to Massage Your Gums With Your Fingers?
Stroking. This is what you should start with. If there are zones of swelling or stagnation, you should start from the non-inflamed parts moving slowly to the bleeding hotbeds.
Rubbing. It delivers pressure on the periodontal tissue. Your movements should make a spiral that spreads gradually on the jaw half.
Pushing. It is an action on one spot. Just press and rotate.
Squeezing. Squeeze your gum between the fingers.
All these techniques are very useful if your gums bleed slightly. If there is a severe periodontal disease, the massage may only make things worse and should only be performed after the doctor's approval.