The full dataset viewer is not available (click to read why). Only showing a preview of the rows.
Job manager crashed while running this job (missing heartbeats).
Error code: JobManagerCrashedError
Need help to make the dataset viewer work? Make sure to review how to configure the dataset viewer, and open a discussion for direct support.
pred_label
string | pred_label_prob
float64 | wiki_prob
float64 | text
string | source
string |
|---|---|---|---|---|
__label__cc
| 0.736951
| 0.263049
|
Palanga travel guide (best things to see and do)
October 8, 2015 / by Baltic Traveller / Leave a comment
Last updated: 20/MAY/2018
Palanga is the largest seaside resort town in Lithuania, on the shore of the Baltic Sea. Its sandy beaches are 18 km long and up to 300 m wide and it's the most affordable beach resort in the Baltics. In this article, I will provide you with a detailed Palanga travel guide, including best places to see and things to do during your stay at this wonderful resort town.
How to get to Palanga
Typical Costs
Top things to do and see in Palanga and Klaipeda region
Quick tips to books cheap trip to Palanga
By plane: Palanga airport is located just 5 km from the town centre. There are direct flights to Palanga from different locations in Europe. Use a flight comparison site Skyscanner to find a flight to Palanga. Alternatively, book your flight to Vilnius (capital of Lithuania) or Kaunas (second largest city). These airports have more international destinations, and from there you can take a bus to Palanga. Bus tickets in Lithuania you can book using this site: autobusubilietai.lt. (Switch language to English using the navigation at the top of the page).
By sea: The nearest seaport is Klaipeda (25 km from Palanga). Ferry lines connect Klaipeda with Kiel (Germany) and Karlshamn (Sweden). Ferry service is operated by DFDS.
By bus/train: There are no direct bus/train routes from abroad to Palanga. There are some international bus lines to Vilnius or Kaunas. From there you will find direct bus connections to Palanga. You can book a bus ticket in Lithuania using this site: autobusubilietai.lt. You can also read more about bus travel in Europe and Baltics in my other article.
Accommodation: The majority of the accommodation in Palanga are family-run guesthouses or boutique mini-hotels. Many locals rent our their rooms or flats during the summer season and you will see rent advertisements stuck almost in every private house. However, I recommend to book your stay online, so you are more secure that you get a room you like with no surprises. Prices are very moderate, even in high season you can rent a room starting from 30 EUR per night (and even less in low season). For booking accommodation, I recommend using Booking.com, which has the largest selection of accommodation in Palanga. I personally stayed at Po Kastonu hotel, and the price in June 2015 for studio room was 40 EUR per room per night (for 2 persons). Studio room has its own kitchen, bathroom, wi-fi, and TV. It's a good choice to book a studio room as you can save money on restaurants by preparing meals yourself.
Budget choice: There are several supermarkets in Palanga (Maxima, Rimi, IKI, and others). If you wish to save money, but don't want to spend time on cooking, go for already prepared meals (salads, meat, sandwiches) in supermarkets. Baltics has the biggest salads assortment and in-store prepared meals than any other EU country! In some stores, you will find even sushi chef making fresh sushi in front of the customers. Any prepared meal in the supermarket (including sushi) won't cost you more than a 5 EUR per person.
Restaurants: There are plenty of restaurants in Palanga, mainly located on the famous J. Basanaviciaus pedestrian street. The main dish at any restaurant will cost starting from about 7 EUR. Tea/coffee about 2 EUR. Cocktails starting from 5 EUR. Takeaways offer hot dogs, hamburgers, and kebabs starting from 2 EUR. TIP: consider eating at Cili Pica, which is one of the most favorite pizza restaurants networks in Lithuania and Latvia. Since it's a local network, they always have special offers (example 2 for 1 price drinks, discounts for selected pizzas etc). Cili Pica is located at the very end of J. Basanaviciaus street, towards the sea.
Local food: Try cepelinai (a huge potato dumpling with meat) and saltibarsciai (a cold beetroot soup).
Local drinks: try Kvass (Gira in Lithuanian). Kvass is a traditional Baltic and Eastern Europe fermented beverage, commonly made from rye bread. It's similar to beer but non-alcoholic (in fact, it may contain 0,5-1,0 % of alcohol). And if we speak about alcoholic drinks, Lithuania has a very strong beer traditions. Try local beer Svyturys and as a snack order kepta duona (fried bread in garlic and cheese sauce).
Transportation: Palanga is a small town and you don't need to use bus services as long as you don't want to see attractions outside the town. If you would like to visit nearby Klaipeda, the bus ride will cost you up to 2 EUR per person one way.
1. Dolphinarium in Klaipeda
Since it's the only dolphinarium in Baltic states, it definitely worth a visit. I have been to dolphinariums in the Canary Islands and I can say, the dolphin show in Klaipeda has the same outstanding level as in The Canaries. And the entrance tickets are very affordable: 10 EUR for Adult, 5 EUR for Child and 5 EUR for ISIC cardholders. Note that the dolphinarium is located on the Curonian split and you'll have to take a ferry from the Klaipeda port to reach the Curonian split. The ferry travel time is approximately 5 minutes. Link for dolphins shows timetable and booking: http://www.ljm.lt/eng/. Link to ferry timetable: www.keltas.lt
2. Dinosaurs Park near Klaipeda
Dinosaur Park is located near Radailiu Dvaras, on the high shore of a pond, 7 km away from Klaipeda. It's one of two Dinosaur Parks in Baltics (other is called AB PARK and is located in Latvia). It's an impressive moving, spraying and roaring dinosaurs. Park visitors will be able to discover up to forty natural size dinosaur dummies. The park also provides activities for children like a trampoline, bumper cars, carousel water bicycles, mirror labyrinth, and participation is included in the ticket price. Link to Dinosaurs Park website: www.dinoparkas.lt
3. Juozo alus - traditional Lithuanian restaurant
This popular restaurant which is also a brewery is located just a few km outside Klaipeda. There is also a sculpture park and a mini zoo park (worth a visit) and some other entertainment on site. Link to Juozo alus: hbh.lt
4. J. Basanavičiaus street
J. Basanavičiaus Street is the busiest street which leads from the town centre to the sea pier. Along the street, you will find many restaurants with international food (Lithuanian, Russian, Asian), takeaways (pizza, kebab), souvenir shops and other entertainment sites (mostly live Russian and Lithuanian song performances). It's really fun having a walk along the street.
5. the Palanga Pier
the Palanga Pier in the longest pier in Baltics (470 m long). It's a loving place to spend a sunset.
6. Palanga Amber Museum
Palanga Amber Museum is housed in the restored 19th-century Tiškevičiai Palace and is surrounded by the Palanga Botanical Garden. The museum's collection of amber comprises about 28,000 pieces, of which about 15,000 contain inclusions of insects, spiders, or plants. About 4,500 pieces of amber are exhibited; many of these are items of artwork and jewelry.
7. Palanga Botanical Garden
Located in the centre of Palanga, this park surrounded by pine trees and is more like a forest and boosts the Amber Museum. It's one of the prettiest, best-preserved, and best-kept parks in Lithuania's coastal region.
So this is my top things to do and see in Palanga. What would you add to this travel guide? Please leave a comment below if you have any question or feedback about staying in Palanga.
Compare all airline fares to Palanga or other nearest airports Vilnius and Kaunas with flight fare comparison site Skyscanner.
To book a hotel at best price, visit Booking.com. Booking.com has the widest choice of hotels in Palanga, most of the booking can be amended free of charge.
If you wish to rent an apartment in Palanga, check Airbnb. By clicking the link you will get 25$ off your booking (reservation total must be over 75$).
Images: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6]
Baltic SeaBalticsLithuaniaPalangaSea
Alternative Riga travel guide
How to get from Vilnius airport to city centre (free taxi, bus, train)
Tallinn travel guide
|
cc/2022-05/en_middle_0036.json.gz/line7
|
__label__wiki
| 0.722806
| 0.722806
|
Jammu is the Duggar land where the past still has a living presence. It is the land of grand ancient temples, and beautiful palaces all nestling in the foothills of the Himalayas. It is said that, on becoming King, the Suryavanshi Jammu Lochan went on a hunt and, crossing the Tawi, found a deer and a tiger drinking water from the same tank. His ministers explained that this meant that the soil of the place was so virtuous that no living creature bore enmity against another. Raja Jambu Lochan, who lived in the later Vedic period, decided to found his capital, Jambupura, on his soil, on the right bank of the Tawi, overlooking his brother king Bahu's fort. Today the temple of Maha Kali (better known as Bahu or Bawey Wali Mata), located in the Bahufort, is considered second only to Mata Vaishno Devi in terms of mystical power. The present temple was built shortly after the coronation of Maharaja Gulab Singh, in 1822. The existing fort, as well as the Manasabdar's palace inside it, was constructed in 1820. Jammu is justly famous for its temples. In fact it is known as the city of temples and the every fame of its, tends to overshadow its palaces, forts, forests and powerful ziarats. If Bahu Mata is the presiding deity of Jammu, the Dargah of Peer Budhan Ali Shah is the other shrine that protects Jammuites. The other major tourist attraction is the Raghunath Temple Complex. Maharaja Gulab Singh began the construction of the Raghunath Mandir Complex in the crowded downtown Bazaar named after it, in 1851. It was left to his son, Ranbir Singh, to inaugurate it six years later perhaps the most popular temple north of Benares, it contains representations of almost entire Hindu pantheon, though the emphasis falls on the various incarnations of Lord Vishnu. The complex houses a rich collection of ancient texts and manuscripts. Bestowed with innumerable temples, this "City of Temples" has people of several races and mixed culture spreading from Chenab to Ravi. Situated at an altitude of 305 meters, surrounded by Pirpanjal and Sivalik mountains, Jammu, the capital of J&K, has climate similar to northern India. Popular as Dogras, Jammuites are friendly in nature and born warriors. For decades, they have paved the way for the tourists traveling into the state. Rajdarshani ascribes the foundation of Jammu to about 3650 BC. Kingdom of solar race of Ayodahya spread over Shivalik hills to river Ravi & Chenab when Sudharshana the 20th descendant of Rama ruled Ayodhya. His younger son, Agnigir migrated to Shivalik hills and traveling through Nagrota, reached the banks of Ravi and ruled of Bupanagri, the present Kathua. Agnigir was succeeded by chiefships of many Rajas, one of whom was Agnigarbha who had 18 sons and was succeeded by his eldest son Bahu Lochan who founded Bahu Nagar (today Bahu Fort stands here). His brother Jambu Lochan, who ruled during 6th century in Kalyuga, i.e 2500 BC, expanded his dominion and desired to build his capital at an ideal place. One day while hunting, he saw a deer and a tiger drinking at the same pond. He was informed that the soil of the place excelled in virtues, so no living creature bore animosity against each other He founded a new town at this spot and called it Jambupura (today Purani Mandi stands here). Jambu Lochan was succeeded by his son Puran Karan who shifted capital from Bahu Nagar to newly founded Jammu. Down the line, successors ruled Jammu and extended the kingdom Banihal Kashmir. Thereafter, Jammu saw many rulers from dynasties of Dutts, Devs, Dhars and many more till Amir Timur occupied Delhi in 1398. He entered Shivaliks, Kangra and crossed Trikuta hills to conquer Jammu in 1399, marching from Mansar. Dogra Rajas again took over the charge of Jammu between 15th and 17th century. In AD 1800 Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab took over Lahore and marched to Jammu.In AD 1812, Jammu assigned as Jagir to his elder son, Prince Kharak Singh. On realizing the spirit of Jamwals, Mian Mota of Jammu was made the Minister by Sikhs. Maharaja Ranjit Singh selected Gulab Singh and his brother Dhyan Singh to rule Jammu in AD 1813. Gulab Singh's grateful sovereign bestowed him Jammu as his Jagir and he became Maharaja in AD 1822. He appointed Zarawar Singh as Hakim of Kishtwar who further advanced to Ladakh, Baltistan and Tibet for expansion of the empire. Maharaja Ranjit Singh entrusted Gulab Singh with administration of large territories and transferred the lease of Gujarat in AD 1830, which yielded huge revenue. After Maharaja Ranjit Singhs death, Gulab Singh succeeded in getting control,of Sialkot and appointed a governor in Peshawar He purchased Kashmir from the British against a sum of money, same cattle, gifts and a yearly tribute under the treaty of Amritsar in AD 1846. His forces joined the British troops and he got the title of Maharaja of Jammu, Kashmir. Thereafter Jammu.Kashmir and Ladakh became the empire of Dogras whose rule lasted upto 1947.
Jammu City
An aura of blessings and flowers showered by the gods themselves - is the first feeling one gets while entering into the Jammu city. This low belt of plains exists due to deposition of silt and sand out of streams flowing from the foothills of Himalayas. With the culture more akin to that of northern India, a difference made by the Dogri language perhaps outshines Jammu from the states nearby. People of Jammu are born warriors with friendly nature; their sweet language compels one to extend a hand of friendships in the first instance. The old city has some of the most captivating residential areas like Panjtirthi, Parade, Jama masjid, Jain bazaar Khati-ko-talab, where the lively bazaars and closely built houses make walk pleasant even in torrid summers.The modern areas of Ghandhi Nagar, Trikuta Nagar, newly se ttled Sidhra and multiplexes of Bahu area, compete with developed areas of metro cities of the country. Bustled with the Kashmiri people during winters, Jammu could be mistaken for a city of Kashmir valley than of Jammu. Presence of a large number of Kashmiri Pundits has diversified the cultural richness of Jammu which itself speaks of the hospitality and co-existence quality of the Jammuites.
-Raghunath Bazaar
One of the oldest temples, the Raghunath Temple houses deities representing the Hindu pantheon. Its construction was started by Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1851 and was inaugurated six years later by his son, Ranbir Singh. Raghunath Bazaar, the area surrounding the temple, is most crowded & a shopper's delight. The tourist and local's queue-up from early mornings to pay their obeisance to the holy deities.
-Ranbireshwar Temple (3 km)
Located on Shalimar Road, the temple was built by Maharaja Ranbir Singh in AD 1883 dedicated to Lord Shiva. It has one central lingam measuring seven-and-a-haIf feet in height, twelve Shiva lingams of crystal measuring from 15 inches to 38 inches. The marigold flower sellers outside the temple keep most attractive garlands which are offered at the sanctorum.
-Peer Khoh (3.5kms)
Peer Khoh is a cave shrine located on the Circular Road, which has a mysterious, naturally formed Shiva lingam.
-Mahamaya Temple (6km)
This temple is situated on the Bypass Road, behind Bahu Fort and overlooks River Tawi.A small garden surrounded by forests provides a spectacular view of the city.
-Peer Baba (7 km)
The dargah of Peer Budhan Ali Shah or Peer Baba, according to local belief, protects the people of this city from mishaps and evil spirits.
-Parmandal (40km)
Southwards on the Pathankot road, is the charismatic Parmandal Temple complex, situated on the banks of an underground river. The river is cloaked by sand, and one can feel the water oozing out by a mere touch of the feet. People dig in the sand beds and bathe by the water that comes out as the Dewak is believed to be part of Ganges. Devotees also take the sacred water with them for purification of the their homes. For this reason it is often referred to as Chota Kashi.
-Bahu Fort (4km)
(The majestic Bahu Fort, the oldest edifice extant in the region is situated an the banks of River Tawi. It is surrounded by a lush green terraced garden full of waterfalls and flowers, popular as Bagh-e-Bahu, a favourite picnic spot for the city folks.
-Mubarak Mandi and Dogra Art gallery
(5km) Built in AD 1824, the Mubarak mandi palace is full of Mughal and Rajasthani architecture with awesome designs on the walls. The illumination of the fort during festival season in Jammu brings back the charm of royalty to the palace. The museum complex adjacent to the palace has halls full of historical monuments and artifacts. The main hall displays an 11th century old sculpture of Bhairva from Parmandal, royal garments of Dogra regime, mineral stones o Kushan period and Mughal coins. Some of the oldest of sculptures are the human heads of red clay from 4th- 5th century AD from Akhnoor. The adjacent hall has world famous paintings of Krishna-Sudhama series from 18th century AD. The ground floor has a modem art gallery where Large sculpture of General Zorawar Singh is a main highlight. The gallery also displays paintings and miniatures of different periods from Basahli, Jammu one Kangra. The gallery also has Shahnama and Sikander-nama. handwritten manuscripts in Persian. The museum is open on working days from 8 am to 2 pm during summer and 10 am to 4pm during winter. Museum closed on Mondays and government holidays.
-Akhnoor
32 km tram Jammu on the banks of Chenab river is situated the famous town of Akhnoor, which is popular for its association with the folk romance of Sahni and Mahiwal. At Jeopitha temple on Chenab the first Dogra King of J & K, Maharja Gulab Singh was coronated in 1822. Akhnoor fort built in 19th century on me banks of Chenab offers a breathtaking view. The fort is said to be perched upon the ancient site dating back to Harrapan period, excavations have revealed the remains of monastery,terra cotta heads and pottery from century AD near Ambran. A two palace southern side is another interesting site to see. Shiv Gufa also known as Pandav Gufa on the banks Chenab is said to have been discovered by the Pandavas.
-Basohli
125 km south east of Jammu, Basohli is about 52 km from Pathankot near to the famous "Dalhousie"in Himachal Pradesh.Basohli miniature paintings based on the theme of Vaishnavism are of major interest in the region.
-Billawara and Sukrala Devi
A village near Basohli,the ruins of a temple in Billawar and the ruins of old wells known as baulis is worth seeing.Sukrala Devi temple having an eight armed stone sculpture of godess Dei situated at a hilltop is 10 km from Billawar.
-Sui & Burj
En route Jammu-Akhnoor road a ancient temples of Sui & Burj famous for metal idols and wall paintings influence of Mughal, Pahari and Basohli school of paintings.
|
cc/2022-05/en_middle_0036.json.gz/line16
|
__label__cc
| 0.696183
| 0.303817
|
Volume 12, Issue 4 (Autumn 2021)
Caspian J Intern Med 2021, 12(4): 533-538 Back to browse issues page
Prevalence of Occult Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Hemodialysis Patients
Masomeh Bayani , Mohammad Reza Hasanjani Roushan , Mohammad Jafar Soleimani Amiri , Yousef Yahyapour , Soheil Ebrahimpour , Somayeh Akbarzadeh Jelodar *
Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, I.R. Iran. , Dr.akbarzadeh1@yahoo.com
Background: Via hemodialysis, viral infections can be transmitted in patients a new definition of this infection with no increase in liver enzymes, negative HCV-PCR in serum and presence of virus in the liver and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) called occult hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (OCI). We decided to examine the prevalence of occult hepatitis C infection on hemodialysis cases.
Methods: The current research is a cross-sectional study on patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who were at three hemodialysis centers in Mazandaran province in Iran during 2012-2014. In this study of 356 patients who were undergoing hemodialysis, 54 patients were excluded due to positive HCV Ab, and the remaining 302 patients were enrolled. The test of all serum samples for HCV-RNA detection of plasma and PBMCs was done by real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR).
Results: There was a significant association between the duration of dialysis with the prevalence of occult HCV infection (P=0.017). Eight (2.65%) patients were positive for HBs Ag and with OCI, but none of them was infected with both hepatitis C and B obviously. Also among the total number of patients, nine patients tested positive for HCV RT-PCR in PBMC in which one of them was positive for serum HCV RNA PCR and was excluded from the study.
Conclusion: The results showed that eight patients had an OCI. There was not any association found between age and sex with OCI, but there was a significant relationship between the duration of dialysis with the prevalence of OCI.
Keywords: hemodialysis, occult infection, hepatitis C
Full-Text [PDF 175 kb] (259 Downloads)
Type of Study: Original Article | Subject: Infectious Diseases
Received: 2020/06/23 | Accepted: 2020/12/6 | Published: 2021/09/19
10.22088/cjim.12.4.533
Bayani M, Hasanjani Roushan M R, Soleimani Amiri M J, Yahyapour Y, Ebrahimpour S, Akbarzadeh Jelodar S. Prevalence of Occult Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Hemodialysis Patients. Caspian J Intern Med. 2021; 12 (4) :533-538
URL: http://caspjim.com/article-1-2394-en.html
Volume 12, Issue 4 (Autumn 2021) Back to browse issues page
|
cc/2022-05/en_middle_0036.json.gz/line21
|
__label__cc
| 0.729295
| 0.270705
|
Including Ceres Dial-A-Ride (CDAR) 209-521-1274
Ceres Area Transit (CAT)
"CAT," the City of Ceres Fixed Route Service, is available for use by the general public. Learn more about fares, schedules, and more.
Ceres Dial-A-Ride (CDAR)
Ceres Dial-A-Ride (CDAR) is a curb-to-curb demand responsive service available for use only by people who have disabilities that prevent them from riding the CAT scheduled fixed route bus service.
Public Transportation Links
Find helpful public transportation links and resources.
Ride Guide (PDF)
View the 2016 CAT Ride Guide for an overview of City transit services.
How do I obtain transit information?
How do I register a complaint or comment about transit services?
|
cc/2022-05/en_middle_0036.json.gz/line25
|
__label__cc
| 0.656063
| 0.343937
|
Breeze FM has received a number of awards in recognition of its work and that of its staff.
The awards include the following:
1. August 2003 and 2007:
Certificates of Membership in Life – Saving Partnership by the Ministry of Health in appreciation for the support provided towards the national measles campaign for children.
2. 2004:
The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) – Zambian Chapter Electronic Media Award for 2004 in recognition of Breeze FM’s contribution to the development of electronic media in Zambia.
3. 3rd December, 2005:
Breeze FM Staffer, Greyson Mwale awarded the MISA-Zambia Freedom Award for Broadcasting for being the most outstanding Broadcaster.
4. 18th December, 2009:
Department of Cultural Affairs Best Media Production for Cultural Programmes.
Breeze FM staffer George Luanja awarded the Most Consistent Cultural Producer Prize by the Department of Cultural Affairs.
5. 26th November, 2010:
The 2010 Sports in Action Outstanding Developmental Media Coverage Award.
The 2010 MISA – Zambia ‘Mildred Mpundu’ HIV/AIDS Community Media Award.
|
cc/2022-05/en_middle_0036.json.gz/line30
|
__label__cc
| 0.697589
| 0.302411
|
Gwinnett woman charged with shooting husband to death | News
Gwinnett woman charged with shooting husband to death
Friday, April 3rd, 2015, 12:58pm
Topics: News
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. -- A 36-year-old woman is accused of shooting her estranged husband to death inside his Gwinnett County apartment.
Olivia Annette Smith has been charged with felony murder and aggravated assault in the death of 34-year-old Cory Smith.
Investigators responded to a domestic dispute call at around 9:15 p.m. Thursday at the Preston Hills at Mill Creek Apartments in the 2900 block of Buford Drive. They found Cory Smith inside his apartment. He was pronounced dead from an apparent gunshot wound.
Annette Smith was taken to Gwinnett County Police headquarters for questioning before her arrest. An investigation revealed the suspect and victim were arguing when Annette Smith produced a gun and shot Cory Smith.
Gwinnett County Police Cpl. Michele Pihera said Cory Smith had moved out of the couple's Roxholly Walk home and into the apartment in mid-January. Records show police responded to the Roxholly Walk home twice in January, both times after receiving domestic dispute calls from Annette Smith. She was granted a temporary protection order against Cory Smith on Jan. 22; the order required they have no contact with each other.
The couple had three children, ages 12, 9 and 7. Police said Annette Smith's family is caring for the children, and DFCS will be involved in their final placement.
PHOTOS | More Mug Shots
|
cc/2022-05/en_middle_0036.json.gz/line34
|
__label__cc
| 0.642917
| 0.357083
|
Iq Option Jobs, Employment Indeed.com
Jobs in IQ Option Europe Ltd - Ergodotisi.com
IQ Option Europe Ltd LinkedIn
07-03 17:55 - 'You don't want better infrastructure and more jobs for your own people because you don't agree with some old person's political option? Do you realize how dumb that sounds? My advice is to take the legit IQ test so you can re...' by /u/undivided01 removed from /r/europe within 8-18min
You don't want better infrastructure and more jobs for your own people because you don't agree with some old person's political option? Do you realize how dumb that sounds? My advice is to take the legit IQ test so you can realize you are a potato. Perhaps you will stop posting nonsense if you know how special you are.
Author: undivided01
What's the best job option for someone with social anxiety, no skills, and low IQ?
submitted by Mr_Nobadi_M_Portent to AskReddit [link] [comments]
Any tips for iq options I’m struggling to find a job right now and neeed money
submitted by miscyreddituser to binaryoption [link] [comments]
Bloomberg: Nikola founder Milton's fall reveals what his backers feared
Back in March, long before a short seller would raise questions about electric-truck company Nikola Corp. and hasten its founder’s exit, early investors in the company were expressing concerns of their own. Those investors, led by mutual-fund giant Fidelity Investments, were worried that Trevor Milton, for all his brash visionary talk and Twitter braggadocio, lacked the ability that Elon Musk possesses to deliver these sorts of newfangled products to market. They lobbied successfully to remove him as CEO before the company’s June IPO and for Milton’s father to leave the board, according to people familiar with the matter. When the deal was done, Milton only held the title of chairman, the post he resigned this month.
The back-room negotiations show that Milton’s past was a concern to investors months before General Motors Co. executives placed a bet on the company in a US$2 billion deal carved out after the IPO. They liked Milton’s vision and his ability to raise cash and felt the venture was safeguarded from his shortcomings in operations by his push upstairs, say people familiar with the matter. Nonetheless, the events that have unfolded since the short-seller report, with Nikola’s stock plunging amid a steady stream of negative headlines, have exposed just how high the risks still were.
Now, it’s up to former GM Vice Chairman Steve Girsky, whose blank-check company VectoIQ took Nikola public via reverse merger in June, and Nikola CEO Mark Russell to stabilize the business and regain investor confidence. The plan with GM was to use Nikola’s hot stock and Milton’s ability to raise money to build a hydrogen-fueled trucking business with GM’s technology.
“There is obviously someone on the diligence side who isn’t going to get a nice bonus this year,” said Reilly Brennan, founder of the venture capital fund Trucks Inc. “The best possible thing if you’re a shareholder is that Milton is no longer running the company and you have Girsky as chairman and GM providing technology.”
The GM deal was originally scheduled to close Sept. 30, and the automaker has said it plans to carry through, but that timing may slip, say people familiar with the matter. BP Plc is still engaged with Nikola in talks to partner on a network of hydrogen fueling stations for fuel-cell trucks the company hopes to sell, but also is slowing the pace for a deal, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private information. BP and GM declined to comment.
Milton’s tale reads like a Greek tragedy. The report by short seller Hindenburg Research accused Milton of overhyping Nikola’s technology and has prompted investigations by the Justice Department and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. A cousin has accused him of a decades-ago sexual assault, which he denies. The company’s value peaked at US$30 billion and is now worth about US$7 billion.
Girsky and GM Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra have both said publicly that they did plenty of due diligence. People familiar with the matter say that GM found out when scouting the deal that it had better batteries and fuel-cell technology but joined forces because Nikola had a working semi truck and access to capital markets. In addition, GM will get paid to build Nikola’s Badger pickup on existing assembly lines. Milton was so excited to get the Badger pickup program moving that he signed a deal that heavily favored GM, one of the people said.
Nikola’s stock and GM’s US$2 billion stake are worth less than half what they were on Sept. 8, when the deal was announced. Milton’s own stake is worth US$1.7 billion, down from almost US$5 billion at one point.
Milton said in a June interview with Bloomberg News that he grew up in modest surroundings in Layton, Utah. His family moved to Las Vegas when he was very young and he lost his mother to cancer shortly after moving back to Utah in the sixth grade. He wrote on Twitter he didn’t finish high school, earning an equivalency certification instead, and later dropped out of college. His Twitter account has since been deleted.
He grew up in a tight-knit Mormon family, according to Aubrey Smith, his first cousin. She went on social media recently and accused him of sexually assaulting her in 1999 when she was 15 and he was 17.
In a public account on Facebook and Twitter, and repeated in a phone interview, Smith said that Milton came onto her at the funeral of their grandfather. He took her shirt off without permission, Smith wrote, and then he touched her inappropriately before someone knocked at the door and she ran out.
Milton denied the allegations through a spokesman.
Smith said Milton raised money from family members to get his start. He founded and ran several businesses, including a home-security company that Milton claims he sold for US$1.5 million. Next, in 2009, he founded an e-commerce platform called Upillar.com, which Milton claims “pioneered the shopping cart online.”
Then he got into clean propulsion but ended up embroiled in litigation with dHybrid Inc., which he founded in 2009. The company retrofitted diesel vehicles with natural-gas-burning turbines, claiming the dual system had greater efficiency.
But a deal with Swift Transportation Co. in 2010 ended in court when Swift alleged dHybrid defaulted on a US$322,000 loan and that it retrofitted only half of the agreed vehicles. The case was dismissed in 2015.
Milton later tried to sell dHybrid to a company called sPower in May 2012 but that, too, got mired in lawsuits after sPower backed out and accused Milton of exaggerating its technological capabilities.
Amid the litigation, Milton started another company with a very similar name, dHybrid Systems, selling it in 2014 to Worthington Industries.
During an interview with Bloomberg in June, Milton said that dHybrid Inc. was a success but conceded that, “we ended up closing that one down because of some litigation.”
His next startup was Nikola, founding it in 2014 in Salt Lake City before moving to Phoenix. Emulating Musk, he took the name from the electricity pioneer Nikola Tesla, and the company was soon billed as the Tesla of Trucks. His plan was seen as potentially disrupting the entire transportation industry by making trucks that ran on batteries or hydrogen-fuel cells. He also planned to build a network of hydrogen filling stations.
Milton had friends and family members working for Nikola despite resumes that didn’t match the job. His brother, Travis Milton, is director of hydrogen and infrastructure. His LinkedIn profile shows that most of his experience was being “self-employed” in Maui. The short seller, Hindenburg Research, said that Travis Milton poured concrete as a contractor. Milton’s father Bill was originally on the board but stepped down when VectoIQ took the company public.
The company’s stock prospectus said that Nikola had awarded more than 3 million stock options “to recognize the superior performance and contribution of specific employees.” The list included Travis Milton and an uncle, Lance Milton, the document said, acknowledging that they are relatives.
As Milton went public with Nikola’s technology, questions soon arose involving his claims about the company’s fuel-cell system. He bragged in an investor video in 2019 that the company had created “what other manufacturers said was impossible to design.” But while Nikola holds patents in fuel-cell and battery technology, most of its planned hardware was coming from German supplier Robert Bosch Gmbh.
Nikola Demonstrations
It became clear that Milton had gotten ahead of himself. A 2016 demonstration showed a truck that didn’t have a working hydrogen-fuel-cell system and was missing key parts, people familiar with the matter said in June. Milton said at the time that the parts were removed as a safety precaution.
In July of this year, he recorded a video of the semi truck in which he ran alongside the vehicle as it coasted at low speeds in a parking lot. Aping Musk’s combative social-media persona, Milton took a shot at his detractors saying, “these damned trolls, I wonder if they are going to apologize to everyone for the lies they spread the tens of thousands of comments about how fake we are.”
Girsky said in the webcast “Autoline This Week,” in which Bloomberg participated, that he has been in Nikola’s fuel-cell trucks and that they work.
Still, when the GM deal was done, GM will be supplying all of the technology for every global market except Europe. Nikola’s pickup truck, called Badger, will use GM’s Ultium battery, and the semis will run on a fuel cell developed by GM and Honda Motor Co.
Since Milton’s departure, Nikola has billed itself more as an integrator of other technologies into its Badger pickup and semi trucks.
For GM’s part, the automaker is protected from any financial downside. GM got 11 per cent of the stock for no cash investment and gets paid for its technology. If Nikola fails, GM won’t lose a dime.
Milton has remained silent and is out of the company. He unknowingly presaged his own downfall in the June interview with Bloomberg: “Part of becoming a better person in life is losing everything you have got and having nothing left.”
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/nikola-founder-milton-s-fall-reveals-what-his-backers-feared-1.1500376
submitted by closingbell to investing [link] [comments]
Offseason Blueprint: The Detroit Pistons are an NBA basketball team. Hopefully, they can remind fans of that in the next few years.
The playoffs continue to rage on, but there are 26 teams sitting at home with nothing to do but twiddle their thumbs, watch the Conference Finals, and wait for next season to start.
For their sake, we wanted to look ahead with the next edition of the OFFSEASON BLUEPRINT series. In each, we'll preview some big decisions and make some recommendations for plans of attack along the way. Today, we're looking at the Detroit Pistons.
step one: weave a new narrative
Some teams are good, some teams are bad -- but almost all of them have a general direction. Are you a young team on the rise? Or a veteran team trying to squeeze out as many wins as possible?
Right now, the Detroit Pistons are in a wonky grey area. They're missing an identity. When they tried to make the playoffs, they were fairly mediocre (records of 37-45, 39-43, 41-41). When injuries hit this past season, they plummeted down to 20-46. While that generally suggests a young and rebuilding team, the roster doesn't reflect that yet. Their marquee players are Blake Griffin (age 31) and Derrick Rose (age 31.) They also have a veteran coach in Dwane Casey who's more accustomed to competing than rebuilding. All in all, they feel like a confused, forgotten franchise.
Fortunately, there's a new sheriff in town. The team hired a new GM in Troy Weaver, who had been Sam Presti's right-hand man in Oklahoma City. Weaver's been on the verge of a GM job for several years now, and his hire represents something of a coup for this embattled organization.
Going forward, the franchise needs to hold the keys over to Weaver and allow him free reign to do whatever he wants. Back in OKC, he had experience with a variety of makeups: with a rebuilding team, with a contending team, with a rebuilding-wait-whoops-we're-accidentally-pretty-darn-good team. It's up to him to look at this roster and this payroll and determine the best path forward from here.
step two: hold a garage sale for your old homeowner's property
Presumably, Troy Weaver will treat this project as more of a teardown than a remodel. Mainstay center Andre Drummond is already out of the door, and the other veterans may join him on the bus out of Detroit.
Unfortunately, that may be easier said than done. It makes a lot of sense to trade star PF Blake Griffin to a veteran team, but his injuries and his contract ($37M + $39M player option) would make that difficult from a logistical perspective.
There's a chance that a desperate team may be willing to roll the dice on Griffin. Throughout his career, he's been one of the more misunderstood players in the league. People want to treat him as an athlete-dunker only, but he's actually a skilled ballhandler and passer. In his last healthy season in 2018-19, he averaged 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.4 assists, and even showcased an improved three-point shot (36.2% on 7.0 attempts per game.) If healthy, he'd be a major difference maker to a team like Portland.
Still, teams aren't going to give up major assets for Blake Griffin until he proves that he is healthy. From Detroit's perspective, it makes more sense to wait to trade him. They need him to come back, put up some good stats, and then float him in offers. Right now, you'd be trading Griffin for 20 cents on the dollar.
In contrast, Derrick Rose's stock may be at a high. He put up good raw numbers this year (18.1 points, 5.6 assists), and he's on a reasonable $7.5M expiring contract. He'd be a positive addition to a playoff team, best served as a Sixth Man scorer. The Pistons and their fans like Rose (and he likes playing here), but it'd be irresponsible for them to not consider trade options. If they get any decent offers, they have to pull the trigger. If the offers are weak -- R2 picks or so -- then the team can keep him around as a veteran leader and placeholder starter.
step three: don't let your breakout break out
As bad as the Pistons were, they had a few bright spots. Derrick Rose played better than expected. Luke Kennard looks on track to be a rising starter. And, most surprising of all, rando Christian Wood broke out as a legitimate NBA player. As a starter, Wood averaged 21.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Wood is a springy, energetic player who also has an improving range (40% from three as a starter.)
You can read a longer deep dive about Christian Wood here, but to sum it up. A) His production looks legitimate, as he's been putting up numbers in virtually every stop as a pro. But B) His breakout may be poorly timed for the Pistons, because he's slated for free agency and about to get more expensive. He's a 24 year old whose best days should be ahead of him.
Based purely on his stats and scouting profile, you could talk yourself into a contract closing in on $15M a year for Wood. However, players with his "pedigree" (undrafted, limited sample size) rarely get that type of contract right away. To me, paying him somewhere in the range of 3 years, $36M would be a fair deal on both sides. There's too much uncertainty to justify much more of a commitment.
Of course, the Pistons should know better than any of us whether to trust Wood. Prior to this year, he had a mixed reputation in terms of his basketball IQ and work habits. If Coach Casey can sign off on Wood's character, then the team can feel more comfortable with him as a building block. If there are still red flags, perhaps it's better not to get too attached. The Pistons have more cap room than most teams this offseason, so the money shouldn't be a major deterrent to this decision. It should be entirely about Wood as a person and a player. If you believe that he's the real deal, then you keep him around.
step four: find your next field general
Christian Wood is a solid young player -- Luke Kennard is a solid young player -- but these aren't franchise players. They're secondary scorers and members of a supporting cast. To truly advance to the promised land, the Detroit Pistons are going to need to find transcendent talent, somehow and some way.
Unfortunately, the NBA Draft Lottery didn't help. The Pistons slipped down from the # 5 slot to the # 7 pick, making it unlikely that they'll land a future star.
On the bright side, the "supply and demand" may be on their side. This draft class happens to be heavy with point guards. There's LaMelo Ball (the # 1 prospect on ESPN), Killian Hayes (the # 1 prospect on The Ringer), and Tyrese Haliburton (one of the safer picks in the class.) If any of them slip down to # 7, the Pistons should strongly consider them. It usually takes a point guard a year or two to find their footing, but they can sit behind Derrick Rose for a year and then get unleashed in 2021. From a personality standpoint, Rose isn't going to mentor and educate like Aristotle, but he's capable of soaking up 25 minutes and allowing the next PG some time to develop.
If those top guards are not available (and they are unlikely to be), the Pistons may have to take some chances. One name I'm intrigued by is R.J. Hampton.
On face value, that'd be a "reach." Like LaMelo Ball, Hampton was a top high school prospect who went off to play in the Australian league. Unlike Ball, his NBA stock suffered as a result. While Ball put up numbers (17-8-7), Hampton put up weak stats -- 8.8 points, 2.4 assists on 41-30-68 shooting splits. As a result, Ball is now locked into top 3 pick status, and Hampton is seeing his name ranked around the 10-20 range in mock drafts.
However, I'd defend Hampton to some degree. We have to consider the context here. LaMelo Ball joined a struggling team called Illawarra. With Ball, the team went 3-9 (and finished 5-23.) When you're playing on a bad team like that, you can be the "star" and jack up as many shots as you want. In contrast, Hampton joined the New Zealand Breakers, a better team that relegated him to 20.6 minutes a night and a more limited role. His raw stats may not do him justice.
No doubt, Hampton has a long way to go, especially as a shooter. At the same time, he's a big lead guard (6'4" with a 6'7" wingspan) who flashes a lot of explosive scoring ability when he's getting downhill to the hoop. He's also a smart kid and allegedly a good worker. There's some legitimate "star" potential here, even if it's a narrow bull's eye. Hampton doesn't have the same athleticism as Russell Westbrook (hardly anyone does) but maybe there's a parallel here. After all, Weaver and OKC selected Westbrook after he'd been a little under the radar after playing off the ball at UCLA.
To be clear, I'm not urging Detroit to take R.J. Hampton at # 7. I'm not endorsing him as a future star like Westbrook. I don't know enough to do that; I don't sit around and splice up tape of New Zealand basketball. Still, the point is, the Pistons should be looking at upside players in that vein, knowing that they're going to need to hit a home run in the future.
step five: keep one hand on the detonator
The Detroit Pistons only have $68M committed on the books for next season, which means they could be players in free agency even if they re-sign Christian Wood.
If the team decided to go "all in" in a desperate attempt to compete, then you could maybe talk yourself into retaining Blake Griffin, handing out a big contract for Fred VanVleet, and shooting for the playoffs. That may work. But to what end...? The 7th seed? The 8th seed? Is that the end goal here?
More realistically, the team should (as discussed) try to get Blake Griffin back and fully healthy in order to showcase him for a trade. After that, they'd then dive into a full rebuild.
Presuming that's going to be the ultimate destination, then the Pistons may as well get a jump on that with free agency. With their remaining cap space, they can take on a toxic asset that comes attached with future picks, or take some fliers on young and promising players. Among my favorite gamblers of this offseason may include PG Kris Dunn (CHI), SG Denzel Valentine (CHI), SF Josh Jackson (MEM), and C Harry Giles (SAC.) None of them should draw huge money offers, making them reasonable purchases and lottery tickets.
If the Pistons end up blowing it up, then they should play their younger players over the course of the season. That should mean a lot of Sekou Doumbouya (entering Year 2) and even some Thon Maker (entering Year 42). If that means you only win 25-30 games, that's all right. It'll only help your odds for next year's lottery.
I've mentioned this before with some potential tankers (CLE, CHA, etc), but next year's draft could be quite strong. The group is headlined by point forward Cade Cunningham (heading to Oklahoma State) and scoring swingman Jalen Green (heading to the G-League), but there are about 4-5 other players who have the potential to join the # 1 pick conversation in time. The Detroit Pistons aren't likely to be bad enough to get a top 3 pick on their own, but the flattened lottery odds make it possible for the 7th or 8th worst team to leapfrog into that territory.
Of course, before Weaver and the Pistons officially press the detonator and go into full-blown rebuild/tank mode, they need to have a heart to heart with Coach Casey. He's 63 years old already, and entering the third year of a five-year deal. Is he going to embrace the rebuild? Is he going to be the scapegoat if they rack up losses? They need to get on the same page, out of fairness to Casey and out of fairness to this franchise. A reasonable solution would be to promise Casey that, if he does tank like a good soldier, he'll still be retained for next season. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither will chrome.
previous offseason blueprints
ATL, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, IND, GS, LAC, MIL, MIN, NYK, POR, SA, SAC, UTA
Job Interviews in 2020
Hello there, since I found it very helpful to see what recruiters ask nowadays, I want to share my experience of looking for a job during covid.
So first of all, covid did not influence the recruitment process (well, no on site meetings) and there were enough job offers for me to choose from. I was looking for web dev jobs in Sweden. Specialized myself in Angular, but am capable to fully create a web app from design mockups to database management, CI and hosting.
I started in July and wrote approx. 30 applications. Some companies never answered, some politely declined and some were interested in me.
The companies that gave me a coding test (like in school) where I had to solve arbitrary matrix and array calculations in any programming language to show them my abstract problem solving skills got a straight meme back and I questioned their interview process and that a company who values such skills is not a company I value. Seriously, those tests show nothing. Not your competence in the web department, nor the skill you need during the job.
Then there were the interesting code assessments which I shortly want to summarize:
Create any web app with the GitHub API. Just be creative. Provide a GitHub repo link and describe what the app does. Don't make it a fully fledged app so that during the interview process there is something to work on in a pair-programming session.
Create a movie finder app using any movie db API. Use React. Should have a search field, a table for results. Make it possible to set movies as "watch later" and "favorite". Provide enough tests. Should work on Desktop and Mobile. Include posters and trailers. Provide a demo website and a GitHub repo.
Reddit Clone. This one was super fun to do and complex as well. Create a feed displaying the entries from a sub reddit JSON feed (hardcoding possible) . There should be 10 entries per page and there should also be paging functionality. Optional addons: show comments of post, display them in a threaded structure. Change the limit option. Add a subreddit search field.
In general, those projects showed my skills with the chosen technology. It was fun to work on and in the end it is something you can continue working on, since the solution should be something you are proud of before handing it in. The key "puzzle" during the reddit clone was to implement the pagination, because the reddit API doesn't provide the ordinary page=3&limit=10 functionality but before & after which was quiet tricky to grasp first.
Also I had to do quiet a lot of personal questionnaires and IQ tests where you have to identify and recognize shapes and patterns.
In the end I settled with a cool company in Stockholm and the Reddit clone did it for me.
submitted by drdrero to webdev [link] [comments]
A couple of insights I want to share with you based on my own entrepreneurial journey
Long story short I turned 30 recently. I am starting over from scratch: emotionally, financially, and yes even spiritually. In the last two years, I have lost pretty much everything that mattered to me. Me and my girlfriend broke up. I lost friends. I lost my house. I lost my savings. I lost my confidence. You name it and I probably lost it. Perhaps the worst is that I have lost my peace of mind.
Despite being talented, high IQ, conscientious, with good skills in relevant areas I, unfortunately, have come at a crossroads where I might need to get a 'real' job for the first time in many years for quite a while to build myself back up. I have truly hit rock bottom and hope that I can find the inner strength to still believe my entrepreneurial goals are a real possibility for me - even though it will likely be way later in life than I had hoped. I wanted to share 10 insights with you guys, especially for those of you < 25 years based on my experience. Trust me you really do not want to be me right now. I am optimistic by nature but I have seem to have lost even that side of me. I'm now in a mental prison I have trouble escaping and wonder if I ever will again because I wasted so many years & drag the failures with me.
About me: during my 20s I started about 6 businesses. Out of those 3 flopped. One was sold within a year for a low six figure sum. The second did $3 million ARR with $600K profits. The third we raised some VC but had to fold the venture within a year. I am trying to recoup ever since but it's been extremely tough.
Being a very curious person by nature I have a wide range of interests. I am also good at learning new things and as a result, spread myself too thin during my 20s often stressed out of my mind. Don't be like me and take the time before you start anything to consider it's implications. Then apply yourself and take relentless action.
Insight #1: focus on 1 or 2 things for 5-10 years and then go to the next thing.
The one thing nobody can teach you yet is extremely important in my experience is courage. I use to have it but I misdirected it and seem to have lost it. But I have some friends who started very successful companies all because they had the courage to actually pursue it. I would advice anyone < 25yrs to take massive risks. Often they are not as big as you think they are and you only need to be right once. Not to mention people will give you bonus points for trying and help you out. But once you hit 30+ (let alone 40/50) nobody gives a fuck anymore generally speaking. So you go from a courageous young entrepreneurial spirit to just another 30-year-old loser like me right now who 'doesn't have his shit together'. Take swings and go for that homerun with everything you got while you can.
Insight #2: courage matters twice, take risks while you can, swing for the fence.
Iterate
The best way to discover if something works is to try it. Test. Iterate. Test. Iterate. You really don't want to be a perfectionist. I speak from experience - though I have managed to let go of this nasty habit all together. Look at the world as a place that is your laboratory and experiment all the time.
Insight #3: the world is your laboratory so play around, test, iterate, and test some more.
Anti-fragile
Learn how to become anti-fragile (read the book). In retrospect I was too fragile during my teens and too robust during my 20s. Meaning that I was too rigid in my thinking, eating up the whole hustle hard culture and working myself to the bone 'because that is what men do'. It took me years to find out that actually, you want to become anti-fragile meaning: you are highly adaptable, dynamic, thrive in chaos and most importantly; are high in terms of cognitive flexibility. In other words: live your life dynamic instead of superimposing your beliefs onto the world and your routines and becoming rigid.
Insight #4: cultivate an anti-fragile attitude towards life
Our business was doing $3 million ARR and we were making good money. I traveled the world and lived in a cool loft. I had been working 18/7 for close to three years. One day I got a phone call. It was my business partner. Long story short I got basically fired from my own company and was out on the street within 4 weeks all because our initial contracts gave him way too much leverage that I did not see coming at the time. I was too naive and paid dearly for it.
Insight #5: get business agreements on paper and do it properly or you will regret it
The main reason our VC backed company didn't work out was it turned out our founding team just did not vibe well. We could not align ourselves and in retrospect one of us was just too irrelevant for the position in the company. When looking for cofounder(s) look for this: 1) good chemistry 2) proper communication 3) similar life phases 4) mutual trust 5) applicable skills 6) similar vision
Insight #6: finding cofounders is not a matter to take lightly
If you are like me you want to make an impact above anything else. I believe wealth and impact go hand on hand but I have noticed over the years some people just want to make money end of story. Both are fine, but if you are like me, make sure that whatever you do it somehow resonates with your core being. Otherwise, you will feel empty inside and you will give up I will guarantee it.
Insight #7: if you want to make an impact on the world make sure your project aligns deeply
I hate to say it but luck matters a lot more than most will admit. I have seen it many times in my life as well. Most notable is a guy I once met who became the cofounder of a company worth $300 million (I won't mention the company so don't ask). His cofounder was brilliant, and he was his roommate who was lazy as hell and worked in the kitchen of a chinese restaurant. But they enjoyed working together and next thing you know this guy is crushing life. It happens all the time. That being said you can also create your own luck by working smart, becoming a man of value and building your reputation.
Insight #8: don't underestimate serendipitous luck, it happens but focus on creating your own luck
The 18-year-old me could get drunk, play soccer, crush people in super smash brothers and ejaculate prematurely. The 30 year old me can code (somewhat), build websites, trade options, speak in public, raise investment, negotiate contracts, build financial models, run advanced analytics, build teams and much much more. Make sure you stack up your skills as you go and always keep learning. I really wish someone told me early on in life how important it is to acquire useful skills in your life.
Insight #9: acquire relevant skills and always keep learning new things and improving
The right IT
The reason you want to run a lot of experiments is because you need to find the right IT. Meaning the right fit between what the market wants, what you can build, and what they want to pay you for. Great ideas (very rare) take off like nothing you have ever seen before. Even though it's not likely you'll solve a problem with such demand the thing takes of to the stratosphere, you can at least try! I've also seen and experienced the opposite countless times where founders work years on something that should have been folded after 3 months because it was just not something people wanted. Be aware of this.
Insight #10: test to find the right IT, if something doesn't grow or take off quickly, re-evaluate
This one to be honest gets me a bit teared up as I am writing this. But here we go: have faith in your adventure, pursue it with faith and plan for even greater journeys. A big reason my 20s have mostly been a shit show filled with failures is because deep down I lacked faith things would turn out well, probably because I come from a very poor and rough background. I am working on it but it seems impossible to change this belief. I often wish I could go back in time, give that young man a hug, tell him I love him, that he is enough, and encourage him to share his gifts with the world instead of doubting himself. That being said, try somehow to find faith in yourself and what you are working on and life will open itself up to you I promise. I have seen it many times.
Insight #11: develop faith in yourself and make peace with life, trust things will be fine
There were originally about 25 insights but I trimmed it down to these. Please don't underestimate it, they are not set in stone but based on 10+ years of failure (and some successes). Trust me, hitting rock bottom sounds a lot more romantic in a book or a movie. When it happens to your own life, and I have experienced it three times so far, you will go through the heart of darkness.
TLDR; I built some companies during my 20s and mostly failed. I am now at rock bottom and these are the insights I derived based on my entrepreneurial thus far. I wish you all the best, hopefully, you will find something useful here you can apply to your own journey.
EDIT 1: thank you for all the rewards and comments it means a lot to me right now
EDIT 2: part two is up online (because so many of you requested it) you can read it here
EDIT 3: I keep on receiving a TON of DMs with people thanking me which makes me happy, it means you got something out of it. You may also consider buying me a coffee.
EDIT: 4: many of you asked me to keep you posted on my next venture so I will update here again when the time is right, but when that will be I don't know, it could take quite a while
submitted by 30RITUALS to Entrepreneur [link] [comments]
How does this keep happening?
OK, so I like to shop for shoes from a certain shoe store. Its called shoe show. Some may know it, and some may not. Good store. When I go to other stores, they don't have my size. So I go to this store because they have cute shoes in my size.
Now, this incident just happened this morning. Since the pandemic came in, I ,like a lot of other people, have ordered my stuff online. I ordered my shoes about 2 weeks ago. So they were a little late getting here and I understand that, with rona going around.
Unfortunately, when I got my shoes, they was the wrong size. I called the store and they said that I can in fact bring the shoes to the store to exchange them. I didn't necessarily need to return them through the mail. OK, cool. No hassle. Load them in the car and take them to the store before my doctor appointment. Which I am currently sitting in the waiting room, typing this out, waiting to be seen.
So when I get to the store, the lady looks at the receipt, and see that on the paper, it has my size, but they accidentally gave me 2 sizes too small. Common mistake. I can either get my money back, or I can look for the same shoe there in my size or just get another shoe for the same price. I chose the 2nd and 3re option.
Side note Every shoe show has different uniforms, but they do in fact have uniforms. The store I was at, they wear black shirts with name tags, khaki pants and regular tennis shoes. Since I had an appointment, I didn't feel like dressing up. I wore a black shirt with Jasmine from Aladdin on it, black bell bottoms that were cut up a little and some flip flops. I'm a BBW, so I love black. Looks good on us plus size women. And since I'm in public, I wore my eeveelution face mask and gloves.
I go to the women section and look for the signs with my size. Found it and began looking. Couldn't find the shoe I bought (y'all know I'm hurt right) but I found a better shoe. Now I did mention in a previous post that I'm a bit of a tomboy, but today I wanted to show my girlie side. Plus the shoes I bought were heels. So when I found a better heel, and the price was cheaper, baybeh I snatched them shoes so fast, it took the paint off my toes.
Facts about shoe show, when you wanna try a heel, they give you a stocking bootie for your foot. I tried my heel, and Lawd was I in love. Ladies, you ever find the heel you love, and suddenly you thinking of outfits to wear with it and the hairstyle? Yes lawd, that was me. In my mind, you couldn't tell me shit. I was feeling myself. Suddenly, that feeling goes away when I feel a tap on my shoulder.
I turn my head around and its this lady with her daughter (14-16 yrs of age). So I asked, "Um, can I help you?" And she goes on about how nobody is at the front desk and she needs help. Another fact about shoe show, they have a bell to ring on the desk when a person is ready for check out or just needs help. So I tell her, "Ma'am, there's a bell on the front desk. Just ring the bell and I'm sure someone will come help you." What in the fuck did I say that for.
She got pissed. "So you're not gonna help me? You're just gonna keep being lazy and put your grimmy feet in the shoes? Get off your fat butt and help me. My daughter and I have a wedding to attend and we need shoes for it. My daughter is in the wedding." And I mean said it like that was a huge accomplishment and her daughter deserved an award for it. Come to find out, she was only a host and not directly in the wedding 🤦🏾🤣
So, when it finally dawned on me that she thought I worked there, first thing that came to my mind was, why does this shit keep happening? Like, is this prank Danielle day and I missed the damn memo? I look at her and tell her I don't work there. I'm there to exchange shoes. The bell is on the damn desk. Ring it.
Now she's yelling. "I WILL HAVE YOUR JOB IF YOU DON'T HELP ME. I'M A VALUED CUSTOMER HERE. YOU WILL HELP ME. I DEMAND SERVICE!" Blah blah blah bullshit. Now, I'm just over this shit. I have a doctor appointment to get to and all I want is to exchange my shoes. I don't have time for it. So I tell her, to do whatever the fuck she want. IDC, I have shit to do.
Staff finally came out because of all the commotion. Ask me what happened and she rants, and screams, and yells and holla. Staff looked at her and cuts her off, "Ma'am, I'm not being mean, but I didn't ask you. I asked her. I will get to you after she's done." Oh yeah, I'm bout to have my way with this.
I politely say, clears throat "The wicked witch of the east here needs help. I told her I didn't work here and that y'all had a bell on the desk to ring for help, and I guess her IQ was too low to read the sign and went for the first person she saw and assume they worked here. She claimed she was a "valued customer." turns to look at her That title does nothing in this kind of shoe store dumbass. Can somebody please help her and can I please go to check out so I can exchange my shoe?"
This woman literally got madder and said, "Did she really just call me the wicked witch of the east? You fire her right now!!!!" Roar roar roar. So I snapped back, "Oh trust honey, I could've called you a gorilla looking horse with the smell of fish fart and moose ankle because you called me a fat. Hell, I could've even beat yo ass for that comment, but I don't have time to deal with you." Whole time, her daughter just looks mortified because of how her mama is acting.
The staff looked at the lady and said, "She definitely doesn't work here. You can tell by what she's wearing. We have black shirts and khaki pants. She's wearing all black with flip flops. Plus her shirt has a disney princess on her shirt. If you needed help, you could've easily rang the bell and I or the other staff members would've helped you. Please calm down and leave this customer alone."
Finally, somebody to get through to her. Or so I thought. Just because this wanch didn't admit she was wrong, she rants more saying, "Well she doesn't need to wear black in this store. It confuses people." Baybeh, the icing on the cake. The daughter finally speaks. "Mom, I'm wearing black in the store. Look!" She turns to look at the daughter and she had on a black shirt with tight khaki pants hugging her curves. Her jacket was hiding the shirt. OK, so y'all know I fell out laughing. That shit took me tf out. I mean I cracked up all the way to the desk to check out and on to the car.
I literally couldn't start the car because of how hard I was laughing. After 10 mins of constantly cackling, I finally started the car and drove off. My ribs, stomach, sides and head still hurts from all that laughing.
Sorry if the story was too long. But I had to share.
submitted by TokyoDiamond to IDontWorkHereLady [link] [comments]
Updated List Of Over 50 Out Of Print Jason, Michael, Freddy, Chucky, Final Destination & Other Novelization In Audiobook Form With Links
Since my last update on my list a year ago i have finished up a bunch more out of print novelizations! in fact as of right now I am very close to completing every single out of print slasher book ever written, i have 1 more Jason book and only a few more freddy books to narrate before that is complete! but i have also branched out to other franchises and stand alone movie novelizations/tie ins. I hope there is something on this list you may enjoy! This year has been such a crazy year and I hope that what I do can bring even a little entertainment to my fellow horror fans during all this craziness. It has been a lot of hard work but it is worth it to not only preserve these books before some of them slip into total obscurity but also to give my fellow horror fans an option to experience these books without having to pay a price gouger a ton of money on ebay or amazon for a used copy at a price they pull out of thin air and call it just. Anyways. ENJOY! :)
Halloween 4 By Nicholas Grabowski https://youtu.be/dJsUybTfPgE
Friday the 13th By Simon Hawke https://youtu.be/zbpt06HF_MU
Friday the 13th Part 2 https://youtu.be/-SlAPGcHbUA
Friday the 13th Part 3 by Michael Avallone https://youtube.com/watch?v=fhT6Hlk35Fo&t=13371s
Friday the 13th Part 6 by Simon Hawke https://youtube.com/watch?v=hFl4W35EBcQ&t=15382s
Freddy vs Jason by Stephan Hand https://youtu.be/o3012InxOtU
A Nightmare On Elm Street by Jeffrey Cooper https://youtube.com/watch?v=b1m2zRV6A7E
A Nightmare On Elm Street 2 by Jeffrey cooper https://youtube.com/watch?v=9AzqOX2J-Gs&t=2351s
A Nightmare On Elm Street 3 by Jeffrey Cooper https://youtube.com/watch?v=gMwPHEVhsQs&t=1243s
Halloween by Curtis Richards https://youtube.com/watch?v=eZ4_d8Lo8iM&t=16791s
Halloween 2 by Jack Martin https://youtube.com/watch?v=ysQ-PBUk8oo&t=14537s
Halloween 3 by Jack Martin https://youtube.com/watch?v=RGaYDATuLms
Child's Play 2 by Matthew Costello https://youtube.com/watch?v=375SgTH01Gg&t=3s
Child's Play 3 by Matthew Costello https://youtube.com/watch?v=4C8PQ7d_v-c&t=1s
Jason X By Pat Cadigan https://youtube.com/watch?v=CooUy0LemNc&t=16801s
Wes Craven's New Nightmare by David Bergantino https://youtube.com/watch?v=OPjZdzaR28o&t=15901s
Friday the 13th Mother's Day https://youtube.com/watch?v=xbMM6LHKpQ0&t=1s
Friday the 13th Jason's Curse https://youtube.com/watch?v=TLaviIL-2Gk&t=10409s
Friday the 13th The Carnival https://youtube.com/watch?v=5cxzENRnwaI&t=4s
Friday the 13th Road Trip https://youtube.com/watch?v=rgIFt1G2_v8&t=1396s
Friday the 13th The Mask of Jason Voorhees https://youtube.com/watch?v=ePLoTXV-ZHc&t=5755s
Friday the 13th Church of the Divine Psychopath https://youtube.com/watch?v=EdQdywWMgFc&t=19038s
Friday the 13th Hell Lake https://youtu.be/3mQFy7AkWcw
Friday the 13th Hate Kill Repeat https://youtube.com/watch?v=R_pQuB2N_kM&t=3s
Friday the 13th The Jason Strain https://youtube.com/watch?v=Yq_SGGor-D4&t=31736s
Friday the 13th Carnival of Maniacs https://youtu.be/zMXyMtoFRZI
Jason x #2 The Experiment https://youtube.com/watch?v=0mwMnvIcZo8&t=28169s
Jason X #4 Death Moon https://youtube.com/watch?v=xgNrlP6FWEE
Jason X #5 To The Third Power https://youtube.com/watch?v=Xb7pRRGnBQ0&t=2776s
A Nightmare on Elm Street Dreamspawn https://youtube.com/watch?v=Zc9edgxDfQQ&t=3s
A Nightmare on Elm Street Suffer The Children https://youtube.com/watch?v=3-YY-4AG4yU&t=14735s
A Nightmare on Elm Street Protege https://youtube.com/watch?v=NMEpjvjH7ks&t=22916s
A Nightmare On Elm Street Perchance to Dream https://youtube.com/watch?v=StRUMlkexpc
A Nightmare On Elm Street The Dream Dealers https://youtube.com/watch?v=Rv2-4AZgtzE&t=29559s
Freddy Krueger's Tales of Terror Deadly Disguise https://youtube.com/watch?v=X0RTf38F9q4&t=4s
Freddy Kruegers 7 Sweetest Dreams:
Asleep At The Wheel https://youtube.com/watch?v=beCWNIKuW18
Miles To Go Before I Sleep https://youtube.com/watch?v=X3EK6hWha7M
Dead Highway, Lost Roads https://youtube.com/watch?v=fumAGbutrwk&t=1s
Not Just A Job https://youtube.com/watch?v=fC2uhihVW24&t=2628s
Briefcase Full of Blues https://youtube.com/watch?v=ahuZoMe73z4&t=2s
Le Morte De Freddy https://youtube.com/watch?v=xbeqi_y3llM
Close My Eyes and I'll Kiss You https://youtube.com/watch?v=i4b_DrFvPzo&t=23s
Final Destination Dead Man's Hand https://youtube.com/watch?v=L-a2nSvenjI&t=1645s
Final Destination Death of the Senses https://youtube.com/watch?v=QqDZQ6bU9qM&t=19629s
Final Destination Looks Could Kill https://youtube.com/watch?v=Df0X_MUV83E&t=13971s
Final Destination Dead Reckoning https://youtube.com/watch?v=05rHK2_6we8
Halloween The Scream Factory https://youtube.com/watch?v=lkgxJusB9Vw&t=4804s
Halloween The Old Myers Place https://youtube.com/watch?v=U-hpYRx-CXg&t=1233s
Halloween The Mad House https://youtube.com/watch?v=YyIL8T9dojk&t=2247s
Tales From The Crypt Demon Knight https://youtu.be/b3GS89qPJ_s
Final Destination 3 https://youtu.be/sMIYpSanscY
Gremlins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gps08bVh66E
Nightmare On Elm Street 4 https://youtu.be/1yCuRTS55x8
Freddy Krueger's Tales of Terror #3 Virtual Terror: https://youtu.be/dzT-UxdGVWI
submitted by Vipdad to horror [link] [comments]
Offseason Blueprint: it’s time for the young/Young Atlanta Hawks to leave the nest and take flight
The playoffs continue to rage on, but there are 26 teams sitting at home with nothing to do but twiddle their thumbs, have nightmares about getting blocked by Bam, and wait for next season to start.
For their sake, we wanted to look ahead with the next edition of the OFFSEASON BLUEPRINT series. In each, we'll preview some big decisions and make some recommendations for plans of attack along the way. Today, we're looking at the Atlanta Hawks.
step one: grow up and play D, because you can’t be forever young
Two summers ago, the Atlanta Hawks hired coach Lloyd Pierce on the basis of his defensive reputation. So far, that hasn't translated to the court. Last season, the Hawks ranked 27th in defensive rating. After a year in the system to improve their habits and chemistry, that ranking jumped all the way up to... 27th.
What's wrong here? A few factors, of course.
The one that gets the most attention and the most blame would be the deficiencies of Trae Young. His lack of length and athleticism will always be a problem, but it shouldn't be this bad. ESPN RPM ranks his defensive impact as a -6.2 per 100 possessions, which ranks 520th out of all 520 qualifiers in the NBA. According to that metric, his defense is even worse than Isaiah Thomas (at age 31.)
Isaiah Thomas may be a helpful comparison though, because he does illustrate that one bad defender shouldn't be able to sink a team on his own. In IT's great season in Boston, his individual defense was poor, but the Celtics ranked in the top 5 in defense overall. Clearly, some teams are able to overcome liabilities like that. The Hawks may have to consider hiding Trae Young on defense like he's in the witness protection program. Other lead guards like Allen Iverson defended off the ball often, which is an approach that worked for his team defenses in Philadelphia and Denver.
So what else is wrong here? The second major factor would be a matter of youth. Yes, we have a "Young" and a "young" problem here. Inexperienced players tend to be bad defensively, and the Hawks were one of the youngest teams in the league. Their top 5 players in minutes played (Young, De'Andre Hunter, Kevin Huerter, Cam Reddish, John Collins) were all in their age-22 season or younger. There are some college rosters older than that starting five. That aspect should improve in time, especially because some of those young players like Hunter and Reddish project as good defenders.
Although it may sound counterintuitive, another issue with the defense is the offense. The Hawks play fast (top 5 in the NBA in pace), and shoot a bunch of threes (top 10 in three point attempts.) The problem is: they don't make a lot of those threes. As a team, the Hawks shot 33.3% from three, dead last in the NBA. These issues naturally affect their defense. The Hawks are playing fast and missing threes, which tends to lead to transition baskets for their opponents before the Hawks can get back and get set. If the Hawks improve their offense, then their defense should improve by proxy. To do that, they may have to slow down their pace to some degree. Modern teams love to run and gun, but if you're not very good, you're only giving your opponents extra possessions to allow their talent to win out.
The fourth potential issue is a matter of coaching. As mentioned, Lloyd Pierce had a good reputation as an assistant coming over to Atlanta, but we haven't seen that manifest so far. It's a tough job assignment coaching up a young team, but it's a talented group of players. If we don't see tangible improvement in Year 3, then I would presume it's time to fire Pierce and look for another answer. There are a lot of good coaches on the market right now, so Pierce needs to step up his game to avoid getting replaced. Rebuilding teams can afford to be patient, but they can't afford to give their coaches tenure.
step two: use it before you lose it
The 2020 free agent market is going to be quieter than an indoor mall during COVID quarantine. Hardly any teams have cap space... except for Atlanta. In fact, the Hawks have the most cap space in the entire NBA, committed to only $58M on the books for next year.
This is going to be a bad free agent class, but that's okay. In a sense, the Hawks are like the best looking guy in a dive bar. There may be slim pickings, but at least he gets his pick of the litter.
You don't want to throw your money away foolishly, but you don't want it to burn a hole in your pocket either. Eventually that cap space is going to dry up when you extend your young players, so this may be a great opportunity to "use it before you lose it."
The first option should be to throw a big offer at restricted free agent Brandon Ingram. Ingram has great length for a wing player, and his scoring prowess would make for a -- wait, what was that? The Pelicans just matched my offer in mid sentence? Okay then, let's move on to our next options.
I'd also consider making sizable offers to free agents Bogdan Bogdanovic and/or Jerami Grant. Bogdanovic is a skilled scorer who averaged 18-4-4 per 36 this past season, and has the potential to thrive as a secondary scorer or 6th man. At 27, he also fits the general timeline here. While Bogdanovic may not be the defensive stopper we're looking for, you can never have too many quality wings in today's NBA.
Jerami Grant doesn't have the same shooting ability or skill set, but he's an energetic player and an impact defender. He's 26 now, and should retain his value for the next 3 years. Having Grant as a complementary starter or rotation player would help the team on and off the court; from what I understand, he's a hard worker and a team-first player.
On the lower end, it wouldn't be a terrible idea to punch some lottery tickets and hope they pay off. Josh Jackson (former Suns bust) still has potential at age 23. Chicago SG/SF Denzel Valentine has an intriguing skill set. And fellow Bull Kris Dunn is one of the premier defenders at his position. Dunn would make for a great yin/yang backup to Trae Young.
step three: have some faith in John the Baptist
One of the reasons that the Atlanta Hawks' cap size will dwindle in the future is the potential extension for PF John Collins.
A year or two ago, the team may have thought long and hard about whether or not to commit huge money to Collins. There were some indications that he was a "good stats / bad team" kind of player. He was a tweener who struggled on defense, and didn't stretch the floor reliably on offense.
These days, it's harder to hate on Collins. The raw stats are as good as always (20-10 this year), but he's also playing a more desirable brand of basketball as well. He's worked to improve his range and shotmaking. His three-point shooting went up to 35% in year two, and swelled to 40% in year three. His FT% has also gone up each year, from 72% to 76% to 80%. You appreciate when a young player improves his game, as it indicates a lot more potential still in the tank (as he turns 23 next week.)
Defense is becoming less of a concern for Collins as well. The trend towards smallball allows him to play about 50% of his minutes at center. In turn, that allows Coach Pierce some flexibility. Depending on the matchup, he can go with the traditional bigs like Clint Capela or Dewayne Dedmon, or he can play a smaller, more dynamic 5 in Collins. Collins will never be Kevin Garnett, but if he's at least average on defense, then he's a net positive player.
Going forward, there's no immediate rush or urgency to extend Collins this offseason. The team will have matching rights next summer, so they can wait and see Collins "prove it" over a full regular season before committing to him. Still, if he's willing to sign a reasonable extension this offseason, the Hawks may be able to avoid the headache. Atlanta's a good situation for a young scorer like Collins, so the hope is that he'd be amenable to a reasonable deal that locks him up as part of this core.
step four: remember you're playing the long game, not Tetris
The Atlanta Hawks will have the # 6 pick in the draft, giving them the chance to add another young prospect to the team. We had been concerned about too much youth on this roster, but it's not worth giving up that pick for a veteran because we're not in "win now" mode yet. The team may as well keep collecting youngsters like they're pokemon.
With that top pick, they should keep that mindset, and not fall victim to the desire to find the right "fit" (hence the Tetris analogy.) Best available player. That's a good philosophy when you're drafting in the top 10 regardless, but it applies to this team more than most. The team needs to get a lot better, but there are no glaring issues in terms of positions or rotations. Trae Young will have PG on lockdown. Kevin Huerter will have a role as a wing. Better still, Cam Reddish and De'Andre Hunter are the types of BIG wings that can fit across several positions. The frontcourt should be fine as well between John Collins and Clint Capela. Given that, almost any position would be fine for the Hawks to select.
At PG, the top prospects (according to ESPN) are LaMelo Ball (N.Z.) and Tyrese Haliburton (Iowa State). Both players would be fine picks for the team, because both have the size and length to guard 1s or 2s and can play alongside Trae Young in that regard. Offensively, LaMelo and Trae may fight for the ball, but both have dynamic scoring potential that would make a tag-team dangerous. Haliburton would be an even easier fit, as he's had experience playing off the ball.
At SG/SF, the top prospect is Anthony Edwards (Georgia), who is likely to be off the board. I'm also a fan of Devin Vassell (Florida State), who projects as a good 3+D player that could soak up minutes at SG and SF for this team. He's one of the safer prospects in the class to me. I also like Deni Avdija (Israel), a ball moving forward with the size to play either SF or PF.
The hardest debate may be whether to select a big man that falls to them, be it James Wiseman (Memphis) or Onyeka Okongwu (USC). After acquiring Clint Capela (and potentially ponying up for a John Collins extension), the team may not want to invest much more into the position. Still, I'd hold firm to my "best player available" idea. Wiseman and Okongwu have major potential as defenders, which has been a problem area as discussed. It could be worth bringing them in and seeing how they develop. If they turn out to be the real deal, then it's perfectly fine to trade Capela or even Collins after the fact.
I'd have a harder time justifying the selection of two other top prospects: Killian Hayes (France) feels like too much of a pure point guard to me, and Obi Toppin feels like too much of a duplication to John Collins. Still, we've discussed 7 prospects that I've already given the "greenlight" to draft, which means at least 2 of those should be available when the Hawks are on the clock.
step five: give the kids some big brothers
We've harped a lot on the youth of this team already. Usually, that's seen as a positive. Rebuilding teams are supposed to be young, right? Sure. But there's some danger there of going overboard. If you're too young, and too inexperienced, then it's hard for the young pups to learn from those around them. It's hard to hold them accountable if there's no one else around to play their minutes. We can't have the blind leading the blind here.
Oftentimes, teams try to solve this issue by adding older veteran mentors to the locker room. The Hawks found the MOST veteran of them all by adding Vince Carter (age 43.) In theory, that's exactly what we're talking about. Wise old sages like Carter can help the kids grow up and learn to be professionals.
Still, I'm not sure that's enough. As respected as an old vet like Vince Carter may be, there's only so much influence he can have on a team if he's not playing. There's only so much influence he can have on a kid's habits if they're not in the same peer group. It's unlikely that 20-21 year olds are hanging out with guys in their mid to late 30s. They're in different stages in life, and probably have different interests and lifestyles.
Given that, I believe there should be more of a priority placed on "big brother" teammates in addition to older mentors. What do I mean by big brothers? I mean veterans who have good work ethic and character, but aren't over the hill. Young vets (ages 25-27 or so) who can still contribute on the court, and can still act as friends and peers to the kids. True role models. Consider this: who influenced your behavior more in high school: Your teachers? Or your friends? We need friends / big brothers that will spend more time with our kids, and teach them through osmosis if not outright lectures.
Consciously or not, the Memphis Grizzlies showed the value of this principle with their current season. They surrounded their rookies and sophomores with "big brother" vets like Tyus Jones (age 24) and Kyle Anderson (age 26.) Those guys happen to be high-IQ players and high-character teammates, but they're still young and good enough to play 20+ minutes a night. When you're checking all those boxes, you can influence the young players on your roster more effectively than the salty old dog who's basically an assistant coach.
It's hard for me to give recommendations for "big brothers" because I don't know these players behind the scenes outside of public reputation, but the idea would be to add smart, hard-working veterans in that 25-27 age range. We want vets who play unselfishly on offense, and play hard and disciplined on defense. Even if they're not great, they can help instill good habits with the team, on and off the court.
CHA, CHI, CLE, IND, GS, MIL, MIN, NYK, POR, SA, SAC, UTA
The Rookie Report: Week 1 Starts & Sits
Welcome back to the Rookie Report! We’re on the brink of a new season, albeit a strange one. Stadiums with no fans, the Raiders in Vegas, 14 playoff spots, and no Tom Brady in New England are just a few of the things that will feel strange this year – but football will go on. Of course, there’s always the looming threat of a Covid-19 outbreak derailing things, but I’m going to operate from the optimistic point of view that things will go on as scheduled. If you’re new to the Rookie Report, each week I’ll be breaking down the matchups that the rookie class will be facing and letting you know which ones are good fantasy options and which ones should be avoided. I’ll throw in some sleepers and guys to stash on the bench as well, and I try to cover all of the fantasy relevant rookies each week (kickers excluded). Make sure to read the details on each player and not just what header they’re under since some of these may be format specific. Any players under the same header that play the same position are listed in the order that I would play them this week.
The rookies are always a tough group to predict for fantasy production, but week 1 is always tough since we don’t have any on field production to go off of when making decisions. This year we don’t even have preseason games. For some of these predictions you have to read the tea leaves a bit and read between the lines of the coachspeak, and sometimes you just have to trust the talent of the player to win out. With all that in mind, let’s dive in and talk about week 1…
Rookies to Start:
RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, KC (Wk. 1: vs. Hou.): If you have CEH, you likely took him in the first round, so you don’t need me to tell you that you’re starting him every week unless he gives you a reason not to. The Chiefs have the highest projected point total in the league this week at 31.75, and the Texans were in the bottom-6 in the league last year at limiting RB fantasy points. They were especially vulnerable to receiving backs, allowing more receptions per game to backs than every team other than the Colts. There’s no reason to shy away from CEH in DFS lineups despite a $7,000 price tag in DraftKings. Editor's Note: this article was posted here on /fantasyfootball after TNF aired, although it was composed earlier. Sheesh. :)
RB Jonathan Taylor, IND (Wk. 1: @ Jax.): Taylor will be in a prime spot to make a splash in his NFL debut. You likely drafted him as your RB2 unless you started with 3 straight running backs, so you’re probably going to play him regardless of what I write here. I won’t try to stop you. He’ll likely be splitting the backfield work with Marlon Mack and Nyheim Hines this week, but the Jaguars were one of the worst defenses in the league against opposing running backs last year and lost Calais Campbell, Yannick Ngakoue and AJ Bouye from that defense in the offseason. They’re projected to be one of the worst teams in the league and are an 8-point home underdog in week one. The Colts should be able to run plenty in this one, and I expect Taylor’s talent to show through even if his opportunities are limited. He’s a solid RB2 option this week.
WR CeeDee Lamb, DAL (Wk. 1: @ LAR): Lamb is the best of the rookie receiver crop in my opinion, and he gets a great opportunity to start proving me right in week 1. The Rams consistently use Jalen Ramsey to shadow the opposing team’s #1 receiver, and with Dallas that means Ramsey will be chasing around Amari Cooper. This will be good news for both Lamb and Michael Gallup who get to face off with Troy Hill and Darious Williams instead. Advantage Cowboys. Despite Zeke Elliott racking up plenty of carries last season, the Cowboys ranked 10th in pass attempts, 2nd in passing yards and 5th in passing TDs in 2019, so there is plenty of volume to go around, and this week that volume should be finding Lamb and Gallup. The Cowboys also have the 3rd-highest implied point total of the week at 27.5. You may not have drafted Lamb as one of your top 3 wide receivers this season, but this could be a week to get him in the lineup over someone you drafted before him. At just $4,100 in DraftKings, he’s a screaming value for tournaments.
Borderline Rookies:
RB Cam Akers, LAR (Wk. 1: vs. Dal.): Akers enters week 1 listed as the number 3 running back on the depth chart with Malcolm Brown as the starter and Darrell Henderson at #2, but I see ‘starter’ as a nominal title for Brown. He’s a guy the team trusts to do the job if the others don’t step up, but he’s not a feature back that you build around. Darrell Henderson is playing catch-up a little bit after being banged up in camp, and I think Akers has a real chance to take over the lead role in week 1. I expect the team will ride whoever gets the hot hand this week, but this is an offense that creates plenty of fantasy production for the running back position. We know that Todd Gurley was an otherworldly talent at his peak, but McVay has also gotten productive fantasy seasons from Alfred Morris and Rob Kelley when he was in Washington, and an incredible 3-game stretch from a seemingly washed up CJ Anderson in LA. Dallas was a middling run defense last season, so if Akers is able to get the bulk of the work this week, he’s got obvious RB2 upside.
RB Zack Moss, BUF (Wk. 1: vs. NYJ): The Jets boasted one of the best run defenses in the league a year ago, but in the offseason they lost two of the guys that were big reasons why they were so effective. CJ Mosley opted out of 2020, and Jamal Adams was dealt to Seattle. Even if the Jets are able to be a solid run defense again without those guys, they’re likely going to be playing from behind so much that the RB counting stats are still going to add up. Moss enters the season expected to be the Bills’ early down running back. The Bills had the 7th-highest rushing percentage in the league last year, running on 47.5% of their offensive snaps, and they figure to be run-heavy again. I’d expect Moss to finish week 1 around 15 touches, and he’d be first in line for any goal line carries. That puts him firmly on the flex radar in 12-team leagues and is a better play in non-PPR formats.
WR Henry Ruggs, LVR (Wk. 1: @ Car.): Ruggs was the first receiver off the board in April, and he’ll open the season as the team’s WR1 with Tyrell Williams out for the year. Ruggs has the speed to be a dangerous deep threat, but with Derek Carr at QB he’ll likely have to make his living on schemed touches in the short part of the field where he creates yards after the catch. As the WR1, I’m sure Jon Gruden will make sure Carr is getting the ball to Ruggs, but the group of pass catchers that thrives in the short part of the field is crowded in Vegas. Hunter Renfrow, Darren Waller, and Jalen Richard are all good receivers in that area, so I don’t see Ruggs being a target hog early on. His road to being a fantasy standout will be through creating big plays. He’ll get a chance to do that against a Carolina defense that isn’t terrible against the pass but isn’t imposing either. Ruggs is a boom-or-bust option who is capable of a Marquise Brown style week 1 breakout (Brown went 4-147-2 in week 1 last year), but is also capable of falling short of 40 yards.
WR Jerry Jeudy, DEN (Wk. 1: vs. Ten.): Jeudy is an outstanding talent and landed on a team where he’ll walk right into the WR2 role in the offense, but it’s not a high volume passing offense and he’ll likely start the year behind both Courtland Sutton and Noah Fant in the pecking order. That outlook may have changed on Thursday with Sutton suffering a shoulder injury in practice. If Sutton sits, Jeudy could be the WR1 in week 1. No cornerback on the Titans should be capable of stopping Sutton, but they probably won’t be quite as overmatched by Jeudy. Fant should be in line for a nice day as the Titans struggled to contain tight ends last year, allowing the 6th-most points per game to the position. Keep an eye on the Sutton updates. If Sutton sits or is going to be limited, Jeudy should see enough volume to be a playable WR3 option. If it seems like Sutton is going to be fine, I would probably keep Jeudy benched until we see what his target share looks like as the WR2.
WR Brandon Aiyuk, SF (Wk. 1: vs. Ari.): Aiyuk’s status is still up in the air this week, as is Deebo Samuel’s. If Aiyuk plays and Deebo doesn’t, there should be some consideration for getting Aiyuk in your lineup as a flex option. He may be facing off with Patrick Peterson in that scenario, but Peterson was anything but his typical self after returning from a 6-game suspension to open the 2019 season. He rounded into form late in the year, but Peterson is on the wrong side of 30 and Aiyuk is the type of receiver that can win at all levels of the field. The 49ers’ offense is going to run through George Kittle and their running backs, but they do have an implied point total of 27.25, so it’s likely that *some* receiver puts up a nice fantasy game Sunday. If he plays, Aiyuk is likely to lead the wide receiver group in targets, giving him the best shot of being that guy.
Rookies to Sit:
QB Joe Burrow, CIN (Wk. 1: vs. LAC): I like Burrow’s upside over the course of the year as a QB2, but I think there will be some growing pains in the early part of the season. The Chargers are not an inviting matchup for an NFL debut. They’ve got a solid pass rush anchored by Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. No team blitzed less than the Chargers in 2019, and yet they ranked 13th in the league in QB pressure percentage. It didn’t translate into a lot of sacks, but the addition of Linval Joseph to the middle of the line should help free up the edge rushers to be more disruptive this season. The team will be hurt by the loss of Derwin James to injury, but they still boast one of the best starting pairs of corners in the league in Casey Heyward and Chris Harris. I think there is a good chance the Chargers make Burrow look like a rookie in his debut and would be hesitant to play him in 2 QB leagues if I didn’t have to.
RB JK Dobbins, BAL (Wk. 1: vs. Cle.): If I drafted Dobbins as my RB3 this season, I’d be tempted to play him this week. The Browns ranked 30th in Football Outsiders’ run defense DVOA stat last year, and the Ravens are favored by 8 in the opener. There could be some garbage time for Dobbins once the Ravens get out in front, but Baltimore may still try and keep Gus Edwards and/or Justice Hill involved in the run game as well. The official team depth chart listed Dobbins as the 4th-string back. I expect he’ll work as the number 2 guy behind Mark Ingram but would like to see how the rotation plays out before putting Dobbins in my lineups. I
RB Antonio Gibson, WAS (Wk. 1: vs. Phi.): Gibson has had a ton of buzz around him during camp after Washington cut Adrian Peterson. He’s a versatile player who has drawn comparisons from the coaching staff to Christian McCaffrey. That’s obviously a pretty big stretch, but the head coach and offensive coordinator making the comparison were both in Carolina last year. I think Gibson will be the best fantasy back on the team this year, but I don’t love him for week 1. The Eagles ranked third in run defense DVOA last season, and I expect we’ll see Peyton Barber handle most of the early down work early in the season for Washington. Gibson will also be competing with JD McKissic and Bryce Love for 3rd-down work. The team is thin at wide receiver, so you could even see Gibson line up in the slot a bit since he played a lot of wide receiver in college. All in all, there’s just too much uncertainty about what his week 1 role will look like to trust him in fantasy lineups.
RB D’Andre Swift, DET (Wk. 1: vs. Chi.): Swift has been working through a couple injuries in camp but should be able to suit up on Sunday. The problem is that with the signing of Adrian Peterson this backfield figures to be a three-headed monster, and that’ll be a headache for fantasy players. Swift may get the valuable 3rd down passing work, but I’d like to see how the workload is divided before relying on any Lions running back in my fantasy lineups. I’d take a wait and see approach with Swift.
RB AJ Dillon, GB (Wk. 1: @ Min): Dillon enters week 1 listed as the 3rd running back on the depth chart in Green Bay, and while I would normally tell you to ignore the official team depth charts at this point, this one feels like how it’ll actually play out on the field. I’d expect Aaron Jones to be the clear lead back with a mix of Jamaal Williams and Dillon spelling him for some early down work. The best bet for Dillon getting a healthy workload would be garbage time in a blowout win, but that seems unlikely with the Vikings favored by 3. I’d keep Dillon away from your lineups.
RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn, TB (Wk. 1: @ NO): In case you drafted Vaughn early and have been living under a rock in recent weeks, the signings of Leonard Fournette and LeSean McCoy will make Vaughn mostly useless for now in fantasy leagues. He’ll likely be limited to special teams early in the season and won’t have much value without injuries in front of him. Feel free to drop him outside of dynasty leagues.
WR Michael Pittman Jr., IND (Wk. 1: @ Jax): Pittman should see the field quite a bit in week 1, but I don’t expect it to translate into fantasy production just yet. The Colts played 61% of their snaps last season in 11 personnel (3 WR), and their 3-WR sets to open the year should feature Pittman, TY Hilton and Parris Campbell, but the bulk of the passing volume should go through Hilton and Campbell (along with Jack Doyle and Nyheim Hines). The Colts are an 8-point road favorite this week, and I’d expect them to lean heavily on the running game which will limit how many targets there are to go around. If Pittman makes it to even 5 targets, I’d consider his week 1 to be a successful one.
WR Chase Claypool, PIT (Wk. 1: @ NYG): The Steelers have spent much of the summer talking up Claypool, but this is an offense with a lot of mouths to feed. The return of Ben Roethlisberger should make this a much more fantasy-friendly offense than it was last year, but Claypool enters the season as no higher than 4th in the target pecking order. The Steelers do have a favorable matchup this week and have the 5th-highest implied total of the week, and Big Ben hasn’t really played much with James Washington or Diontae Johnson, so if you want to roll the dice on Claypool in a DFS tournament (just a $3,000 price tag in DraftKings) I wouldn’t fault you for it. For season-long leagues you should have safer options for week 1.
WR Denzel Mims, NYJ (Wk. 1: @ BUF): It sounds like Mims is going to play this week, but after missing much of camp with a hamstring injury, I wouldn’t count on him getting a full workload in this one. It also remains to be seen which outside receiver will tangle with standout corner Tre’Davious White. Breshad Perriman is coming off an injury of his own, and both players make for poor options against a tough Bills defense with the Jets having an implied point total of just 16.5 points.
WR Justin Jefferson, MIN (Wk. 1: vs. GB): Jefferson is a very talented receiver, and the Vikings obviously believe in him after drafting him in the first round in April, but he’ll likely open the season splitting WR2 snaps with Bisi Johnson. The Vikings play with 3 WRs less often than any other team in the league. They consistently operate out of a 2 tight end base set with Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith Jr. Jefferson will eventually work his way past Bisi, but I’d want to see what kind of opportunities he gets early on before trusting him in my fantasy lineup. His week one matchup isn’t all that appealing either. Green Bay is one of just 2 teams in the league that allowed less than 10 receptions per game to opposing wide receivers last year.
WR Tee Higgins, CIN (Wk. 1: vs. LAC): With AJ Green expected to play week 1, it’ll be hard for Higgins to get on the field much. It looks like Green, Tyler Boyd and Auden Tate will be the trio on the field in 3 wide receiver sets, and Higgins will be competing with John Ross for any leftover reps. There’s no reason to consider Higgins for week 1.
TE Cole Kmet, CHI (Wk. 1: @ DET: Kmet was the first tight end drafted in April, but he doesn’t figure to play a large role early in his rookie season. He’ll open the season behind at least Jimmy Graham on the depth chart, and possibly Demetrius Harris as well. The Lions were a middle of the pack defense against tight ends a year ago, but Kmet shouldn’t be a consideration in any formats this week.
Deep League Sleepers, Stashes, and Cheap DFS Options:
QB Tua Tagovailoa, MIA (Wk. 1: @ NE): I don’t list Tua here with any thoughts of you using him in week 1. I mention him in case you’re in a 2-QB league where he’s sitting on the waiver wire. He’s going to take over for Fitzpatrick at some point this season, and when he does he’s going to have big-time upside. He’s worth stashing if you have the roster spot in superflex and 2-QB leagues. I would rather have Tua than fellow rookie Justin Herbert.
RB Josh Kelley, LAC (Wk. 1: @ CIN): Kelley enters week 1 as the likely backup to Austin Ekeler, but that role will probably come with 10-12 touches and possibly more if the Chargers pull away. Ekeler isn’t built to be a 20+ touch per game kind of back and the Chargers are shifting to a more run-heavy approach this season with Philip Rivers gone. Kelley looks like the back who will pick up the slack the Melvin Gordon left behind. Only 4 teams allowed more rushing yards last season than the Bengals, and while Cincy could be improved with the addition of DJ Reader to their D-line, I expect they’ll still find themselves in a lot of negative game scripts. For week 1, Ekeler has RB1 upside, but Kelley isn’t a terrible option as a flex in deep leagues. He’s someone you should be picking up everywhere if he’s on the waiver wire. I expect his role will grow as the season progresses.
RB James Robinson, JAX (Wk. 1: vs. Ind.): What a difference a week makes for Robinson. A week ago Robinson looked like he was going the be the number 4 or 5 running back on the depth chart, but since then Leonard Fournette was cut, Ryquell Armstead went back on the Covid-reserve list, and Devine Ozigbo landed on IR. Robinson is suddenly the projected starter this week. Chris Thompson will handle most of the 3rd down work, but Robinson is going to be on the field a lot. The Colts didn’t give up many running back touchdowns last season (6), but they gave up plenty of yards to them, both on the ground and through the air. The Jaguars project to be playing from behind in this one, so Chris Thompson is probably the guy that will lead this backfield in fantasy scoring this week, but in deep leagues a starting running back is hard to ignore. Robinson certainly shouldn’t be on your waiver wire and he has 10+ point upside this week.
WR Bryan Edwards, LVR (Wk. 1: @ Car): Ruggs is the guy with the draft capital, but Bryan Edwards may emerge as the alpha receiver on this Vegas team. He excels in the intermediate part of the field where few other receivers on the team do, and he’s easily the most physical of their receivers, which will serve him well in the red zone. His QB has compared him to former teammates Davante Adams and James Jones, both of whom excel at getting in the end zone. The Raiders have a reasonable implied point total of 25.25 this week, and if I had to bet on any Vegas pass catcher getting in the end zone it would be Edwards. He costs just $4,200 in DraftKings and is very likely to outperform that price tag. He may not get as many targets as Ruggs, but don’t be surprised if he outscores the first rounder in week 1.
WR Laviska Shenault, JAX (Wk. 1: vs. Ind.): After all of the changes and injuries that have come up for the Jaguars over the last week or 2, about the only thing that seems clear with this offense is that DJ Chark is going to be targeted a lot. I’ll add a second thing here – Laviska Shenault is going to be very involved in this offense. Reports out of camp this week are that the Jaguars are getting VERY creative with the ways they’re using him. He’s a versatile player that lined up all over the field in college and is dynamic with the ball in the open field. I expect Jacksonville to make it a point to get the ball into his hands any way they can, even if it means handing it to him out of the backfield. Viska has a higher DraftKings price tag than some of the other rookies at $4,400, but he could be a really interesting option in limited slate contests. 10 touches isn’t out of the question in week 1.
WR Van Jefferson, LAR (Wk. 1: vs. GB): I wasn’t high on Jefferson coming into camp, but he’s been impressive. He’s not an explosive athlete, but his football IQ and feel for the game are off the charts. He’s a route running technician who was a tough cover for Jalen Ramsey in camp. It remains to be seen if he’s fully overtaken Josh Reynolds for the WR3 role in the offense, but if he has he’ll be on the field a lot. The Rams like to line up with 3 wide receivers on the field as much as anyone. Dallas was stingy against wide receivers a year ago, but they said goodbye to their number one corner Byron Jones in the offseason. Jefferson is more of a stash right now, but if he’s on the field as the WR3 a 4-60 kind of game wouldn’t be that crazy for him this week.
WR John Hightower, PHI (Wk. 1: @ Was): Hightower has a chance to benefit from a couple of injuries ahead of him this week, and also from the extra attention the Washington secondary will give to DeSean Jackson. D-Jax burned them in the opener last year with 2 TDs of 50+ yards. They’re going to do everything they can to make sure that doesn’t happen again. That means less attention for JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Greg Ward, and Hightower. Of that trio, Hightower is the only one with the burner speed to hurt Washington deep. He’s a DFS tournament dart throw who will cost the minimum in DraftKings, and can have a nice NFL debut with just one or two deep balls.
That’s all I’ve got for this week. Hopefully it helps you as you try to figure out what to do with the rookies on your team for week 1. Keep a close eye on the injury report this week to make sure you don’t end up playing anyone inactive. Feel free to hit me up on twitter (@Shawn_Foss) if you have any questions or want to yell at me about anything written above. As always: Good luck, trust your gut, and have fun. It’s just a game. Original article from drinkfive.com
submitted by xylopolist to fantasyfootball [link] [comments]
Resources for travel in Switzerland.
Not a single trip report, but more of a collection of experience and lessons from many trips. I don't think I have posted this here before, it might be useful in this very long planning period.
Most of my travel here as day or week long trips has been solo travel. This is probably as safe and easy a solo destination as you are going to get. People hiking or biking across the country by themselves is commonplace, eating isn't a group thing like in some countries, and other than maybe a few activities that require a booking with a minimal group size you won't find yourself excluded from anything. I have never had any problems (though as a white male it might be easier for me to avoid them, I can't speak for other demographics).
The only real factor for me regarding solo travel here has been that if you really want to meet other travelers then it will be much easier at a hostel in a more popular area (ie Interlaken/Luzern/Zermatt) than if you go off to other forms of accommodation in the lesser known regions. There are hostels all over the country, but many (especially the YHAs) tend to attract domestic Swiss tourists of various ages rather than an international scene.
The Swiss are not going to embrace you like a family member, but are friendly in their own way. I have never had a problem getting help (even without a mutual language), sharing tables at relaxed places like mountain restaurants is quite standard (once all the empty ones are partially occupied), and sometimes they will be very chatty in a way that still surprises me sometimes. Speaking the local language makes it much easier to get talking with people, but English often works everywhere (too well given that I still have issues getting people to talk to me in German sometimes).
I am in no way linked to, get paid by, or benefit from anything I do on here in any way whatsoever (sadly nobody has even tried to bribe me with gifts or luxury hotel stays). This is purely for my own amusement.
I will also try and update or correct posts as I or others spot mistakes, but there could still be errors.
This is mostly aimed at English speakers, those who speak the local languages will have far more options.
I live in the German speaking area so I am very heavily biased to the sights and culture there just through my daily experience.
I am a little insufferable at always wanting to be different, so I tend to be a bit harsher on populafamous places than unknown ones. You should try and mentally correct for that.
My own guides
my own sub: /ali_on_switzerland as a convenient dumping ground for any Swiss based post I make (plus they will be the more updated versions), with a slowly updated post of places/ideas I have for future things to do.
More travel related:
Travel in Switzerland in general in two posts: new (mostly specific thoughts on places), and old (more general information on the country as a whole).
Imgur album/info posts: This is the larger one which has detailed info/links and is still slowly evolving, and I also have this older one which is more basic and locked. This is a list of popular posts on social-media and what they actually are.
More detailed blogs on more major tourist spots: An overview of the tourist spots in general (link), and Jungfrau region (Lauterbrunnen/Grindelwald/Mürren/Wengen) (link), and Luzern/Rigi/Pilatus (link), and Gruyères (link), and the St Beatus caves (link), and Zermatt (link).
Cheap/affordable travel in Switzerland: link
When to visit/what conditions to expect: link
Transport in Switzerland: link.
Scenic train rides: link.
The most beautiful villages: link.
Hiking in Switzerland: link.
Cycling and mountain biking in Switzerland: link
Winter in the Alps for non-skiers: Link.
Visiting the UNESCO sites in Switzerland: Link.
The trip taken by JRR Tolkien that inspired parts of the Hobbit/LOTR: Link.
Unique/interesting Swiss festivals: link, with a sidepost on the surreal madness that is Fasnacht.
Swiss food and drink: link.
An idiots guide to buying a Swiss Watch: link.
Responses to often posted topics:
Are there any ugly places in Switzerland (yes): Link
Misc. points like why is the grass so perfectly mowed in photos and so on; link.
Lauterbrunnen FAQ: link.
Blausee: link.
Gelmerbahn, the “high-speed rollercoaster; link
Villa Vals, the underground “hobbit” house: link
More living related:
Moving to Switzerland: A new post that I wrote after 2.5 years and an older post that I wrote after 1 year.
Learning German in Switzerland: link.
Learning Swiss German: link., and an expanded collection of resources
Misc tips:
Swiss vs European power plug adapters - not always compatible! If you have an EU plug it might not fit into a Swiss socket, but newer ones should do (roughly speaking when the two prongs are 4mm or less in diameter, and 14mm apart they should work in both the EU and Switzerland).
Cable cars typically stop running at around 5pm (but can be until 10pm or so if it is servicing a village like Mürren). This is especially deceptive in summer when it stays light until much later. Check when the last run is, the internet is full of stories of people who found themselves with a long walk down in the dark.
Internet - practical
Many of these also have a phone app version which is worth having.
My Switzerland. The official and very extensive tourism website. Just about any information you could possibly need about anything is on here.
Wikivoyage. A bit hit and miss: the overview and coverage for places like Zürich is fantastic, but many places are lacking in useful or any info.
Local tourist areas all have their own websites. Usually in both summer and winter versions, giving you info on: conditions, what is open, ideas for what to do, etc:. Eg: Jungfrau region, Zermatt, Appenzell, and so on.
You can get regional travel passes which cover all transport and cable cars in specific areas (Eg: the Jungfrau region, or the Tell pass around Luzern). Likewise there are endless passes for museums etc in each region.
SBB. The website (and also app) for the train network covering buses, boats, and cable cars too. Timetables, ticket info, and pass info. It is sometimes better to look up the timetable for seasonal things like cable cars and boats on their own websites (eg: BLS boats on Brienzersee, or cable cars in the Aletsch region) as when they don’t run the SBB just gives a vague “can’t find the connection” notice. They do various travel passes, though it is best to carefully calculate your planned routes or figure out if it is worth it It is worth looking for the off-peak “super saver” tickets which limit you to a certain train but can cut the price in half (and if you have the half-tax this cuts the price again, to as much as 75% off).
Official accommodation (which should include Airbnb) will offer a guest card in many tourist areas including free/discounted local transport and activities. Typically this is just in the town/village and places 10-20 minutes away (eg for Interlaken), but in the beautiful and underrated canton of Ticino it covers the entire canton.
Aside from the standard options for finding rooms you might also want to look into other options such as https://alp.holidaybooking.ch/?language=en, and https://www.rooms.ch/ . Many smaller independent options (especially farms and rural hotels) are not on Booking.com etc and you will have to find them by trawling around on google maps. This could help if you really want to stay in a certain area but everything is booked out, but many of them have a very basic setup so you might need to phone up or fill in a form on their website.
Another option that might be worth considering is the Swiss Hotel Card, a 99CHF per year subscription that offers half priced hotel rooms. This is limited to participating hotels and doesn’t apply during the high season, but could easily pay for itself with just a single night or weekend. I have yet to try this, but the range of locations looks like it could be quite good for domestic travellers.
For more rural hut and farm based accommodation: https://bnb.ch/ , and https://www.bauernhof-ferien.ch/ , and https://www.myfarm.ch/en/accommodation , and https://naturfreunde.ch/haeuse . Some like myfarm.ch offer the chance to sleep on straw in a barn.
Alpine huts are run by a few different organisations. The SAC website is the best starting point.
Camping. Standard campsites: www.tcs.ch , www.camping.ch , and www.sccv.ch. In addition there are a few websites where you can officially find a small patch to pitch up on a farm https://www.nomady.ch/ , and on myfarm.ch too.
Wild camping is complex. The best way to sum it up is "Prohibited but tolerated under conditions". This SAC page has the most official guidelines. There are some pointers for the ideal situation (the more you follow the better): above the treeline, with the community / landowner’s permission, not in a protected area, single tent, set up as the sun goes down and dismantle at dawn, no fire/noise/disturbance/litter. Wild camping has increased in popularity in recent years, iconic spots like Seealpsee are having problems with numbers, so try and pick a less known spot.
For weather there is Search.ch which also includes a few webcams and ski info in winter, or Meteoswiss which has a useful country map.
There are lots of high-resolution webcams. Check official websites for resorts and cable cars (eg: Jungfrau region), or roundshot for the best. Useful webcams can also be found at webcamforinsiders and swisswebcams.
Switzerland Mobility. Detailed map showing all official routes for hiking/biking/skating…. With lots of short and long suggested routes. If you sign up for the (paid) Pro version then you can plan routes on the map with detailed height information and pretty good time estimates. for example.
map.geo.admin.ch (mobile app - Swisstopo). The official govt map is amazing. Quick to load and use on desktop or mobile. You can toggle useful overlays like hiking paths (in some ways better than Mobility above as the levels are shown and the contrast makes it much clearer), and just about anything else from geological features to ski runs, you can even switch to historic versions of the map going back to the mid 1800s and watch the country grow. It will even convert any section you like to PDF for easy saving and printing. All for free.
When actually out and about I tend to use Maps.me on my phone which has rather good coverage of the footpath system and addresses/businesses. That said it does have some big gaps in some areas. I wouldn’t use it for advanced routes, but to check my position and where a certain side path might take me it is mostly very useful. The directions feature sometimes gives good advice and sometimes decides that a perfectly good bit of path can’t be used and that you should take a 3 hour detour. The time calculator does not take height change into account, so do not trust that either.
Internet - culture
Swissinfo.ch Swiss news and topics in English.
Thelocal.ch is more of the same.
Newlyswissed is yet more Swiss news with a focus on cultural tips for those adjusting to Switzerland. Though it can be somewhat fluffy click-bait (actually it is mostly pretty crap really).
Beer. There are apparently more breweries per person in Switzerland than anywhere else in the world. The impressive one man website Bov.ch maps and is working hard to review them all.
Music to get you in the mood. Many of the bigger Swiss artists like Anna Rossinelli, and Stefanie Heinzmann sing in English (understandable with a slightly bigger potential audience) but there are a surprising number that sing in Swiss-German. In no particular order of name or genre: Bligg (where else can you see someone rapping and posing on a Zürich skyscraper?), Kunz, Nemo, Lo und Leduc, Dabu Fantastic, Züri West, Baschi, Patent Ochsner, Marc Sway, De Luca, Müslüm, Hedgehog, Subzonic, Span, Mani Matter, Steff la Cheffe, and Dodo. Having written all that I then just found this big youtube playlist. Or if you want to go REALLY Swiss you can go fully native and crash through into the world of folk-Schlager (at this point you are out-Swissing most of the Swiss who would run up a mountain to avoid that). This however may be the peak of awful campy self-aware Swissness (my apologies to every Swiss person who was just reminded about the existence of that). However this may top that to be the most amazingly bad Swiss thing ever.
If you speak any of the national languages then the Swiss broadcasting Corporation has plenty to offer in each. For example with German there is the SRF is who do a mix of High-German and Swiss-German telly and radio. SRF Play is their on demand TV/radio website and app. They are very good at putting their full shows onto youtube - the main SRF Youtube channel has quite a bit of content (and there are other specialised official channels too). Radio podcasts are on the SRF website and on Spotify (and probably other places too), for Swiss-German check SRF1 (especially the regionaljournal channels) and SRF3, and for the hardcore the Hörspiel channel often has full plays in Swiss-German.
I rather like the SRF archive for the historical videos which can normally be enjoyed without the language.
Swiss Watching - Diccon Bewes (2010). Switzerland seen through British eyes. A very readable and enjoyable introduction to the history, people, politics and areas of the country by someone who has lived there for years. Ideal reading as a traveller. There are some over generalisations but given the scope and size it mostly does a good job. If you read anything about Switzerland make it this. He also has a Google-talk video which is basically a condensed version of the book
Slow train to Switzerland - Diccon Bewes (2013). The author retraces the first Thomas Cook tour of Switzerland and shows how much has changed since then and by the rise of trains and tourism. A very interesting read for the history and travel ideas.
Around Switzerland in 80 Maps - Diccon Bewes (2015).Yet another Diccon book, though this is much more history and culture than travel based. At a large 33x23cm it isn’t travel friendly either, but it is beautifully done with a range of well reproduced images and interesting information. It is accessible and interesting to everyone, but I would say this book is most enjoyable to those who already know the Swiss landscape, history and culture to some extent already. The TedX talk that he does on the subject is rather good.
The Bergli publisher, which Diccon is part of, have quite a few light hearted books about Swiss culture and Switzerland.
How the English Made the Alps - Jim Ring (2000). A history of how the development of tourism, climbing, and winter sports played a major role in the development of the Alps. Not just Switzerland, but it is a major focus of the book.
A Tramp Abroad - Mark Twain (1880). FREE EBOOK. Satirical and absurd account of his travels in Europe. The Swiss part is often hilarious. As above is interesting to see just how much the country has changed since then. Several places such as Weggis-Rigi and Zermatt-Riffelberg have Theme walks in the approximate places where he walked himself. A tramp in this sense is to walk, not the homeless person as most people other than the Kiwis might assume.
Sherlock Holmes - The Final Problem - Arthur Conan Doyle (1893). FREE EBOOK. A quick and easy read of Holmes' "final" adventure ending at the Reichenbach falls by Meiringen. He oversells the waterfall somewhat though I must say.
The Magic Mountain - Thomas Mann (1924). Inspired by and set in a Davos mountain health retreat. No comment as have yet to read it.
Heidi - Johanna Spyri (1881). FREE EBOOK. The classic kids book which seems to be something of cliché and sales-device these days (for a start you can visit a fake Heidi house in Heidi village). It is only partly happy alpine adventures, and often rather painfully moralistic. Read until she is put on a train to Frankfurt and that should be enough.
William Tell - Friedrich Schiller (1804). FREE EBOOK. Performed every year in Interlaken amongst other places. Frankly it is really blood boring - the whole thing can be summed up that the Swiss are good christian brothers, and the Austrians are utter wankers.
Bill Bryson passes through in his 1991 book “Neither here nor there”. While still mostly a good read, being almost 30 years old the info is rather outdated in parts. The country has become much more lively since then for a start.
La Place de la Concorde Suisse - John McPhee (1984). A very out-dated but in some ways interesting read looking at Swiss military thinking and culture back in the 80s. The attitudes and situation are very different now over 30 years later. This is only really worth it if you really want to learn about that bit of Swiss history. It also commits the cardinal sin of having numerous bits of French scattered about the book but with no translation provided, which is really bloody annoying.
If your German is good then:
Von Casanova bis Churchill - Barbara Piatti (2016). A series of articles about famous visitors to Switzerland.
The publisher Emons does local Krimis. If you like a nice murder or two to go with your hiking spots. The quality is good enough but the writing is not going to win any literature awards.
submitted by travel_ali to solotravel [link] [comments]
RAV4 Prime SE: One month of driving, impressions, data, and one issue. AMA?
(EDIT: Got distracted, didn't finish a thought about electric rates and total costs. Fixed it!)
(EDIT 2: BIG wow on the gold! Thank you, kind redditors!)
(EDIT 3: Don't edit on mobile, you'll break your post. Just logged back onto my computer to fix it.)
(EDIT 4: Thanks for all the support, folks. I've edited my awful data representation because I added new data, and I'm adding to the Fuel Economy and "Why on earth..." sections with some stuff I've learned.)
(EDIT 5: This guy does a great job talking about suggested maintenance and what not to do with a Prius/RAV4 Prime. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND WATCHING THIS. He talks about a lot of good things like actually using the ICE, good charging habits [which are also in the Prime's manual], tires, proper use of charge mode, etc, and there's some good discourse in the comment section about battery health.)
(EDIT 6: I swear, the amount of edits I'm doing will be as long as the original post soon. Maybe I'll make a resources section. Anyway, this guy did what I wanted to do to test the fuel system. I say watch the whole video, but I've linked to the end where he goes through the numbers. He drove in HV mode (with a full battery backup) with the car telling him to refuel, implying it was nearly out of gas. He drove for about 70-80 miles, and when he filled up he still had just over a gallon of gas left in the tank. This lines up with my experience of the one visit to a gas station. This car is insane.)
Howdy all! I'm new to the club, and this will be long.
On July 31 (a day before his birthday), I retired my grandfather's 1999 Ford Explorer (RIP, 3/6/99-7/31/20) after driving it for 5 years after his passing, and traded it in for a shiny new 2021 RAV4 Prime SE. In this thread I'll talk about my buying experience (context: USA, East Coast), present a little bit of data I had collected, and the only glaring issue I have with this car. I've driven over 1000 miles already (had to drive for a work trip, which was a great way to refine the HV fuel economy).
Feel free to ask questions, and I'll answer as best I can! I'm not gonna talk too much about the specs and overly technical stuff, because plenty of great videos exist that explain it better than I could. I want to bring this a little more down to earth for us normal folks and our normal people concerns.
Disclaimer: My only experience driving a "new" car was in 2017, doing a short drive in my mom's new Jeep. I have a sense of awe and wonder at some of the features modern cars have, because I haven't had them. Also, many people in my family have had Toyotas over the years (many RAV4s both ICE and Hybrids, some Corollas, an early Highlander Hybrid come to mind), so I knew I was pretty partial going into this ordeal.
Most of the pictures I've used to collect my data can be found in this Imgur album (which I made before making a proper Imgur account, so I can't edit it. Sigh.)
Buying Experience
The dealership I bought from had one (1) SE delivered earlier than planned. Another dealership in the area also only had one (1) SE, but with different upgrade packages. There was less than $1.5k difference between the models (IIRC). The one I bought included weather and moonroof package, all-weather floor liners (good because winter), roof rack crossbars (not necessary, but always nice to have), frameless homelink mirror (basically buttons for garage door openers on a snazzy mirror), and the protection package (includes edge guards on doors, mudguards on the fenders, etc).
The dealership experience was mostly good. The staff was courteous and friendly, and even the finance officer was honest and blunt with me about stuff I could get cheaper elsewhere, or stuff I could sign up for later if I want it. The big downside came with the rarity of the car: There was very little negotiation available in any aspect, and the dealership included an "Adjusted market price" increase of $5000.
Yes, you read that correctly. According to them (and I had also heard of this through a few sources), many other dealerships had a much higher markup which would put an SE with comparable upgrade packages over $50k before any taxes/fees. With limited availability, I didn't really have a choice. I tried to play the game, but the three different people I talked to at the dealership (salesman, manager, and finance) basically all said "yeah, no." It was pretty frustrating when they were like "what can we do to make this sale for you?" and I replied at least three times "you can make the price what was on your website, for a start." (The website showed the MSRP, plus upgrade packages, with a line through it. When you clicked on the button to get a deal/more details, it said that you already had the best price. They claimed it was bad website design, I told them straight up it was a nice case of false advertising and they should get their act together.)
I used my trade-in value (not much, but I was able to negotiate it up a bit) toward an extended warranty (jumps from 3-year to 10-year, I think, which I felt was worth it given how much driving I do), and put down a healthy down payment with reasonable financing through a local credit union to cover the rest. I know that the situation will change once I receive the tax rebates (The Prime qualifies for the full $7500 federal rebate, and my state offers a $1000 rebate).
Am I a fool for going through with this ordeal? From most points of view, absolutely. But when you drive a 21-year old car and have to fill it up 2-3 times per week (pre-COVID) at the tune of $40-50 per fill up, it's time for change.
But I mean, she's so pretty.
The actual email I got from the dealership. It here, indeed.
And there she is, safely at home.
Features I like
I didn't know you could have heated seats that aren't leather or leather alternative. I've also never heard of a car having rear heated seats. Color me surprised when I found out that it's got it all! The weather package also included a heated steering wheel, which is great because I don't mind bundling up for the cold, but my fingers typically are colder than the rest of my body.
I'm a musician, specifically a bass player, and if there's one thing I'll splurge on it's good sound. Because I got the SE, I didn't have the option of upgrading the audio system. Honestly: I didn't need to. The stock system sounds great to me, and I don't think the extra inch on the infotainment display would make a huge difference.
Also, the big reason that this vehicle stood out to me is because there aren't a ton of options for hybrid/PHEV SUVs that get good mileage. I need the cargo area to haul music equipment from time-to-time
The ability to switch between Normal, Eco, Sport, and Trail modes satisfies my need to control the AWD of the car. My Explorer let me choose between 2WD and 4WD. Before the Explorer, I drove a Mitsubishi Montero which let you choose 2WD, 4WDH, 4WDL, and 4WDL with locked center differential, and that car had literally saved my skin in some nasty winter weather, as well as some infrequent off-road usage. Obviously this is different than that, but the absolute shift in the feeling of driving in the different modes is awesome (Note: I haven't needed to use Trail mode yet, and I'm not doing that on a paved road). I've only used Sport mode a few times while driving on the interstate back from work, and I absolutely love it.
I primarily use Eco mode (the whole point of me getting this car was to save money on gas). Sport mode, to me anyway, is just for fun. With those two options, normal mode is just kind of "whatever" and I'll probably never use it. If I have a need to use Trail mode, I'll update the post.
I was literally ecstatic when I saw a traditional style shifter in here, and not just a twist knob to go between gears. Also, having the manual shifting option is always a huge plus to force yourself into lower gears during winter weather.
Ignore the AM radio stations listed, I've just had that piece of paper forever.
Things I Wish Were Different
The 6.6kW onboard charger as a standard (only available as an upgrade option on the XSE), and Level 3 charging capabilities (DC fast charging). The SE is limited to a 3.3kW onboard charger. The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has all 3 levels of charging for a base price comparable to the SE (yes, I know it gets less EV miles). I get that this is Toyota's second foray into PHEVs recently, so I genuinely hope that they add it as an option in future model years, but it's a shame it wasn't available this time. I feel like it will really restrict the practicality of using public charging stations, since even at a 240V station it would still take 4.5 hours for a full charge. Realistically, I suppose if you're at one all day at your place of employment then it's good regardless. But if you're going to just be at a parking lot/garage for an hour, or if lower power charging is the only option, it's almost not even worth it and you may as well drive home in HV mode.
(Note: I don't have the option of charging at work, and there aren't many options for public charging stations near me. The nearest one is a highway rest-stop that has a bunch of Tesla chargers on one side of a huge lot near the building, and a single 240V charger far away near the tractor-trailer parking. Even with an adapter the Tesla chargers, if I understand it correctly, would literally blow up my car because I don't have DC fast charging. No thanks.)
The "Auto EV/HV" button is very self-explanatory: If you press that button, you drive as an EV until the car decides it needs some extra oomph and switches to HV mode. And then when it doesn't, it'll switch back. That's how I normally drive. Excellent work, Toyota, 10/10.
The "EV<->HV, Chg Hold" button is not as intuitive because it FORCES the car between the two modes and holds it there. My big gripe is the second function, which makes it sound like you switch to HV mode just to hold the charge of the EV mode. In reality, if you hold the button it tells the car to use the motor as a generator to charge the batteries. This was explained very poorly at the dealership to me, so I had to figure it out for myself. If you want to burn the extra gas while you're driving to try and charge the batteries back up, go for it? Otherwise, I'd just drive in normal HV mode.
No fog lights? Seriously? Is that still considered a "premium" feature?
A better way of capturing driving/fuel economy data would be grand. See the next two sections.
Typical Driving, Fuel Economy Data
As far as money spent, electric rates in my area are around $0.12/kWh (including all fees, charges, etc.). With the 18.1kWh battery pack, that equates to about $2.17 for a full charge. Less than the cost of a gallon of gas ($2.30-2.50/gal near me) to go 45 miles, or whatever. And that's such an insignificant part of my electric bill, especially considering that I don't empty and recharge it every single day (thanks, COVID?). Unfortunately I live in a rental, and can't have too many nice things. But if you have solar panels, wind power, or an absolutely electric connection with Zeus, well, it's basically free miles. And if you can recharge at work, it is literally free miles (for you, sort of). Also, imagine the money you're saving on not having engine wear. When do I get an oil change, anyway?
(EDIT: Please get regularly scheduled service and maintenance. Watch the video I linked at the top.)
Anyway, for those not familiar, the dashboard looks something like this. Super intuitive, gives you great information, please ignore the EV battery being depleted.
Dashboard when the car is on.
Dashboard when you turn the car off.
So from that screen, I compiled a bunch of information (not consistently, mind you), and wanted to share that performance data.
EDIT: Something important to note with EV mode is that by having the fan/air conditioning on, even with ECO heat/cool is that it will reduce your estimated EV miles on the counter by one or two. If you just turn the A/C off, the fan icon disappears and you'll typically get an extra mile. It's not much, but if your goal is to maximize EV driving, every bit helps. My running average, as you can see from some pictures, is 2.9mi/kWh. With an ~18kWh battery, that math works out to a suggested 52.2 miles of EV driving, but I'm sure I really am losing a few miles between climate control and idle time while driving.
Context: My typical commute to work is about 39-40 miles one way, and the coffee shop is in the path of my normal commute so it doesn't add anything substantial, maybe like 200 feet of driving. Because of this commute, I pretty much burn through my battery on my way down, maybe I have a little left to start my drive home.
EDITED 10 Sept, 2020 to include new data/better charts. Sorry that this is a chart for ants.
Added a few more lines of data.
Don't ask why the EV ratio bar is so big, I have no idea what's happening in Excel. Changed this so that EV ratio is a bar associated with each drive (as it should have been) and total economy is a set of lines.
Why on God's Green Earth Would I Represent Data This Way?
Because the the infotainment display doesn't save the information in a helpful/useful way. You've probably noticed that absolutely enormous jump in the last two data points. That's because in trying to use this awful system during my a recent drive, I basically erased my MPG and reset the counter. What this did was save the total economy for a "trip" and then start tracking it from scratch. At the time, I was driving in HV mode, and when I parked at home it was at something like 53MPG (jumping from 0 all the way up into the 60s and then back down).
What was interesting was when I did a short, all EV drive the next day, which meant I got "99MPG" (I wasn't using gas, so...) which just brought the average way up across so few miles. I'm sure this will start to drop once I do a few longer drives that drain the battery or switch into HV mode. I'm not sure if there's a recommended frequency at which you "update" your fuel economy history, but maybe I'll play around with it more in the future.
Well that isn't helpful.
What the heck am I even looking at? What does the placement of those E's mean??
I rest my case. But I'll try to do better next time. Having EV Ratio as another bar made it feel really cluttered, but I realize now that having it the way I do is objectively worse. I was tired when I made it and probably meant to have Total Economy be that kind of chart. FTFY.
Whatever. You get the idea. The car is awesome.
So What's The Big Bad?
It's the fuel tank.
I believe that the Prime suffers from the same fuel tank issue as the recent year Hybrids (i.e., cannot completely fill the tank). I drove the car down to basically nothing left in the tank (gauge on E, "3 Miles" left on display), and then refilled it and could only fill up to 11.7 gallons, when the car has a 14.5 gallon tank. Based on the efficiency of the car, 3 miles left would literally be running on fumes left in the tank, when in reality I had a little under 3 gallons left. It isn't the worst thing in the world, but because of the sensor being tied to the gauge and the mileage counter, if I hit 0 and keep driving I have absolutely no way of knowing when I'm gonna run out. I believe I read somewhere that a guy drove his Hybrid for another 120 miles after hitting "0 miles." I don't want to take that chance, at least not without a full charge of battery as a backup. And even then, *shudder* EDIT: Go watch the video of the awesome dude who literally did this and could not empty his gas tank after driving around for 3 hours, it's back up at the top.
Here's my proof that I \"emptied\" the vehicle as much as possible. Yes, I did this on purpose.
Here's after refueling.
And here's my receipt from my only visit to a gas pump this month, which has a lower number than I've seen since my childhood for a \"full tank\" fill up of an SUV.
Let them work out manufacturing kinks, fix the gas tank issue (if that's a huge deal to you), and finalize the charging to at least have the bigger charger on both models (ideally add Level 3), and GET ONE.
If you need me, I'll be driving around silently.
EDIT: Here's a neat thing. When I bought the car and charged it for the first time, I had 33 EV miles. It crept up to 40 after a week, and has slowly crept up even more, and I was recently greeted with this when starting up. (Edited again because it GOT BETTER.)
Not too shabby, considering the battery is rated for 42 EV miles. Also, my mi/kWh finally bumped from 2.9 to 3.
Here's me with the Explorer, parked right next to the Prime. Sorry for the garbage quality, not sure what was up with my mom's phone (she was there to sign over the Explorer). Had a grand total of 179,188 miles, and was still going pretty strong minus some oil leaking and a questionable startup every now and then.
Would you believe that this thing was in a fender bender that chewed up the front bumper and messed up the hood? The dealership didn't either. But CarFax is good at what they do.
Goodbye, old friend. :(
submitted by MinisterEveryday to rav4club [link] [comments]
<iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-WN69JL" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe> IQ Option is an international online CFD Forex and Binary Options broker, that has been in business since 2013. Their main location is at: Yiannis Nicolaides Business Center, Agiou Athanasiou Avenue 33, 4102, Agios Athanasios, Limassol, Cyprus.Contact phone number in England is: +44 2080680760, and their email address is: IQ Option is an investment firm and an international software developing company and its main product is the online trading platform. The company was founded in 2013 and since then we have reached ... Glassdoor gives you an inside look at what it's like to work at IQ Option, including salaries, reviews, office photos, and more. This is the IQ Option company profile. All content is posted anonymously by employees working at IQ Option. IQ Option is an investment firm and an international software developing company and its main product is the online trading platform. The company was founded in 2013 and since then we have reached one of the first positions of world leaders in the online trading industry.
#iqoption malayalam complete guideline Sreekumar Talks
Aula - Alavancando banca - IQ Option - Duration: 33:40. Trader Job 14,660 views. 33:40. Saia da manada e ande seu próprio caminho Dicas e sacadas, pode ser seu divisor de águas - Duration: 23:26. iq option trading strategy malayalam, what is iq option malayalam IQ Option is a top investing application with a clean and intuitive interface, created to meet the needs of the most demanding ... Check Out Here: https://bit.ly/2XyCYFf - The Best Guide To Iq option indicators - Engine manufacturing jobs Updated Jul, 2020 Classification - World 79 Views... Here Are The Findings: https://bit.ly/2XwE6ZM - Iq option indicators - Engine manufacturing jobs - The Facts Check out Our Blog: https://bit.ly/3ieFFDy - Iq ... Welcome to official IQ Option channel for English-speaking audience. Here we post all our educational videos about finance and trading, webinars. IQ Option w...
forex currencies
forex com login
hd 6970 bitcoin mining
rada forex
db forex
make a living trading forex
forex pip calculator
bitcoin pool
think forex
|
cc/2022-05/en_middle_0036.json.gz/line39
|
__label__cc
| 0.585486
| 0.414514
|
VN-Eurasian trade surges
Friday, Oct 06, 2017 08:04
An Lac Seafood Co workers process dried fish for export to the EU, Russia, Japan, South Korea and China. — VNA/VNS Photo Vu Sinh
During the first 10 months of the free trade agreement between Viet Nam and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), total trade turnover between the sides grew 32 per cent, with exports from Viet Nam to EAEU countries increasing 28 per cent.
The relatively balanced growth in exports and imports shows that the VN-EAEU agreement is built on the principle of equality and transparency, said Mukai A. Kadyrkulov, Member of the Board, Minister for Customs Cooperation, Eurasian Economic Commission, at an event on Thursday marking the pact’s first anniversary.
Dang Hoang Hai, director of the European Market Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), agreed that the EAEU trade agreement has strongly promoted trade, investment and cooperation in many fields.
The VN-EAEU FTA has been a strong impetus for the development of economic and trade relations between its participants, and an important step towards a commercial partnership across the wider regions of ASEAN nations and the EU, said Konstantin Vnukov, Russian ambassador to Viet Nam.
Some businesses have found completely new markets with impressive growth, such as radio navigation equipment, the exported amount of which has increased more than 900 times from Viet Nam to EAEU countries, remarked Kadyrkulov.
He attributed the progress to the tariff reduction of 43 per cent for all Vietnamese goods. Over the next 10 years, the amount of duty-free imported goods from Viet Nam to the EAEU market will be constantly increasing and will account for 90 per cent of the latter’s unified tariff schedules.
Vladimir Goshin, Belarusian Ambassador to Viet Nam, said trade turnover between Viet Nam and Belarus in the first eight months of 2017 showed a balanced bilateral exports and imports volume of around US$37 million. Goshin also noted that Vietnamese businesses are more active than ever in taking advantage of the preferential trade opportunities offered by the agreement to boost their exports.
Goshin said Belarus considers Viet Nam an important partner to strengthen its position in Southeast Asia.
The new Viet Nam-Belarus automobile manufacture and assemble joint venture, the Minsk Automobile Plant in Hung Yen Province, is expected to begin operations by the end of the year, promoting cooperation to increase the localisation rate of products as well as technology transfer.
Nevertheless, Hai from the European Market Department noted that according to MoIT data, the number of businesses from both sides taking advantage of the FTA is roughly 20 to 30 per cent, due to differences in language, culture, taste, consumption habits, and said he hoped that over time, such difficulties would gradually be resolved.
The conference was held at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture in Ha Noi., with the participation of ambassadors from EAEU member states, representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and other nations’ chambers of commerce in Viet Nam. — VNS
Tags free trade agreement Viet Nam and the Eurasian Economic Union trade turnover
SME transparency a must for loans: experts
Japanese car chair factory launched
Petrol price drops slightly after five hikes
HCM City printing, packaging expo attracts 300 companies
Can Tho to begin exporting rice to Iran
Seafood exporters fear new US, EU regulations on illegal fishing
New law to improve civil compensation
PetroVietnam’s 9-month results exceed assigned plans
Textile association opposes wage hike
Viet Nam keen on Japanese investment: PM
VN’s 2017 growth to quicken: World Bank
Sacombank wins JCB card awards for 5th straight year
PM proposes working group for congestion at border gates with China
Top 10 ICT events of 2021
Authorities work to resolve trade bottlenecks
Viet Nam among key markets of Ford Motor Company
|
cc/2022-05/en_middle_0036.json.gz/line40
|
__label__wiki
| 0.535871
| 0.535871
|
Sampling public reaction to Cruel 2 B Kind
Both public and playtesters' reactions to Cruel 2 B Kind have been really oustanding and encouraging so far. I thought I'd do a quick round-up of some of my favorites here.
"fucking genius"
"a brilliant contribution to gaming, and also to society... innocent bystanders are going to find themselves being surrounded by a whole ton of well-wishers and positive energy"
"fun and doable for normal people" (as opposed to hard-core gamers only)
"Sort of assassins but with an even more insidious twist… kill them with kindness. Cruel 2 B Kind has Got 2 B Tried."
"like a non-violent fatwa (in a good way!)"
"this whole concept, and the thought of people going around complimenting, cheering for or singing to complete strangers really makes me smile"
"The basic idea is to turn public spaces into places to play games, games that can include everyone. I love the idea."
"awesome!*dreams of slaying someone with a serenade...*"
And the gameplay, as described by some of the playtesters:
Ryan says: "you play in public places, which adds a lot more suspense. You never know for sure who's playing and who's not...until you kill them, of course, or they kill you."
Suw says: "Eventually, we ended up with two marauding packs in a Mexican stand-off. We sat on picnic rugs playing Duck Duck Goose (a new game to me), and they lurked behind some trees trying to look inconspicuous and failing. Eventually, with only 10 mins to go, the other group rushed us - using a non-game playing couple with a dog as a decoy, and running straight out of the sun at us, deploying their final, fatal weapon. We were, essentially, kissed to death."
(And don't forget to register to play in our Sunday San Francisco Playtest or the New York City World Premiere game on September 23!)
The Approval Matrix
Serial engagement is the cornerstone of community
Alternate reality games as bionic software and exi...
Notes from a cruel puppet master...
Please feed (but don't fetishize) the participation
Live blogging the 2nd Cruel 2 B Kind Playtest
Yay! I won a technology innovation award
NPR shout-out
"After the climactic bloodbath"
Live blogging the 1st Cruel 2 B Kind Playtest
|
cc/2022-05/en_middle_0036.json.gz/line41
|
__label__cc
| 0.619943
| 0.380057
|
Form, Facts, Feelings and Formulations about the Festival – Reflections on Cheltenham
How was the Cheltenham Festival for you? Personally I found it the best ever from a pure enjoyment standpoint, even though it takes its toll – particularly on the liver. It has definitely been a case of recovery and detox over the last few weeks ahead of going up to Aintree for more fabulous fun on Merseyside. Hardly surprising, as it is the NH Olympics, there was an enormous amount of views shared and arguments raging throughout the Festival week. As ever in racing, mostly clap-trap, but here are ten reflections.
It certainly wasn’t the highest standard of Festival that we’ve seen. The general view was that both the Champion Hurdle and the Gold Cup were 10lbs below normal, and there weren’t that many races that were truly memorable. For me personally, the highlight was one of my favourite horses, Defi Du Seuil, winning the Triumph Hurdle for Philip Hobbs and Richard Johnson. Such a hardy, game horse. Indeed I think Philip would run him every fortnight if he could. The best race to watch, I thought, was the Mares’ Championship with Apple’s Jade, Vroom Vroom Mag and Limini battling it out. Great to see Noel Fehily showing again what a champion he is, winning the top race on each of the first two days.
Definitely the best ever for the Irish, who are now dominant. The somewhat meaningless Prestbury Cup was a shoo-in for the Irish, with 19 vs. 9. Willie Mullins won over £750k and Gordon Elliott over £600k. The late 1980s seem more than a couple of decades ago, when it was a complete whitewash to the British on one occasion, and another year 17/1. The key question is why GB is falling behind.
Bloodstock prices continue to spiral into the stratosphere. I went along to the Tattersalls Ireland sale during the meeting and was flabbergasted to see 13 horses go for £100k plus, with a median of £120k and an average of £142,857. As the auctioneer said, “There is now fierce demand and a ferocious appetite for young horses with form.” You can say that again. The grass-roots owner clearly isn’t going to get a look-in.
The declining state of UK National Hunt racing. There was a working party to look at the decline in Northern NH racing, and maybe their remit should be broadened to the whole of the country. Yes, there is superb prize-money available at Cheltenham but it is lousy almost everywhere else. There is an interesting statistic to confirm that: the difference in prize-money between the top and everyday racing in many countries is four times, whereas in the UK it is now 100 times. Horses always follow the prize-money, and it is hardly surprising that top owners are migrating to Ireland where they can scoop up easy pickings in Graded races and easy handicaps.
The gap between the top and the bottom of the sport has never been greater. This really reiterates points 2-4 above. Is it time to change some of the rules and conditions for races to encourage the grass-roots owner? I did an analysis for the Racehorse Syndicates Association and amazingly there were only 40 syndicate horses at the Festival, even though there were quite a few partnerships. Many of us are now fishing in a different pond.
Was the drink crack-down worthwhile, and did it work? After the excesses of 2016 with some very unsavoury incidents, Cheltenham and the Jockey Club clearly needed to do something. It seems to have worked, although most people wouldn’t get many problems getting round the four-drinks-per-buyer rule. I saw lots of people buying four for themselves! There was also a crack-down in the town centre with on-the-spot fines. Sad, but necessary.
Rumblings about the bookmakers. There were no sympathies for the bookies, as they won on almost every race and there were numerous Festival flops, notably Douvan at 2/9, reportedly the shortest loser in a hundred years. There was more misery with Yanworth, Tombstone, Death Duty, Unowhatimeanharry and Djakadam. However it is rumoured that the BHA had a meeting with the Association of British Bookmakers, who want help in a rearguard action against imminent changes to do with fixed-odds betting terminals. I have zero sympathy with the bookmaking industry, who need to focus far more on innovation and collaboration with their racing partners.
Well done, ITV with their terrestrial coverage. Encouragingly for the whole sport, they lifted the viewing figures by 250,000, massively ahead of Channel 4’s last effort of 526,000 average viewers. It’s a lighter style and seems to be far more appealing to the general audience. A good start has been made by them.
Time to crack down on abuse of the whip again. Charlie Longsdon was desperately unlucky that his horse Pendra was collared in the final strides of the Kim Muir by Gina Andrews on 40/1 shot Domesday Book. She mercilessly flogged her horse, and rightly received a three-day ban for it. It seems really unfair that a rider who stays within the rules is beaten by one who doesn’t. Stewards should be given discretion to reverse the placings and behaviour would soon change, particularly if the culprits had to make a financial contribution to the owner for lost prize-money.
And possibly some other changes are needed. We are in an era now when top horses, owners and trainers can cherry-pick valuable Graded races and avoid all meaningful competition. This doesn’t do much for competitiveness, nor public interest. Should there be some qualifications added whereby horses for championship races must have competed in a minimum number of Graded races prior to the Festival? With the grass-roots owner not getting much of a look-in, should race conditions be framed to encourage them? So for example should there be more caps on second-tier races to force top owners to take their best horses up into the championship races? I would also have a syndicates-only race, but then I have been arguing for that for quite a few years.
Hopefully some food for thought there. Bring on Aintree!
Labels: abuse of the whip, Aintree, Bloodstock prices, Cheltenham Festival, grassroots owners, ITV Racing, national hunt racing, syndicates only race
Festival Fever Fuels the Fortunes of Racing: Time...
Form, Facts, Feelings and Formulations about the F...
|
cc/2022-05/en_middle_0036.json.gz/line42
|
__label__wiki
| 0.672485
| 0.672485
|
Business stories of interest this week
February 5, 2018 Jason Maywald
Business stories from the past week, compiled by Jason Maywald:
1. SMH.com.au: Bunnings UK woes deepen with $1 billion writedown
Bunnings’ foray into the UK and Ireland has plunged deeper into strife, with parent company Wesfarmers writing down the value of its investment there by almost $1 billion.
The retail conglomerate flagged that losses from Bunnings UK and Ireland (BUKI) would blow out to $165 million in the first half and said the project’s boss had left the company.
Wesfarmers also booked a $306 million writedown at Target. Wesfarmers bought British chain Homebase as a fixer-upper project for $705 million in 2016, and planned to spend up to a $1 billion re-branding and overhauling stores to the Bunnings brand and format.
2. AFR.com: Telstra to offer 5G in 2019
Telstra says it plans to offer 5G in 2019 and will show off its developments this week, as it looks to assert dominance over Optus in the battle for the next-generation mobile market.
NBN Co, meanwhile, dismissed the threat of next-generation mobile to its business model, after Optus surprised many in the local telecommunications market by rushing out an announcement last Friday, saying it would begin deploying 5G fixed-wireless internet to metropolitan areas in 2019.
Optus’ announcement was seen by some, spoken to by The Australian Financial Review, as a “spoiler” for a media gathering Telstra has arranged on the Gold Coast on Wednesday, where it is expected to give more concrete details of its 5G strategy.
3. SMH.com.au: The key workers fleeing Sydney
Sydney’s inner and middle-ring neighbourhoods are being sapped of locals who work in essential services including nurses, teachers and police as high house prices alter the make-up of the city’s neighbourhoods.
New research has revealed a dramatic slump in the number of key workers living in long-established Sydney regions during the past decade while areas on the urban fringe have experienced significant net gains.
The Parramatta region had the biggest net loss of essential workers between 2006 and 2016 with a decline of 21.4 per cent. Next was the eastern suburbs (-15.2 per cent) followed by Sydney’s inner south west (-14.6 per cent), Ryde (-14.2 per cent) and inner west (-11.3 per cent).
During the same period the Southern Highlands, on the extremity of Greater Sydney, experienced a 17 per cent net increase in the number of essential workers living in the region. There were also big net gains in the Hunter Valley (+13.6 per cent) and the Illawarra (+10.5 per cent).
4. Dailytelegraph.com.au: Aussies preparing to be slugged with bills
Confused Australians are taking matters into their own hands this summer, in a bid to lower energy bills.
Galaxy research commissioned by iSelect found just 32 per cent of 1144 respondents claimed to perfectly understand their energy bill, while 59 per cent understood it “somewhat”.
One thing almost all agreed on however, was that bills were high and action needed to be taken, with 90 per cent actively trying to reduce their bill throughout the hotter months. Of those without air conditioning, 100 per cent were taking action that included using internal blinds and curtains, fans and opening and closing windows at certain times to ease the effects of the heat.
Meanwhile, those with air conditioning were feeling bill pain, with 15 per cent pledging to switch their energy provider this summer.
5. News.com.au: Retail’s $160m Amazon fightback
A big white shed within earshot of a motorway on the scrubby fringe of Sydney could hardly be compared to Milan.
But what’s happening in this nondescript building, away from prying eyes, aims to revolutionise the way Australians shop for fashion.
In a sector that’s already a bloodbath, the building is ground zero for a multi-million dollar fight back from the biggest threat to Australian retail for decades — the arrival of US giant Amazon.
On Friday morning, big wigs from some of the largest brands in domestic and international shopping — names like Woolworths, Samsung, Rivers, H & M and Big W — met at the building in Prestons, Western Sydney. They were told many Australians retailers simply wouldn’t survive.
They were meeting to peek behind the loading dock and into logistic firm Toll’s $160 million state of the art automated retail and eCommerce hub.
Business Blog amazon, business blog, energy prices, Jason Maywald, telstra permalink
Bahis siteleri 2022 on Risk allocation in the Australian Corporate Governance Framework – an introduction
Daget 77 on Risk allocation in the Australian Corporate Governance Framework – an introduction
안전사이트 추천 on Ten common mistakes managers make and how you can avoid them
judi slot online terbaik on The Cost of Personal Information Regulation & the Australian General Insurance Industry
|
cc/2022-05/en_middle_0036.json.gz/line58
|
End of preview.